US 7,455,072 B2
Device for selectively regulating the flow rate of a fluid
Eric Mabry, Trabuco Canyon, Calif. (US); and Kenneth Wayne Rake, Laguna Niguel, Calif. (US)
Assigned to I-Flow Corporation, Lake Forest, Calif. (US)
Appl. No. 10/527,782
PCT Filed Sep. 18, 2003, PCT No. PCT/US03/30135
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Mar. 11, 2005,
PCT Pub. No. WO2004/026373, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 01, 2004.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/412409, filed on Sep. 19, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2006/0070669 A1, Apr. 06, 2006
Int. Cl. A61M 39/28 (2006.01); F16K 7/06 (2006.01); A61M 5/168 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 137—599.06  [137/595; 251/297; 604/34; 604/250] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device for selectively regulating the flow rate of a fluid, comprising:
a housing including an inlet and an outlet;
a plurality of flow conduits fluidly connected between the inlet and the outlet, each of the flow conduits comprising a resiliently compressible occlusion tube having a length representative of a different pre-defined flow rate; and
a flow rate selection mechanism, operatively mounted in the housing, for selectively obstructing fluid flow through the flow conduits, thereby to provide a flow rate from the inlet to the outlet corresponding to the combined flow rates of the unobstructed flow conduits, wherein the flow rate selection mechanism comprises:
at least first, second, and third flow-blocking elements, each of which is operatively associated with one of the flow conduits, each flow-blocking element being selectively movable into and out of a flow-blocking compression against its associated occlusion tube; and
an actuation mechanism operatively engageable with each of the flow-blocking elements and movable among a plurality of pre-defined positions in all but one of which it operatively engages one or more of the flow-blocking elements to block flow through the flow conduit associated with each of the operatively-engaged flow-blocking elements, and in one position of which it operatively engages none of the flow-blocking elements; wherein the actuation mechanism comprises a cam rotor rotatably mounted in the housing and having a plurality of cam elements disposed thereon in positions in which each of the cam elements may operatively engage and move one of the flow-blocking elements into a flow-blocking compression against its associated occlusion tube as the cam rotor is rotated, wherein the cam rotor is rotatable among a plurality of rotary positions, each of which is associated with a predefined fluid flow rate, and wherein the plurality of cam elements includes at least a first cam element engageable only with the first flow-blocking element, a pair of diametrically-opposed second cam elements engageable only with the second flow-blocking element, and a plurality of third cam elements engageable only with the third flow-blocking element.