What is claimed is:
1. A reservoir for use with a medication infusion device having a rotatable lead screw for controllably dispensing fluid from the reservoir, the reservoir comprising:
a hollow reservoir barrel adapted for receiving and supporting a supply of the fluid; and
a reservoir plunger slidably received into the barrel and movable within the barrel to deliver the fluid from the barrel;
wherein the reservoir plunger has an integral split nut connector formed on a rear end of the plunger adapted for co-axial alignment with the lead screw whereby the split nut connector is adapted to be engaged directly to the lead screw.
2. The reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir plunger includes at least two legs and the integral split nut connector comprises at least a partial nut formed at the end of each leg of the plunger such that the plunger is adapted to permit the lead screw to fit between the at least two legs and the partial nut on each leg can simultaneously engage the lead screw when the legs are compressed.
3. The reservoir according to claim 2, wherein the partial nuts are engaged to the lead screw by a camming receptacle, wherein the camming receptacle has camming surfaces to press the partial nuts together to form a whole nut over the lead screw when the plunger is twisted within the camming receptacle.
4. The reservoir according to claim 3, wherein the plunger is twisted a quarter-turn to engage the lead screw and keep the plunger engaged to the lead screw.
5. The reservoir according to claim 4, wherein the plunger is twisted in a reverse direction to disengage the lead screw and allow removal of the reservoir.
6. The reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir plunger includes two legs and the integral split nut connector comprises a half nut formed at the end of each leg of the plunger such that the lead screw can fit between the two legs and the half nut on each leg can simultaneously engage the lead screw when the legs are compressed.
7. The reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the reservoir can be engaged to the lead screw with the reservoir being at any fill level.
8. The reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the medication infusion device has a unidirectional drive system.
9. The reservoir according to claim 1, wherein a locking cap is used to lock the reservoir inside the medication infusion device and to engage the reservoir to the lead screw.
10. The reservoir according to claim 9, wherein the cap allows the medication infusion device to be water resistant.
11. The reservoir according to claim 1, wherein the integral split nut is surrounded by flexible members which allow the split nut to be forced over the lead screw to a starting position.
12. A method of placing a reservoir in a medication infusion device having a rotatable lead screw for controllably dispensing fluid from the reservoir, wherein the reservoir comprises a hollow reservoir barrel and a reservoir plunger, the method comprising:
forming an integral split nut connector on a rear end of the plunger;
aligning coaxially the split nut connector with the lead screw; and
engaging the split nut connector directly to the lead screw.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of forming an integral split nut connector further comprises:
manufacturing a plunger with at least two legs and a partial nut at the end of each leg of the plunger such that the lead screw can fit between the at least two legs and the partial nut on each leg can simultaneously engage the lead screw when the legs are compressed.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of engaging the split nut connector further comprises:
twisting the plunger within a camming receptacle, wherein the camming receptacle has camming surfaces such that the camming surfaces push the partial nuts together to form a whole nut over the lead screw when the plunger is twisted within the camming receptacle.
15. An infusion device system comprising:
a reservoir having a reservoir barrel adapted to be filled with a fluid, and a reservoir plunger slidably received into the barrel and movable within the barrel to deliver the fluid from the barrel, and
an infusion device including a device housing defining a reservoir compartment for receiving and supporting the reservoir, and drive means for engaging and controllably moving the plunger to deliver the fluid from the reservoir, the drive means including a rotatably driven lead screw;
wherein the reservoir plunger has an integral split nut connector formed on a rear end of the plunger adapted for co-axial alignment with the lead screw whereby the split nut connector is adapted to be engaged directly to the lead screw.
16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the reservoir plunger includes at least two legs and the integral split nut connector comprises a partial nut formed at the end of each leg of the plunger such that the lead screw can fit between the at least two legs and the partial nut on each leg can simultaneously engage the lead screw when the legs are compressed.
17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the partial nuts are engaged to the lead screw by a camming receptacle, wherein the camming receptacle has camming surfaces to press the partial nuts together to form a whole nut over the lead screw when the plunger is twisted within the camming receptacle.
18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the plunger is twisted a quarter-turn to engage the lead screw and keep the plunger engaged to the lead screw.
19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the plunger is twisted in a reverse direction to disengage the lead screw and allow removal of the reservoir.
20. The system according to claim 15, wherein the reservoir plunger includes two legs and the integral split nut connector comprises a half nut formed at the end of each leg of the plunger such that the lead screw can fit between the two legs and the half nut on each leg can simultaneously engage the lead screw when the legs are compressed.
21. The system according to claim 15, wherein the reservoir can be engaged to the lead screw with the reservoir being at any fill level.
22. The system according to claim 15, wherein the medication infusion device has a unidirectional drive system.
23. The system according to claim 15, wherein a locking cap is used to lock the reservoir inside the medication infusion device and to engage the reservoir to the lead screw.
24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the cap allows the medication infusion device to be water resistant.
25. The system according to claim 15, wherein the integral split nut is surrounded by flexible members which allow the split nut to be forced over the lead screw to a starting position.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A server device including a processor and a program storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to configure the server device to provide a client device with location information indicating one or more data storage locations of one or more sets of information about one or more datasets, the one or more sets of information about the one or more datasets being provided by one or more network devices and described in a structured format, the server device including a module comprising:
a first software layer including plural kinds of applications, each kind of application amongst the plural kinds of applications having and performing a function different from a function of the others of the plural kinds of applications, and a second software layer including plural kinds of service software used in common for the functions of the plural kinds of applications and controls hardware of the server device to provide said each kind of application amongst the plural kinds of applications with the different function;
a data storage location acquiring unit to acquire the location information indicating the data storage locations of the sets of information about the datasets from the corresponding network devices via the second software layer;
a data storage location management unit to manage the data storage locations of the sets of information about the datasets acquired from the network devices;
a data storage location providing unit to provide the client device with the acquired location information indicating the data storage locations of the sets of information about the datasets via the second software layer, wherein the data storage location providing unit describes the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset in a subject of a mail to provide the client device with the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset.
2. The server device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a management table unit for managing information indicating specific network devices being managed or to be managed; and
a deleting unit to determine whether a specific network device supports the structured format and, if said deleting unit determines the specific network device does not support the format, deletes the specific network device from the information in the management table unit indicating the specific network devices being managed or to be managed.
3. The server device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
a management table unit for managing information indicating specific network devices being managed or to be managed; and
a deleting unit to delete the specific network device from the information in the management table unit indicating the specific network devices being managed or to be managed, if a specific network device does not provide, for a predetermined time period, the location information indicating the data storage location.
4. The server device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data storage location acquiring unit acquires device management information via the second software layer, and the location information provided by the data storage location providing unit via the second software layer to the client device includes the data storage locations of the device management information acquired by the data storage location acquiring unit.
5. A network device including a processor and a program storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to configure the network device to provide a set of information about a dataset in a structured format, said network device including a module comprising:
a first software layer including plural kinds of applications, each kind of application amongst the plural kinds of applications having and performing a function different from a function of the others of the plural kinds of applications, and a second software layer including plural kinds of service software used in common for the functions of the plural kinds of applications and controls hardware of the network device to provide said each kind of application amongst the plural kinds of applications with the different function;
a specifying unit to specify a specific server device for providing a client device with location information indicating a data storage location of the set of information about the dataset; and
a providing unit to provide, via the second software layer, the specific server device with the location information indicating the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset,
wherein the specifying unit specifies an assigning server device to assign an address to the network device as the specific server device for providing the client device with the location information indicating the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset, and wherein the providing unit describes the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset in a subject of a mail to provide the server device with the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset.
6. The network device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the specifying unit specifies the assigning server device based on an address of the assigning server device, the address having been previously registered in the network device.
7. The network device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the specifying unit specifies the assigning server device based on a unique name of the assigning server device, the unique name having been previously registered in the network device.
8. The network device as claimed in claim wherein the providing unit uses a SOAP interface to provide the server device with the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset.
9. The network device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the providing unit uses a REST interface to provide the server device with the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset.
10. The network device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the providing unit describes the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset in a body of a mail to provide the server device with the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset.
11. A method for use by a server device to provide a client device with location information indicating one or more data storage locations of one or more sets of information about one or more datasets, the one or more sets of information about the one or more datasets being provided by one or more network devices and described in a structured format, the method comprising:
configuring the server device with a first software layer including plural kinds of applications, each kind of application amongst the plural kinds of applications having and performing a function different from a function of the others of the plural kinds of applications, and a second software layer including plural kinds of service software used in common for the functions of the plural kinds of applications and controls hardware of the server device to provide said each kind of application amongst the plural kinds of applications with the different function;
a data storage location acquiring step of acquiring the location information indicating the data storage locations of the sets of information about the datasets from the corresponding network devices via the second software layer;
a data storage location management step of managing the data storage locations of the sets of information about the datasets acquired from the network devices;
a data storage location providing step of providing the client device with the location information indicating the acquired data storage locations of the sets of information about the datasets via the second software layer; wherein the data storage location providing step describes the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset in a subject of a mail to provide the server device with the data storage location of the set of information about the dataset.