1. A medical fluid coupling comprising:
a female port of a first medical fluid system component including a proximal port end constructed and arranged to sealingly engage a male port coupling; and
a port guide defining a sidewall that surrounds the female port and extends from a distal end of the female port to a proximal guide end, the proximal guide end being open to receive the male port coupling and located proximally at a spacing from the proximal port end, so as to prevent contaminating contact with the female port and aid in guiding the male port coupling into alignment and engagement with the proximal port of the female port.
2. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 1 wherein the female port comprises a female luer taper port and the male port comprises a male luer taper port.
3. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 2 wherein proximal port end includes an external locking thread and the male port includes an internally threaded sleeve, surrounding a luer taper connector tip constructed and arranged to threadingly engage the external thread.
4. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 3 wherein the female luer taper port and the male luer taper port are each defined by at least one of an ANSI and an ISO standard.
5. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 3 wherein the female port includes a housing on a distal region thereof comprising a minimum fluid displacement coupling and the proximal port end includes a movable self-sealing plug therein.
6. The medical fluid coupling a set forth in claim 1 wherein the first medical fluid system component is at least one of a tubing, a stopcock, an IV bag spike, a minimum fluid displacement coupling, an adapter, a fluid monitoring device, a fluid pumping device, a fluid handling device, and a dead-end cap.
7. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 1 further comprising one or more drain ports located in the sidewall of the port guide.
8. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 1 wherein the port guide defines a discrete structure that is constructed and arranged to be attachable to the port.
9. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 8 wherein the port guide includes a circumferentially enclosed proximal portion and a distal portion having a pair of axially spaced apart resilient supports with an inner diameter approximately equal to or slightly smaller than an outer diameter of a stem of the female port, constructed and arranged to elastically pass over a proximal end of the female port and frictionally capture the distal stem of the female port during attachment to the female port.
10. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 8 wherein the female port includes a housing on a distal region thereof comprising a minimum fluid displacement coupling and the proximal port end includes a movable self-sealing plug therein, and wherein the port guide includes a distal portion constructed and arranged to slidably engage upon the housing.
11. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 1 wherein the male port comprises at least one of a syringe internally threaded locking cannula, a fluid tubing end coupling, an adapter coupling and a dead-end cap coupling.
12. The medical fluid coupling as set forth in claim 1 wherein the port guide defines, at a proximal region thereof, an outward taper in the proximal direction.
13. A port guide for use with a female externally threaded luer taper medical fluid coupling port comprising:
a sidewall that surrounds the port and extends from a distal end of the port to a proximal guide end, the proximal guide end being open and having an inner diameter constructed and arranged to receive a male port coupling having an internally threaded sleeve, and the proximal guide end being located proximally at a spacing from the proximal port end, so as to prevent contaminating contact with the port.
14. The port guide as set forth in claim 13 wherein the sidewall defines a discrete structure that is constructed and arranged to be attachable to the port.
15. The port guide as set forth in claim 14 wherein the port guide includes a circumferentially enclosed proximal portion and a distal portion having a pair of axially spaced apart resilient supports with an inner diameter approximately equal to or slightly smaller than an outer diameter of a stem of the female port, constructed and arranged to elastically pass over a proximal end of the port and frictionally capture the distal stem of the female port.
16. The port guide as set forth in claim 14 wherein the port includes a housing on a distal region thereof comprising a minimum fluid displacement coupling and the proximal port end includes a movable self-sealing plug therein, and wherein the sidewall includes a distal portion constructed and arranged to slidably engage upon the housing.
17. A medical fluid coupling comprising:
a minimum fluid displacement coupling defining a housing with a proximal externally threaded female port having a self-sealing plug adapted to selectively allow fluid flow into the housing when biased distally by an ANSI or ISO standard male internally threaded taper luer cannula; and
a port guide sidewall that surrounds the female port and extends proximally to a proximal edge a predetermined spacing distance from the proximal end of the female port, the port guide sidewall defining a radial spacing in a proximal region thereof that allows the male cannula to threadingly engage the female port free of interference from the port guide sidewall.
18. The medical coupling as set forth in claim 17 wherein the housing includes a distal male internally threaded taper luer coupling.
19. The medical coupling as set fort in claim 18 wherein the port guide sidewall includes at least one drain port to allow excess fluid to drain from between the housing and the port guide sidewall.
20. The medical coupling as set forth in claim 18 wherein the port guide sidewall is constructed and arranged to slidably engage the housing by passing a distal end of the port guide sidewall over the female port and into seating engagement with distal base of the housing.
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 filter element comprising:
(a) a media pack including opposite inlet and outlet ends; the media pack defining:
(i) a set of inlet flutes open at the inlet end of the media pack to passage of air to be filtered therein; the inlet flutes being closed at a location at or near the outlet end of the media pack;
(ii) a set of outlet flutes closed to passage of air to be filtered therein at a location at or near the inlet end of the media pack and open to passage of filtered air therefrom at the outlet end of the media pack; and
(iii) the media pack being closed to flow of unfiltered air into the inlet end and then outwardly from the opposite outlet end without filtering;
(b) a preform positioned adjacent a first one end of the inlet and outlet ends of the media pack;
(i) the preform having a housing seal support section projecting outwardly from a first one of the inlet and outlet ends of the media pack;
(c) an overmold formed of a sealing material having:
(i) a first portion sealing an interface between the preform and the first end of the media pack at which the preform is positioned; and,
(ii) a second portion oriented to form an air cleaner seal having a radially directed seal portion providing a radial seal between the filter element and an air cleaner, in use;
(iii) the first and second portions of the overmold being integral with one another.
2. A filter element according to claim 1 wherein:
(a) the media pack is a coiled pack having an outer sidewall;
(b) no portion of the preform extends around the outer sidewall of the media pack; and,
(c) the overmold extends along the media pack sidewall a distance of at least 5 mm from the first end of the media pack.
3. A filter element according to claim 2 wherein:
(a) the overmold comprises foamed polyurethane.
4. A filter element according to claim 3 wherein:
(a) the preform is positioned adjacent the media pack outlet end.
5. A filter element according to claim 4 wherein:
(a) the preform includes the housing seal support portion and a radially outwardly directed skirt portion;
(i) the housing seal support portion and the radially outwardly directed skirt portion being integral with one another; and
(ii) the radially outwardly projecting skirt portion having an outermost edge positioned at the interface between the preform and the media pack.
6. A filter element according to claim 5 wherein:
(a) the radially outwardly directed skirt extends at an angle within the range of 20 to 70\xb0, from the media pack.
7. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) the preform includes a media face cross-piece arrangement integral therewith.
8. A filter element according to claim 7 wherein:
(a) the preform comprises a molded nylon piece.
9. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) the media pack has an oval shaped cross-section.
10. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) the media pack comprises a racetrack shaped cross-section having two, opposite, curved ends and two, opposite, generally straight sides.
11. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) the media pack has a circular cross-section.
12. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) the media pack has an outside tail end edge secured down by a strip of sealant.
13. A filter element according to claim 12 wherein:
(a) the strip of sealant terminates at a location spaced at least 4 mm from the media pack outlet end; and, at a location underneath the overmold.
14. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) inlet flute ends, adjacent the outlet end of the media pack, are closed by a sealant bead.
15. A filter element according to claim 14 wherein:
(a) inlet flute ends, adjacent the outlet end of the media pack, are closed by a single facer sealant bead.
16. A filter element according to claim 15 wherein:
(a) inlet flute ends, adjacent the outlet end of the media pack, are closed by media darts.
17. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) outlet flutes, adjacent the inlet end of the media pack, are closed by a winder bead of sealant.
18. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) the media pack includes an outermost wrap of single facer; and
(b) a portion of foamed urethane, integral with a remainder of the overmold, is positioned closing outlet ends of otherwise open outlet flutes, adjacent an outlet face and in the outermost wrap of single facer.
19. A filter element according to claim 6 wherein:
(a) the preform includes a rib thereon, directed toward an outlet face of the media pack.
20. A method of forming an element according to any one of claims 1-19, the method including steps of:
(a) positioning an uncured foaming urethane in a reservoir of a mold;
(b) positioning a preform and an end of a media pack in the mold, with a portion of the mold pressed against an outside surface of the media pack at a location spaced at least 5 mm from the end of the media pack in the mold; and
(c) allowing the uncured foaming urethane to rise and cure to form an overmold around the preform and covering an interface between the media pack and the preform.
21. A method according to claim 20 including a step of:
(a) allowing a portion of the urethane which forms the overmold to rise into selected ones of otherwise outlet flutes of the media pack.
22. An air cleaner comprising:
(a) an air cleaner housing; and
(b) a serviceable filter element comprising:
(i) a media pack including opposite inlet and outlet ends; the media pack defining:
(A) a set of inlet flutes open at the inlet end of the media pack to passage of air to be filtered therein; the inlet flutes being closed at a location at or near the outlet end of the media pack;
(B) a set of outlet flutes closed to passage of air to be filtered therein at or near the inlet end of the media pack and open to passage of filtered air therefrom at the outlet end of the media pack; and
(C) the media pack being closed to flow of unfiltered air into the inlet end and then outwardly from the opposite outlet end without filtering;
(ii) a preform positioned adjacent a first one end of the inlet and outlet ends of the media pack;
(A) the preform having a housing seal support section projecting outwardly from a first one of the inlet and outlet ends of the media pack;
(iii) an overmold formed of a sealing material having:
(A) a first portion sealing an interface between the preform and the first end of the media pack at which the preform is positioned; and,
(B) a second portion oriented to form an air cleaner seal having a radially directed seal portion providing a radial seal between the filter element and an air cleaner, in use;
(C) the first and second portions of the overmold being integral with one another.
(c) the filter element being removably sealed to the air cleaner by a radial seal between the second portion of the overmold and the air cleaner.