Patent ID: 6117115
Filing Date: 2000-09-12
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
A mechanism for a medical pump for determining proper size and functional characteristics of a medical tubing said mechanism comprising:(a) a medical tubing having predetermined size and functional characteristics;(b) an opaque slide clamp comprising a grasping end, a longitudinal clamp plate extending from said grasping end, said longitudinal clamp plate defining a clamp slot with a wide open portion sized for receiving said medical tubing without closing said medical tubing, a narrow open portion sized for closing said medical tubing and a transition portion interconnecting said narrow and wide portions of said clamp slot;(c) a plurality of orifices formed along said longitudinal clamp plate at predetermined locations arranged according to said size and functional characteristics of said medical tubing;(d) a receptacle held in a medical pump medical pump constructed for receiving said slide clamp, said receptacle including spaced apart inside walls;(e) first and second light sources mounted on one of said inside walls and aligned sensors on the other end of said inside walls at predetermined positions corresponding to the predetermined locations of said plurality of orifices in said slide clamp when said slide clamp is received into said receptacle for sensing the existence of orifices at said predetermined locations;(f) a circuit operatively coupled to said pump and said sensors for permitting operation of said pump only when said plurality of orifices are sensed at said predetermined positions.