Deformable membrane valve apparatus and method

A valve for a fluid conduit, the valve including two valve housings adapted to be matingly joined to form the valve. Each valve housing includes a valve membrane having a deformable reed valve formed therein. A raised boss on each reed valve is designed to engage the opposing raised boss to cause mutual opening of the opposed reed valves. The raised bosses are brought into engagement upon interlocking of the two valve housings. Releasing the interlock between the two valve housings displaces the two raised bosses to allow the respective reed valves to close prior to separating the two valve housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention is best understood from the following description with reference to the drawing wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout and taken in conjunction with the appended claims. 
 General Discussion The novel fluid coupling apparatus and method of this invention is configured as a valve body having two valve housings designed to releasably mate to form the valve body. Each valve housing is formed as a hollow, hemispherical-like shell. A flexible valve membrane transects each hollow shell. A arcuate slit is formed in the valve membrane to provide an opening through the valve membrane when the valve membrane is selectively deformed to cause the slit to open. The slit, in effect, creates a reed-type valve in the valve membrane. A raised boss on the reed portion of the valve serves as the contact point for the imposition of distortional forces on the valve membrane to force the reed valve open. The natural resiliency of the material of construction of the valve membrane brings the reed valve to the closed position when the distortional forces are removed from the raised boss. The two valve housings are designed to matingly and sealingly engage to create the valve body with the valve body sealingly enclosing the valve membrane of each valve housing. As part of the mating engagement between the two valve housings, a set of mating catches on each valve housing are designed to engage and releasably interlock upon a relative rotation between the two valve housings of about 90°. The 90° rotation causes a raised boss on each reed valve to forcibly engage the opposing raised boss to thereby cause each reed valve to be mutually opened under the resulting distortional forces imposed thereon. Reversal of the foregoing 90° rotation moves each raised boss away from the opposing raised boss to thereby allow the inherent resiliency of the respective reed valve to close the same prior to the two valve housings being separated. 
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to FIG. 1 , the novel fluid coupling apparatus of this invention is shown generally at 10 interposed in a length of conventional tubing 12 consisting of an upper tubing 12 a and a lower tubing 12 b. Coupling 10 is designed to be selectively openable and, as such, includes an upper valve housing 14 with a lower valve housing 16 matingly joined to upper valve housing 14 . An interlock 20 (see also FIG. 3 ) is provided on opposite sides of coupling 10 to securely join lower valve housing 16 to upper valve housing 14 . Each interlock 20 is configured as a spar 22 formed as an extension on the outer surface of lower valve housing 16 . Spar 22 extends across a portion of upper valve housing 14 . A transverse notch 24 in the face of spar 22 is designed to engage a raised lip 26 on upper valve housing 14 . A detent 28 is formed as a portion of lip 26 to serve as a stop against which spar 22 rests when lower valve housing 16 is securely engaged to upper valve housing 14 as will be discussed more fully hereinafter. Referring now to FIG. 2 , lower valve housing 16 includes a recessed, circumferential extension 30 while upper valve housing 14 includes a circumferential recess 32 that is dimensionally configured to receive circumferential extension 30 therein in a sealing relationship. The base of circumferential recess 32 serves as an upper seat 34 for an upper membrane valve 40 placed in upper valve housing 14 . In particular, periphery 42 of upper membrane valve 40 is sealingly secured to upper seat 34 thereby completing the construct of upper valve housing 14 . A similar seat, lower seat 54 ( FIG. 3 ) is located inside lower valve housing 16 and is configured to have periphery 52 of a lower membrane valve 50 sealingly engaged thereto. Upper membrane valve 40 is fabricated from an elastomeric material such as plastic, synthetic rubber, latex, or the like, and includes a valve slit 62 therein. Valve slit 62 is formed with an arcuate shape with the inner portion of the arcuate shape forming, in effect, a reed valve 60 that is selectively openable to permit passage of fluids through upper valve membrane 40 . A raised boss 46 is formed on reed valve 60 to facilitate the opening of reed valve 60 . An arcuate ramp 48 extends outwardly from raised boss 46 , the function of which along with the operation of reed valve 60 will be discussed more fully hereinafter. Lower membrane valve 50 also has a reed valve 70 therein formed as a result of arcuate slit created through the elastomeric body of lower membrane valve 50 . Reed valve 70 also includes a raised boss 56 ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) and an arcuate ramp 58 ( FIG. 4 ) as an extension of raised boss 56 . Referring now to FIG. 3 , upper valve housing 14 is shown slidingly joined to lower valve housing 16 prior to raised lip 26 ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) being rotatingly engaged in notch 24 . In this particular configuration upper membrane valve 40 is held in spaced relationship to lower membrane valve 50 with raised boss 46 being held in abutment against lower membrane valve 50 while raised boss 56 is held in abutment against upper membrane valve 40 . At this point it is important to emphasize that upper valve housing 14 is merely telescopically joined to lower valve housing 16 with the respective membrane valves, upper membrane valve 40 and lower membrane valve 50 , sealingly enclosed within the confines of coupling 10 . The configuration shown herein in FIG. 3 is the configuration of coupling 10 either immediately prior to separating upper valve housing 14 from lower valve housing 16 or immediately prior to interlocking upper valve housing 14 to lower valve housing 16 . In both situations both of upper membrane valve 40 and lower membrane valve 50 are closed thereby preventing the flow of fluid 80 ( FIG. 4 ) from either upper valve housing 14 or lower valve housing 16 as well as through coupling 10 . Referring now to FIG. 4 , coupling 10 is shown in this cross-sectional view as having lower valve housing 16 rotated axially 90° relative to upper valve housing 14 . This relative rotational movement causes raised boss 46 to engage raised boss 56 resulting in a mutually outward displacement of reed valve 60 and reed valve 70 , respectively, thereby opening a flow path 78 for the flow of fluid 80 through coupling 10 . Importantly, interlock 20 is created by the engagement of raised lip 26 in notch 24 ( FIGS. 1, 2 , and 3 ) to thereby securely engage upper valve housing 14 to lower valve housing 16 thus completing coupling 10 . In this interlocked configuration coupling 10 readily and securely provides fluid communication between upper tubing 12 a and lower tubing 12 b for fluid 80 . The patient (not shown) is thereby provided with a safe, secure coupling of upper tubing 12 a and lower tubing 12 b by coupling 10 . In the event the patient desires to be temporarily disconnected from, say, lower tubing 12 b, it is a simple procedure for either the patient or a medical professional (not shown) to simply rotate upper valve housing 14 relative to lower valve housing 16 thereby causing reed valves 60 and 70 , respectively, to return to their closed positions shown in FIG. 3 . This closed position occludes flow path 78 shutting off the flow of fluid 80 through coupling 10 . Thereafter, upper valve housing 14 is simply disengaged from lower valve housing to allow the patient to be fully ambulatory. Importantly, upper membrane valve 40 is sealingly closed thereby preventing the leakage of fluid 80 from upper valve housing 14 . Correspondingly, lower membrane valve 50 is also sealingly closed thereby preventing the reverse flow of fluid 80 from lower valve housing 16 . 
 The Method The method of this invention is practiced by severing tube 12 and mounting upper valve housing 14 to the severed end of upper tubing 12 a and lower valve housing 16 to the severed end of lower tubing 12 b. Coupling 10 is initially created when upper valve housing 14 is telescopically joined to lower valve housing 16 . Upon initial joinder of lower valve housing 16 to upper valve housing 14 both of lower membrane valve 50 and upper membrane valve 40 are automatically held in the closed position by the resiliency of the material of construction of each membrane valve. Rotational movement of lower valve housing 16 relative to upper valve housing 14 causes raised boss 56 to slide across arcuate ramp 48 and raised boss 46 to correspondingly slide across arcuate ramp 58 until raised boss 56 and raised boss 46 are in juxtaposition. This placement of raised boss 56 against raised boss 46 creates a mutual displacement of the respective reed valves upon which these raised bosses are formed, namely reed valves 70 and 60 , respectively, to thereby create flow path 78 through coupling 10 . Importantly, upper valve housing 14 is securely held to lower valve housing 16 by interlock 20 while flow path 78 is formed inside coupling 10 . Reversal of the rotational formation of interlock 20 causes each of raised bosses 46 and 56 to disengage thereby allowing the respective reed valves 60 and 70 to close under the inherent resilience of the material of construction of these elements. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.