Abstract:
A retainer for connecting a pair of sanitary fittings each having a first end and a second end, the second ends each having a flanged portion, includes a first member having a through center aperture, the first member adapted to receive at least a portion of each of the flanged portions and a second member having a through center aperture and engageable over the first member, the second member adapted to provide a compressive force to sealingly connect the flanged portions when the first and second members are in an assembled configuration.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/166,028, filed Apr. 2, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally pertains to a sanitary retainer connecting a pair of sanitary fittings. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Flexible tubing made of plastic or rubber is widely used in the medical, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, food and beverage and other laboratory environments. For certain assemblies involving connections from a medical instrument to a patient, stainless steel connectors or clamps have been used to connect ends of the flexible tubing together. Stainless steel connectors or clamps have the advantage of being capable of sterilization and therefore being resusable. However, stainless steel connectors can be expensive to manufacture and may not completely protect against cross contamination. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of a retainer for connecting a pair of sanitary fittings are disclosed herein. The sanitary fittings each have a first end and a second end and the second ends each have a flanged portion. The retainer includes a first member having a through center aperture. The first member is adapted to receive at least a portion of each of the flanged portions. The retainer also includes a second member having a through center aperture and engageable over the first member. The second member is adapted to provide a compressive force to sealingly connect the flanged portions when the first and second members are in an assembled configuration. 
     Embodiments of a method for sealingly connecting a first sanitary fitting and a second sanitary fitting with a retainer are also disclosed herein. The retainer has first and second members with through hole apertures and the first and second sanitary fittings each having a first end and a second end with the second ends each having a flanged portion. The method includes inserting the first end of the first sanitary fitting into the aperture of the first member and positioning the flanged portion of the first sanitary fitting in the first member. The method also includes positioning the flanged portion of the second sanitary fitting in the first member. Further, the method includes engaging the second member over the first member such that a compressive force is applied to the first and second sanitary fittings. 
     Additionally, embodiments of a kit for assembling a pair of sanitary fittings each having a first end and a second end with the second ends each having a flanged portion is disclosed herein. The kit includes a first member having a through center aperture sized to receive the flanged portions and a plurality of resilient members such that, when compressed, sealingly connect the flanged portions. The kit also includes a second member having a generally concentric outer surface and a through center aperture. 
     Other embodiments of the invention are described in additional detail hereinafter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an unassembled sanitary assembly containing a sanitary retainer according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A  partially assembled; 
         FIG. 1C  is a perspective view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A  fully assembled; 
         FIG. 2A  is a sectional view of the unassembled sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 2B  is a sectional view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A  partially assembled; 
         FIG. 2C  is a sectional view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A  fully assembled; 
         FIG. 3A  is a top plan view of the unassembled sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 3B  is a top plan view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A  partially assembled; 
         FIG. 3C  is a top plan view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A  fully assembled; 
         FIG. 4A  is a bottom plan view of the unassembled sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 4B  is a bottom plan view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A  partially assembled; 
         FIG. 4C  is a bottom plan view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A  fully assembled; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of a collet of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 6  is another exploded perspective view of the collet shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a sleeve of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 8  is another exploded perspective view of the sleeve shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a sleeve of a sanitary retainer according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is another perspective view of the sleeve shown in  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a sanitary retainer according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is an elevation view of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a sectional view of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a sanitary retainer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  is an elevation view of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a sectional view of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 17A  is a perspective view of an unassembled sanitary assembly containing a sanitary retainer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 17B  is a perspective view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 17A  partially assembled; 
         FIG. 17C  is a perspective view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 17A  fully assembled; 
         FIG. 18A  is an elevation view of the unassembled sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 1A ; 
         FIG. 18B  is an elevation view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 17A  partially assembled; 
         FIG. 18C  is an elevation view of the sanitary assembly shown in  FIG. 17A  fully assembled; 
         FIG. 19  is an exploded perspective view of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 17A ; 
         FIG. 20  is a side elevation view of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 17A ; 
         FIG. 21  is another exploded perspective view of the sanitary retainer shown in  FIG. 17A ; and 
         FIG. 22  is an elevation view of a collet of a sanitary retainer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A-1C , according to a first embodiment, a sanitary assembly  100  is shown in an unassembled configuration ( FIG. 1A ), a partially assembled configuration ( FIG. 1B ) and a fully assembled configuration ( FIG. 1C ). Generally, sanitary assembly  100  can include a pair of sanitary connectors  102 , a sanitary retainer  103  and a gasket  105  (gasket shown in  FIGS. 2A-2C ). Sanitary retainer  103  can include a first member or collet  104  and a second member or sleeve  106 . Both collet  104  and sleeve  106  can have a generally concentric outer surface. 
     Sanitary connectors  102  can include a tubular member  108  having a barb connection  110  at one end for connection to a tube (not shown) and an opposing end with a funnel formation  112  including an expanded circular opening with a flanged portion at a terminating end  114 . Of course, other sanitary connectors are available that may have a different configuration (e.g. with no funnel formation). Sanitary connectors  102  can be made of any suitable material, such as a non-metal, which can permit the connectors to be heat welded to, for example, a propropylene or ethylene medical or pharmaceutical bag. The same or similar materials can be used in other applications in, for example, biotech, pharmaceutical, medical, foodstuff fitting connections and manifold applications. Sanitary connectors  102  can also be made from other plastics, stainless steel or any other suitable material as desired or required. Other configurations of sanitary connector  102  are also available. Gasket can be any suitable seal, such as an O-ring seal, and can be made of any suitable material. Collet  104  and sleeve  106  can be made from any suitable material such as propropylene and polyvinylidene difluoride. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , collet  104  is an essentially annular member having a through aperture  116  for receiving gasket  105  and terminating ends  114  of the pair of sanitary connectors  102  therein. Collet  104  forms a discontinuous ring at a securing end  120  of an incurved portion  122 . Incurved portion  122  begins at an annular edge  126 . Proximate to the annular edge  126  and is an annular groove  127 . Collet  104  also includes a receiving end  124  with resilient fingers  128  for radially contracting around terminating end  114 . Fingers  128  are formed by narrow through slots  130  extending from receiving end  24  and terminating essentially at annular edge  126 . Further slots  130  extend between lateral edges of adjacent fingers  128 . Slots  130  are shown in the Figures with rounded termination ends  130   a , however, the termination ends  130   a  may have pointed ends or any other suitably-shaped end. 
     Fingers  128  form a resilient seal by, as discussed in more detail below, forming a 360° compression around gasket  105  and terminating ends  114  of funnel formations  112 . Each finger  128  contains a stop  129 , where sleeve  106  contacts collet  504  when fully assembled. Between every other finger  28  there can be a through slot  132  which extends from securing end  120  to approximately a mid-section  134  of the associated finger  128 . The through slots  132  can provide resiliency to the securing end  120  of collet  104  without sacrificing durability. Through slots  132  are shown in the Figures with rounded termination ends  132   a , however, the termination ends  132   a  may have pointed ends or any other suitably-shaped end. 
     The interior surface  134  of collet  104  is essentially smooth except for a locking shelf  136  at securing end  120  and a resting shelf  138  at receiving end  124 . Locking shelf  136  and resting shelf  138  can be designed and sized to permit through aperture  116  of collet  104  to have a diameter that is slightly smaller than terminating ends  114  for reasons that will be discussed in more detail hereinafter. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , sleeve  106  is also an annular member with a through aperture  140  for receiving collet  104  therein. Sleeve  106  has a smooth exterior annular surface  142  and an incurved portion  143  beginning and extending inwardly from an annular edge  145 . Sleeve  106  has a receiving end  144  forming an arcuate base to facilitate assembly to collet  104 . An incurved portion begins at an annular edge  126 . An interior surface  145  of sleeve  106  is essentially smooth throughout the length of sleeve  106  except for an annular projection  146  that extends from the interior surface  145 . Annular projection  146  is sized and positioned on the sleeve  20  for disposition within annular groove  127  of collet  127  to form a lock when sanitary retainer  103  is engaged. Therefore, annular projection  146  can be positioned proximate to a securing end  148  of sleeve  106 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A-1C, 2A-2C, 3A-3C and 4A-4C , during assembly, collet  104  is first placed over either one of the pair of sanitary connectors  102 . Collet  104  and sleeve  106  can be loaded from the top or the bottom of the connection, allowing the operator to add the retainer before or after one of the barb connectors  110  of the sanitary connectors  102  is added to a tube (not shown). The terminating ends  114  of the sanitary connectors  102  can be placed into collet  104  to pre-hold sanitary connectors  102  and gasket  105  disposed between terminating ends  114  of sanitary connectors  102 . As discussed previously, and as shown in  FIGS. 1B and 2B , locking shelf  136  and resting shelf  138  on interior surface  134  of collet  104  hold sanitary connectors  102  and gasket  105  disposed therebetween so that sanitary connectors cannot easily move out of collet  104 . 
     Sleeve  106  can then be slid over collet  104  by for example, the use of a tool (not shown). As sleeve  106  moves over collet  104 , receiving end  144  of sleeve  106  initially encounters the securing end  144  of collet  104 . Fingers  128  on collet  104  are pushed radially inwardly onto sanitary connectors  102  and gasket  105 , so that a 360° compression provides a tight seal therebetween. Sleeve  106  continues over collet  18  until annular projection  146  on interior surface  145  of sleeve  106  sits within annular groove  127  of collet  106 . To remove sanitary retainer  103 , an operator may use a removal tool (not shown) so that disconnection and leakages are prevented. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate a sleeve  206  according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that sleeve  206  has a number of springs  208 . Each spring  208  projects outwardly from surface  142  to form an arch  212  having a through center aperture  214 . Each spring  208  extends from receiving end  144  of sleeve  106  to annular edge  145 . Springs  208  can accommodate the size variation of collets between, for example, different collet manufacturers. Springs  208  permit sleeve  206  to expand, when necessary, so that a collet having a diameter within a certain threshold can be received therein. Although three springs are shown in the Figures, sleeve  206  may also have more or less than three springs in alternative embodiments. 
       FIGS. 11 and 12  illustrate a sanitary retainer  303  according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that, the collet  304  and sleeve  306  are connected together by a plurality of frangible tabs  308 . Frangible tabs  308  are connected to and extend horizontally from a radial surface of securing end  120  of collet  304 . Opposing ends of frangible tabs  308  are also connected to an inner surface of sleeve  306 . Frangible tabs can also extend vertically or in any other suitable direction to connect to sleeve  306 . Frangible tabs  308  can be positioned, for example, in direct alignment with slots  130 . Frangible tabs  308  can also be aligned in any other suitable manner. Although a plurality of frangible tabs  308  are shown, sanitary retainer  303  can contain one or more frangible tabs as required or desired. 
     The connection of frangible tabs  308  to the collet  304  and sleeve  306  form a gap  310  between the receiving end  142  of sleeve  306  and securing end  122  of collet  304  so that the frangible tabs  308  are the only connection therebetween when retainer  303  is in the unlocked position. The position of the frangible tabs  308  relative to collet  304  and sleeve  306  allow for breakage of frangible tabs  308  from collet  304  with a predetermined applied force. 
     During assembly, sanitary retainer  303  is first placed over either one of the pair of sanitary connectors  102 . As discussed previously in connection with the first embodiment, terminating ends  114  of sanitary connectors  102  can be placed into collet  304  to pre-hold sanitary connectors  102  and gasket  105  disposed between terminating ends  114  of sanitary connectors  102 . A locking instrument can be used to break the frangible tabs  308  to detach sleeve  308  from collet  302  and slide sleeve  306  over collet  304 . Although frangible tabs  308  are broken away from collet  304 , portions of frangible tabs  308  can remain intact on the inner surface of sleeve  306 . Alternatively, all of the frangible tabs  308  can be broken away from both sleeve  306  and collet  304  or frangible tabs can remain intact on collet  304 . When sleeve  306  is locked over collet  304 , as discussed previously, the there is a 360° radial compression connection of sanitary connectors  102  and gasket  105 . 
     Alternatively, in other embodiments, frangible tabs  308  can be replaced by a frangible meniscus of material (not shown). The frangible meniscus can be broken away from both the collet and the sleeve. The frangible meniscus can be connected to and extend from the radial surface of the securing end of the collet. The frangible meniscus can extend through the entire length of radial surface. Alternatively, frangible meniscus can extend to only a portion of the length of radial surface. 
     Opposing end portions of the frangible meniscus  428  can be positioned and connected to the wall of the interior expanded end portion  366  of the sleeve 
       FIGS. 14-16  illustrate a sanitary retainer  406  according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The fourth embodiment is similar to the second embodiment except that, the collet  404  and sleeve  406  are connected together by a frangible connecting member such as a plurality of frangible tabs  408 . Plurality of frangible tabs  408  are similar to plurality of frangible tabs  308  in the third embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 17A-17C, and 18A-18C , according to a fifth embodiment, a sanitary assembly  500  is shown in an unassembled configuration ( FIG. 17A ), a partially assembled configuration ( FIG. 17B ) and a fully assembled configuration ( FIG. 1C ). Generally, as discussed in previous embodiments, sanitary assembly  500  can include a pair of sanitary connectors  102  and a sanitary retainer  503  and a gasket (not shown). Sanitary retainer  503  can include a collet  504  and a sleeve  506 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 19-21 , collet  504  is an essentially annular member having a through aperture  116  for receiving a gasket and terminating ends  114  of the pair of sanitary connectors  102  therein. Collet  504  forms a discontinuous ring at a securing end  120 . Collet  504  also includes a receiving end  124  with resilient fingers  128  for radially contracting around terminating end  114 . Fingers  128  are formed by narrow through slots  130  extending from receiving end  124  and terminating essentially at two thirds of the collet length. Slots  130  are shown in the Figures with rounded termination ends  130   a , however, the termination ends  130   a  may have pointed ends or any other suitably-shaped end. 
     Fingers  128  form a resilient seal by, as discussed in more detail below, forming a 360° compression around gasket  105  and terminating ends  114  of funnel formations  112  when sleeve  506  is screwed onto collet  504 . Each finger  128  contains a stop  129 , where sleeve  506  contacts collet  504  when fully assembled. Between every other finger  28  there can be a through slot  132  which extends from securing end  120  to approximately a mid-section  134  of the associated finger  128 . The through slots  132  can provide resiliency to the securing end  120  of collet  104  without sacrificing durability. Through slots  132  are shown in the Figures with rounded termination ends  132   a , however, the termination ends  132   a  may have pointed ends or any other suitably-shaped end. 
     The inner surface of sleeve  506  contains a thread  510  and the outer or exterior surface of collet  504  contains a thread  512 . Threads  510  and  512  can be, for example, an Acme thread. Threads  510  and  512  can also be any other suitable thread such as a square thread, a buttress thread, a tapered thread, or a tapered pipe thread. 
     Thread  510  can extend from securing end  148  of sleeve  506  to receiving end  144  of sleeve  506 . Thread  512  can extend from securing end  120  of collet  504  to stop  129  of collet  504 . During assembly, sanitary retainer  503  is first placed or positioned over either one of the pair of sanitary connectors  102 . As discussed previously in connection with the first embodiment, terminating ends  114  of sanitary connectors  102  can be placed into collet  504  to pre-hold sanitary connectors  102  and the gasket disposed between terminating ends  114  of sanitary connectors  102 . Sleeve  506  can then be screwed onto collet  504 , creating a 360° radial compression connection of sanitary connectors  102  and gasket  105 . 
       FIG. 22  illustrates a collet  604  according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The sixth embodiment is similar to the first embodiment except that collet  604  has a number of interlocks  608 . Each interlock  208  includes a groove  610  for receiving a projection  612 . Accordingly, each of resilient fingers  628  can include a groove  610  for receiving a projection  612  from an adjacent finger and a projection for interlocking with an adjacent finger. Each projection  612  is shown in the Figures as a trapezoidal shaped projection. However, projections may have pointed ends, square ends, rounded ends or any other suitably-shaped end. Grooves  610  will generally have the same shape as projections  612  so that as the sleeve (such as sleeve  106  of  FIG. 1 ) moves over collet  604 , interlocks  608  will hold collet  604  together. As such collet  604  will move into the sleeve when the sleeve does not contact the bottom of the collet. Accordingly, an operator does not have to turn and close the retainer containing collet  604  after the sleeve has been secured on the collet (as discussed in connection with  FIG. 1 ) 
     While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.