Patent TW-374726-B (TW)
Title: Valve and method for urinary control
Inventor: DEININGER STEVEN T
IPC: A61F5/44
Filed: 1999-03-04
Granted: 1999-11-21
Abstract: A valve (10) for a body orifice is a tube (11) formed of a flexible polymer with an inlet (12) fixed across the orifice and an outlet (13) away from the orifice. A flange (14) is about the inlet (12) to interface with the orifice. A passage (15) in the tube (11) extends from the inlet (12) along an axis. A wall (16) of the tube (11) is between the inlet (12) and the outlet (13) and has a barrel shape (17) tapered to the inlet (12) and the outlet (13) and wider therebetween. The wall (16) extends between an inside (18) and an outside (19). A bistable hinge (20) about the tube (11) is in the wall (16) at the barrel shape (17). The hinge (20) is an area of preferential bending so the tube (11) is either a barrel or flipped with the outlet (13) folded about the bistable hinge (20) into the passage (15). The outlet (13) has holes (22) through the wall (16) with each in a plane substantially normal to the axis and away from the inlet (12) and axially beyond the hinge (20). A seat (21) within the tube (11) is on the inside (18) of the wall (16) in the passage (15) to engage the outlet (13) when the tube (11) is flipped into the passage (15) by bending the hinge (20) acutely as the outlet (13) is moved along the axis to the inlet (12) and against the seat (21). The outlet (13) surrounds a bottom (23) of the tube (11) and when flipped the bottom (23) moves axially into the passage (15) locating the holes (22) in the seat (21) with the bottom (23) closing the inlet (12). A duct (27) in the inlet (12) surrounds it so the duct (27), the flange (14) and the tube (11) have fluid communication with the orifice. The tube (11) is circular and symmetrical with its axis and the inlet (12) and outlet (13) are substantially normal to the axis. The outlet (13) has a grip (29) projecting therefrom for use in the pulling and flipping the hinge (20) to open the passage (15) between the inlet (12) and outlet (13). A method of making the valve (10) has steps of forming the tube (11) of a flexible material, having the inlet (12) placed across the orifice and an outlet (13) away from the orifice, locating the flange (14) about the inlet (12) to interface about the orifice, extending the passage (15) through the tube (11) from the inlet (12) along the axis, having the wall (16) on the tube (11) to taper toward the inlet (12) and the outlet (13), locating the hinge (20) about the tube (11) and in the wall (16) for bending so the tube (11) is either normally barrel shaped (17) or flipped with the outlet (13) folded about the hinge (20) into the passage (15), locating the seat (21) inside the wall (16) to engage the outlet (13) when the tube (11) is flipped by bending the hinge (20) acutely so the outlet (13) is moved along the axis toward the inlet (12) and holds against the seat (21). A method of using has the step of flipping the tube (11) by bending the hinge (20) acutely so the outlet (13) is moved toward the inlet (12) and held against the seat (21). The method of using has the step of unfolding the acutely bent hinge (20) by pressurizing the seat (21) at the inlet (12) to unseal the outlet (13) or pressing about the hinge (20) to flip the outlet (13) from the seat (21).