Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US10159828B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 09:09:02+00:00

Document:
2014-06-03 First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=38041876&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=US10159828(B2) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/041,939, filed Feb. 11, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/159,959, filed Jan. 21, 2014, titled PATIENT FLUID LINE ACCESS VALVE ANTIMICROBIAL CAP/CLEANER, granted on Mar. 15, 2016 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,283,367, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/281,711, filed Nov. 17, 2005, titled PATIENT FLUID LINE ACCESS VALVE ANTIMICROBIAL CAP/CLEANER, granted on Jun. 3, 2014 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,740,864 which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describe various ways to limit catheter-related bloodstream infections in hospital, outpatient and home care settings. The guidelines address issues such as hand hygiene, catheter site care and admixture preparation. Despite these guidelines, 15 catheter-related bloodstream infections continue to plague our healthcare system.
FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of patient fluid line access valve cap/cleaner device 10 with patient fluid line access valve A and patient fluid line B. Cap/cleaner 10 includes housing 12 with cap end 14, cleaning end 16 and thread 18; and lid 20. Access valve A includes housing A2 with thread A4 and septum A6 with slit A8. The exposed surface of septum A6 A10 ng with at least a portion of the exposed surface of housing A2 that surrounds septum A6, form access portion A10 of access valve A. Line B may be any of a number of types that include, for example, intravascular (IV) lines and catheters, saline wells, arterial lines and hemodialysis lines.
Cap end 14 of housing 12 is open and contains thread 18 A10 ng the inside of the opening. Cleaning end 16 is covered by lid 20. Lid 20 is typically made of foil or similar type material and completely seals the opening (not shown) of cleaning end 16. Any type of material or seal may be used as long as a moisture barrier is provided.
FIG. 2 shows cap/cleaner 10 in more detail. In addition to the structures shown in FIG. 1, cap/cleaner 10 also includes internal wall 12 a, hood 16 a and chamber 16 b of cleaning end 16, cap 14 a and cavity 14 b of cap end 14, wet pad 22 within chamber 16 b and dry pad 24 within cavity 14 b. Internal wall 112 a separates cap end 14 and cleaning end 16.
Cap/cleaner 10 is typically distributed and stored in a sterile, sealed package either A10 one or paired with a patient fluid line access valve. One such type of valve is the BD Q-Syte™ valve from Becton, Dickinson and Company (illustrated in FIG. 1). However, cap/cleaner 10 is useful with any type of needleless or needle required access valve. Once removed from the package, cap/cleaner 10 is ready for use.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating representative embodiments of methods for using cap/cleaner 10. Capping step 34, cleaning step 36 and accessing step 38 were described above and are the same in each embodiment. However, upon withdrawal after accessing the patient fluid line, access portion A10 of valve A may either be immediately capped or cleaned again prior to capping. If immediately capped, a new, second cap/cleaner 10A is obtained and removed from its package. This is represented by step 40. Cap end 14 of cap/cleaner 10A is placed over access portion A10 as described above. Cleaning end 16 of cap/cleaner 10A is sealed and ready for the next time valve A is utilized.
Alternatively, access portion A10 may be cleaned again prior to capping. This can be performed in one of the following ways. First, in step 42, cleaning end 16 of cap/cleaner 10 is reused to clean access portion A10, which is then capped, at step 44, with cap end 14 of a new, second cap/cleaner 10A. Second, in step 46, cleaning end 16 of a new, second cap/cleaner 10A is used to clean access portion A10. Then, valve A maybe capped either with cap end 14 of cap/cleaner 10A (step 48) or of a new, third cap/cleaner 10B (step 50). Third, in step 52, access portion A10 may be cleaned with an alternative disposable cleaning device that is well known in the art. Examples of such cleaning devices include alcohol wipes, iodine swabs, etc. Once cleaned, cap end 14 of a new, second cap/cleaner 10A may be attached to valve 26 (step 50).
FIG. 7 shows separable cap/cleaner 56 in more detail and further includes dry pad 64 within cap end 58, wet pad 66 within cleaning end 60 and breakable connector 68. In use, separable cap/cleaner 56 operates as described above for 10 cap/cleaner 10 except that cleaning end 60 may be removed after cleaning access portion A10 of valve A. Detaching cleaning end 60 reduces bulkiness from separable cap/cleaner 56 by only maintaining cap end 58 over access portion A10.
Where pad 80 is a wet pad, cap device 78 may be used to clean access portion A10 of valve A in addition to its capping function. The twisting motion involved in removing and placing cap device 78 with respect to access portion A10 provides friction for cleaning. Additional cleaning can be accomplished by twisting cap device 78 in one direction and then in the reverse direction for a desired amount of time.
Cap device 78 further comprises an inner circumference 82 that defines a cavity in which pad 80 is housed. In some instances, cap device 78 comprises a thread or threading 18 having a length that is less than inner circumference 82.
a removable seal attached to the cap to cover the opening to the inner cavity, the pad being disposed in the inner cavity, prior to receipt of the access portion of the access valve.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the access portion comprises a luer slip and the cap attaches thereto.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the space comprises a gap between the thread and an external surface of the luer slip.
4. The device of claim 2, wherein the space comprises a helical void formed between the thread and an external surface of the luer slip, received via the opening, in the inner cavity.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the access portion of the access valve comprises a thread, and the secured attachment comprises the thread of the cap accommodating at least a portion of the thread of the access portion.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the space comprises a gap between the thread of the cap and the thread of the access portion.
the space comprises a helical void formed by a dimensional difference between the thread of the cap and the thread of the access portion when the thread of the cap accommodates the thread of the access portion.
8. The device of claim 5, wherein the cap is attached to the access portion.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the cap encompasses at least a portion of the access portion to allow movement of the access portion, received via the opening, in the inner cavity.
wherein a space providing an air passage is formed between an inner circumference of the cap and at least a portion of an outer surface of a sidewall of the access portion of the access valve when the access portion is received in the opening of the cap and when the secured attachment comprises holding at least a portion of the outer surface of the sidewall of the access portion of the access valve within the inner cavity of the cap.
the cap encompasses the access portion of the access valve received into the inner cavity of the cap to allow lateral movement of the access portion within the inner cavity when the access portion is received into the inner cavity.
12. The device of claim 10, wherein the thread has a length less than an inner circumference of the inner cavity.
the space comprises a gap between the portion of the outer surface of the sidewall of the access portion and the inside surface of the cap comprising the thread when the access portion is received in the inner cavity and when the secured attachment is provided.
wherein a space providing an air passage is defined at least between a portion of an outer surface of a sidewall of the threaded access portion and the inside surface of the cap comprising the protrusion when the threaded access portion is received in the inner cavity and the cap is attached to the valve.
"Corrected Petition for Inter Partes Review Under 35 U.S.C. §§ 311-319 and 37 C.F.R. § 42,100 et seq.," USPTO, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Excelsior Medical Corporation v. Becton, Dickinson and Company, Case IPR2014-00880, U.S. Pat. No. 8,740,864, pp. 1-48, Jun. 23, 2014.
"Decision, Institution of Inter Partes Review, 37 C.F.R. § 42,108," USPTO, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Excelsior Medical Corporation v. Becton, Dickinson and Company, Case IPR2014-00880, U.S. Pat. No. 8,740,864, pp. 1-21, Nov. 25, 2014.
"Patent Owner's Preliminary Response Under 37 C.F.R. § 42,1O," USPTO, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, Excelsior Medical Corporation v. Becton, Dickinson and Company, Case IPR2014-00880, U.S. Pat. No. 8,740,864, pp. 1-30, Sep. 16, 2014.
3M Health Care, "3M Curos Jet Disinfecting Cap Video," YouTube, Nov. 21, 2016, 1:12, 1:21-1:34. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiUNz7lmuK4.

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