Patent ID: 8506535

Claim:
Apparatus for preventing gas from being input to a patient being infused with an infusate comprising: a housing having an inlet located at a lower portion of said housing to enable the infusate to flow into said housing from a side of said housing, a gas outlet at a top of said housing to vent gas from said housing and a fluid outlet at a bottom of said housing where the infusate is funneled to output the infusate to the patient; an actuator movable inside said housing, said actuator having an upper end and a lower end; said upper end having an upper seal means thereon for sealing said gas outlet, said lower end having a lower seal means for sealing said fluid outlet; said housing having a longitudinal chamber to accept said actuator, said actuator and said housing having similar respective cross sectional configurations with the cross section of said actuator being smaller than the cross section of said housing to enable said actuator to readily fit into and move freely within and longitudinally along the chamber of said housing between an upper position when the volume of the infusate in said housing has risen to a predetermined level in the upper portion of said housing and substantially above said inlet whereby said upper seal means seals said gas outlet and said fluid outlet is opened and a lower position when the volume of the infusate in said housing has lowered to a certain volume in the lower portion of said housing substantially adjacent to said inlet whereby said lower seal means seals said fluid outlet and said gas outlet is opened, wherein said upper seal means is movably guided by said gas outlet when said actuator is moved to said upper position and wherein said lower seal means is movably guided by said fluid outlet when said actuator is moved to said lower position; and wherein when the gas reaches a predetermined volume inside said housing, said actuator is moved to said lower position to seal said fluid outlet with said lower seal means and to open said gas outlet to vent the gas in said chamber out of said housing.