Patent ID: 8556869

Claim:
An IV flow rate regulator comprising: a housing having an inlet for receiving liquid, an outlet for discharging liquid, a metering port located between the inlet and the outlet, and a threaded bore coaxially aligned with the metering port; a flow control disk located within the housing above the metering port; a screw threaded into the bore and extending into the housing to cooperate with the flow control disk, wherein the screw comprises a head, an elongated body that extends downward from the head, external helical threads on an outer surface of the elongated body for engaging internal helical threads in the bore, and a lower end portion that includes a taper and a tip for engaging and deforming the flow control disk; a dial adhesively bonded to the screw for rotating the screw to depress the flow control disk and thereby establish a flow rate at the metering port; and a plurality of alignment elements for coaxially aligning the housing, the screw, and the dial along a central axis of the metering port, wherein the alignment elements include a cavity centrally located within the screw for receiving and mating with a stem extending centrally from a bottom surface of the dial, the stem including a plurality of radial projections that engage walls of the cavity to self-center the stem and the dial with respect to the screw, and wherein the screw further comprises a circular flange below the head and above the external helical threads with crush features that engage an upper portion of the bore, and wherein the bore includes a lower portion below the internal helical threads with crush features that are engaged by the lower end portion of the screw.