Patent ID: 8679090

Claim:
A medical connector, comprising: a substantially rigid housing having a first end, a second end, and a wall extending between the first and second ends and having an inside surface that is laterally spaced apart from an axial centerline of the connector, said first and second ends being connected by a selectively closable fluid passageway; said first end including a hollow male luer with an inner surface, a first open end, and a second base end; a first valve member supported substantially within the housing, the first valve member being configured to selectively seal an opening adjacent to the first end of the housing at the tip of the male luer when the connector is in a closed position; and an internal bladder member positioned within the housing and outside the male luer, the bladder member defining an inner cavity and being fluidly coupled to the first valve member, the inner cavity of the bladder member having a first volume when the connector is in a closed position and a second volume smaller than the first volume when the connector is in an open position; wherein: the inner cavity is configured to fill with fluid during use and configured to be in fluid communication with the first end and the second end of the housing in both the open and closed positions; a wall of the bladder member extends radially against the inside surface of the housing when the connector is in both the open position and the closed position; and the rigid housing extends laterally from the base of the male luer and a valve arm extends through the housing adjacent the base of the male luer, a first end of the valve arm configured to engage a corresponding female end of a medical implement and a second end of the valve arm configured to engage at least a portion of the bladder member.