Patent ID: 7993328

Claim:
A self-sealing male connector for connection with a female connector, the male connector comprising: a rigid housing having a distal end and a proximal end, the housing comprising at the distal end a rigid tubular male portion having a shape configured for engagement with a female connector; a distal valve located at the distal end of the housing, the distal valve comprising an internal valve seat disposed in the tubular male portion; a proximal valve located at the proximal end of the housing; an actuator disposed within the housing and configured to be movable towards the proximal end of the housing to cause opening of first the distal and then the proximal valves, the actuator comprising an actuator arm disposed adjacent and outside the tubular male portion wherein movement of the actuator arm from a first position to a second position causes the actuator to move towards the proximal end of the housing thereby opening first the distal and then the proximal valves, wherein the actuator comprises a distal end and a proximal end, the proximal end comprising a piercing element located so as to pierce the proximal valve upon movement of the actuator in the proximal direction; and a hollow resilient member contained within the housing and configured to bias the actuator towards the distal end of the housing, the hollow resilient member coupled to the housing and to the actuator to form an internal volume that is fluidically coupled to the distal valve, the hollow resilient member configured such that the internal volume has a first volume when the actuator arm is in the first position and a second volume when the actuator arm is in the second position, the second volume being smaller than the first volume; whereby the actuator arm is configured to move from the first position to the second position when a female connector is engaged with the tubular male portion, and from the second position to the first position when the female connector is removed from the tubular male portion, and wherein as the actuator moves in the distal direction, the proximal valve closes before the distal valve closes.