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Pump and valve system

Pump and valve system description/claims

This application is a divisional application and claims priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/822,277 filed Apr. 12, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a system which when operating in one mode acts as a pump, and when operating in another mode acts as a valve.

Pumps which meter small and precise amounts of fluid, such as in the medical field, will operate satisfactorily when the source of fluid to be pumped is below its destination, creating an “uphill” pumping situation. However, there is a problem if the source of fluid is above its effluent destination, creating a “downhill” pumping situation. In those situations, the valves in the pump will tend to bleed through, which coupled with the pumping action creates a flow greater than desired.

To date there have been no pump systems integral to one control device designed to accommodate both the uphill and the downhill pumping situations so that precise, small amounts of fluid can be allowed in flow in either situation.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a system which can operate as a pump when the inlet is below the outlet, and which can operate as a valve when the inlet is above the outlet.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system, as above, which can intentionally allow a controlled amount of leakage when the inlet is above the outlet.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system, as above, in which the fluid flow can be totally closed when no fluid transfer is required.

These and other objects of the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof over existing prior art forms, which will become apparent from the description to follow, are accomplished by the improvements hereinafter described and claimed.

In general, a device made in accordance with the present invention is selectively operable as a pump or a valve and includes a pump chamber, a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. A valve assembly is positioned between the fluid inlet and the pump chamber and between the pump chamber and the fluid outlet. A plunger carries a diaphragm in the pump chamber. A drive member is selectively operable to either reciprocate the plunger in the pump chamber to draw fluid in through the fluid inlet and expel fluid through the fluid outlet or to position the plunger to allow fluid from the fluid inlet to pass through the valve assembly and into the pump chamber, and to allow fluid from the pump chamber to pass through the valve assembly and out the fluid outlet.

The present invention also relates to a method for moving fluid from an inlet, through a valve to a chamber, and from the chamber through the valve to an outlet. The method includes the steps of selectively reciprocating a diaphragm in the chamber to create the desired movement of the fluid or positioning the diaphragm in the chamber to permit the desired movement of the fluid.

A preferred exemplary apparatus for moving fluids according to the concepts of the present invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings without attempting to show all the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied, the invention being measured by the appended claims and not by the details of the specification.

FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a device made in accordance with the present invention, showing the device in one operating position.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the device shown in FIG. 1 and showing the device in another operating position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view like FIG. 2 but showing the device in still another operating position.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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