Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Mark A Toycen

Timothy G Curran

Kent R Struble

Gary A Thill

Leonard J Gramse

Philip C Dretzka

Tighe M Belden

Gerald L Oja

Daniel M Sutherland

Jerald W Anderson

A free flow prevention system for preventing undesired free flow of fluid through IV tubing of the type used in an infusion pump. The system comprises a spring clip having a base and a spring arm defining a channel adapted to receive the IV tubing. The spring arm is resiliently biased to a closed position in which the IV tubing is squeezed by the spring clip to close the lumen to prevent fluid flow, and the spring arm is movable against the bias to an open position wherein the lumen of the IV tubing is allowed to open to allow flow. The system also includes a clip-opening pin in the infusion pump for moving the spring arm of the clip from its closed position to the open position. The clip-opening pin is movable relative to the spring clip to move the spring arm between an unloading position, in which the clip-opening pin does not hold the spring arm in its open position, and an operating position, in which the clip-opening pin moves the spring arm to its open position and holds the spring arm in the open position.

Free flow prevention system for infusion pump

A system for interlocking a plurality of modules, such as medical instrument modules (e.g., infusion pumps), in side-by-side relationship such that not more than one module can be mounted on each side of a center module. The modules are interchangeable in that any module of the system can be a center module or a side module. In the preferred embodiment, latching arms on a module are automatically moved as the module is mounted on a pole stand to allow other 'side' modules to be mounted on that 'center' module. The latching arms of the 'side' modules prevent additional modules from being mounted on the side modules. Other embodiments are described as well.

Interlocking module system

The present invention comprises an audio alarm for providing a back-up acoustic output in response to a sensed parameter including a first audio alarm circuit having a first transducer for providing a first acoustic output in response to the sensed parameter, a second audio alarm circuit having a second transducer which provides the back-up acoustic output in response to a predetermined fault condition, and which is acoustically coupled to the first transducer. The second audio alarm circuit provides an electrical signal by converting the first acoustic output of the first transducer into an electrical signal. A detector circuit is connected to the first and second audio alarm circuits and responds to the sensed parameter and to the electrical signal from the second audio alarm circuit to provide the predetermined fault condition by interpreting the electrical signal from the second audio alarm circuit. After the detector circuit has determined that the predetermined fault condition exists, the detector circuit induces the second transducer to provide the back-up acoustic output as a result of the failure of the first transducer to provide the first acoustic output. The audio alarm circuit also provides several auto-diagnostic features for informing a user of internal failures in the audio alarm circuit itself.

Auxiliary alarm

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Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Mark A Toycen