Medtronic Electromedics, Inc.

Medtronic, Inc.

Mark T Patton

David W Wright

Jacek Lasota

Dale Burrous

Lee W Travis

A mechanism for fixing a blood centrifuge bowl to a rotating spindle is disclosed having two parts. The first part converts downward movement of an outer collar of a chuck into inward and downward pressure against a blood bowl to be secured in the chuck. The second part of the invention converts centrifugal forces present in a rotating chuck into downward pressure on the collar described above. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the chuck comprises a base plate, plungers, a finger ring and a collar. The base plate receives and positions the blood bowl. The finger ring has a series of fingers located around its upper periphery that pivot around living hinges into contact with the blood bowl. The collar has an annular sloping finger contacting surface that contacts the outer surface of the fingers and forces them inward and downward into contact with the blood bowl. The base plate has a series of outwardly directed bores that hold plungers. Under rotation of the chuck, the plungers move outward in the bores under centrifugal force and contact a sloped plunger contacting surface on the inner surface of the collar. As the centrifugal force increases, the pressure exerted on the plunger contacting surface by the outer ends of the plungers increase causing the collar to be pressured to move downward. Downward pressure on the collar is translated into downward pressure on the finger contacting surface which in turn is translated into inward and downward pressure on the blood bowl.

Mechanism for fixing a blood centrifuge bowl to a rotating spindle

A pinch clamp finding a primary use in an autotransfusion machine includes a hollow clamp head having a closed upper end and an open lower end reciprocally receiving a piston. A lateral groove is established in the clamp head so that a deformable tube can be received in the clamp head passing through the hollow interior thereof. The piston is reciprocally moved within the clamp head so as to selectively pinch the tube between the piston head and the closed end of the clamp head. The piston is positively reciprocated by cam followers on a piston rod with the cam followers riding in closed cam tracks in adjacent cam wheels on opposite sides of the piston. The cam wheels are mounted on a crankshaft which is selectively driven by power means.

Tubing clamps for blood separating apparatus

A peristaltic pump and tube body system disclosed includes a pump housing, a pump rotor rotatably mounted in the housing, and a motor for driving the rotor. The housing has a pair of opposed side walls hinged and releasably latched to the housing whereby insertion and removal of a pump tube is facilitated. The rotor has two rollers disposed at 180 degrees to one another together with opposed rigid bearing surfaces inside the housing which squeeze the latch to produce a pumping action when the rotor is rotated in either direction.

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Denver, CO, United States of America

Mark T Patton