GB2191757A

GB2191757A - Tap for attachment to plastics pouch or bag

Info

Publication number: GB2191757A
Application number: GB08614835A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Leslie Steer
Original assignee: Craig Medical Products Ltd
Current assignee: Craig Medical Products Ltd
Priority date: 1986-06-18
Filing date: 1986-06-18
Publication date: 1987-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 2006-06-18
Also published as: GB2191757B; GB8614835D0

Abstract

A tap for attachment to a wall 26 of a plastics pouch or bag, e.g. a urine bag has a tubular member 10 movable within a housing 12 to open and shut the tap. A fitting 14 for attaching the housing to the bag wall, has a flange 28 welded or adhesively secured to the wall and an attachment structure having a central hole integral with or secured to the flange. The housing is attached to the fitting with a spigot 18 (part of the housing) extending through the hole to provide communication with the interior. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tap for attachment to wall of plastics pouch or bag This invention relates to a tap for attachment to the wall of a plastics pouch or bag. Plastics bags intended to contain liquid are widely encountered nowadays and it is often necessary to include atap.

One possible application of the present invention is in a urine drainage bag.

In British Patent Specification 2058011 there is shown the arrangement of a simple tap at the bottom of a plastics bag. In British Patent 2 101 274the present Applicants disclosed a tap adapted to be fitted in a face-to-face mannerto the wall of a plastics bag. For efficient manufacture, this manner of fitting is considered preferable, but problems have arisen on attempting to weld the tap body made of a relatively rigid plastics material to a thin film bag wall.

According to the present invention, there is provided a tap for attachment to a wall of a plastics pouch or bag for containing liquid (herein called a bag),thetaphaving atubularmemberrotatable within a housing between positions where a hole in the member is aligned and not aligned with a spigot in the housing, there being a fitting for attaching the housing to the bag wall,thefitting having aflange arranged to be welded or adhesively secured to the wall and an attachment structure having a central hole integral with orsecuredtotheflangewhereby the housing can be attached to the fitting with the spigot extending through the hole to provide communication with the interior of the bag.

Preferably the attachment between the housing and the fitting is by way of a press-fit. The housing and the fitting may both be of a resilient plastics material, e.g. the housing may be high density polyethylene and the flange fitting may be ethylene vinyl acetate, e.g. the grade known as U.L.00209.

Theflangefitting may have a cylindrical recess defined bya peripheral wall, a basewall, and an innerwall encircling the said central hole. The inner wall may have a recess therein to receive a detent member on the free end ofthe spigot.

The invention will be better understood from the following non-limiting description of an example thereof given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure lisafrontviewofoneexampleoftap according to the invention; Figure2 is a vertical axial cross-section on the line Il-Il in Figure 1.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, the illustrated tap has a tubular member 10 rotatablewithin a housing 12 in orderto open and close the tap, there being afitting 14for attaching the housing to the bag wall. The tubular member has a hole 16 therein which inthe open position of the tap is aligned with a spigot 18 of the housing.

Atap handle 20 is attachedtothetubularmember 10to allow manual rotation ofit in order to open and close the tap. The tubular member is held in position within the housing in an axial direction by an overlap of a portion 22 of the tap handle relative to a peripheral shelf-like structure 24 on the housing 12.

As illustrated, the tubular member 10 has a step 26 thereon to faciliate attachment of the tubular member to a drain tube. Advantageously, this attachment may be achieved by a connector according to British Patent No. 2092690 or European Patent No. 57057.

Thetap isattachedto a pouch orbag wall 26 bya flange fitting 14. The flange fitting 14 includes a flange 28, a peripheral wall 30, a base wall 32, and an innerwall 34. It also includes an intervening wall 36 which defines a cylindrical recess 38for reception of a portion 40 of the housing 12.

The portion 40 has a number of ribs on its external surface, one of which, 42, engages in a peripheral groove provided in the inner surface of the outerwall 30. The co-operation of these ribs with the encircling wall 30 in a push-fitmannerwithinthe recess38 ensures that the housing is securely held within the flange fitting 14. An advantage of this arrangement is that the flange fitting 14 can be welded or otherwise secured to the bag wall at the same time and in the same manner as the conventional bag sideostomy coupling element is secured to the bag wall, and thereafterthe housing and tubular member combination can be snap fitted into the flange fitting The outer or free end of the spigot 18 carries a detent 44 which is received within an encircling recess 46 in the innerwall 34.

An O-ring 48 is located between the tubular member 10 and the housing 12 in orderto avoid liquid leakage.

Theflange28preferablyhasathicknessofl0-15 thousandsofan inch (about0.25-0.38mm),this being suitable for radio frequency plastics welding or plastics heat welding.

In this way, and utilizing the design disclosed herein, the manufacture of drainage bags such as urostomy bags is greatly accelerated and simplified, with a reduction in the amount offailures on test.

Hitherto, if a bag failed on test the tap structure, made from relatively expensive precision high density polyethylene parts had to be scrapped as well as the bag structure. In contrast to this, with the present invention, the subsequent snapping into position ofthe housing tubular member enables efficient manufacture. It might be thought at first sightthatasimplerarrangementwould beto provide a flange on the housing and to weld that directly to the pouch wall. In fact, this procedure proved unsuccessful because a satisfactory welding ofthe tap housing material to the thin bag wall could not be achieved. Application of sufficient heat or radio frequency energy to cause the tap housing to bond resulted in complete meltthrough ofthethin bag wall.If the energy was reduced, to avoid this problem, then the attachment to the bag housing proved unsatisfactory.

It will be realised that modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For exam ple, other specific designs of tubular member and tap housing could beemployed,forexamplethetubular member could be shifted axially relative to the housing in orderto close or open the tap instead of being rotated as illustrated. Moreover, other arrangements could be employed to enable manual movement of the tubular member. In certain designs, the intervening wall 36 could be dispensed with oralternativelythe innerwall 34 could be dispensed with or shortened. Otherforms of engagement than the detent 44 and the recess 46 could be employed to retain the spigot within the central hole of the flange fitting. Othervariantswill occurto a man of average skill in the relevant art.

Claims

1. Atapforattachmenttoawallofaplastics pouch or bag for containing liquid (herein called a bag),the tap having a tubular member rotatable within a housing betweenpositionswhereaholein the member is aligned and not aligned with a spigot in the housing, there being a fitting for attaching the housing to the bag wall, the fitting having a flange arranged to be welded or adhesively secured to the wall and an attachment structure having a central hole integral with or secured to the flange whereby the housing can be attached to the fitting with the spigot extending through the holeto provide communication with the interior ofthe bag.

2. Atapaccordingtoclaim 1 in which the attachment between the housing and the fitting is by way of a press-fit.

3. Atap according to claim 1 or2 in which the housing and the fitting are both of a resilient plastics material.

4. Atap according to claim 3 in which the housing is high density polyethylene and the flange fitting is of ethylene vinyl acetate, grade U.L.00209.

5. A tap according to claim 1,2,3 or 4 in which the flange fitting has a cylindrical recess defined bya peripheral wall, a base wall, and an innerwall encircling the said central hole, and the said inner wall has arecess recessthereintoreceiveadetentmember on the free end of the spigot.

6. Atap for a plastics bag or pouch substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

7. Any novel combination or sub-combination disclosed and/or illustrated herein.

Amendmentstothe claims have been filed, aand have the following effect: (a) Claim 1 above has been deleted or textually amended.

(b) New ortextually amended claims have been filed as follows:- CLAIMS

1. Atap in combination with a wall of a plastics pouch or bag for containing liquid (herein called a bag), the tap having a tubular member rotatable within a housing between positions where a hole in the member is aligned and not aligned with a spigot in the housing, there being a fitting located in the interior of the bag for attaching the housing to the bag wall, the fitting having a flange arranged to be welded or adhesively secured to the inner surface of the wall and an attachment structure within the bag and having a central hole integral with orsecuredto the flange whereby the housing can be attached to the fitting with the spigot extending through the hole to provide communication with the interior ofthe bag.