Atrion has filed a patent for a safety cap designed for needleless connectors. The cap has two configurations – one that securely seals the connector and another that does not. It also includes a detent to prevent the cap from transitioning back to the sealed configuration. GlobalData’s report on Atrion gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.

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According to GlobalData’s company profile, Atrion's grant share as of September 2023 was 62%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.

Safety cap for needleless connectors

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Credit: Atrion Corp

A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230226338A1) describes a safety cap for needleless connectors. The cap is designed to enclose the head of the connector and has two configurations - a first configuration that can be securely sealed to the connector and a second configuration that cannot be securely sealed. The cap includes a detent that prevents it from transitioning back to the first configuration once in the second configuration.

The body of the cap consists of a first cap portion housed within a second cap portion. The first cap portion has an end wall connected to a side wall that defines a cylindrical cavity to receive the head of the connector. The second cap portion also has an end wall and side wall that define a cylindrical cavity to receive the first cap portion. The end wall of the second cap portion has an aperture aligned with the common axis of the first and second cap portions. The first cap portion includes a locking post with a frusto-conical cap at its terminal end. When the cap transitions from the first configuration to the second configuration, the frusto-conical cap moves from within the cavity to outside of it.

The second cap portion includes a set of thread deformers that project radially inwardly into the cavity, while the first cap portion has a set of guidance channels on its outer surface. The guidance channels receive the thread deformers and guide them to deformable thread portions as the cap transitions from the first to the second configuration. This engagement of the thread deformers with the deformable thread portions changes the thread pitch at the leading edge of the threaded interface on the interior surface of the cavity. This change in thread pitch prevents the cap from reattaching to another needleless connector.

Additionally, the second cap portion includes a set of track followers that project radially inwardly into the cavity. The guidance channels on the first cap portion have a second set of guidance channels that receive the track followers. The second set of guidance channels leads to a receiving groove, and when the cap transitions from the first to the second configuration, the track followers are guided to the receiving groove. This reception of the guidance channels into the receiving groove locks the second cap portion and the first cap portion together, allowing rotational force exerted on the second cap portion to be transferred to the first cap portion.

Overall, this patent describes a safety cap for needleless connectors that can be securely sealed to the connector in one configuration and cannot be securely sealed in another configuration. The cap includes various features such as thread deformers, guidance channels, and track followers to prevent reattachment to another connector and ensure proper sealing.

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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies