Hydrophobic filter device for medical liquids

Claim 1

A LIQUID FILTER ASSEMBLY FOR FILTERING AT PARENTERAL SOLUTION HEAD-PRESSURES IMMEDIATELY AT THE SITE FOR ADMINISTERING THE SOLUTION TO A PATIENT AT FLOW RATES USED IN CONVENTIONAL PARENTERAL THERAPY COMRPISING: AN ELONGATED HOLLOW HOUSING HAVING A LIQUID INLET OPENING; A RIGID TUBULAR INLET ADAPTER AT ONE END SORROUNDING THE INLET OPENING FOR CONNECTING THE HOUSING TO A TUBULAR ADMISISTRATION SET LEADING FROM AN ELEVATED PARENTERAL LIQUID SOURCE; SAID HOUSING HAVING A LIQUID OUTLET OPENING SPACED FROM THE INLWT OPENING; A RIGID TUBLAR OUTLET NEEDLE ADAPTER IN AXIAL ALIGNEMENT WITH THE INLWT ADAPTER AND SURROUNDING THE OUTLET, SAID NEEDLY OUTLET ADAPTER INCLUDING A TAPERED ANNULAR SURFACE FOR WEDGINGLY CONNECTING TO A TAPERED ANNULAR SURFACE HUB OF A VENOUS NEDDLE FOR DISPENSING FILTERED LIQUID IMMEDIATELY AT THE NEEDLE SITE OF A PATEINTS, ANTOMY; AND A "DEPTH" FILTER MEMBRANE OF HYDROPHOBIC HOMOGENOUS MATERIAL WITH RANDOMLY COMMUNICATING INTERCONNECTED AXIALLY STACKET PASSAGES OF FROM 10 TO 40 MICRON SIZE AND COMMUNICATING BETWEEN SAID LIQUID INLET OPENING AND LIQUID OUTLET OPENING, SAID FILTER MEMBRANE FITTING TRANVERSELY INSIDE THE HOUSING AND PERIPHERALLY SEALED THERETO BETWEEN THE LIQUID INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS WHEREBY ALL LIQUID PASSING THROUGH THE ASSEMBLY MUST PASS THROUGH THE STACKED PASSAGES, SAID HOUSING INCLUDES AT LEAST ONE SUPPORT PRONG ON A DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF THE FILTER MEMBRANE, SAID SUPPORT PRONG HAVING A ROUNDED CONTACT SURFACE TERMINALLY ENGAGING A CENTRAL PORTION OF THE MEMBRANE, SAID MEMBRANE BEING RELATIVELY FLEXIBLE AND THE PRONG ABSORBING SHOCK OF PRESSURE SURGES TO PROTECT IT FROM RUPTURING UNDER A HIGH PRESSURE SURGE, SAID ROUNDED PRONG CONTACT SURFACE COVERING LESS THAN 5 PER CENT OF THE EFFECTIVE FILTER AREA OF THE FILTER MEMBRANE WHEN IN CONTACT THEREWITH, SAID FILTER MEMBRANE BEING A POROUS NORMALLY HYDROPHOBIC STRUCTURE IMPERVIOUS TO AT LEAST 90 PER CENT OF ALL PARTICULATE MATTER OF 5 MICRON SIZE AND GREATER FROM A PARENTERAL SOLUTION PASSING THROUGH ITS RANDOMLY INTERCONNECTED 10 TO 40 MICRON SIZE PASSAGES, THE FILTER MEMBRANE BEING FROM 0.003 AND 0.016 INCHES THICK AND HAVING AN EFFECTIVE FILTER AREA EQUIVALENT TO A 0.250 INCHES DIAMETER DISC, THE HOUSING INCLUDING A CENTRAL SECTION WHICH CONTAINS SAID FILTER MEMBRANE, SAID CENTRAL SECTION COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY AN AXIAL PROJECTION BETWEEN SAID ADAPTERS.