US3977976A — Apparatus for exchange of substances between two …

Claim 1

Independent Claim 146 words

An apparatus for the exchange of substances between two fluids separated by a membrane, comprising a housing, a fluid-impervious member rotatably disposed coaxially in the housing with its peripheral surface in spaced relationship therewith, a membrane tautly disposed about the said member and adapted to form a first annular gap between the membrane and the rotatable member and a second annular gap between the housing and membrane in response to tangential flow of a first fluid in said first gap, inlet means for introducing the first fluid into the first gap and means spaced from the said inlet means for discharge of the first fluid from the first gap so as to cause a tangential main flow of the first fluid in the first gap, means for introducing a second fluid into the second gap, and means for removing the second fluid from said second gap.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 146 words

An apparatus for the exchange of substances between two fluids separated by a membrane, comprising a housing, a fluid-impervious member rotatably disposed coaxially in the housing with its peripheral surface in spaced relationship therewith, a membrane tautly disposed about the said member and adapted to form a first annular gap between the membrane and the rotatable member and a second annular gap between the housing and membrane in response to tangential flow of a first fluid in said first gap, inlet means for introducing the first fluid into the first gap and means spaced from the said inlet means for discharge of the first fluid from the first gap so as to cause a tangential main flow of the first fluid in the first gap, means for introducing a second fluid into the second gap, and means for removing the second fluid from said second gap.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 19 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein means are provided for removing the first medium from the gap by suction.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 36 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the membrane is divided into two parts in the form of sheets and clamping means are provided for fixing the two membrane parts in position on the body of revolution.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 78 words

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the clamping means comprises four axially extending knife-edged members, two stationary flanges for rotatably supporting the body of revolution and two bridge pieces positioned near the circumference of the body of revolution and extending between the flanges, said flanges and bridge pieces being provided with recesses for receiving the thin sides of the knife-edged members, the axially extending sides of the membrane parts being held in said recesses by the knife-edged members.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 43 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein two elastic pretensioned sealing rings which each bear against the edges of a membrane part are provided between the knife-edged members and the membrane parts, said sealing rings having tangential parts which bear against the stationary flanges.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 30 words

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the bridge pieces are provided with openings for the inlet and the outlet of the first medium respectively to and from the first space.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 44 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a second membrane is provided on the circumference of the body of revolution with a third space therebetween and an inlet and an outlet through which the second medium is fed into and discharged from the third space.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 22 words

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the third space is formed by longitudinal grooves on the circumference of the body of revolution.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 174 words

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the second membrane has its ends turned over the edges of the end faces, two sealing disks clamp a turned end of the membrane against an end face of the body of the revolution, one of said sealing disks having a continuous central bore and the other having a blind central bore, channels running between the bores and the circumference of the sealing disks, at the ends of said body which connect the channels in the sealing disks to longitudinal grooves in the body of revolution and with a central bore, a feed conduit for the second medium connected to the central bores of the sealing disks and of the body of revolution, one end of said conduit serving as an inlet for this medium and the other end leading into the blind central bore of the second sealing disk, a space beween the outer wall of the feed conduit and the continuous central bore of the body of revolution forming a discharge channel for the second medium.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 43 words

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the end faces of the body of revolution are provided with annular grooves and O-rings are provided by means of which the turned ends of the second membrane are pushed into the grooves by the sealing disks.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 46 words

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the body of revolution the end face opposite the first sealing disk is provided with an annular recess accommodating an O-ring which tightly fits on the feed conduit and is pushed into the annular recess by the first sealing disk.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 146 words

An apparatus for replacing carbon dioxide in blood with oxygen, comprising a cylindrical housing, a fluid-impervious cylindrical member rotatably disposed coaxially in the housing with its peripheral surface in spaced relationship therewith, a membrane permeable to oxygen and carbon dioxide but impermeable to blood tautly disposed about the said member and adapted to form a first annular gap between the membrane and the rotatable member and a second annular gap between the housing and membrane in response to tangential flow of a fluid in said first gap, inlet means for introducing blood in the first gap and means spaced from the said inlet means for discharge of the blood from the first gap so as to cause a tangential main flow of the blood in the first gap, means for introducing oxygen into the second gap, and means for removing the oxygen from said second gap.

Claim 14

Independent Claim 146 words

An apparatus for replacing carbon dioxide in blood with oxygen, comprising a cylindrical housing, a fluid-impervious cylindrical member rotatably disposed coaxially in the housing with its peripheral surface in spaced relationship therewith, a membrane permeable to oxygen and carbon dioxide but impermeable to blood tautly disposed about the said member and adapted to form a first annular gap between the membrane and the rotatable member and a second annular gap between the housing and membrane in response to tangential flow of a fluid in said first gap, inlet means for introducing blood in the first gap and means spaced from the said inlet means for discharge of the blood from the first gap so as to cause a tangential main flow of the blood in the first gap, means for introducing oxygen into the second gap, and means for removing the oxygen from said second gap.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1979-08-31	1980-03-01	1980-08-31	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1983-08-31	1984-03-01	1984-08-31	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1987-08-31	1988-03-01	1988-08-31	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Apparatus for exchange of substances between two media on opposite sides of a membrane

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