Cartridge for peristaltic pump

Claim 1

A peristaltic pump comprising body means having a chamber with an open mouth; a rotary member mounted in said body means for rotation in said chamber; and a cartridge adapted to be releasably mounted in said chamber through said open mouth, said cartridge comprising a housing with a bore for receiving said rotary member when said cartridge is mounted in said chamber, a tube with a flexible wall extending through said housing, said tube having a convolution with at least a part thereof encircling said bore, a rib integrally mounted on said tube and extending along the longitudinal extent thereof, said rib narrowing in cross section to a neck adjacent said tube, and a recess formed in said housing and encircling said bore, said recess having a width similar to that of said neck to entrap the rib therein and thereby hold said tube in said bore; said rotary member being rotatable about the axis of the bore and having at least one eccentrically mounted element thereon for engaging and pressing the wall of the tube; and clamping means for releasably holding said cartridge in said chamber, said clamping means including openings on opposite sides of the encircling wall of said chamber, a pair of pins extending through said body means with one pin on each side of said body means; resilient biasing means for resiliently biasing said pins so that the side portions thereof project into said chamber through said openings; a groove on the outer surface of said cartridge adapted to receive the side portions of said pins, and releasable locking means for holding said pins in said opening to hold said cartridge in place when located in said chamber; whereby, upon rotation of said rotary member when said cartridge is in said chamber, said rotary member traverses said convolution and, by depressing said tube, causes fluid in said tube to flow.