Ambulatory intravenous delivery system

Claim 1

An apparatus for intravenous delivery of substances while permitting the recipient to be ambulatory comprising: (a) means for containing and delivering a substance to be delivered to the recipient, said containing means capable of being supported and carried by the recipient; (b) means for providing pressure to the substance to be delivered; (c) means to control the flow rate of the substance to the recipient; (d) meter means positioned within the flow path of said substance to determine the flow rate of the said substance, said meter means including heating means disposed to supply heat to a portion of said substance as it flows, detecting means disposed to detect temperature changes in the substance such that a pulse of heat may be intermittently added to said substance by said heating means and detected downstream by said detecting means to determine the flow rate of said substance; and (e) means to adjust said flow control means in response to said signal indicating the flow rate so as to maintain a predetermined flow rate of the substance.

Claim 2

An apparatus for intravenous delivery of substances while permitting the recipient to be ambulatory comprising: (a) means for containing and delivering a substance to be delivered to the recipient, said containing means capable of being supported and carried by the recipient; (b) means for providing pressure to the substance to be delivered; (c) means to control the flow rate of the substance to the recipient; (d) meter means positioned within the flow path of said substance to determine the flow rate of the said substance, said meter means including heating means disposed to supply heat to a portion of said substance as it flows, detecting means disposed to detect temperature changes in the substance such that a pulse of heat may be intermittently added to said substance by said heating means and detected downstream by said detecting means to determine the flow rate of said substance; and (e) means to adjust said flow control means in response to said signal indicating the flow rate so as to maintain a predetermined flow rate of the substance.

Claim 14

An apparatus for regulating the flow rate of a fluid comprising a housing with an inlet opening to allow fluid to enter said housing and an outlet opening to allow fluid to exit said housing, said inlet opening being circular and communicating with an inlet tube of cylindrical internal wall shape having an internal diameter, a cylindrical pin of lesser diameter than said internal diameter with a first portion disposed for movement within said inlet tube and forming an annular gap between said internal wall and the cylindrical surface of said pin, said pin having a second portion which extends into said housing, means activated by a stepper motor to move said pin in discrete incremental amounts to adjust the distance which said pin extends into said inlet tube to thereby adjust the length of the annular gap through which said fluid flows.

Claim 15

An apparatus for regulating the flow rate of a fluid comprising a housing with an inlet opening to allow fluid to enter said housing and an outlet opening to allow fluid to exit said housing, said inlet opening being circular and communicating with an inlet tube of cylindrical internal wall shape having an internal diameter, a cylindrical pin of lesser diameter than said internal diameter with a first portion disposed for movement within said inlet tube and forming an annular gap between said internal wall and the cylindrical surface of said pin, said pin having a second portion which extends into said housing, means activated by a stepper motor to move said pin in discrete incremental amounts to adjust the distance which said pin extends into said inlet tube to thereby adjust the length of the annular gap through which said fluid flows.

Claim 18

An apparatus for measuring fluid flow rate of a fluid comprising a conduit having a first section of predetermined cross-sectional area, a second conduit section having a step constriction of a lesser cross-sectional area, a third conduit section having a step enlargement of a greater cross-sectional area than said second section, said second section being disposed between said first section and said third section, heating means disposed within said first section to supply predetermined and pre-timed heat pulses to the substance, temperature detecting means disposed within said third section to detect temperature changes in the fluid as it flows through said third section, said fluid flowing first through said first section, then through said second section then through said third section and means to measure the time lapse between a heating pulse and the detection thereof by detecting means of the heated portion so as to determine the rate of flow of fluid through said sections.

Claim 19

An apparatus for measuring fluid flow rate of a fluid comprising a conduit having a first section of predetermined cross-sectional area, a second conduit section having a step constriction of a lesser cross-sectional area, a third conduit section having a step enlargement of a greater cross-sectional area than said second section, said second section being disposed between said first section and said third section, heating means disposed within said first section to supply predetermined and pre-timed heat pulses to the substance, temperature detecting means disposed within said third section to detect temperature changes in the fluid as it flows through said third section, said fluid flowing first through said first section, then through said second section then through said third section and means to measure the time lapse between a heating pulse and the detection thereof by detecting means of the heated portion so as to determine the rate of flow of fluid through said sections.

Claim 22

An apparatus for intravenous delivery of substances while permitting the recipient to be ambulatory comprising: (a) means for containing and delivering a substance to be delivered to the recipient, said means capable of being supported and carried by the recipient; (b) means for providing pressure to the substance to be delivered; (c) means to control the flow rate of the substance to the recipient; (d) chip resistor means positioned within the flow path of the substance to provide heat impulse to the substance; (e) heat sensing thermistor means positioned downstream of said chip resistor means to sense said heat impulse and to produce an electrical signal in accordance therewith; and (f) electronic means capable of receiving said thermistor signal and connected to said chip resistor means so as to process said signals to determine the time lapse between said heat impulse generated by said chip resistor means and the thermistor signal so as to determine the flow rate of the substance.

Claim 23

An apparatus for intravenous delivery of substances while permitting the recipient to be ambulatory comprising: (a) means for containing and delivering a substance to be delivered to the recipient, said means capable of being supported and carried by the recipient; (b) means for providing pressure to the substance to be delivered; (c) means to control the flow rate of the substance to the recipient; (d) chip resistor means positioned within the flow path of the substance to provide heat impulse to the substance; (e) heat sensing thermistor means positioned downstream of said chip resistor means to sense said heat impulse and to produce an electrical signal in accordance therewith; and (f) electronic means capable of receiving said thermistor signal and connected to said chip resistor means so as to process said signals to determine the time lapse between said heat impulse generated by said chip resistor means and the thermistor signal so as to determine the flow rate of the substance.

Claim 28

An apparatus for intravenous delivery of substances while permitting the recipient to be ambulatory comprising: (a) means for containing and delivering a substance to be delivered to the recipient, said containing means capable of being supported and carried by the recipient; (b) means for providing pressure to the substance to be delivered; (c) means to control the flow rate of the substance to the recipient; (d) meter means positioned within the flow path of the substance to determine the flow rate of the substance, said meter means including a first tubular section, a second tubular section of lesser cross-sectional area than said first section, a third section of cross-sectional area larger than said second section, said second section being disposed between said first and third sections, heating means disposed within said first section to supply heat to a portion of the substance as it flows therethrough, and detecting means disposed within said third section to detect temperature changes in the substance as it flows therethrough such that a pulse of heat may be intermittently added to the substance by said heating means and detected downstream by said detecting means to determine the flow rate of the substance; and (e) means to adjust said flow control means in response to said signal indicating the flow rate so as to maintain a predetermined flow rate of the substance.

Claim 29

An apparatus for intravenous delivery of substances while permitting the recipient to be ambulatory comprising: (a) means for containing and delivering a substance to be delivered to the recipient, said containing means capable of being supported and carried by the recipient; (b) means for providing pressure to the substance to be delivered; (c) means to control the flow rate of the substance to the recipient; (d) meter means positioned within the flow path of the substance to determine the flow rate of the substance, said meter means including a first tubular section, a second tubular section of lesser cross-sectional area than said first section, a third section of cross-sectional area larger than said second section, said second section being disposed between said first and third sections, heating means disposed within said first section to supply heat to a portion of the substance as it flows therethrough, and detecting means disposed within said third section to detect temperature changes in the substance as it flows therethrough such that a pulse of heat may be intermittently added to the substance by said heating means and detected downstream by said detecting means to determine the flow rate of the substance; and (e) means to adjust said flow control means in response to said signal indicating the flow rate so as to maintain a predetermined flow rate of the substance.

Claim 32

An apparatus for regulating the flow rate of a fluid comprising a housing with an inlet opening to allow fluid to enter said housing and an outlet opening to allow fluid to exit said housing, said inlet opening being circular and communicating with an inlet tube of cylindrical internal wall shape having an internal diameter, a cylindrical pin of lesser diameter than said internal diameter with a first portion disposed for movement within said inlet tube and forming an annular gap between said internal wall and the cylindrical surface of said pin, said pin having a second portion which extends into said housing, and means to move said pin which comprises a flexible diaphragm disposed within said housing to separate and seal a first volume portion of said housing from a second volume portion, said inlet opening and said outlet opening communicating with said first volume portion, said second portion of said pin having an end, said end being fixed to a first surface of said diaphragm, a stepper motor with a shaft, said stepper motor capable of moving said shaft incremental amounts in the axial direction, said shaft having one end which movably extends into said housing to communicate with said second volume portion and fixed to said diaphragm on the reverse surface of said diaphragm such that when said stepper motor operates to axially move said shaft, said shaft flexes said diaphragm to move said pin so as to adjust the distance which said pin extends into said inlet tube to adjust the length of the annular gap through which said fluid flows.

Claim 33

An apparatus for regulating the flow rate of a fluid comprising a housing with an inlet opening to allow fluid to enter said housing and an outlet opening to allow fluid to exit said housing, said inlet opening being circular and communicating with an inlet tube of cylindrical internal wall shape having an internal diameter, a cylindrical pin of lesser diameter than said internal diameter with a first portion disposed for movement within said inlet tube and forming an annular gap between said internal wall and the cylindrical surface of said pin, said pin having a second portion which extends into said housing, and means to move said pin which comprises a flexible diaphragm disposed within said housing to separate and seal a first volume portion of said housing from a second volume portion, said inlet opening and said outlet opening communicating with said first volume portion, said second portion of said pin having an end, said end being fixed to a first surface of said diaphragm, a stepper motor with a shaft, said stepper motor capable of moving said shaft incremental amounts in the axial direction, said shaft having one end which movably extends into said housing to communicate with said second volume portion and fixed to said diaphragm on the reverse surface of said diaphragm such that when said stepper motor operates to axially move said shaft, said shaft flexes said diaphragm to move said pin so as to adjust the distance which said pin extends into said inlet tube to adjust the length of the annular gap through which said fluid flows.