Swivel connector for preventing kinking of flexible medical hoses

Claim 1

A swivel connector for preventing the kinking of a fluid hose, such as an oxygen hose, comprising: (A) a ball member assembly which includes (i) a first hose having an end, a sleeve having a bore defined therethrough for accommodating said first hose, said first hose end being located in said ball member assembly, (ii) a hose retaining means in said sleeve securely holding said first hose in place in said sleeve, (iii) a ball affixed to one end of said sleeve and spaced from said hose retaining means and having a bore defined diametrically therethrough to have ends defined in an outer surface of said ball, said ball bore being aligned with and fluidically joined to said sleeve bore and being sized to accommodate said first hose therethrough, said first hose being mounted in said sleeve by said hose retaining means to extend through one of said bore ends and to have said hose end spaced from another end of said bore and located inside said ball bore; and (B) a socket member assembly which includes (i) a second hose having an end, and a sleeve having (a) a first portion with a bore defined therethrough, an annular hose supporting gland mounted in said sleeve first portion to accommodate and grasp said second hose, said second hose end being located in said first portion, said annular gland having a cutout portion defined therein and having an annular opening that is sized so that said second hose is permitted to move therethrough in one direction while said gland prevents said second hose from backsliding therethrough in a second direction that is opposite to said one direction, (b) a sleeve second portion with a bore defined therethrough, said sleeve second portion having an inner diameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameter of said second hose to snugly accommodate said second hose and being smaller in diameter than said first sleeve portion bore, and being joined to one end of said first sleeve portion to define a shoulder, with said annular gland being spaced from said shoulder, (c) a second hose retaining means in said sleeve second portion holding said second hose in said sleeve second portion, and (ii) a socket mounted on one end of said second sleeve first portion and having a hole defined therein which is sized to be larger than said ball member assembly sleeve and located to accommodate said ball member assembly sleeve when said ball is received in said socket, said socket being sized to essentially completely surround said ball; (C) said second hose retaining means holding said second hose in a position that has the end of said second hose spaced from said socket, with said sleeve second portion being larger than said second hose, said second sleeve, said gland and said ball forming a chamber in which said second hose end is located.