One-Way Pipe Connector for Medical Waste Gas Venting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to efficiently vent medical waste gas from interior rooms without exterior walls, necessitating a practical and safe connection between medical gas scavenging devices and building wastewater systems.
Innovation Solution
A pipe-connector assembly system comprising a main pipe member, valve housing, and riser, with a one-way valve to prevent backflow, allowing safe evacuation of waste gas into the building's drainage system, adaptable for installation under a washbasin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a pipe vent is placed in an exterior wall to exhaust waste gas, then the waste gas can be vented outside the building, but this solution becomes impracticable when the medical device is located in an interior room with no exterior walls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary drainage system as a mediator between the waste gas source in interior rooms and the external environment. Instead of directly venting to exterior walls, the system uses a pipe connector apparatus that interfaces with existing plumbing fixtures (sinks, showers, toilets) which are present in interior rooms, thereby enabling waste gas evacuation without requiring exterior wall access
Solution Approach 2:
The pipe connector apparatus is designed to interface with multiple types of plumbing fixtures (sinks, showers, toilets, drains) through universal connection mechanisms. This multi-functionality allows the same device to be installed in various interior room configurations regardless of the specific fixture type, enhancing adaptability while maintaining ease of installation through standardized connections
2Productivity
If a connection is made between the exhaust hose and plumbing fixture drainpipe, then waste gas can be removed from interior rooms, but backflow of waste gas into the room must be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by incorporating a one-way valve mechanism that preemptively prevents backflow before it can occur. The valve is designed to automatically close in response to pressure differentials that would indicate reverse flow conditions, thereby preventing harmful waste gas from entering the room while maintaining efficient forward flow during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The one-way valve acts as an intermediary element between the waste gas flow path and the interior room environment. It selectively permits waste gas to be evacuated through the drainage system while blocking any reverse flow, thus mediating the conflict between efficient waste removal and backflow prevention
3Volume of moving object
If the pipe connector apparatus is installed under a washbasin downstream from the trap, then space is utilized efficiently, but the installation must not interfere with the trap's functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing the pipe connector apparatus with spatially differentiated functional zones. The device is configured to interface with the drainage system at a specific location (downstream from the trap) where it can utilize available space under the washbasin while maintaining clear separation between its waste gas evacuation function and the trap's water seal function, thereby preserving trap functionality while achieving efficient space utilization
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively and safely evacuates medical waste gas, such as nitrous oxide and oxygen mixtures, from treatment rooms into the building's wastewater system, preventing backflow and maintaining plumbing functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a one-way valve to prevent backflow
Data Source
AI summary
A connector apparatus featuring a main pipe with first and second opposed ends. Each has a corresponding male-threaded fastening section for mating with the complimentary female-threaded fastening section on a respective conventional pipe-locking ring or collar. A valve-housing for supporting a one-way flow valve assembly interiorly, and a riser mounted on and supported by the valve housing for ultimate connection to the output or exhaust nozzle of a medical scavenger device.