ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 13 -- United States Patent no. 12,521,541, issued on Jan. 13, was assigned to CAREFUSION 303 INC. (San Diego).
"Self-flushing connector" was invented by Raymond P. Feith (Chino Hills, Calif.) and Jake Randolph Smith (Durham, N.C.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A self-flushing connector includes a housing having a cavity, a first inlet port, a second inlet port, and an outlet port. A collapsible valve is disposed within the cavity. A first flow path extends from the first inlet port to the outlet port. The first inlet port and the second inlet port are fluidly connected through a gap defined between the body of the collapsible valve and an inner wall of the housing defini...