ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 9 -- United States Patent no. 12,352,372, issued on July 8, was assigned to Terumo BCT Inc. (Lakewood, Colo.).
"Pinch valve" was invented by Thomas G. DiLorenzo (Arvada, Colo.) and Davis Benz (Wheat Ridge, Colo.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A pinch valve includes a base having a body and a head and an anvil aligned therewith and including a shaft and a pinch tip. The head is disposed at a first end of the body. The head includes a contact protrusion that has a radiused surface defining an apex disposed at a point furthest from a second end of the body and centered around a base axis. The pinch tip is disposed at a first end of the shaft and includes two planar surfaces...