Needleless Connector Patent Application US20260108719A1
Summary
USPTO published patent application US20260108719A1 on April 23, 2026, filed October 14, 2025, for a needleless connector design. The application names Soon Yong Park, Christopher Jesse Zolllinger, Jason Andrew Wine, and Kuochu Colin Huang as inventors and describes a flexible valve element with fluid flow pathway features to resist obstruction between the valve head and diaphragm. The invention further includes a diaphragm formed as a bellows to reduce strain during connector activation.
“the fluid flow pathway can be formed by any of a channel and a rib”
About this source
USPTO classification A61M covers devices that introduce or withdraw fluids from the body: infusion pumps, catheters, syringes, inhalers, wound drainage, dialysis equipment, and fluid-handling microfluidics. Every newly published application in A61M lands in this feed, around 205 a month. Applications publish 18 months after filing. Watch this if you compete in infusion therapy or drug delivery, file freedom-to-operate analyses for medical device startups, scout acquisition targets in cardiovascular or respiratory devices, or track hospital R&D arms that are quietly patenting clinical innovations.
What changed
USPTO published patent application US20260108719A1 for a needleless connector on April 23, 2026. The application discloses a housing and flexible valve element positioned within a cavity to selectively permit flow between proximal and distal fluid ports, with the valve element comprising a valve head, valve stem, and valve diaphragm. The invention includes fluid flow pathway features along the valve head shoulder and/or diaphragm to resist obstruction, with pathways formed by channels or ribs, and a bellows-style diaphragm to reduce strain during activation.
Medical device manufacturers developing infusion therapy connectors, IV access devices, or fluid management systems should review this application to assess whether the disclosed needleless connector design and valve element configurations could conflict with or inspire their own IP strategies. Competitors in the fluid flow connector space may wish to monitor this application's prosecution for potential overlap with existing patents or product lines.
Archived snapshot
Apr 23, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
NEEDLELESS CONNECTOR
Application US20260108719A1 Kind: A1 Apr 23, 2026
Inventors
Soon Yong PARK, Christopher Jesse ZOLLINGER, Jason Andrew WINE, Kuochu Colin HUANG
Abstract
Needleless connectors are described that can include a housing and a flexible valve element, the flexible valve element positioned within a cavity of the needleless connector to selectively permit flow between proximal and distal fluid ports of the housing, and the flexible valve element including a valve head, a valve stem, and a valve diaphragm, the flexible valve element further including features to resist obstruction of fluid flow between the valve head and the valve diaphragm, including a fluid flow pathway along any of a shoulder of the valve head and the valve diaphragm, where the fluid flow pathway can be formed by any of a channel and a rib. The flexible valve element can further include a diaphragm formed as a bellows to resist or reduce strain on the flexible valve element when the needleless connector is activated.
CPC Classifications
A61M 39/24 A61M 39/10 A61M 2039/0009 A61M 2039/1027 A61M 2039/246 A61M 2039/2493 A61M 2205/0216 A61M 2205/3331
Filing Date
2025-10-14
Application No.
19358076
Related changes
Get daily alerts for USPTO Patent Applications - Medical Devices (A61M)
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Source
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from USPTO.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when USPTO Patent Applications - Medical Devices (A61M) publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.