대표
청구항
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1. A pouch connector for a pouch defining a storage chamber, the connector comprising: a housing including a piercing member movable between (i) a disengaged position, and (ii) an engaged position, and a first pouch-engaging surface engageable with a first side of the pouch so as to form a hermetic seal therewith; anda stop member including a second pouch-engaging surface engageable with a second side of the pouch opposite the first side of the pouch so as to form a hermetic seal therewith, and a stop surface,wherein the housing is configured so that, wh...
1. A pouch connector for a pouch defining a storage chamber, the connector comprising: a housing including a piercing member movable between (i) a disengaged position, and (ii) an engaged position, and a first pouch-engaging surface engageable with a first side of the pouch so as to form a hermetic seal therewith; anda stop member including a second pouch-engaging surface engageable with a second side of the pouch opposite the first side of the pouch so as to form a hermetic seal therewith, and a stop surface,wherein the housing is configured so that, when the first pouch-engaging surface is engaged with said first side of the pouch, the piercing member is hermetically sealed within the housing and (i) in the disengaged position is not piercing the pouch, and (ii) in the engaged position is piercing the pouch and is in fluid communication with the storage chamber of the pouch. 2. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the stop surface stops the piercing member in the engaged position. 3. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the stop member is coupled to the housing, and at least one of the stop member and housing is movable relative to the other. 4. A pouch connector as defined in claim 3, further including a hinge connected between the stop member and the housing. 5. A pouch connector as defined in claim 4, wherein the stop member and housing are formed integral with each other, and the hinge is a living hinge extending between the stop member and housing. 6. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, further comprising a locking member coupled to the piercing member in the disengaged position and preventing movement of the piercing member from the disengaged position to the engaged position. 7. A pouch connector as defined in claim 6, wherein the locking member includes a frangible portion frangibly connecting the locking member to the housing with the piercing member in the disengaged position, and the locking member is frangibly removable from the housing to permit movement of the piercing member from the disengaged position to the engaged position. 8. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, further comprising an actuator coupled to the piercing member for moving the piercing member from the disengaged position to the engaged position. 9. A pouch connector as defined in claim 8, wherein the actuator defines a manually-engageable surface that is manually engageable to move the actuator and piercing member from the disengaged position to the engaged position. 10. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, further including a spring coupled to the piercing member and normally biasing the piercing member in a direction toward the disengaged position. 11. A pouch connector as defined in claim 10, wherein the spring is defined by a wall of the housing. 12. A pouch connector as defined in claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the wall of the housing defines a bellows that forms the spring normally biasing the piercing member toward the disengaged position. 13. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the first pouch-engaging surface includes a first sealant thereon for sealing the first pouch-engaging surface to the first side of the pouch, and the second pouch-engaging surface includes a second sealant thereon for sealing the second pouch-engaging surface to the second side of the pouch. 14. A pouch connector as defined in claim 13, wherein each of the first and second sealants is selected from the group including: an adhesive, a plastic film and an ultrasonically weldable surface. 15. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the stop surface is defined by a recess formed within the stop member. 16. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, further comprising a pouch including a first side sealed to the first pouch-engaging surface, and a second side sealed to the second pouch-engaging surface. 17. An assembly as defined in claim 16, wherein the chamber of the pouch is empty and sterile, and the interior of each of the housing and stop member is sterile. 18. An assembly as defined in claim 16, wherein the chamber of the pouch is filled with a substance, the chamber is sterile, and the interior of each of the housing and stop member is sterile. 19. A pouch connector as defined in claim 16, wherein an interface between the first pouch-engaging surface and the first side of the pouch and an interface between the second pouch-engaging surface and the second side of the pouch are each sterilized at a time of respective sealing thereto. 20. A pouch connector as defined in claim 16, wherein both the first side is sealed to the first pouch-engaging surface and the second side is sealed to the second pouch-engaging surface by an ultraviolet radiation curable adhesive exposed to an amount of ultraviolet radiation sufficient to cure the adhesive and sterilize at least one of (i) an interface of the first side and the first pouch-engaging surface, (ii) an interface of the second side and the second pouch-engaging surface, and (iii) an interior of each of the housing and the stop member. 21. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, wherein when the piercing member is in the engaged position, at least one of (i) an interior of the pouch and (ii) an interior of the pouch connector is sealed with respect to the ambient atmosphere. 22. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the housing includes an outlet configured to transfer or dispense a substance from the pouch connector and a connector or a one-way valve in fluid communication with the outlet, and the connector or the one-way valve maintains at least one of (i) an interior of the pouch and (ii) an interior of the pouch connector sealed with respect to the ambient atmosphere. 23. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, further including a port coupled in fluid communication with at least one of the piercing member and interior of the housing for at least one of (i) receiving a substance from the chamber of the pouch after the piercing member has pierced the pouch (ii) providing a substance into the chamber of the pouch after the piercing member has pierced the pouch. 24. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, wherein the stop member is one of a port, a connector and a valve. 25. A pouch connector as defined in claim 24, wherein the stop member either (i) receives substance from the chamber of the pouch after the piercing member has pierced the pouch or (ii) provides substance into the chamber of the pouch after the piercing member has pierced the pouch. 26. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, further including a conduit coupled in fluid communication with at least one of the piercing member and interior of the housing, and a valve coupled in fluid communication with the conduit for controlling at least one of (i) a flow of substance from the connector and conduit therethrough towards the valve, and (ii) a flow of substance from the valve and conduit therethrough towards the connector. 27. A pouch connector as defined in claim 1, further comprising a polymeric membrane coupled to at least one of the housing and the stop member. 28. A pouch connector as defined in claim 27, wherein the polymeric membrane defines a pouch-engaging surface. 29. A pouch connector as defines in claim 1, wherein portions of the housing and the stop member are semi-transparent to allow light to travel therethrough. 30. A method comprising the following steps: hermetically sealing a first pouch-engaging surface of a first side of a pouch connector to a first side of a pouch;hermetically sealing a second pouch-engaging surface of a second side of the pouch connector to a second side of the pouch;moving a piercing member, which is hermetically sealed within the first side of the pouch connector, from (i) a disengaged position not piercing the pouch to (ii) an engaged position with the piercing member piercing the first side of the pouch; andstopping the piercing member with a stop surface on the second side of the pouch connector. 31. A method as defined in claim 30, further comprising the steps of allowing substance to flow from a storage chamber of the pouch, through the pierced portion of the pouch, and into the pouch connector. 32. A method as defined in claim 30, further comprising the steps of allowing substance to flow through the pouch connector, through the pierced portion of the pouch, and into a storage chamber of the pouch. 33. A method as defined in claim 30, further comprising sterilizing at least a portion of each of the first and second sides of the pouch and the first and second pouch-engaging surfaces prior to the sealing steps, and maintaining interfaces of the first and second pouch-engaging surfaces and first and second sides of the pouch, respectively, sterile after the sealing steps. 34. A method as defined in claim 33, further comprising performing the sealing steps under an overpressure of sterile gas. 35. A method as defined in claim 30, further comprising the following steps: prior to the moving step, maintaining a locking member coupled to the piercing member and preventing movement of the piercing member from the disengaged position to the engaged position, and then removing the locking member and, in turn, moving the piercing member from the disengaged position to the engaged position. 36. A method as defined in claim 30, wherein, the first pouch-engaging surface has an ultraviolet curable sealant for sealing the first pouch-engaging surface to the first side of the pouch and the second surface has an ultraviolet curable sealant for sealing the second pouch-engaging surface to the second side of the pouch, and said sealing steps comprise curing the adhesive using ultraviolet radiation, and in turn, sterilizing at least one of (i) an interface of the first side and the first pouch-engaging surface, (ii) an interface of the second side and the second pouch-engaging surface, and (iii) an interior of each of the housing and the stop member with said ultraviolet radiation. 37. A method as defined in claim 30, further comprising after at least one of the moving step and the stopping step, maintaining at least one of (i) an interior of the pouch and (ii) an interior of the pouch connector sealed with respect to the ambient atmosphere. 38. A method as defined in claim 30, wherein the pouch connector includes an outlet configured to dispense or transfer a substance from the pouch connector and a connector or a one-way valve in fluid communication with the outlet, and further comprising the steps of dispensing or transferring substance from the pouch connector through the connector or the one-way valve, and maintaining at least one of an interior of the pouch and an interior of the pouch connector hermetically sealed with respect to the ambient atmosphere during said dispensing or transferring. 39. A pouch connector for a pouch defining a storage chamber, the connector comprising: a housing including first means movable between (i) a disengaged position, and (ii) an engaged position, and second means for engaging with a first side of the pouch and for forming a hermetic seal therewith; andthird means for stopping the second means in the engaged position including fourth means for engaging with a second side of the pouch opposite the first side of the pouch and for forming a hermetic seal therewith,wherein the housing is configured so that, when the second means is engaged with said first side of the pouch, the first means is hermetically sealed within the housing and (i) in the disengaged position is not piercing the pouch, and (ii) in the engaged position is piercing the pouch and is in fluid communication with the storage chamber of the pouch. 40. A pouch connector as defined in claim 39, wherein the first means is a piercing member, the second means is a pouch-engaging surface with a sealant thereon, the third means is a stop member, and the fourth means is a pouch-engaging surface of the stop member with a sealant thereon. 41. A pouch connector as defined in claim 39, further comprising fifth means for locking the first means in the disengaged position. 42. A pouch connector as defined in claim 41, further comprising sixth means for frangibly connecting the fifth means to at least one of the housing and first means. 43. A pouch connector as defined in claim 39, further comprising seventh means for manually engaging and moving the first means from the disengaged to the engaged position. 44. A pouch connector as defined in claim 43, further comprising eighth means for biasing the first means toward the disengaged position. 45. A pouch connector as defined in claim 39, further comprising a pouch including a first side sealed to the second means, and a second side sealed to the fourth means. 46. A pouch connector as defined in claim 45, wherein an interface between the second means and the first side of the pouch and an interface between the fourth means and the second side of the pouch are each sterilized at a time of respective sealing thereto. 47. A pouch connector as defined in claim 45, wherein both the first side is sealed to the second means and the second side is sealed to the fourth means by an ultraviolet radiation curable adhesive exposed to an amount of ultraviolet radiation sufficient to cure the adhesive and sterilize at least one of (i) an interface of the first side and the second means, (ii) an interface of the second side and the fourth means, and (iii) an interior of each of the housing and the third means. 48. A pouch connector as defined in claim 39, wherein when the first means is in the engaged position, at least one of (i) an interior of the pouch and (ii) an interior of the pouch connector remains sealed with respect to the ambient atmosphere. 49. A pouch connector as defined in claim 39, wherein the housing includes an outlet configured to transfer or dispense a substance from the pouch connector and a connector or a one-way valve in fluid communication with the outlet, and the connector or the one-way valve maintains at least one of (i) an interior of the pouch and (ii) an interior of the pouch connector sealed with respect to the ambient atmosphere.
