Medical connector

Abstract

A luer connector including a rigid housing having a first end and a second end. The housing further including a rigid tubular male portion at the first end, a rigid tubular female portion at the second end, and a longitudinal opening therethrough. The male portion is configured to be engageable with a female connector. The female portion is configured to be engageable with a male connector and to prevent the disengagement of the male connector from the female portion. In some embodiments, the female portion is configured to maintain a fixed rotational position when the male connector is being threaded therewith, but to rotate with the male connector once the male connector has become fully engaged with the female portion so as to prevent the male connector from becoming unthreaded from the female portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of engaging a medical connector, the method comprising:
 providing the medical connector, the medical connector comprising:
 a housing comprising:
 a first connector engagement portion being configured to engage a first connector and being positioned at a first end of the housing, and 
 a second engagement portion comprising at least one engaging surface and being positioned at a second end of the housing; and 
 
 a female member being positioned at least partially within and being supported by the second engagement portion of the housing, the female member comprising:
 at least one engaging surface, and 
 a second connector engagement portion being configured to engage a second connector, 
 
 wherein the medical connector comprises:
 a first arrangement in which the at least one engaging surface of the second engagement portion is configured to interact with the at least one engaging surface of the female member to inhibit rotation of the female member relative to the second engagement portion of the housing in a first direction, and 
 a second arrangement in which the female member is configured to substantially freely rotate with respect to the second engagement portion of the housing, 
 
   aligning the second connector against the second connector engagement portion of the female member;   engaging the at least one engaging surface of the second engagement portion with the at least one engaging surface of the female member to inhibit rotation of the female member relative to the second engagement portion in the first direction; and   rotating the second connector relative to the second connector engagement portion in the first direction to enable the second connector engagement portion to engage the second connector.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising disengaging the at least one engaging surface of the second engagement portion with the at least one engaging surface of the female member to permit rotation of the female member relative to the second engagement portion. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one engaging surface of the second engagement portion and the at least one engaging surface of the female member cannot be used to decouple the second connector engagement portion of the female member from the second connector. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the female member does not move axially in transitioning between the first arrangement and the second arrangement. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one engaging surface of the female member comprises at least one protrusion configured to inhibit the female member from rotating relative to the second engagement portion when the medical connector is in the first arrangement. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one engaging surface of the second engagement portion comprises at least one channel configured to receive the at least one protrusion. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises a first opposing side surface, wherein the female member further comprises a second opposing side surface, and wherein the first opposing side surface and the second opposing side surface interact to inhibit disengagement of the female member from the housing. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the first opposing side surface extends radially inward from the housing towards a longitudinal axis of the medical connector, and wherein the second opposing side surface extends radially outward from the female member away from the longitudinal axis of the medical connector. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one engaging surface of the female member is configured to project outward from a cylindrical surface of the female member. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a valve member configured to alter flow of a fluid through the medical connector.