Nasal mask

Details Nasal mask Nasal mask

2001-06-14

2003-09-09

Doerrler, William C. (Department: 3761)

Surgery

Respiratory method or device

Face mask covering a breathing passage

Reexamination Certificate

active

06615834

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to nasal masks particularly though not solely for use in providing CPAP therapy to patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the art of respiration devices, there are well known a variety of respiratory masks which cover the nose and/or mouth of a human user in order to provide a continuous seal around the nasal and/or oral areas of the face such that gas may be provided at positive pressure within the mask for consumption by the user. The uses for such masks range from high altitude breathing (i.e., aviation applications) to mining and fire fighting applications, to various medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
One requisite of such respiratory masks has been that they provide an effective seal against the user's face to prevent leakage of the gas being supplied. Commonly, in prior mask configurations, a good mask-to-face seal has been attained in many instances only with considerable discomfort for the user. This problem is most crucial in those applications, especially medical applications, which require the user to wear such a mask continuously for hours or perhaps even days. In such situations, the user will not tolerate the mask for long durations and optimum therapeutic or diagnostic objectives thus will not be achieved, or will be achieved with great difficulty and considerable user discomfort.
In common with prior art designs, is an inability to seal effectively when the user's face becomes distorted. For example, as shown in the prior art mask of
FIG. 1
when the user
300
is sleeping on his or her side, one side
302
of the headgear tends to be pulled tight while the other side
304
tends to be loose. This causes the axis of the mask
306
to be twisted with respect to the axis of the head
308
—due to the net torque from the headgear—resulting in leakage
310
on one side. The user
300
sleeping on his or her side may also distort the facial contours around the nasal area
312
and may lead to further leakage.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nasal mask which goes some way to overcoming the abovementioned disadvantages in the prior art or which will at least provide the industry with a useful choice.
Accordingly in one aspect the invention consists in a device for delivering a supply of gases to a user comprising:
a patient interface, in use in fluid communication with said supply of gases,
securement means attached to or around the head of said user, and
engaging means adapted to slidingly engage said securement means with said patient interface.
In a second aspect the present invention consists in nasal mask for delivering gases to a user comprising:
a body portion having a inlet, in use said inlet receiving a supply of gases,
sealing means engaged with said body portion, and adapted to seal against the facial contours of said user, and
engaging means adapted to in use provide a sliding engagement with a means of securement to a user, and a compressive force on said sealing means to ensure said supply of gases is delivered to a user without significant leakage.
In a third aspect the present invention consists in a CPAP system for delivering gases to a user including a pressurised source of gases, transport means in fluid communication with said pressurised source adapted to convey said gases, and a nasal mask in fluid communication with said transport means in use delivering said gases to said user, said nasal mask comprising
a body portion having a inlet, in use said inlet receiving a supply of gases,
sealing means engaged with said body portion, and adapted to seal against the facial contours of said user, and
engaging means adapted to in use provide a sliding engagement with a means of securement to a user, and a compressive force on said sealing means to ensure said supply of gases is delivered to a user without significant leakage.
This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more of said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.
The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples.


REFERENCES:
patent: 6044844 (2000-04-01), Kwok et al.

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