# US 12,005,189 B2 · Mask system having mask vent with recess and ribs

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- Number: US 12,005,189 B2
- Document ID: US12005189B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/859,268
- Filed: 2022-07-07
- Published: 2022-10-20
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2013-10-03
- Assignees: ResMed Pty Ltd
- Applicants: ResMed Pty Ltd
- Inventors: Robert Henry Frater; Quangang Yang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005189B2

## CPC

- A61M 16/0622: {having an underlying cushion}
- A61M 16/0057: {Pumps therefor}
- A61M 16/06: Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
- A61M 16/0816: {Joints or connectors}
- A61M 16/0066: {Blowers or centrifugal pumps}
- A61M 16/065: {in the form of a pivot}
- A61M 16/0666: {Nasal cannulas or tubing (devices for improving normal breathing through the nose A61F5/08; nose filters A62B23/06; outside holding devices A61M25/02)}
- A61M 16/0683: {Holding devices therefor}
- A61M 16/107: {in the inspiratory path}
- A61M 16/16: Devices to humidify the respiration air {(A61M16/1045 takes precedence)}
- A61M 16/208: {Non-controlled one-way valves, e.g. exhalation, check, pop-off non-rebreathing valves}
- A61M 2202/0225: Carbon oxides, e.g. Carbon dioxide
- A61M 2205/42: Reducing noise
- F24F 2007/0025: {using vent ports in a wall}
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}
- F24F: AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING (removing dirt or fumes from areas where they are produced B08B15/00; vertical ducts for carrying away waste gases from buildings E04F17/02; tops for chimneys or ventilating shafts, terminals for flues F23L17/02)

## Abstract

A mask system to deliver a flow of air at a positive pressure with respect to ambient air pressure to an entrance to the patient's airways includes a frame and a cushion forming a plenum chamber. The mask system includes a mask vent including an exterior recess positioned outside the plenum chamber and including a bottom surface, a plurality of vent holes each including a vent inlet and a vent outlet, and a plurality of ribs extending from the bottom surface. The plurality of ribs includes at least a first rib and a second rib, the first rib having a free end spaced apart from a free end of the second rib, and the first rib or the second rib is positioned between the first vent outlet and the second vent outlet.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A mask system to deliver a flow of air at a positive pressure with respect to ambient air pressure to an entrance to the patient's airways including at least the entrance of a patient's nares to ameliorate sleep disordered breathing, the mask system comprising:
a frame with an frame opening structured to receive the flow of air at the positive pressure for breathing by a patient;
a cushion provided to the frame, the cushion constructed and arranged to seal with a region of the patient's face surrounding at least the entrance to the patient's nares,
the frame and the cushion configured to form a plenum chamber pressurizable to the positive pressure above ambient air pressure; a shroud attached to the frame and including a shroud opening, the shroud including a pair of upper headgear attachment points and a pair of lower headgear attachment points; headgear including a pair of upper straps to connect to the upper headgear attachment points and a pair of lower straps to connect to the lower headgear attachment points; and a mask
vent constructed and arranged to allow exhaust of gases exhaled by the patient from an interior of the plenum chamber to ambient, the mask vent including:
an elbow assembly in fluid communication with the interior of the plenum chamber, the elbow assembly including a wall at least partially forming an exterior recess having a bottom surface, the wall separating the exterior recess from an interior of the elbow assembly, the elbow assembly including an elbow having an end that is accommodated by the shroud opening and received within the frame opening;
a plurality of vent holes extending through the wall of the elbow assembly, each said vent hole including a vent inlet positioned at the interior of the elbow assembly and a vent outlet configured to direct the gases exhaled by the patient to the exterior recess, the plurality of vent holes including a first vent hole with a first vent outlet, and
a plurality of ribs extending from the bottom surface and arranged at least partly within the exterior recess, the plurality of ribs including at least a first rib and a second rib, the first rib having a free end spaced apart from a free end of the second rib, the first vent outlet being positioned between the free end of the first rib and the free end of the second rib,
wherein the elbow assembly further comprises a side wall that at least partially surrounds the bottom surface and at least partially forms the exterior recess, wherein the side wall and the plurality of ribs run substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface, and wherein each of the ribs has a height that does not protrude outside of the exterior recess.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of vent holes includes a second vent hole with a second vent outlet and a third vent with a third vent outlet, the first rib is positioned between the first vent outlet and the second vent outlet, and the second rib is positioned between the second vent outlet and the third vent outlet.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of vent holes are arranged to provide a venting area having an oblong, ovoid, or oval shape.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein the vent holes are arranged in columns, the vent holes in each column being offset from vent holes in at least one adjacent column.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein the mask vent is integrally formed in one piece with the elbow assembly.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The mask system of claim 1, wherein the elbow assembly includes a first end configured to be in fluid communication with the frame opening and a second end configured to engage an air delivery tube, and each of the plurality of vent holes has a longitudinal axis that is aligned or parallel with a longitudinal axis of the first end of the elbow assembly.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of vent holes are arranged to provide a venting area and each of the first rib and the second rib extends at least partially through the venting area.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of vent holes includes a part conic shape.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of vent holes includes a cylindrical shape.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of vent holes is in a range of 2 holes to 40 holes.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first rib and the second rib projects outwards from the bottom surface in an anterior direction.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, further comprising a shroud provided to the frame and configured to connect the frame to an air delivery tube that delivers breathable gas to the patient.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The mask system according to claim 12, wherein the shroud includes an edge that forms an opening configured to connect to the elbow assembly.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The mask system according to claim 12, further comprising a pair of arms, each arm of the pair of arms extends from a respective side of the shroud and is configured to connect to a headgear.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The mask system according to claim 1, wherein
the plurality of vent holes are arranged to provide a venting area having an oblong, ovoid, or oval shape;
the vent holes are arranged in columns, the vent holes in each column being offset from vent holes in at least one adjacent column;
the plurality of vent holes are arranged to provide a venting area and each of the first rib and the second rib extends at least partially through the venting area; and
the plurality of vent holes is in a range of 20 holes to 40 holes.