Nasal breathing assist devices

#This invention pertains to methods and devices for nasal breathing assist devices, in particular to methods and devices for improving nasal breathing and reducing snoring.

#Snoring is a condition characterized by rough, loud, rattling breathing or inspiratory noise during sleep or deep coma. The characteristic snoring noise is produced by vibration of the soft palate (the soft tissue in the roof of the mouth near the throat) or vocal chords by inhaled or exhaled air. As the soft palate vibrates, the lips, cheeks, and nostrils may also vibrate, making the snoring louder.

#Snoring can be caused by underlying physical or disease conditions that restrict air passages and force the patient to breathe with exaggerated force to move air through narrowed nasal passages. Chronic snoring can be the result of obstruction of larynx, upper airways, a deviated nasal septum, and blockages to the nose and nasal passages. Temporary snoring, or a sudden onset of snoring can be the result of stuffy and swollen mucus membranes, as with a cold or hay fever, or a nasal polyp.

#The foregoing and other objects of this invention, the various features thereof, as well as the invention itself, may be more fully understood from the following description, when read together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 shows a side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

#The nasal breathing assist devices according to the various aspects of the invention are shown in FIGS. 1 through 10. These devices overcome the deficiencies in the currently available devices. The illustrated devices are small, inconspicuous in use, and require no special attachments or fittings. The devices are worn inside the nose, so that the nasal passages are kept open from the inside, rather than by external means. This allows the devices to maintain airways in noses where anatomical abnormalities diminish the effectiveness of externally applied strips. The devices can be used alone, or in conjunction with other snore-reducing aids, such as pillows and medicated nasal sprays.

#In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the nasal breathing assist device 1 comprises generally a pair of open ended tubular elements 10 connected together by a coupler element 16.

#The tubular elements 10 are generally circular in cross section and extend a distance along tube axes X1 and X2 from first ends 12 to second ends 14. Preferably the tubular elements taper linearly from a relatively large diameter cross section along the tube axes X1 and X2 to a relatively smaller diameter cross section from the first end 12 to second end 14. The taper may be other than linear, for example, contoured to correspond generally to the taper inside the user's nostrils. First ends 12 also connect to the coupler element 16. In the illustrated form, the tubular elements 10 are conic-frustums, but other shapes may be used. For example, instead of circular cross sections, the tubular elements could have elliptical or other shaped cross sections. Further, instead of the inner diameter tapering monotonically from the large end to the small end, it could decrease initially, become larger, then decrease again.