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US 2006/0185675 A1Published application
Customizable facial seal for masks delivering breathing gases in positive pressure ventilation systems
OwnerWayne Colininventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This device is a facial seal containing an internal bladder that is filled or pressurized with a quick set compound while on the face of the patient. The quick set compound conforms to the face of the wearer while in the seal itself, resulting in a better, substantially leakproof, fit. This is critical in applications where breathing gases are being supplied to the patient at greater than air pressure. One such application involves inflating the airway for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
Claims11
A seal comprising:
- (a) an annular seal for a mask, said seal being of sufficient size for encompassing a predetermined area of the face of the wearer of said mask;
- (b) at least one internal bladder within said annular seal;
- (c) a curable liquid composition capable of curing to a sufficient resiliency so as to support said seal against said wearer's facial structures and said mask but flexible enough so as to conform to said facial structures of said wearer;
- (d) said composition capable of sufficiently curing to maintain its form in less than one hour;
- (e) at least one inlet in said bladder through which said liquid composition may be introduced;
- and
- (f) means for attaching said seal to said mask.
4 more elements
The method of creating a customized seal for a facial mask comprising the steps of:
- (a) injecting a curable liquid composition into the internal bladder of a facial seal for a mask,
- (b) applying said seal to the face of the intended wearer, and
- (c) sufficiently curing said composition while on the face of said intended wearer so that the cured composition maintains its form inside said bladder after removal of said seal from the face of said intended wearer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.