Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure Device

A bi-level positive airway pressure device comprising:

• a housing having a patient port for connecting to an airway of a patient;
• a source of positive airway pressure directed through the housing and towards the patient port, the source of the positive airway pressure positioned near an end of the housing that is distal from the patient port;
• a nozzle emitting a jet of a gas directed across the housing;
• a receptor positioned on a side of the housing opposite of the nozzle, the receptor receiving the gas from the jet of the gas when there is absence of a flow of exhalation gases flowing from the patient port, thereby an increased gas pressure is present at the receptor when there is the absence of the exhalation gases flowing from the patient port;
• a chamber fluidly interfaced to the receptor, the chamber having a flapper within the chamber, the flapper having a free end and a pivoted end that is rotatably interfaced to an inside surface of the chamber, the flapper spans the chamber such that the free end moves in an arc within the chamber responsive to the increased gas pressure;
• and
• the flapper is interfaced to an occluding member such that as the flapper moves within the chamber, the occluding member follows;
• such that in the absence of the flow of the exhalation gases from the patient port, an increase in gas pressure in the chamber exerts force on a first side of the flapper and moves the occluding member away from the source of the positive airway pressure thereby providing the positive airway pressure to the patient port.

A bi-level positive airway pressure device comprising:

• a housing having a patient port for connecting to an airway of a patient;
• a source of positive airway pressure directed through the housing and towards the patient port, the source of the positive airway pressure positioned near an end of the housing that is distal from the patient port;
• a nozzle emitting a jet of a gas directed across the housing;
• a first receptor positioned on a side of the housing opposite of the nozzle, the first receptor receiving the gas from the jet of the gas when there is an absence of exhalation gases flowing from the patient port, thereby an increased gas pressure is present at the first receptor when there is the absence of the exhalation gases flowing from the patient port;
• a second receptor positioned on the side of the housing opposite of the nozzle and closer to the source of the positive airway pressure than the first receptor such that the second receptor receives the gas from the jet of the gas when there is a flow of the exhalation gases flowing from the patient port and through the housing, thereby an increase in gas pressure is present in the second receptor during exhalation;
• a first chamber fluidly interfaced to the first receptor, the first chamber having a first flapper within the first chamber, the first flapper having a first free end and a first pivoted end that is rotatably interfaced to an inside surface of the first chamber, the first flapper spans the first chamber such that the first free end moves in a first arc within the first chamber responsive to the increased gas pressure;
• the first flapper is interfaced to an occluding member such that as the first flapper moves within the first chamber, the occluding member follows;
• such that in the absence of the flow of the exhalation gases from the patient port, the increase in the gas pressure from the first receptor exerts force on a first side of the first flapper and moves the occluding member in away from of the source of the positive airway pressure thereby providing the positive airway pressure to the patient port;
• a second chamber fluidly interfaced to the second receptor, the second chamber having a second flapper within the second chamber, the second flapper having a second free end and a second pivoted end that is rotatably interfaced to a second inside surface of the second chamber, the second flapper spans the second chamber such that the second free end moves in a second arc within the second chamber responsive to the increased gas pressure;
• and
• the second flapper is interfaced to the occluding member such that as the second flapper moves within the second chamber, the occluding member follows;
• such that in a presence of the flow of the exhalation gases from the patient port, the increase in the gas pressure from the second receptor exerts the force on a first side of the second flapper and moves the occluding member in front of the source of the positive airway pressure thereby reducing the positive airway pressure to the patient port.