Oxygen conserving device
AssigneeInvacare Corporation
InventorsStephanie J. Webber, Todd Spiegelberg, Dave Nuttall, Anna Marsillo, Mike Dziak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A portable oxygen conserving apparatus to deliver oxygen to a patient generally only during inhalation. The device includes an inlet connected to an oxygen source, an outlet which communicates oxygen to a patient, a mass-flow sensor connected to the outlet for detecting inhalation of a patient, and a valve disposed between the inlet, and outlet for controlling oxygen to the patient in response to inhalation detection and thereby providing a pulse of oxygen.
Claims10
A portable oxygen conserving device adapted to control the flow of oxygen from a source to a patient, comprising:
- a housing;
- said device having an inlet adapted for connection with an oxygen source;
- said device having an outlet adapted for communicating oxygen to a patient;
- said device having at least one battery;
- said device having a mass flow sensor within said housing in operative communication with the outlet for detecting a patient's inhalation;
- said device having a valve with an electronic control, said valve and said electronic control being powered by said battery and all being contained within said housing said valve being interposed between the inlet and outlet for controlling the flow of oxygen from the inlet to the outlet in response to the mass flow sensor detecting a patient's inhalation and providing a pulse of oxygen to the patient, wherein said valve is energized by said control to an open state whereby said inlet and said outlet are in continuous fluid communication and said valve is de-energized by said control to a closed state whereby fluid communication between said inlet and said outlet is precluded;
- and
- said device having a manual switch for switching said valve between a pulse mode and a continuous flow mode to provide a continuous flow of oxygen to a patient.
A portable oxygen conserving device adapted to control the flow of oxygen from a pressurized oxygen tank to a patient, comprising:
- a housing;
- said device having an inlet adapted for connection with an oxygen source;
- said device having an outlet adapted for communicating oxygen to a patient;
- said device having at least one rechargeable battery;
- said device having a mass flow sensor within said housing operatively connected to said outlet for detecting a patient's inhalation;
- and
- said device having a valve, said valve being powered by said battery and being contained within said housing said valve being normally closed and in a de-energized state precluding the flow of oxygen between said inlet and said outlet;
- and
- said device having a manual switch for switching said valve between a pulse mode and a continuous flow mode to provide a continuous flow of oxygen to a patient and said device further monitoring the condition of said battery and providing a signal to said patient when a low battery condition is detected whereby said patient is warned to activate said manual switch in order to assure a continuous flow of oxygen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.