Claims
- 1. A conserving device for use in delivering gas from a source of gas through a gas line, the conserving device comprising:
a main valve operable in an open position for the gas to exit the main valve and in a closed position in which the gas exit is interrupted; a sensing valve operable to open in response to a pressure drop and to close upon sufficient return of pressure; a first pneumatic connection between the source of gas and the main valve to bias the main valve toward the closed position; a second pneumatic connection between the main valve and the sensing valve to receive a portion of the gas exiting the main valve and transmit a sufficient pressure to the sensing valve to close the sensing valve, whereupon the gas from the first pneumatic connection closes the main valve, interrupting delivery of the gas to the patient, whereby the gas is delivered intermittently and is conserved.
- 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first pneumatic connection comprises a pressure line.
- 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the pressure line further includes a restriction therein sized to retard the time taken to close the main valve and interrupt the flow of gas.
- 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the pressure line includes a port opened and closed by operation of the sensing valve, and further comprising a vent in pneumatic communication with the port to allow gas flowing from the port to escape to the ambient.
- 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the vent further includes a passage with at least one restriction therein sized to retard the escape of the gas to the ambient and the corresponding time taken to close the sensing valve.
- 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the second pneumatic connection comprises a sensing passage.
- 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the sensing passage communicates between the gas line and the sensing valve to open the sensing valve in response to inhalation.
- 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first pneumatic connection includes a region which depressurizes to open the main valve and repressures to close the main valve.
- 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the second pneumatic connection includes a portion having a smaller cross-sectional area than adjacent areas to restrict the flow of gas therethrough.
- 10. The device of claim 1, further comprising an orifice plate, the orifice plate having a plurality of orifices disposed in spaced relation thereon, a selected one of the orifices positioned between, and in pneumatic communication with, the source of gas and the main valve, the selected orifice corresponding to a rate of flow of the gas.
- 11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a pressure regulator, the pressure regulator including
a regulator inlet adapted to attach to the source of gas; means for reducing the pressure of the source of gas to a delivery pressure; and a regulator outlet for delivering the gas at the delivery pressure, the regulator outlet in pneumatic communication with the selected orifice of the orifice plate.
- 12. The device of claim 10, wherein the first pneumatic connection further includes a portion passing through the orifice plate.
- 13. The device of claim 1, wherein the main valve comprises a chamber and an element received in the chamber and movable therein to cause the main valve to close and open when predetermined pressures exist within the chamber.
- 14. The device of claim 10, wherein the element movable within the chamber comprises a diaphragm.
- 15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a reservoir having an inlet for receiving the gas into the reservoir and an outlet for discharging the gas from the reservoir, the outlet being in pneumatic communication with the main valve, whereby the opening of the main valve allows the gas to exit the outlet of the reservoir, and the closing of the main valve prevents gas from exiting the reservoir.
- 16. The device of claim 10, wherein the regulator and the orifice plate are secured in series.
- 17. A conserving device for use in delivering gas to a person from a source of gas, the conserving device comprising:
a delivery system adapted to be coupled in pneumatic communication with the source of gas and operable to dispense gas intermittently from the source of gas to the person; and a sensing system adapted to be in pneumatic communication with the person to detect a pressure drop upon inhalation by the person, the sensing system also in pneumatic communication with the delivery system to cause the delivery system to dispense the gas in response to the sensing system's detecting the pressure drop; wherein the delivery system and the sensing system are in pneumatic communication so that the gas, when dispensed, causes the delivery system to interrupt the dispensing of the gas thereafter.
- 18. The conserving device of claim 17,
wherein the delivery system comprises a main valve operable in an open position and a closed position, the gas exiting the main valve when in the open position; and wherein the sensing system comprises a sensing valve, the sensing valve operable to open in response to inhalation, the sensing valve in communication with the main valve and operable to close in response to the gas exiting the main valve.
- 19. The conserving device of claim 18, wherein the main valve and the sensing valve have respective operational and control portions, the operational portion of the main valve adapted to receive the gas from the gas source for intermittent dispensing through the main valve, the control portion of the sensing valve adapted to be in communication with the person, and wherein the control portion of the main valve and the operational portion of the sensing valve are in communication with each other.
- 20. The device of claim 19, further comprising first and second pneumatic connections associated with the main valve and the sensing valve, the first pneumatic connection extending from the gas source to the control portion of the main valve and to the operational portion of the sensing valve, the second pneumatic connection configured to communicate a portion of the gas dispensed from the main valve to the control portion of the sensing valve to close the sensing valve, the first pneumatic connection configured to increase the pressure on the main valve sufficiently to close the main valve after the sensing valve closes.
- 21. The device of claim 20, further comprising a region located between the control portion of the main valve and the operational portion of the sensing valve, wherein the region is in communication with the gas source via the first pneumatic connection, the region having a corresponding volume, the closing of the main valve being a function of the time to fill said volume to a sufficient pressure.
- 22. The device of claim 20, wherein the first pneumatic connection comprises a pressure line extending from the gas source.
- 23. The device of claim 22, further comprising an orifice plate having orifices capable of being positioned to restrict the flow of gas from the gas source, and wherein the pressure line comprises a passage extending through the orifice plate.
- 24. A device of claim 20, wherein the first pneumatic connection has been configured to increase the pressure on the control portion of the main valve at a rate selected so that a desired amount of the gas is dispensed out the main valve before the control portion of the main valve is exposed to pressure sufficient to close the main valve.
- 25. A device of claim 24, wherein the first pneumatic connection includes a restriction.
- 26. The device of claim 20, wherein the first pneumatic connection is configured to maintain a threshold pressure during dispensing of the gas.
- 27. The device of claim 20, wherein the second pneumatic connection comprises a sensing passage having one end in communication with the gas exiting the main valve and another end in communication with the sensing valve.
- 28. The device of claim 27, wherein the main valve has a delivery passage, and wherein the sensing passage is in communication with the delivery passage and the control portion of the sensing valve.
- 29. The device of claim 28, wherein the second pneumatic connection further includes a restriction formed therein to restrict the flow of gas to the control portion of the sensing system.
- 30. The device of claim 17, further comprising a reservoir for holding a volume of gas for delivery to the person, the reservoir having an inlet for receiving the gas from the gas source and an outlet in communication with the delivery system to dispense the gas from the reservoir when the main valve is opened.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/040,190, filed Oct. 19, 2001.
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10040190 |
Oct 2001 |
US |
Child |
10770049 |
Feb 2004 |
US |