Patent Application
20070295869
For purposes of illustration, reference will be made to the use of a CPAP machine to illustrate the support functions and operation of the instant invention. A CPAP machine is normally placed near the user's bed and a length of breathing hose extends from the machine to a mask worn by the user while asleep. The breathing hose has sufficient length to allow for movement of the wearer during the night however, the hose has a tendency to become entangled in the bedclothes and wrap around the wearer.
The support device 10, referring to
The bracket 17 is composed of two parallel planar sides 20 and 21 connected by an axle 22 and a rectangular insert 23. The edge 24 of the insert has a threaded hole for the set screw 19 and an aperture for passing of the spring tension adjustment link 66. The sides of the insert are attached to the bracket by screws 26 and 27. The bottom end of the insert has a bore 18 for insertion of the support post 11.
A pulley 28 with bushing 59 is rotatably mounted on the axle 22 with a spring retainer fixed to the circumference of the pulley by retainer screw 29. A coil spring 30 extends from the spring retainer screw 29 on the bracket to the spring tension adjustment link 66. A ring 67 is secured to the free end of the adjustment link 66 which allows insertion of a human finger index for applying a downward pressure. Adjustment nut 65 is knurled and can be turned by hand when said pressure is applied to said ring 67. The coil spring 30 maintains a spring bias on the rotation of the pulley 28 to return to its original position after rotation, the spring tension adjustment link 66 permits adjustment for worn springs, heavy loads, and the like. The pulley 28 has a machine screw pin stop 63 on each side of the pulley 28 to engage the bracket 17 in the original position and limit spring biased return rotation. The screw pin stop 63 may be relocated to stop pin hole 62 allowing for the raising of the cantilever arm. The spring bias may be generated by other types of springs acting between the pulley and the bracket. The spring tension generated by the rotation of the pulley need not be high but enough to prevent slack in the breathing tube.
A cantilever arm 32 is attached at one end 33 about the circumference of the pulley 28 to extend generally normal to the support post 11 and parallel to the bed above the user. The cantilever arm 32 is maintained in position by an allen set screw 64. A pair of hose clamps 50 and hose clamp supports 56 are slidably connected to the arm to initially adjust the hose toward the vertical between the mask and the hose clamps. In this manner, the weight of the hose is compensated for by the spring bias on the pulley which is transferred to the cantilever arm 32. Alternatively, the placement of the hose at the end of the cantilever arm 32 can have the weight compensated by movement of the spring tension adjustment link 66 which is locked into position by adjustment nut 65. The arm may be one piece, hinged, telescoping tubes, or sections connected by male, female joints.
When the wearer rolls or moves his head away from the post 11, the cantilever arm 32 will move vertically downwardly and, if necessary, the bracket 17 will rotate on the support post 11 to relieve tension on the hose. As the wearer moves back toward the post, the arm will move upwardly in response to the spring bias to remove slack from the hose.
The support device 10 has a base 34, shown in
The hose clamps 50 have an aperture 51 in one end for insertion of the support post 11 or the cantilever arm 32. The other end of the clamp is formed with two resilient arms 52 and 53 for frictionally holding the breathing tube. The open arms allow the hose to separate from the clamps in the event of a sudden and/or forceful pull on the hose.
The support appliance is designed to be collapsible for ease in traveling and storage. The components may be assembled and disassembled by hand. Several storage stays 54 can be included. The stays have an elongated flat body with apertures 57 and 58 in each end. One stay is slidably mounted on support post 12 by aperture 57. The disassembled support post and cantilever arm may be linked together by inserting the cantilever arm in the aperture 58 of the stay to minimize space requirements. An alternative storage stay 54A is depicted with having an elongated flat body with an aperture 57A located along one end and an open stay hook 71 located at the opposite end.
A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrated embodiment but only by the scope of the appended claims.
