Breathing exerciser and method of forming thereof

• US 20060178245A1
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sage Dynamics, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sage Dynamics, L.P.
• Inventors: Schiller, Alison E., Maute, Robert E.
• Application Number:
  US11/340,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178245A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/13
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/18 for improving respiratory function

Abstract

Apparatus and method for a breathing exerciser for increasing breathing capacity and also optionally for increasing breathing rate control. A preferred embodiment comprises a tube-like structure, open at one end but closed at the other end. A reference breathing hole and resistance breathing holes through the side wall are present. The user places the open end of the tube at his lips, seals his lips around the open end, and breathes through the tube. As one or more holes are covered by the user'"'"'s finger(s), the resistance to air flow and thus to breathing is changed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for exercising the lungs and improving a user'"'"'s breathing capacity by breathing through the apparatus, or for the user learning to better control the flow rate of air when breathing by listening to the sound made by breathing through the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

an elongated body having walls and a hollow central bore that is sealed at one end;

a multitude of breathing holes penetrating the wall fully from the outside to the central bore, allowing access to the outside air;

the breathing holes positioned such that the user can control the number of holes that are used to breathe through by covering and blocking off from use for breathing none or some of the breathing holes, to change the resistance to breathing;

a mouthpiece for the user to form a seal using his lips and to breathe through in and out of the apparatus body; and

means of attaching a neck loop to the apparatus body.

2. An apparatus for exercising the lungs and improving a user'"'"'s breathing capacity by breathing through the apparatus, or for the user learning to better control the flow rate of air when breathing by listening to the sound made by breathing through the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

an elongated body having walls and a hollow central bore that is sealed at one end;

a multitude of breathing holes penetrating the wall fully from the outside to the central bore, allowing access to the outside air;

means whereby the user can block off none to some of the breathing holes to change the resistance to breathing;

a mouthpiece for the user to form a seal with his lips and to breathe through in and out of the apparatus body; and

means of attaching a neck loop to the apparatus body.

3. A breathing exerciser comprising:

a cylinder body;

a hollow central bore inside the cylinder body;

a mouthpiece end of the cylinder body, wherein the mouthpiece end has an opening from outside the cylinder body to the central bore;

a sealed end of the cylinder body opposite the mouthpiece end, wherein the central bore is closed at the sealed end;

resistance breathing holes disposed on a first side of the cylinder body between the mouthpiece and sealed ends; and

a reference breathing hole disposed on the cylinder body between the mouthpiece and sealed ends.

4. The breathing exerciser of claim 3, wherein the reference breathing hole is disposed on a second side of the cylinder body opposite the resistance breathing holes.

5. The breathing exerciser of claim 3, wherein there are three resistance breathing holes:

a first resistance breathing hole relatively closest to the mouthpiece end, a third resistance breathing hole relatively closest to the sealed end, and a second resistance breathing hole disposed between the first and third resistance breathing holes.

6. The breathing exerciser of claim 5, wherein the reference breathing hole has a diameter of about 3/32″

, the first resistance breathing hole has a diameter of about 11/64″

, the second resistance breathing hole has a diameter of about 7/64″

, and the third resistance breathing hole has a diameter of about 5/64″

.

7. The breathing exerciser of claim 6, wherein a tolerance of the reference and resistance breathing holes is less than or equal to about 4 mils.

8. The breathing exerciser of claim 3, wherein the cylinder body has an outside diameter of about ⅝

″

, and an inside diameter of about ⅜

″

.

9. The breathing exerciser of claim 3, wherein the mouthpiece end and the sealed end have rounded edges.

10. The breathing exerciser of claim 3, further comprising a loop mounting hole adjacent the sealed end of the cylinder body, wherein the loop end does not contact the hollow central bore.

11. The breathing exerciser of claim 10, further comprising a neck loop looped through the loop mounting hole.

12. The breathing exerciser of claim 3, further comprising resistance labels disposed adjacent the resistance breathing holes.

13. The breathing exerciser of claim 3, further comprising moveable seals disposed adjacent the resistance breathing holes, wherein the moveable seals can be positioned such that the select ones of the resistance breathing holes are open or closed.

14. The breathing exerciser of claim 3, wherein the cylinder body is composed of polycarbonate.

15. A method of manufacturing a breathing exerciser, the method comprising:

forming a cylinder body;

forming a hollow central bore inside the cylinder body;

forming a mouthpiece end of the cylinder body, wherein the mouthpiece end has an opening from outside the cylinder body to the central bore;

forming a sealed end of the cylinder body opposite the mouthpiece end, wherein the central bore is closed at the sealed end;

forming resistance breathing holes disposed on a first side of the cylinder body between the mouthpiece and sealed ends; and

forming a reference breathing hole disposed on the cylinder body between the mouthpiece and sealed ends.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the cylinder body is formed with injection molding.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the bore, ends and holes are formed at the same time as the cylinder body.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the injection molding comprises injecting liquid polycarbonate into a mold.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the cylinder body is formed by machining.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the bore, ends and holes are formed by machining.