Incentive spirometer
First Claim
1. An incentive spirometer comprising:
- a flow path through which a patient can inhale air;
means responsive to air flow in said flow path for providing a visually-perceptible incentive indication for the patient; and
inhibiting means responsive to inhalation suction force above a predetermined force for inhibiting said incentive indication.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An incentive spirometer is provided with a mechanism for inhibiting the incentive in response to high flow rate bursts of inhalation so as to promote proper long inhalation efforts by a patient. In one embodiment, the spirometer includes a transparent column located in the inhalation flow path and in which an object is disposed and caused to rise in the column in response to inhalation efforts by the patient. The incentive-inhibiting mechanism may comprise a valve in the rising object which opens in response to excessive flow rate to permit flow through the object and thereby preclude the object from rising. Alternatively, the incentive-inhibiting object may be disposed to admit air into the flow path downstream of the object in response to high flow rate inhalation bursts to thereby reduce the flow rate acting on the object. A variety of embodiments are disclosed. In another embodiment, an indication is provided each time the object is raised to a predetermined height in the column and maintained at the height for a predetermined time, signifying that a minimum volume of air has been inhaled.
77 Citations
29 Claims
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1. An incentive spirometer comprising:
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a flow path through which a patient can inhale air; means responsive to air flow in said flow path for providing a visually-perceptible incentive indication for the patient; and inhibiting means responsive to inhalation suction force above a predetermined force for inhibiting said incentive indication. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for encouraging proper inhalation exercises in an incentive spirometer, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a visually-perceptible incentive indication for a patient to inhale air; and inhibiting said incentive indication in response to rapidly applied suction forces by the patient during inhalation. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. An incentive spirometer comprising:
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an inhalation flow path through which air flows in response to an inhalation suction force applied thereto by a patient; a transparent column disposed in said inhalation flow path such that inhaled air flows therethrough with at least one flow component directed vertically upward; incentive member means disposed in said column for rising in said column in response to inhalation air flow above a predetermined low flow rate through said column; and incentive-inhibiting means responsive to air flow above a predetermined high flow rate in said flow path for preventing said incentive member means from rising in said column. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification