Biodegradable air tube and spirometer employing same
First Claim
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1. An air tube for use in a spirometer comprising:
- a tubular portion defining an open inlet, an open outlet and a hollow space therebetween, and being sized and adapted to be removably coupled to a housing of a spirometer;
a resistive element located in said hollow space and being sized and adapted to cause a pressure difference as air flows in said hollow space across said resistive element; and
two through ports located in said tubular portion each of which opens directly to said hollow space and is spaced apart from said resistive element which is located therebetween, provided that said air tube is disposable and all of said tubular portion is biodegradable.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is an air tube for use in a spirometer. This air tube is disposable and is at least partially, preferably completely, biodegradable, so that is can be economically produced and discarded after use by a single spirometer user. Cross-patient contamination and expensive sterilization procedures are thus avoided. In addition, making this air tube biodegradable allows for the use of plentiful and inexpensive materials of construction, such as cardboard, paper, biodegradable polymers and the like, and reduces the environmental burden caused by disposing of this component.
80 Citations
23 Claims
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1. An air tube for use in a spirometer comprising:
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a tubular portion defining an open inlet, an open outlet and a hollow space therebetween, and being sized and adapted to be removably coupled to a housing of a spirometer; a resistive element located in said hollow space and being sized and adapted to cause a pressure difference as air flows in said hollow space across said resistive element; and two through ports located in said tubular portion each of which opens directly to said hollow space and is spaced apart from said resistive element which is located therebetween, provided that said air tube is disposable and all of said tubular portion is biodegradable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An air tube for use in a spirometer including a housing comprising:
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a biodegradable tubular portion made completely of a material selected from the group consisting of cardboard, paper, biodegradable polymers and mixtures thereof, defining an open inlet, an opposing open outlet and a hollow space therebetween, and being sized and adapted to be removably coupled to the housing of the spirometer, said biodegradable tubular portion including a positioning assembly sized and adapted to cooperate with the housing of the spirometer to properly position said biodegradable tubular portion relative to the housing; a resistive element sized and located in said hollow space and sized and adapted to cause a pressure difference as air flows in said hollow space across said resistive element; and two through ports in said biodegradable tubular portion each of which opens directly to said hollow space, and is equidistantly spaced apart from said resistive element which is located therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. An air tube for use in a spirometer comprising:
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a tubular portion defining an open inlet, an open outlet and a hollow space therebetween, and being sized and adapted to be removably coupled to a housing of a spirometer; a resistive element located in said hollow space and being sized and adapted to cause a pressure difference as air flows in said hollow space across said resistive element; and two through ports located in said tubular portion each of which opens directly to said hollow space and is spaced apart from said resistive element which is located therebetween, provided that said air tube is disposable and all of said tubular portion is biodegradable and is made of a material selected from the group consisting of cardboard, paper and mixtures thereof.
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Specification