Heat respiratory conduit
First Claim
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1. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system adapted to supply a gases flow to said gases transportation pathway comprising:
- a conduit means of a predetermined length adapted to channel said gases flow,a heating means of a predetermined length adapted to heat said gases flow and/or said conduit means wherein said heating means is positioned within said conduit means and in said gases flow wherein said heating means are helically wound and wherein the pitch and/or diameter of said helix varies along the length of said conduit means in order that said heating means may provide variable levels of heat at different positions within said conduit means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention is a heated corrugated (21) conduit (7) for use in a respiratory humidification system (5). A heater wire (20) within the conduit reduces the occurrence of condensation or "rain out". The heater wire is spirally wound in a helix or double helix with both ends of the wire available for termination at one end of the conduit.
264 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system adapted to supply a gases flow to said gases transportation pathway comprising:
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a conduit means of a predetermined length adapted to channel said gases flow, a heating means of a predetermined length adapted to heat said gases flow and/or said conduit means wherein said heating means is positioned within said conduit means and in said gases flow wherein said heating means are helically wound and wherein the pitch and/or diameter of said helix varies along the length of said conduit means in order that said heating means may provide variable levels of heat at different positions within said conduit means. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8)
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2. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system including a humidifier and adapted to supply a gases flow to said gases transportation pathway, comprising:
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an inspiratory conduit of a predetermined length adapted to supply said gases to a patient from a humidifier end of said inspiratory conduit to a patient end of said inspiratory conduit, a heating means of a predetermined length formed from a length of insulated resistance wire wound into a double helix with both ends of said wire provided at one end of said conduit adapted to heat said gases flow and/or said conduit wherein said heating means is positioned within said conduit and in said gases flow wherein the pitch and/or diameter of said helix varies along the length of said conduit in order that said heating means may provide variable levels of heat at different positions within said conduit and wherein the pitch of said helically wound resistance wire is tighter at said humidifier end.
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3. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system adapted to supply a gases flow to said gases transportation pathway comprising:
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a conduit means of a predetermined length, a heating means of a predetermined length adapted to heat said gases flow and/or said conduit means wherein said heating means is positioned within said conduit means and in said gases flow wherein said heating means are helically wound and wherein the pitch and/or diameter of said helix varies along the length of said conduit means in order that said heating means may provide variable levels of heat at different positions within said conduit means, and wherein said heating means is elastically flexible and has an electrically insulating thermoplastics coating which assists said heating means in retaining shape wherein when wound into a new shape and heated above a predetermined temperature, said heating means will, upon cooling, tend to elastically retain said new shape.
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4. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system adapted to supply a gases flow to said gases transportation pathway comprising:
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a conduit means of a predetermined length adapted to channel said gases flow, a heating means of a predetermined length adapted to heat said gases flow and/or said conduit means wherein said heating means is positioned within said conduit means and in said gases flow wherein said heating means are helically wound and wherein the pitch and/or diameter of said helix varies along the length of said conduit means in order that said heating means may provide variable levels of heat at different positions within said conduit means, and wherein parts of said heating means are adjustably fixed to said conduit in order to adjustably fix the pitch and/or diameter of said helically wound wire, the pitch and/or diameter requiring adjustment in order to minimize condensation occurring between adjacent turns of said helically wound wire.
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9. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system adapted to supply a gases flow to said gases transportation pathway comprising:
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a conduit means of a predetermined length adapted to channel said gases flow, a heating means of a predetermined length adapted to heat said gases flow and/or said conduit means wherein said heating means is positioned within said conduit means and in said gases flow wherein said heating means are helically wound and wherein the pitch and/or diameter of said helix varies along the length of said conduit means in order that said heating means may provide variable levels of heat at different positions within said conduit means, and wherein said heating means comprises a length of electrically insulated resistance wire having two sections, a first double helically wound section and a second simple loop section, said double helically wound section including the two ends of said resistance wire and said simple loop section being furthest from the two ends of said resistance wire. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system which creates a gases flow comprising:
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a conduit means adapted to channel said gases flow, a heating means adapted to, upon energisation, supply heat to said gases flow within said conduit means, wherein said heating means is provided in said gases flow within said conduit means and is formed from a single length of insulated resistance wire wound into a helix and wherein said resistance wire is insulated with a layer of thermoplastics material so that said wire may be wound into said helix, heated and then cooled to cause said wire to tend to elastically retain said helical shape. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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14. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system which creates a gases flow comprising:
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a conduit means adapted to channel said gases flow, a heating means adapted to, upon energization, supply heat to said gases flow within said conduit means, wherein said heating means is provided in said gases flow within said conduit means and is formed from a single length of insulated resistance wire wound into a helix and wherein said resistance wire is insulated with a layer of thermoplastics material so that said wire may be wound into said helix, heated and then cooled to cause said wire to tend to elastically retain said helical shape, and wherein said conduit means comprises a corrugated tube, an inner sheath co-axial with said conduit means is provided between the heating means and the inner surface of said conduit means forming a series of insulating spaces between the corrugations of said conduit means and said inner sheath.
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16. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system which creates a gases flow comprising:
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a conduit means adapted to channel said gases flow, a heating means adapted to, upon energization, supply heat to said gases flow within said conduit means, wherein said heating means is provided in said gases flow within said conduit means and is formed from a single length of insulated resistance wire wound into a helix and wherein said resistance wire is insulated with a layer of thermoplastics material so that said wire may be wound into said helix, heated and then cooled to cause said wire to tend to elastically retain said helical shape, and wherein the pitch and/or diameter of said helically wound insulated resistance wire is adjustable by adjustably fixing a part of said resistance wire to said conduit means such that adjustment of said pitch and/or diameter may be made by adjusting the position of fixing in order that condensation may be substantially eliminated from the spaces between adjacent turns of said wire on the inner wall of said conduit means.
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21. A method of producing a heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system comprising the steps of:
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i) forming a conduit through which gases may be channelled, ii) winding a predetermined length of thermoplastically insulated resistance wire into a helix of a diameter less than the inside diameter of said conduit, iii) heating the helically wound resistance wire to a predetermined temperature at which said insulation is softened, iv) cooling said heated resistance wire so that the cooled resistance wire will tend to elastically retain its helically wound shape, and v) inserting the thus formed helically wound resistance wire into said conduit. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A heated gases transportation pathway for use in a ventilation system including a humidifier and adapted to supply a gases flow to said gases transportation pathway, comprising:
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an inspiratory conduit of a predetermined length adapted to supply said gases to a patient from a humidifier end of said inspiratory conduit to a patient end of said inspiratory conduit, a heating means of a predetermined length formed from a length of insulated resistance wire wound into a double helix with both ends of said wire provided at one end of said conduit adapted to heat said gases flow and/or said conduit wherein said heating means is positioned within said conduit and in said gases flow wherein the pitch and/or diameter of said helix varies along the length of said conduit in order that said heating means may provide variable levels of heat at different positions within said conduit and wherein the pitch of said helically wound resistance wire is tighter at said humidifier end, and wherein said heating means is elastically flexible and has an electrically insulating thermoplastics coating which assists said heating means in retaining shape wherein when wound into a new shape and heated above a predetermined temperature, said heating means will, upon cooling, tend to elastically retain said new shape.
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Specification