System, method and respiration appliance for supporting the airway of a subject
First Claim
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1. A respiration appliance configured to support an airway of a subject as the subject breathes, the respiration appliance comprising:
- a body configured to enclose one or more external orifices of the airway of a subject, wherein the body is wearable;
one or more valves disposed in the body, wherein the one or more valves are configured to provide a controllable resistance during exhalations by the subject to a flow of gas from an interior of the body to an exterior of the body; and
a processor configured to control a resistance of the one or more valves to the flow of gas from the interior of the body to the exterior of the body while the subject exhales through the body, wherein the processor is further configured to increase the resistance of the one or more valves over multiple exhalations to enable the subject to become accustomed to breathing through the body.
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Abstract
A respiration appliance, system, and method for supporting the airway of a subject as the subject breathes. The flow of gas from the lungs of the subject during exhalation is leveraged to provide support to the airway. In particular, a body that encloses one or more external orifices of the subject provides a resistance differential between inhaled gas flows and exhaled gas flows that supports the subject'"'"'s airway.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A respiration appliance configured to support an airway of a subject as the subject breathes, the respiration appliance comprising:
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a body configured to enclose one or more external orifices of the airway of a subject, wherein the body is wearable; one or more valves disposed in the body, wherein the one or more valves are configured to provide a controllable resistance during exhalations by the subject to a flow of gas from an interior of the body to an exterior of the body; and a processor configured to control a resistance of the one or more valves to the flow of gas from the interior of the body to the exterior of the body while the subject exhales through the body, wherein the processor is further configured to increase the resistance of the one or more valves over multiple exhalations to enable the subject to become accustomed to breathing through the body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of supporting an airway of a subject as the subject breathes, the method comprising:
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configured for enclosing a wearable body, one or more external orifices of the airway of a subject; controlling a resistance to gas flow of one or more flow paths through which gas is communicated from the enclosed one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere, wherein controlling the resistance is performed by one or more valves disposed in the wearable body, wherein controlling the resistance is performed during exhalations as the subject exhales through the one or more flow paths, and wherein controlling the resistance to gas flow of the one or more flow paths through which gas is communicated from the enclosed one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere comprises increasing the resistance to gas flow of the one or more flow paths over multiple exhalations to enable the subject to become accustomed to breathing through the one or more flow paths. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A respiratory appliance configured to support an airway of a subject as the subject breathes, the respiratory appliance comprising:
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means for enclosing one or more external orifices of the airway of a subject, wherein the means for enclosing the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject is wearable; and means for controlling a resistance during exhalations by the subject to gas flow of one or more flow paths through which gas is communicated from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere, wherein the means for controlling the resistance to gas flow of the one or more flow paths through which gas is communicated from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to ambient atmosphere comprises means for increasing the resistance to gas flow of the one or more flow paths over multiple exhalations to enable the subject to become accustomed to breathing through the one or more flow paths, wherein the means for controlling the resistance during the exhalations by the subject to the gas flow of the one or more flow paths through which the gas is communicated from the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject to the ambient atmosphere is disposed in the means for enclosing the one or more external orifices of the airway of the subject. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification