Humidifier with structure to prevent backflow of liquid through the humidifier inlet
First Claim
1. A humidifier assembly for a CPAP apparatus, comprisinga humidifier includinga base configured to retain a body of liquid therein, at least a portion of the base being constructed of a heat conducting material,a top cover, anda seal disposed between the top cover and the base;
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6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A humidifier includes a base configured to retain a body of liquid therein, a top cover, and a seal disposed between the top cover and the base. At least a portion of the base is constructed of a heat conducting material. The top cover defines both an inlet and an outlet communicated with an interior of the base. The inlet is configured to receive pressurized breathable gas and the outlet is configured to deliver the pressurized breathable gas with added humidity.
176 Citations
157 Claims
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1. A humidifier assembly for a CPAP apparatus, comprising
a humidifier including a base configured to retain a body of liquid therein, at least a portion of the base being constructed of a heat conducting material, a top cover, and a seal disposed between the top cover and the base; - and
a connecting structure configured to connect between the CPAP apparatus and humidifier and allow communication of an outlet of the CPAP apparatus with the inlet of the humidifier, the connecting structure including a housing providing a base portion to support the humidifier thereon, and a retaining mechanism configured to secure the connecting structure to the CPAP apparatus, wherein the base portion includes a heating element in contact with the heat conducting material of the base of the humidifier. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A humidifier, comprising:
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a humidifier body configured to retain a body of liquid having a predetermined maximum volume, the humidifier body comprising; a humidifier body inlet adapted to receive a flow of breathable gas; a humidifier body outlet adapted to deliver the flow of breathable gas with added humidity; a gas introduction chamber having a gas introduction chamber inlet and a gas introduction chamber outlet, the gas introduction chamber inlet being adapted to receive the flow of breathable gas from the humidifier body inlet; and a humidification chamber in communication with the gas introduction chamber and the humidifier body outlet, wherein the gas introduction chamber outlet serves as a humidification chamber inlet, the gas introduction chamber inlet is oriented to direct the flow of breathable gas in a substantially horizontal direction when the humidifier is in an upright, operating position, the humidification chamber comprises a bottom portion below the gas introduction chamber when the humidifier is in the upright, operating position, and comprises a side portion beside the gas introduction chamber when the humidifier is in the upright, operating position, wherein each of the gas introduction chamber and the humidification chamber has an upper boundary that is defined by a common upper wall portion of the humidifier body, the gas introduction chamber inlet and the gas introduction chamber outlet are positioned above the liquid when the humidifier body retains the maximum volume of liquid and is in the upright, operating position, the gas introduction and humidification chambers are configured so that when the humidifier body retains the maximum volume of liquid and is rotated from an upright, operating position by about 80°
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, a maximum level of liquid in the humidifier body remains below at least one of the gas introduction chamber inlet and the gas introduction chamber outlet. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 155)
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15. A humidifier assembly for a CPAP apparatus, the humidifier assembly comprising:
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a humidifier comprising a reservoir configured to retain a body of liquid having a predetermined maximum volume, the reservoir comprising a first chamber adapted to receive breathable gas from the CPAP apparatus, and a second chamber adapted to receive a flow of breathable gas from the first chamber; and a connecting structure configured to connect the CPAP apparatus and the humidifier, the connecting structure comprising; a base portion to support the humidifier thereon; a first wall face; a second wall face opposite the first wall face, the first and second wall faces extending from the base portion and being positioned between the CPAP apparatus and the humidifier when connecting the CPAP apparatus and the humidifier; and a retaining mechanism configured to detachably secure the connecting structure to the CPAP apparatus, the retaining mechanism being positioned on the first wall face, wherein the base portion and the second wall face form at least a part of a receptacle adapted to laterally receive the humidifier, and wherein the first wall face is configured to engage a corresponding face of the CPAP apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A humidifier assembly for a CPAP apparatus, comprising:
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a humidifier having a reservoir for a body of liquid, and a fluid passage between an inlet, provided at a rear wall of the humidifier, and an outlet of the humidifier for exposure of a flow of pressurized breathable gas from the CPAP apparatus to the body of liquid, the humidifier comprising; a base configured to retain the body of liquid therein and including a heat conducting metallic plate, and a top cover above the base, the top cover including the outlet; and a connecting structure configured to allow connection between the CPAP apparatus and humidifier and allow communication of an outlet of the CPAP apparatus with the inlet of the humidifier, the connecting structure comprising a housing, the housing providing a horizontal receptacle within which the humidifier is removably disposed by horizontally inserting the humidifier within and pulling it out of the receptacle, the housing comprising a base portion forming a lower surface of the receptacle and configured to support the humidifier thereon, a heating element positioned on the lower surface and in thermal contact with the heat conducting metallic plate of the base when the humidifier is disposed in the receptacle, a first locking portion configured to assist in locking the humidifier in the horizontal receptacle, a second locking portion configured to assist in locking the connecting structure to the CPAP apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A humidifier assembly for a CPAP apparatus, comprising
a humidifier configured to retain a body of liquid therein, the humidifier having an inlet configured to receive pressurized breathable gas and an outlet configured to deliver the pressurized breathable gas with added humidity, the humidifier including: -
a base, at least a portion of the base being constructed of a heat conducting material, a cover having the inlet and the outlet of the humidifier, and a seal between the cover and the base; and a connecting structure configured to removably connect between the CPAP apparatus and humidifier and allow communication of an outlet of the CPAP apparatus with the inlet of the humidifier, the connecting structure including; a housing providing a base portion to support the humidifier thereon, wherein the base portion includes a heating element in contact with the heat conducting material of the base of the humidifier, and a retaining structure configured to fasten the connecting structure to the CPAP apparatus, wherein, while the connecting structure is fastened to the CPAP apparatus and the humidifier is supported on the connecting structure, the humidifier is configured to prevent or discourage liquid from the body of liquid from exiting through the inlet of the humidifier into the outlet of the CPAP apparatus, if as a unit the humidifier, the connecting structure and the CPAP apparatus are rotated 80-110 degrees from an upright working orientation to each of a plurality of non-upright orientations. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84)
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85. A humidifier assembly for a CPAP apparatus, comprising:
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a humidifier that defines a reservoir for a body of liquid, and a fluid passage between an inlet, provided at a rear wall of the humidifier, and an outlet of the humidifier, for exposure of a flow of pressurized breathable gas from the CPAP apparatus to the body of liquid, the humidifier comprising; a base having a bottom portion constructed of a heat conducting metallic material, side wall portions extending upwardly from the bottom portion, the side wall portions and the bottom portion together being configured to retain a body of liquid therein, and a cover above the base, the cover including the inlet and the outlet; and a connecting structure configured to allow connection between the CPAP apparatus and humidifier and allow communication of an outlet of the CPAP apparatus with the inlet of the humidifier, the connecting structure comprising a housing, the housing providing a generally horizontal, open receptacle within which the humidifier is removably disposed by generally horizontally inserting the humidifier within and pulling it out of the receptacle, the housing comprising a base portion forming a lower surface of the receptacle and configured to support the humidifier thereon, and a heating element positioned on the lower surface and in thermal contact with the heat conducting metallic material of the base when the humidifier is disposed in the receptacle, the connecting structure further including a humidifier attaching structure that removably attaches the humidifier in the generally horizontal receptacle, and a CPAP apparatus attaching structure configured to removably attach the connecting structure to the CPAP apparatus, wherein the connecting structure includes an upstanding wall portion that extends in a substantially vertical orientation, the humidifier having a rear wall that abuts or is proximate the upstanding wall portion when the humidifier is fully inserted relative to the connecting structure, the upstanding wall portion including an opening that aligns with the inlet of the humidifier when the humidifier is fully inserted relative to the connecting structure, the opening being configured to allow communication of the pressurized breathable gas from the outlet of the CPAP apparatus to the inlet of the humidifier, wherein the inlet of the humidifier comprises a generally cylindrical tube that projects horizontally rearward from the rear wall of the humidifier, and wherein the tube extends into the opening when the humidifier is fully inserted relative to the connecting structure. - View Dependent Claims (86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104)
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105. A humidifier, comprising:
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a humidifier body configured to retain a body of liquid having a predetermined maximum volume, the humidifier body comprising; a humidifier body inlet configured to receive a flow of breathable gas; a humidifier body outlet adapted to deliver the flow of breathable gas with added humidity; a gas introduction chamber having a gas introduction chamber inlet and a gas introduction chamber outlet, the gas introduction chamber inlet being adapted to receive the flow of breathable gas from the humidifier body inlet; a humidification chamber in communication with the gas introduction chamber and the humidifier body outlet, the humidification chamber having a bottom surface comprising heat conductive metallic material, and a cover that defines an upper boundary of both the gas introduction chamber and at least a portion of the humidification chamber, the cover including the humidifier body outlet, wherein; the gas introduction chamber outlet serves as a humidification chamber inlet, the gas introduction chamber inlet faces a horizontal direction when the humidifier is in an upright, operating position, the humidification chamber comprises a bottom portion below the gas introduction chamber when the humidifier is in the upright, operating position, and comprises a side portion beside the gas introduction chamber when the humidifier is in the upright, operating position, the gas introduction chamber outlet is positioned above the liquid when the humidifier body retains the maximum volume of liquid and is in the upright, operating position, and the gas introduction chamber and the humidification chamber are configured so that when the humidifier body retains the maximum volume of liquid and is rotated around a horizontal axis parallel to the bottom surface of the humidifier chamber, in each of clockwise and counterclockwise directions, from the upright, operating position to a plurality of non-upright positions, the possibility of liquid flowing from the humidification chamber and out through the humidifier inlet is discouraged or prevented. - View Dependent Claims (106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 156)
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120. A humidifier, comprising:
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a humidifier body comprising; a humidifier body inlet configured to receive a flow of breathable gas, the humidifier body inlet including a cylindrical tube that extends rearward from a rear wall of the humidifier body; a humidifier body outlet adapted to deliver the flow of breathable gas with added humidity; a gas introduction chamber having a gas introduction chamber inlet and a gas introduction chamber outlet, the gas introduction chamber inlet being adapted to receive the flow of breathable gas from the cylindrical tube; a humidification chamber in communication with the gas introduction chamber and the humidifier body outlet, the humidification chamber having a bottom surface comprising heat conductive metallic material, and a top cover that defines an upper boundary of both the gas introduction chamber and at least a portion of the humidification chamber, the top cover including the humidifier body outlet, wherein; the gas introduction chamber outlet serves as a humidification chamber inlet, the gas introduction chamber outlet is positioned above the maximum volume of liquid when the humidifier body is in the upright, operating position, and when the humidifier body retains a volume of liquid and is moved from the upright, operating position to each of a plurality of non-upright positions, the possibility of liquid flowing from the humidification chamber and out through the humidifier inlet is discouraged or prevented. - View Dependent Claims (121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 157)
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136. A humidifier assembly for a CPAP apparatus, comprising:
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a humidifier to expose of a flow of pressurized breathable gas from the CPAP apparatus to a body of liquid, the humidifier comprising; an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being provided proximate a rear wall of the humidifier, a base including a heat conducting metallic plate, and a top cover detachably connected to the base, the top cover including the outlet, and an elastomeric seal between the base and the top cover; a connecting structure configured to allow connection between the CPAP apparatus and the humidifier and allow communication of an outlet of the CPAP apparatus with the inlet of the humidifier without the need for an external flexible conduit extending between the CPAP apparatus and the connecting structure, the connecting structure comprising; a housing providing a horizontal receptacle within which the humidifier is removably disposed by horizontally inserting the humidifier within and pulling it out of the receptacle, the housing comprising a base portion forming a lower surface of the receptacle and configured to support the humidifier thereon, and an upwardly biased heating element positioned on the lower surface and in thermal contact with the heat conducting metallic plate of the base when the humidifier is disposed in the receptacle, a retaining mechanism having at least one biased locking member configured to lock the connecting structure to the CPAP apparatus, a movable button structure operatively connected to the at least one biased locking member, whereby manual movement of the button structure moves the biased locking member from an engaged position to a disengaged position to allow for manual release of the connecting structure from the CPAP apparatus, and a retaining portion configured to secure the humidifier in position relative to the connecting structure, the retaining portion extending substantially parallel to the base portion and being spaced above the lower surface of the base portion, the retaining portion having a downwardly facing surface that engages an exterior portion of the humidifier as the humidifier is horizontally loaded into the receptacle, the retaining portion being positioned to constrain the humidifier such that, during assembly, the heat conducting metallic plate of the base of the humidifier slides against the upwardly biased heating element, wherein the inlet provided at the rear wall of the humidifier is positioned to receive the pressurized breathable gas once the humidifier is fully loaded into the receptacle; and a securing mechanism that releasably locks the humidifier in the horizontal receptacle, wherein, when the connecting structure is locked to the CPAP apparatus and the humidifier is locked on the connecting structure, the humidifier is configured to prevent or discourage liquid from the body of liquid from exiting through the inlet of the humidifier into the outlet of the CPAP apparatus, if as a unit the humidifier, the connecting structure and the CPAP apparatus are rotated from an upright working orientation to each of a plurality of non-upright orientations. - View Dependent Claims (137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154)
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Specification