Patents Examined by Aaron J. Lewis
  • Patent number: 6752147
    Abstract: An inhalation device for administering powdered forms of medication includes a housing with a rotatable dosing ball associated with an opening of a powdered reservoir located inside the housing. The dosing ball may be operated manually and includes a peripheral dosing cavity for receiving a dose of powder. The dosing ball is connected with a torsion spring and further includes a stop piece. In addition, the dosing ball is associated with a pivotable trip flap that has a movable limit stop. The dosing ball is preloaded by turning the dosing ball until the stop piece comes to rest on the movable limit stop of the trip flap. The dosing ball is then released as normal user breathing triggers a swaying of the trip flap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Hagepharm GmbH
    Inventors: Raul Goldemann, Detlef Schwarzwald
  • Patent number: 6748946
    Abstract: There is provided an inhalation device suitable for dispensing medicament, particularly medicament for use in the treatment of respiratory disorders. The device comprises a body; a medicament carrier, locatable within said body; a mouthpiece, reversibly movable from a storage position wherein said mouthpiece is within the body to an in-use position wherein a portion of the mouthpiece protrudes from the body and wherein the mouthpiece is in communication with the medicament carrier to allow passage of medicament therebetween; and a mouthpiece actuator, movable relative to the body, and coupled to the mouthpiece such that movement of the mouthpiece actuator in a first direction moves the mouthpiece towards said storage position and movement of the mouthpiece actuator in an opposing direction moves the mouthpiece towards the in-use position. The device comprises no biassing means acting on the mouthpiece actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: SmithKline Beecham Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Kenneth Rand, Gregor John McLennan Anderson
  • Patent number: 6745762
    Abstract: An illuminating device of a snorkel is located on the upper end of the snorkel. The illuminating device includes a sealed box-shaped housing wherein the circuits, batteries and LEDs . . . etc are located inside. Also, there is a switch assembled to the housing control the LED. By this way, the user of the snorkel can get attention from others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: QDS Injection Molding LLC.
    Inventor: Chih-Cheng Shiue
  • Patent number: 6745768
    Abstract: A ventilation device for non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment of a patient has a gas flow generator, a gas delivery circuit optionally including a humidifier, a controller and sensors monitoring values of operational parameters of the device. The device further includes one or more relationships stored in data storage of the controller relating combinations of parameter values as being indicative of fault conditions of the device operation, the sensors and/or the fault detection process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: ResMed Limited
    Inventors: Gregory A. Colla, Barton Kenyon
  • Patent number: 6745761
    Abstract: A breath actuated inhaler for delivering medicament by inhalation, comprising a housing having a mouthpiece and defining an air flow path extending from the mouthpiece through the housing; the housing holding a replaceable canister of medicament actuatable to deliver a dose of medicament into the air flow path, wherein the housing defines an opening in the air flow path and the opening is closed by a closure element connected to and replaceable with the canister. The closure element acts as a safety feature because it is only closed when the inhaler is used with a canister to which a closure element is connected the closure element carries an indication of the type of medicament in the canister to allow the user to recognise the type of medicament. A plurality of inhalers may be provided in which each given inhaler has an opening with a different shape and has a closure element with a shape which conforms with the opening of the given inhaler but which does not conform with the openings of the other inhalers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: AstraZeneca AB
    Inventors: Søren Christrup, Anders Geert-Jensen, Mikael Jørgensen, Jørgen Rasmussen, Hugo Dines Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6746436
    Abstract: A disposable absorbent article adapted to form a tridimensional shape before use with a generally upwardly convex rear region, having a body facing surface and a garment facing surface, a longitudinal symmetry plane, a front end edge and a rear end edge, and comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a backsheet joined to said topsheet and an absorbent core intermediate the backsheet and the topsheet. The disposable absorbent articles of the present invention are preferably applied directly to the user's body, and comprise improved side features which extend laterally and are capable of staying in close contact with the user's inner thigh area, and adjacent to that, when the disposable absorbent article is applied to the user's body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Giancarlo Sierri, Stefan Alois Wierlacher
  • Patent number: 6745769
    Abstract: The invention relates to a respiration bag (1) which has at least one fold (2, 11) extending annularly over the bag (1). The respiration bag (1) can be bent in along this fold (2, 11). In this way, at least one depression results which leads to a reduced volume of the respiration bag (1). A flip over of the respiration bag from the bent-in position is prevented by sealing lips (10, 12) or additional mechanical holders which are applied from the outside to the at least one fold (2, 11). The respiration bag (1) remains stable in the bent-in position with reduced volume up to an inner pressure of 45 to 50 millibar. In this way, a respiration bag (1) for respiration volumes of different sizes is available in dependence upon, for example, whether respiration is to take place with ambient air or oxygen-enriched air or is dependent upon whether an adult or a child is to be respirated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Dräger Medical AG & Co. KGaA
    Inventor: Hans-Jürgen Klempau
  • Patent number: 6745764
    Abstract: A care system and associated methods are provided for alleviating patient pain, anxiety and discomfort associated with medical or surgical procedures. The care system facilitates a procedural physician's safely and efficaciously providing conscious sedation to a patient by providing a responsiveness monitoring system which monitors the responsiveness of the patient and generates a value representing the level of patient responsiveness. In further aspects of the invention, the responsiveness monitoring system is an automated system which includes patient query and response devices. Additional embodiments of the system and methods are directed to alleviating patient pain or discomfort while enabling safe patient controlled drug delivery in correlation with the monitoring of patient health conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Scott Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Randall S. Hickle
  • Patent number: 6745771
    Abstract: An anesthetic filter arrangement has a filter housing with openings disposed to delimit a gas flow path inside the housing for gas passing to and from a patient, and having disposed within the gas flow path a filter element formed of an adsorption material for the alternate adsorption and desorption of gaseous anesthetic from and into gas passing along the gas flow path respectively from and to the patient. An energy source is provided to supply thermal and/or vibrational energy at the filter element to vary retention of the gaseous anesthetic by the filter element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Siemens Elema AB
    Inventors: Rolf Castor, Petter Videbrink
  • Patent number: 6745770
    Abstract: A flow diverter valve is used in controlling the pressure and/or flow rate of a breathable gas supplied to the airways of a patient by a breathable gas flow generator supply apparatus during, for example, ventilatory assistance treatments such as non-invasive positive pressure ventilation and nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The flow diverter valve includes a vane and a housing. The housing has an inlet port, an outlet port, and an exhaust port. The exhaust port opens to atmosphere, and the inlet port is in fluid communication with the flow generator. The outlet port is in fluid communication with a patient mask via a conduit. The vane is configured with respect to the housing such that a blower associated with the CPAP apparatus remains substantially unchoked, regardless of whether the vane is in the open or closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: ResMed Limited
    Inventors: Patrick J. McAuliffe, Denis L. Bullock
  • Patent number: 6745763
    Abstract: In existing vaporizers the medication passes through unsterilized passages which preclude heir use to administer sterile medications. The present invention therefore provides a device for dispensing a vaporized spray of sterile medicated liquid. It uses a combination atomizing and pressure release valve in which there is a flexible membrane with an aperture, and a plug extending upwardly through the aperture and having a surface against which the membrane is biassed in the closed position, the membrane lifting off the surface of the plug in the open position to thereby open the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Inventor: Garth T. Webb
  • Patent number: 6745766
    Abstract: A device for passive humidification of tracheostomized or intubated patients, comprising an outer body which forms an opening for connection to the patient and is connected to at least one seat of a filtering element which is connected to the outside, the device further comprising, on the outer body, a coupling for connection to at least one oxygen delivery duct which ends proximate to the outer part of the filtering element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: Mallinckrodt Holdings B.V.
    Inventor: Massimo Fini
  • Patent number: 6742518
    Abstract: An improved structure of respirator filter comprised of a laminated layers of fireproof fabric, static fibers, active carbon fibers and non-woven filter cotton; interlaced with airflow guides in among the layers of the filter; a hole or multiple holes being respectively provided at the center or in the peripheral of another airflow guide so to create air conduction for increasing area and time for the gas to contact the filter for improved smoke and toxicity filtration effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Inventor: Wen-Tsung Chang
  • Patent number: 6740112
    Abstract: An implantable device for positioning about a blood vessel bifurcation zone to control flow of embolic material around said bifurcation. The device comprises an anchoring element extending within said zone of bifurcation to anchor said device therein, and a deflecting element, associated with said anchoring element, said deflecting element comprising a mesh having a mesh size sufficient to allow passage of blood without hindrance while occluding passage of embolic material exceeding a predetermined size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: MindGuard Ltd.
    Inventors: Ofer Yodfat, Ygael Grad, Yuval Yassour, Moshe Rosenfeld, Daniel Levin
  • Patent number: 6739336
    Abstract: A feedback controller for regulating respiratory gas in a mechanical breathing aid system has a comparator means for periodically generating, in a current breathing cycle, an error signal representing the difference between a value of a gas parameter measured for gas within the system and a target value of the gas parameter, and a control signal generator for processing the error signal in accordance with a control function to generate a control signal usable in the regulation of the respiratory gas. The controller has a variable value integral gain stage which provides an input to an integrator element. An adaption unit determines, for the current breathing cycle an extreme value of the periodically generated error signal and varies the value of the integral gain used in the integral gain stage for a next breathing cycle dependent on a rate of change of the value of the extreme error signal with value of the integral gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Maquet Critical Care AB
    Inventors: Fredrik Jalde, Anders Steiner
  • Patent number: 6739335
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for optimizing the controlled positive pressure in treating sleep disordered breathing by using the appearance or disappearance of cardiogenic oscillation in the airway signal as an additional parameter useful for classifying the level of resistance. Ambiguities in breath monitoring can be resolved to determine whether or not breathing is labored due to an obstruction by the presence or absence of cardiogenic oscillations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: New York University School of Medicine
    Inventors: David M. Rapport, Robert G. Norman
  • Patent number: 6739337
    Abstract: A parameter of interest being measured by a sensor is estimated from output response data from the sensor and the known transfer function of the sensor, allowing fast and accurate sensor data from sensors having a dynamic characteristic otherwise precluding assessment of the sensor input. A parameter of breathing gas from a ventilator is determined based upon the known transfer function and a plurality of the sensor output signals at predetermined intervals of time, to provide an estimation of the parameter of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: Nellcor Puritan Bennett Incorporated
    Inventor: Fernando J. Isaza
  • Patent number: 6736136
    Abstract: A snorkel fixture of swimming mask, it provides a function that allows the user to easily separate the snorkel and the mask, a concaving buckle with a round hole is placed on the snorkel, also an attaching and releasing structure is build to slide into the hole on the concaving buckle to attach on the snorkel. By the chain reaction between the embodiment and allow the buckle to contract, the user can remove the buckle body. The snorkel and the mask can be easily attached and released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: QDS Injection Molding LLC
    Inventor: Pan Chen-Lieh
  • Patent number: 6736140
    Abstract: An improved exhalation evacuator (15) having a mask (16) with an inhalation portion (18) and an exhalation portion (19), a delivery conduit (20) communicating with the mask, a return conduit (21) communicating with the mask, the delivery conduit having a supply end (22) and an inlet end (23), the inlet end having an inlet gas passageway (24) and a first connect port (25), the return conduit having an outlet end (26) and an exhaust end (28), the outlet end having an exhaust gas passageway (29) and a second connect port (30), the gas passageway of the delivery conduit communicating with the inhalation portion, the gas passageway of the return conduit communicating with the exhalation portion, the first connect port engaging the exhalation portion, the second connect port engaging the inhalation portion, the first and second connect ports not having a passageway allowing gas to move between the mask and the delivery and return conduits, respectively, the gas inlet passageway and first connect port having an inve
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Matrx Medical Inc.
    Inventor: Paul S. Baczkowski
  • Patent number: 6732733
    Abstract: A half-mask respirator is retained on a wearer's head by upper and lower straps and a strap support. The upper and lower straps connect to the strap support at upper and lower strap attachment points on each side of the strap support. The distances between the attachment points on each opposing side of the strap support are fixed when the strap support is located on the wearer's skull and the half-mask respirator is mounted over the wearer's nose and mouth. As a result, the lower strap is supported above the neck of the wearer which eliminates a potential source of discomfort for the wearer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Gerald M. Brostrom, David M. Castiglione, William A. Mittelstadt, Alan J. Solyntjes