Patents Examined by Valerie L Skorupa
  • Patent number: 9010325
    Abstract: A nasal delivery device for and method of delivering particulate substance to the nasal airway of a subject, the delivery device comprising: a body assembly (3) including a mouthpiece unit (9) which includes a mouthpiece through which the subject in use exhales, and a substance-supply unit which is fluidly connected to the mouthpiece unit and actuatable to provide particulate substance for delivery to the nasal airway of the subject; wherein the body assembly is configured to receive a replaceable nosepiece unit (5) which includes a nosepiece and contains a container containing particulate substance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: OptiNose AS
    Inventors: Per Gisle Djupesland, Colin David Sheldrake, Simon Smith, Rachel Striebig, Andy Pidgeon, Tom St. Quintin
  • Patent number: 9011355
    Abstract: Devices, systems and methods are described which control blood pressure and nervous system activity by stimulating baroreceptors. By selectively and controllably activating baroreceptors and/or nerves, the present invention reduces blood pressure and alters the sympathetic nervous system; thereby minimizing deleterious effects on the heart, vasculature and other organs and tissues. A baroreceptor activation device or other sensory activation device is positioned near a dermal bone to provide the treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Sympara Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Joe Ehrenreich, Randolf von Oepen, Kelly Justin McCrystle
  • Patent number: 9004071
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a nasal guide. The nasal guide includes a pair of supports adapted to be positioned adjacent nostrils of a nose of a patient. The nasal guide includes a bridge connecting the pair of supports. The bridge is usable to adjust positioning of the pair of supports. Each of the pair of supports forms one or more lumens configured to receive one or more medical instruments. The one or more lumens are shaped for insertion into a nasal cavity of the nose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Inventors: Ian Joseph Alexander, Brian Dean Owens
  • Patent number: 8997744
    Abstract: A conduit coupling assembly for use in connection with a patient interface device. The conduit coupling assembly includes a coupling retention assembly for retaining the conduit coupling in a predetermined position with respect to the user's face, and an adjustment assembly that permits continuous adjustment of a position of the conduit coupling with respect to a user's face. The conduit coupling assembly is continuously adjustable and retainable in an adjusted position and orientation by the adjustment assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: RIC Investments, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Chi Fai Ho, Jerome Matula, Lance Busch
  • Patent number: 8992450
    Abstract: A portable hydro massage device for submersion in a body of water containing a female user, i.e. a bathtub, provides a local massage to the labium region and a focused stimulant to the female user's clitoris thereby resulting in a superior sensation to the entire body promoting an overall euphoric state and calming effect. The apparatus employs a saddle shaped housing, where the buttocks are placed, and a saddle horn for controlling the stimulus. Disposed within the midsection of the saddle horn is a hydro jet with a driven flow from a circulating water pump that draws suction from the main body of water. The hydro jet is adjustable in pressure and a method is provided for aeration of the water discharged to allow for a rhythmic pulsation effect. The saddle horn may be held and the lower body positioned as needed to focus the discharged stream from the hydro jet to the desired point of the pelvic region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Inventor: David Heilman
  • Patent number: 8985106
    Abstract: Automated methods provide hypopnea detection for determining a hypopnea event and/or a severity of a hypopnea event. In some embodiments, a calculated short-term variance of a measured respiratory flow signal are compared to first and second proportions of a calculated long-term variance of the measured flow signal. A detection of the hypopnea may be indicated if the first measure falls below and does not exceed a range of the first and second proportions during a first time period. In some embodiments, a hypopnea severity measure is determined by automated measuring of an area bounded by first and second crossings of a short-term measure of ventilation and a proportion of a long-term measure. The detection methodologies may be implemented for data analysis by a specific purpose computer, a detection device that measures a respiratory airflow or a respiratory treatment apparatus that provides a respiratory treatment regime based on the detected hypopneas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: ResMed Limited
    Inventor: Jeffrey Peter Armitstead
  • Patent number: 8985104
    Abstract: A circulation system for use in a rebreathe system includes a base and a fan assembly coupled to the base. The base includes a motor and a rotatable drive shaft coupled to the motor. The fan assembly includes a housing with an inlet and outlet. The fan assembly further includes a fan coupled to the drive shaft to rotate therewith and is fluidly isolated from the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: CareFusion 207, Inc.
    Inventor: Earl Valentine
  • Patent number: 8985114
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and apparatus for supplying a fluid, including but not limited to oxygen and/or medications to a non-human animal in a configuration that does not require a human to hold a component on the animal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Inventor: Charles Harrison
  • Patent number: 8979779
    Abstract: A left and right movable massage device includes a first outer housing, a first inner housing, a motor, a left-and-right moving gear assembly, a second outer housing, a second inner housing and a massage assembly. The main driven gear is disposed on the first inner housing and is rotated by the motor, and the guiding pin is restricted in the direction restricting groove of the first inner housing, so that the rotation of the main driven gear is converted into linear motions in two directions to move the first inner housing in the left-and-right direction. With a single motor, different massage movements can be performed to meet different users' requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Listore International Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jui Yao Chen
  • Patent number: 8978658
    Abstract: A supraglottic airway of the type used to facilitate lung ventilation and the insertion of endo-tracheal tubes or related medical instruments through a patient's laryngeal opening where the shield is designed to have an internal increase in pressure during assisted inhalation such as positive-pressure ventilation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Cookgas, LLC
    Inventor: Daniel J. Cook
  • Patent number: 8978645
    Abstract: This invention provides an aerosolized inhaler which enables the drug powder to aerosolize within the inhaler by breathing in the air, comprising the main body (11) and the mouthpiece connector (12) connected thereupon, wherein the inhaler the main body (11) has drug holding opening (1), which connects with the vortex passage, and the vortex passage connects with the mouthpiece (9) on the mouthpiece connector (12). It has many obvious advantages as increasing the inhalation rate, pushing more drug granule to reach to the lower respiratory tract and even into the alveolus; and meanwhile, keeping the drug from being blown out of the inhaler when the users breathes out, preventing from cross inflection and minimizing the side effect of the drug to the whole body, and obviously lightening the burden on the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Inventor: Qingtang Chen
  • Patent number: 8978651
    Abstract: An anesthesia system is disclosed herein. The anesthesia system includes a sensor configured to measure an anesthetic agent concentration, and a processor connected to the sensor. The processor is configured to generate an exponential agent model based on the measured anesthetic agent concentration. The exponential agent model represents a plurality of future anesthetic agent concentrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Joanne Lynn Messerges
  • Patent number: 8973575
    Abstract: Anaesthesia machine arrangement and a method in connection with an anaesthesia machine arrangement comprising a gas dispenser of an anaesthesia machine connected to a patient circuit that comprises a monitor device, a control device and an interface unit. The gas dispenser is configured to deliver a desired concentration of fresh gas to the patient circuit, the desired concentration being set by using the interface unit. The monitor device is configured by using a sample line to monitor gas concentration in the patient circuit and the control device is configured to control the gas dispenser from the basis of the data received from the monitor device to keep the desired fresh gas concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Carefusion Corporation
    Inventor: Erik Wilhelm Severin Tigerstedt
  • Patent number: 8967141
    Abstract: Examples of the invention include inhalation systems, breathing apparatuses, and methods for administering a solution by inhalation to a patient. Example breathing apparatuses described herein may be configured to minimize loss of the solution to the environment. Additionally or instead, example breathing apparatuses may be configured to recirculate exhaled solution to increase an amount of the solution available to a patient while minimizing exhausted solution. In some examples, breathing apparatuses may deliver nebulized platelet rich plasma (“PRP”).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Inventor: Brian Anthony Lemper
  • Patent number: 8967148
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for respiration which consists at least of one body that delimits an inner chamber from an outer chamber, a region for sealing the device against parts of the face of a patient, fastening elements for positioning the device on the patient's head and a connection for supplying respiratory gas. The device is equipped with an actuator, which when adjusted, changes the distance of at least one part of the device from at least one part of the body of the patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Weinmann Gerate fur Medizin GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Martin Eifler, Henry Hahn, Joachim Gardein, Anne Wonsyld
  • Patent number: 8960193
    Abstract: A ventilatory system for providing ventilatory support to a patient without the need for an external source of pressurized drive gas. The ventilatory system comprises a drive pump and a controller such that the drive pump collects ambient air and may pressurize it to a pressure determined by the controller. The controller may signal to the drive pump to pressurize the collected ambient air to a first pressure for delivering ventilatory support to a patient and a second pressure for providing PEEP support to a patient. The controller may signal to the drive pump to deliver a targeted flow and/or volume of collected ambient air to the bellows to provide volumetric ventilatory support during inhalation and a PEEP support during exhalation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Phillip J. Kollmeyer, Stefan I. Kutko, Robert Tham, Norman Rick, Jonathan L. Woods
  • Patent number: 8955515
    Abstract: A sensor 40 that detects a chemical such as an organic vapor. The sensor 40 includes a film that has a film body 58 that includes a detection layer 48 and that is responsive to the presence of a chemical by providing a color change. The film also includes an occluding layer 54 that has a first major surface 59 and that is bound to the film body 58 but is inert to the detection layer 48 to preclude the occluding layer 54 and the chemical from causing a color change in the film body 58 in an area 42 normal to the first major surface 59 of the occluding layer 54. A sensor having this construction can provide a distinctly visible image on the sensor, which may be helpful in evaluating the remaining life of a filter cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Neal A. Rakow, Thomas W. Holmquist-Brown, Brian L. Linzie, John C. Hulteen, Duane D. Fansler, Richard J. Poirier, Vivek Bharti
  • Patent number: 8950396
    Abstract: A dispensing device, a storage device and a method are proposed for dispensing a formulation as a spray. The formulation is dispensed by means of a gas stream. To improve the dispensing effect, pressure pulses are generated in the gas stream and/or the direction of gas flow alternates. The formulation is dispensed through a duct. The duct is connected to a storage chamber containing the formulation via a sharp edge or transition portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH
    Inventors: Herbert Wachtel, Frank Richter
  • Patent number: 8944060
    Abstract: A mask for patient ventilation comprises a frame portion, a retention portion, and a connector portion. The frame portion is for surrounding a respiratory opening of a patient. The retention portion is for maintaining positive pressure between the frame portion and the patient. The connector portion is for connecting delivery tubes to the mask. The connector portion is configured such that the connector only couples with compatible components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Carefusion 207, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher M Varga, Stephen J. Birch, Thomas Dillingham
  • Patent number: 8944059
    Abstract: A non-invasive ventilation patient interface comprises a fresh gas entry port, an exhaust gas vent port, and a filter media disposed in the exhaust gas vent port. The fresh gas entry port is configured for coupling with a fresh gas supply. The exhaust gas vent port is configured for allowing expulsion of exhaust gas from the patient interface in response to exhalation of a patient. The filter media is configured for filtering contagious from the exhaust gas, diffusing the exhaust gas, and controlling an expulsion flow of the exhaust gas through the exhaust gas vent port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Carefusion 207, Inc.
    Inventors: Khalid Said Mansour, Brian W. Pierro, Eric Porteous, Stephen J. Birch