Wear-out indicator for a patient interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10603458-B2
Application number	US-201515324919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2015
Priority date	Jul 10, 2014
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a member (14, 24, 26) of a patient interface (10) for providing a flow of breath-able gas to a self-ventilating patient (12). The member (14, 24, 26) includes a wear-out indicator (32) for indicating a wear-out of the member (14, 24, 26) to the patient (12). The wear-out indicator (32) includes an elastic structure (34) that appears in a first colour in an unstressed condition and is configured to re-versibly change its apparent colour when being stretched and re-turned to its unstressed condition again. The elastic structure (34) is configured to indicate a wear-out of the member (14, 24, 26) by appearing in a second colour in its unstressed condition when the structure (34) has lost at least a part of its elasticity, wherein the second colour is different from the first colour.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A member of a patient interface for providing a flow of breathable gas to a patient, said member comprising a wear-out indicator for indicating a wear-out of the member to the patient, wherein said wear-out indicator comprises an elastic structure that appears in a first colour in an unstressed condition and is configured to reversibly change the elastic structure's colour when being stretched and returned to the unstressed condition again, and wherein the elastic structure is configured to indicate a wear-out of the member by appearing in a second colour in the unstressed condition when the elastic structure has lost at least a part of the elastic structure's elasticity, wherein the second colour is different from the first colour.

2. The member according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second colour are primary or secondary colours in a visible colour spectrum.

3. The member according to claim 1 , wherein the second colour is not a secondary colour of the first colour mixed with white.

4. The member according to claim 1 , wherein the member comprises multiple wear-out indicators that are arranged in segments which are distributed over the member and spaced apart from each other.

5. The member according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic structure comprises a photonic crystal material.

6. The member according to claim 5 , wherein the elastic structure comprises an elastic base layer which is coated by the photonic crystal material.

7. The member according to claim 5 , wherein the photonic crystal material is arranged within the elastic structure in a periodic or corrugated pattern.

8. The member according to claim 5 , wherein the photonic crystal material is arranged within the elastic structure in a zigzag pattern.

9. The member according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic structure comprises a knitted fabric, wherein neighbouring wales or courses of the knitted fabric have a different coloration.

10. The member according to claim 9 , wherein the neighbouring wales or courses are arranged in different layers.

11. The member according to claim 1 , wherein the member is a headgear strap of a patient interface.

12. The member according to claim 1 , wherein the member is a cushion element of a patient interface.

13. A patient interface for providing a flow of breathable gas to a self-ventilating patient comprising the member according to claim 1 .

14. A pressure support system, comprising:
a pressure generator for generating a flow of breathable gas; and
a patient interface for providing the flow of breathable gas to a self-ventilating patient, wherein the patient interface comprises the member according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Gerhardt Lutz Christian
• Asvadi Sima
• Van Zanten Joyce
• Klee Mareike
• Baiko Robert William

Classifications

• A61M2205/584

  having a color code · CPC title

• A61M2205/0227

  Materials having sensing or indicating function, e.g. indicating a pressure increase · CPC title

• A61M16/0605

  Means for improving the adaptation of the mask to the patient · CPC title

• A61M16/0683 Primary

  Holding devices therefor · CPC title

• A61M2210/04

  Skin · CPC title