CPAP system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11458276-B2
Application number	US-202217724651-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2022
Priority date	Apr 17, 2019
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

A water reservoir for use with a medical treatment apparatus includes a reservoir base including a cavity structured to hold a volume of water to humidify a supply of pressurized breathable air. The reservoir base includes a heat conductive portion, wherein the heat conductive portion is configured to thermally engage with a heating assembly of a water reservoir dock associated with the medical treatment apparatus to allow thermal transfer of heat from the heating assembly to the heat conductive portion. The water reservoir includes at least one protrusion that protrudes outwardly from a side of the reservoir base, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to be fully inserted into at least one slot on a side of the water reservoir dock, and wherein the at least one protrusion only extends partially along the side of the reservoir base.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A water reservoir for use with a medical treatment apparatus for providing a supply of pressurized breathable air to a patient in a positive pressure range suitable for treatment of a respiratory disorder, the water reservoir comprising:
a reservoir base including a cavity structured to hold a volume of water to humidify the supply of pressurized breathable air, the reservoir base including a heat conductive portion,
wherein the heat conductive portion is configured to thermally engage with a heating assembly of a water reservoir dock associated with the medical treatment apparatus to allow thermal transfer of heat from the heating assembly to the heat conductive portion; and
at least one protrusion protruding outwardly from a side of the reservoir base, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to be fully inserted into at least one slot on a side of the water reservoir dock,
wherein the at least one protrusion only extends partially along the side of the reservoir base,
wherein the water reservoir includes an insertion end and a graspable end that is opposite to the insertion end,
wherein the insertion end is configured to be inserted into a cavity of the water reservoir dock in an operative position while at least a portion of the graspable end remains graspable by the patient,
wherein at least part of the at least one protrusion tapers down towards the insertion end, and
wherein the at least one protrusion includes a leading end that is spaced rearward from a leading edge on the insertion end of the water reservoir.

2. The water reservoir according to claim 1 , further comprising a pair of upwardly oriented and spaced apart surfaces provided to the leading edge of the water reservoir configured to engage underneath a respective one of a pair of spaced apart abutment edges provided to a rear wall of the water reservoir dock, and wherein the pair of upwardly oriented and spaced part surfaces is configured to engage and be forced downwardly by the pair of spaced part abutment edges to enhance engagement of the heat conductive portion with the heating assembly.

3. The water reservoir according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one protrusion is one of a pair of guide rails, each of the guide rails including an upper edge providing an upwardly oriented surface, and wherein the upwardly oriented surface of each of the guide rails is configured to engage and be forced downwardly by a downwardly oriented surface of a respective one of a pair of guide slots to enhance engagement of the heat conductive portion with the heating assembly.

4. The water reservoir according to claim 3 , wherein each of the guide rails includes one or more engagement tabs extending from the upwardly oriented surface configured to engage with an upper edge of a respective one of the guide slots.

5. The water reservoir according to claim 1 , further comprising a transitional shoulder formed along a top and a side of the water reservoir, wherein the transitional shoulder is formed between the insertion end and the graspable end, wherein the at least one protrusion has a trailing end positioned to extend from the transitional shoulder towards the insertion end, wherein the leading end of the at least one protrusion terminates at a central portion of the water reservoir.

6. The water reservoir according to claim 5 , wherein the heat conductive portion spans at least part of the insertion end and at least part of the graspable end, the heat conductive portion including a leading end formed on the insertion end and a trailing end formed on the graspable end, and, when vertically projected downwards, the at least one protrusion is positioned between the leading end and the trailing end of the heat conductive portion.

7. The water reservoir according to claim 6 , wherein the trailing end of the at least one protrusion is horizontally offset from the trailing end of the heat conductive portion, and the leading end of the at least one protrusion is positioned closer to the leading edge of the insertion end as compared to the trailing end of the heat conductive portion.

8. The water reservoir according to claim 5 , wherein the top of the water reservoir includes a second shoulder spaced further towards the leading edge of the insertion end compared to the transitional shoulder, and wherein a first horizontal distance between the transitional shoulder and the second shoulder is greater than a second horizontal distance between the transitional shoulder and the leading end of the at least one protrusion.

9. The water reservoir according to claim 5 , wherein the trailing end of the at least one protrusion is configured to be completely inserted into the at least one slot when (1) an inlet and/or outlet opening of the water reservoir engages a seal suspended within the cavity of the water reservoir dock and (2) the transitional shoulder of the water reservoir engages a front edge of the cavity of the water reservoir dock.

10. The water reservoir according to claim 1 , wherein the leading end of the at least one protrusion is configured to be inserted into the at least one slot only after the water reservoir has been partially inserted into the cavity of the water reservoir dock.

11. The water reservoir according to claim 1 , further comprising a reservoir lid pivotally coupled to the reservoir base, and wherein the at least one protrusion extends in a horizontal direction and is positioned at a height that is vertically aligned with a pivot axis about which the reservoir lid pivots relative to the reservoir base.

12. The water reservoir according to claim 1 , further comprising a reservoir lid having a retainer configured to releasably engage with a recess in an upper, inside wall of the water reservoir dock in the operative position, and wherein the retainer is vertically aligned with the at least one protrusion.

13. The water reservoir according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more engagement tabs on each side of the water reservoir, each of the one or more engagement tabs configured to be forced downwardly by the water reservoir dock to enhance engagement of the heat conductive portion with the heating assembly.

14. The water reservoir according to claim 13 , further comprising a reservoir lid having a retainer configured to releasably engage with a recess in the water reservoir dock in the operative position, and one of the engagement tabs is substantially aligned with the retainer in a vertical plane, as seen from side view.

15. The water reservoir according to claim 13 , wherein one of the engagement tabs is configured to engage with the water reservoir dock before the at least one protrusion is completely inserted into the at least one slot.

16. The water reservoir according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to be visible through the at least one slot when the water reservoir is in the operative position.

17. The water reservoir according to claim 11 , further comprising a reservoir lid and a hinge joint to hingedly couple the reservoir lid to the reservoir base for hinged movement between an open position and a closed position.

18. The water reservoir according to claim 17 , further comprising a latch arrangement to releasably retain the reservoir lid to the reservoir base in the closed position, wherein the hinge joint is positioned on the insertion end of the water reservoir and the latch arrangement is positioned on the opposite, graspable end of the water reservoir.

19. The water reservoir according to claim

Assignees

• ResMed Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Workman Jeremy William
• Tsai Ernie Wei-Chih
• Dent Michael James
• Kabilafkas Max William Andrew
• Maurer Dimitri Marco
• Chan Andrew
• Formica Justin John
• Verma Hargopal
• Krol-Mazur Katarzyna Anna
• Tan Chia Ik
• Maikim Jessie Cindy

Classifications

• A61M16/107

  in the inspiratory path · CPC title

• A61M16/024 Primary

  including calculation means, e.g. using a processor · CPC title

• A61M2207/00

  Methods of manufacture, assembly or production · CPC title

• A61B5/4818

  Sleep apnoea · CPC title

• A61M2205/3673

  thermo-electric, e.g. Peltier effect, thermocouples, semi-conductors · CPC title