Multi-mode respiratory therapy apparatus, system, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12280207-B2
Application number	US-202318183329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2023
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Apr 22, 2025
Grant date	Apr 22, 2025

Abstract

A respiratory therapy apparatus is operable to deliver multiple types of therapy to a patient. The apparatus includes a main housing and a nebulizer tray that selectively attaches to a bottom of the main housing. The apparatus also includes a filter housing unit having an antenna surrounding a pneumatic passage and a transponder chip coupled to the antenna. The main housing has also has an antenna that surrounds a respective pneumatic passage of a main outlet port of the apparatus. The main housing includes a reader that controls communication between the antennae. The main housing of the apparatus also has a pivotable hose support plate, a firmware upgrade port underneath part of the top wall of the housing, and a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays various user inputs for control of the apparatus and that displays various alert conditions that are detected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A respiratory therapy apparatus comprising
a housing having a hose port extending from a front wall of the housing and defining a pneumatic passage through the front wall,
a tag reader located in the housing and having a first antenna situated adjacent an inner surface of the front wall and surrounding the hose port,
a filter housing sized to couple to the hose port, the filter housing having a filter receiving space positioned between a filter inlet and a filter outlet, a filter passage extending though the filter housing between the filter inlet and the filter outlet,
a filter located in the filter receiving space,
a second antenna coupled to the filter housing and surrounding the filter passage, and
an identification (ID) chip carried by the filter housing and coupled to the second antenna, wherein the tag reader is configured to read the ID chip via wireless signals between the first antenna and the second antenna to confirm the filter housing is an authorized filter housing for use with the respiratory therapy apparatus, wherein the first antenna comprises a substantially flat annular ring that is substantially parallel with the filter and a set of mounting ears extending radially outwardly from the substantially flat annular ring.

2. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ID chip is a radio frequency (RF) ID chip and the wireless signals comprise RF signals communicated between the first antenna and the second antenna.

3. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising control circuitry located in the housing and electronically coupled to the tag reader, the control circuitry being configured to command operation of a pressure source located in the housing, the RF signals include data regarding a prior number of uses of the filter, and the control circuitry disabling operation of the pressure source if the prior number of uses of the filter exceeds a threshold number of uses.

4. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to command the tag reader to write new data to the RF ID chip, the new data being transmitted from the first antenna to the second antenna, and the new data including a new total number of uses of the filter which comprises incrementing by one the number of prior uses of the filter.

5. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising a display, wherein the prior number of uses of the filter is shown on the display in response to the filter housing being coupled to the hose port.

6. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 5 , wherein, if the prior number of uses of the filter exceeds the threshold number of uses a notification is provided on the display.

7. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the notification indicates that the filter needs to be replaced.

8. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the notification comprises an icon shown on the display.

9. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising an alarm and wherein the alarm is triggered if the prior number of uses of the filter exceeds the threshold number of uses.

10. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tag reader is configured to use the first antenna to emit energy to the second antenna to power the ID chip.

11. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the filter has a first substantially circular outer periphery of a first diameter, the second antenna has a second substantially circular periphery of a second diameter, and the first diameter is larger than the second diameter.

12. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the second antenna is also configured as a substantially flat annular ring and is substantially parallel with the filter.

13. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second antenna also is configured as a substantially flat annular ring.

14. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the second antenna is sandwiched between a face material and a substrate.

15. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 14 , wherein either or both of the face material and the substrate comprises a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material.

16. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the face material and the substrate are both configured as substantially flat annular rings.

17. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising an adhesive layer on the substrate and backing paper attached to the adhesive layer such that the adhesive layer is situated between the backing paper and the substrate.

18. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the backing paper comprises a silicon liner or a siliconized paper.

19. The respiratory therapy apparatus of any of claim 1 , wherein the second antenna is made of copper.

20. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the filter housing includes a substantially cylindrical first tubular portion that includes the filter inlet, a substantially cylindrical second tubular portion that includes the filter outlet, a first substantially frustoconical portion extending from the first tubular portion, and a second substantially frustoconical portion extending from the second tubular portion, the first and second substantially frustoconical portions meeting at a joint defining an annular apex of the filter housing, wherein a shoulder wall portion is formed on the second substantially frustoconical portion and the second antenna is mounted to the shoulder wall portion.

21. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the first and second tubular portions are aligned along an axis of the filter passage, the shoulder wall portion includes a shoulder surface that surrounds the axis and that is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the filter passage, and the second antenna is mounted to the shoulder surface.

22. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the second antenna is formed as a substantially flat annular ring that mounts to the shoulder surface.

23. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the filter comprises a substantially circular disk that is substantially parallel with the second antenna and the shoulder surface.

24. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the filter comprises a substantially circular disk having an outer periphery adjacent the annular apex of the joint.

25. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ID chip and the second antenna cooperate to send and receive wireless communications within a frequency range between about 12 Mega Hertz (MHz) and about 14 MHz.

26. The respiratory therapy apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising control circuitry coupled to the reader and including a graphical user interface (GUI) and a controller, the controller being configured to command the GUI to display a plurality of navigable screens that are usable to control features and functions of the respiratory therapy apparatus, a first group of screens of the plurality of navigable screens being usable to establish wireless communication between the control circuitry and a bar code scanner, which is operable to scan identification (ID) bar codes of a patient and a respiratory therapist for storage in a memory of the control circuitry, a second group of screens of the plurality of navigabl

Assignees

• Hill Rom Services Pte Ltd
• Hill Rom Service Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Sing Jack Barney
• Tay Yong Guan
• Yong Song Chiun
• Tay Wee Chin
• Mahalingam Pratheep Kumar
• Varma Sangadi Nookarajesh
• Ganesan Ravivarman
• Liau Shu Hwa
• Artiaga Jr Leonardo B
• Cong Jiang
• Noaeill Leah
• Malaret Susan
• Wu Baoyi
• Pelo Travis A
• Liew Justin

Classifications

• A61M2205/3561

  local, e.g. within room or hospital · CPC title

• A61M16/0816

  Joints or connectors · CPC title

• A61M16/107

  in the inspiratory path · CPC title

• A61M2205/505

  Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches · CPC title

• A61M2205/3592

  using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission · CPC title