Headgear for a patient interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12420048-B2
Application number	US-202217718670-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2022
Priority date	Aug 20, 2018
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

A positioning and stabilising structure comprising at least one gas delivery tube to receive the flow of air from a connection port on top of the patient's head and to deliver the flow of air to the entrance of the patient's airways via the seal-forming structure, the at least one gas delivery tube comprising a tube wall having an extendable concertina structure comprising a plurality of folds in the tube wall alternatingly forming a plurality of ridges and a plurality of grooves, the folds able to be at least partially unfolded to increase a separation of the ridges to elongate the extendable concertina structure; and one or more ridge connecting portions provided to the tube wall, each of the one or more ridge connecting portions connecting two or more adjacent ridges of the plurality of ridges and being configured to resist the separation of the ridges.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A positioning and stabilising structure for a patient interface, the positioning and stabilising structure configured to hold a seal-forming structure of the patient interface in a therapeutically effective position on a patient's head, the positioning and stabilising structure comprising:
a connection port configured to be positioned superior to the patient's head in use;
a pair of gas delivery tubes, each of the gas delivery tubes configured to be positioned on a corresponding lateral side of the patient's head, each of the gas delivery tubes being configured to receive a flow of air from the connection port and deliver the flow of air to an entrance of the patient's airways via the seal-forming structure, each of the gas delivery tubes comprising:
a superior tube portion configured to overlie a superior region of the patient's head, the superior tube portion comprising:
a first end portion configured to overlie a superior portion of the patient's head at or proximal to the sagittal plane of the patient's head;
a second end portion configured to overlie a lateral portion of the patient's head that is superior to the otobasion superior of the patient's head; and
a first stiffened portion and a second stiffened portion between the first end portion and the second end portion, and each of the first stiffened portion and the second stiffened portion configured to be more resistant to relative movement between the first end portion and the second end portion in the anterior direction or the posterior direction of the patient's head than in a superior direction or an inferior direction of the patient's head; and

an inferior tube portion connected to the second end portion of the superior tube portion and configured to removably connect to a plenum chamber connected to the seal-forming structure.

2. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , further comprising a strap connected to each of the gas delivery tubes and configured to overlie or lie inferior to an occipital bone of the patient's head.

3. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , wherein the pair of gas delivery tubes are integrally formed from a single, homogeneous piece of silicone.

4. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , wherein the second end portion is configured to be positioned laterally and inferiorly of the first end portion, in use.

5. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , wherein the superior tube portion of each of the gas delivery tubes has a pair of opposing first sides and a pair of opposing second sides that are shorter than the first sides, and one of the first sides is configured to lie against the patient's head.

6. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 5 , wherein each of the first sides is joined to both of the second sides at corners that are rounded.

7. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 5 , wherein the second sides are rounded.

8. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , wherein the superior tube portion of each of the gas delivery tubes comprises an extendable portion.

9. The patient interface of claim 8 , wherein the extendable portion comprises a concertina structure that forms a tube wall of each of the gas delivery tubes.

10. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , wherein a tube wall of the superior tube portion comprises a plurality of folds that form a plurality of ridges and a plurality of grooves, and
wherein one of the grooves is positioned on a first side of each of the ridges proximal to the first end portion and one of the grooves is positioned on a second side of each of the ridges proximal to the second end portion.

11. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 10 , wherein in each of the first stiffened portion and the second stiffened portion comprises a connecting portion formed in the tube wall that connects a pair of opposing ones of the ridges.

12. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of ridges and the plurality of grooves are curved such that a concave side of each the grooves and the ridges faces the first end portion.

13. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of grooves comprise a plurality of first grooves configured to face the patient's head and a plurality of second grooves opposite the plurality of first grooves.

14. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 10 , wherein each of the first stiffened portion and the second stiffened portion is between one of the first grooves and a corresponding one of the second grooves.

15. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of delivery tubes comprises a tube wall and each of the first stiffened portion and the second stiffened portions comprises one or more rigidising components.

16. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 15 , wherein each rigidising component comprises a higher stiffness than the tube wall and is embedded within the tube wall.

17. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , wherein the first stiffened portion is configured to face in an anterior direction relative to the patient's head, and
wherein the second stiffened portion is configured to face in a posterior direction relative to the patient's head.

18. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of first stiffened portions and a plurality of second stiffened portions.

19. The positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 , wherein the connection port is positioned between each of the gas delivery tubes.

20. A patient interface comprising:
a plenum chamber pressurisable to a therapeutic pressure of at least 6 cmH2O above ambient air pressure, the plenum chamber including a pair of plenum chamber inlet ports sized and structured to receive a flow of air at the therapeutic pressure for breathing by the patient;
a seal-forming structure constructed and arranged to seal with a region of the patient's face surrounding an entrance to the patient's airways for sealed delivery of the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure throughout the patient's respiratory cycle in use, the seal-forming structure having a hole therein such that the flow of air at the therapeutic pressure is delivered to at least an entrance to the patient's nares, the seal-forming structure constructed and arranged to maintain the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber throughout the patient's respiratory cycle in use;
the positioning and stabilising structure of claim 1 comprising a pair of gas delivery tubes, each of the gas delivery tubes being configured to be connected to a corresponding one of the plenum chamber inlet ports; and
a vent structure comprising a plurality of holes formed on the plenum chamber to allow a continuous flow of gases exhaled by the patient from an interior of the plenum chamber to ambient, the vent structure being sized and shaped to maintain the therapeutic pressure in the plenum chamber in use,
wherein the patient interface is configured to allow the patient to breath from ambient through their mouth in the absence of a flow of pressurised air through the plenum chamber inlet port, or the patient interface is configured to leave the patient's mouth uncovered.

Assignees

• ResMed Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Blanch Emily Elizabeth
• Kooij Michiel
• Wagner Stewart Joseph
• White Hadley
• Watson Paul Derrick
• Kirkpatrick Ryan Michael

Classifications

• A61M2205/42

  Reducing noise · CPC title

• A61M16/16

  Devices to humidify the respiration air {(A61M16/1045 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A61M16/0875

  Connecting tubes · CPC title

• A61M16/0816

  Joints or connectors · CPC title

• A61M16/0666 Primary

  Nasal cannulas or tubing (devices for improving normal breathing through the nose A61F5/08; nose filters A62B23/06; outside holding devices A61M25/02) · CPC title