Humidifier heater base

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9174017-B2
Application number	US-201013375975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2010
Priority date	Jun 5, 2009
Publication date	Nov 3, 2015
Grant date	Nov 3, 2015

Abstract

A humidifier heater base assembly has a heater plate with a thermally conductive portion and a perimeter portion around a perimeter of the heater plate. A resilient member has an inner part attached to the perimeter portion and an outer part adapted to provide a resilient perimeter flange around at least part and preferably the whole of the perimeter portion. The resilient member fixes the heater base to the humidifier by the resilient perimeter flange such that the heater plate and the inner part can move relative to the humidifier in a direction substantially transverse to the general plane of the heater plate. At least a portion of the resilient perimeter flange remains stationary relative to the humidifier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A humidifier of the type used for heating and humidifying a flow of respiratory gases supplied to a user, said humidifier adapted to heat the contents of a humidifier chamber which is removably attachable to said humidifier, said humidifier comprising:
a base unit adapted to hold said humidifier chamber in position relative to said humidifier;
a heater plate;
a resilient support member fixed to said heater plate, said resilient support member mounting said heater plate to said base unit and providing a fluid barrier between said heater plate and said base unit; and
a heating element adapted to provide heat to said heater plate.

2. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said resilient support member is fixed to said base unit such that said resilient support member mounts said heater plate to said base unit so that said heater plate is movable relative to said base unit.

3. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said resilient support member comprises a narrow section between said heater plate and said base unit, said narrow section providing an area in which said resilient support member elastically deflects when said heater plate is displaced relative to said base unit in a direction substantially transverse to a general plane of said heater plate in use.

4. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said resilient support member comprises a skirt section formed in said resilient support member between said heater plate and said base unit, said skirt section being adapted to elastically deflect when said heater plate is displaced relative to said base unit in a direction substantially transverse to a general plane of said heater plate.

5. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said humidifier comprises a locking mechanism adapted to retain said humidifier chamber in an installed position with a base of said humidifier chamber adjacent to and contacting said heater plate and, when in said installed position, said base of said humidifier chamber displacing said heater plate downwards, said resilient support member biasing said heater plate upwards against said base of said humidifier chamber;
said locking mechanism being movable from an unlocked position to a locked position and back again such that movement from said unlocked to said locked position presses said humidifier chamber downwards against said heater plate by a distance, thereby displacing said heater plate downwards by said distance; and
wherein a gap is included between said base unit and a bottom surface of said resilient support member or heater plate or both, said gap being sized to allow said heater plate to displace downwardly from a neutral position and said gap being greater than said distance.

6. A humidifier as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said resilient support member comprises a first portion coupled to said heater plate and a second portion providing a flange around at least part of a perimeter portion of said heater plate, said heater base plate fixed to said base unit by said flange in such a manner that said heater plate and said first portion can move relative to said base unit.

7. A humidifier as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said heater plate and said first portion can move relative to said base unit in a direction substantially transverse to a general plane of said heater plate.

8. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said resilient support member comprises a flexible gasket or diaphragm that is adapted to resiliently fix said heater plate to said base unit of said humidifier.

9. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said resilient support member is moulded to said heater plate.

10. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said resilient support member is attached to a perimeter portion of said heater plate.

11. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said resilient support member extends around a full perimeter of said heater plate.

12. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said base unit further comprises two humidifier components and said resilient support member is clamped between said two humidifier components to secure said heater plate to said base unit with at least a portion of said resilient support member being at least slightly compressed between said two humidifier components.

13. A humidifier as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said resilient support member comprises an outer part that extends outwards from a perimeter portion of said heater plate.

14. A humidifier as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said outer part mounts on said base unit.

Assignees

• Potharaju Venkata Subbarao
• Sun Yi-Cheng
• D Andrea Dominique
• Salmon Andrew Paul Maxwell
• Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd

Inventors

• Potharaju Venkata Subbarao
• Sun Yi-Cheng
• D Andrea Dominique
• Salmon Andrew Paul Maxwell

Classifications

• A61M16/16 Primary

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

• A61M16/1095

  in the connecting tubes · CPC title

• A61M16/1075 Primary

  by influencing the temperature (A61M16/1045 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61M16/109 Primary

  the humidifying liquid or the beneficial agent · CPC title

• A61M2207/10

  Device therefor · CPC title