Patent ID: 9717880
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: A61M

Claim:
1. A personal airway humidification apparatus comprising: generating means comprising a humidifier that draws atmospheric air therein and heats and humidifies the atmospheric air to deliver through an outlet of the humidifier a gaseous water-laden heated air consisting of heated air and gaseous (molecular) water; an accumulator coupled to the humidifier and defining a retention volume therein for collecting a retained volume of the gaseous water-laden heated air prior to being delivered by natural breathing to a user, the accumulator having an accumulator inlet located so that all flow of the gaseous water-laden heated air from the outlet of the humidifier to the accumulator inlet is rising, the accumulator having an accumulator outlet for the retained volume of the gaseous water-laden heated air within the retention volume, the accumulator outlet being located above the accumulator inlet so that the accumulator outlet receives the gaseous water-laden heated air rising vertically from the accumulator inlet, the retention volume of the accumulator being entirely above the outlet of the humidifier so that the retained volume of the gaseous water-laden heated air within the accumulator is entirely above the outlet of the humidifier; a delivery tube coupled to the accumulator outlet, the delivery tube having a sufficiently large diameter bore to enable the user's natural breathing to draw from the accumulator and through the delivery tube the gaseous water-laden heated air collected in the accumulator; a one-way valve coupled to the delivery tube for venting exhalations of the user to atmosphere and preventing the exhalations from being exhaled back into the delivery tube; and an interface device configured for delivering the gaseous water-laden heated air from the delivery tube directly into the mouth and/or nose of the user; wherein the retention volume of the accumulator defines a reservoir whose volume per unit length is greater than the delivery tube and the reservoir collects and accumulates a sufficient volume of the gaseous water-laden heated air for inhalation during a user's natural breathing; and wherein the gaseous water-laden heated air generated by the humidifier is 100% water-saturated air and the personal airway humidification apparatus and the accumulator, delivery tube, and interface device thereof are configured so that the user receives the 100% water-saturated air through the interface device at a temperature of at least about 30° C.