Abstract:
A portable gas delivery system includes a mouthpiece, a gas delivery pack and a tubing assembly. The mouthpiece has an upper region and a lower region extending therefrom. The upper region includes a least one nose port. The lower region includes a mouth port. The gas delivery pack has a gas storage region, a gas compression region, or a combination thereof. The tubing assembly operably attached to the mouthpiece and the gas delivery pack for delivering gas from the gas delivery pack to the mouthpiece.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/504,268 filed Sep. 18, 2003 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/519,489 filed Nov. 13, 2003, which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/945,546 filed Sep. 20, 2004. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates generally to a system for delivering oxygen and/or air. More particularly, the invention relates to a portable system for delivering oxygen and/or air to persons in a comfortable and convenient manner during daily activities. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Clean air is an important part of maintaining health in an otherwise healthy person. Environments that contain air-borne pollutants and infectious agents have received much publicity and awareness. Second hand cigarette smoke, carbon monoxide, SARS, dust, pollen and car exhaust, among other such pollutants can cause respiratory discomfort, damage or inefficiency. 
         [0004]    Some of these effects can be temporary, as when exposed to an allergen where the effect disappears when the allergen is removed, and some of these effects can be permanent, as when second-hand cigarette smoke causes cancer. It is beneficial to an otherwise healthy person to maintain a high quality supply of breathable air by either filtering the ambient air before inhalation, or providing an alternate source for the breathable air that excludes a large fraction of the ambient air. 
         [0005]    This effect is well known for unhealthy people, such as an emphysema patient who pulls a cart with an oxygen tank that supplies oxygen to an area around the nose or mouth to enhance the oxygen uptake of damaged lungs. Another example is the oxygen masks used in hospitals to provide a similar effect for the same or other medical purpose. These systems provide higher quality air in a manner that is not easily portable for an individual, and certainly not designed to be fashionable or attractive. 
         [0006]    A personal oxygen and/or air delivery system must further meet certain functional requirements. It must be able to remove some potentially, perceived or actually harmful fraction of the ambient air, or must be able to provide at least a portion of the inhaled air by displacing at least a portion, if not all, of the ambient air with either air filtered by an air filtration pump, or air from a compressed gas tank of appropriate dimension so as to be worn on the body. In the alternative it may be required to do both functions, with some portion of the inhaled air coming through the filter, some portion coming from the gas tank, and the remaining air, if any, coming from the ambient air. 
         [0007]    For the purposes of this application, higher quality air refers to air with either more desirable characteristics, air which has fewer undesirable characteristics, or air which has both more desirable and fewer undesirable characteristics. Percent O 2  content, pollen, particles, aromatic compounds, gaseous and particulate carbon compounds including hydrocarbons, nitrogen containing compounds, carbon monoxide, ozone, viral infectious agents, bacterial infectious agents, sulfur containing compounds, dust, soot, smoke, smog, and many other compounds can, among many other factors, be factors used when determining characteristics of air quality. Desirable and undesirable characteristics can be left to the objective determination of government and industry agencies or subjective determination of each individual user of this system. 
         [0008]    As air quality in some cities declines, and as the perception that the number and quantity of harmful components in the air is increasing, there is a growing group of people who wish to breath higher quality air but are unwilling to pull a tank of higher quality air around in a cart, or unwilling to wear a standard mask or nose-piece normally associated with an unhealthy person, and thus convey a negative body image to others or to themselves. 
         [0009]    Further, there has developed a desire by some people to stop periodically in commercial locations called oxygen bars, or commercial locations, like health clubs, that offer oxygen bars in addition to other services. These commercial locations provide customers with, among other services, an opportunity to temporarily inhale breathable air that can contain higher concentrations of oxygen. 
         [0010]    Such breathable air may also be enhanced with aromas pleasing to the customer. Currently these customers use a small flexible hose called a cannula to deliver the oxygen-enriched breathable air into their nostrils. As part of the experience of being in an oxygen bar and social setting, it is desirable to portray the experience as glamorous or fashionable in addition to being functional. 
         [0011]    Accordingly, it is desirable for the cannula to be incorporated into other devices normally appearing on or around the face of a person to enhance the appearance of glamour or fashion, or to disguise or otherwise hide the functional aspect of the cannula. 
         [0012]    Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to addressing various needs in connection with ensuring that higher quality air is delivered to the nose and or mouth area of a person wearing the system disclosed in this invention. 
         [0013]    Various patents address systems that are designed to permit the wearer to breathe oxygen or purified air. Sanders, U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,164, discloses a portable gas delivery system that includes a gas storage assembly that is connected to a nose piece using flexible tubing. The gas storage assembly includes a strap that enables it to be readily carried by the person using this system. 
         [0014]    AmRhein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,983, discussed a portable oxygen delivery system in which gas storage containers are incorporated into the temples on eyeglasses. Air delivery tubes extend around the wearer&#39;s ears to a nose plug that is placed in the wearer&#39;s nose. 
         [0015]    Peppler, U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,534; and Timmons et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,941, both describe incorporating an oxygen delivery system into eyeglasses. The oxygen is delivered from a storage container to the temples on the eyeglasses. The oxygen is then routed to a nosepiece through the eyeglasses. 
         [0016]    Koch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,067, discloses a system for delivering oxygen. This system has a configuration that is similar to eyeglasses except that it does not include any lenses. Oxygen is delivered to the temple portion that wraps around the wearer&#39;s ear and then to a nose piece that is positioned proximate the wearer&#39;s nose. 
         [0017]    Izuchukwu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,526,968, discusses an air delivery system that is incorporated into a utility belt that is worn by the user. The utility belt includes a pack for storing the compressed gas and a port for connecting to a mask using flexible tubing. 
         [0018]    Izuchukwu et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,859, discloses an emergency breathing apparatus that includes a hood, which is placed over the user&#39;s entire head. Air is delivered to the hood from a storage pack. While such a system is acceptable for emergency situations, the fact that it covers the user&#39;s entire head limits the ability for the user to perform many activities while wearing this device. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    A portable gas delivery system includes a mouthpiece, a gas delivery pack, and a tubing assembly. The mouthpiece has an upper region and a lower region extending therefrom. The upper region includes a least one nose port. The lower region includes a mouth port. The gas delivery pack has a gas storage region, a gas compression region, or a combination thereof. The tubing assembly is operably attached to the mouthpiece and the gas delivery pack for delivering gas from the gas delivery pack to the mouthpiece. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a personal oxygen and air delivery system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the personal oxygen and air delivery system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of an attachment mechanism for the personal oxygen and air delivery system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a front view of a mouthpiece for the personal oxygen and air delivery system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the mouthpiece for the personal oxygen and air delivery system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the mouthpiece for the personal oxygen and air delivery system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is a front view of an oxygen and air delivery pack for the personal oxygen and air delivery system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the personal oxygen and air delivery system. 
           [0028]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the personal oxygen and air delivery system of  FIG. 8 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 10  is a front view of another embodiment of the personal oxygen and air delivery system. 
           [0030]      FIG. 11  is a side view of the personal oxygen and air delivery system of  FIG. 10 . 
           [0031]      FIG. 12  is a side view of a person wearing another embodiment of the personal oxygen and air delivery system. 
           [0032]      FIG. 13  is a side view of another mouthpiece for use with the personal oxygen and air delivery system. 
           [0033]      FIG. 14  is a front view of another mouthpiece for use with the personal oxygen and air delivery system. 
           [0034]      FIG. 15  is a top view of another mouthpiece for use with the personal oxygen and air delivery system. 
           [0035]      FIG. 16  is a side view of the mouthpiece of  FIG. 15 . 
           [0036]      FIG. 17  is a side view of another mouthpiece for use with the personal oxygen and air delivery system. 
           [0037]      FIG. 18  is a side view of another mouthpiece for use with the personal oxygen and air delivery system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0038]    The invention is directed to a portable oxygen and air delivery system, as illustrated at  10  in  FIG. 1 . The portable oxygen and air delivery system  10  is particularly suited for use when performing activities such as riding a bicycle or running. 
         [0039]    The portable oxygen and air delivery system  10  of the invention enables the person using this system to breathe purified air, more highly oxygenated air or combinations thereof. 
         [0040]    The portable oxygen and air delivery system  10  thereby alleviates negative effects from breathing air with contaminants. The enhanced oxygen delivery from the portable oxygen and air delivery system  10  also permits the user to perform activities better. 
         [0041]    The portable oxygen and air delivery system  10  generally includes a mouthpiece  20 , a tubing assembly  22 , and an oxygen and air delivery pack  24 . The mouthpiece  20  includes an upper region  30  and a lower region  32 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  4 - 6 . 
         [0042]    The upper region  30  includes two nose ports  34  that extend into the user&#39;s nose when the portable oxygen and air delivery system  10  is used to deliver oxygen or air directly into the user&#39;s nose. Depending on the intended use conditions, the nose ports  34  may form a substantially air-tight seal with the user&#39;s nostrils such that the only oxygen or air entering the person&#39;s nose is through the mouthpiece  20 . 
         [0043]    The lower region  32  includes one mouth port  36  that is capable of extending into the user&#39;s mouth. Similar to the nose ports  34 , the mouth port  36  may form a substantially airtight seal with the user&#39;s mouth such that the only oxygen or air entering the person&#39;s mouth is through the mouthpiece  20 . 
         [0044]    The mouthpiece  20  may have a U-shaped configuration such that the nose ports  34  can extend into the user&#39;s nostrils and the mouth port  36  can extend into the user&#39;s mouth without the mouthpiece being tight against the user&#39;s face. 
         [0045]    The mouthpiece  20  may include a switch  40  for controlling the flow of oxygen and air through the mouthpiece  20 . In its simplest form, the switch  40  turns on and off the oxygen and air flow. It is also possible for the switch  40  to vary the amount of air flow through the mouthpiece  20  as well as to control the ratio of oxygen to air that flows through the mouthpiece  20 . In situations where the switch  40  controls the ratio of oxygen to air, the tubing assembly  22  could deliver oxygen through a first side and air through a second side. 
         [0046]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , the tubing assembly  22  may be fabricated in a symmetrical configuration where the tubing assembly extends around the left and right sides of the user&#39;s head. Each side of the tubing assembly  22  may include a rotatable connector  42  to assist with positioning the mouthpiece  20  in a desired position with respect to the user&#39;s mouth and nose. 
         [0047]    The rotatable connected  42  also enables the mouthpiece to be moved to below the user&#39;s chin when it is desired to not use the portable oxygen and air delivery system  10  but it is desired for the portable oxygen and air system to be readily accessible for subsequent use. 
         [0048]    Each side of the tubing assembly  22  may include an adapter  44  that has two recesses formed therein  50 ,  52 , as most clearly illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The adapter  44  is capable of engaging a portion of a helmet  46  or similar device that is worn while using the portable oxygen and air delivery system  10 . Alternatively, the adapter  44  may include an adhesive on an inner surface thereof that is attached to the skin of the user. 
         [0049]    The first recess  50  is adapted to receive a portion of the tubing assembly  22 . The first recess  50  can have a substantially cylindrical shape that is approximately the same size as the tubing assembly  22 . The first recess  50  may be configured to restrict sliding of the tubing with respect to the adapter  44 . A slot  54  may also be provided adjacent the first recess  50  to facilitate moving the tubing into and out of the first recess  50 . 
         [0050]    The second recess  52  is adapted to receive a portion of a strap  56  that extends from a helmet  46 , which may be worn when the person is using the portable oxygen and air delivery system  10 . The second recess  52  can have a substantially rectangular cross section that is approximately the same size as the strap  56 . The second recess  52  may be configured to restrict sliding of the strap  56  with respect to the adapter  44 . A slot (not shown) may also be provided adjacent the second recess  52  to facilitate moving the strap  56  into and out of the second recess  52 . 
         [0051]    While not shown, the tubing assembly  22  may include a connector that attaches to both sides of the tubing assembly  22  in back of the wearer&#39;s head. The connector would thereby enhance the ability to maintain the mouthpiece in a desired position with respect to the user&#39;s head. 
         [0052]    The oxygen and air delivery pack  24  is operably attached to an end of the tubing assembly  22  that is opposite the mouthpiece  20 , as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . The oxygen and air delivery pack  24  may have a compact configuration that permits the oxygen and air delivery pack  24  to be worn by the user when performing various activities and may include a strap (not shown) to facilitate mounting the oxygen and air delivery pack  24  to a person&#39;s arm. 
         [0053]    The oxygen and air delivery pack  24  has at least one outlet port  58  for attachment to the tubing assembly. To enhance the ability to use the oxygen and air delivery pack  24 , this component may include a switch  60  that controls the delivery of oxygen and air as well as gauges  62  to show the oxygen and air pressure. 
         [0054]    The oxygen and air delivery pack  24  may include one or more canisters (not shown) of compressed oxygen or air depending on the intended use of the portable oxygen and air delivery system  10 . The oxygen and air delivery pack  24  may also include a compressor and filter (not shown) that receives ambient air and then purifies or enriches the ambient air. 
         [0055]    An alternative configuration of the portable oxygen and air delivery system  110  is particularly suited for wearing on a user&#39;s arm  112 . The portable oxygen and air delivery system  110  generally includes a mouthpiece  120 , an oxygen and air delivery pack  122  and a harness  124 . 
         [0056]    This embodiment of the portable oxygen and air delivery system  110  is particularly suited for periodic use by the user turning his/her head towards the mouthpiece  120  so that the mouthpiece  120  extends into the user&#39;s mouth. 
         [0057]    Flow of oxygen and air through the mouthpiece may be activated by the user compressing the mouthpiece  120  with his/her teeth. This configuration thereby permits the portable oxygen and air delivery system  110  to be used without the user touch the device with his/her hands. It is also possible to adapt the concepts of this embodiment so that flow of oxygen and air is initiated by a hand or foot control. 
         [0058]    Similar to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-7 , the oxygen and air delivery pack  122  may either include canisters of compressed oxygen and air or compressor and filter. 
         [0059]    The harness  124  preferably maintains the oxygen and air delivery pack  122  in a substantially stationary position with respect to the user&#39;s arm  112  to enhance the ability of the user to access the mouthpiece  120  when desired while minimizing the potential interference to the user&#39;s desired activities while using the portable oxygen and air delivery system  110 . 
         [0060]    The harness  124  generally includes a recess  130  that is adapted to receive the oxygen and air delivery pack  122 . The harness  124  may also include two pairs of straps  132  that are capable of extending around the user&#39;s arm proximate the upper and lower ends of the oxygen and air delivery pack  122 . Ends of the straps  132  are preferably attached together with a removable fastening device such as a hook and loop fastener  134 . Alternatively, the harness  124  may comprise a sleeve through which the user&#39;s arm extends. 
         [0061]    Another embodiment of the portable oxygen and air delivery system  210  is particularly suited for use while performing activities in which goggles  212  or similar devices extend over the user&#39;s eyes, such as snorkeling and snow skiing. The portable oxygen and air delivery system  210  generally includes a nosepiece  220  that extends from a lower edge of the goggles  212 . 
         [0062]    The nosepiece  220  includes two nose ports  222  that extend into the user&#39;s nose when the portable oxygen and air delivery system  210  is used to deliver oxygen or air directly into the user&#39;s nose. Depending on the intended use conditions, the nose ports  222  may form a substantially air-tight seal with the user&#39;s nostrils such that the only oxygen or air entering the person&#39;s nose is through the nosepiece  220 . 
         [0063]    The nosepiece  220  may be attached to the goggles  212  only on a single side to facilitate bending the- nosepiece  220  to a position that is not in the user&#39;s nose when it is not desired to use the portable oxygen and air delivery system  210 . Other embodiments of the portable oxygen and air delivery system  210  attach the nosepiece  220  on both sides to enhance the ability to maintain the nosepiece  220  in a desired position with respect to the user&#39;s nose. 
         [0064]    A tubing assembly  230  extends from the nosepiece  220  to a connector  232  that may be attached to a back portion of a strap  234  on the goggles  212 . The tubing assembly may be integrated at least partially into the strap  234  to facilitate maintaining the tubing assembly  230  in a substantially stationary position with respect to the strap  234 . 
         [0065]    The connector  232  is adapted to receive tubing that extends from an oxygen and air delivery pack (not shown). The oxygen and air delivery pack (not shown) may have a similar configuration to the oxygen and air delivery pack described with reference to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-7 . 
         [0066]    When performing certain activities, the user may need to wear an object such as a helmet that substantially covers the user&#39;s head. In these situations, the portable oxygen and air delivery system includes a harness  300  that extends over at least a portion of the user&#39;s head  302 . The harness  300  thereby enables the oxygen and air to be delivered to the user&#39;s nose and mouth while enabling the helmet to fit snugly on the user&#39;s head. 
         [0067]    The harness  300  can include an upper strap  310 , a lower strap  312  and at least one interconnection panel  314  that is attached to the upper strap  310  and the lower strap  312 . The upper strap  310  extends around the user&#39;s head so that a front portion  316  is on the user&#39;s forehead. The lower strap  312  extends around the user&#39;s head so that a front portion  318  is between the user&#39;s nose and mouth. 
         [0068]    Tubing at least partially extends through the lower strap  312  so that oxygen and air can be delivered from an oxygen and air delivery pack (not shown) to proximate the user&#39;s nose and mouth. This embodiment may also include one or more ports that extend into either the user&#39;s nose or mouth. 
         [0069]    Another embodiment of the mouthpiece  400  is particularly suited for use by babies and young children, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 . The mouthpiece  400  has a shape that is similar to a conventional pacifier with an inner portion  410  that is capable of extending into the mouth of the user, a flange portion  412  that limits a distance to which the inner portion  410  may be inserted into the user&#39;s mouth, and an outer portion  414  that includes a ring  416  or other device to facilitate holding the mouthpiece  400  or attaching the mouthpiece  400  to another object to reduce the potential of the mouthpiece  400  being lost. 
         [0070]    The mouthpiece  400  includes an aperture  420  that extends therethrough such that tubing (not shown) may be connected to the outer portion  414  for delivery of oxygen and air to the user. The oxygen and air delivery pack (not shown) may have a similar configuration to the oxygen and air delivery pack described with reference to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-7 . 
         [0071]    Since it is often difficult to convince babies and young children to retain oxygen and air delivery tubes on their faces, another embodiment of the mouthpiece  500  includes shape that is similar to play masks such as are worn for Halloween, as illustrated in  FIG. 14 . While the mouthpiece  500  is generally depicted as having a feline type shape, the mouthpiece  500  may have a variety of shapes to appeal to particular users. 
         [0072]    The mouthpiece  500  includes tubing  502  that preferably extends at least partially therethrough for discharging oxygen and air proximate to the nostrils  504  of the person wearing the mouthpiece  500 . The oxygen and air delivery pack (not shown) may have a similar configuration to the oxygen and air delivery pack described with reference to the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-7 . 
         [0073]    When performing certain activities, it is desired for the mouthpiece  600  to fit at least partially within the user&#39;s mouth, such as when swimming, playing football or playing hockey, as illustrated in  FIGS. 15-16 . This configuration of the mouthpiece  600  can be curved to generally conform to the curvature of the user&#39;s mouth. 
         [0074]    The mouthpiece  600  includes at least one oxygen and air inlet port  602  and at least one oxygen and air outlet port  604 . The oxygen and air inlet port  602  can include an air flow control  606  that is operated from pressure by the user&#39;s teeth so that when the user bites down on the mouthpiece  600 , air flows through the mouthpiece  600  and into the user&#39;s mouth. The oxygen and air outlet port  604  can include a one-way valve that permits air to pass through the mouthpiece  600  when the user exhales. 
         [0075]    Since many persons are in the habit of placing objects such as cigarettes and cigars into their mouths, the mouthpiece  700  may be shaped similar to a conventional cigarette or cigar, as illustrated in  FIGS. 17-18 . 
         [0076]    The mouthpiece  700  generally includes an oxygen and air entry port  702  and an oxygen and air exit port  704 . The oxygen and air entry port  702  is adapted for attachment to an oxygen and air delivery pack (not shown) using tubing (not shown) through either an end ( FIGS. 15-17 ) or a side ( FIG. 18 ) of the mouthpiece  700 . 
         [0077]    The oxygen exit port  704  may be shaped similar to the filter end on a conventional cigarette such that the user could replace the habit of periodically placing a cigarette into his/her mouth with putting the mouthpiece  700  into his/her mouth. 
         [0078]    It is contemplated that features disclosed in this application, as well as those described in the above applications incorporated by reference, can be mixed and matched to suit particular circumstances. Various other modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill.