Abstract:
A method of cleaning a human-interface cleaning device commonly used for the treatment of sleep apnea. 
     The method involves removing the first end of the hose from an air-flow generator, obtaining a cleaning device having a receiving member with a flexible base at one end and a tube-like member at the other end, inserting the flexible base into a solvent transporting mechanism, inserting the tube-like member into the first end of the flexible hose of the air-flow generator, and engaging the solvent transporting mechanism to transport solvent therefrom and into and through the cleaning device.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/751,461, filed on May 21, 2007. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    None. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    This method of this disclosure relates to an improvement in cleaning methods for tube-like objects, associated with, and, CPAP, systems, and more particularly to a cleaning device suited for cleaning and maintaining tube-like components use in and for respiratory systems. 
         [0004]    Sleep apnea is a true breathing obstruction which, according to the National Institutes of Health, affects over 12 million Americans. A person afflicted with sleep apnea requires that person, when sleeping, to awaken to begin breathing again. Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea, a result of the obstruction, and sometimes even a cause of sleep apnea. Snoring by itself, however, does not involve the cessation of breathing. 
         [0005]    As concisely stated by the National Sleep Foundation on their website and included herein, sleep apnea causes a person to stop breathing periodically throughout sleep, which upsets the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. The brain senses the reduction in oxygen and the increase in carbon dioxide and sends a signal to resume breathing. The person wakes up in response to the breathing arousal signal from the brain. The muscles of the tongue and throat awaken to enlarge the airway and allow carbon dioxide to escape and oxygen to enter. The waking episodes are necessary to restart breathing (and save the person&#39;s life), but they prevent the individual from getting high-quality sleep. 
         [0006]    On a physical level, the sleep apnea sufferer cannot breathe because they have an obstructed airway. The throat muscles and tongue relax too much and may be enlarged or misshapen, so the air passage is narrowed during sleep. 
         [0007]    Sleep apnea sufferers awaken frequently to restart breathing, but they remember little or nothing of being awake. Frequent waking at night may be a sign of sleep apnea. The frequency of waking episodes varies, but may be between 10 and 60 per night. Severe sleep apnea may cause the sleeper to experience more than 100 waking episodes in a single night. One measure of sleep apnea is that the person must stop breathing for a period of at least 10 seconds or more, five times within an hour. Some sleep apnea sufferers may stop breathing for as long as two minutes. Basically there are three types of sleep apnea; obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and mixed sleep apnea. 
         [0008]    Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common type of sleep apnea. OSA is caused by an obstruction in or blockage of the airway usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep which then actually stops the air flow in the nose and mouth. Throat and abdominal breathing continue normally. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is commonly accompanied by snoring and causes the sleeper to wake up, gasping or snorting, and then go back to sleep again. 
         [0009]    Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) is a much less common type than Obstructive Sleep Apnea. In Central Sleep Apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe or the brain signal that instructs the body to breathe is delayed. With CSA, oral breathing and throat and abdominal breathing all cease at the same time. The periods of breathing interruption may last a few seconds, and breathing may be too shallow to provide oxygen to the blood and tissues. CSA may be associated with irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attack, and/or stroke. 
         [0010]    Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of the two other types of sleep apnea, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea, at the same time. 
         [0011]    With each apnea event, however, the brain briefly arouses the sleeper in order for them to resume breathing. Consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type of sleep apnea, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or even longer. 
         [0012]    Signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include: 
         [0013]    a. Frequent cessation of breathing (apnea) during sleep. Your sleep partner may notice repeated silences from your side of the bed. 
         [0014]    b. Choking, gasping, or gagging during sleep to get air into the lungs 
         [0015]    c. Loud snoring 
         [0016]    d. Waking up sweating during the night 
         [0017]    e. Feeling unrefreshed in the morning after a night&#39;s sleep 
         [0018]    f. Headaches upon awakening 
         [0019]    g. Daytime sleepiness, including falling asleep at inappropriate times, such as during driving or at work 
         [0020]    h. Lethargy 
         [0021]    I. Rapid weight gain 
         [0022]    j. Memory loss and learning difficulties 
         [0023]    k. Short attention span 
         [0024]    l. Poor judgment 
         [0025]    m. Depression 
         [0026]    n. Personality changes 
         [0027]    o. Untreated sleep apnea also may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes. 
         [0028]    Several known causes of sleep apnea include: 
         [0029]    a. Obstructed airway. 
         [0030]    b. Central nervous system disorder such as a stroke, a brain tumor, or even a viral brain infection. 
         [0031]    c. Chronic respiratory disease. 
         [0032]    d. Obesity or excessive weight gain 
         [0033]    e. Age. 
         [0034]    f. Gender. Men are more likely to experience sleep apnea because they have narrower airways than do women. 
         [0035]    g. Irregular sleep hours. 
         [0036]    h. High blood pressure is another risk factor for sleep apnea. 
         [0037]    i. Anatomic abnormalities or facial deformities, such as nasal obstruction, an enlarged tongue, a narrow airway, a receding chin, a small jaw, tissues blocking the airway, a deviated septum, polyps, or certain palate and jaw shapes. 
         [0038]    j. Snoring itself is not only a result of sleep apnea, but also a cause. The repeated vibrations of the soft palate during snoring can cause the soft palate to lengthen, which can obstruct the airway. 
         [0039]    k. Enlarged tonsils or adenoids in children. 
         [0040]    l. Use of alcohol and sedatives before bedtime. 
         [0041]    m. Nasal congestion, nasal blockages, and nasal irritants such as household dust and dander can inhibit breathing through the nose and force breathing through the throat, which may also be blocked 
         [0042]    n. Severe heartburn or acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD). 
         [0043]    As mentioned earlier, sleep apnea is very common and affects more than 12 million Americans. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of 40, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Because of the lack of public awareness and lack of awareness by many healthcare professionals, the vast majority of those suffering from sleep apnea remain undiagnosed and therefore remain untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences. 
         [0044]    Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Sleep apnea is a dangerous and progressive sleep disorder and it generally gets worse as the person afflicted with it ages. Not only does sleep apnea result in sleep deprivation, but it also can threaten your life. 
         [0045]    Sleep apnea, however, can be diagnosed and it can be treated effectively. To diagnose for sleep apnea, a doctor will probably perform a physical examination of the person&#39;s mouth; and/or recommend an overnight sleep study in a sleep clinic. 
         [0046]    Several treatment options currently exist and on-going research into additional treatment options continues. Several such treatment options include behavioral changes, surgery (extremely intrusive), medication (though not generally effective), and physical and mechanical therapy. The latter (physical and mechanical therapy) have been found most effective in the treatment of sleep apnea. 
         [0047]    Such physical and mechanical therapies include oxygen administration, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), surgery, and dental appliances or jaw adjustment devices. Of these, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is one of the most common long-term treatments for severe sleep apnea. 
         [0048]    CPAP therapy requires the person to wear a mask over their nose during sleep. The mask blows air through the nasal passages, and the pressure is adjusted to keep the airway open during the night. A mask in such therapies, however, is cumbersome to use, uncomfortable to wear, especially while trying to sleep, and difficult to maintain. 
         [0049]    A novel air passage device entails the use of a nasal interface which has nasal ports to be inserted directly into one&#39;s nostrils. This device is illustrated in  FIG. 1  and has been found to be equally effective as a CPAP treatment therapy while at the same time causing little or no discomfort to the wearer as opposed to the mask described earlier. 
         [0050]    Either form of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is often successful in treating sleep apnea, although for to be effective, CPAP patients must consistently use the nasal mask or nasal interface and commit to other lifestyle changes as well, such as losing weight. Unfortunately, many people find CPAP a difficult treatment because of discomfort or claustrophobia as to the mask. Additionally, and the most common reason for discontinued use of CPAP, particularly for those using the nasal interface, is the required daily maintenance of the device used. Therefor, while CPAP is effective, it is often unsuccessful because of noncompliance. 
         [0051]    The device of this present disclosure provides a solution for non-use of these important CPAP treatment systems, particularly those using the nasal interface type, by greatly simplifying the maintenance and cleaning process for these treatment systems. 
         [0052]    The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the cleaning device of the present disclosure. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the cleaning device of the present disclosure. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed cleaning device of the present disclosure in a different manner or by modifying the cleaning device of the present disclosure within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the cleaning device of the present disclosure may be had by referring to the summary of the cleaning device of the present disclosure and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the cleaning device of the present disclosure defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0053]    The above-noted problems, among others, are overcome by the cleaning method for a human-interface cleaning device. This method involves removing the first end of the hose from an air-flow generator, obtaining a cleaning device having a receiving member with a flexible base at one end and a tube-like or funnel-like member at the other end, inserting the flexible base into a solvent transporting mechanism, inserting the funnel-like member into the first end of the flexible hose of the air-flow generator, and engaging the solvent transporting mechanism to transport solvent therefrom and into and through the cleaning device. 
         [0054]    With the solvent-receiving end of a cleaning device attached to a suitable solvent-delivery source, such as, but not limited to, a faucet, and the solvent-discharge end of the cleaning device attached to a receiving aperture of a hose or other receiving aperture of a human-interface device, the funnel-like structure of the solvent-discharge end will cause the force of the solvent entering the cleaning device to be much greater than the force of the solvent entering the cleaning device such that the cleansing power of the cleaning device will be greatly enhanced. 
         [0055]    The foregoing has outlined the more pertinent and important features of the cleaning device of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood so the present contributions to the art may be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the cleaning device of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the disclosed specific embodiment may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures and methods for carrying out the same purposes of the cleaning device of the present disclosure. It also should be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions and methods do not depart from the spirit and scope of the cleaning device of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0056]    For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the cleaning device of the present disclosure, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0057]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a human-interface system and an illustration of its use. 
           [0058]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the cleaning device of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0059]    Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to  FIG. 2 , reference character  10  generally designates a cleaning device constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the cleaning device of the present disclosure.  FIG. 1  illustrates the device and operations of associated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) as a treatment for sleep apnea. 
         [0060]    The device  40  typically is typically what is referred to in the art as a human-interface. It can be a full-face mask or a partial-face mask or a nasal-like device [as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ] which has two nasal ports  45  insertable into a user&#39;s nostrils. It must be understood that the human-interface device  40  as referred to herein could be mask-like or nasal-like with nasal ports  45 . In either event, the purpose of the human-interface device  40 , whether mask-like or nasal-like, it to force air into the user. The cleaning device  10  of this disclosure is adapted to clean both types and is not limited to the nasal-like only. 
         [0061]      FIG. 1  illustrates the human-interface  40  as nasal-like having nasal ports  45  which fit into one&#39;s nostrils. Attachment straps  43  on the device  40  typically fit over the user&#39;s head to hold the device  40  in place while the user sleeps. This device  40  is attached to an air-flow generator  30  via a flexible hose  34 . The flexible hose  34  has attachment interfaces  33 ,  35  at each end. One end, the air-flow attachment interface  33 , is connected to the air-flow port  31  of the air-flow generator  30 . The other end, the human-interface device attachment interface  35 , connects to the in-take port  41  of the nasal-interface device  40 . 
         [0062]    A person suffering from sleep apnea will don the device  40  with hose  34  attached to the device  40  and to the air-flow generator  30 . The air-flow generator  30  will then be turned on which directs a continuous flow of air through the hose  34 , into and through the human-interface device  40  and into the wearer&#39;s nostrils. The air pressure is adjusted to keep the airway open during the night and assist the user in breathing thereby defeating the effects of sleep apnea. 
         [0063]    As mentioned previously, cleaning such a device  40 , whether nasal-like or mask-like, is cumbersome and many people neglect this task or, in the alternative, discontinue CPAP treatment. Either option is not desirable from a health-care perspective. The cleaning device of the present disclosure  10  solves this dilemma and simplifies the cleaning process associated with cleaning typical and similar human-interface devices  40  as described herein whether such be mask-like or nasal-like in configuration. 
         [0064]    The cleaning device of the present disclosure  10  has a solvent-receiving member  11  [its base] and a solvent-discharge member  21 ,  25 . The solvent may be water, the universal solvent, or any other commercially available solvent suited for the intended purpose of conveying a solution to and through the human-interface device  40  so as to cleanse it. 
         [0065]    The base  11  has an opening  15  with two or more axial slits  13  extending outward from the opening  15  toward the perimeter of the base  11  thereby forming the flaps  14 . The opening  15  may be, but need not be, centrally located on the base. The base  11  and its flaps  14  are made of flexible material such as, but not limited to, rubber, vinyl, resilient polymers, or combinations thereof. 
         [0066]    A side wall  17  which encircles the base, extends upward from the base  11  and, at the distal end of the side wall  17 , connects to the solvent-discharge member  21 ,  25 . The solvent-discharge member  21 ,  25  has a cone-like extension  21  culminating in a tube-like member  25  which has a opening at its distal end. This cone-like extension  21  and tube-like member  25  resemble a funnel device. 
         [0067]    The proximal end of the cone-like member  21  is attached to the distal end of the side wall  17  and has a pre-determined outside diameter which is approximately equal to the outside diameter of the side wall  17 . From this point of attachment, the cone-like member  21  tapers to a smaller outside diameter which connects to the tube-like member  25  and, at that point of connection, approximately equals the outside diameter of the proximal end of the tube-like member  25 . 
         [0068]    The inner chamber of the cleaning device  10 ; i.e., through the inside of the side wall  17 , through the solvent-discharge member  21 ,  25 , is hollow to permit the passage of solvent therethrough. The inner walls of this inner chamber are contoured similarly as the outside diameters described above for the side wall  17  and the solvent-discharge member  21 ,  25 . Consequently, as solvent is forced through the cleaning device, the decreasing inner diameters of the inner chamber will great a greater force of movement of the solvent and, concomitantly, greater cleansing power. 
         [0069]    The solvent-discharge member  21 ,  25  generally should be resilient and flexible. In this regard, the solvent-discharge member  21 ,  25 , and in particular, tapering tube-like member  25 , should be made of vinyl, rubber, resilient polymers, or any combinations thereof. 
         [0070]    The tapering of the tube-like member  25  and its flexibility permits easy friction-fit insertion of the tube-like member  25  into the air-flow attachment interface  33  of the hose  34  such that the outside diameter of the tube-like member  25 , as it inserts into the air-flow attachment interface  33 , increases in diameter until it is securely nested into the inside diameter of the air-flow attachment interface  33 . 
         [0071]    After a user of the human-interface device  40  awakens from sleep, the user will remove the device  40  and disconnect the hose  34  from the air-flow generator  30 . The user will then re-connect the hose  34  directly to the tube-like member  25  of the cleaning device of the present disclosure  10 . The user will then attach the base  11  to any external faucet, shower head, or similar external solvent transporting mechanism or solvent discharge mechanism. As seen in  FIG. 2 , a shower head  50  is illustrated. 
         [0072]    Once the cleaning device of the present disclosure  10  is attached to the human-interface device  40  and to the shower head  50  [for example], water is turned on. The water will forcibly course a path through the cleaning device of the present disclosure  10 , through the hose  34 , and into and through the human-interface device  40  thereby flushing out any contaminants and build-up contained therein. In this manner, both the hose  34  and the human-interface device  40  have been cleaned. 
         [0073]    After a suitable amount of time flushing, the water stream is turned off, the cleaning device of the present disclosure  10  is removed from the human-interface device  40 , and the human-interface device  40  is suitable hung such that the hose  34  and device  40  may drain out excess water and be ready for use later that evening. 
         [0074]    The present disclosure includes that contained in the present claims as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this cleaning device of the present disclosure has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and numerous changes in the details of construction and combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the cleaning device of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the cleaning device of the present disclosure should be determined not by the embodiment[s] illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. 
         [0075]    Applicant[s] have attempted to disclose all the embodiment[s] of the cleaning device of the present disclosure that could be reasonably foreseen. It must be understood, however, that there may be unforeseeable insubstantial modifications to cleaning device of the present disclosure that remain as equivalents and thereby falling within the scope of the cleaning device of the present disclosure.