Abstract:
An oxygen head tent which is placeable over an individuals head for providing a gas, preferably oxygen, is described. The oxygen head tent has a hood portion which is connected to a hood ring. The hood ring slides over a two-piece neck ring, the two-piece neck ring consisting of an upper neck ring and a lower neck ring retained in adjacent relationship. The hood ring slides over the two-piece neck ring and forms a sealing relationship therewith. The two-piece neck ring has a neck seal retained therein and has a sealing ring on the outer periphery thereof for engagement with the working surface of the hood ring. Ports may be provided for directing a flow of a gas into and from the interior portion of the hood where the individuals head is located. The neck seal provides an adequate seal between the neck ring and the individuals neck such that a pressurized environment may be created in the hood. The two-piece neck ring may also have a retaining ring for holding the neck seal in place after the upper and lower neck rings are retained together.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an oxygen head tent for covering of a persons head, and more particularly to a gas delivery hood assembly and hood ring for a head enclosing gas hood. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A wide variety of head enclosing gas hoods have been developed for use in delivery of gas, including oxygen, to the wearer. Such a delivery system may be desirable for directing clean air or other gases into the hood for breathing by the wearer. This function is also desirable in use as a hyperbaric oxygen treatment system wherein the patient may be exposed to increased barometric pressure inside the hood device. It may be desirable to have such a head enclosing gas hood wherein the hood is transparent so the wearer can see outside of the device and so that an adequate seal is provided between the wearer and the enclosing gas hood. 
     In many different instances, patients must have their entire head enclosed in an oxygen rich environment, the enclosing device similar to the hood disclosed herein. It is therefor desirable to have the transparent hood surrounding the patient head and also having an efficient assembly for connecting the hood with a neck ring and a neck seal forming a seal around the patient&#39;s neck and allowing the hood area of the device to be filled with the treatment gas often times pressurized. It is therefor essential that an adequate seal be made between the hood and the hood ring retaining the hood as well as between the hood ring and the neck ring and neck seal. 
     Various hoods are disclosed in the prior art including U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,409, U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,538 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,728. In all of these prior art devices, various hood and neck ring assemblies are disclosed. However, in these designs, there is no teaching of a simplified sealing and connection system between the hood ring and the neck ring and neck seal. Some of these devices disclosed in the above-referenced patent have complex or difficult structure to ensure sealing between the neck ring and neck seal and also include structure which does not readily retain the proper pressure within the hood. It is also found in these prior art devices that after repeated wear on various surfaces of the devices, the seal between the hood and the hood ring may be corrupted. It is further noted that the prior art devices include complex or difficult attachment processes for affixing the neck seal to the neck ring or in assembly of the device. All of these shortcomings are resolved by the design of the head enclosing gas hood of the present invention 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefor an object of the present invention to provide a head enclosing gas hood wherein the hood is sealingly attached to a hood ring. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a neck ring wherein the hood ring is sealingly engaged with the neck ring and the neck ring further contains a neck seal which adequately seals around a patients neck. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece neck ring for attachment and retaining of the neck seal. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a neck seal which is attached to the neck ring and which does not require the end user to perform an assembly step and wherein the neck seal maybe securely retained within the two-piece neck ring upon shipment by the manufacturer. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel hood ring design wherein the attachment point between the hood and the hood ring is not located on a working and sealing surface between the hood ring and the neck ring. 
     An additional object of the present invention is to provide a device port through the neck ring allowing monitoring devices to be inserted into the interior portion of the gas treatment hood of the head enclosing gas hood. 
     An even further object of the present invention is to provide a two-piece neck ring wherein the upper and lower pieces of the neck ring may be pre-assembled and wherein the neck seal, in this pre-assembly step, is firmly retained in between the upper and lower neck rings. 
     These and other objects are resolved by the design of the head enclosing gas treatment hood of the present invention. The head enclosing gas treatment hood of the present invention is comprised of a hood which is affixed to a hood ring, the affixation point of the hood to the hood ring placed somewhere on the non-working surface of the hood ring. The hood ring slides over a neck ring in sealing engagement thereto. The neck ring of the present invention is a novel two-piece neck ring which has the neck seal compressed in between the upper neck ring and the lower neck ring in such a manner as to provide a sealing relationship to the interior of the hood and around the users head. The upper and lower neck ring have both a retaining O-ring and a sealing O-ring secured firmly therebetween both of which act to either retain the neck seal or firmly seal the upper and lower neck rings with the hood ring. The head enclosing gas hood of the present invention also includes a neck seal which, as discussed above, is retained between the upper neck ring and lower neck ring and which extends inwardly from the neck ring. The neck seal is made of a gas impermeable material and stretches around the users neck to seal the interior portion of the hood and allow the interior portion to be filled with the supplied gas. 
     One advantage of the present design is that the upper and lower neck ring may be assembled easily with the neck seal compressed therebetween. Thus, the prior art designs which require assembly of the neck ring by stretching or by retention in specially constructed rings is overcome with a simplified design which compresses the seal between the neck ring pieces. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The head enclosing gas hood of the present invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description and of the preferred embodiment thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the head enclosing gas hood of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the head enclosing gas hood of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the two-piece neck ring of FIG.1; 
     FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the assembled two-piece neck ring and neck seal of the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a close-up perspective view of the upper neck ring of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective sectional view of the hood ring and hood of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a close up sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the hood ring and neck ring of the present invention; and, 
     FIG. 8 is a close up sectional view of and alternative embodiment of the hood ring and neck ring of the present invention with the neck ring attached thereto. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The head enclosing gas hood of the present invention is showed in FIG.  1 . As disclosed therein, the gas hood or head tent  10  is comprised of hood portion  12  which is affixed to a hood ring  15 . The hood ring slides over the upper neck ring  46  and lower neck ring  48 . Upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  have a neck seal  20  compressed therebetween, the neck seal  20  extending inwardly therefrom. Neck seal  20  is provided so that a gas impermeable seal may be made between the hood ring  15  and upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  and the users neck when the users head is inserted into the hood portion  12 . First gas port  41  and second gas port  42  are also provided for insertion and removal of gas from within the hood portion  12 . First gas port  41  and second gas port  42  extend through the upper neck ring  46  and lower neck ring  48  so that ready access is provided into the interior of the hood portion  12 . 
     The gas hood or head tent  10  of the present invention may be utilized to provide an atmosphere for medical treatment or for the simple supply of oxygen or other gases to a patient. The patient may slide the two-piece neck ring  40  as is shown in FIG. 4, and the neck seal  20  over their head such that the individuals head is inserted into the interior of hood  12 . The head tent  10  of the present invention thereby seals off the individuals head by providing access to the interior of the hood only through the first and second gas ports  41  and  42 . A sealing relationship exists between the hood  12  and hood ring  15  and between the hood ring  15  and the two-piece neck ring  40 . Further, the neck seal  20  is sealingly engaged between the upper and lower neck ring  46  and  48  while the neck seal  20  and the hood  12  is made of a gas impermeable material. Thus for treatment of a patient in need of a controlled specialized environment or in need of a pure oxygen or higher oxygen content breathable air, the user may slide the head tent or gas hood  10  of the present invention over their head and a supply line of the gas is placed in flow communication with the interior of hood  12  through first gas port  41 . Second gas port  42  may then be utilized to provide an exit flow port of the gas contained therein. 
     One important aspect of the present invention is shown in FIG.  2  and in FIG. 4 wherein the two-piece neck ring  40  of the present invention is shown. The two-piece neck ring  40  of the present invention is comprised of an upper neck ring  46  and a lower neck ring  48  which compresses therebetween neck seal  20 . Thus, upon manufacturing of the upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  the neck seal may be assembled therebetween and the two-pieces may be sealingly engaged to each other. 
     A two-piece neck ring to assembly  40  as is disclosed herein is comprised of an upper neck ring  46  and a lower neck ring  48  and provides advantages for assembly of neck seal  20  in that a secure and tight seal is guaranteed between the neck seal  20  and the two-piece neck ring  40 . 
     As is shown in FIG.  2  and in FIG. 4, the two-piece neck ring  40  is comprised of the upper neck ring and lower neck ring  46  and  48  as well as a retaining O-ring  36  and a sealing O-ring  38 . The retaining O-ring  36  may be compressed between the upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  in order to hold the neck seal  20  in place. Retaining ring  36  may be placed in an interior groove of the upper neck ring  46  and the neck seal  20  may be held in place by retaining ridge  45  which extends upwardly from the lower neck ring  48 . 
     As is shown in FIG. 4, the neck seal periphery  22  of the neck seal  20  may be inserted into the interior portion of the two-piece neck ring  40  and may be retained in place by retaining ring  36  which will work in conjunction with retaining ridge  45  of the lower neck ring  48 . The neck seal periphery  22  is thus placed into the interior of the upper and lower neck ring  46  and  48  and is thus held in place by the compressive forces of the two rings in combination with retaining ring  36 . An additional sealing ring  38  may be provided on the exterior periphery of the two-piece neck ring  40  and placed in between upper neck ring edge  49  and lower neck ring edge  44  as is shown in FIG.  4 . Thus, upon assembly of the two-piece neck ring  40 , a slight gap will extend vertically between the upper neck ring edge  49  and lower neck ring edge  44  which receives the sealing ring  38 . The sealing ring  38  extends slightly outwardly from the peripheral edge of ring  40  and may then provide a proper seal between the two-piece neck ring  40  and the hood ring  15  as is shown in FIG.  2 . 
     In addition to the sealing structure noted above, the first gas port  41  and second gas port  42  are provided in the two-piece neck ring  40 . First and second gas port  41  and  42  are cylindrical members which extend upwardly and downwardly from upper neck ring  46 . Lower neck ring  48  has apertures of similar size to the diameter of the first and second gas ports  41  and  42  such that upon assembly of the two-piece neck ring  40 , the downwardly extending portion of the ports  41  and  42  may extend through said apertures  31  and  32 , shown in FIG.  3 . Additionally, a device port  43  may be provided in both the upper neck ring  46  and lower neck ring  48  such that a monitoring device or other instrument may be inserted through two-piece neck ring  40  and into the interior of the hood  12 . As previously indicated, first and second gas ports  41  and  42  provide a flow way into and out of the hood  12 . Thus, a gas supply line may be affixed to the lower portion of the first gas port allowing a flow of fresh gas into the interior of hood  12 . Second gas port  42  may then be utilized as an exit port for removal of the gas. A monitoring device may be inserted through the device port aperture  43  allowing the gas within hood  12  to be monitored. Thus, both the upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  may be designed to have an aperture which are coaligned and which extend into the interior of the hood  12 . 
     As can be seen from FIG. 2, the assembled upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  retain the neck seal  20  in sealing relationship and allow the hood ring  15  to slide thereover. As can be seen, hood ring  15  for example, may be an inverted L-shaped ring with the hood  12  sealingly attached thereto alternative designs however are available and are within the scope of this teaching. The hood ring slides over the assembled upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  allowing the sealing ring  38  to engage the hood ring working surface  17 , as shown in FIG.  6 . As shown in FIG. 2, a slight spacing in between the sealing ring  38  and the hood ring is depicted for ease of discussion. However, in actual use, the hood ring will sealingly engage the hood ring  15  to provide a gas impermeable connection between the hood ring  15  and upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48 . 
     Turning to FIG. 3, the two-piece neck  40  of the present invention is shown in an exploded view. The two-piece neck ring  40  is comprised of upper neck ring  46  and lower neck ring  48 . Also shown therein are the cylindrical first gas port  41  and second gas port  42 . Device port  43  is provided for access into the interior of hood  12 . The ports  41  and  42  as depicted are cylindrical in design, but any shape may be utilized as long as a gas flow may be provided through the neck ring  40 . Also as is shown in FIG. 3, first access aperture  31  and second access aperture  32  are provided such that the lower extending portion of the ports  41  and  42  may extend downward trough the lower neck ring  48  and be readily accessible. Also shown in FIG. 3 is the third access aperture  33  through which the device port  43  may be utilized. Not shown in FIG. 3 is the retaining ring  36  and the sealing ring  38  which are compressed between the upper neck ring and lower neck ring  46  and  48  upon assembly. 
     The upper neck ring  46  and lower neck ring  48  are compressed together thereby retaining the rings  36  and  38  therebetween. The upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  may be held together by snap fit may be retained in compressive relationship by threaded screws or through welding, heat application or other means. Various known methods may be utilized to retain the upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  in compressive relationship any one of which may be selected. The upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  as well as the hood ring  15  may be made of a hardened plastic material such that they may be injection molded. It is therefor desirable that they may be made of a hardened plastic material so as to firmly hold the retaining ring  36  and sealing ring  38  in place and provide a rigid contacting surface for the rings and for the neck seal  20  to engage. It is further desirable that the hood ring  15  be able to readily slide over the exterior periphery of the two-piece neck ring  40  wherein the seal ring  38  extends slightly outward therefrom. 
     As shown in FIG. 6, the hood ring  15  has a working surface  17 . The hood ring working surface  17  of the present invention is the interior surface of the hood ring  15  which engages the seal ring  38  of two-piece neck ring  40 . The working surface  17  may extend from the top rim portion  16  of hood ring  15  and downward therefrom. The hood ring working surface  17  is that portion of the hood ring which engages the seal ring  38  of the two-piece neck ring  40 . It is preferable, as is shown in FIG. 6, that the hood ring working surface  17  of hood ring  15  not have any portion of the hood  12  affixed thereto. Thus, as is shown in FIG. 6, the hood  12  is sealingly affixed to the exterior wall of the hood ring  15 . The hood  12  as is shown in FIG. 6 does not cover any portion of the hood ring working surface  17 . The hood ring working surface  17  thus is free to engage the seal ring  38  to provide a firm and air tight seal between two-piece neck ring  40  and the hood ring  15 . Multiple variations are therefor available for affixation of the hood  12  to the hood ring  15 . The hood  12  may be attached to the exterior surface of the hood ring  15  as is shown in FIG. 6 or it may affixed to a portion of the top rim  16  of ring  15 . The hood  12  may therefor extend downwardly to the interior portion of the top rim  16  and be adhesively affixed to the underside of top rim  16  or it may extend downward along the exterior portion of the ring  15  as is depicted. Of import however is that the hood ring  15  have a hood ring working surface which is not encumbered by the hood  12  of the head tent  10  of the present invention. 
     The hood  12  of the present invention may be made of a clear plastic material which is gas impermeable. The hood  12  is preferably made of a transparent plastic so that the user may see through the hood  12 . As shown in FIG. 2, the hood  12  is affixed to the exterior portion of hood ring  15  and maybe attached thereto through the use of adhesives or welding. The means of attachment of the hood  12  to the hood ring  15  may be utilized when the hood is affixed to the exterior surface of the hood ring  15  or to the underside of top rim  16  so long as the lower periphery of the hood  12  is not located on the hood ring working surface  17 . 
     The two-piece neck ring  40 , shown in FIG. 4, is comprised of the upper neck ring  46  and lower neck ring  48 . As indicated, the first gas port  41  is cylindrical in design and extends upwardly and downwardly from the upper neck ring  46 . As shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the upper neck ring  46  is indicated with the first gas port  41  clearly depicted therein. Also shown in the closeup is the device port  43  which allows monitoring devices to be extended through the upper and lower neck rings  46  and  48  into the interior of hood  12 . As shown in FIG. 5, first gas port  41  extends upwardly and downwardly from upper neck ring  46  such that the lower extension extends through the first access aperture  31  of the lower neck ring  48  shown in FIG.  3 . Thus, the lower extension of the first and second gas ports  41  and  42  are readily accessible underneath the lower neck ring  48  and may be connected to an air supply and air removal system. 
     Turning to the alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7, the hood ring  115  may have a small annular groove  117  for receiving a locking clip  120 . Locking clip  120  may be utilized to retain the hood ring  115  attached to the two piece neck ring  40 . As is shown in FIG. 7, the locking clip  120  has an upper clasp  121  which extends downward and into groove  117 . Clap  121  retains the clip  120  in place. Locking clip  120  may be utilized to keep the ring  115  firmly affixed to the neck ring  40  when an increased pressure is used inside hood  12 . By increasing the pressure within the hood  12 , downward force will be visited upon the neck ring  40  as the neck ring  40  and hood ring  115  attempt to separate. Locking clip  120 , having upwardly extending retaining edge portion  123 , prevents the downward movement of the neck ring  40  from occurring. 
     Hood ring  115  can also be modified to include recess  118  for receiving the locking clip  120  in the unlocked position as is shown in FIG.  8 . The neck ring  40  may then move freely downward away from the top inwardly directed edge  116  retaining the neck ring  40  in place. Clip  120  may have grasping tongue  122  for pulling the retaining edge portion  123  away from the inner surface of the hood ring  115 . Thus, FIG. 7 depicts the locking clip  120  in a fully locked position with the retaining edge portion  123  extending upwardly directly below the neck ring  40 , not shown in FIG.  7 . In FIG. 8, the locking clip  120  is moved into the unlocked position, allowing retaining edge  123  to be placed in the recess  118  so that the neck ring  40  can be separated from the hood ring  115 . 
     While certain specific relationships materials and other parameters have been detailed in the above description of the preferred embodiments, these descriptions and structures may be varied where suitable with similar results. Other application variations and ramifications of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the present disclosure. Those are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the amended claims.