Patent Publication Number: US-2019184210-A1

Title: System and Method for the Pulsed Release of Oxygen for Personal Use

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/599,676, filed Dec. 15, 2017. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field Of The Invention 
     In general, the present invention relates to systems and methods that automatically control the release of gas from a container when predetermined criteria are met. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods that release measured volumes of oxygen for the benefit of a single person or for improving air quality in a room. 
     2. Prior Art Description 
     The breathing of oxygen is required for life. For most people, adequate amounts of oxygen can be provided to the body by merely breathing ambient air. However, for some people, the breathing of air is inadequate to provide the oxygen needed by the body. These people require supplemental sources of oxygen, such as oxygen from a canister or an oxygen generator. Depending upon the individual, some people require a constant supply of oxygen, while others require only occasional doses of supplemental oxygen. 
     Healthy individuals also can benefit from a supplemental oxygen supply. Doses of oxygen can help a person “catch their breath” after exerting their body. This is why many professional athletes dose with supplemental oxygen during breaks in a game. Doses of supplemental oxygen also help in the treatment and prevention of headaches, the treatment of impotence, and the improvement of wound healing. However, breathing supplemental oxygen does have some disadvantages. Oxygen has vasoconstrictive effects on the circulatory system and can reduce peripheral circulation. Oxygen also makes items burn far more rapidly and. intensely. As such, the use of ox gen near any burning object or heat source should be avoided. 
     It been discovered that many of the benefits of supplemental oxygen can be achieved, and many of the disadvantages avoided, by only using short periodic doses of oxygen. That is, enabling a person to breath regular air most of the time and only occasionally supplementing the air being breathed with a dose of supplemental oxygen. This provides many of the benefits of breathing supplemental oxygen. without causing a fire hazard or causing adverse vasoconstrictive effects. 
     In the prior art, large volumes of oxygen are packaged in traditional tanks. However, smaller volumes of oxygen are often bottled in pressurized containers, like spray paint, and are sold to the general public. Consumers buy the containers and dispense the oxygen by momentarily depressing a release valve on the container, therein releasing a short burst of oxygen. The trouble with the existing products is that a person must remember to periodically use the container of oxygen in order to obtain the benefits of the oxygen. This is seldom done with any consistency. Rather, as is often. the case, individuals will use the oxygen far too frequently, until the oxygen supply is exhausted, or they will not use the oxygen frequently enough to produce a useful effect. 
     A need therefore exists for a portable source of oxygen, that is available to consumers, and can provide oxygen in measured periodic doses. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a system and method for periodically releasing oxygen rich gas in a manner that enables the gas to be inhaled by a user. The periodic release rate is coordinated with the user&#39;s rate of respiration. As such, the release rate can be as often as one pulse every breath, but is preferably one pulse every few breaths. 
     The system utilizes a container that is filled, at least in part, with oxygen gas in a concentration greater than that of ambient air. The container has a release valve that can be used to selectively release some of the oxygen gas from the container. 
     An activation unit is provided that is connected to the container. The activation unit operates the release valve at a selected rate, therein causing periodic pulses of the oxygen gas to be released from the container. Each periodic pulse contains a volume of the oxygen gas released over a first period of time. The first period of time is preferably no longer than the time it takes a user to take a breath. The periodic pulses are spaced to correspond to the rate of respiration or some multiple thereof. For example, one pulse can be provided for every fourth breath. 
     A dispenser is provided that receives the periodic pulses of oxygen gas being released. The dispenser directs the pulses into an area where the periodic pulses of oxygen gas can be readily inhaled by a user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a dispensing system with one dispenser interface; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the exemplary embodiment of a dispensing system shown with a variety of attachable dispensing interfaces; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram schematic showing the components and operation of the activation unit used within the dispensing system; and 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternate exemplary embodiment of a dispensing system for use with a traditional medical supply tank. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Although the present invention oxygen pulse system can be adapted for use with many types of commercially sold oxygen canisters and oxygen tanks, only two examples are illustrated and described. The exemplary embodiments are selected in order to set forth two of the best modes contemplated for the invention. The illustrated embodiments, however, are merely exemplary and should not be considered a limitation when interpreting the scope of the appended claims. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  in conjunction with  FIG. 2 , an oxygen pulse system  10  is shown. The oxygen pulse system  10  has three primary components, which include a gas canister  12 , an electro-mechanical activation unit  14 , and a dispensing interface  16 . The purpose of the oxygen pulse system  10  is to dispense a precise dose of oxygen from the gas canister  12  and into the dispensing interface  16  at specific programmed times and/or on demand. 
     The average person has a respiration rate of between  10  breaths per minute and twenty breaths per minute. The average duration of a breath is between 2 seconds and five seconds, with half that time being dedicated to inhalation and half to exhalation. Additionally, during a breath, an average person inhales approximately 0.5 liters of air. The oxygen pulse system  10  creates pulses of oxygen. Each pulse lasts between 1 second and three seconds, to correspond to the period of time it takes a user to inhale. The pulses preferably occur between every three seconds and thirty seconds. In this manner, the pulses can be coordinated to occur on every breath, every other breath, and up to once every tenth breath. Each pulse releases between 0.05 liters and 0.5 liters of oxygen. In this manner at least 10% of an intake of breath can contain the supplied oxygen. 
     The gas canister  12  can hold pure oxygen or a combination of compressed gases  18  that includes oxygen and other gases. For example, the gas canister  12  can hold an air/oxygen mix with a higher concentration of oxygen than is present in ambient air. The compressed gases  18  can also contain a small amount of scent so that the dispensing of the compressed gases  18  is more readily perceived by a user. Since the compressed gases  18  are to be inhaled into the body, the compressed gases  18  are sterile and are filtered to meet the appropriate federal and state standards required for inhaled gases. 
     The compressed gases  18  are held in a traditional gas canister  12  having a release valve  20 . Oxygen canisters of this type are commercially available from a variety of manufacturers, such as Boost Oxygen, LLC of Bridgeport, Connecticut. A nozzle  22  is provided that engages the release valve  20 . When the nozzle  22  is pressed, the release valve  20  opens and some of the compressed gas  18  is released from the gas cannister  12 . The nozzle  22  has a tube connector  24  that extends forward. The tube connector  24  terminates with a tube connection head  26 . 
     The tube connection head  26  can attach to a variety of dispensing interfaces  16 . The purpose of the dispensing interface  16  is to channel the released oxygen into an area or position where it can be inhaled by a user. The dispensing interface  16  can be configured as a diffuser  28 . The diffuser  28  can be used to diffuse the released compressed gases  18  into a room or some other confined space. The dispensing interface  16  can also be configured as a facemask  30 . The facemask  30  can be used to diffuse the compressed gases  18  into the mouth/nose of a person wearing the facemask  30 . Likewise, the dispensing interface  16  can also be configured as a breathing tube  32  that can direct the compressed gases  18  into the nose or mouth of a user. Other dispensing interfaces can be used. What is important is that the compressed gases  18  within the gas canister  12  are permitted to diffuse in a controlled manner so that they can be safely inhaled by a user. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  in conjunction with  FIG. 2 , it will be understood that the purpose of the activation unit  14  is to operate the release valve  20  at the top of the gas canister  12 . The activation unit  14  is an assembly that attaches to the gas canister  12  over the release valve  20 . Within the activation unit  14  there is an electric motor  34  and batteries  35 . When activated, the electric motor  34  turns a cam wheel  36 . The electric motor  34  can directly turn the cam wheel  36 . However, due to size constraints and battery power constraints, it is preferred that a small electric motor be used, wherein the torque provided by the electric motor  34  is increased through the use of a gearbox  37 . As the cam wheel  36  turns, the cam wheel  36  contacts and depresses the release valve  20  atop the gas canister  12 . The duration of the contact between the cam wheel  36  and the release valve  20  is determined by the shape of the cam wheel  36  and the speed of rotation provided by the electric motor  34  and gearbox  37 . It will therefore be understood that the time that the release valve  20  is depressed can be increased or decreased by changing the rotational speed of the electric motor  34 , changing the size of the cam wheel  36  and/or changing the input/output ratio of the gearbox  37 . 
     The electric motor  34  is selectively activated and deactivated by a controller  38 . The controller  38  can be a dedicated logic circuit or a programable CPU. The controller  38  receives input from an internal clock  39 . In this manner, the controller  38  can be programmed to operate the electric motor  34  at various times. The controller  38  is connected to a control panel  40  that enables a person to program the controller  38 . The control panel  40  also contains an instant activation button  42  that causes the controller  38  to cycle the electric motor  34  on demand. 
     The control panel  40  preferably has a display  44  that can display time between cycles and time remaining until the next cycle. The display  44  can also display other useful information, such as the selected rate of discharge, how long the gas canister  12  will last at the selected rate of discharge, the number of discharges made, and/or the number of discharges remaining. 
     The controller  38  may have the option of being programmed and operated remotely. A wireless transceiver  46 , such as a BlueTooth® transceiver, can be included within the activation unit  14 . The wireless transceiver  46  enables the controller  38  to communicate with a remove device, such as a smart phone. In this manner, the controller  38  can be programmed through software to run on a user&#39;s smartphone. 
     In use, a user programs the controller  38  with the operational parameters. These may include the duration of a discharge event and the time between discharge events. The duration of the discharge event should be no longer than the time it takes the user to inhale. Otherwise, some of the oxygen released would be wasted. Likewise, the time between discharge events should be coordinated with the respiration rate of the user. At the preprogrammed time of a discharge event, the oxygen pulse system  10  releases a pulse of the compressed gases  18 . The duration of the discharge may be set by the manufacturer or may be programed by controlling the rotation rate of the electric motor  34 . It is also possible that the oxygen pulse system  10  can be sold with a variety of different interchangeable cam wheels  36 . In this manner, the length of a discharge event can be altered by replacing a cam wheel  36 . The ability to change the length of the discharge event enables different volumes of the compressed gases  18  to be released during any one release event. 
     If the selected dispensing interface  16  is a diffuser  28  that vents the compressed gases  18  into an area, then a timed release is all that is required. 
     However, if the selected dispensing interface  16  is a facemask  30  or a breathing tube  32 , then it would be prudent to synchronize a discharge event with the inhalation of a breath by the user. Any discharge event that occurs during the exhalation of a breath may be wasted. To coordinate a discharge event with an inhalation, a sensor  48  is used. The sensor  48  connects to the controller  38  and is used to inform the controller  38  of the cadence of inhalations. The sensor  48  can be either a chest expansion sensor or a pressure sensor. If a chest expansion sensor is used, the sensor  48  is placed on the user&#39;s chest and detects when the chest expands and contracts. From the sensor data, the controller  38  can predict the rate of breathing and can delay or advance a scheduled discharge event by a few seconds so that the discharge event occurs at the moment of inhalation. Alternately, the sensor  48  can be a simple pressure sensor that is placed near the nose at the end of a breathing tube  32 . The sensor  48  will detect the low pressure during an inhalation and the increased pressure during an exhalation. From the sensor data, the controller  38  can predict the rate of breathing and can delay or advance a scheduled discharge event by a few seconds so that the discharge event occurs at the moment of inhalation. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , an alternate embodiment of the oxygen pulse system  50  is shown for use with a large tank  52  of oxygen gas. The oxygen pulse system  50  has an activation unit  54  with an input port  56 . The input port  56  is connected to the oxygen tank  52  with a hose  58  in a traditional manner. The activation unit  54  operates in the same manner as the activation unit  14  in  FIG. 3 , the only difference being that the prior described motor and cam wheel are replaced by an electronic valve  60 . At programmed times, the electronic valve  60  opens and closes to send pulses of oxygen to any dispensing interface  16  that may be connected to the activation unit  54 . 
     It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention that are illustrated and described are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to those embodiments. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.