Patent ID: 7789837

Claim:
An apparatus for treating an obstructive sleep apnea event before the cessation of breathing occurs, wherein the apparatus comprises: at least one microphone capable of being acoustically associated with a person, said microphone capable of detecting breathing of said person and capable of generating signals representative of said breathing; a controller associated with said at least one microphone wherein said controller receives said signals and identifies within said signals at least one signal pattern that is associated with a breathing pattern of said person that occurs at the onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event; and a stimulus generator associated with said controller, wherein said stimulus generator receives from said controller at least one signal pattern that is associated with a breathing pattern of said persons that occurs at the onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event, and in response thereto, creates a stimulus to cause said person's head to move backward to end said obstructive sleep apnea event before cessation of breathing occurs.