Patent ID: 7491182

Claim:
A method of providing a high frequency chest wall oscillation therapy to a patient, the method comprising: providing an inflatable garment adapted to be worn on the patient's torso for applying a high frequency chest wall oscillation therapy to the patient; providing a housing that carries an air pulse module which is operable to generate an oscillating pneumatic pressure having an oscillation frequency which changes over time according to a plurality of software-supported predetermined patterns, that carries a control configured to store programs for automatically repeating each predetermined pattern, and that carries a user interface which is usable to enter inputs to the control to select a predetermined pattern and which includes a display to show a status of the air pulse module; selecting a predetermined pattern so that the air pulse module provides an oscillating pneumatic pressure corresponding to the selected predetermined pattern; and providing the oscillating pneumatic pressure to the inflatable garment to apply an oscillating force to a chest of the patient corresponding to the oscillating pneumatic pressure, wherein, after the predetermined pattern is selected, the oscillation frequency changes automatically during the high frequency chest wall oscillation therapy without any further manipulation of the user interface, wherein the software supported predetermined patterns include a step run mode and a sweep run mode.