Patent ID: 8469025

Claim:
An apparatus for supplying a respiratory gas to a patient, comprising: a CPAP unit configured to generate a flow of respiratory gas; a humidifying apparatus adapted to be coupled to the CPAP unit and humidify the flow of respiratory gas; and a respiration tube adapted to be coupled to the CPAP unit or the humidifying apparatus and configured to deliver the flow of respiratory gas to the patient, wherein the CPAP unit comprises a respiratory gas connection portion on a side of the CPAP unit that is configured to be coupled to the respiration tube or the humidifying apparatus to deliver the flow of respiratory gas to the respiration tube or the humidifying apparatus, respectively, the humidifying apparatus comprises a connection portion on a side thereof that is configured to connect to the respiratory gas connection portion of the CPAP unit, a longitudinal axis of the connection portion being provided at an exact same vertical heightwise level on the side of the humidifying apparatus as a longitudinal axis of the respiratory gas connection portion is provided on the side of the CPAP unit, such that the connection portion of the humidifying apparatus and the respiratory gas connection portion of the CPAP unit are joined when the humidifying apparatus and the CPAP unit are moved laterally towards each other while placed on a common flat surface, the humidifying apparatus comprising a fixing device to rigidly couple the humidifying apparatus to the CPAP unit, the humidifying apparatus also comprises a respiration tube connection portion configured to connect the respiration tube to the humidifying apparatus, the respiration tube connection portion of the humidifying apparatus and the respiratory gas connection portion of the CPAP unit having respiration tube connecting members shaped to permit the respiration tube to be connected to either the CPAP unit or the humidifying apparatus, the humidifying apparatus further comprises a housing, a heating element provided in a bottom portion of the housing, and a liquid storage container configured to store a supply of liquid to humidify the respiratory gas flow, the liquid storage container being configured to be inserted and removed from the housing in a cartridge-like manner and to be in contact with the heating element when inserted into the housing, and the CPAP unit also comprises an electric terminal configured to receive an electric plug of the humidifying apparatus to electrically couple the CPAP unit and the humidifying apparatus, the electrical terminal being located in a recess of the CPAP unit below the respiratory gas connection portion so that the electric terminal does not extend beyond a surface defined by the side of the CPAP unit.