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US3768469A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Indicator for volume ventilator apparatus

Assignee: Healthdyne Inc
•
Filing: 1971-12-20
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Granted: 1973-10-30
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Expires: 1991-12-20
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Abstract

Abstract A panel display for instantaneously indicating the interrelationship of flow rate, frequency, inspiration to expiration ratio, tidal volume and minute volume of a breathing apparatus.

Inventors

  • 👤 W Myers

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-24 10:02
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M16/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S137/00; Y10S137/908

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim 454 words
A volume ventilator fluid flow indicator apparatus, comprising: a housing; a shaft retained in the housing having first and second ends extending through the housing; first dial means having a sleeve which surrounds said first end and extends into said housing, said first dial means having tidal volumetric designations thereon representing a set quantity of fluid dispensed during a cycle of operation, said first dial means having a first reference point thereon; second dial means associated with said first dial means and secured to said first end of the shaft, said second dial means having flow rate designations thereon, said second dial means having volumetric designations thereon representing a quantity of fluid dispensed during a set period of time, said second dial means having frequency designations overlying said first reference point; panel means connected to said housing and covering said first and second dial means, said panel means having a first aperture over said frequency designations on said second dial means, said panel means having a second reference point adjacent a second aperture over said flow rate designations on said second dial means, said panel means having a third aperture over said volumetric designations on said second dial means, said panel means having a fourth aperture over said tidal volumetric designations on said first dial means, said panel means having inspiration to expiration ratio designations thereon; cycle proportioning means for moving a reference pointer to indicate the operating inspiration to expiration ratio, said positioning member having a third reference point which extends over the volumetric time designations on the second dial means, Said positioning member having a fourth reference point which extends over the tidal volumetric designations of the first dial means; flow control means connected to a source of breathable fluid for regulating the rate of breathable fluid supplied a recipient, said flow control means being connected to said shaft and said sleeve to correspondingly rotate said first and second dial, said flow rate designations with respect to said second reference point and said volumetric time designations with respect to said third reference point to visually indicate the operating frequency, flow rate and volume in the first, second and third aperture, respectively; and cycle control means connected to said flow control means for regulating the operating frequency per unit of time of the breathable fluid flow supplied the recipient, said cycle control means being connected to said sleeve for rotating said first dial means relative to the second dial means to move said first reference point with respect to said frequency designations of the second dial means and said tidal volumetric designations with respect to said fourth reference to visualize the resulting frequency and tidal volume in the first and fourth apertures, respectively.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 454 words
A volume ventilator fluid flow indicator apparatus, comprising: a housing; a shaft retained in the housing having first and second ends extending through the housing; first dial means having a sleeve which surrounds said first end and extends into said housing, said first dial means having tidal volumetric designations thereon representing a set quantity of fluid dispensed during a cycle of operation, said first dial means having a first reference point thereon; second dial means associated with said first dial means and secured to said first end of the shaft, said second dial means having flow rate designations thereon, said second dial means having volumetric designations thereon representing a quantity of fluid dispensed during a set period of time, said second dial means having frequency designations overlying said first reference point; panel means connected to said housing and covering said first and second dial means, said panel means having a first aperture over said frequency designations on said second dial means, said panel means having a second reference point adjacent a second aperture over said flow rate designations on said second dial means, said panel means having a third aperture over said volumetric designations on said second dial means, said panel means having a fourth aperture over said tidal volumetric designations on said first dial means, said panel means having inspiration to expiration ratio designations thereon; cycle proportioning means for moving a reference pointer to indicate the operating inspiration to expiration ratio, said positioning member having a third reference point which extends over the volumetric time designations on the second dial means, Said positioning member having a fourth reference point which extends over the tidal volumetric designations of the first dial means; flow control means connected to a source of breathable fluid for regulating the rate of breathable fluid supplied a recipient, said flow control means being connected to said shaft and said sleeve to correspondingly rotate said first and second dial, said flow rate designations with respect to said second reference point and said volumetric time designations with respect to said third reference point to visually indicate the operating frequency, flow rate and volume in the first, second and third aperture, respectively; and cycle control means connected to said flow control means for regulating the operating frequency per unit of time of the breathable fluid flow supplied the recipient, said cycle control means being connected to said sleeve for rotating said first dial means relative to the second dial means to move said first reference point with respect to said frequency designations of the second dial means and said tidal volumetric designations with respect to said fourth reference to visualize the resulting frequency and tidal volume in the first and fourth apertures, respectively.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 57 words
The indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 1, wherein said flow control means includes: first gear means for rotating said shaft in response to an operator selecting a desired flow rate for delivery to a recipient; and first resilient means connected to said first gear means for biasing said sleeve to correspondingly rotate said first dial means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 38 words
The indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 2, wherein said cycle control means includes: second gear means for rotating said sleeve independently of said shaft to displace said first dial means with respect to said second dial means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 28 words
The indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 3, wherein said second gear means includes: cam means for generating a logarithmic output drive for rotating the first dial means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 63 words
The indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 4, wherein said second gear means further includes: a differential member connected to the first gear means for permitting said first and second dial means to rotate in response to an input from said flow control means and for preventing said second dial means from rotating in response to an input from said frequency control means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 116 words
The indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 2, wherein said flow control means further includes: valve means located in said housing having an inlet connected to said source of breathable fluid and an outlet in communication with said recipient; first stem means retained in said valve means having a curved face located adjacent said outlet and an end extending through said panel means, said first stem means carrying first drive means which power said first gear means; and first knob means located on the end of said stem means for manually moving the curved face on said stem means with respect to said outlet in the valve means to control the flow rate to the recipient.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 158 words
The indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 6, wherein said cycle control means includes: tank means connected to said housing having an inlet port connected to said source of breathable fluid operated delivery valve in the breathable fluid supply conduits connected to said valve means; wall means located in said tank means for forming a chamber in said tank means; second stem means connected to said wall means having an end extending through said panel means, said second stem carrying second drive cogs thereon; and second knob means located on the end of said second stem means for manually rotating said second stem means to move said wall means in said tank means to selectively adjust the size of said chamber, said second drive means upon said second stem means being rotated powering said second gear means to correspondingly position said first dial means to visually inDicate a change in size of the chamber in the tank means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 31 words
The indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 7, wherein said cycle proportioning means includes: second resilient means for maintaining said positioning member in an operator set location in said fifth aperture.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 238 words
A fluid flow indicator apparatus comprising: a housing; axle means located in the housing; first and second dial means having tidal volumetric designations, flow rate designations, volumetric per given time period designations and cycle per time period designations thereon for showing operational flow characteristics; panel means secured to said housing and covering said first and second dial means, said flow rate designations, volumetric time designations, tidal volumetric designations and cycle designations being visible through respective portions of said panel means; reference means associated with the designations on the first and second dial means visible through said respective portions of said panel means; cycle proportioning means for setting an operating ratio of inhalation to exhalation, said cycle proportioning means having a visible register to give an operator an indication of said operating ratio; flow control means connected to a source of breathable fluid for regularly supplying a recipient with a predetermined flow rate, said flow control means being connected to the first and second dial means to move the designations thereon with respect to said reference means to visually indicate said predetermined flow rate; and cycle control means, interconnected to said cycle proportioning means and said flow control means, for regulating the frequency with which said breathable fluid is supplied the recipient, said cycle control means being connected to one of said first and second dial means to visually indicate the quantity of breathable fluid dispensed in one cycle.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 238 words
A fluid flow indicator apparatus comprising: a housing; axle means located in the housing; first and second dial means having tidal volumetric designations, flow rate designations, volumetric per given time period designations and cycle per time period designations thereon for showing operational flow characteristics; panel means secured to said housing and covering said first and second dial means, said flow rate designations, volumetric time designations, tidal volumetric designations and cycle designations being visible through respective portions of said panel means; reference means associated with the designations on the first and second dial means visible through said respective portions of said panel means; cycle proportioning means for setting an operating ratio of inhalation to exhalation, said cycle proportioning means having a visible register to give an operator an indication of said operating ratio; flow control means connected to a source of breathable fluid for regularly supplying a recipient with a predetermined flow rate, said flow control means being connected to the first and second dial means to move the designations thereon with respect to said reference means to visually indicate said predetermined flow rate; and cycle control means, interconnected to said cycle proportioning means and said flow control means, for regulating the frequency with which said breathable fluid is supplied the recipient, said cycle control means being connected to one of said first and second dial means to visually indicate the quantity of breathable fluid dispensed in one cycle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 141 words
The fluid flow indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 9, wherein said flow control means includes: a metering valve retained in a bore in said housing, said breathable fluid passing through said bore from said source to the recipient through an outlet, said pressure valve having a stem with a curved face on one end thereof and another end extending through said panel means, said curved face cooperating with the portion of the housing surrounding said outlet to regulate the fluid flow to said recipient; first manual means connected to said stem for moving said curved face into a regulating position with said outlet; and first gear means carried by said stem to be correspondingly moved by said first manual means for transferring a signal to said first and second dial means to indicate a change in the operative fluid flow.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 136 words
The fluid flow indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 10, wherein said cycle control means includes: diaphragm means retained in a cavity in the housing to form a control chamber, said control chamber having an inlet in communication with a source of pressurized fluid and an outlet in communication with a pneumatically operated on-off delivering valve upstream from said pressure valve; second manual means connected by linkage means to said diaphragm means to selectively move and change the volumetric size of said control chamber causing an operational change in the response of the pneumatically operated delivering valve; and second gear means controlled by said linkage means and connected to said first dial means for transferring a signal representative of the operational change to visually alert the operator of the corresponding change in the cycle control means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 41 words
The fluid flow indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 11, wherein said volumetric per given time period designations represent the quantity of breathable fluid supply per minute determined by the inhalation to exhalation ratio associated with a selected predetermined flow rate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 39 words
The fluid flow indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said tidal volumetric designations represent a set quantity of breathable fluid associated with flow rate, the frequency of the cycle control means and the inhalation to exhalation ratio.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 33 words
The fluid flow indicator apparatus, as recited in claim 12, wherein said parameter designations on said first and second dial means are non-linear for permitting a high resolution in low range of operation.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

No citation records indexed.

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1976-10-29 1977-04-30 1977-10-30 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1980-10-29 1981-04-30 1981-10-30 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1984-10-29 1985-04-30 1985-10-30 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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