Portable hyperventilation relieving device

Claim 1

A portable hyperventilation relieving device that uses a sealed cartridge of liquid carbon dioxide having a puncturable neck portion, said device when in use providing a stream of gaseous carbon dioxide at a predetermined metered rate that is independent of the size of the puncture in said neck portion, said device including: a. an elongate cup shaped housing having an open end in which said cartridge is disposed with said neck portion adjacent said open end, said housing having first threads defined thereon adjacent said open end; b. a rigid head that has a first end, a second end portion on which second threads are defined and rotatably engage said first threads and a side wall extending between said first end and second end portion, a first cavity that extends inwardly from said sidewall and communicates with a first inwardly extending passage, a second cavity that extends inwardly in said second end portion to communicate with a first tapped bore from which a second axially aligned bore extends to communicate with a third axially aligned bore that is in communication with said first passage and in communication with a third tapped cavity that extends inwardly from said first end, said second bore and first and third bores at their intersections defining first and second circular body shoulders; c. a handle that includes a cylindrical externally threaded base that extends outwardly therefrom and rotatably engages said third tapped cavity, and a stem of less transverse cross section than that of said third bore that is axially aligned with said base and extends outwardly therefrom, said stem disposed in said third bore and cooperating therewith to define an annulus shaped space that is at all times in communication with said first passage; d. first sealing means on said second end portion that seal with the external surface of said neck portion after said first and second threads have been brought into rotatable engagement, with said rotatable engagement removably securing said housing to said head; e. an orifice defining plate disposed in said first tapped bore and in abutting contact with said first body shoulder, with the size of the orifice in said plate determining the rate at which carbon dioxide gas discharging from said cylinder can flow through said annulus shaped space and passage to said first cavity; f. second sealing means on said stem that may be brought into pressure sealing contact with said second body shoulder to obstruct flow of carbon dioxide gas between said cylinder and said annulus shaped space when said handle is rotated relative to said head in an appropriate direction; g. an externally threaded prong that engages said first tapped bore and bears against said orifice defining plate, said prong including a piercing portion that extends into said second cavity and punctures said neck portion after said head and housing have been screwed together, said prong having a longitudinal passage therein communicating with said orifice and aligned with said carbon dioxide cartridge through which carbon dioxide gas flows from said cylinder to said orifice after said neck portion has been punctured; h. a breather tube having first and second end portions, said first end portion being engageable by the mouth of the user, and said second end portion removably engaging said first cavity; i. vent means in said housing for discharging carbon dioxide gas inside said housing that is at greater than atmospheric pressure to the ambient atmosphere after said housing and head have been unscrewed from one another to the extent that said first sealing means is moved out of sealing contact with said neck portion; and j. first means that permit said handle to be rotated to move said second sealing means into and out of sealing contact with said second body shoulder but prevents said handle being inadvertently rotated out of engagement with said head.