BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [001 ] The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for delivering therapeutically conditioned air to a person for therapeutic purposes.

[002]. People suffering from numerous respiratory conditions may benefit from breathing humidified or nebulized misted air. Also, post-surgical patients may require such therapeutically conditioned air following post-operative intubation. This conditioned air may alleviate irritation to their respiratory system. In many cases, it is necessary to provide such therapeutically conditioned air to a patient when the patient is sleeping or recovering from anesthesia effects. Provision of such air is particularly effective if the air can be controlled to emerge from a treatment device (e.g., a nebulizer) in close proximity to a patient's nose and mouth.

[003] Breathing masks may provide a desired focused release of therapeutically conditioned air near a patient's nose and mouth. However, such masks may be discomfiting or even frightening to a patient who may be emerging from effects of anesthesia. Such a patient may sub-consciously remove the mask and thus lose the beneficial effects of the therapeutically conditioned air.

[004] As can be seen, there is a need for a system of providing therapeutically conditioned air in the proximity of a patient's nose and mouth while avoided the discomfiting effects of a mask applied to the patient's face.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[005] In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient may comprise: a hollow flexible tube; at least one clamp attached to the tube; a shape retention wire engaged with the tube.

[006] In another aspect of the present invention, a system for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient may comprise: a nebulizer; an air delivery device which includes a hollow flexible tube, a t least one clamp attached to the tube and a shape retention wire engaged with the tube; and a connection tube interposed between the nebulizer and the air delivery device.

[007] In still another aspect of the invention, and apparatus for delivery of therapeutically conditioned air to a patient prepared by a process may comprise the steps of: compressing a plurality of open-ring shaped wire supporting clips; passing a bendable shape-retention wire through a first hole in each of the clips; placing the shape retention wire and the clips inside a flexible tube; and allowing the clips to expand and engage with the tube so that , when the tube is bent into a desired configuration, the shape-retention wire maintains said configuration of the tube.

[008] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[009] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an air delivery device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

[0010] Figure 1 A is an expanded perspective view circle 1 A of Figure 1 ;

[0011] Figures 2 and 3 are perspective views of the device of Figure 1 showing operational features of the device;

[0012] Figure 4 is a perspective view of a clamp of the device of figure 1 ;

[0013] Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views of a wire-supporting clip of the device of Figure 1 ;

[0014] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method by which the device of Figure 1 may be produced; and

[0015] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a system for delivering therapeutically treated air in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

[0017] Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.

[0018] Broadly, embodiments of the present invention generally provide a system for delivering therapeutically conditioned air in the vicinity of a patient's nose and mouth without attaching a delivery device to the patient.

[0019] Referring now to Figure 1 , it may be seen that an exemplary embodiment of an air delivery device 10 may comprise a tube 1 2, an inlet member 16, an outlet member 14 and one or more clamps 1 8.

[0020] Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, it may be seen that, in operation, the device 10 may be connected through a connection tube 20 to a source of therapeutically conditioned air such as a centralized hospital air source 22. One of the clamps 1 8 may be attached to a horizontal portion of a bed rail 24. Another one of the clamps 1 8 may be attached to a vertical portion of the bed rail 24. It may be noted that the outlet 14 of the device 10 may be positioned next to, but not in contact with, a mouth and nose of a patient 30.

[0021] The device 1 0 may be provided with shape-retention elements so that the device 1 0 may be bent and positioned in any one of many different configurations to align with the position of the patient 30. Referring back to Figure 1 it may be seen that a shape-retention wire 32 may be placed inside the tube 12 and supported on wire-supporting clips 34. Advantageously, the wire 32 may be soft stainless steel with a diameter between about 0.050 inch to about 0.1 0 inch. A plurality of the clips 34 may be spaced at approximately equal intervals along the length of the interior of the tube 12. The tube 1 2 may be bent into a desired configuration so that it may be attached to any supporting structure such as the bedrail 24.

[0022] Referring now to Figure 4 it may be seen that an exemplary embodiment of the clamp 18 may be spring-biased and may include a tube gripping member 18-1 which may be shaped as a partially open cylindrical structure that may be snapped onto the tube 12 at a desired location on the tube 1 2. A first handle member 18-2 may be integrally formed with the tube- gripping member 18-1 . An arcuate connecting segment 18-3 may be interposed between the handle member 1 8-2 and the tube-gripping member 1 8- 1 . The arcuate connecting segment 1 8-3 may have a concave curved shape that may correspond approximately to a shape of the bedrail 24. A second handle member 1 8-4 may be affixed to the first handle member 18-2 with a torsion spring 1 8-5. An arcuate rail-gripping member 18-6 may be integrally formed with the handle member 18-4. The rail-gripping member 1 8-6 may be shaped into a concave curve that may correspond approximately to the shape of the bedrail 24.

[0023] When the two handle members 1 8-2 and 1 8-4 are pressed together, the rail-gripping member 18-6 and the arcuate segment 18-3 may separate from one another so that the clamp may be placed over the bedrail 24. When the handle members 1 8-2 and 18-4 are released, the torsion spring 18-5 may act to bring the rail-gripping member 18-6 and the arcuate segment 18-3 into engagement with the bedrail 24 so that the tube 12 may be held in position against the bedrail 24.

[0024] Referring now Figure 1 A, 5 and 6 it may be seen that in an exemplary embodiment, the tube 1 2 may be corrugated hollow plastic air hose having an inside diameter of about 0.08 inch to about 0.10 inch. The clips 34 may be adapted to interlock with corrugations 1 2-1 of the tube 12 so to maintain longitudinal or axial position of the clip 34 within the tube 12.

[0025] The clip 34 may have a generally cylindrical or open-ring shape. The clip 34 may be formed from molded plastic and may be flexible. The clip 34 may be compressed so that it may have a compressed outer diameter smaller than an internal diameter of the tube 1 2. When released from a compressed state, the clip 34 may spring back to a nominal size with its nominal outer diameter greater than the inner diameter of the tube 1 2. An outer surface of the clip 34 may be provided with a retention ridge 36. The ridge 36 may be shaped to correspond to an interior shape of any one of the corrugations 12-1 of the tube 12. The clip 34 may be placed in the tube 12 in a compressed state and then allowed to expand to its nominal size. When the clip 34 is expanded within the tube 1 2, its longitudinal or axial position is maintained because of interlocking engagement of the ridge 36 and one of the corrugations 12-1 of the tube.

[0026] The clip 34 may have a unique configuration that may facilitate assembly of the shape-retention wire 32 into the tube 12. The clip 34 may be provided with a hollow internal projection 38 with a hole 39 through which the shape-retention wire 32 may pass. The hole 39 may have a diameter such that the wire 32 fits snugly in the hole 39. Hollow lobes 40 may be provided and positioned in two different planes so that when the clip 34 is compressed, the lobes 40 may overlap one another (see Figure 6). When the lobes 40 are overlapped, holes 41 in the lobes 40 may be aligned so that an assembly wire 42 may be passed through both of the holes 41 .

[0027] The shape-retention wire 32 may be installed within the tube 12 by performing the following steps shown in a flowchart 700 of Figure 7. In a step 702, one of the clips 34 may be compressed so the holes 41 are aligned. In a step 704, the assembly wire 42 may be threaded though both of the holes 41 of one of the clips 34. In further successive steps, a plurality of the clip 34 may be similarly threaded onto the assembly wire 42. In a step 706, the shape-retention wire 32 may be pushed into the holes 39 of the clips 34 which are threaded on the assembly wire 42. In a step 708, the clips 34 may be spaced away from one another along the wire 32 so that each of the clips 34 is approximately equidistant from its adjacent clip 34. In a step 710, the equidistantly spaced clips 34, the shape-retention wire 32 and the assembly wire 42 may be inserted into the tube 1 2. In a step 712, the assembly wire 42 may be pulled out of the holes 41 so that the clips 34 may expand and so that the ridges 36 may engage with the corrugations 12-1 . Thus the clips 34 may remain engaged with the tube 12 and the shape-retention wire 32 may be supported with the equidistantly spaced clips 34.

[0028] Referring now to Figure 8, it may be seen that an exemplary standalone air delivery system 100 may be constructed and may be useful in a residential setting in which a patient may be in his or own bed at home. The system 1 00 may comprise a nebulizer 102, a connection hose 104 and one of the air delivery devices 10. Optionally, the system 100 may include a medication dispensing device 1 06 which may be employed to inject medication into an air stream that may be conveyed to a patient though the air delivery device 1 0.

[0029] It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.