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EP-4739375-A1 - HIGHLY PORTABLE GAS DELIVERY SYSTEMS

EP4739375A1EP 4739375 A1EP4739375 A1EP 4739375A1EP-4739375-A1

Abstract

Device(s) for engaging highly portable gas container(s) are provided that include a substance delivery component comprising, e.g., a flexible mouthguard and a selectively removable variable flow component allowing gaseous substance flow from two or more sources to a user, from the user to the environment, or both. Device(s) can comprise substantially rigid component(s) comprising interior flow passage(s), engagement means for engaging gas container(s), and in aspect(s) flow control valve(s) controlling flow which can be bypassed by device modification during use. Devices can be used in systems comprising one or more gas containers containing pressurized gas, e.g., an oxygen-rich gas or active pharmaceutical ingredients. Device components can engage a gas container operable as a gas delivery system independently of such components. Methods of using such devices are provided, e.g., in delivering oxygen to a person in need of resuscitation, exposed to undesirable saliva-transmissible agents, e.g., harmful chemicals, or, e.g., infectious agents.

Inventors

  • Moen, Sarah-Catherine M.
  • FREELEY, Anne-marie
  • MINOGUE, MICHAEL R.

Assignees

  • Minogue, Michael R.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20241115

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A device for delivering one or more fluid substances to a user comprising (1) a highly portable container component comprising one or more deliverable substances suitable for mammalian consumption, (2) a selectable release component that releases the substances from the container component when engaged by the user or an assistant, (3) a delivery component adapted to deliver substance(s) that can include substance(s) released from the container component, wherein the delivery component comprises a nasal delivery component, an oral pulmonary delivery component, an oral mucosa delivery component, or a combination thereof, and, optionally (4) (a) variable flow component(s) that provide for (i) flow of breaths from the user to the environment, (ii) flow of at least one secondary substance to the user from a secondary source, or (iii) both, (b) flow control component(s) that control flow of substance(s) into, out of, or within the device, or (c) both variable flow component(s) and flow control component(s).
  2. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a connecting component that connects the container component and the delivery component.
  3. 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the connecting component comprises ( 1) an engagement component that is adapted to engage the container component, (2) a transition component (transition element) that comprises substance flow channel(s) and is in fluid communication with the delivery component and either the intermediate component (if present), the engagement component (if present and there is no intermediate component present), or the container, (3) an intermediate component that is positioned adjacent to either the transition element or the engagement component and that optionally comprises all or part of the engagement component, transition element, or both, or (4) a combination of any or all thereof.
  4. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the device comprises an intermediate component that comprises an asymmetrical shape that facilitates user grip on the device, user device orientation, or both.
  5. 5. The device of any one or more of claims 1 - 4, wherein the device comprises a variable flow component.
  6. 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the variable flow component comprises one or more flow control components.
  7. 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the variable flow component permits an assistant to breathe breaths into the device at the same time as or at a different time than the substance flows from the container to the delivery component.
  8. 8. The device of claim 6, wherein if the container component is emptied of its contents over the course of device use, breath from the assistant can continue to be delivered to the user.
  9. 9. The device of claim 6, wherein the variable flow component is configured to engage a second source of deliverable substances suitable for mammalian consumption.
  10. 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the second source of deliverable substances is associated with an emergency medical service provider.
  11. 11. The device of claim 9, wherein the variable flow component comprises at least two portions wherein at least one portion is selectively removable at least one other portion, and wherein the variable flow component or at least one portion thereof is selectively removable from the device.
  12. 12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the removal of the variable flow component or at least one portion thereof from the device further removes at least one flow control component.
  13. 13. The device of claim 12, wherein the removal of at least one variable flow control component modifies the ability of the device to allow the user to breathe freely through the device.
  14. 14. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises one or more flow control components.
  15. 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the at least one of the one or more flow control components is removable, bypassable, selectively openable and closable, or both.
  16. 16. The device of claim 15, wherein at least one of the one or more flow components is a valve, a selectively openable and closable access port, or a selectively openable and closable portal-forming flow control mechanism.
  17. 17. The device of claim 15, wherein the device comprises at least two flow control components, wherein at least one is removable or bypassable and at least one is selectively openable and closable.
  18. 18. The device of claim 14, wherein the highly portable container component weighing less than 1.25 pounds when filled with a breathable gas comprising 92.8 - 98.4% oxygen.
  19. 19. The device of claim 14, wherein the highly portable container component comprises a pressurized source of one or more active pharmaceutical ingredients deliverable by mucosal absorption.
  20. 20. The device of claim 14, wherein the delivery component is an oral pulmonary delivery component.

Description

HIGHLY PORTABLE GAS DELIVERY SYSTEMS Transformative Legal Reference: MCL23471WOICI CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This PCT patent Application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 18/749,075, filed June 20, 2024, entitled “HIGHLY PORTABLE GAS DELIVERY SYSTEMS,” which is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 18/509,316, filed November 15, 2023, and issued September 17, 2024 as US Patent 12,090,276 entitled, “HIGHLY PORTABLE GAS DELIVERY SYSTEMS.” This Application claims the benefit of priority to and incorporates by reference the entirety of these above-referenced priority applications. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to highly portable gas delivery devices and methods of using such gas delivery devices to aid in addressing various conditions. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The development of devices to supplement personal oxygen intake dates to the earliest-known attempts at developing underwater breathing devices (around 500 BCE). The development of such devices dramatically increased during the Industrial Revolution, with the first self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighters and the first autonomous open circuit breathing apparatus for underwater applications being developed in the 1870s and 1860s, respectively (e.g., a patent issued in 1889 to John E. Casey and Arthur W. Browne describes an oxygen delivery system including a mouthpiece, oxygen storage component, and delivery tube). Medical applications with gas delivery devices progressed thereafter, with the modem portable metered dose inhaler devices being initially developed throughout the 1950s. [0004] These systems have been significantly refined and expanded upon to the present, and numerous proposals have been made concerning highly portable breathing apparatuses to oxygenate the lungs, particularly in patent disclosures, over the last five decades. Examples of patent disclosures relating to proposed personal gas delivery devices include United States Patents 4,119,097, 4,582,054, and 8,707,954 (see also US 10556074B2, US20230263984, and US20110247623 by the same inventor and Harper, “Makerspace helps Tyler doctor develop CPR device,” Tyler Morning Telegraph, March 25, 2016); US Patent Publication Nos. 2001/0020470 and 2022/0008674; Australian Patent Publication AU2011200591 Al ; and PCT Application WO 2004018045. Other patent disclosures that propose portable oxygen delivery devices or disclose potentially related components include US Patent Nos. 2,327,995, 2,920,623, 4,739,913, 5,222,479 5,318,019, 5,979,442, 6,494,201, 7,341,056, 9,205,206, 10,398,872, 10,857,314, 10,967,203, 11,260,190, and 11,517,701 (US Patent Application 17/689,067 is a reportedly a presently unpublished continuation-in-part of US 11,517,701); US Patent Publication Nos. 2001/0020470, 2004/0040556, 2007/0074726, 2013/0199523, 2017/0151406, 2021/0402220, 2022/0040434, 2023/0249009; and non-US patent documents including EP2666497, EP3048036, W02014078034A1, and CA3096171. [0005] In the 2000s, the use of highly portable personal supplemental oxygen systems became widespread after the launch of Boost Oxygen® portable oxygen devices in 2007, particularly after the retail chain Sports Authority™ began to carry Boost Oxygen® 95% oxygen cans in 2012, and even more so after the product was featured on the Shark Tank™ television program in 2019. The aesthetic design of the currently marked Boost Oxygen® system is disclosed in US Design Patent 610,250, issued February 16, 2010. Robert Neuner, the current CEO of Boost Oxygen®, obtained a new design patent in 2022 (US D942,612), which illustrates a somewhat similarly designed device. The Boost Oxygen® devices are not approved or designed for medical use. Accordingly, the contexts in which such devices can be used are limited to non- medical treatment scenarios. [0006] Following the success of the Boost Oxygen® system, several competitors have also started to market similar devices, including LIFE® 02 Mini (lifecorporation.com/life-o2- mini) and OXY 99 (oxy99.org) devices. In some cases, manufacturers of such devices have even suggested extended applications of such portable oxygen delivery devices that allegedly include use in emergency situations (e.g., in the delivery of CPR), but these devices do not appear to have been approved by regulatory authorities for such applications and use of such devices in such settings appears either rare or completely unknown in the relevant medical literature. [0007] The air in the atmosphere contains 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, 0.035% carbon dioxide, and other gases. The pressure of the air in the atmosphere is 760 mmHg, and inhalation and exhalation consist of negative and positive pressure of approximately 3 mmHg. The use of oxygen to resuscitate and support individuals in cases ranging from unconsciousness to CPR is a clinical standard to support human life. However, human breaths passed during mouth-to-mouth resuscitation