US-20260124075-A1 - INJURY PREVENTING EAR PRESSURE RELIEF MASK

US20260124075A1US 20260124075 A1US20260124075 A1US 20260124075A1US-20260124075-A1

Abstract

An overpressure mitigation mask intended to relieve ear pressure has a connector comprising a barb extrusion mated to an elastomeric low durometer tube. The low durometer tube expands when exposed to higher pressures, which prevents harm to the wearer of the mask who otherwise would absorb the pressure. The mask includes a magnetic connection between the connector piece and the mask which will disconnect when exposed to higher pressures, without which the break point located at the magnetic connector may potentially harm the user.

Inventors

Zachary KIMURA

Assignees

Zachary KIMURA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250414

Claims (7)

1 . An ear pressure relieving device, comprising: a mask to be worn over the nose and mouth of a target wearer, the mask including a connector and a filter barrier; and wherein low durometer tubing is attached at a first end to the connector of the mask and a mouthpiece is attached to a second end of the low durometer tubing.
2 . The ear pressure relieving device of claim 1 , wherein the mask includes a pressure relief valve.
3 . The ear pressure relieving device of claim 1 , wherein the connector is a magnetic connector.
4 . The ear pressure relieving device of claim 3 , wherein the magnetic connector comprises a barb at one end and a circular magnet at the other end, wherein the first end of the low durometer tubing is attached to the barb.
5 . The ear pressure relieving device of claim 1 , wherein the connector releases at a breakaway pressure between 1 and 5 psi.
6 . The ear pressure relieving device of claim 1 , wherein the filter barrier comprises BPA-Free, Latex-Free, Pthalate-Free Polypropylene.
7 . The ear pressure relieving device of claim 1 , wherein the low durometer tubing comprises a durometer between 20 Shore A to 80 Shore A.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/633,097 filed on Apr. 12, 2024. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many prior art masks and aspirator devices have incorporated a variety of features to address the problems associated with pressure relief. However, it is thematic among such prior art items that they face challenges associated with high pressure and the harm and discomfort that such pressures may cause to the wearer associated with the pressure generated into his or her orifices. More specifically, elevated pressure to the middle ear can lead to hearing loss, hearing difficulty, dizziness, a feeling of fullness in the ear, and/or overall discomfort in the ear. Therefore, it remains desirable to provide an alternative mask concept that mitigates the risk associated with high pressures and the injury that high pressures may cause to the wearer of the mask. Many masks known in the prior art require a suction action to allow such masks to function as intended. However, the suction action remains undesirable due to the inability of the user to perform suction action on command. More specifically, infants, toddlers, young children, elderly and/disabled persons may lack the ability to perform the suction action on command as associated with prior art devices. Therefore, it remains preferable to have an improved device that does not require a suction action to function. Medical procedures and devices are known for relieving middle ear pressure due to blockages of the Eustachian tubes, for example the myringotomy surgical procedure, which can lead to scaring of the ear drum with the possibility of permanent hearing loss. An example of a prior art medical device is the Otovent™ medical device, which uses autoinflation of a balloon to create back-pressure to clear the sinuses. The Otovent™, however, requires a thicker balloon material to be able to rush back the air at a high enough pressure as to open the eustachian tube. Because of this, many individuals (including children and adults) have difficulty inflating the balloon to enable use of the device. Additionally, because the device relies on the user to inflate the balloon, the user lacks control over how much constant pressure is even being administered to the eustachian tube. Further, during use by both a wearer and an operator, the device is associated with the challenge of aligning the timing of the administerer deflating the balloon and possibly holding the other nostril of the user shut with the swallowing of the user. Moreover, existing pressure relieving devices such as Otovent™ allow for only the person providing the pressure to perform the necessary action to administer the intended use of the device. This often causes displeasure for the person administering the device and also discomfort for the wearer of the device. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for effective devices that relieve pressure without the disadvantages of the prior art. Many prior art devices for ear pressure relief additionally exhibit the problem of creating too much pressure. Excess pressure may cause physical harm, such as hearing difficulty, mild hearing loss, dizziness, a feeling of fullness in the ear, or overall discomfort in the ear, to the patient. An improved device to mitigate the risk of creating excess pressure therefore remains desirable. Some prior art devices for ear pressure relief further exhibit the problem of contamination from a person facilitating the operation of such devices to the wearer of such devices. For example, in prior art devices that are associated with a second person blowing into the device to create pressure, a risk of saliva contamination to the wearer of the mask 101 is accompanied with the operation of the device. In some cases involving devices that have valves or other similar relief mechanisms, the risk of contamination from a third party remains. More specifically, in such devices saliva can transfer to the wearer of the devices from the person applying pressure. Thus, an improved device to mitigate the risk of contamination remains desirable. Often, prior art devices embody the associated risk of too much pressure because the mechanisms to transfer fluid or gas remain fixedly attached. The rigid attachments therefore prevent an emergency disconnect mechanism in the overpressure scenario. Some other devices exemplify challenges associated with maintaining detachable attachments into the proper configuration or over time to enable the device to properly function. For example, the Nosefrida™ nasal device incorporates injected molded plastic components and molded plastic connections that tend to quickly wear. Such devices especially wear when being contained within a travel case, a likely scenario. Thus, an improved device that does not incorporate fixed attachment mechanisms but still durably functions to accomplish the objectives of the device is desirable. While