US-20260124419-A1 - RESPIRATORY INTERFACE ASSEMBLY

US20260124419A1US 20260124419 A1US20260124419 A1US 20260124419A1US-20260124419-A1

Abstract

A respiratory interface assembly includes a patient interface and a headgear arrangement. A seal or cushion of the interface assembly can include thickened portions positioned and arranged to improve sealing and/or user comfort. The headgear arrangement can be connectable to the nasal mask by a connection arrangement configured to provide stability to the nasal mask such that a forehead support is not required. The connection arrangement can inhibit or prevent improper connections. The headgear arrangement can have one or more resilient straps having a composite construction of an outer fabric and a plastic core. The outer fabric can be knitted. A rear portion of the headgear arrangement can include a knitted panel or a spacer fabric panel.

Inventors

Matthew James PEDERSEN
Yi-Jen Lin
Stephen Francis Heffernan
Bruce Michael Walls
Wen Dong Huang
Hamish Joshua ROSE
Priyanka Ferdinand Pereira
Tony William Spear
Kane Logan Findlay

Assignees

FISHER & PAYKEL HEALTHCARE LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251106

Claims (20)

1 - 85 . (canceled)
86 . A cushion for a respiratory interface assembly, the cushion comprising: a rim attached or configured for attachment to a component of the respiratory interface assembly; a resilient side wall extending from the rim, the resilient side wall having an outer surface and an inner surface that surrounds an interior space of the cushion; a resilient end wall extending inwardly from an end of the resilient side wall opposite the rim, the resilient end wall defining a sealing surface configured to seal with a face of a user, the resilient end wall defining an opening configured to receive a nose and/or a mouth of the user; a thickened band in the resilient side wall, the thickened band having a wall thickness that is greater than a wall thickness of a surrounding portion of the resilient side wall, the thickened band extending inwardly into the interior space of the cushion relative to the surrounding portion of the resilient side wall; a pair of thickened pads each having a wall thickness that is greater than a wall thickness of the surrounding portion of the resilient side wall, each of the pair of thickened pads extending inwardly into the interior space of the cushion relative to the surrounding portion of the resilient side wall, the pair of thickened pads positioned between the thickened band and the opening along the resilient side wall, wherein each of the pair of thickened pads is spaced from the thickened band; and a pair of joining pads each having a wall thickness that is greater than a wall thickness of the surrounding portion of the resilient side wall, each of the pair of joining pads extending inwardly into the interior space of the cushion relative to the surrounding portion of the resilient side wall, the pair of joining pads located between respective portions of the thickened band and a portion of a respective one of the pair of thickened pads, wherein each of the pair of joining pads contacts and connects respective one of the pair of thickened pads with the respective portions of the thickened band.
87 . The cushion of claim 86 , wherein each of the pair of joining pads contacts only an upper portion of a respective one of the pair of thickened pads.
88 . The cushion of claim 86 , further comprising a rolling bridge portion configured to allow an upper portion of the cushion to pivot in a forward direction relative to a lower portion of the cushion, wherein the rolling bridge portion folds into an upper layer and a lower layer of the resilient side wall in response to pivoting of the upper portion of the cushion in the forward direction, wherein the upper layer and the lower layer vary in length measured in the forward direction in different relative pivoted positions of the upper portion and the lower portion of the cushion.
89 . The cushion of claim 86 , wherein an upper portion of the cushion is configured to pivot in a forward direction relative to a lower portion of the cushion about a hinge axis defined, in part, by the thickened band.
90 . The cushion of claim 86 , wherein the wall thickness of the pair of joining pads is less than the wall thickness of the pair of thickened pads.
91 . The cushion of claim 90 , wherein the wall thickness of the thickened band is greater than the wall thickness of the pair of thickened pads.
92 . A cushion for a respiratory interface assembly, the cushion comprising: a rim attached or configured for attachment to a component of the respiratory interface assembly; a resilient side wall extending from the rim; a resilient end wall extending inwardly from the resilient side wall, the resilient end wall defining a sealing surface configured to seal with a face of a user and an opening configured to receive a nose and/or a mouth of the user; a thickened band in the resilient side wall; a pair of thickened pads intermediate the thickened band and the opening, wherein each of the pair of thickened pads is spaced from the thickened band; and a pair of joining pads intermediate respective portions of the thickened band and a portion of a respective one of the pair of thickened pads.
93 . The cushion of claim 92 , wherein the thickened band is thicker than the pair of thickened pads.
94 . The cushion of claim 93 , wherein the pair of thickened pads are thicker than the pair of joining pads.
95 . The cushion of claim 92 , wherein the pair of thickened pads and the pair of joining pads each have a length extending in a peripheral direction around the inside of the cushion, and the length of each of the pair of joining pads is between 15% and 50% of a length of each of the pair of thickened pads.
96 . The cushion of claim 95 , wherein the length of each of the pair of joining pads is between 20% and 45% of the length of each of the pair of thickened pads.
97 . The cushion of claim 95 , wherein the length of each of the pair of joining pads is between 25% and 33% of the length of each of the pair of thickened pads.
98 . The cushion of claim 92 , wherein each of the pair of joining pads extends between a portion of the thickened band and an upper portion of a respective one of the pair of thickened pads.
99 . The cushion of claim 92 , wherein the pair of joining pads are provided to the resilient side wall of the cushion on opposing sides of the cushion, and at least a portion of the pair of thickened pads are provided to the resilient end wall of the cushion.
100 . The cushion of claim 92 , the thickened band comprising: a lower region on each lateral side of the cushion; and a connecting portion that extends between the lower regions by extending around an upper portion of an inside of the cushion.
101 . The cushion of claim 92 , wherein the pair of joining pads have a thickness that is less than a thickness of the pair of thickened pads, but greater than a thickness of an adjacent portion of the resilient side wall.
102 . The cushion of claim 92 , wherein portions of the resilient side wall comprising the pair of joining pads are thicker than an adjacent portion of the resilient side wall by between 0.5 mm and 0.9 mm.
103 . The cushion of claim 102 , wherein the portions of the resilient side wall comprising the pair of joining pads are thicker than the adjacent portion of the resilient side wall by between 0.65 mm and 0.75 mm.
104 . The cushion of claim 92 , wherein portions of the resilient side wall comprising the pair of joining pads are thicker than an adjacent portion of the resilient side wall by between 0.2 mm and 0.4 mm.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/768,116, filed on Apr. 11, 2022, pending, which is a National Stage entry of PCT/NZ2020/050126, filed on Oct. 14, 2020, which claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/914,923, filed on Oct. 14, 2019, the entireties of which are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of the present disclosure. BACKGROUND Field The present disclosure relates to a respiratory interface assembly. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a nasal mask assembly having a nasal mask, a headgear and a connection between the mask and the headgear. Description of Related Art In assisted breathing, respiratory gases are supplied to a patient through a patient interface via one or more flexible breathing tubes. The patient interface can be a nasal cannula, nasal mask, full face or oro-nasal mask, endotracheal tube, or other known types of interfaces. The patient interface is held in place on the head of the user by a headgear arrangement. It would be advantageous to provide a patient interface system having improved operation, sealing, comfort or adjustment features. Such a system may be a nasal mask assembly. Such an improved system may further assist with improved compliance of gas delivery treatment. In the specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the disclosure. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art. Further aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only. SUMMARY The systems, methods and devices described herein have innovative aspects, no single one of which is indispensable or solely responsible for their desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the claims, some of the advantageous features will now be summarized. An aspect of the present disclosure involves a respiratory interface assembly including an interface configured to communicate with an airway of a user. The interface comprises a frame having a post. The frame defines an opening, wherein the post defines a portion of the opening. The frame opening comprises a narrowed portion defined by opposed upper and lower surfaces, the narrowed portion located adjacent the post. A headgear is configured to secure the interface in an operable position on the head of the user. The headgear includes a clip having a base and a hook portion extending from the base. The hook portion is configured to engage the post of the frame. The hook portion comprises an upper surface and a lower surface that substantially match a shape of the respective upper and lower surfaces of the narrowed portion whereby when the hook portion is engaged with the post, the upper surface and the lower surface of the hook portion engage respective ones of the opposed upper and lower surfaces of the narrowed portion to resist rotation of the clip relative to the frame about an axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the post. In some configurations, a section of the hook portion between the upper surface and the lower surface of the hook portion is shaped to span the space when the hook portion is engaged with the post. In some configurations, the post and the opposed upper and lower surfaces cooperate to define a space. A section of the hook portion between the upper surface and the lower surface occupies a substantial entirety of the space when the hook portion is engaged with the post. In some configurations, the opposed upper and lower surfaces are parallel to one another. In some configurations, the hook portion defines an interior surface facing the post, an exterior surface and a thickness between the interior surface and the exterior surface. The thickness is greatest in a portion that is located between the opposed upper and lower surfaces when the hook portion is engaged with the post. In some configurations, the base of the clip has a height that is greater than a height of the hook portion such that the base is configured to contact a portion of the frame adjacent the opposed upper and lower surfaces of the narrowed portion to limit rotation of the clip about a longitudinal axis of the post. In some configurations, the headgear comprises at least one semi-rigid side strap configured to extend from the respiratory interface toward the ear of a user along each side of the user's face, and at least one semi-rigid top strap that extends from the at least one semi-rigid side strap a first side of the user's face to the at least one semi-rigid side