Ultrasonic welding of fabrics for sleep apnea treatment

{
  "publication_number": "US10207072B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Ultrasonic welding of fabrics for sleep apnea treatment",
  "abstract": "A respiratory apparatus may employ ultrasonic welds. The ultrasonic welding may be used to join a variety of headgear, mask and accessory components. This process may enhance comfort, fit and/or performance of the joined components and/or overall mask assembly. A component may be a single layer component such as a textile or fabric, or a composite or multiple layer component such as fabric and foam composites, or outer fabric layers and inner spacer fabrics. Further, a component may be a strap, some other headgear component, a mask component, an accessory component or the like.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method of making headgear for use in holding a respiratory mask in position on a patient's face, comprising: forming at least a first headgear component having a first thickness, and a second headgear components having a second thickness, the first and second headgear components including at least a fabric material; overlapping the at least first and second headgear components in an ultrasonic welding tool to form an overlapping portion having a third thickness that is equal to the sum of the first thickness and the second thickness; ultrasonically welding together the at least first and second headgear components to form an ultrasonic welding joint; shaping one of the at least first and second headgear components, thereby forming at least one headgear section; and removing part of the overlapping portion of the first or second headgear components, so that a remaining portion of each of the first and second headgear components abut each other to form a flush joint and the overlapping portion has a fourth thickness that is equal to or less than the first thickness.",
    "2. The method of making headgear according to claim 1, further comprising thermoforming the at least first and second headgear components before the ultrasonic welding step.",
    "3. The method of making headgear according to claim 1, wherein the first and second headgear components each have a patient interface surface, the first headgear component having a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the second headgear component, and the patient interface surfaces of the first and second headgear components being aligned to provide an even contact with the patient.",
    "4. The method of making headgear according to claim 1, wherein the first and second headgear components respectively are first and second straps, the first strap having a first vector, and the second strap having a second vector different from the first vector.",
    "5. The method of making headgear according to claim 1, wherein the at least one headgear section has a substantially uniform thickness.",
    "6. The method of making headgear according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic welding joint includes a thinned portion having increased flexibility, the method further comprising overlapping the at least first and second headgear components and/or removing the overlapping portions in a manner that locates the ultrasonic welding joints to allow or disallow flexibility in at least one portion of the at least one headgear section.",
    "7. The method of making headgear according to claim 1, wherein the first headgear component is a substantially flat member and the second headgear component is a curved member, and the curved member is attached at an edge portion of the flat member to provide a rounded edge.",
    "8. The method of making headgear according to claim 1, wherein the first headgear component is a strap and the second headgear component is a fastening member, and wherein the overlapping portion is removed from the strap, and the fastening member is nested within the strap in a recessed manner.",
    "9. The method of making headgear according to claim 1, wherein the first component is a more rigid less flexible member and the second component is a more flexible less rigid member, the method further comprising alternating the first component and the second component to allow or disallow flexibility in at least one portion of the at least one headgear section.",
    "10. The method of making headgear according to claim 9, wherein the first component includes a foam and the second component includes a textile."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present technology relates to headgear and masks, and a method of constructing them. Such masks may be suitable for use in respiratory treatment, e.g., sleep disordered breathing with continuous positive airway pressure or non-invasive positive pressure ventilation.\n\nMasks used for treatment of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are typically held on a patient's head by headgear. Headgear typically includes one or more headgear straps that are adapted to engage with the mask and hold the mask in position on the patient's face.\n\nU.S. Pat. No. 6,422,238 to Lithgow discloses headgear for securing a respiratory mask having a quick release arrangement to a patient. U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,760 to Frater et al. discloses a mask system for delivering air to a user including a suspension mechanism to allow relative movement between a face-contacting cushion a mask shell. U.S. Pat. No. 8,136,525 to Lubke et al. discloses a mask system for use between a patient and a device to deliver a breathable gas to the patient, the system having a mouth cushion, a pair of nasal prongs, an elbow, and a headgear assembly. The headgear assembly provides a substantially round crown strap that cups the parietal bone and occipital bone of the patient's head during use. U.S. Pat. No. 7,878,200 to Zollinger et al. discloses a headgear for securing a patient airway interface device to a patient's head, and in particular an infant patient. The headgear includes a central body, first and second forehead straps, and first and second lower straps.",
  "cpc": [
    "A61M 16/0683",
    "A61M 16/0633",
    "A61M 2207/00",
    "B29C 65/08",
    "B29C 65/48",
    "B29C 65/4815",
    "B29C 65/5042",
    "B29C 65/62",
    "B29C 65/7443",
    "B29C 66/1142",
    "B29C 66/14",
    "B29C 66/43",
    "B29C 66/4322",
    "B29C 66/4344",
    "B29C 66/43441",
    "B29C 66/436",
    "B29C 66/71",
    "B29C 66/723",
    "B29C 66/727",
    "B29C 66/729",
    "B29C 66/73521",
    "B29K 2067/00",
    "B29K 2075/00",
    "B29K 2077/00",
    "B29L 2031/4835",
    "F04C 2270/0421"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A61M 16/06",
    "B29C 65/00",
    "B29C 65/08",
    "B29C 65/74"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Resmed Pty Ltd"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Jessica Lea Dunn",
    "Grant Milton Ovzinsky",
    "Anthony Paul Barbara",
    "Kirrily Michele Haskard",
    "Justin John Formica",
    "Michael Charles Laguzza"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2012-08-22",
  "publication_date": "2019-02-19",
  "grant_date": "2019-02-19",
  "priority_date": "2011-08-22",
  "application_number": "US-201214240167-A",
  "family_id": "47745767",
  "cited_by_count": 34,
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}