Fisher & Paykel Limited

Ilija Orec

Brett John Huddart

Andrew Paul Salmon

Charles G Murray

Paul Zwaan

Erwin J Meyer

A humidifier conduit has an enclosed helical passageway in the wall thereof to provide an insulating barrier against heat transfer from the inside of the conduit to the outside of the conduit. The conduit may include at least one heating means hectically disposed between the inner wall and outer wall of the conduit to assist in the retention of a desired gases temperature in the humidified air flow which is to flow through the conduit in use. The conduit preferably is constructed by helical winding of a unit profile and bonding of adjacent turns of the helically wound profile to form the conduit, the unit profile including complementary connecting means so that adjacent turns of the helically wound profile are securely connected to form the conduit. The unit profile may include an overlapping member to overlap adjacent turns of the profile and act in an armadillo-like fashion to ensure flexibility of the conduit, while retaining the insulative properties of the double wall and enclosed helical passageway.

Humidifier conduit

Packaging element

A humidifier of small gases passageway volume (of the order of 50 ml gases space) has a heater within a water containing envelope having a microporous wall common to the water space within the envelope and the gases space, the microporous wall being permeable to water vapour but not liquid water and the envelope being reinforced by a support which also directs the flow of gases over the surface of the envelope. The heater is wound as a flat spiral to avoid the effect of gases or water vapour bubbles on heater performance temperature.

Humidifying apparatus

A humidifier for humidifying gases flowing from a source to a person, e.g. a patient breathing apparatus, has a gas chamber interconnected with a water compartment and at least one float controlled valve which controls the flow of water into the water compartment so that if the level of water in the gas chamber exceeds a predetermined level, flow of water to the water compartment is prevented. A further float controlled valve may be provided to prevent flow of water from the water compartment to the gas chamber when the water level in the gas chamber exceeds the predetermined, or a further predetermined, level.

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Auckland, New Zealand

Ilija Orec