The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 22, 2020
Filed:
Jan. 13, 2017
Elwha Llc, Bellevue, WA (US);
Roderick A. Hyde, Redmond, WA (US);
Kenneth G. Caldeira, Redwood City, CA (US);
Gary L. McKnight, Bothell, WA (US);
Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Bellevue, WA (US);
Dennis J. Rivet, Chesapeake, VA (US);
Katherine A. Sharadin, Redmond, WA (US);
Michael A. Smith, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Somne LLC, Bellevue, WA (US);
Abstract
An embodiment of a system for treating sleep apnea includes a collar, a pump, a motor, a sensor, and a controller. The collar is configured to maintain an airway of a subject open while the subject is sleeping by applying, to a throat of the subject, a negative pressure having a magnitude, and the pump is configured to generate the negative pressure. The motor is configured to drive the pump, and the sensor is configured to generate a sense signal that is related to a degree to which the airway is open. And the controller is configured to vary the magnitude of the negative pressure in response to the sense signal. For example, one or more of the pump, motor, sensor, and controller can be secured to the collar such that the system is self-contained, i.e., the entire sleep-apnea system can be worn by the subject.