Humidifier with structure to prevent backflow of liquid through the humidifier inlet

Abstract

A humidifier includes a base configured to retain a body of liquid therein, a top cover, and a seal disposed between the top cover and the base. At least a portion of the base is constructed of a heat conducting material. The top cover defines both an inlet and an outlet communicated with an interior of the base. The inlet is configured to receive pressurized breathable gas and the outlet is configured to deliver the pressurized breathable gas with added humidity.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A humidifier assembly for a CPAP apparatus, comprising
 a humidifier including
 a base configured to retain a body of liquid therein, at least a portion of the base being constructed of a heat conducting material, 
 a top cover, and 
 a seal disposed between the top cover and the base; and 
   a connecting structure configured to connect between the CPAP apparatus and humidifier and allow communication of an outlet of the CPAP apparatus with the inlet of the humidifier, the connecting structure including
 a housing providing a base portion to support the humidifier thereon, and 
 a retaining mechanism configured to secure the connecting structure to the CPAP apparatus, 
   wherein the base portion includes a heating element in contact with the heat conducting material of the base of the humidifier.   
     
     
       2. A humidifier assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the top cover defines both an inlet and an outlet communicated with an interior of the base, the inlet configured to receive pressurized breathable gas and the outlet configured to deliver the pressurized breathable gas with added humidity. 
     
     
       3. A humidifier assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the connecting structure includes a control knob to control a heat setting of the heating element. 
     
     
       4. A humidifier assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the connecting structure includes contact elements that communicate with a power supply within the CPAP apparatus. 
     
     
       5. A humidifier assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the connecting structure is configured to allow removable attachment of the CPAP apparatus to the humidifier. 
     
     
       6. A humidifier assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat conducting material is a metallic material. 
     
     
       7. A CPAP apparatus including a humidifier assembly according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
       8. A respiratory therapy system for providing humidified respiratory therapy, the respiratory therapy system comprising:
 a respiratory therapy device to administer respiratory therapy to a patient, the respiratory therapy device comprising:
 a housing; 
 a recess defined on a side of the housing; 
 a heating element positioned on a bottom surface of the recess; 
 a blower unit located within the housing to generate a supply of pressurized breathable gas; 
 an outlet positioned on a sidewall of the housing within the recess, the outlet being in fluid communication with the blower unit and providing the supply of pressurized breathable gas outside of the housing; and 
 a control unit positioned on a top surface of the housing, the control unit including a display and a selecting device to control the respiratory therapy; 
   a humidification chamber configured to be positioned in the recess of the housing, to be heated by the heating element, and to add humidification to the pressurized breathable gas from the heating element by warming water contained in the humidification chamber, the humidification chamber comprising:
 a bottom surface constructed of a heat conductive material, wherein the bottom surface is configured to be positioned over the heating element; 
 a wall extending from the bottom surface and defining a volume to hold the water in the humidification chamber; 
 a top surface, the bottom surface, wall, and top surface together enclosing the volume; 
 an inlet configured to be fluidly connected to the outlet of the respiratory therapy device, the inlet receiving the supply of pressurized breathable gas via the fluid connection with the outlet of the respiratory therapy device; 
 an outlet configured to direct the pressurized breathable gas with added humidity towards an air delivery conduit for providing the respiratory therapy to the patient; and 
 an obstruction within the chamber that is positioned between the bottom surface and the top surface, wherein the obstruction has a maximum horizontal dimension that is greater than a maximum vertical dimension of the obstruction, wherein the obstruction extends at least partially across an interior of the humidification chamber along a horizontal plane. 
   
     
     
       9. The humidification system of claim 8, wherein the respiratory therapy device further includes a retaining mechanism to retain the humidification chamber in the recess. 
     
     
       10. The humidification system of claim 9, wherein the retaining mechanism comprises a resiliently biased member that is resiliently biased and is deflected during insertion of the humidification chamber into the recess. 
     
     
       11. The humidification system of claim 8, further comprising a retaining mechanism to retain the humidification chamber in the recess, the retaining mechanism being positioned at a front of the respiratory therapy device when the humidification chamber is retained within the recess. 
     
     
       12. The humidification system of claim 11, wherein the retaining mechanism comprises a resiliently biased member that is resiliently biased in a vertical direction. 
     
     
       13. The humidification system of claim 12, wherein the retaining mechanism is vertically deflected during insertion of the humidification chamber into the recess and substantially returns to its resiliently biased positioned upon full insertion of the humidification chamber into the recess. 
     
     
       14. The humidification system of claim 8, wherein the display and the selecting device are positioned above the top surface of the humidification chamber when the humidification chamber is positioned in the recess. 
     
     
       15. The humidification system of claim 8, wherein the obstruction defines, at least partially, one or more fluid inlet passageways between the inlet and the water contained in the humidification chamber, the one or more fluid inlet passageways causing the pressurized breathable gas received through the inlet to be, at least partially, diverted around the obstruction before reaching the water contained in the humidification chamber for added humidification. 
     
     
       16. The humidification system of claim 15, wherein the one or more fluid inlet passageways are defined by the obstruction and the top surface. 
     
     
       17. The humidification system of claim 15, wherein the one or more fluid inlet passageways are defined by the obstruction and the wall. 
     
     
       18. The humidification system of claim 15, wherein the one or more fluid inlet passageways are defined by the obstruction, the top surface, and the wall. 
     
     
       19. The humidification system of claim 15, wherein the one or more fluid inlet passageways being at least partially offset from the inlet so as to cause the at least partial diversion of the of the pressurized breathable gas. 
     
     
       20. The humidification system of claim 8, wherein the obstruction further defines, at least partially, one or more fluid outlet passageways between the water contained in the humidification chamber and the outlet, the one or more fluid outlet passageways causing the pressurized breathable gas with added humidification to be, at least partially, diverted around the obstruction before being expelled through the outlet. 
     
     
       21. The humidification system of claim 20, wherein the one or more fluid outlet passageways are defined by the obstruction and the top surface. 
     
     
       22. The humidification system of claim 20, wherein the one or more fluid outlet passageways are defined by the obstruction and the wall. 
     
     
       23. The humidification system of claim 20, wherein the one or more fluid outlet passageways are defined by the obstruction, the top surface, and the wall. 
     
     
       24. The humidification system of claim 20, wherein the one or more fluid outlet passageways being at least partially offset from the outlet so as to cause the at least partial diversion of the of the pressurized breathable gas with added humidification. 
     
     
       25. The humidification system of claim 8, wherein the humidification chamber further includes an internal vertical wall positioned within the interior of the humidification chamber and extending at least partially below the obstruction, wherein the internal vertical wall at least partially obstructs flow of the pressurized breathable gas between the inlet and the outlet. 
     
     
       26. The humidification system of claim 25, wherein the internal vertical wall extends across the interior of the humidification chamber. 
     
     
       27. The humidification system of claim 26, wherein the internal vertical wall divides a portion of the interior of the humidification chamber below the obstruction into an inlet section and an outlet section, wherein the inlet section corresponds to the inlet and the outlet section corresponds to the outlet, the internal vertical wall at least partially obstructing the flow of the pressurized breathable gas between the inlet section and the outlet section. 
     
     
       28. The humidification system of claim 8, wherein the humidification chamber further includes an internal vertical wall positioned within the interior of the humidification chamber and extending at least partially above the obstruction, wherein the internal vertical wall extends across the interior of the humidification chamber. 
     
     
       29. The humidification system of claim 28, wherein the internal vertical wall divides a portion of the interior of the humidification chamber above the obstruction into an inlet section and an outlet section, wherein the inlet section corresponds to the inlet and the outlet section corresponds to the outlet, the internal vertical wall blocks the flow of the pressurized breathable gas from the inlet section to the outlet section causing the pressurized breathable gas to flow around the obstruction. 
     
     
       30. The humidification system of claim 28, wherein the internal vertical wall extends from the top surface of the humidification chamber. 
     
     
       31. The humidification system of claim 8, wherein the humidification chamber is sized and shaped to fit within the recess, wherein positioning the humidification chamber in the recess (i) establishes a fluid connection between the inlet and the outlet of the respiratory therapy device and (ii) positions the bottom surface of the humidification chamber over the heating element of the respiratory therapy device. 
     
     
       32. The humidification system of claim 31, wherein the humidification chamber is configured to be positioned in the recess by horizontally sliding the humidification chamber into the recess. 
     
     
       33. The humidification system of claim 8, further comprising means for removably connecting the inlet of the humidification chamber to the outlet of the respiratory therapy device. 
     
     
       34. The humidification system of claim 8, further comprising: the air delivery conduit, wherein the air delivery conduit is in fluid communication with the outlet of the humidification chamber for transporting the pressurized breathable gas; a patient interface connectable to the air delivery conduit to supply the pressurized breathable gas to the patient and means removably connecting the air delivery conduit to the patient interface. 
     
     
       35. The humidification system of claim 34, wherein the patient interface further comprises means for securing the patient interface in an operative position to the patient for delivering the respiratory therapy. 
     
     
       36. The humidification system of claim 8, further comprising means for adding water to the humidification chamber.