Belt to combat sleep apnea

Abstract

Lumbar or thoracic belt for combating sleep apnea, comprising a body (10) having an elongated front part (11) made of flexible and non-stretchable material, provided with means (15) for closing the belt in a loop, and an elongated rear part (12), made of flexible and elastically deformable material in the lengthwise direction, to which are fixed three rigid and rounded protruding elements (16a-16c), arranged respectively for one in a middle position of the rear part and for the other two laterally on either side of the middle position and at a distance from it; and at least one removable link (20a-20f) per protruding element, configured to bring the body sections (21a-21d) extending on either side of each protruding element, onto the periphery thereof, so as to reduce the distance between two protruding elements arranged side by side. Figure for abstract: Figure 2b

Description

Title of the invention: Belt for combating sleep apnea TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a belt for combating sleep apnea.

[0002] Sleep apnea is the most common sleep-disordered breathing disorder. It is resulting in repeated respiratory arrests during sleep, the consequences of which are potentially serious for health (high blood pressure, heart problems, etc.).

[0003] The mechanism of apnea is a tilting of the tongue backward into the pharynx during sleep when one is in a supine position. The airways are then more or less completely obstructed, to the point of causing respiratory arrests (called apnea) and snoring. STATE OF THE ART

[0004] Various devices to combat apnea have already been proposed. The simplest and least expensive are belts.

[0005] In the belt of patent application JP 201143212A the principle is at least one ball rolling from right to left depending on the position of the body, located in a compartment of a backpack connected to a waist belt. This is a rather complex device to produce and cumbersome due to the implementation of a bag. It is also not certain that in practice the ball(s) follow the movement of the body properly.

[0006] In utility model application CN 210932085U, a medial cylinder, made of high-density sponge, is connected to a parallelepiped functional compartment of a lumbar belt.

[0007] The anti-snoring belt of patent application WO 2014 / 174226 is intended to be worn at the level of the thorax under the armpits. It comprises a rigid sphere positioned in the center of the dorsal region opposite the spinal column.

[0008] The central dorsal support point of these last two belts is adapted to the strictly dorsal position, but has no effect if the subject sleeps in a dorso-lateral position, for example turned 45°, while in this position sleep apnea can also occur.

[0009] Furthermore, the thoracic position of the belt in patent application WO 2014 / 174226 is in an area that has no tissue elasticity (the ribs are bony) or anatomical hollows like the lumbar region. Women with large breasts may also have difficulty finding the right location.

[0010] Conversely, the lumbar position of the belt of utility model application CN 210932085U can slip if the subject has a very large abdomen. Statement of the invention

[0011] The present invention aims to overcome all or part of the problems mentioned above.

[0012] According to one embodiment, a lumbar or thoracic belt for combating sleep apnea comprises a body having an elongated front portion made of flexible, non-stretchable material, provided with means for closing the belt in a loop, and an elongated rear portion made of flexible, elastically deformable material in the lengthwise direction, to which are fixed three rigid, rounded protruding elements, arranged respectively for one in a median position of the rear portion and for the other two laterally on either side of the median position and at a distance therefrom; and at least one removable link per protruding element, configured to bring the body sections extending on either side of each protruding element, onto the periphery thereof, so as to reduce the distance between two protruding elements arranged side by side.

[0013] Such a belt advantageously has three protrusion points within the rear part of the belt (dorsal or dorsal and lateral part when wearing the belt depending on the length of the front part): one medial dorsal, two lateral dorsals.

[0014] When the subject sleeps in a ventral or semi-ventral position, the belt does not cause any discomfort.

[0015] When the subject sleeps in a lateral position, he begins to perceive a simple sensation of the lateral edge of a protruding element but this does not prevent him from sleeping.

[0016] When the subject sleeps in a dorso-lateral (or semi-dorsal) position, an unpleasant sensation of compression due to the support of the first protruding element appears and this gradually increases as the subject moves towards the pure dorsal position with the support of two then three protruding elements.

[0017] When the subject is in a pure dorsal position, the support of the three protruding elements is extremely unpleasant and increases with the slightest movement.

[0018] Sleep apnea does not only occur in a purely dorsal position, but can also occur in a dorso-lateral position. Thus, a single back support is not enough to prevent these apneas, especially if the mattress is soft.

[0019] The belt according to the present invention is also adaptable to different sizes and morphologies, by the removable link(s) capable of tightening the dorsal part of the belt which is flexible and elastically deformable and which has the projecting elements.

[0020] Thus the subject adapts the dorsal width of the belt to have the support exactly at the lateral edge of the back, by putting the number of ties which suits him. This is to be done only during the first night. However, the subject has the possibility to modify it later in a similarly simple way by tightening or loosening a tie.

[0021] The structural simplicity of the belt is also to be emphasized, as well as its ease of use because it can be put on in a few seconds at bedtime by closing the belt.

[0022] It is also compact, easily transportable in a bag, and non-metallic when passing through gates.

[0023] The position of the belt is lumbar or thoracic, at the subject's choice. It is either at the thoracic level opposite the rib cage, or at the lumbar level opposite the navel and the lumbar hollow just above the iliac wings of the pelvis.

[0024] The dorsal elasticity keeps it in tension, both in the lumbar and thoracic positions.

[0025] For women, depending on the morphology of the breasts, the subject chooses the appropriate location.

[0026] According to a particular aspect, the rear part is in the form of a tubular element made of flexible and elastically deformable material, in which the projecting elements are housed and locked in position.

[0027] Alternatively, the rear part comprises strips of flexible and elastically deformable material, such as elastic fabric, connecting the projecting elements to each other and the rear part to the front part.

[0028] According to a particular aspect, the lateral protrusion-forming elements are arranged equidistant from the median protrusion-forming element.

[0029] According to a particular aspect, at least one protrusion-forming element is elastically deformable (in practice weakly deformable).

[0030] According to a particular aspect, at least one protrusion-forming element is in the form of a sphere.

[0031] Alternatively, it may be a cylinder.

[0032] According to a particular aspect, the sphere is hollow, made from natural rubber and has a thickness ranging from 2 to 6 mm for a diameter ranging from 6 to 10 cm (for obese subjects).

[0033] According to a particular aspect, the interior of the hollow sphere is filled with air, possibly under pressure.

[0034] In practice, it may be a tennis ball or a ball having the consistency and size of such a ball.

[0035] According to a particular aspect, at least one protruding element is solid and made of rigid foam, such as extruded polystyrene or expanded polyurethane.

[0036] More generally, the projecting elements are, as indicated above, rigid. Their firmness and their shape are chosen such that they are non-aggressive for the skin and dorsal anatomical structures.

[0037] Their compressibility ranges from non-compressible to weakly compressible.

[0038] According to a particular aspect, the protruding elements are adapted to deform under a load of between 390 N and 1,600 N.

[0039] According to a particular aspect, said at least one removable link comprises a circular elastic.

[0040] Alternatively, it may be a non-elastic link, such as a cord.

[0041] According to a particular aspect, the belt comprises two removable links per protruding element, configured to jointly reduce said distance by a length greater than that obtained with a single link.

[0042] These may be identical or different links, the second being able for example to have a shorter length than the first in order to increase the tightening effect.

[0043] According to a particular aspect, each circular elastic is passed in a double loop over a section of the rear part in an inactive position and in an 8-shaped loop around two sections of the rear part extending on either side of a protruding element, in an active position of shortening the rear part of the belt.

[0044] According to a particular aspect, the belt comprises means for fixing two thicknesses of the tubular element to each other to lock the projecting elements in position.

[0045] Preferably, the fixing means comprise on each side of a projecting element at least one stitch.

[0046] Alternatively, the stitch(es) may for example be replaced by staples.

[0047] According to a particular aspect, the closure means comprise a belt buckle or a self-gripping fastening system of the textile hook and loop type, as marketed under the brand Velcro ®. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0048] Other advantages, aims and particular characteristics of the present invention will emerge from the following non-limiting description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of a belt which is the subject of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: - [Fig.l] is a top view of a sleep apnea control belt according to one embodiment of the invention; - [Fig.2a] to [Fig.2d] are views of the belt of [Fig.l] in different positions of shortening of its dorsal part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] The above-mentioned figures illustrate a lumbar or thoracic belt for combating sleep apnea according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0050] It generally comprises a body 10 formed of a front part 11 and a rear part 12.

[0051] The front part is elongated, made of flexible and non-stretchable material, while the rear part 12, also elongated, is made of flexible and elastically deformable material in the length direction.

[0052] The rear part 12 is here in the form of a tube 13 made of elastic fabric, such as those used for the manufacture of support stockings. This is a tube from a support stocking of the Expert Class 3 type marketed by the SIGVARIS Company and composed of 56% polyamide and 44% elastane.

[0053] The front part 11 comprises two strips of fabric 14a, 14b, each connected to one end of the rear part 12. The flexible material formed by the fabric allows the front part 11 to be well tolerated by the subject. It corresponds to the ventral area of ​​the subject once the belt is worn by the latter.

[0054] One, 14a, of the two strips of fabric has a loop 15 for closing the belt 1. The latter is thus adjustable to adapt to the ventral or thoracic diameter of the subject. When worn by the subject, it is kept under low tension by the elasticity of its posterior part 12.

[0055] The projecting elements here consist of three tennis balls 16a-16c inserted into the tube 13, with one ball 16b in the middle position and the other two 16a, 16c arranged on either side and equidistant from the middle ball 16b, so as to be distributed, when the belt 1 is worn by a subject, on a transverse anatomical plane in a median dorsal and dorsolateral position.

[0056] For information purposes, a belt 1 suitable for a good number of subjects has, in the absence of shortening of the posterior part 12 (distal position of the balls 16a-16c), a length of the order of 34 cm from one end of the lateral ball 16a, 16c to the other, i.e. a space between each of them and the median ball 16b of the order of 8 cm for a tennis ball diameter of approximately 6 cm. This length corresponds to a dorsal zone 17 of the posterior part 12 once the belt 1 is worn by the subject.

[0057] The tube 13 further extends over a length of between 5 and 10 cm, on average 8 cm, approximately beyond the distal ends of the lateral balls 16a-16c, before being fixed to the bands 14a, 14b. Each of these lengths corresponds to a lateral zone 18a, 18b of the posterior part 12. The elastic tube 13 therefore has an average length of 50 cm at rest.

[0058] Its diameter at rest is here approximately 8 cm because it must be able to accept the 16a-16c tennis balls of 6 cm in diameter, which are then fixed by a seam of the tube 13 on either side of each 16a-16c ball.

[0059] It gives a compression on the ball between 20.1 and 36 mm Hg (between 27.1 and 48 hPa).

[0060] These dimensions are of course only indicative and can be modified.

[0061] It should also be noted that the balls 16a-16c are here blocked in their position by stitches fixing two thicknesses of the tube 13 to each other. There are two of them per side of the ball 16a-16c in the case of the embodiment illustrated by the figures, such as for example those bearing the numerical references 19a-19d in [Fig. 1].

[0062] The length adjustment of the dorsal part is done by one or more circular elastic bands which can be passed in a double loop on each side of the balls 16a-16d in the inactive position of these, as shown in [Fig.l].

[0063] Six identical elastic bands 20a-20f (one on each side of the three balls 16a-16c), are provided in the case of the embodiment illustrated by the figures.

[0064] If the belt 1 must be tightened to adapt to the width of the subject's back, it is sufficient to pass one of the two loops of one or more elastic bands on the other side of a ball 16a-16c in order to tighten the tube sections 13 extending on either side of the corresponding ball. In practice, these tube sections 13, such as for example those marked 21a and 21b in [Fig.2a], are brought back to the periphery of the ball, here the middle ball 16b by the elastic band 20d, so as to reduce the distance between two balls arranged side by side (here each distance formed between a lateral ball 16a, 16c and the middle ball 16b).

[0065] In total, the six elastics here allow the dorsal part to be narrowed by 18 cm, or 6 cm for each use of 2 elastics per ball. The length of the dorsal part can thus increase from 22 cm in thin subjects ([Fig.2d]) to 34 cm in corpulent subjects ([Fig.l]). This variation in length is only indicative and can of course be modified.

[0066] Between the two, different lengths of dorsal part can be implemented, as illustrated for example in Figures 2a to 2c. Compared to [Fig.2a] described above, the second elastic 20c of the middle ball 16b is looped over the sections 21a and 21b in the case of [Fig.2b], in order to further reduce the distances between balls by cooperation with the first elastic 20d.

[0067] In the case of [Fig.2c], the shortenings are obtained by means of 4 elastic bands 20b, 20c, 20d and 20e, namely the two elastic bands previously looped over the middle ball 16b and one elastic band passed over each of the lateral balls 16a and 16c, to thus act both on the sections 21a and 21b of tube 13 located between the balls 16a-16c and on the sections 21c and 21d of tube 13 forming the lateral zones 18a, 18b of the rear part 12.

[0068] It will also be observed that each elastic band 20a-20f, when looped over a ball 15a-16c, is advantageously looped in the shape of an 8, in order to further increase the shortening.

[0069] Many other variants are possible depending on the circumstances and it is recalled in this regard that the present invention is not limited to the examples shown and described.

Claims

Claims

1. Lumbar or thoracic belt for combating sleep apnea, characterized in that it comprises a body (10) having an elongated front part (11) made of flexible and non-stretchable material, provided with means (15) for closing the belt in a loop, and an elongated rear part (12), made of flexible and elastically deformable material in the length direction, to which are fixed three rigid and rounded projecting elements (16a-16c), arranged respectively for one in a middle position of the rear part and for the other two laterally on either side of the middle position and at a distance from it; and at least one removable link (20a-20f) per protrusion-forming element, configured to bring the body sections (21a-21d) extending on either side of each protrusion-forming element, onto the periphery thereof, so as to reduce the distance between two protrusion-forming elements arranged side by side.

2. Belt according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear part (12) is in the form of a tubular element (13) made of flexible and elastically deformable material, in which the projecting elements (16a-16c) are housed and locked in position.

3. Belt according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lateral projecting elements (16a, 16c) are arranged equidistant from the median projecting element (16b).

4. Belt according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one of the projecting elements (16a-16c) is elastically deformable.

5. Belt according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one of the protruding elements (16a-16c) is in the form of a sphere or a cylinder.

6. Belt according to claim 5, characterized in that the sphere (16a-16c) is hollow, made from natural rubber and has a thickness ranging from 2 to 6 mm for a diameter ranging from 6 to 10 cm.

7. Belt according to claim 6, characterized in that the interior of the hollow sphere (16a-16c) is filled with air, possibly under pressure.

8. Belt according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that at least one of the protruding elements (16a-16c) is solid and made of rigid foam, such as extruded polystyrene or expanded polyurethane.

9. Belt according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the belt comprises two removable links (20a-201) per projection-forming element (16a-16c), configured to jointly reduce said distance by a length greater than that obtained with a single link.

10. Belt according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said at least one removable link (20a-20f) comprises a circular elastic.

11. Belt according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one circular elastic band is passed in a double loop over a section of the rear part (12) in an inactive position and in an 8-shaped loop around two sections of the rear part (12) extending on either side of a projecting element (16a-16c), in an active position of shortening the rear part (12) of the belt.

12. Belt according to claim 2, characterized in that the belt comprises means (19a-19d) for fixing two thicknesses of the tubular element (13) to each other to lock the projecting elements in position.

13. Belt according to claim 12, characterized in that the fixing means comprise on each side of a projecting element (16a-16c) at least one stitch (19a-19d).

14. Belt according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the closure means (15) comprise a belt buckle (15) or a fastening system using a self-gripping closure of the textile hook and loop type.

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