Quick-Release Mask Frame for Stable Fit and Easy Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient interface devices for non-invasive ventilation and pressure support therapies are often uncomfortable and difficult to put on and take off, leading to non-compliance due to poor design and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A mask design with a frame and headgear system featuring a first and second arm member coupling arrangement, where the second coupling requires a lesser uncoupling force than the first, allowing easy attachment and removal without tools, utilizing features like flared regions, magnetic elements, and angled surfaces for secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the mask uses a secure coupling arrangement to remain firmly in place during use, then the mask stability is improved, but the ease of removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling arrangement is divided into two distinct coupling mechanisms: a first coupling arrangement that provides strong secure engagement for stability during use, and a second coupling arrangement that requires less uncoupling force for easy removal. This segmentation allows each coupling to serve its specific function independently, resolving the contradiction between stability and ease of removal.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the mask assembly have different coupling characteristics. The first coupling arrangement is designed with features that provide high retention strength for secure mask positioning, while the second coupling arrangement incorporates features that allow easy release. This local differentiation of coupling quality enables simultaneous optimization for both stability during use and ease of removal.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the mask is designed to be comfortable for extended wear, then patient compliance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The headgear incorporates adjustable straps that can be dynamically configured to fit different patient head sizes and shapes. The ability to adjust the tension and positioning of the straps allows the mask to adapt to individual patients, ensuring comfort for extended wear without requiring multiple different mask designs, thus managing complexity through adjustability rather than multiple products.
3Ease of operation
If the mask uses a simple coupling arrangement for easy put on and take off, then the ease of operation is improved, but the mask stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling system is segmented into two functional parts: the first coupling arrangement that ensures stable secure attachment during use, and the second coupling arrangement that enables easy removal. This segmentation allows the mask to be both stable during wear and easy to remove, as each coupling is optimized for its specific operational requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a single coupling mechanism that is either strong or weak, the invention inverts the approach by providing two coupling mechanisms with opposite characteristics - one strong for stability and one weak for ease of removal. This inversion allows the system to achieve both stability during use and ease of operation for removal.
Data Source
AI summary
A mask for communicating a flow of breathing gas to an airway of a patient. The mask includes a patient interface having a faceplate and a cushion. The cushion has a first end coupled to the faceplate and an opposite second end for sealingly engaging a portion of the patient's face about one or more airways of the patient. A frame includes a first arm member having a first end coupled to the patient interface via a first coupling arrangement and an opposite second end coupleable to a headgear, and a second arm member having a first end selectively coupled to the patient interface via a second coupling arrangement and an opposite second end coupleable to the headgear. The second coupling arrangement requires a lessor uncoupling force to uncouple than the first coupling arrangement.