Nose mask gas delivery device

Claim 1

A nose mask for providing oxygen therapy to a human being which consists essentially of, in combination: (I) a shell having a rear portion, a front portion, and a first opening, said shell having a shape such that: (a) the rear portion has edges which substantially conform to and thereby seal the shell against the face of the wearer along the entire length of the rear portion and below the eyes of a wearer, (b) the front portion is adapted to extend over the nose of the wearer from the bridge of the nose down to a point just above the upper lip of the wearer such that no portion of said front portion normally extends below the upper lip of the wearer, thereby enabling the wearer to breathe, eat and converse in a substantially normal fashion, and (c) the first opening comprises substantially the entire horizontal area situated beneath the wearer's nose extending from the front portion to the rear portion of the shell along a line parallel to said point above the upper lip of the wearer and perpendicular to the face of the wearer; (d) wherein said shell additionally includes an extension of the rear portion of said shell which substantially conforms to and is adapted to rest upon the face of the wearer and encircles, but does not cover, the mouth of the wearer such that the area perpendicular to and extending away from the mouth of the wearer is completely open and provides no hindrance to eating; and (II) a length of hollow gas delivery tube contained within an inside region of the shell which region is defined as being the area between both sides of the front portion of the shell and the area between the lower edge of the wearer's nose and said point above the wearer's upper lip, the gas delivery tube being affixed to the shell by a suitable attachment means and being adapted to receive at least one gas supply tube, any remaining end of said tube being sealed by a suitable sealing means when only one gas supply tube is employed to provide a source of pure oxygen gas or a mixture of gases containing greater than 30 percent by volume of oxygen gas to said delivery tube, said gas delivery tube containing at least one gas delivering and dispersing means for allowing said gas or mixture of gases to pass through one wall of said delivery tube and for creating a cloud of gas enriched in the gas or mixture of gases being delivered, which means is situated on the gas delivery tube such that said cloud of gas is efficiently provided directly beneath the nose and in front of the mouth of the wearer, there being at least one gas delivering and dispersing means which extends longitudinally over the surface of the gas delivery tube for a distance which is greater than the internal diameter of said hollow delivery tube.