AIRWAY II

Votes: 1
Views: 870
Medical

AirWay II is a unique reusable (unlike tape strips) propietary nasal passage dilator that MAY ease sleep apnea (please see comments below), nasal congestion, athletics, dental work, deviated septum, nasal injuries or medical applications (cannula). Please fully insert past Alar Cartilege "edge rib" to flare ala and completely retain in place during sleep and most activities.

Its "one-size-fits-many" flexible shape gently spreads & supports the nasal ala (nostril wall) with its tapered "wings" to keep both "airways" open, especially during the "nasal cycle" (the back & forth nasal "switching" first noticed by a German nose specialist, Richard Kayser in 1895).

"Tummy/Side-sleepers" may find the greatest relief.
"Back-sleepers" may find a "jaw-lift/mouth-closed" device and AirWay II work well together. Snoring is a combination of open-mouth breathing problems or nasal congestion, and not always relieved with a dilator.

Mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), an autonomic dysfuntion (AD), is not necessarily a problem of congestion or the "nasal cycle". However it may be helped by the mere stimulus of the dilator. Deviated septum users also have special "single-sided" problems; like cannula users also under study--in R&D now, with some success--#5 photo.

Molded of soft FDA-approved LATEX-FREE material, it conforms to your nostrils, should remain in place if fully inserted per user directions, thus becoming almost unnoticeable (only the narrow cross-membrane should be visible with the "rounded" side against the septum). Used with decongestants, it is easily hand-washed with soap and warm water before and after use to avoid contamination. Please be certain to fully insert inside nostrils with flared "petal" tips pressing outward against ala (with "bumps") per instructions for proper dilation.

Ergonomically designed and developed (10 years personal use) by Industrial Designer/Naval Flight Officer/Aero-, Consumer-, Heavy Industrial-, Medical-Products Design Engineer. Comment by inventor: Personal use of this AirWay II has contributed to an unexpected side benefit. Sleep does not come easily in later years. Tape strips required complex nose prep and no reusable low-cost dilators were available. With a couple of handmade simple-shape prototypes nearby as effortless "pacifiers", I knew sleep comfort would soon come. It was longer and deeper--a sort of "plug & play" with pleasant dreams. When I awake, I often forget it is still there. My dentist agreed, as have others.

PROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION 60/934,999

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    Richard Albright
  • Type of entry:
    individual
  • Profession:
    Engineer/Designer
  • Number of times previously entering contest:
    1
  • Richard is inspired by:
    Curiosity, functionality, art, mechanical, historical solutions . . . for problem-solving needs in survival and life-maintenance. This has persisted since my primary school days, HS Science Fair, Industrial Design Degree, Naval Flight Officer, Aero and consumer product companies and a great variety of product designs and personal life-style(s) . . . to today.
  • Software used for this entry:
    MCADAM & AUTOCAD
  • Patent status:
    pending