Portable air delivery system and method of using same

Abstract

An air delivery system includes a coupling mechanism that is adapted to be connected between a source of oxygen-enriched air and an air cannula that can be worn by a user. The coupling mechanism includes a spool assembly for paying out and for winding up a predetermined length of tubing coupled between the air cannula and the source of oxygen-enriched air. The spool assembly has a sufficiently low drag factor to allow complete mobility of a user wearing the cannula without causing it to be dislodged during pay out of the predetermined length of tubing and without causing it to be dislodged during take up of the predetermined length of tubing.

1 - 8 . (canceled)  
     
     
         9 . An air delivery system comprising: 
 a frame wedged within a housing, said frame having a pair of spaced apart yoke arms;    a pair of spaced apart rollers disposed between the pair of spaced apart yoke arms at one of their ends; and    a spacer disposed between the pair of spaced apart yoke arms at another one of their ends for helping to define a spool receiving space between the yoke arms.    
     
     
         10 . The air delivery system according to claims  9  wherein said housing includes: 
 a right side member and a left side member said right side member and said left side member being adapted to be joined together to form a finger gripping handle at a top portion of said housing;    a pair of oppositely disposed sidewall openings for providing interior access to said housing; and    a tube outlet port for helping to facilitate tube payout and retraction from an interior portion of said housing.    
     
     
         11 . The air delivery system according to  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 a segmented spindle fixedly mounted to said frame, said spindle having an air input port and an air output port, wherein said output port is disposed between two individual ones of a plurality of upstanding separator segments disposed on said spindle;    a spool mounted for 360 degree rotation about said spindle, said spool having a pair of hubs for holding therebetween a predetermined length of wound up tubing;    a tube coupler mounted for 360 rotation about said spindle and captured in an air-tight fit at about said air output port; and    said tube coupler having an upstanding spout for receiving thereon a proximal end of said tubing for coupling said tubing to a source of air under pressure flowing from said air input port to said air output port.    
     
     
         12 . A portable air delivery system comprising: 
 a housing having a finger grip handle;    a pair of V-shaped yoke arms spaced apart at one of their ends by a spacer and spaced apart at another one of their ends by a pair of spaced apart rollers;    said arms, spacer and rollers being arranged to define a frame having a sufficient length to be wedged in a friction tight fit within said housing and a sufficient width for mounting in a stationary position between said arms a spindle for facilitating the payout and winding up of a predetermined length of tubing within said housing.    
     
     
         13 . The portable air delivery system according to  claim 12 , wherein said spindle included two individual ones of a plurality of upstanding separator segments for facilitating coupling said spindle in an air tight manner between a source of air under pressure and a spool mounted for 360 degree rotation about said spindle.  
     
     
         14 . The portable air delivery system according to  claim 13 , wherein said spool is mounted for 360 rotation about said spindle and has disposed thereon a tube coupler and a pair of spaced apart hubs: 
 said tube coupler for receiving thereon a proximal end of said predetermined length of tubing and said pair of hubs for facilitating winding and holding therebetween said predetermined length of tubing.    
     
     
         15 . The portable air delivery system according to  claim 14 , wherein said spool has mounted thereto a hub mount for confining therein a leaf spring; and 
 wherein said leaf spring is anchored at one of its ends to a spring receiving day way disposed on said spindle to facilitate spring loaded payout and windup of said predetermined length of tubing from said spool.    
     
     
         16 . The portable air delivery system according to  claim 15  wherein said hub mount has coupled thereto a sprocket mounting place and a lockable sprocket having a plurality of sprocket teeth and a plurality of nulls.  
     
     
         17 . The portable air delivery system according to  claim 16 , wherein said lockable sprocket has a sufficient number of teeth to help facilitate the uniform payout of said predetermined length of tubing and a sufficient number of nulls to facilitate an opposite direction windup of said tubing at a uniform rate.  
     
     
         18 . The portable air delivery system according to  claim 17 , wherein one of said yoke arms has disposed thereon a spring loaded latch for engaging and releasably locking said lockable sprocket to stop the free rotational movement of said spool at a user selected desired location.