Humidity and Allergy Control Device

Abstract

A temporary artificial environment for maintaining an increased level of humidity is created over a sleeping person by suspending a perforated netting or perforated net-type material over a supporting framework creating a restricted air volume environmental or enclosed space over said sleeping person as said person respires to retard the evaporation of moisture within the said enclosed space and thereby the unwanted drying of nasopharyngeal tissues of the sleeping person by the ambient environment, thereby increasing the healthfulness of the nasal pharyngeal membranes of the sleeping person.

1 . A method for alleviating the drying of nasal and pharyngeal tissues during sleep periods comprising the steps of:
 (c) providing a frame for supporting a moisture resistant netting drapable over a person lying on a sleeping surface, said netting configured in the shape of an effectively closed chamber and intended for creating a substantially fully surrounded netted sleeping enclosure over at least the head and upper torso of said person, and   (d) maintaining said moisture resistant netting over said sleeper during a recumbent sleep period to create a defined space within which an increased level of humidity in the air will be maintained as said person respires;   whereby nasopharyngeal drying of the sleeper's breathing passages tends to be alleviated.   
     
     
         2 . The method of alleviating the drying of nasal and pharyngeal tissues during sleep periods in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising the step of providing the moisture resistant netting with each orifice in the netting having an effective size such that the flow of moisture laden air through such orifices of the netting is retarded by the size of the openings in the netting sufficiently so that the effective moisture content of the netted sleeping enclosure is increased. 
     
     
         3 . An apparatus arrangement for alleviating the drying of nasopharyngeal tissues during sleep periods comprising:
 (d) a support for suspending a moisture and air perforable netting over at least a portion of the body of a person lying on a sleeping surface including at least the head and upper torso of such person creating a netted sleeping enclosure,   (e) the netting having specific numbers of and sized openings effective to establish a moisture differential between the air within said sleeping enclosure and the ambient air exterior to said sleeping enclosure when said netting is suspended upon said support and draped over the sleeping person, and   (f) the netted sleeping enclosure having and retaining an increased level of humidity in the air within the netted sleeping enclosure as said person respires, said air within the netted sleeping enclosure being more moist then the surrounding ambient air such that the nasopharyngeal tissues of the person breathing within the netted sleeping enclosure are effectively kept from significant detrimental drying.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus arrangement for alleviating the drying of nasopharyngeal tissues during sleep periods in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein the support for suspending the netted sleeping enclosure is formed of an upper framework having a generally rectangular shape, at least one vertical support on one side of said upper framework for holding said framework perpendicular to said at least one vertical support, and a supporting base at the lower end of the at least one vertical support extending under the generally rectangular upper framework. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus arrangement for alleviating the drying of nasopharyngeal tissues during sleep periods in accordance with  claim 4  wherein there are at least a pair of spaced apart vertical supports. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus arrangement for alleviating the drying of nasopharyngeal tissues during sleep periods in accordance with  claim 4  wherein the supporting base is configured of at least a pair of spaced apart base members extending under the upper framework. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus arrangement for alleviating the drying of nasopharyngeal tissues during sleep periods in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein said support for suspending the netted sleeping enclosure is configured with a base member to stand on the same support surface upon which the sleeping surface rests. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus arrangement for alleviating the drying of nasopharyngeal tissues during sleep periods in accordance with  claim 3 , wherein said support for suspending the netted sleeping enclosure is configured with a base member to extend between the sleeping surface member and a support member positioned thereunder for retaining said support in an upright position. 
     
     
         9 . A method of establishing a restricted environmental space for a sleeping person which counteracts and prevents drying of the nasopharyngeal tissues of the sleeper comprising the steps of:
 (d) establishing a restricted air volume environmental space by draping a moisture resistant netting over a framework positioned over at least the head and upper torso of said sleeping person,   (e) maintaining said moisture resistant netting over said sleeping person during a recumbent sleep period such that an increased level of humidity in the restricted air volume environmental space will be created as said person respires,   (f) permitting circulation of air within and into and out of the restricted air volume environmental space through the moisture resistant netting,   whereby the air within the restricted air volume environmental space defined by the moisture resistant netting is maintained at a higher humidity than the ambient air outside the restricted air volume environmental space of the netting and significant drying of the nasopharyngeal tissues of the sleeping person is prevented from occurring.   
     
     
         10 . The method of alleviating the drying of nasal and pharyngeal tissues during sleep periods in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising the step of providing the moisture resistant netting with each orifice in the netting having an effective size such that the flow of moisture laden air through such orifices of the netting is retarded by the size of the openings in the netting sufficiently so that the effective moisture content of the restricted air volume environmental space is increased.