1. A method for providing a dose of a gaseous drug to a patient that has a respiratory disorder comprising:
determining a normal resting breath rate for the patient at a particular time;
b. monitoring the current breath rate of the patient;
c. comparing the current breath rate with the normal resting breath rate; and
d. providing a dose of the gaseous drug based on the comparison of the current breath rate with the normal breath rate.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the dose is delivered during a first two-thirds of an inhalation cycle.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 including:
a. determining a standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time during a breath for a patient;
b. monitoring the current ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time;
c. comparing the current ratio with the standard ratio; and
d. adjusting the dose of the gaseous drug provided based on a change in the ratio of inhalation and exhalation.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 including varying the flow of the dose delivered to the patient so that less flow will be used when the patient is close to normal resting breath rate.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the normal resting breath rate for the patient is determined by a control circuit that is connected to a vacuum sensor that senses a patient’s inhalation.
6. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein the current breath rate is monitored by the vacuum sensor and provided to the control circuit.
7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the normal breath rate is compared with current breath rate by the control circuit.
8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the comparison of the current breath rate with the normal resting breath rate is done by the control circuit and based on the comparison, the control circuit determines the dose of the gaseous drug to fit the need of the patient.
9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein the dose is provided by the control circuit adjusting a valve to deliver an appropriate dose to the patient.
10. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein the dose is provided by the control circuit choosing from a low flow valve, a high flow valve, a combination of the low flow and high flow valve to deliver an appropriate dose to the patient.
11. A method for providing a dose of a gaseous drug to a patient that has a respiratory disorder comprising:
a. determining a standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time during a breath for a patient;
b. monitoring the current ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time;
c. comparing the current ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time with the standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time; and
d. providing the dose of the gaseous drug based on the comparison of the current ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time with the standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time.
12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the dose is delivered during a first two-thirds of an inhalation cycle.
13. The method as recited in claim 11 including varying the flow of the dose delivered to the patient so that less flow will be used when the patient is close to the standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time.
14. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time is determined by a control circuit that is connected to a vacuum sensor that senses a patient’s inhalation time and exhalation time.
15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time is monitored by the vacuum sensor and provided to the control circuit.
16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time during a breath for a patient is compared with the current ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time by the control circuit.
17. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein the comparison of the current breath rate with the standard ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time is done by the control circuit and based on the comparison, the control circuit determines the dose of the gaseous drug to fit the need of the patient.
18. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the dose is provided by the control circuit adjusting a valve to deliver an appropriate dose to the patient.
19. The method as recited in claim 17 wherein the does is provided by the control circuit choosing from a low flow valve, a high flow valve, a combination of the low flow and high flow valves or a continuous flow switch to deliver an appropriate dose to the patient.
20. A method for providing a dose of a gaseous drug to a patient that has a respiratory disorder comprising:
a. determining an inhalation window;
b. determining an amount of the dose of the gaseous drug based on a duration of the inhalation window; and
c. delivering the dose of the gaseous drug within a second inhalation window.
21. The method as recited in claim 20 wherein the dose is delivered during a first two-thirds of the second inhalation cycle.
22. The method as recited in claim 20 wherein the inhalation window for the patient is determined by predetermining a fixed value.
23. The method as recited in claim 22 wherein the inhalation window for the patient is determined by a control circuit that is connected to a vacuum sensor that senses a patient’s inhalation.
24. The method as recited in claim 23 wherein the second inhalation window is determined by the vacuum sensor and provided to the control circuit.
25. The method as recited in claim 24 wherein determining the amount of the dose based on the duration of the inhalation window is determined by the control circuit.
26. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the dose is provided by the control circuit adjusting a valve to deliver an appropriate dose to the patient.
27. The method as recited in claim 26 wherein the dose is provided by the control circuit choosing from a low flow valve, a high flow valve, a combination of the low flow and high flow valves or a continuous flow switch.
28. A dosing apparatus for providing a dose of a gaseous drug to a patient that has a respiratory disorder comprising:
a. a control circuit;
b. a vacuum pressure sensor that is connected to a patient to sense patient inhalation and transmits the patient inhalation information to the control circuit;
c. a connection port for connection to a gaseous drug supply;
d. a gaseous drug delivery device that allows the volume of the gaseous drug delivered to the patient to be varied; and
e. a power supply that provides power to the apparatus.
29. The apparatus as recited in claim 28 wherein the gaseous drug delivery device comprises:
a. a low flow valve controlled by the control circuit; and
b. a high flow valve controlled by the control circuit.
30. The apparatus as recited in claim 29 including a continuous flow valve controlled by the control circuit.
31. The apparatus as recited 28 wherein the gaseous drug delivery device comprises a variable flow valve.
32. The apparatus as recited in claim 28 wherein the gaseous drug supply is a liquid oxygen reservoir.
33. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the normal resting breath rate is smoothed value calculated by an algorithm.
34. The method as recited in claim 33 wherein in the algorithm is the following:
Normal
\ue89e
\ue89e
resting
\ue89e
\ue89e
breath
\ue89e
\ue89e
rate
=
BR
Cur
\ue8a0
(
x
)
+
BR
curnorm
\ue8a0
(
y
)
100
Where x=1\u221299
and y=100\u2212x.
35. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein x is 0-25.
36. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein Normal resting breath rate is calculate on every breath except if BRCu+2 or more greater than BRcurnorm then the Normal resting breath rate remains the same and the calculation of does not start again until the BRCu is within 2 of BRcurnorm.
37. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein the calculation does not start again until 2 minutes after the BRCu is within 2 of BRcurnorm.
38. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein Normal resting breath rate is calculate on every breath except if BRCu+3 or more greater than BRcurnorm then the Normal resting breath rate remains the same and the calculation of does not start again until the BRCu is within 3 of BRcurnorm.
39. The method as recited in claim 35 wherein the calculation of does not start again until 2 minutes after the BRCu is within 3 of BRcurnorm.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A steering lock assembly comprising:
a housing defining a non-linear passage;
a lock bolt disposed in a cavity formed in said housing and intersecting said non-linear passage, said lock bolt being movable between a lock position and an unlock position; and
a rotatable cam shaft extending through said non-linear passage and engaging said lock bolt, said cam shaft having a first end and a second end, said first end defining a first longitudinal axis, and said second end defining a second longitudinal axis that intersects said first longitudinal axis, wherein upon rotation of said cam shaft, said cam shaft urges said lock bolt between said lock position and said unlock position.
2. The steering lock assembly as in claim 1, in which said cam shaft is an assembly including a forward shaft having a distal end rotatably coupled joined to a proximal end of a rearward cam shaft.
3. The steering lock assembly as in claim 2, in which said forward shaft distal end includes one of a socket and a ball coupled the other of the socket and the ball formed on said rearward cam shaft proximal end to couple said forward shaft distal end to said proximal end of said rearward cam shaft.
4. The steering lock assembly as in claim 3, in which said ball has a polygonal cross section.
5. The steering lock assembly as in claim 1, in which a cam pin extends substantially parallel to said cam shaft.
6. The steering lock assembly as in claim 5, in which said cam pin extends through a passageway formed in said cam shaft between said cam shaft first and second ends.
7. The steering lock assembly as in claim 5, in which said cam pin is formed from a resilient material that bends at said intersection of said first and second longitudinal axes.
8. The steering lock assembly as in claim 1, in which said cam shaft is disposed in a housing.
9. A steering lock assembly comprising:
a housing defining a non-linear path between a first end and a second end; and
a cam pin disposed in said housing along a non-linear portion of said non-linear path, and movable between a first position and a second position along said non-linear path.
10. The steering lock assembly as in claim 9, including a rotatable cam shaft disposed in said housing and substantially parallel to said cam pin, said cam shaft having a first end and a second end, said first end defining a first longitudinal axis, and said second end defining a second longitudinal axis that intersects said first longitudinal axis.
11. The steering lock assembly as in claim 10, in which said cam shaft is an assembly including a forward shaft having a distal end rotatably coupled to a proximal end of a rearward cam shaft.
12. The steering lock assembly as in claim 11, in which said forward shaft distal end includes one of a socket and a ball coupled the other of the socket and the ball formed on said rearward cam shaft proximal end to couple said forward shaft distal end to said proximal end of said rearward cam shaft.
13. The steering lock assembly as in claim 12, in which said ball has a polygonal cross section.
14. The steering lock assembly as in claim 10, in which said cam pin extends through a passageway formed in said cam shaft between said cam shaft first and second ends.
15. The steering lock assembly as in claim 10, in which said cam pin is formed from a resilient material that bends at said intersection of said first and second longitudinal axes.
16. The steering lock assembly as in claim 10, including a lock bolt movable between a lock position and an unlock position, wherein upon rotation of said cam shaft, said lock bolt moves between said lock position and said unlock position.
17. A steering lock assembly comprising:
a housing defining a non-linear passage;
a lock bolt disposed in a cavity formed in said housing and intersecting said non-linear passage, said lock bolt being movable between a lock position and an unlock position;
a rotatable cam shaft extending through said non-linear passage and engaging said lock bolt, said cam shaft having a first end and a second end, said first end defining a first longitudinal axis, and said second end defining a second longitudinal axis that intersects said first longitudinal axis, wherein upon rotation of said cam shaft, said lock bolt moves between said lock position and said unlock position; and
a cam pin extending substantially parallel to said cam shaft.
18. The steering lock assembly as in claim 17, in which said cam shaft is an assembly including a forward shaft having a distal end rotatably coupled to a proximal end of a rearward cam shaft.
19. The steering lock assembly as in claim 18, in which said forward shaft distal end includes one of a socket and a ball coupled the other of the socket and the ball formed on said rearward cam shaft proximal end to rotatably couple said forward shaft distal end to said proximal end of said rearward cam shaft.
20. The steering lock assembly as in claim 19, in which said ball has a polygonal cross section.
21. The steering lock assembly as in claim 17, in which said cam pin extends through a passageway formed in said cam shaft between said cam shaft first and second ends.
22. The steering lock assembly as in claim 17, in which said cam pin is formed from a resilient material that bends at said intersection of said first and second longitudinal axes.
23. The steering lock assembly as in claim 17, in which said cam shaft and cam pin are disposed in a housing.