U.S. patent application number 16/963240 was filed with the patent office on 2021-02-18 for hiccup relieving apparatus.
The applicant listed for this patent is The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System. Invention is credited to Ali Seifi.
Application Number | 20210045556 16/963240 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005234072 |
Filed Date | 2021-02-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210045556 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Seifi; Ali |
February 18, 2021 |
HICCUP RELIEVING APPARATUS
Abstract
The hiccup relieving apparatus includes a tube with a first end
having a mouthpiece, a second end for immersion in water or other
potable liquid in a container, and an obstruction in the tube
between the first end and the second end. The obstruction requires
an adult user, using the mouthpiece, to produce a threshold suction
of at least 20 cm of water before water can flow from the water in
the water container, through the tube, through the mouthpiece, and
to the user. The obstruction can take the form of a threshold valve
in the tube, a sized orifice in the immersed end of the tube, or a
wad of cellulosic material in the tube.
Inventors: |
Seifi; Ali; (San Antonio,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System |
Austin |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005234072 |
Appl. No.: |
16/963240 |
Filed: |
January 16, 2019 |
PCT Filed: |
January 16, 2019 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US19/13728 |
371 Date: |
July 19, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62619196 |
Jan 19, 2018 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 21/18 20130101;
A61J 7/0038 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A47G 21/18 20060101
A47G021/18 |
Claims
1. A hiccup relieving apparatus comprising: a. a tube; b. a
mouthpiece attached to a first end of the tube; c. a second end of
the tube for submersion in a potable liquid in a container; and d.
an obstruction in the tube between the first end and the second
end, wherein the obstruction requires a user to exert a suction of
at least 10 cm of water in order to draw the potable liquid from
the container through the tube and the mouthpiece.
2. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
obstruction is a threshold valve with a suction threshold of at
least 10 cm of water.
3. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
obstruction is a wad of cellulosic material requiring the user to
exert a suction of at least 10 cm of water in order to draw the
potable liquid from the container through the tube and the
mouthpiece.
4. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 3, wherein the wad of
cellulosic material is cotton.
5. A hiccup relieving apparatus comprising: a. a tube; b. a
mouthpiece attached to a first end of the tube; c. a second end of
the tube for submersion in a potable liquid in a container; and d.
an obstruction in the tube between the first end and the second
end, wherein the obstruction requires a user to exert a suction of
at least 20 cm of water in order to draw the potable liquid from
the container through the tube and the mouthpiece.
6. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
obstruction is a threshold valve with a suction threshold of at
least 20 cm of water.
7. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the
obstruction is a wad of cellulosic material requiring the user to
exert a suction of at least 20 cm of water in order to draw the
potable liquid from the container through the tube and the
mouthpiece.
8. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 7, wherein the wad of
cellulosic material is cotton.
9. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wad of
cotton weighs approximately 5-10 grams.
10. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 8, wherein the wad of
cotton is rolled inside a paper towel.
11. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 10, wherein the paper
towel has a pore size of less than 100 microns.
12. A hiccup relieving apparatus comprising: a. a tube; b. a
mouthpiece attached to a first end of the tube; and c. a second end
of the tube for submersion in a potable liquid in a container and
having sized orifices to require a suction of at least 10 cm of
water before the potable liquid is delivered through the tube to a
user.
13. The hiccup relieving apparatus of the claim 12, wherein the
tube further has serpentine channels connecting the orifices to the
mouthpiece.
14. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 12, wherein the tube
further has a support structure for supporting an obstruction
between the orifices and the mouthpiece.
15. A hiccup relieving apparatus comprising: a. a tube; b. a
mouthpiece attached to a first end of the tube; and c. a second end
of the tube for submersion in a potable liquid in a container and
having sized orifices to require a suction of at least 20 cm of
water before the water is delivered through the tube to a user.
16. The hiccup relieving apparatus of the claim 15, wherein the
tube further has serpentine channels connecting the orifices to the
mouthpiece.
17. The hiccup relieving apparatus of claim 15, wherein the tube
further has a support structure for supporting an obstruction
between the orifices and the mouthpiece.
Description
[0001] CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0002] This invention claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/619,196, filed Jan. 19, 2018, which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates to an apparatus for alleviating
hiccups.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] A hiccup is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm muscle
resulting in an involuntary inhalation that is abruptly interrupted
by the involuntary closing of the glottis and resulting in the
familiar and characteristic sound of a hiccup. The exact anatomic
and physiological mechanism responsible for causing hiccups remains
unknown. Currently, there are several simple cures that involve
Vagal nerve stimulation and can include drinking a glass of water
rapidly, swallowing dry bread or crushed ice, inducing vomiting,
applying traction on the tongue, or applying pressure on the
eyeballs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The hiccup relieving apparatus of the present invention
addresses the need for a simple device for facilitating a cure for
hiccups. The present invention is simple, inexpensive to construct,
and easy to use. The hiccup relieving apparatus comprises a tube
with a first end having a mouthpiece, a second end for immersion in
water or other portable liquid, and an obstruction in the tube
between the first end and the second end. The obstruction requires
the user, using the mouthpiece, to produce a threshold suction of
at least 20 cm of water typically for adults and a threshold
suction of at least 10 cm of water typically for children before
water can flow from the container, through the tube, through the
mouthpiece, and to the user. The obstruction can take the form of a
threshold valve in the tube, a wad of cotton, a wad of other
cellulosic material, restricting orifices adjacent the second end
of the tube, or restricting orifices adjacent the second end of the
tube in combination with serpentine channels extending from the
orifices to the mouthpiece.
[0006] Further objects, features and advantages will become
apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description
of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawings and
the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective elevation view of a first embodiment
of a hiccup relieving apparatus in accordance with the present
invention.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a section view of the first embodiment of the
hiccup relieving apparatus along line 2-2 in FIG. 1 in accordance
with the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a section view of a second embodiment of the
hiccup relieving apparatus along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1 in
accordance with the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the
hiccup relieving apparatus in accordance with the present
invention.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the third embodiment of
the hiccup relieving apparatus in accordance with the present
invention.
[0012] FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the third embodiment of
the hiccup relieving apparatus in accordance with the present
invention.
[0013] FIG. 7 is a section view of the third embodiment of the
hiccup relieving apparatus as seen along line 7-7 of FIG. 6 in
accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Turning to FIGS. 1-3, a hiccup relieving apparatus 10
includes a tube 14 having a first end 16 and a second end 20. A
mouthpiece 18, similar to a snorkel mouth piece, is attached to the
first end 16, and the second end 20 is immersed in water or other
potable liquid 28 in a container 12. The water or other potable
liquid 28 in the container 12 is exposed to atmospheric
pressure.
[0015] The tube 14 is approximately 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter. An
obstruction 22 is positioned in the tube 14 between the first end
16 and the second end 20. The obstruction 22 is configured so that
the user must apply suction to the mouthpiece 18 in order to
produce a threshold suction of at least 20 cm of water for adults
and a section of at least 10 cm of water for children before the
water 28 in the water container 12 can be drawn through the tube 14
to the user. Typical suction pressure is between 20 cm water and 60
cm of water for adults.
[0016] In a first embodiment of the present invention, the
obstruction is a wad 26 of cotton or other cellulosic material. For
an adult user, the cotton wad 26 is of sufficient size and density
to require user suction of at least 20 cm of water before water or
other potable liquid 28 will flow from the container 12 through the
cotton wad 26 to the user. The requisite threshold suction of at
least 20 cm of water can be created by a cylindrical cotton wad 26
weighing approximately 5-10 grams and having a diameter to fit
inside the tube 14. The tube 14 typically has a diameter of
approximately 1.5 to 2 cm. In one variation, the cotton wad 26 is
rolled inside a paper towel so that the construction is similar to
a cigarette filter. Typically, paper towels have a pore size of
less than 100 microns.
[0017] In a second embodiment of the present invention, the
obstruction 22 is a threshold valve 24. The threshold valve 24 is
configured so that the threshold valve 24 opens when a threshold
suction is applied to the threshold valve 24. The threshold suction
useful for the hiccup relieving apparatus 10 is at least 20 cm of
water for an adult user. Once the threshold suction produced by the
user is reached, the threshold valve 24 opens and allows free flow
of the water or other potable liquid 28 from the container 12 to
the user through the tube 14. A threshold valve, such as threshold
valve 24, is disclosed in Ratner U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,334, the
disclosure of which is incorporated in its entirety by
reference.
[0018] In a third embodiment of the present invention a hiccup
relieving apparatus 110 is shown in FIGS. 4-7. The hiccup relieving
apparatus 110 includes a tube 114 with a first end 116 and a second
end 120. A mouthpiece 118 is molded to the first end 116. One or
more orifices 130 are positioned at the second end 120. The second
end 120 of the tube 114 of the hiccup relieving apparatus 110 is
configured to be immersed in water or other potable liquid in a
container. The water or other potable liquid in the container is
exposed to atmospheric pressure. The three orifices 130 have
diameters of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. Particularly, the orifice diameters
can be adjusted to control the amount of force required to suck the
water or other potable liquid in the container into the user's
mouth. Particular, the orifices are configured to assure that a
suction of at least 20 cm of water is required for adult users.
[0019] The tube 114 is flat as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. While the
tube 114 could be circular, oval, or other configuration as well as
the flat configuration, the flat configuration lends itself to
molding the internal structure shown in FIGS. 7. FIG. 7 shows two
serpentine channels 132 that are connect to each other near the
second end 120 and are connected the orifices 130. The two
serpentine channels 32 are then connected to the mouthpiece 118.
Water that is drawn by the user, enters through the orifices 130,
pass through the serpentine channels 132 and is delivered to the
user through the mouthpiece 118. The serpentine channels 132 are
pressure breakers to prevent water from reaching the mouthpiece 118
too quickly.
[0020] A honeycomb structure 134 is positioned between the first
end 116 and the second end 120 of the tube 114. The honeycomb
structure 134 can be used to support an additional obstruction such
as a cellulosic wad 26 or a threshold valve 24 as previously
described. The honeycomb structure 134 therefore provides the
options of the use of a cellulosic wad 26, a threshold valve 24, or
no additional obstruction. In that way, the hiccup relieving
apparatus 110 can be tuned to specific suction ranges with a
combination of orifice size and/or specific obstruction.
[0021] While this invention has been described with reference to
preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that
variations and modifications can be affected within the spirit and
scope of the invention as described herein and as described in the
appended claims.
* * * * *