External nasal dilators
External nasal dilators and methods for using and manufacturing the same are provided. An external nasal dilator assembly may include a spring element (e.g., a shape-memory alloy wire) having first and second ends and a central portion. A resilient tubular cushion may encapsulate at least a portion of the spring element. First and second adhesive patches may be coupled to respective ends of the spring element and configured to adhere to lateral nasal walls of a user. At least one tactile positioning element may be coupled to at least one adhesive patch to facilitate positioning of the assembly during application. The spring element may be flat for user-customized bending or pre-formed to a curved state. A non-adhesive central zone may be provided between the adhesive patches. When applied, the assembly may exert outward mechanical force on the lateral nasal walls to enlarge the nasal valve region.
1 . An external nasal dilator assembly comprising:
a spring subassembly comprising:
a spring body comprising a spring body central portion extending between a first spring body end and a second spring body end; and
a cushion component about the spring body along at least a portion of the spring body central portion;
a first adhesive patch coupled to a first spring subassembly end of the spring subassembly; and
a second adhesive patch coupled to a second spring subassembly end of the spring subassembly;
wherein the cushion component is a resilient tubular cushion with a non-adhesive exterior surface that covers the entire spring body.
2 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the first adhesive patch is configured to adhere to a first lateral nasal wall of a user when the assembly is applied to the user; and
the second adhesive patch is configured to adhere to a second lateral nasal wall of the user when the assembly is applied to the user.
3 . The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the assembly exerts outward mechanical force on the first and second lateral nasal walls to enlarge a nasal valve region of the user when the assembly is applied to the user.
4 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spring body is one of plastic or metal.
5 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cushion component is a coating for the spring body.
6 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cushion component is an overmold for the spring body.
7 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cushion component is at least one of the following: silicone, foam, plastic, rubber, or thermoplastic.
8 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cushion component encapsulates the spring body.
9 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a tactile positioning element coupled to the first adhesive patch.
10 . The assembly of claim 9 , further comprising another tactile positioning element coupled to the second adhesive patch.
11 . The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the tactile positioning element provides a tactile indication detectable by the user to facilitate positioning of the assembly when the assembly is being applied to the user.
12 . The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the tactile positioning element comprises a soft silicon bead.
13 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a natural state of the spring subassembly is configured to be adjustable by the user prior to application of the assembly.
14 . The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an interior subsystem comprising a central interior bridge coupling the first and second adhesive patches.
15 . The assembly of claim 14 , further comprising an exterior subsystem comprising a central exterior bridge extending between a first exterior patch and a second exterior patch, wherein the interior subsystem is adhered to the exterior subsystem about at least a portion of the spring subassembly.
16 . The assembly of claim 14 , further comprising an exterior subsystem comprising a central exterior bridge extending between a first exterior patch and a second exterior patch, wherein the interior subsystem is adhered to the exterior subsystem about at least a portion of the cushion component.
17 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spring body is programmed to return to a predetermined curvature when unconstrained.
18 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first adhesive patch comprises a slit configured to accommodate nasal curvature.
19 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the spring body comprises a shape-memory alloy wire.