USPTO Patent Application: Water Quantity Detection in Humidifiers

ChangeBridge: Patent Apps - Medical Devices (A61M)

Published March 26th, 2026

Detected March 26th, 2026

Summary

The USPTO has published a patent application from ResMed Pty Ltd for methods and apparatus to determine the quantity of water in a humidifier. The application, filed on June 24, 2025, describes indirect measurement techniques using sensors to infer water levels without necessarily requiring disposable components.

View original document View source feed page

What changed

This document is a publication of a patent application (US20260083930A1) filed by ResMed Pty Ltd on June 24, 2025, with a publication date of March 26, 2026. The application details methods for indirectly determining the quantity of water in a humidifier by measuring various properties such as air flow characteristics, pressure, noise, vibration, or temperature. The goal is to infer water levels without necessarily requiring sensors in disposable components.

While this is a patent application and not a regulation, it signifies innovation in the medical device sector, specifically for respiratory care equipment like humidifiers. Compliance officers in the medical device manufacturing space, particularly those dealing with respiratory devices, should be aware of such technological advancements as they may influence future product design, manufacturing processes, and intellectual property strategies. No immediate compliance actions are required, but monitoring patent filings can provide insights into industry trends and potential future regulatory considerations.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Applications

METHODS OF DETECTING A QUANTITY OF WATER IN A HUMIDIFIER

Application US20260083930A1 Kind: A1 Mar 26, 2026

Assignee

ResMed Pty Ltd

Inventors

Andrew Roderick BATH, Matthew Rolf HARRINGTON, Liam HOLLEY, Ronald James HUBY, Richard Llewelyn JONES, Ian Malcolm SMITH

Abstract

Methods of an apparatus determine a quantity of a body of water in a humidifier such as by indirect measurement. The quantity of water may be determined by measuring one or more properties or characteristics, from which the quantity of water may be inferred. Characteristics of a flow of air, the humidifier, and/or the body of water may be measured. The characteristics may be, for example, pressure, flow rate, noise, vibration, temperature, electrical or mechanical. These may be measured by one or more sensors, which may be located in the humidifier, RPT device, air circuit or the patient interface. The methods described may have advantages, for example in being able to detect the quantity of water without requiring sensors to be present in a disposable component, and in some cases, without introduction of additional sensors.

CPC Classifications

A61M 16/16 A61M 16/0051 A61M 16/0066 A61M 16/026 A61M 16/0633 A61M 16/109 A61M 2016/0027 A61M 2016/003 A61M 16/06 A61M 16/1055 A61M 16/107 A61M 2205/3334 A61M 2205/3368 A61M 2205/3375 A61M 2205/3389 A61M 2205/50 A61M 2205/70 A61M 2210/0618