US Patent 7762263 Device and method for opening an airway

A device and a method for creating and/or maintaining an obstruction free upper airway. The device is configured to fit under the chin of a subject adjacent to the subject's neck at an external location corresponding approximately with the subject's internal soft tissue associated with the neck's anterior triangle. The device is capable of exerting negative pressure on the surface of a subject's neck, displacing the soft tissue forward and enlarging the airway.