Wow!
![Shocked :o](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xshocked.gif.pagespeed.ic.CrwtrNUjLO.png)
Yeah those eBay devices look a lot like the Airing. Now what came first? Did Airing actually design it, or did they steal it from another company? Or did presumably a Chinese manufacturer copy the design to produce their own knock-off? Or was this a case of Airing talking to a Chinese fabricator and getting their design ripped out from under them?
One thing is for sure... the non-powered Airing or "Stop Stuffy Nose Breathing Snoring Apparatus"-thingy is like an internal version of the Breathe Right strips (
https://www.breatheright.com/). When I've had a cold and congested nose, I've tried the Breathe-Right and it definitely helps improve the nasal passage opening. You can achieve the same effect by sticking 2 tubes into the end of your nostrils that are larger than your nostrils... which will expand them. You can even temporarily test it out by using your fingers to spread apart your nostrils.
So either method... externally (by sticking to your skin and trying to expand your nasal tissue) or internally (by forcing a larger diameter tube into your nares) will give you a noticeable improvement in the air flow.
What Airing has to do now is basically keep working on their "research" for a few years and when backers start complaining too highly they can ship them these things, pennies on the dollar, to shut them up. Then they can use this line....
"Sorry we couldn't get our microblowers to work, or FDA wouldn't clear our device for use. But as a consolation offer we will send you these Airing Stop Puffy Nose Breathing Snoring Appliances...".
Take a look at the pricing.... $50 for 15 Airings. Well, what's $2.99 (eBay item) x 15 = $45. Or $70 for 30 Airings... The prices per unit are awfully close to the anticipated price of $3 per Airing retail, and the eBay item is $2.99. Yup. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Cost to manufacture these is pennies and they can continue to market and sell these devices without any FDA approval and while they do help improve breathing for people with allergies/colds/congestion, it is FAR FAR AWAY as a SLEEP APNEA DEVICE.
So we've basically come back around FULL CIRCLE!
![Laughing :-DD](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley_laughing.gif.pagespeed.ce._hfWAz_QHO.gif)
Look back in this thread, I think we already mentioned that the original design and concept appeared to make sense as a type of Breathe-Right, except for the fact that they added on this garbage about microblowers and batteries and tried to claim it is a sleep apnea device. Meanwhile, they might have had a successful and fulfilled campaign already if all they did was sell you this Breathe-Right alternative.
![Face Palm :palm:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xfacepalm.gif.pagespeed.ic.EBDwh1hCfo.png)
I don't know.... They look pretty close in design:
![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5529f0c3e4b01f43e14adb5b/t/5546cb33e4b0e11ffa8f0f35/1430750328280/)
LOOK! Someone selling those snoring appliances is using this photo on their site but with the "Airing" photoshopped away, and using the same graphics as the Airing (lady sleeping):
![](https://images.vitamall.com/VM1002543676/TFS-2016-New-Snore-Go-Away-stuffy-nose-breathing-apparatus-air-purifier-anti-snore-solution-navy-01.jpg)
![](http://thumbs.picclick.com/00/s/ODAwWDgwMA==/z/PtYAAOSw-KFXc28i/$_12.JPG)
![](http://thumbs2.picclick.com/d/l400/pict/112116885729_/health-nose-breathing-apparatus-suitable-for-Stopping-Grinding.jpg)
LOOK! This image for an ad for "snore nose top snoring apnea guard" even uses Airing's lady sleeping photo on their packaging, and obviously shipping the knock-off design items.
![](http://thumbs4.picclick.com/d/l400/pict/331957289323_/1PCS-NEW-Snore-Nose-Stop-Snoring-Apnea-Guard.jpg)
Based on some of the images I've been able to Google using image search for "stop snoring breathing apparatus", it definitely looks like someone is COPYING Airing and even using their photos from their website, and also looks like they scratched out the Airing name on some of them. You can see where the Airing model has a kind of metallic mesh on the top, while the simpler breathing apparatus has just a plastic/rubbery shell. In the "fake" advertisements for the simpler breathing apparatus it looks like they are using the Airing photos and just Photoshopping out the Airing name, but obviously the device they will ship you will NOT look like the Airing but their copy-cat design version (likely made of 2 pieces of plastic... a colored outer piece with the holes, and the white/transparent softer piece that fits into the nose).
![Face Palm :palm:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xfacepalm.gif.pagespeed.ic.EBDwh1hCfo.png)
Me thinks that some clever business-person in China saw the success of the Airing campaign and decided to just make a simpler nasal-nare-dilating appliance to help breathing.... Which works and is definitely worth the price.The design patents obviously not being an issue, not enforceable in China, and seeing through all this B.S. of microblowers/sleep apnea/battery, the Chinese company took it upon themselves to just get it made and shipped out. There are many other similar in-the-nose devices, just not ones that look like the Airing. So when they saw the design they figured lets just copy it and use it for our breathing helper and that's it.
![ThumbsUp :-+](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/icon_smile_thumbsup.gif.pagespeed.ce._JElyJQqdB.gif)