ANTI-FOGGING FACEMASK

Abstract

An anti-fogging facemask for preventing fogging of the wearer's glasses or goggles may be described herein. The anti-fogging facemask include an outer facemask and an inner facemask. The inner facemask is attached to the outer facemask. The inner facemask provides a barrier to prevent exhaled air from traveling through the upper end of the facemask. The inner facemask directs exhaled air downwards. The outer facemask forms a seal at an upper portion of the wearer's nose.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

This application is in the field of disease transmission prevention.

BACKGROUND

Conventional facemasks form an imperfect seal near the bridge of the nose, a condition which tends to worsen over repeated uses of the mask. This creates a major problem for people wearing eyeglasses, sun glasses, or safety goggles throughout the day, as moisture from exhaled breath causes eyewear to continually fog up. Solutions that currently exist are antifogging spray for glasses or facemasks made out of water absorbing materials such as cotton. Neither of these solutions is effective at solving the problem.

SUMMARY

An anti-fogging facemask for preventing fogging of the wearer's glasses or goggles may be described herein. The anti-fogging facemask include an outer facemask and an inner facemask. The inner facemask is attached to the outer facemask. The inner facemask provides a barrier to prevent exhaled air from traveling through the upper end of the facemask. The inner facemask directs exhaled air downwards. The outer facemask forms a seal at an upper portion of the wearer's nose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example of an anti-fogging facemask;

FIG. 2 is an example of the anti-fogging facemask worn on the face of a user;

FIG. 3 is an example profile of the anti-fogging facemask worn on the face of the user; and

FIG. 4 is an example of the inside of the anti-fogging facemask.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention is described in the following description with reference to the Figures, in which like reference numbers represent the same or similar elements. While this invention is described in terms of modes for achieving this invention's objectives, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be accomplished in view of these teachings without deviating from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The embodiments and variations of the invention described herein, and/or shown in the drawings, are presented by way of example only and are not limiting as to the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise specifically stated, individual aspects and components of the invention may be omitted or modified, or may have substituted therefore known equivalents, or as yet unknown substitutes such as may be developed in the future or such as may be found to be acceptable substitutes in the future. The invention may also be modified for a variety of applications while remaining within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, since the range of potential applications is great, and since it is intended that the present invention be adaptable to many such variations.

A facemask designed to inhibit fogging of the wearer's glasses or goggles may be described herein. The mask may be comprised of an inner facemask and an outer facemask The outer facemask may form a seal at an upper portion of the wearer's nose. The inner facemask, attached to the outer facemask, may either rest on or form a seal at a lower portion of the wearer's nose and provides at least a partial barrier to prevent exhaled air from traveling through the upper end of the facemask.

The inner facemask may be made of the same material as the outer facemask or a different material all together. For example, the inner facemask may be made out of cotton and sewn onto a typical N95, KN95 or surgical outer facemask. Using cotton for the inner mask may enhance the anti-fogging properties of the outer mask by absorbing some of the exhaled moisture in addition to redirecting the exhaled air away from the upper portion of the outer facemask. The inner facemask may also contain a superabsorbing polymer (for example, sodium polyacrylate) to further enhance the anti-fogging properties. The portion of the inner facemask that forms a seal around the nose (separate from the seal formed by the outer facemask) may be comprised of a malleable plastic or metal strip, a hypoallergenic elastomer (for example, silicone), a pressure sensitive adhesive, a water absorbing or superabsorbing polymer, a hypoallergenic adhesive tape (for example, kinesiology tape or 3M Medical Tape), or an elastic band (for example, spandex) embedded in the fabric. When an adhesive tape is used as a nose piece, it may be useful to stack multiple layers of adhesive, separated by layers of release liner, to enable multiple uses. When an outermost layer of the adhesive tape is compromised, it may be peeled off to expose the next pristine adhesive layer.

The inner facemask may be designed to direct exhaled air downwards and/or towards the sides of the facemask while inhibiting airflow upwards. In one example, a flap may extend over the tip of the nose and span the width of the mask to inhibit upward airflow from both the nose and mouth. In another example, the flap may simply use gravity to rest over the wearer's nose, whereas in another example, the flap may contain a nose seal. This flap may also be designed to conform to the wearer's cheeks in addition to the nose to further inhibit upward airflow. Another example may include a simple conical funnel that is narrow towards the nose seal and widens towards the bottom of the mask. Another example may consist of a full mask, completely embedded within the outer mask that consists of an air-impermeable material towards the upper portion of the mask (near the nose) and a highly air-permeable material towards the lower portion of the mask (near the mouth/chin).

FIG. 1 is an example of an anti-fogging facemask. The anti-fogging facemask 100 includes an outer facemask 101 and an inner facemask 102. The inner facemask 102 of the anti-fogging facemask 100 includes a breathing funnel 103. The anti-fogging facemask 100 includes ear loops 104.

FIG. 2 is an example of the anti-fogging facemask worn on the face of a user. The anti-fogging facemask 200 includes an outer facemask 201 and an inner facemask 202 As illustrated in FIG. 2, the inner facemask 201 forms a seal around the nose 204. The inner facemask 201 may be comprised of a malleable plastic or metal strip, a hypoallergenic elastomer (for example, silicone), a pressure sensitive adhesive, a water absorbing or superabsorbing polymer, a hypoallergenic adhesive tape (for example, kinesiology tape or 3M Medical Tape), or an elastic band (for example, spandex) 205 embedded in the fabric. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the inner facemask may be designed to direct exhaled air downwards 203.

FIG. 3 is an example profile of the anti-fogging facemask worn on the face of the user. The anti-fogging facemask 300 includes an outer facemask 301 and an inner facemask 302. The inner facemask 302 may have an adhesive 305 to adhere to the bridge of the nose 304 of the wearer. The inner facemask 302 may be designed to direct exhaled air downwards 303. The anti-fogging facemask may also include a breathing funnel 306. The breathing funnel 306 may get wider towers the lower end of the inner facemask 302 to promote downward airflow.

FIG. 4 is an example of the inside of the anti-fogging facemask. The anti-fogging mask 400 includes an outer facemask 401 and an inner facemask 402. The inner facemask 402 may have an adhesive 403 to adhere to the bridge of the nose of the wearer. The anti-fogging facemask may also include a breathing insert 404. The breathing insert 404 may be a flap.

Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many modifications and variations of the above may be implemented without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims. Thus, it is intended that the following claims cover the modifications and variations provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An anti-fogging facemask comprising: an outer facemask; andan inner facemask, wherein the inner facemask is attached to the outer facemask;wherein the inner facemask provides a barrier to prevent exhaled air from traveling through the upper end of the anti-fogging facemask and directs exhaled air downwards;wherein both the outer facemask and the inner facemask form a seal at an upper portion of the wearer's nose.

2. The anti-fogging facemask of claim 1, wherein the seal of the inner facemask includes an adhesive.

3. The anti-fogging facemask of claim 1, wherein the inner facemask is made of cotton.

4. The anti-fogging facemask of claim 1, further comprising an insert that extends over the tip of the nose and spans the width of the mask.

5. The anti-fogging facemask of claim 4, wherein the insert inhibits upward airflow from both the nose and mouth.

6. The anti-fogging facemask of claim 1, further comprising a conical funnel.

7. The anti-fogging facemask of claim 6, wherein the conical funnel is narrow towards the nose seal and widens at the bottom of the mask towards the mouth.

8. The anti-fogging facemask of claim 1, further comprising a full mask, completely embedded within the outer mask.

9. The anti-fogging facemask of claim 8 wherein the full mask includes an air-impermeable material towards the upper portion of the mask and a highly air-permeable material towards the lower portion of the mask.