Patent Application
20220401763
The disclosed inventive subject matter relates in general to a protective equipment used in hazardous environments, and more specifically to a modified face piece or face mask gasket for use with breathing systems and devices used in firefighting and for other purposes.
A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), also referred to as a compressed air breathing apparatus (CABA) or simply breathing apparatus (BA), is a wearable system and/or device that provides breathable air in atmospheres or environments that are immediately dangerous to human life or human health. The term “self-contained” indicates that an SCBA is not dependent on a remote supply of breathing gas (e.g., through a length of hose). If designed for use under water, such systems are referred to as self-contained underwater breathing apparatuses (SCUBA). When not used underwater, these systems are sometimes referred to as industrial breathing sets, air packs, air tanks or simply packs, which are primarily used for firefighting. An SCBA typically includes three primary components: (i) a high-pressure gas tank; (ii) a pressure regulator, and (iii) an inhalation device (e.g., mouth mask, face mask, or face piece), connected to one another and mounted on a carrying frame. A flame-resistant hood or similar device may be attached to the face mask to provide further protection to the wearer of the SCBA. Such systems are typically used for firefighting and industrial applications, although medical applications have recently become relevant. For example, the American National Institutes of Health prescribe the use of SCBAs for medical staff during treatment of Ebola and other dangerous pathogens.
An SCBA is typically an open-circuit system or in the case of a SCUBA, either an open-circuit system or closed-circuit system. A closed-circuit system, also known as a rebreather, operates by filtering, supplementing, and recirculating exhaled gas and is used when a longer-duration supply of breathing gas is needed, such as in mine rescue or operation in passages that are too narrow to accommodate the large gas cylinders used with open-circuit systems. Open-circuit industrial breathing sets are filled with filtered, compressed air, rather than pure oxygen. Typical open-circuit systems have two regulators: (i) a first stage regulator for reducing the pressure of air to allow it to be carried to the face mask, and (ii) a second stage regulator to further reduce air pressure to a level just above standard atmospheric pressure. This air is then fed to the face mask by a demand valve (activating only on inhalation) or a continuous positive pressure valve (providing constant airflow to the mask). An open-circuit rescue or firefighter SCBA typically includes a full-face mask, regulator, air cylinder, cylinder pressure gauge, remote pressure gauge, and a harness with adjustable shoulder straps and waist belt which allows the system to be worn on the back.
Open circuit SCBAs operate using either positive pressure or negative pressure. A negative pressure system relies on the internal pressure of the face mask dropping to below the ambient pressure to activate gas flow. If the mask does not seal properly, some leakage of ambient air into the mask will occur, which can be very problematic in environments containing toxic gases or irritant smoke and fumes. A positive pressure system slightly pressurizes the interior of the face mask and activates gas flow when the internal pressure is reduced, but is still above ambient pressure. If the face mask leaks, continuous gas flow maintains the internal pressure, and no inward leakage will occur. When the face mask fits correctly and seals properly around the face of the wearer, this design is economical with regard to the amount of breathing gas used and prevents contamination from the outside environment. Although the performance of both types of SCBA systems may be similar under optimum conditions, this “fail safe” aspect of a positive pressure SCBA makes it preferable for most applications.
As indicated above, the quality of the seal formed by the face mask in an SCBA is an important aspect of system performance. In most SCBAs used for firefighting, the seal at the edge of the face mask includes a wide tube-like structure having thin, flexible walls around the periphery of the face mask, filled with air at atmospheric pressure. On the surface, the seal pushes against the edges of the wearer's face, creating a tight seal despite small variations in head shape. Maintaining the integrity of this seal is critical with regard to proper functioning of the face mask and entire SCBA system. However, because the sealing portion of many face masks include snaps, tabs, buckles, and other connectors for attaching protective hoods or other items to the face mask, the seal can be reduced or even broken when the face mask is in use, thereby potentially creating serious problems for the wearer. Accordingly, there is an ongoing need for a face mask for use with SCBA systems that includes a means for attaching items to or near the sealing portion of the face mask without negatively affecting the quality of the seal formed between the face mask and face of the wearer of the SCBA system.
The following provides a summary of certain example implementations of the disclosed inventive subject matter. This summary is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key or critical aspects or elements of the disclosed inventive subject matter or to delineate its scope. However, it is to be understood that the use of indefinite articles in the language used to describe and claim the disclosed inventive subject matter is not intended in any way to limit the described inventive subject matter. Rather the use of “a” or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”.
One implementation provides a gasket apparatus, comprising an inner gasket portion, wherein the inner gasket portion is adapted to form an airtight seal with a substrate, and wherein the substrate is a human face; an outer gasket portion formed partially or completely around the inner gasket portion, wherein the outer gasket portion is adapted to receive at least one type of connecting device thereon for connecting one or more items to the outer gasket portion without disrupting the airtight seal formed by the inner gasket portion; and an interstitial space formed between the inner gasket portion and the outer gasket portion.
The gasket apparatus may be adapted for use with a self-contained breathing apparatus, which may be adapted for use in industrial environments, commercial environments, household environments, firefighting environments, biohazard environments, medical environments, or military environments. The outer gasket portion and inner gasket portion may be formed integrally with one another from a single piece of material. The inner gasket portion may include at least one type of connector device formed thereon or attached thereto. The at least one type of connector apparatus on the inner gasket portion may be adapted to receive a head harness. The at least one type of connecting device on the outer gasket portion may include snaps, buttons, buckles, rivets, or hooks and loop connectors. The at least one type of connecting device on the outer gasket portion may be adapted to receive a protective item such as a hood, a helmet, a head covering, or the like. The interstitial space formed between the inner gasket portion and the outer gasket portion may be adapted to receive a portion of a protective hood therein.
Another implementation provides a dual gasket apparatus for use with a self-contained breathing system or apparatus, comprising an inner gasket portion, wherein the inner gasket portion is adapted to form an airtight seal with a substrate such as a head or face, and wherein the inner gasket portion includes at least one type of connector device formed thereon or attached thereto; an outer gasket portion formed partially or completely around the inner gasket portion, wherein the outer gasket portion is adapted to receive at least one type of connecting device thereon for connecting one or more items to the outer gasket portion without disrupting the airtight seal formed by the inner gasket portion; and an interstitial space formed between the inner gasket portion and the outer gasket portion, wherein the outer gasket portion and inner gasket portion are formed integrally with one another from a single piece of material.
The dual gasket apparatus may adapted for use with a self-contained breathing apparatus that is adapted for use in industrial environments, commercial environments, household environments, firefighting environments, biohazard environments, medical environments, or military environments. The at least one type of connector apparatus on the inner gasket portion may be adapted to receive a head harness. The at least one type of connector apparatus on the inner gasket portion may be a gasket tab. The at least one type of connecting device on the outer gasket portion may include snaps, buttons, buckles, rivets, or hooks and loop connectors. The at least one type of connecting device on the outer gasket portion may be adapted to receive a protective item such as a hood, a helmet, a head covering, or the like. The interstitial space formed between the inner gasket portion and the outer gasket portion may be adapted to receive a portion of a protective hood therein.
Still another implementation provides a gasket apparatus for use with a self-contained breathing apparatus, comprising an inner gasket portion, wherein the inner gasket portion is adapted to form an airtight seal with a substrate such as a human face, and wherein the inner gasket portion includes at least one type of connector device formed thereon or attached thereto; an outer gasket portion formed partially or completely around the inner gasket portion, wherein the outer gasket portion is adapted to receive at least one type of connecting device thereon for connecting one or more items to the outer gasket portion without disrupting the airtight seal formed by the inner gasket portion; and an interstitial space formed between the inner gasket portion and the outer gasket portion, wherein the outer gasket portion and inner gasket portion are formed integrally with one another from a single piece of material, and wherein the inner and outer gasket portions are adapted to mount to a visor used with a self-contained breathing apparatus.
The at least one type of connector apparatus on the inner gasket portion may be a gasket tab for receiving a head harness, and the at least one type of connecting device on the outer gasket portion may include snaps, buttons, buckles, rivets, or hooks and loop connectors. The at least one type of connecting device on the outer gasket portion may be adapted to receive a protective hood, and the interstitial space formed between the inner gasket portion and the outer gasket portion may be adapted to receive a front portion of the hood therein.
It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein and may be implemented to achieve the benefits as described herein. Additional features and aspects of the disclosed system, devices, and methods will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the example implementations. As will be appreciated by the skilled artisan, further implementations are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of what is disclosed herein. Accordingly, the drawings and associated descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive in nature.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, schematically illustrate one or more example implementations of the disclosed inventive subject matter and, together with the general description given above and detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosed subject matter, and wherein:
Example implementations are now described with reference to the Figures. Reference numerals are used throughout the detailed description to refer to the various elements and structures. Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purposes of illustration, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the disclosed inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the following implementations are set forth without any loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed subject matter.
Various implementations of the disclosed systems and apparatuses provide face pieces or mask masks for use with SCBA systems that include structural features for attaching items to or near the sealing portion of the face mask without negatively affecting the quality of the seal formed between the face mask and face of the wearer of the SCBA system. These structural features are embodied in an improved gasket apparatus that includes an inner sealing portion and an outer mounting portion. For context, the design and construction of several existing face pieces used with SCBA systems are discussed below. The disclosed technology may be used with a wide variety of existing face pieces, including those shown in the drawings. Current manufacturers of such face pieces include, for example, Scott, Honeywell, MSA, and Draeger. The face masks manufactured by these and other entities may be manufactured to initially include the disclosed gasket apparatus, or such face masks may be retrofitted with the disclosed gasket apparatus. The disclosed gasket apparatus is compatible with the fire protective headgear disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,603,526, which is incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety, for all purposes.
Inner gasket portion 310 may include inner gasket tabs 312 formed on or attached to its outer surface, each of which may include an aperture 314. Inner gasket 310 surrounds and forms a seal with the face of the user, which acts as a substrate for inner gasket 310. As shown in
A plurality of connectors 322 are included on outer gasket portion 320 for connecting one or more items to outer gasket portion 320 without disrupting the airtight seal formed by inner gasket portion 310 against the face of the user. Suitable connectors may include buckles, buttons, rivets, snaps, hook and loop strips, and other types of connectors. In
All literature and similar material cited in this application, including, but not limited to, patents, patent applications, articles, books, treatises, and web pages, regardless of the format of such literature and similar materials, are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. Should one or more of the incorporated references and similar materials differs from or contradicts this application, including but not limited to defined terms, term usage, described techniques, or the like, this application controls.
As previously stated and as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” refer to both the singular as well as plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “comprising” as used herein is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. Although many methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used, particular suitable methods and materials are described herein. Unless context indicates otherwise, the recitations of numerical ranges by endpoints include all numbers subsumed within that range. Furthermore, references to “one implementation” are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional implementations that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, implementations “comprising” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional elements whether or not they have that property.
The terms “substantially” and “about” used throughout this specification are used to describe and account for small fluctuations, such as due to variations in processing. For example, these terms can refer to less than or equal to ±5%, such as less than or equal to ±2%, such as less than or equal to ±1%, such as less than or equal to ±0.5%, such as less than or equal to ±0.2%, such as less than or equal to ±0.1%, such as less than or equal to ±0.05%, and/or 0%.
Underlined and/or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only, do not limit the disclosed subject matter, and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the disclosed subject matter. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various implementations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the disclosed subject matter. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.
There may be many alternate ways to implement the disclosed inventive subject matter. Various functions and elements described herein may be partitioned differently from those shown without departing from the scope of the disclosed inventive subject matter. Generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations. Different numbers of a given module or unit may be employed, a different type or types of a given module or unit may be employed, a given module or unit may be added, or a given module or unit may be omitted.
Regarding this disclosure, the term “a plurality of” refers to two or more than two. Unless otherwise clearly defined, orientation or positional relations indicated by terms such as “upper” and “lower” are based on the orientation or positional relations as shown in the figures, only for facilitating description of the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred devices or elements must be in a particular orientation or constructed or operated in the particular orientation, and therefore they should not be construed as limiting the present invention. The terms “connected”, “mounted”, “fixed”, etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, “connected” may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For an ordinary skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention may be understood according to specific circumstances.
It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail herein (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the disclosed inventive subject matter. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. While the disclosed inventive subject matter has been illustrated by the description of example implementations, and while the example implementations have been described in certain detail, there is no intention to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the disclosed inventive subject matter in its broader aspects is not limited to any of the specific details, representative devices and methods, and/or illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept.
