Patent Application
20230098472
The present invention relates to air-filtering breathing masks. More specifically, the invention relates to personal air-conditioned breathing masks.
The need for quality breathing masks has probably never been more important in U.S. history than it is now, going back to early 2020. The concern over spreading contagious viruses and other airborne pathogens during respiration has led many Americans to travel, shop, work, and even exercise donning masks or other forms of face (predominately mouth and nose) coverings. According to a Denver report, the global sale of face masks went from a mere $800 million in 2019 to more than $165 billion in 2020. Projections for 2021 are even higher. However, the greatest innovation in these ubiquitous articles during that same time period has come mostly in the form of style, e.g., colors, slogans, images, designs, etc., with very little improvements made in the way of function.
While mask-wearing for some has become a fashion statement of sorts, there is still a desire by others to be protected during all activities, indoor as well as outdoor. Adding to the problem of breathing through a filtering material is the build-up of heat that may occur during certain activities. This can lead to anxiousness in the mask-wearer, causing an increased breathing rate and further heat build-up.
Accordingly, a mask is needed which both protects a user from inhaling foreign matter, such as viruses, pollutants, allergens, and the like, and provides a cooling air flow to help maintain user comfort. Until the invention of the present application, these and other problems in the prior art went either unnoticed or unsolved by those skilled in the art. The present invention provides a personal mask which perform multiple functions without sacrificing comfort, design, style, or affordability.
There is disclosed herein an improved air breathing system which avoids the disadvantages of prior devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages.
Generally speaking, the air breathing system comprises a face mask, a portable air purifying device, and air tubing to connector the purifying device to the mask. The mask is preferably configured to cover at least a user's nose and mouth, and the portable air purifier is preferably configured to be positioned to rest on a user's shoulders and partially wrap around the neck area. The purifier includes an opening for discharging cool air through the tubing and into the mask.
In embodiments an opening through the mask may be used for directing the discharging cooling air into the face mask. Alternatively, a clip may be used to direct the discharging cooling air around an edge of the face mask.
These and other aspects of the invention may be understood more readily from the following description and the appended drawings.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.
While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail at least one preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to any of the specific embodiments illustrated.
Referring to
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
As for the purifying device 14, similar devices are well-known in the art. Such a device is generically known as a thermoelectric cooler but is commercially available and may be advertised as a “portable air conditioner” or a “personal air conditioner.” Some of these devices filter air while others operate using a Peltier module, which is a device comprised of two joined conductors to form a cooling plate when voltage is applied across the junction to create current. This results in a low temperature on one of the conductors, and at least one fan is used to pull air into a cooling chamber and across the cooling plate, before pushing the cooled air out an air output port 22.
Referring to
As can be seen in
The tubing 16 is preferably comprised of a flexible plastic or rubber material but may be a more rigid plastic or light metal material in specific applications. The mask 12, of course, may be most any type of personal face mask configured to cover a user's nose and mouth, such as N95 and KN95 masks but also including neck gaiters, scarves, bandanas, and the like. Typically, the mask 12 is secured to the user's face with two ear loops, though other securing means may be used. These masks come in a variety of sizes, styles, colors, and may be either vented or unvented.
The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants' contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.
The present application claims the filing priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/261,758, titled “FACE MASK WITH FILTERED AIR SUPPLY,” and filed on Sep. 28, 2021. The '758 application is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63261758 | Sep 2021 | US |
