Patent Application
20230240389
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the importance of wearing facemasks, especially for front-line workers who are at a higher risk of getting infected due to their close proximity to the public. The widespread spread of the virus has made it imperative for individuals, especially front-line workers, to wear facemasks to curb the spread of the virus and prevent themselves from getting infected.
Front-line workers include healthcare workers, first responders, grocery store workers, delivery workers, and many others. These individuals have to interact with the public on a daily basis, making them highly vulnerable to viruses. They are exposed through close contact with infected individuals, breathing in droplets from infected individuals, and touching contaminated surfaces.
The use of facemasks is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce the risk of getting infected by a virus. Facemasks provide a physical barrier that traps droplets before they reach the mouth or nose of the person wearing the mask. When an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes, droplets containing the virus are released into the air, and these droplets can easily reach another person through the mouth or nose. Wearing a facemask helps reduce the spread of these droplets by trapping them before they reach another person.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the use of facemasks for individuals who are in close contact with infected individuals, especially front-line workers. According to the WHO, facemasks are effective in reducing the spread of viruses, especially when combined with other preventive measures such as hand hygiene and physical distancing. The use of facemasks has become an essential aspect of the COVID-19 response, and front-line workers are advised to always wear them while they are on duty.
Unfortunately, when it comes to medical facemasks, front-line workers often do not wear the mask properly on the nose, cheek, lower jaw and chin. Sometimes the front-line workers will even wear the mask inside out or upside down, which results in a poor fit and gaps in the facemask leading to potential risk of exposure for themselves and others to microorganisms that cause infections.
Many front-line workers alike at times complain that conventional facemasks are uncomfortable and often do not remain in position during use. This may lead to a poor fit and further discomfort to the wearer.
One or more embodiments relate to a facemask adapted to reduce movement of the facemask during speech, comprising a proximal layer, distal layer and structural member, said structural member oriented collateral with a user’s mouth. In an embodiment, the proximal layer and distal layers are configured to enclose the structural member from opposite sides while the structural member is configured to inhibit the proximal layer from engaging the user’s mouth or nose. In an embodiment the structural member is made of a flexible material such as plastic, silicone, etc., while in an alternative embodiment the structural member is made of a semi-rigid material such as metal. In an embodiment the structural member protrudes away from the user’s mouth and the facemask further comprises a means for affixing the facemask to a user’s face.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the embodiments will become understood with reference to the following description, appended claims and accompanying figures.
The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples of specific percentages, components, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present design can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known components or methods have not been described in detail but rather in a block diagram to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present design. Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. Also, the features implemented in one embodiment may be implemented in another embodiment where logically possible. The specific details can be varied from and still be contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the present design. The term coupled is defined as meaning connected either directly to the component or indirectly to the component through another component.
Referring now to the drawings,
In an embodiment, the proximal layer 104 and distal layers 102 are configured to enclose the structural member 106 from opposite sides. In this configuration, the structural member 106 is designed to inhibit the proximal layer 104 from engaging the user’s mouth or nose. The structural member 106 is also designed to reduce movement of the facemask during speech as portions of the proximal layer 104 in line with the user’s mouth are forced (i.e., protrudes) away from the user’s mouth allowing the user to move their lips and mouth without interference with the proximal layer 104 of the facemask 100. Moreover, the present embodiment also allows for increased breathability over longer periods of time.
In an embodiment, the structural member 106 may be made of a flexible material, such as plastic, rubber, silicone, polymers, etc. Flexibility in the structural member 106 allows for minor deformation of the structural member 106 caused by the user talking or breathing. In an alternative embodiment, the structural member 106 may be made of a semi-rigid material, such as metal. In one embodiment the structural member 106 comprises a single piece of material, be it flexible or semi-rigid. In an alternative embodiment, the structural member 106 may comprises multiple pieces of material, all may be flexible, or semi-rigid, or a combination thereof.
In an embodiment, the facemask 100 further comprises a means for affixing the facemask 100 to the user’s face.
An embodiment of the present invention is a facemask with a protruding centerline for increased breathability and reduction in movement when speaking. In one embodiment the centerline is made of a flexible material, e.g., plastic. In one embodiment, the centerline is made of a semi-bendable material, e.g., metal.
The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented for purposes of illustration but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
References in the claims to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described exemplary embodiment that are currently known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. section 112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or “step for.”
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. Application Serial No. 63/305265, filed Jan. 31, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63305265 | Jan 2022 | US |
