Patent Grant
11253014
The present disclosure generally relates to a mask and more particularly to mask usable to prevent transmission of pathogens to or from a wearer.
During pandemics and at other times, people might wear facial mask for extended periods. As a result, comfort, breathability, access to the face, visibility of lip movements and facial expressions, etc. are considerations. Many mask designs lack one or more of these features.
A two-part mask, having a nasal portion and an oral portion, can include adhesive to secure the nasal portion to the wearer's face. The adhesive might surround the nose to form a leakproof seal. An oral portion covering the mouth of the wearer might include adhesive surrounding the mouth portion to form a leakproof seal. A wearer could wear just one or both parts of the mask.
The nasal portion might be made from a filter material. The oral portion might be made in part from filter material and in part from transparent material, or entirely opaque filter material or entirely transparent material. The transparent material might be positioned to allow for external viewing of the wearer's lip movements.
The mask portions could be customizable to provide an anatomical fit for each individual wearer and provide a complete seal. The mask portions might be shaped to form a balloon shape, which can allow for movement of a mask portion from an extended position when the wearer is exhaling to a contracted position when the wearer is inhaling.
The portions might be provided with optional openings, such as optional openings in the nasal portion to accommodate nasal prongs of oxygen tubing, and/or optional openings in the oral portion to accommodate drinking straws and the like.
Thicknesses of the filter material might vary.
Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings, in which:
In the following description, various embodiments will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment being described.
A two-part mask, having a nasal portion and an oral portion, can include adhesive to secure the nasal portion to the wearer's face. The adhesive might surround the nose to form a leakproof seal. An oral portion covering the mouth of the wearer might include adhesive surrounding the mouth portion to form a leakproof seal. A wearer could wear just one or both parts of the mask.
The nasal portion might be made from a filter material. The oral portion might be made in part from filter material and in part from transparent material, or entirely opaque filter material or entirely transparent material. The transparent material might be positioned to allow for external viewing of the wearer's lip movements. In some embodiments, the mask is largely transparent. In some embodiments, the mask is transparent in parts and opaque in others. In some embodiments, the mask is entirely opaque or is constructed from materials wherein transparency is not a concern.
The mask portions could be customizable to provide an anatomical fit for each individual wearer and provide a complete seal. The mask portions might be shaped to form a balloon shape, which can allow for movement of a mask portion from an extended position when the wearer is exhaling to a contracted position when the wearer is inhaling. With such balloon shapes around the mouth and the nose, the wearer might be able to breathe more easily and move their lips and speak more easily. A balloon-like shape for the nasal portion might allow for longer term use and breathability.
The oral portion might be manufactured with a plissé or crepe finish, which might facilitate speaking and communication during long-term use. The oral portion might be made from cotton fabric, possibly chemically treated, such that the fabric does not lay flat, but can crinkle. In other variations, it might be manufactured in a pleated fashion.
The portions might be provided with optional openings, such as optional openings in the nasal portion to accommodate nasal prongs of oxygen tubing, and/or optional openings in the oral portion to accommodate drinking straws and the like. In embodiments in which the nasal portion has openings for oxygen nasal prongs, those might be one or two round holes with adhesive around them to attach oxygen nasal prongs. In some embodiments, there are accommodations for attaching to portable oxygen sources and tanks to provide a fresh air environment for long-term use. This can be for wearers needing extra oxygen, contact sports players, and the public at large. The holes in the nasal portion and/or the oral portion can be resealable. In a specific embodiment, an additional, removable piece is provided that adheres to central holes and accommodates drinking straws for the mouth, easier breathing when in an isolated space where the wearer does not want to remove the entire oral portion. An example might be in an aircraft where the wearer is wearing the mask but there is an emergency that causes an oxygen masks to drop down. The wearer could open the optional holes before putting on the oxygen mask.
The oral portion can be made from opaque filter material, transparent filter material, transparent non-filtering material, or some combination as might be needed to provide some filtering and some transparency. The transparent material is positioned to allow for external viewing of the wearer's lip movements. Thicknesses of the filter material might vary. The filter material might be configured to allows for breathing while preventing or reducing aerosol distribution.
The adhesive used could comprise an adhesive strip that is flexible enough to fit the wearer's specific nose shape and mouth shape. In some embodiments, adhesive rings are separate from the mask portions and those adhesive rings can be applied once for multiple mask uses. In such embodiments, an overlying mask portion can be replaced without reapplying adhesives on the wearer's skin when changing masks. This could be useful for front-line workers, surgeons, healthcare providers, and public at large, where frequent mask replacement is required.
In various embodiments, the adhesive ring may include, in addition to and/or alternatively to adhesive that couples the overlying mask portion to the adhesive ring, one or more mask fasteners that are configured to couple to respective adhesive ring fasteners that are included on the overlying mask portion. For example, the one or more mask fasteners may include a ferromagnetic metal particle, a magnet, and/or other magnetic material that may generate an attractive magnetic force with the corresponding adhesive ring fastener on the overlying mask portion, which may include a ferromagnetic metal particle, a magnet, and/or other magnetic material. However, the one or more mask fasteners and the respective adhesive ring fasteners may include other fasteners such as clips, screws, hook- and loop-fasteners, and/or other fasteners for coupling or otherwise fastening the mask portions to respective adhesive rings.
In some embodiments, the mask portions have pockets for insertion of extra filters that can easily be placed, replaced, and removed without having to remove the mask portion itself. This can be useful for front-line workers as well as the general public in hot zones in a pandemic. Aside from pandemics, this could provide extra protection in polluted environments.
Comfort-related features might include the use of a mild adhesive so as not to irritate the wearer's skin. This could obviate the need for any metal pieces that might cause pressure marks or damage to the wearer's face as occurs with masks that use a metal portion to block upward warm airflow that can cause fogging of eye masks, glasses, etc.
In various embodiments, a two-part mask comprises a nasal portion and an oral portion, with the nasal portion for covering a wearer's nostrils being separate from oral portion for covering a wearer's mouth. Each can be adhered with adhesive.
In various embodiments, the two-part mask can do away with a need for ear or head straps, sparing ears, nose bridges, and large areas of facial skin from irritation, and can provide a tight, leak-proof seal for limiting pathogen transport out of the nose or mouth of the wearer and/or transport into the nose or mouth of the wearer. The filter material used can be effective for limiting transmission of coronaviruses, other viruses, pathogens, particulates, pollutants, and/or other materials. However, for wearers unable to apply adhesives to their skin, a strapped embodiment might be used.
The two-part construction and use of adhesive can reduce an amount of face coverage and can help separate nasal air from oral air. The adhesive approach can reduce skin irritations relative to a mask attached by straps. Being smaller than a face mask covering a large portion of the wearer's face, the two-part mask might be less obstructive for medical procedures, while still providing pathogen mediation. With a transparent oral portion, facial recognition and lip reading might be more easily performed.
The two-part mask might have broad, global application for a multitude of industries and functions, such as the medical field (operating rooms, procedure rooms, etc.), the aesthetic field (spas, salons, etc.), and/or the fashion industry (make-up visibility, accessories, customization, etc.), public use (schools, workplaces, social settings, gyms, restaurants, etc.).
The two-part mask might accommodate drinking/hydration without removal and might result in increased compliance due to comfort and look.
By separating nasal air and oral air, this might provide for isolation of exhaled air. The two-part mask might provide a targeted area of protection while mitigating concerns arising from larger facial coverage of conventional masks, including skin irritation, lack of facial recognition and lip reading, psychological effects, and sanitary issues. In some embodiments, the two-part mask can provide greater compatibility with oxygen delivery systems due in part to separation of the nasal cavity from the oral cavity.
In various embodiments, a two-part mask has a nasal portion and an oral portion, wherein the nasal portion includes a first adhesive applied to a first filter such that the first adhesive can form an enclosing seal on the facial surface enclosing a wearer's nostrils by the first filter and wherein the oral portion includes a second adhesive applied to a second filter such that the second adhesive can form an enclosing seal on the facial surface enclosing the wearer's mouth. The oral portion can be made in part from a filter material and in part from a transparent material, wherein the transparent material is positioned to allow for external viewing of the wearer's lip movements.
In some embodiments, the inner lining of the mask portions and/or adhesive tape used for adhesive could be infused with antioxidants and vitamins for the skin. This might reduce or prevent skin irritations and/or provide treatment and enhancement to improve skin health.
A novel two-part mask assembly has now been described. The use of examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of the invention, and what is intended by the applicants to be the scope of the invention, is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent correction.
Further embodiments can be envisioned to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure. In other embodiments, combinations or sub-combinations of the above-disclosed invention can be advantageously made. The example arrangements of components are shown for purposes of illustration and combinations, additions, re-arrangements, and the like are contemplated in alternative embodiments of the present invention. Thus, while the invention has been described with respect to exemplary embodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications are possible. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims and that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The present application claims benefit, under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/093,113, filed Oct. 16, 2020 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/130,134, filed Dec. 23, 2020. Each of the foregoing applications are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63093113 | Oct 2020 | US | |
| 63130134 | Dec 2020 | US |
