Patent Application
20230201634
The invention relates generally to breathable-air protection systems, and more particularly to a protected-air system for an individual in an enclosed environment and/or in environments having the potential for the presence of large amounts of airborne infectious pathogens, man-made contaminants, dust, and/or dirt.
In 2020, the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus alerted the world to the potentially deadly nature of airborne infectious pathogens. When such airborne infectious pathogens are readily transmitted by humans via their aerosolized particles expelled during breathing, speech, singing, coughing, sneezing, etc., anyone in the proximity of the aerosolized particles can be infected. The risk of infection is greatly increased when people share an enclosed environment such as those defined by aircraft, land vehicles, enclosed spaces/rooms, and/or relatively open but heavily-populated environments (e.g., airports, terminals, arenas or stadiums, amusement parks, subway and train platforms, etc.).
The recent awareness of the health risks posed by airborne infectious pathogens has also highlighted the need to protect oneself from other airborne particles that can present long-term health risks. Indeed, many work environments routinely and consistently expose inhabitants thereof to a variety of airborne particles that include man-made contaminants, dust, and dirt over the course of a work day. For example, construction workers routinely work in dirty and dusty environments, painters using sprayers are routinely exposed to clouds of aerosolized paint particles, etc.
Currently, when in any environment that presents a high risk of inhalation of airborne infectious pathogens, man-made contaminants, dust, dirt, etc., medical and science experts advise people to wear a face mask that covers one's nose and mouth. While face masks are effective at greatly reducing airborne pathogen transmission and/or inhalation of health-damaging particles, face masks can make breathing more difficult and can be uncomfortable when worn for extended periods. In addition, the air one breathes when wearing a mask never feels like “fresh air”. Thus, the drawbacks of mask wearing frequently lead to incorrect wearing of masks and/or their premature removal, both of which negate the advantages of wearing a mask.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a personal protected-air system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a personal system that can provide a user with fresh and/or filtered air in order to protect a user from airborne infectious pathogens, man-made contaminants, dust, dirt, etc., that may be present in an ambient air environment.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a personal protected-air system that avoids the drawbacks of traditional face masks.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a personal protected-air system for use during vehicle or air travel as well as any multiple-hour scenario in which one is exposed to health-damaging airborne particles.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious hereinafter in the specification and drawings.
In accordance with the present invention, a personal protected-air system includes a ring adapted to fit over a user's head. The ring includes a port accessible from a first external region of the ring and adapted to receive breathable air, a manifold in fluid communication with the port, and a plurality of vents in fluid communication with the manifold and a second external region of the ring. The vents are distributed about a portion of the ring. A face mask is coupled to the ring. The face mask has a first edge, a second edge, and mask material extending from the first edge to the second edge. The first edge is coupled to the ring adjacent to the portion thereof where the vents are so-distributed. The second edge is adapted to fit snugly against the user's cheeks and nose bridge wherein the mask material is spaced apart from the user's nostrils and mouth by an air space and wherein the breathable air enters the air space via the vents.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reference to the following description of the preferred embodiments and to the drawings, wherein corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings and wherein:
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to
Protected-air system 10 includes a ring 20 and a face mask 30. In general, ring 20 and face mask 30 are configured such that, when system 10 is worn by a user, ring 20 fits over a user's head and will encircle a region of the user's neck (i.e., below the user's chin and jawline) when face mask 30 is placed in position against the user's face as will be described further below. Accordingly, face mask 30 is said to be at the front of system 10. A variety of materials can be used for each of ring 20 and face mask 30 without departing from the scope of the present invention. Material choices and construction details for system 10 can be based on an application's design criteria such as the environment of use, cost, durability, weight, bio-degradability, etc.
Details of ring 20 will now be explained with additional reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 where an isolated top plan view of ring 20 is illustrated in
As mentioned above, manifold 26 is contained within ring 20 and is in fluid communication with port 24 and vents 25. In use, breathable air is introduced into manifold 26 through port 24 for distribution from manifold 26 via vents 25. In embodiments of the present invention incorporating a check valve in port 24, air entering manifold 26 through port 24 can only exit manifold 26 through vents 25. When system 10 is in use with ring 20 encircling a user's neck and with port 24 at/near the front of the user's neck, vents 25 are distributed about the front and sides of the user's head. Accordingly, when system 10 is worn by a user in this fashion and is coupled to a source of breathable air under pressure (e.g., an aircraft's filtered-air nozzle) at port 24, breathable air under pressure is admitted into manifold 26 and exits ring 20 via vents 25.
Face mask 30 can be made from any of a variety of mask materials (e.g., fabric, paper, etc.), can comprise one or more layers of material, can be flaccid or semi-rigid to hold a preformed shape, can be made from opaque and/or transparent materials, etc., without departing from the scope of the present invention. Face mask 30 is attached along one (lower) edge 31 thereof to ring 20. In general, edge 31 is coupled to ring 20 at least along the portion thereof where vents 25 are located such that vents 25 are disposed between edge 31 and central opening 21 of ring 20. In the illustrated embodiment, edge 31 is coupled to surface 22 and/or surface 23 along more than half of the circumference of ring 20. Edge 31 can be permanently or removably coupled to peripheral external surface 22 and/or top external surface 23. Removable coupling of face mask 30 to ring 20 will provide for the replacement or laundering of face mask 30. Removable coupling can be achieved in a variety of ways (e.g., elasticity of the material used for face mask 30, elastic banding, hook-and-loop fasteners, magnetic fasteners, snaps, zippers, etc.) without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Face mask 30 extends from its coupled edge 31 to its second uncoupled (upper) edge 32. Edge 32 can commence and end at ring 20, and is shaped to trace a line of contact with a user's face at the cheeks and nose bridge thereof. That is, regions 32A of edge 32 will contact a user's cheeks as region 32B contacts a user's nose bridge. Since edge 32 forms the contact with a user's face, edge 32 is configured to snugly and comfortably engage the user's cheeks and nose bridge. For example, edge 32 can be elasticized along some or all of its length thereby allowing edge 32 to conform to the contours of the user's cheeks and nose bridge. Padding (not shown) could also be provided along edge 32 for comfort and/or to improve the fit between edge 32 and the user's cheeks and nose bridge. The combination of ring 20 and face mask 30 eliminates the need to use any ear “loops” to hold face mask 30 in place. The amount of “grip” that edge 32 makes with a user's face can be controlled by, for example, the elasticity of edge 32 and the start/stop locations of edge 31 on ring 20.
System 10 provides a user with a variety of personal protected-air scenarios. At a minimum, a user fits system 10 over their head such that ring 20 encircles the user's neck. From this position, a user can pull face mask 30 into place over the user's face as described above. Since ring 20 is large enough to pass over the user's head, face mask 30 is held away from the user's nostrils, mouth and chin. More specifically, human anatomy readily dictates that ring 20 will tend to hang off the back of the user's neck, while the weight of ring 20 causes the front portion thereof to rest on or just above the user's clavicle-to-sternum region just below their neck. The size and shape of ring 20 cooperate to cause face mask 30 to be spaced apart from a user's face and chin when face mask 30 is worn. In some embodiments of the present invention, ring 20 can be configured to provide for some minor shape modifications by a user so that the user can customize the spacing between their face and face mask 30. The spacing between face mask 30 and a user's face can be enhanced by utilizing a semi-rigid face mask configuration that holds face mask 30 out from one's face as edge 32 engages the user's cheeks and nose bridge.
In another use scenario with system 10 worn as just described, system 10 can be coupled to a supply of breathable air at its port 24. When the breathable air is pressurized in the ring's manifold 26, the breathable air will be injected into the air space between face mask 30 and the user's face (i.e., at the region thereof that includes the user's nostrils and mouth) via vents 25. As mentioned above, one such source of breathable air is the filtered-air nozzle found above a passenger seat of an aircraft.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a flexible open-ended conduit or hose 40 (
In some embodiments of the present invention, the protected-air system's ring 20 can have a flexible-material cushion coupled thereto such that the cushion serves as a neck pillow. For example, a personal protected-air system 50 illustrated in
In some embodiments of the present invention, an additional “ring” (or sleeve) of flexible material can be included with or coupled to the bottom of ring 20 in order to provide a comfortable and circumscribing engagement with a user's neck. For example, a personal protected-air system 60 illustrated in
In some embodiments of the present invention, the protected-air system's ring 20 can have both the above-described flexible-material cushion and flexible ring/sleeve coupled thereto. For example, a personal protected-air system 70 illustrated in
In some embodiments of the present invention, the protected-air system's face mask 30 can be provided with a sealable aperture that a user can access/open to pass a straw or eating utensil through without removing the protected-air system. For example, a personal protected-air system 80 illustrated in
In some embodiments of the present invention, the face mask portion of the personal protected-air system is an open-ended sleeve of face mask material coupled to ring 20. For example, a personal protected-air system 100 illustrated in
In some embodiments of the present invention, the above-described face mask sleeve 90 can be extended to encircle/engage a user's neck. For example, a personal protected-air system 110 illustrated in
In other embodiments of the present invention, ring 20 can have one or more additional features to enhance the functionality of the personal protected-air system for a particular application. Several exemplary features will be described with the aid of
It is to be understood that any combination of the features described herein could be incorporated into a personal protected-air system without departing from the scope of the present invention. The selected features that are to be combined can be chosen to satisfy one or more application-specific criteria.
The advantages of the present invention are numerous. A user can safely enclose and protect his/her breathing space in a comfortable fashion. The personal protected-air system is ideally suited for everyday users, workers exposed to contaminated/dirty/dusty environments, travelers who are confined to air/land vehicles having enclosed and shared cabin spaces, users who will be exposed to crowded environments such as airports, train stations, bus depots, stadiums or arenas, malls, etc. The system's face mask does not use or require any “loops” to attach the face mask to a user's ears thereby avoiding the discomfort associated therewith. Furthermore, the system's ring allows the system's face mask to be held away from the user's nostrils, mouth and chin thereby greatly improving the user's mask-wearing experience. The system can be configured in a variety of ways to support a myriad of application criteria, price points, etc.
Although the invention has been described relative to specific embodiments thereof, there are numerous variations and modifications that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described.
This patent application is co-pending with one related patent application entitled “PERSONAL PROTECTED-AIR SYSTEM”, application Ser. No. 17/488,390, filed Sep. 29, 2021, by the same inventor and owned by the same assignee as this patent application.
