Patent Application
20210290991
The present invention generally relates to a protective mask, and more particularly to a personalized, self-adhesive, and strapless protective mask for preventing inhalation of airborne materials, bacteria, and viruses.
Disposable and non-disposable protective masks may be used in the medical field to prevent contamination and resulting infection of patients as well as health care personnel by airborne pathogens. Therefore, it has become necessary to both prevent the spread of infections from patients to health care personnel as well as prevent the spread of infections from health care personnel to patients by inhalation of airborne infectious aerosols and/or particulate matter, or by contamination of a wound or surgical incision by airborne infectious aerosols and/or particulate matter. Conventional protective masks may require complex manufacturing processes and access to materials (e.g., different components of a filtering material, straps, etc.) that may render manufacture and access to such masks difficult during a time of crisis. Specifically, access to protective equipment, including face masks, may be limited where unforeseen demand, such as a global epidemic, exhausts supply where it is necessary to prevent aerosols and/or particulate matter from a person's nose and mouth, and so forth, from contacting others, to prevent the spread of disease(s). Additionally, conventional protective masks may not provide a sufficient seal against the wearer's skin to prevent undesired particulates, viruses, and/or bacteria from reaching the nose and/or mouth of the wearer.
According to various aspects of the subject technology, a self-adhesive and strapless protective mask is provided. The self-adhesive protective mask includes a pliable adhesive film that is configured to surround a wearer's nose and mouth and a filtering material disposed at a central area for filtering air. The mask and/or filtering material may be constructed for reusability, or may be designed to be single-use (disposable) depending on the desired implementation. A removable carrier is provided along at least portions of the perimeter of the adhesive film to facilitate handling and positioning of the protective mask onto a wearer's nose and mouth. In at least one example, the removable carrier is disposed on an opposing side of an adhesive of the adhesive film, for example, to facilitate handling and positioning of the protective mask onto the wearer's face.
In other examples, the removable carrier can be disposed on the same side of the adhesive of the adhesive film such that the removable carrier covers a portion of the adhesive. The removable carrier assists the pliable adhesive film in maintaining its shape to prevent the adhesive film from adhering to itself before being applied to the wearer's skin. The removable carrier can be removed after at least a portion of the adhesive film is adhered to the wearer's skin so that the adhesive film can better conform to the wearer's face. In one aspect, the adhesive film is pliable to enable a wearer to adequately move their mouth and lips to communicate with others. In another aspect, the adhesion between the wearer's skin and the adhesive film creates a seal to prevent airborne materials, bacteria, and viruses from coming into contact with the wearer's nose or mouth. The adhesive film may be constructed of any of a variety (or combination) of materials, including but not limited to a polymer, an elastomer, or elastomer based composite materials, etc.
It is understood that other configurations of the subject technology will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various configurations of the subject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the subject technology is capable of other and different configurations and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the scope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the subject technology and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate aspects of the subject technology and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the subject technology.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a full understanding of the subject technology. It will be apparent, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art that the subject technology may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the subject technology.
A filtering material 104 is disposed over the opening 103 of the adhesive film 102 to filter out undesired particulates and airborne materials to prevent their inhalation by the wearer. Various air permeable fabrics, woven and non-woven, having the desired filtration properties may be used. For example, the filtering material 104 may be desirably constructed of a light-weight, softened, and non-irritating, woven or non-woven fabric that is configured to inhibit the passage of airborne bacteria or viruses in either direction, which prevent passage of germs to and from the wearer. In one aspect, because the filtering material 104 is utilized with a pliable and flexible adhesive film 102, the filtering material may be formed of a concise amount of material without regard to accommodating typical mouth and lip movement, as is done with conventional masks that utilize excess material around a wearer's mouth. As such, materials are efficiently utilized, without waste, lending to a reduction in cost and ease in manufacturability.
In one aspect, the filtering material 104 may be directly or indirectly coupled to the adhesive film 102. For example, filtering material 104 may be directly adhered to adhesive film 102. In another example, the filtering material 104 may be coupled to the adhesive film 102 via an intermediate membrane that may, for example, surround the filtering material 104 to enable the filtering material 104 to move independently with respect to the adhesive film 102 to provide the wearer with greater flexibility in moving their mouths and/or lips.
Bonding between filtering material 104 and adhesive film 102 can be performed in various ways depending on the desired implementation. For example, via an adhesive bond between the filtering material 104 and film 102, or by using a heated bonding process, etc. It is understood that other bonding methods are contemplated, without departing from the scope of the disclosed technology. Additionally, filtering material 104 may be bonded to either side of adhesive film 102; that is, filtering material may be bonded on an interior surface of adhesive film 102 that contacts the wearer's face, or to an outside surface, depending on the desired implementation.
A carrier 105 can be disposed on at least a portion of a perimeter of the adhesive film 102, or alternative on an entire surface of the adhesive film. The carrier 105 is configured to enable the wearer to easily handle and manipulate the protective mask 100 as the wearer places the protective mask 100 over their nose and mouth. In some aspects, the carrier 105 is sufficiently rigid to maintain a shape of the protective mask 100 after a liner (not shown) is removed from an interior surface of the adhesive film 102 to expose an adhesive layer of the adhesive film 102. In one aspect, the carrier 105 is disposed on a first surface of the adhesive film 102 (e.g., an exterior surface), and the liner is disposed on an opposing second surface (e.g., an interior surface) of the adhesive film 102. In other aspects, the carrier 105 is disposed on adhesive film 102 such that a portion of the adhesive is covered.
In some implementations, tab 408 may be configured to be tucked away beneath adhesive film 402. Additionally, in some embodiments, removable filter 404 can be configured for reuse, while the adhesive film 402 may be disposable. In this manner, the user/wearer may remove filter 404 using tab 408, and replace the adhesive film when the mask 400 is reapplied. By way of example, a liner (not illustrated) covering adhesive film 402 can be removed before the reusable/removable filter 404 is attached to the adhesive film 402 and once a seal is created, the mask can be placed onto the wearer's face.
The foregoing description is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to practice the various configurations described herein. While the subject technology has been particularly described with reference to the various figures and configurations, it should be understood that these are for illustration purposes only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the subject technology.
There may be many other ways to implement the subject technology. Various functions and elements described herein may be partitioned differently from those shown without departing from the scope of the subject technology. Various modifications to these configurations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and generic principles defined herein may be applied to other configurations. Thus, many changes and modifications may be made to the subject technology, by one having ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the subject technology.
It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged. Some of the steps may be performed simultaneously.
A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect is essential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an aspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A phrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment may apply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. A phrase such an embodiment may refer to one or more embodiments and vice versa.
Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more.” The term “some” refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various configurations 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 subject technology. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 62/992,796 filed Mar. 20, 2020, entitled “DISPOSABLE SELF-ADHESIVE AND STRAPLESS PROTECTIVE MASK”, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62992796 | Mar 2020 | US |
