Patent Application
20200039617
The present invention concerns equipment for swimming and water sports, and especially concerns a diving mask.
The diving masks currently on the market are generally constituted by a facial body made of material adapted to sealingly adhere to the face of the user, generally made of elastomeric material which is often of the silicone type, provided with one or two openings to house, respectively, one or two transparent elements through which the user is allowed to see, and able to achieve the seal around the same in cooperation with a stiff frame generally made of thermoplastic material such as Nylon, polycarbonate, polypropylene or the like; the mask is placed on the head of the user thanks to a strap, which is usually made of the same material as that of the facial body of the mask.
If, on one hand, the transparent element, usually made of tempered glass, offers the best guarantees in terms of stiffness and transparency, it makes this type of equipment susceptible to sealing problems in the respective seats on the other, in addition to the decidedly considerable manufacturing costs and to the problems related to the fragility and weight of the material.
Since the pressure must always be compensated, i.e. equal between the outside and inside of the mask, to prevent the eyes from coming out of their sockets, the resistance to pressure is not a critical factor, whereas some stiffness is useful in avoiding deformations, for example by pulling the strap which fixes the mask to the head. In the absence of sufficient stiffness, the deformations of the transparent element or a divergence between the two transparent elements with respect to one another would cause image deformations which would confuse sight. Moreover, the processing steps for manufacturing diving masks of this type substantially provide three different paths for the four components, given that the facial body and the strap can also be made in the same mold, and thus one assembling step.
In order to achieve a diving mask of simplified structure and construction, and thus with lower manufacturing costs, and which ensures good visibility and an effective seal on the face of the user, a mask, made in one piece by using a unique material molded with different thicknesses, was suggested in document IT1343719, with the aim to achieve both transparent elements with an appropriate degree of transparency and a facial body able to interact properly with the face of the user.
Aside from the considerations of theoretical nature with regard to the efficacy of this solution, there really are few materials which allow, depending on the thickness used, to achieve the adequate flexibility necessary for the peripheral seal of the facial body and the adequate stiffness to allow a non-deformed and clear vision through the transparent elements. In the document, it seems that a preferential solution is the one which uses a platinic silicone, which is a material with optimal qualities in terms of the interactions with the user, given it is approved for food use and decidedly resistant to aging and aggressive chemicals, but also particularly soft (Shore A hardness 30-70). Consequently, although very appropriate for making the facial body of the mask, it doesn't seem much suitable for making the transparent elements. The other preferable plastic material reported in the document mentioned is PVC (polyvinylchloride), which, however, is chemically less inert than silicone rubber and relatively harder (in the order of Shore A 65 with the use of plasticizers); these characteristics thus make it more appropriate for making the transparent elements, but less appropriate for making the facial body of the mask. Moreover, the general trend is to use less PVC for various reasons.
Object of the present invention is thus to provide a diving mask of simple and economic production that is simultaneously able to provide optimal performances both in terms of the efficiency of the transparent elements and of the comfort and functionalities of the facial body and that is also less delicate in terms of possible damages and that can withstand high elastic deformations during its transport without losing the functional technical characteristics.
Object of the present invention is thus a diving mask, comprising a facial body and at least one transparent element, made by co-molding at least two different thermoplastic elastomers, said transparent element being formed by a thermoplastic elastomer provided with a relatively greater degree of hardness, and said facial body being formed by a thermoplastic elastomer provided with a relatively lower degree of hardness than that of the transparent element.
In a preferred embodiment, the thermoplastic elastomer forming said transparent element, or said transparent elements, of the mask has Shore A hardness between 75 and 95, and preferably 85, whereas the thermoplastic elastomer forming the facial body of the mask has Shore A hardness between 35 and 55, and preferably 45 or Shore D between 30 and 65, preferably 45.
Advantageously, said thermoplastic elastomers are both copolymers of styrene, and in particular styrene/ethene-butene/styrene or styrene/ethylene/butyl/styrene copolymers.
In a further embodiment of the invention, said diving mask further comprises a relatively stiffer frame, also co-molded with the transparent element(s) and the facial body, which frame is made of thermoplastic elastomer provided with Shore D hardness between 50 and 70, and preferably 60.
In an embodiment, such thermoplastic elastomer is olefinic, such as a co-polymer of ethylene/propylene/propylene, polypropylene or a combination of polymers and polyolefin copolymers or else it is constituted by polycarbonate or nylon or combinations of these materials when compatible with each other.
In an embodiment variant, said frame is made between said transparent element, or said transparent elements, and said facial body.
Alternatively, the frame is co-molded on both said facial body and said transparent element, or said transparent elements, directly coupled to each other.
It will be clear to the expert of the art how the mask according to the present invention can also provide more than two transparent elements, such as for example occurs in the panoramic masks made according to the known art, in which a further transparent element is provided for each eye in the area of the mask body facing the mouth and/or in the area of the mask body facing the forehead and/or in the two side areas facing the ears, it being possible to provide any combination of said further transparent elements in any number and arrangement.
In alternative or in combination with one or more of the embodiments described, it is also possible to make the only transparent element or the two transparent elements each associated with an eye in the form of a cup or polygonal half-shell, such as for example is known in swimming goggles and described in the patent application EP3194034 having the same owner.
In this case, the edges of the polygonal half-shell transparent element would give stiffness and could at least in part prevent, also for the mask with two transparent elements each associated to viewing with a respective eye, i.e. with two transparent elements, the overmolding of a whole frame with a third material. This frame could thus alternatively extend for at least part of the peripheral edges of the transparent elements and not for their entire extension and be at least for some parts of the same material as that of the mask body perhaps provided with greater material thicknesses in at least some areas.
Further alternatives can consist in a combination of these variants constituted by a reinforcing frame made of a third material extending for a certain length of the shape of the transparent element(s), a part of the mask body of greater thickness in the adhering area and at least one part of the peripheral edge of the transparent element(s), which are provided in a coincident position, partially coincident and/or non-coincident with the segments of said frame and folding edges of the transparent element, which extend at least in some areas of this/these transparent element(s) also in coincident position, partially coincident and/or non-coincident with the areas in which the segments of said frame are provided and/or with the thicker areas of the mask body.
The definition of such combinations depends on the shape of the mask, on the use for which it is intended and can be defined, based on experience, in the context of simple design activities by the expert of the art.
Further advantages and characteristics of the diving mask according to the present invention will become clearer in the following description of some embodiments thereof, made by way of example and without limitations, with reference to the accompanying tables of drawings, in which:
A first embodiment of the diving mask according to the present invention is shown in
A second embodiment of the mask of the invention is shown in
In the variant shown in
The structure of the mask according to the present invention will become clearer hereunder. In the embodiment of
By using only two materials, it is substantially necessary to select the unique transparent element for both eyes.
By using two transparent elements, such as in the case of biocular mask of
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment variant of
In general, the use of different thermoplastic materials allows to better regulate the characteristics of the different areas of the mask with respect to the needs of the user; with the solution adopted according to the present invention, the sealing lip 101 is able, thanks to the intrinsic properties of the thermoplastic elastomer used, to better adhere to the face of the user, whereas the transparent elements are instead sufficiently stiff to provide an effective view; the frame provides further stiffness to the assembly.
According to a further embodiment, the frame made of the further third thermoplastic elastomer can also possibly be provided in the case of the mask according to
Moreover, the thermoplastic elastomers are generally devoid of problems in terms of the fogging inside the mask, a characteristic which clearly differentiates them from silicone rubber.
This way, the mask conceived combines manufacturing simplicity and savings with optimal characteristics of wearability and visibility.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102018000007879 | Aug 2018 | IT | national |
