Surgery – Respiratory method or device – Face mask covering a breathing passage
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-28
2001-07-10
Lewis, Aaron J. (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Respiratory method or device
Face mask covering a breathing passage
C128S206120
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257235
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a face mask providing a covering for the nose and mouth of a wearer, and more particularly to a face mask with a fan attachment for drawing air through the filter body of the mask.
Disposable face masks and respirators are well known in the art. In the medical field, such masks are used in preventing contamination of a patient by the exhaled breath of healthcare personnel. In recent years, with increased concern for infection of healthcare personnel by airborne pathogens, such masks have become important in preventing infection of healthcare personnel as well.
Healthcare personnel now increasingly show a preference for wearing face masks which form a barrier or seal between the periphery of the mask and the face of the wearer. As a result of this sealing engagement between the mask and wearer's skin, substantially all air inhaled or exhaled by the wearer is forced to flow through the filter media of the face mask. As a result, these better-fitting filter masks can become hot and uncomfortable to the wearer during periods of long-term wear. Breathability can also be a problem.
In certain healthcare environments, there is a preference towards including transparent panels in face masks through which the wearer's face can be seen. These panels allow improved communication between healthcare personnel and patients by allowing the patient to see the mouth of the healthcare worker, and are particularly beneficial for serving hearing impaired patients. Such masks with transparent panels often have a problem with condensation because the warm, moist air exhaled by the wearer causes the panel to fog with moisture vapor. A similar condensation problem can occur when the face mask wearer must also wear eyeglasses or goggles.
The use of face masks with the noted associated problems is not restricted to the healthcare environment. Many industrial applications, such as handling hazardous materials or working in a clean room environment, also require the use of face masks and respirators that form a substantially tight seal between the face of the wearer and the periphery of the mask.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a face mask design which provides increased air flow through the filter media of the mask by forcing exhaled air from the interior of the mask and delivering fresh air from the exterior of the mask.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoing disadvantages, and others, of prior art construction and methods.
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In accordance with the invention, a face mask is provided having a filter body to cover at least the nose and mouth of a wearer and defining an interior air volume surrounding the wearer's nose and mouth. The face mask also includes a mechanism for holding the mask securely on the wearer's face. A fan is disposed on the outside of the filter body which can operate to draw at least a portion of its air flow through the filter body of the mask.
In one desired embodiment, the filter body of the face mask forms a substantially tight seal with the face of the wearer when in use. The mechanism for securing the mask to the face of the wearer aids in holding the periphery of the mask in this sealing engagement with the skin. The securing device may be any conventional device, including tie straps or elastic straps to go around the back or top of the wearer's head, ear loops, or the like.
The fan may be operational in a direction to draw air exhaled by the wearer from within the interior air volume of the mask, effectively removing the hot, moist breath of the wearer and allowing the wearer to inhale with greater ease. Removal of exhaled air also helps prevent fogging of eyeglasses and any clear portion of the mask.
In another embodiment, the fan is reversible and thus may be configured to either draw exhaled air out of the interior volume of the mask or draw cool, fresh air into the interior volume of the mask providing greater comfort to the wearer.
The fan may be powered using a power supply such as batteries or other access to electrical current. The power supply may be portable and have the ability to be remotely positioned away from the fan and mask, for instance, attached to the wearer's belt.
In another embodiment, the fan may be connected to an electrical supply provided in hospital operating rooms or other facility.
The power supply for the fan may be included in a fan controller which allows the fan to be turned on and off. The controller may also have the ability to be remotely positioned from the fan and mask for comfort and convenience. The controller may also allow selection of the speed for the fan as well as its operational direction if the fan is reversible.
In one embodiment, the fan may be permanently affixed to the exterior surface of the mask using means such as an adhesive and like. In another embodiment, the fan may be removably secured to the exterior surface of the mask using snaps, a pocket of material, or similar securing mechanisms. This embodiment allows the fan to be reusable on any number of disposable face masks.
In one desirable embodiment, the fan is attached directly adjacent to the filter media of the face mask. The fan may also include an air filter to further enhance filtering of the air forced through the mask by the fan. The further air filter may be particularly beneficial in an embodiment in which the portion of the filter body adjacent to the fan has a differing filter capability from the rest of the mask. For instance, the fan may be attached to a portion of the filter body with enlarged perforations. Alternatively, the fan may be sealed into a port in the filter body of the mask.
The filter body of the mask may include an upper portion with a top edge arranged to extend across the nose and cheeks of the wearer and a lower portion having a bottom edge arranged to extend under the chin of the wearer, with the fan disposed on the lower portion. In one embodiment, the upper and lower portions of the mask may be of generally trapezoidal shape with the longer top and bottom edges forming the periphery of the mask to be held in substantially sealing engagement with the wearer's face, the upper and lower portions of the mask joined together along the remaining edges. Any number of configurations of the filter body are within the scope of the invention.
The filter body of the mask may also include a panel of transparent material to allow the wearer's mouth to be seen through the mask. In this embodiment, the fan prevents condensation from forming on the transparent portion of the mask by drawing moist, exhaled air from the interior volume of the mask.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention has many applications in the medical field and in industrial environments. The invention can be adapted to a wide variety of face masks. Other features and aspects of the present invention are discussed in greater detail below.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate a number of embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
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Dority & Manning P.A.
Kimberly--Clark Worldwide, Inc.
Lewis Aaron J.
Mitchell Teena
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