Mask

Details Mask Mask

2002-06-14

2003-09-09

Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)

Surgery

Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants

Head or face protector

Reexamination Certificate

active

06615838

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a mask that covers the nose and mouth of a wearer, and in particular to a one-piece mask forming a space for comfortably accommodating the noise and mouth of the wearer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Masks have been widely used to cover a wearer's mouth and nose in order to prevent inhalation of contamination particles and bacteria and, to avoid transmission of diseases. Some of the masks of this purpose comprise multiple layers of gauzes and/or other materials made in the form of a flexible flat strip having a sufficient surface for covering the mouth and nose of a wearer. Two ear bands are attached to opposite ends of the strip for attaching the mask to the wearer's face.
The conventional masks are made as a flat piece. Although the masks are flexible, they can be only compliant to the contour of the wearer's face to some extents. They cannot be in complete compliance with the wear's face contour. Gaps are thus formed between the mask and the wearer's face and contamination particles may be inhaled by the wearer through the gaps. Undesired strains may also be caused on the wearer's face, making the wearer uncomfortable. In addition, the activity of the wearer's face muscles in for example speaking and laughing may drive the mask off the wearer's face. Further, make-up of female wearers may be smashed up by the improper contact between the mask and the wearer's face.
Taiwan Patent Publication No. 234338 discloses a mask comprising two separate flaps. The flaps are stacked together and sealed along an edge to connect the flaps together. Such a structure, although being more compliant to the wearer's face, requires a complicated manufacturing process and thus high costs.
Thus, it is desired to have an improvement of the mask for alleviating the problems discussed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a mask having a simple structure and thus low manufacturing costs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mask that is in compliance with a wearer's face contour.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a mask forming a space for comfortably accommodating the nose and mouth of a wearer.
To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a mask that is made of a single piece of flexible, elastically deformable fabric trimmed to be substantially symmetric, comprising two flaps connected to each other along a center folding line. A V-shaped cutoff is formed above and below the center folding line between the flaps. The single piece of fabric is bent along the folding line with the flaps overlapping each other. Side edges of the flaps that define each V-shaped cutoff are sealed together by means of sewing or adhesives whereby an interior space is formed between the flaps and defined by the center folding line and the sealed side edges of the V-shaped-cutoffs for comfortably accommodating the nose and mouth of a wearer.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2171311 (1939-08-01), Moses
patent: 2458580 (1949-01-01), Fisketti
patent: 2667869 (1954-02-01), D'Elia
patent: 5717991 (1998-02-01), Nozaki et al.
patent: 6409746 (2002-06-01), Igaki et al.
patent: 234338 (1994-11-01), None

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