Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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B~K~R~UND`~F`THE`IN~ENTION
.
The present invention relates to fire and smoke
protectlve dev;ces and more-~articularl~ to a protective face
and head mask providing protection against fire and smoke
inhalation in the event of a fire condition.
The various type~ of apparatus presently used to
provide protection to victims of fire, smoke, noxious fumes
and similar emergency conditions, such as gas masks, oxygen
masks and the like, are usually unavaila~le to building
occupants, and certainly not all of them,-when they are
trapped in a building. Such conventional protective apparatus
is clearly too expensive, too cumbersome to store and too
complica~ed for the untrained person to use under emergency
conditions when the building occupants suddenly find them~
selves under severe emotlonal stress. Furthermore, even if
such known protective equipment could be made available to
the building occupants, because of the relatively complicated
construction and mechanical operation thereof, such equipment
would have to be periodically checked and maintained to ensure
reliable operation thereof when needed. Of course, such
conventional protective apparatus is so expensive and
cumbersome so as to effectively rule out its use on a mass
basis by building occupants.
It is therefore an ob~ect of the present invention
to provide a single use protective device operative to
provide the wearer with protection against fire, smoke and
noxious fume inhalation.
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It is a further object to provide a protective
device of the character described which is very economical to
manufacture, and compact in its storage and operative
conditions respectively.
It is yet another object of the present invention to
provide a protective device of the character described which
requires no maintenance in its storage condition and which
can be simply and quickly rende~ed from its storage into its
operative condition.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of the present
invention, there is provided a protective device operative to
be rendered from a storage condition into an operative condition
to afford protection to the wearer against the deleterious
effects of fire, smoke, and noxious fumes inhalation. The
device in the storage condition comprises an envelope portion
made of transparent fire-resistant sheet ~aterial having an
envelope portion enclosing a porous face mask portion secured
thereto and an openable air-tight aperture t _ permit access
to and extension of said face mask from said envelope portion
to render said device into the operative c~ndition.
Further objects, features and advaneages of this
invention will become apparent from a considerat~n of the
following description, the appended claimc~ and the accompanying
drawings,in whlch:
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BRIEF DESCRIPT`I3N-OF`TEE-DR~WINGS
.
FIG. 1 1~ a plan vie~.of a protective device in
accordance wlth the preselit invention s~own in the storage
condition w;h t~le mas~ portion folded into its integral
transparent air-tight enveIope;
~ IG. 2 is a section view taken along the line 2-2
of FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the protective
device of FIG. 1 in the open condition ready for wear,
showing the envelope portion in its opened condition for
wear as a protective cap;
FIG. 4 is a front perspective view similar to that
of FIG. 2 ~ut showing the protective device being worn in
the operative condition;
FIG. ~ is a rear view of the protective device in
the condition shown in FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a section view throug~ the multi-ply
mask portion of the protective device of FIGS. 2 and 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS.
1-3 thereof, a protective device in accordance with the
principles of the present invention is generally designated
by the numeral 10. Protective device 10 comprises an
envelope portion 12, which is convertible into a protective
cap 14 as hereinafter described enclosing a folded face mask
16 and maintained air-tight by means of a single-use sealing
strip 36.
Envelope 12 is made of transparent, fire and heat
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resistant sheet matexlal suc~ as tetra~luorocarbon ~FEPL
ha.~in~ a thicknes~ txpically in the range of .5-20
thousandths of an lnch. ~ace mask 16 comprises a plurality
of rectangular plies 17 o~ woven fabric which may be
suita~ly seamed together alon~ the side and ~ottom edges
20 and 22, Each of the plies are suitably perforated and
arranged so that the perforations will be appropriately
offset from each other when the plies are seamed where~y
face mask 16 will be operative to filter smoke particles
yet permit the wearer to breathe easily therethrough. Face
mask 16 may, alternately, comprise foam or other porous
material suitable for filtering smoke particles, noxious
fumes and the like.
In the storage condition of device 10, envelope 12
comprises front and rear panels 24 and 26 and includes an
elongated narro~.::aperture 28 extendi..g almost the entire
~idth of envelope front panel 24. Front and rear panels
24 and 26 merge at their bottom edges into a base strip 30
with aperture 28 closely adjacent to the top end of base
. strip 30.
The top edge 32 of face mask 16 is suitably seamed
or otherwise secured to the inside surface of front panel 24
adjacent, parallel to and substantially coe~tensive with
aperture 28. A pair of draw strings 34 are respectively
secured at one end thereof to the opposite free end cor.ners
of face mask 16.
As shown in FIG. 2, face mask 16 may suitably be
. folded in half whereby device 10 in its storage position
: ~hown in FIGS. 1 and 2 presents a substantially flat package.
In its stored condition, face mask 16 may advantage-
ously be moistened with water or other fluid suitable for
trapping smoke particles and coo~ling the air passing there-
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through to the nose ~nd mout~ of the wearer in the event of~ire or other condîtlon of smo~e or noxious fumes. In order
to prov;de further ~moke and noxious fume filtering capa~ility,
mask 16 may have granulated car~on particles lq or other
filtering agents disposed ~etween the fa~ric plies which make
up mask 16. Envelope 12 is further provided wlth a single-
use sealing strip 36 which is air-tight sealed over aperture
28 to maintain face mask ~6 in t~e moistened condition during
the stored condition of device. Sealing strip 36 may
advantageously ~e provided with a pair of tear ta~s 40 so
that the user may easily tear away sealing strip 36 thus
opening aperture 28 to permit face mask 16 to ~e pulled there-
through and envelope portion 12 unfolded into the operative
condition snown in FIG.3 providing a cap 14.
- ~hen not in use, protective device 10 may be conven-
iently stored in the storage condition shown in FIGS. 1 and
2 in a desk drawer or other appropriate location. In the
event of fire, smoke or noxious fumes, the user may ~uickly
and easily render protective device 10 into its operative
condition in the followlng manner. H~ merely pulls at either
of tear tabs 40 to tear away sealing strip 36 thus opening
aperture 28 and reaches through aperture 28 to the interior
of envelope 12 to pull face mask 16 through aperture 28. The
user may, if necessary, open envelope portion 12 to render it
into cap 14, whereby it assumes a substantially cylindrical
shape as shown in FIG. 3.
The user then places cap 14 over his head, as shown in
FIG. 4 with face mask 16 hanging do~n from the lower edge of
front panel 32 adjacent aperture 28. Face mask 16 and front
panel 32 are suita~ly dimensioned so that when protective
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device 10 is pla~ed over the wearer's head, as ~hown in FIGo 4
the wearer's eyes and ears are positioned behind transparent
front panel 24 slightly above aperture 28 while mask 16 covers
the nose and mouth of the wearer to permit breathing there-
through At the same time the base ~trip 30 of rear panel 26
encircles the rear of the wearer's neck tc ensure that the
wearer's hair is substantially covered to protect the same
from being burned by fire. The wearer then draws strip 34
behind his neck,tucking face mask 16 under his chin, as shown
in FIG. 4 and ties the ends of strip 34 over the rear flaps 42
which may be provided at base strip 30, as shown in FIG. 5 to
ensure a close fitting of protective device 10 over the head
and neck of the wearer.
Face mask 16 may also be provided with bendable plastic
or metal tab 44 which may be located between adjacent fabric
plies of mask 16 and which may be adjusted by the wearer to
have tab 44 seat on the bridge of his nose to ensure a secure
and close fit of mask 16 over the wearer's face and to prevent
fogging of front panel 24 over the eyes whlch may otherwise
be caused by the wearer's breath.
Thus~ in the operative condition o~ pr tective
device 10 shown in FIG. 4, the cap 14 prote.ts the wearer's
eyes, head, ears and hair against the effects of ~ire and
smoke whlle mask 16 protects his respiratory sys e~ against
the effects of smoke and noxious fume inhalation As a
result, the use. s prospects for safely navigatir.~ his way
through an are~ of ire, smoke and/or noxious fumes is
greatly enhanced without the necessity of r~liance on gas
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mask, oxygen supply tank, goggles or other equipment which is
cumbersome, expensive and usually unavailable to the victim
of an eme~gency such as fire, smoke or noxious fumes.
Furthermore, since the protective device 10 is
economical to manufacture, compact to store, and simple to
use, it may be distributed to all occupants of a building
with the expectation that it will be employed by all such
occupants in the event of a fire, smoke, noxious fumes or
similar emergency to facilitate safe escape from the building.
Although the invention has been described with
reference to particular embodiments thereof, it is to be
understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of
the application of the principles of the invention. Nume~ous
modifications may be made therein and other arrangements may
be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention.
