Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BAC~GROUND OF THE INVEMTION
Face masks that are desiyned to be worn in
sanitary environments such as hospitals or the like
reauire the use of a fibrous material for filtering any
contaminants from the wearer. Present face masks
generally utilize a sewing operation in the fabrication
thereof which requires a needle to pierce the fibrous
material in order to form the seams thereof. This
procedure results in perforati.ons in the material such
that the fibers contained therein can escape and
potentially contaminate the environment. Also, the
perforations provide passages for contaminates to pass
through. With such masks, the fibers released by the
sewing operation may be breathed by the mask wearer, as
the wear is continually inhaling and exhaling through the
mas~. This is an undesirable condition in that it is of
primary importance that all sources of contamination be
minimized to any extent possible. Therefore, there existC
a need for a sanitary face mask that does not have the
disadvantages of the sewn face masks described above.
Previously developed face masks have also
generally been secured to the head of a wearer by
elongated ties which must be tied together bv the ~eare-.
Such ties are often di~ficult to attach together an~
sometimes tend to become unfastened. A need has ~hus
arisen for a sanitary mask with looped earpieces wnich
provide a comfortable fit while being easy ro a~ach over
the ears of the wearer.
,~
3 ~3~
SU~RY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention disclosed herein comprises
a method and apparatus Eor Eorming a sani-tary face mask
that maintains the integrity of the mas~ material by
preventing the fibers thereoE Erom escaping the confines
of the material. The apparatus includes a layer oE fabric
dimensioned to cover the nostrils and mouth of the wearer,
the fabric Eabricated from a heat malleable material.
First and second ear loops are fabricated Erom an
elongated layer oE heat malleable material~ Each end of
the first and second ear loops are a-ttached to the layer
of fabric on one side thereof with a 'neat formed seal.
The heat formed seal prevents the fibers from escaping
from the fibrous layer.
In an alternate embodiment of the present
invention, a reinEorcing member is disposed adjacent the
upper edge of the face mask and a portion of the edge is
folded over the rigid member and heat sealed around the
perimeter of the semi-rigid member. The semi-rigid member
provides support for the upper portion of the Eace mask
about the face of the wearerO Pleats are formed in the
fabric layer to allow expansion thereof. The edges of the
pleats are heat sealed such that only the center portion
of the fabric in the pleats can expand to con~orm to the
face of the wearer.
In yet another embodiment of the present
inventionl a method is provided that includes the step of
fabricating a layer of fibrous heat malleable material
that is dimensioned to fit over the mouth and nostrils of
the wearer. First and second ear loops are then
fabricated from a layer of elastically deformable lleat
malleable material. Each of the first and second ear
loops is attached to opposite sides of the fibrous layer
4 ~3~
by applying heat to the juncture of the ear loop material
and the fibrous layer material such that an attachment is
formed therebetween without ~he fihers escaping from the
Eibrous layer.
In yet another embodiment of the present
invention~ pleats are formed in the layer of fibrous
material and the sides thereof heat sealed to allow only
the center por-tion oE the fibrous layer to expand. The
edges of the fibrous layer are folded over and heat sealed
to form seams therearound.
... .
~ 5 ~3~
~RIE. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present
lnven-~ion and the advantages thereof, reference is now
made to the following description taken in conjunction
with the accompanying Drawings in ~hich:
FIGURE 1 illustrates a perspective view of the
face mask disposed on a wearer;
FIGURE 2 illustrates a planar view of a face
mask of the present invention; and
FIGURE 3 illustrates an expanded view of the
attachment point of the ear loop to the corner of the face
mask.
38C;9~
DETAILED DE,_R;PIION `~ ~W~ :~"EI~I`Y
Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated
a perspective view of a face mask 10 disposed on a wearer.
The face mask 10 is comprised of a rectangular shaped
layer 12 of pleated material, an ear loop 14 attached to
one side and an ear loop 16 attached to the other side.
The ear loops are designed to fit over the ears of the
wearer and the pleated material allows for expansion in
the middle of the'"layer 12 only. In this manner, the
lower end of the layer i2 can expand down over the chin of
the wearer and the upper end can extend up over the bridge
of the nose of the wearer. In this manner, the face mask
lO provides some conformation to the face of the wearer to
prevent contaminants from entering the environment due to
the inhaling and exhaling of the wearer.
Referring now to~FIGURE 2, there is illustrated
a planar view of the face mask lO. The layer 12 is forme~
of a synthetic, thermoplasic polymeric micro-fiber
material. Such a material is disclosed in U.S. Patent
No. 3,837,995 issued to J. Eloden. The synthetic
micro-fiber allows for hot melting tecnniques to provide
adequate bcnding thereof. These fabrics are referred to
as MGltblown Ec'ypropylene fabrics that can be obtained
frGm Kimberly-C_ark ~orp. cf the type-1/oz/sq. yd. Code
~o. 1~7C~ OO-OC.
The la~er '2 is formed from a larger layer that
; is ~olded a plurality o~ times t~ îorm ~leats 1&, 20 and
2 t~a~ are Gr-e~ed hcr~ontal w_th respe~t ~o ~he face
of 'h~ arer. A seam ~4 and a sea~ 25 are formed a'ong
the lateral sides thereof _c ~re~en~ the ple ~s 18-~ from
~e?arat:n~ a. t~e edges. The seams 2~ an~ 20 are formed
~y he~t bor.ding tec~.ni~ues, ~h~t is, a~plyin~ ~eal a~d
rressure tc fo~ a ~eal there~etween. In so doln~, only
7 ~ 3~
the center portion oE the pleats 18 2~ in the layer 1~ are
allowed to expand to conform to the face of the wearer.
Given our invention, persons skilled in the art
would realize that a high-Erequency method of heat bonding
takes much less time than a convention heat bonding
process, and therefore such persons would appreciate the
advantages in terms of expense and increased production
rates attendant on a high-fre~uency heat bonding process.
A semi-rigid member 28 is disposed adjacent the
upper horizontal edge oE the layer 12. A por-tion of the
layer 12 on the edge thereof is folded over the semi-rigid
member 28 and attached to the surface thereof with A heat
bonded seam 30. The seams 24 and 26 are Eormed after the
seam 30 such that they form a lateral seaml thus enclosing
the semi-rigid member 28 within the sterile conEines of
the layer 12. A seam is formed on the diametrically
opposite edge of the layer 12 by folding a por-tion thereof
over and heat bonding a seam 32 therein. The seam 32 is
primarily utilized to deEine the edge of the layer 12.
The ear loop 1~ is attached by heat bondin~ to
one corner of the layer 12 at a point 34 and to an
opposite corner on the same edge thereof to a point 36.
The ear loop 16 is attached on a diametrically opposite
side oE the layer 12 from the ear loop 14 with one end
thereoE attached to a point 38 on one corner thereof and
to a point ~0 on the opposite corner.
Referring now to FIGURE 3, there is illustrated
an expanded view of the attachment point 3A oE the ear
loop 14. The ear loop 14 is Eabricated Erom a combination
of texturized polyester and lycra spandex. In the
preEerred embodiment, the material is formed Erom 90.33
percent of 7~ Denier texturized polyester and 9.67 percent
of 40 Denier lycra spandex. This material is Cllt into a
thin strip and, due to the properties oE the rnaterial,
this strip will 'iroll over", that is, the edges thereof
will curl up. In this manner, an elastically deformable
strip is formed that has a semi-circular cross section to
provide some comfort behind the ears of the wearer.
.
8 ~3~
Due to the properties oE the ear loops 1~, heat
bonding techniques such as rE heat bonding can be utili~ed.
Given our invention, oersons skilled in tne art would realize
that the use of a syn-thetic fabric, such as the lycra
spandex/polyester fahric oE the invention allows the use of
a high-frequency heat bonding technique to attach the Eabric
to another synthetic Eabric, and further would understand
that heat bonding cannot be used with conventional rubber or
thread-coaked rubber loops because their structural integrity
would he destroyed. Further, persons skilled in the art
would realize, given our invention, that ear loops made out
of lycra spandex/polyester ~abric have more "give" than
conventional ~ubber or thread-coated rubber ear loops, and
as such are much more comfortable to the sensitive slcin
behind the ear o~ the wearer. Thereore, to attach the loop
14 at the points 34 and 36, it is only necessary to apply
suitable amounts of heat and pressure thereto. With such
techniques, performation oE the mask material with a needle
is not required. In the prererred embodiment, the seams 24
and 26 are Eormed by placing the free ends of the ear loops
1~ and 16 thereon and ~orming the pleats 1~-22 at the same
time that the loops 1~ and 16 are bonded thereto.
In summary, there has been provided a sterile face
mask that reduces the amount of internal fibers thereof that
escape into the surrounding environment or which are breathed
by the wearer. The face mask includes a layer 12 Eormed of
meltblown polyprop~lene ~abric with ear loops 1~ and 16 heat
bonded thereto. The use of heat bonding techniques allows
the attachment of the ear loops thereto without puncturing
the surface of the material. This prevents internal Eibers
of material from escaping to the surrounding environment.
Although the preferred embodiment has been described
in detail, it should be understood that various changes,
substitutions, and alterations can be made therein without
departing Erom the spirit and scope of the invention as
defined by the appended claims.
