CA2246547A1 - Elastomeric composite headband - Google Patents

Abstract

A composite headband attachable to a face mask and a method for attaching the same. The composite headband has at least one discrete elastomeric core and at least one continuous thermoplastic skin layer secured to the elastomeric core.
The composite headband has a first modulus in an unactivated state and a second, lower modulus in an activated state. The thermoplastic skin layer forms a microtextured permanently deformed skin layer when the composite headband is in the activated state. In one embodiment, the at least one elastomeric core and the at least one thermoplastic layer are in continuous contact in the activated state. The composite headband is positioned along the headband path and attached to at least one of the left and right headband attachment locations. The headband path is either an axis intersecting the left and right headband attachment locations or a path that generally follows a contour of a surface of the face mask blank.

Description

W O 97132493 PCTrUS97/01328 ELASTOMERIC COMPOSITE HEADBAND

The present invention relates to a L ~ constructed of an elsct~me-ic composite and a method of ~ çhing the same. The present invention also relates 5 to a face mask pl~ t, le accoldil~g, to the method ofthe present invention.
Filtration respirators or face masks are used in a wide variety of appliCA~ ;on~when it is desired to protect a human's r~,~yi~ ~Lol ~r system from particles s~ ed in the air or from ~ or noxious gases. They are also L~u~ lly worn by medical care providers to prevent the spread of harmfill microol~ c either to or10 from the user.
R~,.,~ha~ can be ~ ccified as di~c ~le respirators that are discal.lcd after use, low ...~ -re l.,s~ lul~ in which the filter is r~ le, and reusable respirators in which some or all ofthe cGIllpO~ are rep~ nP~tn Disposable face masks are generally of one of two types - a molded cup-shaped form or a flat-folded 15 form. The fiat-folded form has advalllagc,s in that it can be carried in a wearer's pocket until needed and re-folded flat to keep the inside clean b~ use.
The flat-folded ~yualor face masks are ly~ , constructed from one or more fabric webs ~l~u.cd to form a face mask blank. Pleats and folds are added to afflx the fabric webs into a shape des~ le for a face mask. Such con~ll u~iLions may 20 have a ~ , element to hold the face mask away from contact with the wearer's face. sl;rr ';~8 has also been provided by fusing a pleat across the width oftheface mask in a l~min~ted structure or by providing a seam across the width of the face mask.
Some flat-folded face masks indude pleats which sre centrally folded in the 25 ho. ;,o.~l ~1 dil~,lioll to form upper and lower opl~osed faces. The face mask has at least one ho. ;,u.-l; I pleat &cc ~ lly central to the opposed faces to ro~ .l the filter me~ lm in the vertical rlim~n~ n and at least one additional holi~o..Lal pleat in each of these opposed faces. The central pleat is shorter in the hol ~u.lLal d;... -.- OIl relative to the pleats in the opposed faces that are shorter in the 30 ho~;~o~ l rlim~n~;on relative to the ,.. -,~;.. holi~ l d;~ c:ol- ofthe filter W O 97/32493 PCT~US97/01328 mrAi--m The central pleat together with the pleats in opposed faces forms a self-~U~pOllin~, pocket.
Another e...bodi~..ellL of a flat-folded face mask inc~ es a pocket of flexible filtrring sheet m~t~riql having a g~,.~.all~ tape.il,~, shape with an open edge at the 5 larger end of the pocket and a closed end at the smaller end of the pocket. The closed end of the pocket formed with fold lines defines a generally quadrilateral surface c~ J~ 8~ z~ r~r~5 folded to extend ~l~aldly ofthe pocket. The tn9ng~l19r sllrf9cre face each other and are lela~ ly inclined to each other when in uee.
A further ~ od.. ~ of a flat-folded face mask has an upper part and a lower part with a generally central part IL~ . The central part of the body portion is folded bacl~v~,a dly about a vertical crease or fold line that ~ sllydivides it in half. This fold or crease line, when the mask is worn, is more or less aligned with an ;~ y vertical line passing through the center of the rol ellead,the nose and the center of the mouth. The upper part of the body portion extendsupwardly at an angle from the upper edge of the central part so that its upper edge c~ntQct~ the bridge of the nose and the rh9e~hone area of the face. The lower part ofthe body portion extends duw~-~Du-lly and in the direction ofthe throat from the lower edge ofthe center part so as to provide coverage ImflPrnf~th the chin ofthe wearer. The mask overlies, but does not directly cont~ct the lips and mouth of the wearer.
M~lded cup-shaped face masks are made from a pocket of filtering sheet 1 having opl~osed side walls, a B ~lly h p~ g shape with an open end at the larger end and a closed end at the smaller end. The edge of the pocket at the closed end is c,ul~ dly bowed, e.g. defined by i~ ecL~Ig straight lines and/or curved lines, and the closed end is provided with fold lines d~fining a surface which is folded inwardly of the closed end of the pocket to define a generally conicalinwardly ~ A;.~,~ recess for ~ 1iîy;,lg the pocket against collapse against the face ofthe wearer on inh~ ion Disposable face masks often rely on a fixed, elastic strap to secure the mask to the user's head. ~Ab~nAc for molded cup-shaped or flat-folded face masks CA 02246547 l998-08-l7 WO 97/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 must be d~ ~l to provide s~lffi~i~nt force to hold the face mask se.iu-ely in place, while gelle, ~ing pl es ~ e within the "comfort zone" on user's of various sizes.
Tncl-ffic;~t~t force can result in leakage around the p~ e~ of the face mask.
V~ in the shape and sl; rr~ s of face masks, as well as the size and shape of S users make it difflcult to dct~,~lllme a ul~ al strap force value. For ligll~ .ght d;~)GS~ face masks, a strap force value of 100-150 grams in a range of 20% to 300~~0 elnn8,Cl;nn appears to be ndequ~e In order to provide a h ~ b~n~l with sllffiri~nt strap force to create an face mask-to-face seal, within the "COIl rul I zone" of a largest class of 10 users, ...~ .r;.. ~ have gen_.~lly chosen long hen~ An-~ sc~..~ c constructedfrom materials with a low m~dllluc For PyAmple~ he~lbAnt~c are typically 1~.2-35.6 mm (6-14 inches). Common h--~b~n~ Illal~.lals include natural rubber, polyi~~ lle, polyu~ e and natural and synthetic elastic braids or knits. The 's are ge.. ~ lly Ionger than the dict~nce b_~w~;el1 the h~ ttArl.. ,l Inr~ti~nc wh_~L_r ll.e~.~,~,d along an axis in~ illg the ~-P 11 - 1 Att~rl--.. l loc~ionc or as Ill~.lled along a surface ofthe face mask blank. ~çA~db~n~c having a length greater than the unit length b~,l.. __.l the ~ h~ç .~ locations of the face ~ mask blank are difficuk to ~-- ' 'e on high speed m~m-fr ,~ h~g eqllirm~nt for a number of reasons. For ~ , the slack or excess hf~db~nd Illal~.;al can 20 h~.r~.~ with the l..o~,e..l_..~ ofthe face mask blanks along the pro(luctiQn line.
Co...~ "l elastic hcadl,An-l mAtçr~lc are difficult to handle on high-speed . -....r~ ;p~ 1 The greater the speed ofthe m~nl~foctl~ring eqllirm~nt the greater the degree of difflculty in ~ , the h~ bAn~l to the correct ~tt,o,l~ .... ......l loçotiQnc Some ~Isct~mPnc III't' - ;AIC used for hevo(lb~n~c, such as natural rubber, are e~lle.ll_l~ sticly. These materils are frequently treated with talc or other powders to f~o~ilitate h~ , and to hl~ Se con~fort for the user. The talc can aGcllmlllotP, ho ~.. ,. ., in the Inon--fo~-nr~ e~ .;1.. .l Tl-co~ - .. 1 or uneven appli~ otiC!n of the talc can create ~iifficJlties in hon~iling the he,o,~bonrl material. Finally, the process of using high speed mAmlfoctllring e~l.. ;l-.. l can be further comrlicAtecl by attA~hing W O 97/32493 PCT~US97/01328 ~-ulLilvlc he~d~qnr~c~ such as a head strap and a neck strap, to a single face mask blank.

$. AII~V of the Invention S The present invention relates to a hPs.~lt-~n~l constructed of an elsctomeric co,l,pc~.ile and a method of ?~tta~Ahing the same. The present invention also relates to a face mask pre~,a,~le acco,d~ to the method of the present invention.
The CC~lllpO :~e hr~d~qnd A~ r~ to a face mask has at least one discrete r~ o. . . ;c core and at least one contin~QIle th- ~ ",opl ~l ;c skin layer secured to the 10 ~ lo~- . ic core. The com~osiLe h~dbqn(l has a first mod~ c in an unactivatedstate and a second, lower mnd~ e in an a.~ ,alcd state. The thermoplastic skin layer forms a ~ AIUI~d p~.lll a_.~Lly derolllled skin layer when the composite heqdbAnSl is in the ~~ al~,d state.
In one ernbo~ .F .1 the ~ f....- - ic core and the at least one ~ . Illoplastic 1~ layer are in continllQ~ls contact in the a_livalcd state. In another emboAim~-nt the tomr~ric core may be planar or a ph~l~lily of discrete cores. The hAndb~qnd in the Illla~ al~,d state is visually and tactually ~ ;n~ ha1~1e from the a~liv~led state.
The composite hl r Jl,Antl may be *~ la~ eCI in either the activated or Un&CIiV~IIeC
state.
In one rmhorliment, the colllposite h.~.dl~ l inr,hlde~ at least one score line to form a multi-part composite he?-J1An~ I A~h~ l mears may be located p~ e at least one end of the composite he?~tlhqn~ In one embodiment, the atta~ 1.. --l means comrrice a shaped cut-out. The ~ la~ means may be s~le~led from a group CQ~ ofthermal ~on~ih~p ulLl~so.Lc welding, adhesives, 2~; PICS;~UIC; s~ls;li~_ adhes;~ s, glues, s~aples and r~e~
The cc,-llpGs;le h~ hAntl may be ,att~qrhe~1 to a face mask blank having left and right h~adl,An-l q~tt~qç~ ~,1 lOAqt;~n~ In one emho~lim~nt~ the COIIIPG~
h-~Jl~An~l has a u Jit length that extends along a '~ead~nrl path ~ L~.~.,.l the left and right h~A~dbqn~ llAt.h~ nl loc~tion~ The h~lkqn~ path may be an axis 30 illlc.~e~,Lillg the le~ and right hPq,db~nt1 qtt~qçl m~nt locations or a path generally W O 97/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 following a contour of a surface of the face mask blank. The surface may be a front surface of the face mask blank.
The face mask blarlk may be a molded cup-shaped face mask blank, a flat-folded r~_,.i.dlor mask blank surgical masks, clean room masks and a variety of 5 other face masks.
The present invention is also directed to 9,~ r~ a composite hea~3b9nrl to a face mask. A face mask blank having left and right hr~Jl.~.1rl ~ ch...~ locations is pl~p~d. The face mask blank has a ~ -e '~ path ~ g be~ ,n the left a nd right ~ -- ' I vattr ' lof~atiQnQ A f~llll/G~ is pl~pd~cd by 10 securing at least one discrete ~ 0"~ ic core to at least one c~ ntin11o 1c llloplastic skin layer. The composite hp~f~lha~rl has a first moc~ ls in an unactivated state and a second, lower mod11l11c in an activated state. The l}l~..noplai.Lic skin layer forms a ~ ut~ ur-,d pe.---~n~ ly dcfu~ ed skin layerwhen the c-j.,lpGrile ~ is in the a~ lcd state. The composite hr~.~;lb~-~r3 is 15 pcs.1;o-1r,d along the h - " d path. The comrosite hPs~lb~ 3 is ~ d to at least one ofthe left and right h.~ lbA..-1 a~ ~-l locAtionc The step of plep~uhl3 the co..l~G..;Ie ht~r ~ 3 may G~t;o~ , include . ~ g the P 1~ cl,", .. . ic core and the at least one lhe~lllopla~Lic layer in continllollc contact in the activated state.
At least one lnngjtl1t3ins~1 score line may be forrned in the col..pGsile 20 ~3b9~n~3 P~Ytpnt3ing generally along the hp~s~Jbsn-3 path either prior to, or~ubse.~ to, the step of snst~hing ~h~.f l~y the at leact one lon~tudin~1 score line defines at least a two-part ht~db~nt3 The cGlllposiLe hPq-3ksnf3. can be s~ led along the at least one 10ngih1-3inql score line to forrn the two-part heat3kal-f3 The cfjl.-pG_;le hP~3bqn-3 may be stretch activated either prior to, or 25 s-~bsP~IuPnt to, the step of qtt~ch;ng Sl.t~ g ofthe composite can be llniqxiql se.lu. .,lially biaxial, or ~ ne~ ly biaxial. It has been found that the method and degree of stretch allows significqnt control over the lll.~l ul~,~lu- ed surface that results.
The he&JbAIu3 path comprises an axis il~ e~lill~, the leflL and right 30 hP,~JI,~ 3 att. -hmPnt locations. In an alternate embo~3impnt~ the heq~3banfl path g~ lly follows a contour of a surface of the face mask b1ank. The method of W 097/32493 PCTrUS97101328 _tt-.-hin~ is sf~lected from a group con~ o ofthermal bondil-g, ulh~DolLc .~ldi,-~, adhesives, pl~SS~llr sensitive adhesives, glues, staples and fasteners.
DPfinhiQns as used in this apptir~l;oll "Face mask" is used herein to describe ~ DPil~LOI ;~ surgical masks, clean S room masks, face shields, dust masks and a variety of other face coverings.
rlh_ntl path~ is used herein to ~esc-ri~e a path b_l~eell the left and right loç-ti- n~ measured gen.,~ally along a surface ofthe face mask blank or along an axis hll~.De~ the left and right _ts_~-hmpnt k).-~tinne "Stretch activated elastic'7 is used herein to des~ibe a m_t~t i_1 that has a 10 first mt~d~ prior to stretch activation and a second, lesser mot3~ e after being a_livaled by stretching. Some stretch ~li~dted elastic ...~ also inc,ease in length after stretch activation. The mr~d~lltle is ",c~,cd at the initial slope ofthe stress/strain curve wL~,l;wl ~.,eaD.Il~,d before or after stretch activation.
"Th~rrn~l bondi,~5" is used herein to describe bo~ materials having a Lh~-lllGplL~t;cco".pon~-,L using a hot bar, I~ r ~I- c or impulse welding, or other thermal process sealer.
"Th_....o~ ;c" means a polymeric ...~ 1 having a Ll._.~"opl, sLic CO~ -O~ which may include polyolefins, pol~. D~ PO~ DL~D~ and pol~ des. F~ - of suitable LLe.~opl&DLic polymers indude, by way of 20 iUuDL~Lion only, such polyolefins as polyeLl,;l,..e, polyl.lul,ylene, poly(l-butene), poly(2-butene), poly(l-p~,l~,l e), poly(2-pentene), poly(3-methyl-1-pentene), poly(4-methyl-1-p_.,l~ne), 1,2-poly-1,3-butr~i~n~, 1,4-poly-1,3-~1ta~ienP
polyisoprene, polychlo ~ ,.-e, polyaclylo.~ , poly(vinyl acetate), poly(vinylidene chloride), polr;,ly._nc, and the like; such polyesters as poly(ethylene 25 L_.~ tP~), poly(tt,Ll~.,~ e t~
poly(cyclok~ e-1,4-dimethylene Le.~h~ lAtf~) or poly~oAy~l~clhylene-1~4-cydohexyl~r~ ~FIkyleneo~yL~ hlk~loyl)~ and the like;
such pol~ ,sL.,.:, as poly(v~y~;ll-ylene)-poly(butylene t~ pl.lk~l-te), poly(v~yL-i,lKLIlylene)-poly~butylene Lel~pklk~l~te)~ poiy(o~ytel~ -L1lylene)-30 poly(butylen tel~.k~ te),poly(o~yt~L.~.l~lLylene)-poly(ethyleneterephthalate), and the like; and such polyamides as poly(6-arninocaproic acid) or ~ ==

W O 97/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 poly(caprolactam), poly(hl -~.. c~ .~ adi~ e), poly(h~ hylene sPbr--sm:1e), poly(l l-A~ Ae-,~oic acid), and the like.
"Unit length" is used herein to d~ ;be the rtictsnce bl-....l the left and right ~ 1.. l Iocat;ons as l.leas.llcd generally along a surface ofthe face mask 5 blank or along an axis i-l~ e~,lillg the left and right ~s-ttr~hmf~nt IOÇ~9t;QnC
Figure 1 is an ~ y force ~ n~7tl; on curve for a h~adl~anA ",:,,c,;31 Figure 2 is a cross-sPctit nAI se~ of an t~ 10~ . ic cQmro~ite, Figure 3 is a cross-sectionAI S~g...- ~.~ of Figure 2 ofthe cQmrosit~P with ~ r~ cturing caused by J.liaxialsLI.,~hu~
Figure 4A is a s- h.. -l~'ir illustldlion of an ~ -~.. r~--Y m-s-mlfnctll ing process for att~-h~n~ a multi-part ~e~ d~ -t to a flat-folded 1 e~;lalcil, Figures 4B-4D illustrate ;,.lt . ,,.~t.~1P~ web cG..r~ 7~lions of the ~ ~ .p~ y ms- l.r, c~ process of Figure 4A;
Figure 5A illustrates a strip of face masks with a two-part, unit length 1 5 t~
Figure 5B is top view of a fabric weh co.~ a plurality- of . ~ p~-y face masks with a two-part unit length ~
Figures 6A-6J illustrate slte-n~e ~ ~ -y } d' ~ ' col~r~ alions;
Figure 7 is a p~ e~,liv~ view of an ~ "plc. y flat-folded r~ Jhalor shown 20 in an open cor~ alion;
Figure 8 is a p~ e~,live view of an ~ ~f "~ c y flat-folded le~ ildlor shown in a folded col~ul7~lion;
Figure 9 is a pe-~,e~ ,e view of an ~ PI~ Y flat-folded r~ dlor with a two-part he~tlh~n~ ~9~tt9/ched along a front sur~dce thereof;
25Figure 10 is a p~ l ~I,ec~i~., view of an ~: - vn ~ . y flat-fo1ded r es~;l dlor with a one-part t- - v~bs~n~l ~ttechP~t along a rear surface;
Figure 11 is a pe.~ live view of an t~Yempl~ flat-folded respirator with a one-part h~9 It.~l~tt ~tt~ched along a front surface thereof;
Figure 12 illustrates a two-part he~db~ntl t~t~ntling along a ht-adb~ntl path 30lldvel~;ng an e~alation valve and the front surface of a cup-shaped face mask;

CA 02246547 l998-08-l7 W 097/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 Figure 13 illustrates a t~,vo-p. rt hPa-7hsn-l eYtPnAing along a he,s-ib~nrl path lia~ Sillg the rear of a cup-shaped face mask;
Figure 14 iJlu~l~aLe3 a one-p. rt hP~ksnA ~ g along a hP~dbsn~l path traversing an e~h-s-l-stinn valve and the front surface of a cup-shaped face mask;
S Figure 15 illusllal~s a one-part h~'~Jl,~-~A .~ g along a hp~s~dbs~nA path lla~ the rear of a cup-shaped face mask;
Figure 16 illusllahs a two-pa~t h~ d ~ - I e ~ 8 along a hfa.~ l)A path ~la~ hl33, the front surface of a cup shaped face mask;
Figure 17 illustrates a two-part t~ ...A U3~, along a hPsdbsnA path ~ g the rear of a cup shaped face mask;
Figure 18 illustrates a one-part t ~ r- 1. ..-.t;n8 along a hp~s~db~nA path Lla~ y, the front surface of a cup-shaped face mask;
Figure 19 ~uJL,~L~s a one-p~ hP9-dbsn~ c 1~-7.1;..g aiong a hcadh~nd path ,. s",g the rear of a cup-shaped face mask;
Figure 20 illu;~llal~s a two-part hP~7~1b~n~ x along a hP~Ab~nA path c~ ~lg an r~h~1~ti~n valve and the front surface of a flat folded face mask;
Figure 21 illustrates a one-part t~ 3 along a h~,d~ A path Lla~e.~ l3 an . .h ~ valve and the front surface of a flat folded face mask;
Figure 22 illusl~ales the appl;~..l ;on of a two-part h~l~dl~ A. on an ~ .~,n ~r'~Y
20 face mask;
Figure 23 illustrates a one-part t- ~ib~r rl at~chP,d to an eA~ pl~y face mask; and Figure 24 ill~ s a contimto-lc loop he~Ab~nA. ~ pped by the face mask blank.
1~1 '-'d DC~ ofthe P~ef~ d li:ml~c - - I
The he~flh~nfi must hold the r.espirator to the ..ed~ face with s~lffici~ont force to prevent leakage yet it should not exert such a large force that the respirator is ~ co~ ~ble to wear. It is also dlesirable to provide a les~.;,alor with a 30 h~db~n~i in a single size that can be worn by all ~. ~,~c, ~ in spite of dif~. ~nces in head size. These rc~u.,~.,.enl:j can be met by elastomeric he~dh~n(i~ ofthe present W O 97/32493 PCT~US97/01328 invention. Ideally, a small . .Ir-r.- -~n ofthe he~dbA-l~ should provide a relatively large force, to acco.~ o~l~te the .. ;.. ;.. ~.. force requil e .,w~ for a wearer with a smaller head size, while further ~ on should provide an almost COI~ I force or at least a smaller i-.~"~e in force, to Af~ommnd~te the wearer with a larger head 5 size.
It has been found that for many light weight disposable respirators a ...;~.;..--.... force of about 30 grams is ~ uh~,d to provide a sllfflr;~ntly tight fit, and a force of at least about 50 grams is ~-ef~ d. In general, the 8reater the force, the greater will be the ~ ~...r.J, l when the re~ lor is worn for a prolongP,d period of 10 time. It has been found, ho~ ,., that a mAximllm force of about 300 grams is ~,cnc~ally s~9~tiefs .~ and a ~~ --- force of about 200 grams is p,~,fe.-~d. These forces co.~ .ond to P lo~ l ;01- of the ~ - ~h~nfl of about 15% to 120% for the ~r~,-lcd hrs ll~ f mqtf n~l It is also de~ le to be able to stretch the he<~d~
to about 300% or more without l~ Uilillg undue force to easily place the hr~dk~l-f.' 15 over the head or head co~ 8 Since the length of a non-a~ '~1e hp~r~b~nd is fixed for a given re~ or, the ~, ?~b'e ~ the ,~s~ lor ciP ig~u r has to work with include the choice of the e~ o--.. -;c l-,ate. -l, its width _nd its lh ~L ..Pc~ For any given elo~ ;on, the force will be prupol lion~l to both the width and the lh - ~ .-es~ of the elastomeric mAtPri-Al 20 ~PA~1b~nd widths are typically in the range of about 6 mm to 10 mm. The S. ~ y of a given hf'~,db~ material and jt ' ' ~ - may be det~ .... ~rd by the following procedure. From the ~l-,e-PIclnf~tion curve (or stress-strain curve) the force l-~e~ - -y to give an plon~tion to fit the .. ;~ .. head size, for ~ ,1e 30%, is cc,...~;d to the 11~ ~~t ~rcc ofthe el~c~ul-- ic material at a CO~ l width in the 25 above range of tyypical widths. Thi~t ..P ~F,5 providing 30 grams of force or higher are suitable to meet the ..~ . . force .~ ir~ "-l and ;~ -~t .~P sces providing 50 or more grams offorce are p,~.rt;-l~d. Similarly from the force-elongation curve, the force 11-'C~ A. y to give an elon~Ptio-n to fit the Illa~.imulll head size, for ~ ple 160%, is CGIllp~ to the -L-nRsc ofthe P~ o".. r. Tt-i- L ..F-c~Ps providing 300 30 grams of force or less are suitable to meet the ~l&~.nu~ force requ..~...euL and CA 02246547 l998-08-l7 3 PCT~US97/0132 C~ providing 200 grams of fiorce or less are pl~f~ d Th;c~ ~r5S.e 1 ;..g both requi~ ,nl~ are suitable for use in this invention In one e.lll~od;~ .ll, the ~ eP ~ mstertAl is a stretch activated, els,lon.. . ;c CO~ G. ite that has a first modulus when in the ill& ilivated state and a second, lower 5 mr ri~ when in the ~ ival~l state. The ~ls~to~ ic ccnnrosite is g~ ,.all"
r1ol~g~le~ 200-600% during stretch activation and allowed to recover The stretcha~,Li~,aled, c~ c co...l)os.le tends to p~ y e~ ~le about 25-75% a~er stretch activation. Additionally, stretch activation orients the mol~ ~le~ on the skin ofthe hp~dl~ m~teri~l to create a ~ osL..lctured surface that is both visibly and 10 l~ u&ll~~tJ;I~u 'allefromtheh~Jl,~ *l~,~ ;Al inthe un&eli~al~d state The initial higher ml~d-~ ofthe el9t,l0~" ..iC composite in the unactivated or partially a~ aled state assists in material h~nr~ling during .. r, ~ ;"g. Normal elastics are much more sensitive to effective length v~ c caused by tension variations on the feeding and al ~ ,} 3 ~
Stretch acLiv~ted, ~ ic co~ osl~,j useful in the present invention may be constructed from an çlDo~om~ric core s~lllounded by an in~lD~tic matrix that when sL~ ,I.ed and allowed to recover will create an el~lo .. ;c co .~l~~~ ., such as .1i~ G~d in U.S. Patent No. 5,429,856 issued to Krueger et al onJuly4,1995 and U.S. Patent No. 4,880,682 issued to ~7PIt~n et al. on No~e..~,. 14,1989, 20 both of which are hereby h.co.~o-aled by l.f.,.~.l.,c.
An ~il- . ..,lle Pl~.10.~.l.. ;C co..~i.os:le iS ~ losed in allowed U S. Patent No 5,501,679 to Krueger, which is hereby i.-cGl~olaled by l~f~,~nce. The elD~torn~ric Collll~G5.;te iS a non-tacky, multi-layer ~ lo~ ic 1~ e conl~liD;llg at least one elG~ ... ;c core and at least one .~,la~ u1q~tc. ~ ,.ic skin layer The skin 25 layer is Dll ~ t ,l-cd beyond its elastic limit and is relaxed with the core so as to forrn a m:c uslluctured skin layer Miclus;l~-,Lult; means that the surface collLaills peak and valley irregl~ riti~s or folds which are large enough to be perceived by them~ide(l human eye as causing h~clcascd opacity over the opacity of the compositebefore llf~luD~ ~lring and which irregl~l~riti~-c are small enough to be perceived 30 as smooth or soft to human skin M,G.~, ~ ;On ofthe irregularities is r,.~uilc~ to see the details of the llfi~ilUDLI .~ctured texture A force-elong~tion curve for one _ W O 97/324g3 PCT~US97/01328 e.~,.npl~y embodiment of an etnctQmeric composite in the activated state co.l~,DI,ondil~, to an average of the force measured during the outgoin~ e lon~,qtion cycle and the return cycle is illustrated in Figure 1. The curve "O" is the force-Plon~&~ curve in the outgoing elon~ ;nn direction and the curve "R" is the 5 forco f lo~g~ n curve in the return ~ ,LO~L
The f I n ~k~ l layer can broadly include any Ill~h,. ;~1 which is capable of being formed into a thin film layer and exhibits fil~C1Ol~ ;C plUp~,- Iies at r~Cl~n'l;t;OnC EI&~LO...~.;C means that the material will ~,il)s~ ;nlly resume its original shape after being s~ u~ . Further, pl~r~,.~ly, the Plsctomer will sustain only 10 small p~ lF-Il set following deru..- al;on and rf~tsYqtion which set is ~r~r~...bly less than 20 percent and more plefe.~ly Iess than 10 percent at moderate ~lol~ n, e.g., about 400-500%. C~ ,.ally any Plnctomer is accepl~t-~ which is capable of being sl. ~tched to a degree that causes relatively con~ pf . ~ e d~ f~J~ ;or in a ,~.laI;~_IY 110nF~ ';C skin layer. The ek~ngq-tion can be as low as 15 50~/0 etong~stir~n ~cL,~dlul~ however the et9CIU~F r is capable of under~c,-,lg up to 300 to 1200% et~ n at room Ic~l.y~.~Iulc, and most ~r~.f~.~bly 600 to 800%
ehl~g~;ol- at room t~,.--~.,.~Iu.e. The Pl5~lJ...- can be both pure el~lu~ and blends with an P19 IU'~ ;C phase or content that will still exhibit ~t~nu~ .;cplup~.Lies at room te.ll~ Iul c.
The skin layer can be formed of any semi-crystalline or amo-~huus pol~
that is less elastic than the core layer(s) and will u-ld~ ,o p ...~ d~ro.l-,aLion at the stretch p_..,c.l~ge that the ~ P ;C composite will undergo. Th~,.crore, slightly elastic co~pû~ c such as some olefinic PlsctomFrs, e.g.
ethylene-pro~ ,ne elq~t~ , or ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer el~ -(0!~
25 or ethylenic copolymers, e.g., ethylene vinyl acetate, can be used as skin layers, either alone or in blends. However, the skin layer is gcnel ally a polyolefin such as polyethylene, poly~ ylene, polybutylene or a polyethylene- poly~lupylene copolymer, but may also be wholly or partly polya..hdc such as nylon, polyester such as polyethylene t~ p~ ctstp~ polyvinylidene fluoride, polyacrylate such as 30 poly(methyl l~ hu;lylale) and the like, and blends thereo~ The skin layer material can be inflllenced by the type of ~Iq~tomPr sFle~lecl If the el~stomeric core is in W O 97/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 direct contact with the skin layer the skin layer should have ~ adhesion to the e1~1O~ ic core layer such that it will not readily de~ e Further where a high mr ~ull~e P~ c""l ;c core is used with a softer polymer skin layer a - u~ u-ed surface may not form.
The skin layer is used in ~.~ ;on with an ~ lo.. -ic core and can either be an outer layer or an inner layer (e.g., sandwiched ~ two el8~ f ;c layers). Used as either an outer or inner layer the skin layer will modify the elastic p.o?~-lies ofthe ~ID~ ;CCGIII?OD;Ie~
One - ',~,alll.,~ of the ~ o, -~ ic composifç ~i~lo~d in U.S. ~rplir~tiQn No. 07/503,716 is the ability to con~rol the shrink I ~.co~ e~y ~.f .~l~A.~ c"~ of the composite df pP.I~ing on the con~ ;onc offilm formation, the nature ofthe .t~....- - ;c core, the nature of the skin layer, the manner in which the cGllll Gs;le is stretched and the relative ~ 1 ..f cces ofthe el ~o--- ~ ;c and skin layer(s). By controlling these ~a,iallles in acco,~ ce with the tf~a~ of Serial No. 07/503,716 15 the ~Ic~-~ol~ -ic comro~ite can be deci~ed to ;I.~ O~ IY recover, recover over tirne or recover upon heat activatio~ L
At very thick skins, there is al nost no surface ~ usll u-;lul e produced at any stretch ratio, even with the ~"plic, I ;on of heat. The ~ l~C~G~ne~ jC CO~ 5.~;1e retains a relali~ , ~n~ 1 width after it had been .~ tched~ This non-necking 20 char~ ictic helps prevent the c-,. . .poP ~ e from biting into the skin of a wearer.
Generally, the skin layer will hinder ~he elastic force of the core layer with acoulll~.acting resisting force. The skin will not stretch with the rlc~o...~ l after the col.~pûD;Ie has been activated, the skin will simply unfold into a rigid sheet. This ~-IILUI .;es the core, re..:DLn~, or 1.;. .~ ~ - ;. .g the contraction of the ~1~ ctomer core 25 in~lut~ its necking tendell~;y. The m:~ -ol~ g is controllable not only by the manner in which the els -lG~- - iC co~ ile iS D~ cl,ed but also by the degree ofstretch, the overall composite ~ L ~-~ ~, the composite layer composition and the core to s~in ratio.
Figure 2 shows a three layer comrosite conDI~ u-,Lion 1 in cross section, 30 where the core 3 is the P~ o...~,- ic core secured to skin layers 2 and 4. The skins 2, 4 may be the same polymer or difI~. ~,nl polymers. This layer arr~ng~sm~nt is W O 97/32493 PCT~US97/01328 p. . r~i. ~ly formed by a coextrusion process. Whether the composite is p.t~,~ _d by coating, Ismin~tirm, Se~ eALI~1.7.0n, coextrusion or a co...l.;..-l;on thereof, the con.po~,;le formed and its layers will l~r~,f~,.ably have s~lbs~ ;slly uniform thicl l.f.C~e5 across the composite. P~ bly the layers are col -~f ~iV-e across the 5 width and length ofthe composite. With such 8 Co~ u~;lioll the miclot~ ;u8 is ~ib,~ lly uniform over the f 1z~o~ - ;C co---pGs;le surface and provides a gen_.lllly uniforrn coP~ri~nt offriction along the surface ofthe co...l.oc;le Composites pl~,p~u~l in this manner have generally un;ru~ c~(oll~ ;c plup.,.l;eswith a ~ --- of edge effects such as curl, mo~ lc change, fraying and the like.
Figure 3 is a s~ ';c d;a~u-- ofthe com~on d; ~ orlC which are v ~~ e for ~ ;clly .~ clled and recovered co...po~ s. The general texture is a series of regular l ~ z. l ;U~7 folds. These ~, ~ ab le s are the total height A-A', the peak to pealc fti~ ce B-B' and the peak to valley ~ e C-C'. A further feature of the r~mposite d -r 'e ~e ~ in Figure 3 is that when the material is ~ lclled and 1 eco~, e. ed 15 , ~-lly, regular, perio~ folds are generally formed. That is for any given L,~..,~ e section the ~i ;t~--ce b_l~.__., adj~c peaks or P-l;ar~-.~ va11eys is .,ly col ~q ~
Fi~,ure 3 ilhlst~.~s a "u~,ro;,~ ctured surface that has been sL._L~ d past the elastic limit ofthe outer skin layers 2, 4 in the lon~phlfl;n~t direction and allowed 20 to recover to form a ~ usl. uctured surface. The IlllCI'~ l u~,LuI'~d surface consists ofI~ld1;~ ~7h-~al;C irre~ ities wheLL_ stretched lln;~ ly or ~;~u&~y.
These ;"~ ;I; s .nc.~,ase the opacity ofthe surface layers ofthe co."po~,ile, but ,_n_.ally do not result in cracks or o~enillgs in the surface layer when the layer is f ~ d under a s~ elC~L-on ",-."O5COI e. Micrule l~ g also af~ects the 25 l~r~)cl L;~,s of the formed fflm. Unl~ually SLI el~ , will activate the film to be elastic in the .Ihw~on of stretch. Biaxially stretching will create unique s~rfr-es while c,_~ , a cc,~"l~os;le which will stretch in a mllltitllde of directions and retain its soft feel, ma~ng the so sl._l~,l,ed co...l,o.,;le particularly well suited for hc~ncTb~ntl use. It has also been found that the fold period of the miclosl.u~ilulcd surface is 30 depe .~ on the co-_J~,L-- ratio. It is also possible to have more than one ~II'Clc.~.. - ;f core ~ , llb_- with suitable skins andJor tie layer(s) in between. Such W 097/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 ..... I-ild~. embo(lim~nte can be used to alter the ~ o.~ ic and surface chara~ ,s ofthe CQmroeit~
~t has also been found that the manner in which the film is sllelclled effects amarked dilr~,r~ce in the texture of the ~ ustl .lctured surface. For ~A~ the 5 extruded multi-layer film can be sLI~,~cl e;l un;oyi~lly~ se~ biaxially, or eim~ Pou~ b;~i&aly, with each method giving a unique surface texture and distinct ~1DC~ ~ ;C plo~ ies. When the film is ~ ,t~l~ed ~ the folds are 03cul ~Iy fine ridges, with the ridges o,i~,.,ted l~ ely to the stretch direction. When the CO~ûS;le is sl,~lched first in one direction and then in a cross 10 d~e_~ion, the folds fonned on the first stretch become buckled folds and can appear worm-like in character, with inte, b~ D. ,ed cross folds. Other textures are also pc- "~ to provide various folded or wrinkled vn- ;_~;onC of the basic regular fold.
When the film is sl,etclled in both dil~,~Lions at the same ti ne the texture appears as folds with length dir~ ions that are random. Using any of the above metho-l.e Of15 b~ t~L ~I~" the surface bllU-;Iu-G is also d~ A,.tr ll as stated before, upon the t~ c used, the; ' ' - of the ~ayers, the ratio of the layer th;~ ness~e and the stretch ratio.
The co- ~;,,,,O,.c ~ .u~,LlJred sl~c~oc ofthe i.,~ lion can be altered and co,lll~,lled by the proper choice of ",ah. ~ and proc~C~;ng p&~.et.,. ~. Differences 20 in the m~t~riDI ~uy~ l;es of the layers can change the lc.,ulLi--g t UI~ALUi~d skin, but it has been found that by the carefill choice of the layer ratios, total composite film 1l, - .L"~.~c, the number of layers, stretch degree, and stretch direction(s~ it is pos~ lc to eA~ ; e sigrifi~nt control overthe ,....,.u~ cture ofthe surface ofthe c~ pos;le.
The degree of ~ Ot~AIU~ ûf e~ v~ -c co.. l os:l~ c pl~,~C~ in a~o.dance with the invention can als~ be d~ U~ cd in terms of increase in skin surface area. Where the co--.pû_:~e shows heavy t.,AIU-~,s the surface area willu.~;leEse si~ifi~ tly As the stretch ratio ...~ ,ases so does the percent increase in surface area, from the ~ ,e~ched to the sl,t;lched and recovered composite. The inCI~e in surface area directly contributes to the overall texture and feel ofthe cc,-"pos.Le surface.

W O 97/32493 PCTrUS97/~1328 The counter bq-l-nrin~ ofthe elastic modulus ofthe elG~lo.... -ic core and the cl~ ru~ n ~i 7 cl;.nce ofthe skin layer also modifies the stress-strain characteristics of the composite. This also can be mn-lified to provide greater wearer con~rol Iwhen the co"")os;le is used in a h~ ~Ihqnd This relalively co~ stress-strain S curve can also be ~ d to exhibit â sharp Llcr~se in mn~lllllc at a p.~del~..""ined stretch percent, i.e., the point at which the skin was p. -..~ y d~,ru".,ed whenactivated. The non-activated or non Sh .,~I,ed comro~;t~, as such is easier to handle for high speed attnrhment to a face mask than would be a cG~I~..-.l;on ehstic.
In an embo~imRnt where the stretch activated, clqclo~ ic composite is uti1ized as a hl~ar.ll.ql--l for a face mask it may be ~tt~ch~d to the mask in an unactivated, partiaUiy a-livaled or a co...l l~vt~ ly activated state. In the unactivated state, the ~ I material is not yet ~1G~IO~ iC and moderate proc~ccing tensionsuch as ul~mding a roll will not cause it to stretch. The ~019~_;o'~'- -iC cGInposil.,s are 15 advq-ntqgFo.-~:ly handled by high speed plOc~ 3 eqllirm~nt when in the t~d state. The a_livalion by sll~ g the h~(lb_n~ may be p_.rui,,,ed at the factory after ~ 'hm~nt, or it may be p~,.rull~.ed by the c~c~o---- - . If it is p... r.J, ...ed by the t,~ ~ :to...- ~ s the l- - ~,ated ~ - F" -liS visuaUiy and tactually b1e from an a_livaled h~ DO that it can provide an in-liC~tinn of The ~ .,...uplas~;c skin layer ofthe composite structures ofthe present h ~ has a particularly smooth feel on the skin and hair of the wearer. These f~lul-D are in co--l-~ to a ~ ~ I made of most ~1~CIU~ ic ll~aL~ ls, which often pinch and pull hair and feel coarse and rough on the skin. Activation of the 25 ..._~ le of this invention causes this lL~ lopl~D~ic skin layer to become ~ us~uctured, which further ~ res the b~n~ofi.-;sl feel and cc",~. I of these ".nt~ c on the skin and hair.
Alternate ~ 1 n ~ or. .-" ;c materials include resilient polyul .~ e, polyisoprene, butylene-styrene copolymers such as, for ~y-n~ple~ KRATONTM thermoplastic 30 plc~,3",~ ~ a~ lab!ie from Shell ~h~ I Co., but also may be constructed from elastic rubber, or a covered stretch yarn such as .~-p~n~eY available from DuPont Co.

W O 97/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 The ~itprn~tive band designs also can include open-loop or closed loop constructions to encircle the head of the wearer, such aS is disclosed in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,237,986 (Seppala et al.), which is hereby inco~ ,aLed by lef~ nccs.
Figures 4A4D is a s- h. ~ , illustration of an e -~-..p~--y process 20 for S m mlf-~.ring a flat-folded rc ~ lor that can be used with the present method of _tt=s-hing a one-part or multi-part hP~(ll..A.-~ A foarn portion 22 is positiQnPd n an inner c.over web 24 and a filter media 26. In an alternate embodiment, the foam portion 22 and/or nose clip 30 may be po~:l;on~l on an outer surface ofeifher the inner cover web 24 or outer cover web 32. A l~ fo~in~8 ,.,alf.;al 28 is opfion~]ly po l;nnP,d p.v~ e cemter on the filter media 26. A nose clip 30 is optionally positinn~od along one edge of the filter media 26 1"~~ e the ulc"~g m~teri~l 28 at a nose clip applic-tion station 30a. The filter media 26, g ,.,~ 28 and nose clip 30 are cu~ e.~,d by an outer cover web 32 to form a web ac~_n,l,ly 34 shown in cutaway ~see Figure 4B). The web Ess~,.--bly 34 may be held togeth~r by surface forces, electro-static forces, thermal bond.,.~" or an adhe~
An eY~ o~inn valve 36 is opfinn~lly ~s_ll~d into the web assembly 34 at a valving station 36a. The valving sta~ion 36a ~ f~._bly forms a hole ~o~;m ~1e the center of the web asse.,ll,ly 34. The edges of the hole may be sealed to ~ e excess web material. The valve 36 may be ,~ ~ned in the hole by welding, adhesive, p,e~ e fit, çl~",p,~ ,, snap ~ hlip~s or some other suitable means.
F~ y face masks with PYh l~tisn valves are illustrated in Figures 12-15, 20, and 21.
As is illustrated in Figure 4C, the web ~ci~ bly 34 is welded and trimmed along face-fit weld and edge fir.i~ ing lines 33, 35 at face fit station 38. The excess web material 40 is removed and the I ~ ;..~ ecl web -CSf ~~.l)ly 42 is adv~ced to the folding station 44. The folding station 44 folds upper and lower portions 46, 48inw_rd toward the center of the trimmPd web assembly 42 along fold lines 50, 52,rei.~ec~ ly, to form a folded face mask blank 55 illuskated in Figure 4D.
The folded face mask blank 55 is welded along edges to form weld lines 58, 60 at l~-)icl.;.~g and hpaAb~n~ atts~Ahing station 54a, forming a face mask blank 56 WO 97/32493 PCT~US97101328 from which the excess material beyond the band lines can be removed. The weld line 60 is ~r- ~ to the face-fit weld and edge finiching lines 33. The face-fit weld and edge ~ g line 35 is shown in dashed lines since it is beneath the upper portion 46. ~ ~Idb-9-nA material S4 rc,.,~ -g a hP~g,dhAn~ 100 is po~:l;oned on the 5 folded face mask blank 55 along a ~--d~ ' path "H" ~ g b~ e~n left and right hea~J~ sttsrhmPnt locations 62, 64. The hr~s,dbAn~ 100 is stts-~hed to the face mask blank 55 at left and right ~-sdbsn~ ~stts,rhmrnt loc-stionc 62, 64. Since the face mask blank 55 is ;,~ y flat during the ~ ~ ~fA~lring process 20, the he~.dl,~ path "E~' is an axis ~ I1Y .,l~ ,L~g the left and right att-s,tl...10 locations 62, 64.
It will be w~d~ ood that it is possible to activate or partially activate the ~r~hAn~ lllal~.;&l 54 before, during or after application to the face mask blank 55.
One pl<,f ,- l-,d method is to activate the L - E"' 'I material 54 just prior toap~ l;o-- by sele~ ,c,ly ~t_",p;,~g the yet unactivated ~ material b~
15 ~ .r~nt clamps, ~ g~ g it the desired smnllnt laying the a~ ctc~ h~'a~lbA.~rl"~ ;Al 54 onto the face mask blank 55, and stt~s,çhing the ~ -~al~d end portionsofthe hr~srlhsn~l ,,,-u ;~1 54 to the blank 55. Alt~l-d1i~.ely, the unactivated material 54 can be laid onto the face mask blank 55, l~ftr ' ~ d at the ends as rlic~.. s~cl herein and then L- ~Vdted prior to p~sr l~gm~ Finally, the he ~ d 20 , . .~ 1 54 can remain ul~acliv~led until activated by the user.
A lor~yfl~r~insl score line "S" may optionally be formed either before, during or after Affa.~-l....- -~l ofthe hr~Zd~ ri material 54 to the face mask blar~c 55 at the R and h~JI~ -r~ s-ft~s.~ hing station 54a to create a multi-part h~s.(~bAnrl Theedges 66, 68 of the face mask blank 55 a~ 1~ ~ to the left and right he~slbA--d 25 g,f~f~;~ h~ oÇ9finn~: 62, 64 may either be severed to form discrete face masks or p~,.r~laled to forrn a str~of face masks 67 ~see Figure SA~. The face masks 67 are ~a 'L - r.çd at pacL-s-ging station 69. Alternate constructions for a fiat-folded face mask blank are di~ osed in U.S. Patent Applic~s~tion No. 08/507,449 filed S~ e~ 11, 1995, entitled FLAT-FOLDED RESPIRATOR AND PROCESS
30 FOR MAE~G THE SAME, which is hereby incol~ol~led by ~,f~ lce.

WO 97/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 Figure S~ illustrates a strip of flat-folded face masks 67 m~qnl~fqch~red acco.d..lg to the process of Figures 4A-4D. The edges 66, 68 are preferably p~lahd so that the face masks 67 can be pacLi~ in a roll. A portion ofthe hPq,/lh-n-l 100 at the edges 66, 68 has been removed by the pe.r~ ion process. In 5 an alL~"l-le emboAin P-nt~ the he,q,dk~n~ 100 extends contin-lol.ciy past the edges 66, 68. Figure SA illustrates the multi-part hea~lb-n~l 100 ntt~hPd to the rear of the face mask 67, ~11hn~ it could be ~ ' ~d in any ofthe cnnfigl~rations ~lic. losedherein. It will be ul-d~ Lood that either a one-part or a multi-part hPqrl~qn~ 100 may be r'' ' ' -d to either side ofthe face mask 67, in either a peel or shear 10 c ~nfi~y.. _~inn, _Ith(~l-gh sheer is ~ ,d.
Figure 5B ill~ .Les a method of ~ .--r~ ;..g a plurality of e . ~ .n~
face masks blanks 70 with unit length, two-part h~ s 72. Three sides 74, 76,78 of top web 80 and bottom web 82 are cu~ cl~d to each other by heat sealing orulliâsollic bondin~, to form the face mask blanks 70 having a generally oval shape with an open side 84. TT~ n~ 1 72 is poeitionp~i along the open sides 84, generally cop~cn~r with the face mask bl~cs 70 along ~ path "H" and bonded at left and right -c~ h.. ~ locations 86, 88. The seel ;ons of l 72 _ttq,--hPd to each face mask blank 70 have a unit length "L"
co~ ol,d;.,g to the rl~ L~ ,n the left and right ~ .."- -,l loc~qtif~ne 86, 20 88. ConeP~uPntly~ there is no slack in the l- - ~hqnrl m_trnq,l 72 during ,.---.--r ~t~ 3 The unused portion ofthe ~ ll - -I mqtP~q1 73 b~,l..ee,l each face mask blank 70 are ~lisc~-led along with the unused ~ lions of the top and bottomwebs 80, 82. In an ~hern-te ~ l,o~ l the i~ ?~ material 72 may be po~ition~ b~ ,en the top and bottom webs 80, 82. It will be understood that a 2~ one-part may be ~ ed for the two-part hp~bAn~l 72.
The he~(lb~n~lc in any ofthe embo~lim~ntc dicAlosed herein may be ~ Pd to the face masks by any suitable te~hn:que, in.-t~l~lin~ thermal bonrling ull~couic ~.~,ldil~g, glues, adhesives, hot-melt adhcs~ s, ~ sensitive adhesives, staples, -1 r~hne.~ such as b~leL-lPc, buttons and hooks, mating surface rasLe~
30 or cs~ ni ~gc, such as loops or slots, ~ormed at the left or right ~tt~chmPnt loc-tiQnc for e~ pl~,l~ the h~dbAnd m-t~nAl It may be at~chP~d so that the forces acting W 097/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 b~ ., the he~lb-nrl and mask when being worn by a user are in a peel mode or in a sheer mode. The hp~ d may be att~-h~d to the mask b~ layers of the mask construction or on either outside surface of the mask.
Figures 6A-6J illustrate various _Itr rn-tr~ C.~IlJQ~ of a multi-part 5 h~s.~ lOOa-lOOi. The multi-part ~ea~ configurations are g,_n~ more c~ J- ;~re to high speed m~tPriol h~n~tling and m~n-lf~r~lring e~ ;p...- -.l than C ;--Af~f .~ ' e ~ It wi}l be understood that any of the following h ~ ~. .ry,, ., dlions may be constructed with an f~l9~1.J. .. - - -c composite.
Figure 6A illustrates an e-~ "~lL~r two-part hPa~b~rld lOOa with a longittlrtin~l score line 102a ~ , b_l.. een a pair of circular punchouts 104a, 106a. Thescoreline 102adefinesaheadstrap 108aandaneckstrap llOaofthe two-part hf ~II~An~1 lOOa. The punch-outs 104a, 106a ...~ , tearing ~_I~.,cn the head strap 102a and neck strap 104a during use. Left and right tab 112a, 114a are pr~Yi~ed for ~ h.... --l to a face rnask blank (see for ~ lP, Figures 7-23) at the 15 left and right at~ h~ o~ti-~n~ r~,~e.,lively.
Figure 6B illu~ al~s the two-part h~ cn~l lOOb ~,_n~ shown Figure 6A constructed from a stretch ~ ' valcd elastic after head straps 108b and neck straps 110b have been stretch-activated. The stretch activated portion 108b and 110b bccc",.cs n~ ,u . . _r than prior to stretch activation, shown in the ina~ ed 20 left and right tabs 112b and 114b (see also Figure 6A). The portions 108b andl lOb also ~ lol~g~ ~ e after stretch activation, generally in the range of 125- 175% of their original length. The n&.,uwing and 1~ ~glh. --in~ ofthe head strap 108b and neck strap l lOb cause a gap 116b to fomn along the score line 102b. The gap 116b fi-~itit~tes Se~&ali~g the band and the applica1ion ofthe he~db-nA lOOb to the 25 user's head.
Figure 6C illu:,llal~,s an altemate embodiment of a two-part hr~_rlh_nrt 110c in which the Ic~ngJturlin-l score line 102c is off-center. Con~equ~ntly~ the elastic force ~ n.,. alcd by the nE~ . .,. hesd strap l lOc is less than the elastic force gc~c~ d by the wider neck strap 108c, for the sarne elr~ng~tiQn For ~ lr, the ~ 30 straps 108c, l lOc can be c~o~r~8~Gd to ge.~ te the same force for di~e of ~lol .~,i- l ;on W O 97/32493 PCT~US97/01328 Figure 6D illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present two-part - " ' l lOd in which a pair of OppGS~.g score lines 118d and 120d are formed at opposite ends ofthe InngihlAin~l score line 102d. The operator breaks the two-part h~ ,n:~A lOOdalongthescorelines 118d, 120dtoformapairofstraps }22d, 124d 5 that can be tied behind the user's head. The op~"~Lor has the option to activate the sketch activated elastic of the two-part h~s,~lf ~C l ~f l OOd so that the straps 122d, 124d g~n~,aLe an elastic force. Sin.,e the straps l~d and 124d are tied to form a single strap, a second hP7 i1.~l~ff lOOd is ~u;,~,d if the face mask requires both a head strap and a neck strap. ~rfAitinn~lly, due to the over~ll length ~ u-l~d to form 10 a head strap, the ~lec~o~. ;c cc,l"posite is particularly suited for the hP~Ah~nA 100d.
Figure 6E iflush~les an alh",~le two-part ~ 100e in which a center score line 126e is formed ort~r)gnn~ to ear ~~c~,;v;,-g score lines 126e, 128e. The left and right ear r~c~ ,g score lines 126e, 128e are formed in left and right ear tabs 130e, 132e. Punchouts 104e, 106e are provided to ..~ , tearing ofthe eartabs 130e, 132e. The user sep.uaL~s the two-part hr~Jl,~l-A lOOe into two piecesand extends the left and right ear tabs 130e, 132e around her left and right ears, c~ , cly.
Figure 6F illu:illal~ an ~It~-rn~e two-part h~Ah~nA lOOfwith a pair of user g ;p p .~ s... r cc s 140f, 142f on opp~ ~e sides of lo~tgituffin~f score line 102f provided to r~ e sep_.alion ofthe head strap 108ffrom the neck strap 110~
The user ~ ;P~ R ;.u, ~ices 140f, 142f also assist the user in positioning the head strap 108f and neck strap l lOf on her head.
Figure 6G illustrates an embodiment of the two-part h~adb~nA 100g with a button hole 150g for ~ gah~ I with a button on a face mask (not shown). Ln an ~1~ f - ~ e e .. boA;.. 1 a plurality of holes 150g are provided for ~Aiu~ting the tension on the he~ b~nA lOOg. The 1ongih~Ain~l score line 102g is provided to form the head and neck straps 108g, l lOg of the two-part he~r~k~nr1 as Ai~c. ~e~ above.
The head strap 108g may optionally include a score line 107 to produce a head cradle. The head cradle also provides a means of ~Ajl~sting the tension on the head strap 108g. The filrther the head cradle is opened out in the head strap 108g, the greater the tension produced.

W O 97132493 PCT~US97/01328 Figure 6H ;llustrates a two-part h~qdbq-n~l lOOh constructed of a stretch iva~ed elastic in the activated configl~ration. The head and neck straps 108h, 110h are ~ ngPtçd and n~-u.._1 due to stretch activation. In the embo-lim~nt illusllaled inFigure6h, leftandright ~IIAf~ 1 tabs 112hand 114hhavenotbeen S activated. The lon~t~ nql score line lû2h has been fonned after the two-part he~ontl 100h has been activated.
Figure 6I illu;,~ s a two-part h -- " I lOOi with the stretch ~ -~aled elastic partially activated along two po.li~ns 160i, 162i. Partial a.,li~lion allows the two-part her,11~ lOOi to ar~c~ .o~vle a user with a smaller head size. It will 10 be u--de. ,lood that a variety of aCIi~/aliOllpall~ S are possible and that Figure 6i is p1~s_..Led for illusllaliOl1 only. The lonEyt l~lin~ql score line 102i has been formed after the two-part L db-q-n~l 1 OOi has been activated.
Figure 6J illustrates a one-part h~ b~nrl 100j with a center score line 126j that permits left and right h -r ~L 1 portions 170j, 172j to be joined behind the head of the user with r~l~.. . i 174j, 176j. It will be understood that a variety of r~ may be used with the he~ lOOj, such as b~ttonc, snaps and hook and loop r~n . . For . p!e, the Ç~l~ne. 174j may be a button and 176j an opc .
for l_Cc.~ g the button.
Figures 7 and 8 illu~ le an ~llirti~lly shaped, flat-folded face mask 200 with a unit length, multi-part he~dl/~ 202 in both an l-nfolded and a folded cc~nfigl~ration, re~,e~ ely. It will be understood that the shape of the flat-folded face mask 200 may vary wililuul depa, I,ng from the present invention. For e . Ie, the genera11y elliptical shape could be ,eC~ yul~r~ circular, or a variety of other shapes.
Ac illusllal~d in Figure 7, the two-part h~db~nrl 202 extends along a L " I path "H", generally coplau~r with flat-folded face mask 200. The two-part hesdl,~lul 202 is att~hf~d to the face mask 200 at left and right P~tt~rhm~nt loc~tionc 220, 222 in a peel co~r~ alion. The he~(~b~nd 202 is divided into a head strap 240 and a neck strap 242 by score line 244. It will be understood that any of - 30 the L-rl~ .I confi~lrations illustrated in Figures 6A-6J may be utilized with the face mask 200.

W 097/32493 PCT~US97/01328 lit;oTls-l portions 204 and 206 may optionally be ~qtt~hRd to upper and lower portions 208, 210 of ~ ,;.aLor 200 along folds 212, 214. ~d~litionAl portions 204, 206 pl~f~.ably are not sealed along the edges by h~f,~ tfArhm~nt loc~Lions 220, 222 due to the ability ofthe nd~ition~l portions 204 and 206 to pivot S along the folds 212, 214. Optional nose clip 224 is located on a~ itinn~l portion 204.
The face mask 200 extends l".,f~,abl~ about 160 to 245 mm in width b_l..__n the h~ i att~~hment loc~tion~ 220, 222, more ~ ,f~,.ably about 175 to 205 mm, most pr~,f.,. ~l~r about 185 to 190 mm in width. The height of face mask200 ~ g b_l-.__n top edge 230 and bottom edge 232 is p,~ f~ about 30 to 110 mm in height, more pl ~,f~,. ~ 'y about 50 to 100 mm in height, most p, ~f~,. ~ly about 75 to 80 mm in height. The depth of upper portion 204 ~ om fold 212 to the p_.l~h_.~l edge of upper portion 204 is pr~,fc,~bly about 30 to 110 mm, more ~l~f~.~ly about 50 to 70 mm~ most pl_f~,.ably about 55 to 65 mm. The depth of lower portion 206 ~ g from fold 214 to the p_. ;ph~l .,l edge of lower portion 206 is pl~,fel ~',y about 30 to 1 t0 mm, more pl_f~.ably about 55 to 75 rnm, most preferably about 60 to 70 mrn. The depths of upper portion 204 and lower portion 206 may be the same or dil~r~ and the sum of the depths of the upper and lower pOl Lions pl~,f~ .~bly does not exceed the height of the central portion.
Figure 9 is an ah~ te embodirnent of a face mask 200a generally col.cs~,olldil~g to the face mask 200 of Figures 7 and 8, where the two-part hca(ll~ 202a is ~AttA~hed to a front surface 246a. To apply the mask 200a, the user wraps the two-part hPAdi~ 202a around to the ~ont (see Figures 7 and 8) so that the le~ and right attaçhm~ntloc~l;Q~c 220a, 222a are in a peel col-~x-~-alion.
25 Th.~ ~ cut-outs 250 may opL;o~ be formed in the left and right ~ttr~hmRnt ;ol.~ to convert the face mask 200a from a peel to the sheAr col-~ iol1. In particular, the cut-outs 250 wrap toward the rear of the face mask 200a on the path "R" along with the two-part hP~rlb~n-1 202a, providing a shear confi~ration. In an AltPrn~qte embotlim~nt the cut-out 250 is a p~"ro,~led cut-out that pern~its the user to adjust the h - 'I tension by ble&kil~g more or less ofthe seal on the p~,. rul ~lion.

W O 97/32493 PCT~US97/01328 Figure 10 illustrates a face mask 200b that corresponds to the face mask 200 of Figure 8 in all le_"P_ls, except that a one-part ~-~hsnrl 202b is utili7ed Likewise, Figure 11 illuDL al~s a face mask 200c that co~ .onds to the face mask200a of Figure 9 in all l.,..l.e~ LS, except that a one-part hr~adbs~nr~ 202c is utilized.
Figure 12 illu.~tlah,s a front view of a molded cup ' . ~ ~ face mask 270 with a two-part hr~hsnrl 272 ~- 14~ g across a front surface 274 and an eYhslstion valve 276. In the embo~im~nt illustrated in Figure 12, the he~db_nrl path '~' ~e~ lly follows the co--lu~r of the front surface 273 of the face mask 270, but is not c~ , co ~ " e.~ev:&~ c~nt to the eYh9~l9tir)n valve 276. The two-part h-~ 272 is p.~f~ / placed in tension during msm~flcl~ g to ~ - ~ slack and the cc~...,..pond..,g .u~e~ ;AI hsnr~li~ d;ll~iul~ e5 e-~r,o~ ,dusing high speed ~ .r 1... ,..~ e~ The two-part hr ~ll,-nrl 272 is cQl-l-e~e~1 to the face mask 270 at left and right ~ttr ' ~ lor,9tir~nc 274, 276.
The user applies the face mask 270 by pulling the two-part hr'~JI,Al-~l 272 toward the rear ofthe mask 270 so that the s~ttAr.hm~nt locatit)nc 274, 276 are in a peel r,~ ion.
Figure 13 is a rear view of a molded cup-shaped face mask 280 with an c ' ' on valve 283. A unit length, two-part hAs lIJYntI 282 extends across the rear op ~ 284. The h ~ path "E[" extends along an axis 286 i..~ e~ 3 left and right -ll; l.. - -.11nr-tinn~ 288, 290.
Figure 14 co--- .ponrls to the embodiment of Figure 12 in all r~,pe~
except that a one-part ~e ~ dh-nr3 272a is ~ s~--hed to the face mask 270a. Figure 15 ,s~,onds to the r~mhorlimAnt illuDI~aled in Figure 13 in all l-,DI.e~ls, except that a one-part h~ rl 282a is ~ ~he d to the face mask 280a.
Figure 16 illustrates a front view of a molded cup-shaped face mask 270b with a two-part hP~ 272b c ~ B across a front surface 273b. Since there is no r~Yh~l~tion valve as is illuD~ cd in Figure 12, the hr~-rlb~nrl 272b more closely follows the contour ofthe front surface 273b. The ~ 272b is plefe.~bly placed in tension during m-mlf, ctllnng to ,..;.~ slack and the corresponding - 30 mAtP,ri_l h~ ifficulties ~ ucu~ lpired using high speed m~nnf~ctl~ring CA 02246547 l998-08-l7 W 097132493 PCT~US97/01328 e~u;pi~ The h~srlhAsn~ 272b is co....~ led to the face mask 270b at left _nd right Att~s,çhmPnt lol-jAAtionc 274b, 276b, as ~liccllcced above.
Figure 17 is a rear view of a molded cup-shaped face mask 280b with a unit length, two-part h.~ lt~ 282b ~ -1. .-.1;..~3 across the rear opcllmg 284b. The 5 ~ h9n~1 path "H" extends along an axis 286b ull~.O~ ilillg left and right o-tt~srhmPnt lorstionc 288b, 290b, as was ~ s~i in c,"...~ ;on with Figure 13. The yre3~cc or ohs~ ofthe ~Yhslotir~n valve 283 in Figure 13 does not alter the h~P~ibonrl ~nfig~ ~- aLiOn in the present ~n hotlimf~nt Figure 18 co,l~,Oyonds to the P.mho~ nent of Figure 16 in all l~ eclO, except that a one-part hp-s~dbsnll 272c is attrchPd to the face mask 270c. Figure 19 ~ nds to the embodirnent illustrated in Figure 17 in all ~ ~l,e~Y except that a one-part hFs~ d 282c is ~stts Ahed to the face mask 280c.
Figure 20 illuol~ a~cs a front view of an ~ y flat-folded face mask 300 with a two-part h~ 302 9-tt9ched at left and right AttArhmPnt lor~l;onc 304,306 along hn~ fl path "H"; The L - ~ db~n~l 302 is d~flP~ted fiom the plane ofthe flat-folded face mask 300 n~ljnr,Pnt to eYhs~qtion valve 308. To apply the face mask 300, the user turns the fac,e mask 300 inside out with respect to the two-part dbAr~l 302. When the h~s~(lbsrl~1is opposite the rear of the mask 300, the ~tt~.l.. ,1 lof~tion~ 304, 306 are in a peel co~.r.~ - aliOII. Figure 21 COl~ o~Ollds to 20 the embodiment illustrated in Figure 20 in all ~cs~e~,6, except that a one-part h~ l 302a is att~-h~ to the face mask 300a.
Figure 22 illustrates the operation of a two-part h~rlbAAn~l 320 l~ L~Ihlg an ..p~-.y face mask 326 to a user. The two-part hf~b~nf~ 320 in~ des â head strap 322 and a neck strap 324. It will be understood that a he~lbA-~-l with three or more straps may be desirable for some ap~ n~ Figure 23 illuollaL~s a one-part h~sdb-nl1 322a 1~ tA~ 3 an ~ y face mask 326a to a user.
Figure 24 is an alternate flat-folded respirator mask 350 shown from the front in its folded; storage confi~ration for use with a continl~oll~ loop h~sAdbAn~l 352. The ends 362, 364 ofthe he~db~nrl 352 are joined by a sliding clamp 360.
~ttz-Ahment rings 354 are co--~-e~ed to the left and right AAtt~chment locations 356, 358 for t llL. ~Ippi--g the loop ~ IbAn~ 352. It will be understood that a variety of W O 97/32493 PCT~US97/01328 hm~nt co~ aLions may be s~ stihlted for the AttA~hmPnt rings 354, such as ope.~ 3s or slots in the face mask blank.

Filter Media:
S The filter media or - -' useful in the present invention in~ des a number of woven and n~ vo~ cn materials, a single or a plurality of layers, with or without an inner or outer cover or scrim, and with or without a ~ , means. In the I.o.l;~ ~ n~e~1 in Figure 4A ~lD, the central portion is provided with sl;~ ~:~y3 ~..e.,~ r. F~ es of suitable filter mAt~nol include ~ OLl~e~ webs, 10 rll,-ill~led film webs, woven or n(~ vuvei1 webs (e.g., airlaid or carded staple fibers), s~' nn-blown fiber webs, or co.. .1.; . ~Al ;onc thereo~ Fibers useful for r~ B such webs include, for ~ , polyolefins such as polyl,-o~lene, polyethylene, pol~uLylene, poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) and blends thereof, holos~l~n s~ll,sl;
polyolefins such as those cc,..~ , one or more chlorocll~lene units, or 15 tetra9uo~o~ ,1ene units, and which may also contain acrylonitrile units, polyesters, poly ~ ~ -s~s,polyu-~ll.c~es, rosin-wool, glass, c~ ose or co...l~ ;onc thereo~Fibers ofthe 1~ layer are sPlected d~..-~ upon the type of particulate to be filtered. Proper s~le~l;ol~ of fibers can also affect the con-rc..l of the re~ alor to the wearer, e.g., by providing soll~ g or llloii.Lul., control. Webs 20 of melt blown mi~uJil,e. ~ useful in the present invention can be p~ ed as d~ ;I.e~1 for ~ !e in Wente, Van A., "S~ .r...e Th_....opla~tic Fibers" in In~usl,ial r,~j"~ , Ch~.ll.;,LI~ Vol. 48, 1342 et seq. (1956) and in Report No.
4364 of the Naval Research T ',.Alories,~ul,l;~ May 25, 1954, entitled '~lUsm~f~ re of Super Fine Organic Fibers" by Van A. Wente et al. The blown 25 m u~_. :. in the filter media useful on the present i..~ _..lion ~- ~r~ .bly have an li. _ fiber ~ . ., t~ - of from 3 to 30 ulll~,te. :~, more ~- ~,f~,. Ably from about 7 to 15 ~--.clul..cle.:i, as c~c~ ted according to the method set forth in Davies, C.N., "The SCPa1AliOI1 of Airborne Dust Pallic,les", Tnctihltion of Mcrl~AI~ F~ynççrs,T.onAQn ProceeA;~ s lB, 1952.
Staple fibers may also, optionally, be present in the filtering layer. The ~cnce of crimped, bulking staple fibers provides for a more lofty, less dense web WO 97132493 PCTrUS97/01328 than a web consisting solely of blown mi_lor~ . Preferably, no more than 90 weight percent staple fibers, more p~relably no more than 70 weight percent are present in the media. Such webs CO~ staple fiber are ~ clQsecl in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,118,531 ~'auser), which is inco~ ahd herein by r.,f~rcl~c~.
Bico~ r staple fibers may also be used in the filtering layer or in one or more other layers ofthe filter media. The bicc,ll.pol1enL staple fibers which generally have an outer layer which has a lower meking point than the core portion can be used to form a l~ l shaping layer bonded tog~ r at fiber ;.d~ lion points, e.g., by heating the layer so that the outer layer ofthe ' ~ ollf nl fibers flows into contact with sfli~c~ fibers that are either Ic c- pone.ll or other staple fibers. The shaping layer can alsct be pl ~,p~ with binder fibers of a heat-flowable polyester inf l~lf3ed together with staple fibers and upon heating of the shaping layer the binder fibers melt and flow to a fiber l~ .e_lion point where they surround the fiber i lh.~e~,lion point. Upon cooling, bonds develop at the ;"l~ ~e~ points ofthe 15 fibers and hold the fiber mass in the desired shape. Also, binder ~l. . ;al~ such as acrylic latex or p~w-i~,.~ heat a.Li~,~table adhesive resins can be applied to the webs to provide bo~ ofthe fibers.
Fibers subject to an f~l~ctric l charge such as are ~ osed in U.S. Pat. No.
4,215,682 (Kubik et al.), U.S. Pat. Mo. 4,588,537 (Klasse et al.), pol~i~lg or ~,L~h~ulg ele~r .l~ as ~licrk~sf~ in U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,718 (Wad~lvulll- et al.), or U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,815 ~Takao), or elf~r-trie~lly charged Llllilldlcd-film fibers as osed in U.S. Pat. No. RE. 31,285 (van Tu~l hou~), which are hereby illcol~,f~ d herein by ~~f~ .t..ce, are useful in the present il.~ Lion. In general the cha~ process involves ~,b;ev~ g the lllalf.iâl to corona di~ch~g~ or pulsed high25 voltage.
Sorbent palliCuhle ~ f.~ such as activated carbon or AllJmin~ may slso be in~ ed in the fih~rin~ layer. Such particle-loaded webs are des~lil,ed, for F, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,373 ~3raun), U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,324 (Anderson) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,001 (Kolpin et al.), which are hlcc)ll~o~aled herein by 30 ~-,f .~...e. Masks from particle loaded filter layers are particularly good for protection from gaseous materials.

W O 97/32493 PCTnUS97/01328 At least a portion of the face masks include a filter media. In the embodiment illuD~I~ted in Figures 7 and 8, at least two of the upper, central and lower portions co.~ e filter media and all of the upper, central and lower portions may COIII~l ise filter media. The portion(s) not formed of filter media may be S formed of a variety of ll-al~ ' The upper portion may be formed, for ~ e, from a material which provides a l~IOiDLU~e barrier to prevent fogging of a wearer's glasses, or of a transparent material which could extend upward to form a face shield. The central portion may be formed of a llal.Dp~ ~.nl material so that lip .nl by the wearer can be observed.
Where the central portion is bonded to the upper and/or lower portions, bol.~d,.,g can be carried out by ulllasonic welding, adhesives, glue, hot melt adl.e~ ,_s, staple, sewing, Ih - ...~ pl~,sDule, or other suitable means and can be hl1e~ lc~l~ or contimlollc Any of these means leaves the bonded area s~~ lal Sll ~ ~ or ~
A nose clip useful in the re~,llllor of the present invention may be made of, for . , '- a pliable dead-soft band of metal such as slllmimlm or plastic coatedwire and can be shaped to fit the mask co ,~,; ~ to a ~ el'g face. ~a. ~ lally pr~f~ d is a non-linear nose clip co...'.~ ~ to extend over the bridge of the 'D nose having inflectionc ~licpose~ along the clip section to afford wings that20 assist in providing a snug fit of the mask in the nose and cheek area. The nose clip may be secured to the mask by an adhesive, for r.~.n~ , a PI~D~UI~SenD;IiVG
a~ G or a liquid hot-melt adhesive. All~ lali~.ely, the nose clip may be Pnrsce in the body of the mask or it may be held between the mask body and a fabric or foam that is ...~ n -~y or adhes;~,ely a~l~.e1-rd thereto. In a p,. f,~,ed 25 embodiment of the invention, the nose clip is positifonf~i on the outside part of the upper port;on and a foam piece is dis~o3ed on the inside part of the upper portion of the re~,~ilalor in 91ig,~" ~~1 with the nose dip.
The ,~,i alor may also include an optional PYhslDtion valve, typically a diapl~a~ll valve, which allows for the easy f~Yh~lstion of air by the user. An 30 f Yhslstif n valve having extrao..l;ila,y low pressure drop during f Yhsl~tiQn for the mask is de~_lil,ed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,892 (J~r~lntif h et al.3 which is -W O 97/32493 PCTnUS97101328 inc~ ,ola~ed herein by l~ cc. Many ~YhslstiQn valves of other designs are well known to those skilled in the art. The ~YhAl-s-tion valve is ~,~rel~bly secured to the 1~D~IIaIOr central portion, ~-_fe.i.bly near the middle ofthe central portion, by sonic welds, ~ dh~;on bondi"g, and particularly ~ 91 G15~ g or the like.

F~g~
An~ made acco~.lh~g to the method ofthe present il.~.,.,lion are further ~ ~ by way of the non-limiting; . ~s set forth below:
~; . ~P 1-3 pl~ ~O...f ~ic ~"~1'~~ with ,~c~ul~Al-lred skin layers were prep~cd as des~,il,ed in U. S. Patent ~pplic~tion Serial No. 07/503716, fi}ed March 30, 1990, and used to make he~hAn~ls In all cases the he~ b~l..i width was10 mm prior to a_livalion. The force data CUIIG~O~ C to an average of the force "l~..,_d during the u~g~ ..c flo~x, I;on cyde and the retum cycle.
A range of user head sizes was det~,.,. incd from the h ru~..alion on test 15 panel sul.je d~s_,il,ed by S. G. D. nisch, E. E~ Ml-llin~, and C. R. Rhoe, Appl.
Occup. Environ. Hyg., 7(4), 241-245 ~1992), which is based on ~.,co~ g from the l,os Alamos National T~ c y. The facial charact~ri~ti~s of this panel appears to ~ s~e the f. cial ..l,& ~ics of 95% of the American WUl ~ul ~C.
Individuals were c~,31ualcd with regard to the ar,tl"u~cin,_l,ic ~ ~ ~,._te~s of ~ce 20 length (menton-nasal root dep~i;,;oll length) and face width (l~;~ygo.~ ;c breadth) as de~_,il,ed in the above paper. Three individuals were sPlected whose facial characteristics were small (108 mrn length, 123 mm width), mPAillm (120 mm length, 138 mm width), and large (136 mm length, 148 mrn width) accof.l.l.g to the rl;~ ;nll of facial sizes d~ cd in the above paper. It was P-~sl-m~d that these 25 sm~l"~9 1.~ , and large facial sizes also co,~ ,ond to small, ..-e~ , and large head sizes.
TT~n.1bDl~ were cut to a length of 220 mm, laid flat on a flat folded ..,sp~2.lor that was 220 mm lon& and ~ttDch~d at both ends by stlD-rlin~ The .P,hle length was 200 mm. The mask was then placed on each of the test 30 ,.lbjn and the elor~tion ofthe hP~db~nrl was l"casured at its mD~cimllm length CA 02246547 l998-08-l7 W O 97132493 PCT~US97/01328 on the back of the head and at its minimllm length on the back of the neck. The results are given in Table 1 Table 1 S Percent T~ç " - ~ Flong~tiQn for Various Head Sizes Small Me~ m Large ~ead 106% 136% 165%
Neck 30% 58% 95%
~Ç.~lb~n~l m~t~ri~lc of this i,.~ _.diol~ were cut to a length of 220 mrn and 'valecl by sl.. t,l-hlg to 300% 100% oftheir original length and l~leR~ The 10 ~lon~ ofthesen~at~ were d~,t~- ...; rdforvariousSll tclfi~forces,aplot ofthe rel~ n~hir b~ ., the force and elonP,~I;on was dete.----ncd, and the forceOf ~tt~hm~nt for each of the ple ~ P le~leA 1 ~ s~ head and neck sizes wâs d~tr....;.,rA

15 Example 1 and Colll~aLi~ ~ F- !c Cl An r1~ :to.~ .. ic cc",.~osile was pl~pal~ ~ as des_,il~ed in U. S. Patent Aprli~tion Serial No 07/503716 filed March 30, 1990. The core ...~ l was Kraton~M G 1657, a (sly,~ nc c II,yl~ ..e butylene-styrene) block copoly-rner (Shell C~ - I Colll~all~r, 13~p~c, Ohio). Two skin layers, one on each side, were made of poly~. o~ylene PP 3445 (Exxon Ch~ Ccilll~a-l,~, ~Toll5tQn, TX~. The ratio of the llr rL . .. ~. of the core layer to each skin layer was 19 to 1. The I ' ' - of the ..,~os;le was 6 mils (0.15 millim~t~rs)~ The following forces of ~tt~~hmont wered~te. ~..;"rr1 WO 97/32493 PCTrUS97/01328 Forces of ~tt~-hmPnt in Grams Kraton~ G 1657 and PolyAufo~leAlc PP 3445 Small M~i..................... Lar~e Head 160 190 210 Neck 70 115 15S
For cG-,-A.~aA;30l, a polyu.~,~l.ane rl~e~ .. ic hf~dl,'~ from a co.. u~ ;al1y av ' ''~ r__AJ;.alor ~Model D~2010, Tecl~Aol Medical Products, Inc., Fort Worth, TX ) with a width of 6 mn~A and a length of 220 m~rA was s AI~AA&l ly ~, Y aAual~d with the folAowing results.

Co---~aA~L;ve r~ ple C1 Forces of ~tt~-.l.. ~ .. 1 in Grams Polyul~ll.aAle ~.f~ db~
Smal M~!Ar~ m Large Head 240 280 315 Neck 80 150 220 It can be seen that the ~ of this invention provides a r~,laLiv~ly 15 col~ force of ~ttr~hmPnt over a range of head sizes in cc)...A~aAison with current 'ly av ' ~b~ n~ic and that it provides ~deq-l~fe forces of -hmf~nt for smaller head sizes whiAe not causi~A~Ag ~ r~...r~Jllably large forces for ~..~A~ wAth larger head sizes.

20 F~ le 2 In this; A le dilre ~ el~ctomf~ric m~tfArisl~ were used in the hf~rib~sn~
ofthisinvention. Inonecasethefl~lo~ - wasKratonT"D 1107, a~LYI~A~C-;SOAL~It;IIC styTene block copolymer, with 0.5% Irganox 1010 (Ciba Geigy Corp., IIawLholl~e~ NY) ac~Aded as a st~b~ fAr. In another case the ~19 ~o...- - waC Kraton~M
G 1657, a (:~Lyr-ne ethylene butylene--styrene) block copolymer, with 5% EngageTM
8200 (Dow ChernicaA ColllpdAl~!, Midland, MI) added as a processing aid. The skin layers were PP 7C50 polyl,roAu~/lene (Shell Chpm;e~l Company, lBeluAl,le, Ohio).The ratio of the thirlrnr~s of the core layer to one skin layer was 3% to 1. The W O 97/32493 PCT~US97/01328 Ih - t ~ ofthe CO~.pCJS le was 8 rnils (0.20 mi11;-- t~ -~). The results are given below.

Forces of ~ in Grams Different F~ 4o!~
Kraton~ D 1107 Kraton~M G 1657 Head - Small 105 220 Head - l~fP~ m 115 245 ~ead - Large 135 290 Neck- Small 45 120 Neck - Medium 75 170 Neck - Large 95 210 It can be seen that Kraton~ G 1657, which is stiffer than Kraton~M D 1107, provides a larger force of ~ cl ... ~ than KratonTM D 1107 does, with other o ~ '~t''$ held eQ~- ~t~

r.A...~,IP.3 ~ this~ ~le di~.~nL i' ~ of anel~ -;o~ comroA~ite madewith the same ~ r were used in the hPA,~bAn~lc of this ;~ Lion. The Pl ~clc~......
wasKratonTMD 1107withO.5%Irganox~M lOlOandO.5%Irganox~M 1076(Ciba-Geigy Corp., Hawthorne, NY) added as stAbi~ . The skin layers were PP 3445 pol),~ ylene ~Exxon Ch~m;AAl Co~ )al-y, ~ ~ ton, TX). The ratio ofthe i ' ~ -' ~s of the core layer to one skin layer was 18.5 to 1. The results are given below.

WO 97t32493 PCTAUS97/01328 Force of ~ . .l in Grar~s Different Tt-~ eR~cs ;r 8.1 mils lO.9mils 11.7mils (0.21 mm) (0.28 mm~ (0.30 mm) Head - Small 75 125 140 Head - M~ m 90 150 175 Head - Lar~e 130 350 450 Neck- Small 40 60 70 Neck - Med;uill 60 90 105 Neck - Large 75 120 125 It can be seen that the force of al 1, r,l~ for a given e~9~ r ~ can be tailored by selGcl;ng the ~ ofthe co-"posi e ~ bDn~l m~ff~ri ~1e 4 - Flat-folded Face MZ~QIrC
Flat-folded face masks made generally acco-.ling to the method of Figures 4A4D are further ~1~3~,. it~ed by way ofthe non-limiting ~ . 'e 9 set forth below.
Two sheets (350 mm x 300 mm) of ele~ clly charged melt blown poly~pylene ... ~.-oLl,.,.:i were placed one atop the other to form a layered web having a basis weight of 100 g/m2, an effective fiber .~ L~ er of 7 to 8 -- o,-s, and a thic~n~ss of about 1 mrn. An outer cover layer of a light spunbond poly~ pylene web (350 mm x 300 mm; 50 g/m2, Type lOSOBlUO0, available from Don and Low No.lwo~ s, Forfar, ~cotl~n~ United Kingr~om) was placed in contact with one face of the llli~ .. Iayered web. A strip of poly~ lene support mesh ~380 mm x 78 mm; 145 g/m2, Type 5173, av~lal)le from Tl-le- ~ c, B&-~,clona, Spain) was placed widLll~ise on the .~ ic~fib~,r surface ~pp~ fly 108 mrn from 20 one long edge of the layered microfiber web and 114 rnm from the other long edge of the layered microfiber web and ~ n~ over the edges of the n~ fiber surface. An inner cover sheet (350 rnrn x 300 rnm; 23 g/m2, LURTASIL~f 6123, n~ailable from Spun Web UK, Derby, Fngl~t fl United Kin8/1om) was placed atop the support mesh and the l~ n~ c,~posed microfiber web. The five-layered construction was then ultra~on~ ly bonded in a le~ shape roughly W O 97/32493 PCTrUS97101328 applux;~ g the layered cûn~llu~Lion to provide bonds which held the layered construction together at its perimeter rO~ l.g a top edge, a bottom edge and twoside edges. The layers were also bonded together along the long edges of the support mesh. The length ofthe thus-bonded construction, .I.~.~d parallel to the5 top and bottom edges, was 188 mm; and the width, measured parallel to the sideedges was 203 mm. The edges of the strip of support mesh lay 60 rnm from the topedge of the layered construction and 65 mm from the bottom edge of the construction. Excess material beyond the p. - ;ph. - y of the bond was ~~....ù~<,d, leaving portions beyond the bond line at the side edges, p~u~ e the c~ of 10 the support mesh, 50 mm long x 20 mm wide to form h~ l AttAchm~nt means.
The top edge ofthe layered construction was folded le~ vise p,~ e the nearest edge of the support mesh to form an upper fold such that the inner cover cn"~ c~ itself for a d;~ u~,e of 39 rnm from the upper fold to form an upper portion, the ~ c~ 8 21 mm of layered construction fo.,.",.~ an ~itionAl top 15 portion. The bottom edge ofthe layered construction was folded le~ LII~.;Se PI~J~ 7AIe the nearest edge ofthe support mesh to form a lower fold such that the inner cover co"tr ~e d itself for a d~ u~e of 39 mrn to form a lower portion, the , 26 mm ru~ g the ~od~l l;onAI lower portion. The inner cover layer ofthe itionAI upper portion and the ~ itionol lower portion were then in contact with 20 each other. The col~ ACI h ~!;2. pOI ~ions of the central portion, Iying be~ n the upper and lower folds, the upper portion and the lower portion were sealed at their side edges.
A mA~ 'le nose clip about S mm wide x 140 mm long was Aott~chPd to the t.~ ior surface of the n1~1itionAI upper portion and a strip of nose foam about 15 25 mm wide x 140 mm long was AttachP~d to the inner surface of the ~itionAI upper portion sul,sl~.lially aligned with the nose clip. The n~ itinn~l upper and lower portions were folded such that the outer covers of each cont~cted the outer cover of the upper and lower potions, rei,ye~ ly~
The free ends of the layered construction left to forrn h~ndbAnfl ~ttnAhm~nt 30 means were folded to the bonded edge of the layered construction and bonded to ~ ~ =

WO 97/32493 PCT~US97/01v28 form loops. TT. ~ elastic was threaded through the loops to provide means forSeCu~hlg the thus-formed ~ or to a wearer's face.

FY~ e S
S First and second layered sheet conv~-l~;liolls (350 mm x 300 mm) were p~ ed as in F.Y~mple 4 except the support mesh was s)mittPs~ A curvilinear bond was formed along a long edge of each sheet and excess material beyond the convexportion ofthe bond was removed. A third layered sheet construction was p--,~&..,d as in F - 1, ' e 4 except esch ofthe five layers was ;~ lly co. ~ . The first layered sheet cond.uclion was placed atop the third layered sheet corsl.u~,lion with inner covers in contact The first and third sheet constructions were bondedlo~ using a curvilinear bond near the unl~onded long edged of the first sheet c(~ uclion to form an elliptical upper ,.,~i.~lor portion having a width of 165 mm and a depth of 32 mm. The radius of each ofthe curvilinear bond was 145 mm.
The edge ofthe first sheet conv~lu-,lion not bonded to the third sheet was folded back toward the edge of the first sheet which was bonded to the third sheet.
The second sheet coLv~u~;lion was placed atop the folded first sheet and pEhliall~
covered third sheet. The second and third sheet construction were bonded togethPr using a .,u. ~ .c~ bond to form an ell;p~ 1 Iower ~ __,.i. alOl portion from thesecond sheet having a width of 165 mrn and a depth of 32 mm and an elliptical central ~ or portion having a width of 165 mm and a height of 64 mm from the third sheet conDLI u-i~ioll. The ,.-~n, ;~ outside the ~ ,a1 pol lions was ~~ ,d.
The upper and lower po. ~ions were folded away from the central portion.
A ~'leq~ .. nose clip was ~tt~h~i to the ci.~hl.or surface ofthe 25 p~ h.,.y of the upper portion and a strip of nose foam was ~t~açhed to the interior surface in ~lb~ Al ali~ment withthe nose clip. TTP~dl~ U~ f .l means were a~c h~l at the points where the bonds between the central portion and the upper and lower po. Lions met, and hP~Ab~ elastic was threaded through the F.a means to form a le~i-~l{.r ready for a wearer to don.

~ , ,

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. A composite headband attachable to a face mask, the composite headband comprising:
at least one discrete elastomeric core; and at least one continuous thermoplastic skin layer secured to the elastomeric core, the composite headband having a first modulus in an unactivated state and a second, lower modulus in an activated state, the thermoplastic skin layer forming a microtextured permanently deformed skin layer when the composite headband is in the activated state.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein the elastomeric core and the at least one thermoplastic layer are in continuous contact in the activated state.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein the at least one elastomeric core comprises a generally planar structure.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein the at least one elastomeric core comprises a plurality of elongated cores.

5. A face mask comprising:
a face mask blank having left and right headband attachment locations; and a composite headband and secured to at least one of the left and right headbandattachment locations, the composite headband having a unit length that extends along a headband path between the left and right headband attachment locations, the composite headband comprising at least one discrete elastomeric core and at least one continuous thermoplastic skin layer secured to the elastomeric core, the composite headband having a first modulus in an unactivated state and a second, lower modulus in an activated state, the thermoplastic skin layer forming a microtextured permanently deformed skin layer when the composite headband is in the activated state.

6. The face mask of claim 5 wherein the headband path comprises an axis intersecting the left and right headband attachment locations.

7. A process of attaching a composite headband to a face mask, comprising the steps of:
preparing a face mask blank having left and right headband attachment locations, the face mask blank having a headband path extending between the left and right headband attachment locations;
preparing a composite headband by securing at least one discrete elastomeric core to at least one continuous thermoplastic skin layer, the composite headband having a first modulus in an unactivated state and a second, lower modulus in an activated state, the thermoplastic skin layer forming a microtextured permanently deformed skin layer when the composite headband is in the activated state;
positioning the composite headband along the headband path; and attaching the composite headband to at least one of the left and right headband attachment locations.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the at least one elastomeric core comprises a generally planar structure.

9. The process of claims 7-8 wherein the at least one elastomeric core comprises a plurality of elongated cores.

10. A face mask preparable by the process of claims 7-9.