Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62B—DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING
  • A62B18/00—Breathing masks or helmets, e.g. affording protection against chemical agents or for use at high altitudes or incorporating a pump or compressor for reducing the inhalation effort
  • A62B18/08—Component parts for gas-masks or gas-helmets, e.g. windows, straps, speech transmitters, signal-devices
  • A62B18/084—Means for fastening gas-masks to heads or helmets
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/05—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches protecting only a particular body part
  • A41D13/11—Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres
  • A41D13/1107—Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres characterised by their shape
  • A41D13/1138—Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres characterised by their shape with a cup configuration
  • A41D13/1146—Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres characterised by their shape with a cup configuration obtained by moulding
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/05—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches protecting only a particular body part
  • A41D13/11—Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres
  • A41D13/1161—Means for fastening to the user's head

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a harness assembly for disposable respirators and more particularly to a respirator harness assembly which permits the respirator to be applied without passing the harness straps over the user's head and which can be readily adjusted to provide adequate tension during use and an even distribu- tion of pressure over the entire area of the respirator in contact with the face.
• the present invention relates to a respirator harness assembly for disposable respirators which permits the respirator to be applied without passing the harness straps over the user's head and which can be readily adjusted to provide adequate tension during use and an even distribution of pressure over the entire area of the respirator in contact with the face, said harness assembly comprising elastic loop support means along one side edge of the respirator, cleat means having arms at spaced points on the other side edge of the respirator, and a light-weight elastic loop of sufficient length to snugly girdle the head of a user and extend between said loop support means and said cleat means.
• the harness assembly permits the respirator to be applied by holding the respirator against the face with one hand and simply grasping the free end of the elastic loop and passing the loop around the back of the user's head and placing the free end of the loop over the ends of the arms of the cleat means.
• the thus attached elastic loop thereby provides the functional equivalent of a pair of elastic straps which have been considered to be necessary to gain approval by NIOSH and MSHA.
• the elastic nature of the loop and the ability to move the loop through the cleat means allow for ready adjustability of the harness and thus provide adequate tension and an even distribution of pressure about the periphery of the respirator. Removal of the respirator is accomplished by passing the elastic loop over the arms of the cleat means.
• Figure 1 is a side view showing a cupped shape respirator as worn by a user with the respirator held in place by the respirator harness assembly of the present invention
• Figure 2 is a front view of a respirator showing one embodiment of the respirator harness assembly of the present invention
• FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of another embodiment of the respirator harness assembly of the present invention.
• Figure 4 is a front view of a respirator showing another embodiment of the respirator harness assembly of the present invention
• Figure 5 is a plan view of the flexible fabric fastener tab forming the elastic loop support means and the cleat means of the respirator harness assembly of Figure 4.
• respirator 10 is representative of a disposable dust/mist and dust/mist/fume respirator comprised of a light, porous, fibrous fabric having a rounded cupped shape. It is large enough to fit over the nose, mouth and chin in a non-constricting spaced-away manner, and can be conformed to make a snug marginal fit such that breathing causes substantially all of the air to pass in and out through the porous fabric structure.
• a thin pliable metal strip 11 may be provided at the upper central peripheral edge of the respirator to aid in conforming the respirator over the nose of the wearer.
• Respirator 10 is provided with a harness assembly compris ⁇ ing a light-weight elastic loop 15, elastic loop support means 20 positioned along one side edge of the respirator and cleat means 30 positioned along the opposite side edge of the respirator.
• elastic loop 15 is a continuous elastic loop which is threaded through apertures 22 and 23, spaced about 1.75 inches (4.5 cm) apart in elastic loop support means 20.
• Elastic loop 15 may comprise any of the commercially available synthetic elastomers, natural rubbers or braided elasticized fabrics as are well known in the art.
• An elastic loop 15 formed from an elastic polymeric material of 0.25 inch (0.63 cm) width and 500 tm thickness performed satisfactorily in the harness assembly of the present invention.
• elastic loop support means 20 comprises a rectangular tab ⁇ measuring aDout u.o inch x 2.5 inches (1.3 cm x 6.3 cm) conveniently formed as an extension of the respirator during the respirator molding procedure.
• Elastic loop 15 may, if desired, be stapled, welded or otherwise attached to tab 21 or to the respirator body itself instead of being threaded through apertures 22 and 23, as illustrated, and such other attachment means are contemplated.
• elastic loop support means 20 When elastic loop 15 is attached directly to the body of the respirator itself, elastic loop support means 20 will comprise the attachment points of the elastic loop 15 to the body of the respirator.
• the degree of elasticity of elastic loop 15 dictates the actual length thereof. It has been found that for the elastic polymeric material described above, a length of about 25 inches (63 cm) provides a snug fit of the respirator to the user's face.
• Cleat means 30, in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2 is also a rectangular tab 31 formed during the respirator molding procedure.
• cleat means 40 comprises a rectangular sheet of plastic material about 1.5 inches by 2 inches
• tab 41 (3.8 cm x 5 cm) by 0.030 inch (750 ⁇ m) thick polypropylene folded longitudinally along its approximate centerline to thus form tab 41 and attaching flap 44.
• Tab 41 is dimensioned so that its ends 42 and 43 are spaced apart about 1.75 inches (4.5 cm), said space corresponding to the space between apertures 22 and 23.
• Flap 44 is secured along the side edge of the * respirator body itself by sonic welding at points 45 and 46. Other means of securing flap 44 to the respirator edge such as adhesive bonding will become readily apparent to one skilled in the art and are contemplated.
• elastic loop support means 50 and cleat means 60 are identically formed and comprise a tab 70 about 1.75 x 1.75 inches of a flexible fabric fastener of the hook and loop type described in U.S. Patent No. 3,009,235.
• the dimensions of tab 70 may be varied as desired.
• hook and loop type fastener includes those fasteners wherein the hook structures or the loop structures have been modified to form the so-called hook and pile fastener and the mushroom and pile fastener.
• tab 70 comprises a flexible fabric backing 71 with a loop portion 72 along one end thereof, a clear central portion 73 adjoining the loop portion and a hook portion 74 along the other end thereof, each portion comprising approximately one-third of the tab.
• Tab 70 may be attached to the respirator in the positions shown in Fig. 4 by sewing, sonic welding or with an adhesive.
• the width of the tab 70 serves to separate the elastic loop 15 to effectively provide two elastic straps secured at spaced points on the opposite side edges of the respirator.
• elastic loop 15 is placed onto the clear central portion 73 of either tab 70 and the free end of tab 70 is brought into juxtaposition with the other (attached) end of the tab. The hooks will then engage the loop and slidingly hold elastic loop 15 in the clear central portion 73.
• This tab 70 will then operate as the elastic loop support means 50.
• the other tab 70 will then operate as cleat means 60 in the manner just described for elastic loop support means 50.
• the "interchangeability" of the elastic loop support means 50 and the cleat means 60 in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4 will greatly facilitate wearing of the respirator by either right or left handed persons.
• the cleat means can take various other forms such as spaced upstanding posts or they can be more elaborately configured into various hooked shapes.
• the simple tab cleat means illustrated in Figure 3 can be otherwise configured into a form such as a curved tab.
• the harness assembly of the present invention maxes i ⁇ extremely simple for a worker to don a respirator even while wearing a safety hard hat.
• the worker holds respirator 10 against the face with the left hand, grasps the freely hanging elastic loop 15 at its approximate midpoint with the right hand, raises the right arm over the head simultaneously passing the loop around the back of the head and places the free end of the elastic loop 15 over cleat means 30 or 40.
• Removal of the respirator 10 is accomplished by simply grasping the elastic loop 15 at a point immediately above or below cleat means 30 or 40 with the right hand and unhooking the elastic loop from the cleat means and thereafter releasing the loop while lightly supporting the respirator with the left hand.
• respirator harness assembly has been described in relation to a rounded cupped shape disposable respirator, it will be immediately apparent that the harness assembly can be used on other masks and respirators such as flat folded respirators, lightweight dust masks, clean room masks, surgical masks, etc., and such uses are contemplated. It will also be apparent that the component parts of the respirator harness assembly may be placed on either edge of the respirator and be functionally equivalent to the respirator harness assembly described and illustrated herein. It is also understood that other variations and modifications of the illustrative embodiments described herein will become evident to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

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• 1985
  • 1985-07-18 AU AU46006/85A patent/AU4600685A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1985-07-18 EP EP19850903636 patent/EP0193541A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1985-07-18 WO PCT/US1985/001353 patent/WO1986001734A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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