FR2890428A1 - Respiratory face shield, has sheaths arranged in fixation zone of natural or synthetic rubber band and oriented along direction different from that of traction exerted on band in utilization conditions of shield - Google Patents

Abstract

The shield (2) has sheaths (5) arranged in a fixation zone of a natural or synthetic rubber band (3) and possessing an opening of section comprised between the section of the band at rest and the section of the band in a stretched position. The sheaths are obtained by folding a thin material of the shield on itself and closing. The sheaths are straight and oriented along a direction different from that of the traction exerted on the band in utilization conditions of the shield. An independent claim is also included for a method of fabricating an article.

Description

The subject of the present invention is an article equipped with at least one strip

  natural or synthetic rubber. The invention more particularly relates to an article to which at least one zone such as an end of such a natural or synthetic rubber band is attached, this strip

  natural or synthetic rubber being intended to achieve the attachment of the article on a support, or to adapt the article on a support.

  This is the case for example for protective masks which are intended to cover the lower part of the face of an individual, and which are held on the head of the latter by one or more series of strips passing behind the head. This is also the case for protective clothing, in particular single-use protective clothing, which must be fitted with elastic elements to ensure the tightness at the ends of the legs and arms, but also around the hoods, and which have an elastic element at the base of the back to allow the garment to adapt to the morphology of the user. The aforementioned applications are essentially applications to single-use products, made for example from nonwoven materials, such as nonwoven materials made of a heat-sealable material, such as polyethylene and polypropylene. With this type of material, other applications can be found in the field of mattresses or covers designed to equip beds, especially in hospitals.

  The term "rubber band", as used, refers to an elongated member, which may have any section, for example a circular section, an oval section, or a rectangular or square section. In the latter case, when the band has a very flattened rectangular section, it is still called "laminette".

  Natural or synthetic rubber can only be used in vulcanised form. Vulcanization consists of a heat treatment ensuring the creation of chemical bridges between the macromolecular chains, making it possible to obtain viscoelastic characteristics specific to elastomers. This vulcanization leads to the development of a three-dimensional network within the material and the removal of any thermoplasticity of the material. This vulcanization operation makes it possible to improve the elastic qualities of the material, in particular by providing it with excellent deformability under the effect of an external constraint, while allowing it to resume its initial shape when this stress ceases. Vulcanization also reduces the sensitivity to solvents. However, this vulcanization operation also removes any thermoplasticity of the material. It is therefore not possible to make assemblies of a natural or synthetic rubber material by techniques such as thermal welding, microwave welding or high frequency welding. Their assembly on a support or an article can not be achieved without the addition of an external material, such as a mechanical fixing device, for example by stapling, stitching or glue.

  Fastening by stapling has the disadvantage of requiring external elements, the staples, to perform the operation of fixing these staples, and also to create at the fastening zone a hard point which may deteriorate the elastic band by shear. In the case of securing by sewing, especially for the equipment of protective clothing, the punctures generated by the needles weaken the elastic band, and create many holes in the material constituting the garment, which allow exchanges between the outside and inside the garment, thus affecting the desired seal.

  One solution is to use elastic bands made of a thermoplastic material which can be fixed by heat-sealing on the support, subject to compatibility of the material constituting it. However, such elastic elements have little elasticity, and exhibit significant remanent deformation, which limits their applications, as well as the comfort of use, when the article considered is an article intended to be worn by a user, such as mask or a protective suit.

  The technical problem underlying the invention is therefore the production of an article, and in particular of an article of thin material, for example of a nonwoven material, with application to one of the aforementioned fields, which is equipped in a simple manner with at least one vulcanized rubber band, and which is of a powerful and reliable use.

  For this purpose, the article to which it relates, to which at least one zone is attached, such as an end of a strip of natural or synthetic rubber, is characterized in that the article comprises at least one sheath which , formed in the considered fastening area of the strip, has a section opening between the section of the strip at rest and the section of the strip in the stretched position.

  The elastic band is therefore inside the sheath by simply jamming therein. In practice, it is proceeded to the tensioning of the strip and then to the insertion thereof into the sheath, the strip then having a section smaller than that of the sheath, after which the tension exerted on the strip is released. and this one resumes its original section. The return to the original section inside the sheath is limited by pressing the surface of the strip against the inner wall of the sheath, which causes an elastic locking. This elastic locking is carried out for any stress exerted on the strip in an axis other than that formed by the sheath of the support material. It should be noted that by biasing the strip in the axis formed by the sheath, it is possible to slide it and thus to precisely adjust its useful length, by adjusting the position of the rubber strip relative to the sheath.

  Thus, and in order to allow a good locking in the use position, according to one embodiment, the sheath is straight and oriented in a direction different from that of the traction exerted on the strip in conditions of use of the article .

  Still in order to achieve elastic locking, and when the tension exerted on the strip is substantially in the same direction as the axis of the sheath, the sheath has a non-rectilinear profile, such as a curve.

  According to a first possibility, this article is made of a thin material and the sheath is obtained by folding the material on itself and closing.

  This solution is simple to implement, insofar as it does not require complementary materials, the sheath being formed by the same material constituting the article.

  According to another possibility, the sheath is made partly by the article itself and partly by a strip whose two edges are fixed on the article. Depending on the nature of the constituent materials of the article and / or the strip, several assembly solutions can be envisaged.

  According to a first solution, the thin material and the band optionally attached to the article are heat-sealable, and the closure of the sheath is made by heat sealing.

  According to another solution, the thin material constituting the article and the band optionally attached thereto, or one or other of these two components, are made of heat-sealable or non-heat-sealable materials, and the closure of the sheath is obtained by gluing or sewing.

  According to one embodiment of this article, it is made from a nonwoven material of heat-sealable material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene and comprises at least one strip consisting of a natural or synthetic rubber laminette.

  A method for the manufacture of this article is to exert traction on the area of the rubber band to be fixed on the article, to position this area against the article, to achieve the formation of the sheath on the article and around of the belt, then release the tension exerted on the rubber band to obtain its fixing in the sheath.

  In any case, the invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawings, representing, by way of nonlimiting examples, an embodiment of an article according to the invention. and different ways of obtaining and implementing it.

  Figure 1 is a view of a respiratory protection mask placed on the face of a user.

  Figure 2 is an enlarged partial view of a portion of this mask showing the attachment of two rubber bands thereon.

  Figures 3 to 7 are five views showing five phases of attaching a rubber band area to an article.

  Figure 8 is a schematic view of a band fixing area under conditions of use.

  Figure 9 is a schematic view of another method of fixing a band.

  FIG. 1 represents a respiratory protection mask 2 in position mounted on the face of an individual, and fixed thereto by two strips 3 of rubber, each forming a closed loop, each band being fixed near its ends in slots 4 on the mask.

  As shown in the drawing, the fixing means of each band on the mask are constituted by sheaths 5 formed on the edge of the mask.

  Figures 3 to 7 show the mounting mode of a band 3 in a mounting area 4. In these figures, the mask portion 2 is only schematized. At the level of the fixing of a band 3, the mask is shaped to present a lug 6 protruding from the rest of the mask.

  In a first step, and as shown in FIG. 3, the band 3 is placed on the protruding part 6. FIG. 4 shows that traction is exerted on the band 3, which results in a reduction of the section of the latter in zone 4 to be fixed on the mask 2. As shown in FIG. 5, while maintaining the traction on the band 3, the part 6 is folded around the band 3. As represented in FIG. the part 6, after being folded on itself, is fixed on the main part 2 by welding, insofar as the mask is made of a heat-sealable material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene. This welding is shown schematically by the points 7 of FIG.

  This welding operation makes it possible to have a sheath whose opening, that is to say the passage intended for the band 3, is less than the section of the strip 3 at rest.

  Once the sheath closed, the traction exerted on the band 3 is released, as shown in FIG. 7, so that the band returns to its initial section, except in the sheath 8, since the passage section thereof is less than the section of the strip at rest. This results in an elastic lock. However, it can be noted that if a new traction is exerted on the strip, it is possible to move it inside the sheath 8, which ensures a position adjustment of the elastic band screw with respect to the sheath and consequently to Article 2.

  In order to prevent slippage of the strip with respect to the sheath, under conditions of use, the traction exerted on the strip must be oriented in a direction different from that of the sheath. This is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 8, where the traction exerted on the band is represented by an arrow 9. In the case of a mask represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tension exerted on the elastic bands is not in the ducts axis 8, as shown in the drawing.

  If the traction on the elastic band must be exerted substantially axially to the sheath 8, it is possible to make a sheath 18 of curved shape, as shown in Figure 9, or to associate with the sheath 8 another sheath 8 laterally offset , or to provide, in combination with a straight sheath 8, other guide elements of the band 9 forming baffle.

  In the embodiment described above, the sheath 8 is made from a portion 6 belonging to the article 2, and the sheath is made by folding this portion 6 around the strip 3. However, it would be possible to make the sheath at first, then to introduce the band 3 inside the sheath, in the stretched position, before proceeding to its release ensuring an elastic locking.

  According to an alternative embodiment of this article, and depending on the materials used, it would be possible to ensure the closure of the sheath by gluing or sewing.

  It is also possible to make the sheath not from a portion 6 protruding from the article 2, but from a strip of material attached to the article 2 at the location where the sheath is to be formed and fixed along two longitudinal edges either by welding or by gluing, depending on the nature of the materials used, as indicated above.

  It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of this article described above as examples, nor to the manufacturing processes defined above, it encompasses all the variants of embodiment.

Claims (9)

  An article on which at least one zone, such as an end, is affixed to a natural or synthetic rubber band, characterized in that the article (2) comprises at least one sheath (8) which, formed in the fastening zone (4) considered for the strip (3) has a section opening between the section of the strip at rest and the section of the strip in the stretched position.   2. Article according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheath (8) is straight and oriented in a direction different from that of the traction exerted on the strip (3) under conditions of use of the article.   3. Article according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheath (18) has a non-rectilinear profile, such as a curve.   4. Article according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is made of a thin material and the sheath (8) is obtained by folding the material (6) on itself and closure.   5. Article according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sheath is made partly by the article itself and partly by a strip whose two edges are fixed on the article.   6. Article according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the thin material (6) and the band optionally attached to the article are heat-sealable, and the closure of the sheath is made by heat sealing (7).   7. Article according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the thin material constituting the article and the band optionally attached thereto, or one or other of these two components, are made of materials. heat-sealable or non-heat-sealable, and the closure of the sheath is obtained by gluing or sewing.   8. Article according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is made from a nonwoven material heat-sealable material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene and comprises at least one strip (3) consisting of a natural or synthetic rubber laminate.   9. A method of manufacturing an article according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it consists in exerting traction on the area (4) of the rubber band (3) to be fixed on the article (2), positioning this zone (4) against the article (2), forming the sheath (8) on the article (2) and around the band (3), then releasing the tension exerted on the rubber band to secure it in the sheath.