JP2010510831A - Protective clothing - Google Patents

Abstract

The protective apparel 10 combines a mask portion 12 and a body portion 14 configured to filter and remove particulates floating in the air. The protective garment 10 has the appearance of a normal shirt, sweater, or jacket on the outside, but is convenient and easy to use, always available to the wearer and ready for immediate use with a momentary warning. Combined with an easy-to-handle mask. When not in use, the mask portion 12 is worn as a folded collar 21 and when used as part of the protective garment 10, is pulled up from the folded state and substantially worn by the wearer's nose and mouth. It is comprised so that the whole part of a wearer's neck may be covered.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  This invention relates generally to the field of protective clothing, and more particularly to dust, smoke, toxic gases, and other airborne vehicles such as car and truck exhaust, paint particulates, and infectious bioagents. The present invention relates to a foldable mask contained in and a part of clothing for protecting a human body from any form of contaminants.

  Recently, there has been considerable concern regarding public safety against the harmful effects of prolonged exposure to contamination in the form of airborne particulates. The most common form encountered by standard individuals in airborne pollution is the exhaust of automobiles, smoke from fires or fires from nearby industrial facilities, and the passage of automobiles and trucks, for construction Dust and dust trapped in the air by machine operation and, although not rare, from continuing recreational activities such as off-road driving and mountain biking, such as popular four-wheel drive vehicles .

  Although rarely encountered, there is also an interest in the public regarding protection from biological attacks by terrorists or other criminal molecules. Expected biological attacks are thought to be primarily in the form of chemicals or biological agents that are suspended in the air. Another area of public interest is the threat posed by airborne diseases such as SARS or potential flu infection explosions.

  Various types of safety masks designed to address the above concerns have long been known in the art. For example, a general mask for a painter has been used for a long time to protect the painter from toxic paint particles floating in the air generated during the painting operation. Similarly, gardener masks have long existed to protect outdoor workers, such as gardeners and field workers, from dust and dirt floating in the air. Similarly, surgical masks have long been used by physicians and their medical staff to protect against exposure to airborne bacteria and viruses.

  In addition to the above, other more complex mask devices have been developed. One such example is US Pat. No. 6,609,516 (Patent Document 1) entitled “SMOKE ESCAPE MASK” issued to Hollander et al. On August 26, 2003. The Hollander device includes a breathing filter sized to cover the user's nose and mouth, and also includes a transparent eye shield portion that is positioned on the peripheral edge of the device. It is attached to the breathing filter in the same way as the pressure-sensitive adhesive part for fixing the mask to the face. This Hollander device is contained in a sealed package for a one-time use and is intended to provide for an area where there is a high risk of smoke inhalation resulting from a fire.

  On the other hand, this Hollander device is effective in reducing the possibility of smoke inhalation in the event of an emergency, but suffers from serious drawbacks, as with the relatively simple mask described above. . That is, the mask is not normally worn or carried by the public, particularly in public places. The lack of public use of this mask is partly due to the fact that many people think that wearing such a mask in public is not accepted by the public or fashion. I can do it. Furthermore, when going out to public places, such a mask becomes a special personal item that requires packaging for it. The packaging and / or purchase of such masks is not quite noticeable by many people and is therefore not immediately available when such masks are needed. That is, there remains room for improvement in the art.

US Pat. No. 6,609,516

  Therefore, what is needed is a mask that can be incorporated into everyday wear clothing such as a shirt. This mask stays out of the way when not in use, and conversely needs to protect itself from airborne particulates (eg in the case of a fire or threat from biological agents) or desire (eg irritation) It must be configured so that it can be easily pulled out in the event of sexual dust or car exhaust protection.

  The protective apparel of the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an integrated face and neck mask that is convenient, easy to use and easy to handle. This mask can be incorporated into a shirt, such as a commonly worn T-shirt. By incorporating the mask into clothing such as a T-shirt, many disadvantages of the prior art are overcome because the mask is always available and ready to use. The mask is designed to be stored out of the way in the collar or neck of the shirt when not in use. This mask can be easily deployed by grabbing the feature structure of the present invention known as the “ear loop”. This ear loop allows the mask to be pulled out easily and also allows the mask to be secured in place by hanging it on the wearer's ear. The mask includes a filter element incorporated into the shirt fabric. This filter element covers the wearer's mouth and nose when pulled out. As described in more detail in the following paragraphs, the filter element can be made from a variety of materials known in the art for filtering particulates or gases suspended in air. The mask further completely covers the neck portion of the wearer, i.e. the mask covers the entire neck.

  These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from a review of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a front left perspective view showing one embodiment of the protective mask and shirt of the present invention in the drawer position on the wearer. FIG. 2 is a rear left perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front left perspective view showing one embodiment of the protective mask and shirt of the present invention in the retracted position on the wearer. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing one embodiment of the protective mask and shirt of the present invention in a drawer position on the wearer. FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a left perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

  Several embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to protective apparel, generally as illustrated in FIGS. 1-6. Additional embodiments, features, and / or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description or may be understood by practice of the invention. In the drawings, the drawings are not to scale and like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the drawings and the detailed description.

  Referring now to FIGS. 1-6, particularly FIGS. 4-6, a protective garment 10 including a mask portion 12 and a body portion 14 according to the present invention is schematically illustrated. The body portion 14 includes a front panel portion 16 and a rear panel portion 18 attached to the front panel portion around a peripheral edge portion 20, and when the mask portion 12 is in the retracted position (FIG. 3), an opening 22 for the neck. A collar 21 in a folded state is formed (FIG. 3). The body portion 14 also includes arm openings 24 and 26, similar to the lower opening 30 formed at the junction of the peripheral edges of the front and rear panel portions 16, 18.

  Considering the several structures of the accompanying drawings, the front panel portion 16 and the rear panel portion 18 define a body portion 14 or a similar upper body garment for covering the wearer's upper torso 32. It can be easily understood that it is dimensioned and configured to do so. As shown in the drawings, the body portion 14 has a typical T-shirt appearance. However, the scope of this invention is not intended to be limited to T-shirts. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the body portion may include most of any form of shirt or other upper clothing including, for example, sweaters, jackets, and coats.

  Referring again to FIGS. 1-6, and in particular with reference to FIGS. 4-6, extending upwardly from the body portion 14 is the mask portion 12 of the present invention. The mask portion includes a mask body 34 designed to fit the wearer's face and neck, which mask body 34 has standard face and neck dimensions as known in the garment manufacturing industry. It can be made of multiple panel materials or a single panel material cut and fitted to fit. A filter element 36 is incorporated in the mask body. The filter element can be sewn into the mask body and can be attached by adhesive or any other method known in the garment manufacturing industry. Another feature of the mask portion 12 is a pair of ear loops 38 (best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4). The ear loop can be formed integrally with the mask body 34 or can be attached to the garment by stitching or otherwise incorporated into the garment.

  The filter element 36 of the present invention may be any material suitable for filtering and removing particulates, gases, or biological agents suspended in one or more types of air. The filter material can be a woven or non-woven material. The filter material can be made from natural fibers such as cotton or wool, or from synthetic fibers and / or synthetic foam materials such as polyester and polyurethane. The filter material can be obtained by a mechanical mechanism (for example by changing the weave density and / or the thickness of the material, and in the case of a foam material by changing the foam density) and / or by a chemical mechanism. To float in the air (eg, by containing absorbent charcoal particulates embedded in the material and / or foam material and / or by treating the material and / or foam material with the absorbent charcoal) It can be designed to filter particulates and / or gases. Filters configured as described above can filter and remove many of the common airborne contaminants such as smoke, dust, and dust. Generally, in order to remove bacteria and / or viruses in the air, a filter capable of filtering fine particles as small as 1 to 2 microns is required. Such filters are known in the art (one type of surgical mask is an example) and are suitable for use in this invention. If equipped with such a filter, the present invention is also suitable for military use.

  When not in use, the mask portion 12 of the protective garment 10 is rolled or folded and lowered to the retracted position (FIG. 3), where the mask portion 12 is substantially in the folded state. A collar 21 is formed (FIG. 3). Alternatively, the mask portion 12 can be folded so as to be hidden behind the front panel portion 16 and the back panel portion 18 of the protective clothing 10. Other variations for storing the mask portion are possible. The wearer of the protective clothing 10 can easily pull out the mask portion 12 by reaching under the shirt portion and grasping the mask portion 12 by the ear loop 38 (FIG. 2). The mask portion 12 is pulled up so as to cover the wearer's face, and is fixed to the wearer's head by placing an ear loop 38 on the wearer's ear.

  One of the many possible examples that a wearer would want to pull out the mask portion 12 of the garment 10 of the present invention in daily use is the situation waiting for a bus at a bus stop. When waiting for a bus at the bus stop, the wearer will have a few minutes during which the passing vehicle will “pump up” a significant amount of dust and dust into the air in addition to the pollutants from the vehicle exhaust. To experience the waiting time. In such situations, the wearer can easily choose to protect himself from such contaminants by pulling the mask portion out of the retracted position by the ear loop 38 and withdrawing the mask portion. Thereafter, if the bus arrives and the wearer gets on the bus, the mask portion can be easily returned to the retracted position and can be ready for redrawing at any time.

  The foregoing detailed description and accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to represent the only form in which the invention may be constructed and / or utilized. Absent. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications and alternative embodiments of the protective face mask of the present invention are possible and practical without departing from the scope and spirit of the above specification and drawings. Let's go. The claims are intended to cover all such modifications and alternative embodiments.

  The protective apparel of the present invention is widely used in industrial applications in that it incorporates a mask portion and a body portion that are configured to filter and remove particulates, gases, and / or other contaminants suspended in the air. It has high usability.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Protective clothing 12 Mask part 14 Body part 16 Front panel part 18 Rear panel part 20 Peripheral edge part 21 Folded collar 22 Neck opening 24 Arm opening 26 Arm opening 30 Lower opening 32 Upper body
34 Mask Body 36 Filter Element 38 Ear Loop

Claims (25)

Body part,
A mask portion extending from the body portion, wherein the mask portion is configured to fit the wearer's face and neck when pulled out from a retracted position forming a folded collar, and the folded state The mask portion forming a substantially round neck opening;
At least one filter element incorporated into the mask portion, the filter element configured to cover the mouth and nose of the wearer when the mask portion is withdrawn;
The protective clothing is characterized in that the drawn-out mask portion is configured to be fixed to the position of the wearer's head at at least one point away from the neck opening. The protective apparel of claim 1, wherein the extracted mask portion includes at least one ear loop. 2. The protective garment according to claim 1, wherein the body portion is selected from clothing including a shirt, a sweater, a jacket, and a coat. The at least one filter element is made of a material suitable for filtering and removing one or more of particulates, gases, or biological agents suspended in air. Protective clothing as described. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the material for the filter is manufactured from a woven material or a non-woven material. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is made of natural fiber. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the material for the filter is made of synthetic fiber. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is made of natural fiber and synthetic fiber. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to mechanically filter fine particles floating in the air. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to mechanically filter gas. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to chemically filter fine particles floating in the air. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to chemically filter gas. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to filter and remove at least one kind of bacteria floating in the air. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to filter and remove at least one virus floating in the air. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to filter and remove smoke. 5. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to filter and remove dust particles suspended in the air. The protective clothing according to claim 4, wherein the filter material is configured to filter and remove dust particles suspended in the air. 3. Protective clothing according to claim 2, wherein the mask portion is withdrawn from the retracted position by grasping and pulling at least one integral ear loop away from the neck opening. The protective clothing according to claim 1, wherein the body portion includes a front panel portion and a rear panel portion joined along each peripheral edge. 20. The protective garment according to claim 19, wherein the body portion further includes an opening for an arm. 20. The protective garment according to claim 19, wherein the body portion further includes a lower opening formed at a joint portion of each peripheral edge. The protective clothing according to claim 19, wherein the front panel portion and the rear panel portion are configured to cover an upper part of a user's torso. The protective garment according to claim 1, wherein the at least one filter element is sewn into the mask portion. The protective garment of claim 1, wherein the at least one filter element is attached to the mask portion with an adhesive. The protective apparel of claim 2, wherein the at least one ear loop is formed as an integral part of the mask portion.

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