JP2024061948A - Filter exchangeable mask - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a disposable mask equivalent to N95 performance that can be worn without gaps and are easy to breathe through.SOLUTION: A flat, individually prepared bag-shaped filter 12 is held and deployed by upper and lower pincers 17 and 19 of a filter attachment 13 in a curved configuration, and is applied to the nose, between then nose and cheeks, and the mouth, and the chin by a nose-contacting portion 21 of the filter attachment, a side portion 22 and a chin-contacting portion 23 of a ring-shaped holding portion 18, and an upper edge holding portion 24 and a lower end holding portion 25, which are placed in parallel outside, and is pressed under tension by the temples 27 and 30, which are extended and connected behind the neck, to cover the nasal cavity and the mouth without gaps with its relatively large filter area and small space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a disposable mask that minimizes the inhalation and emission of aerosols and droplets.

The N95 mask, used in medical applications, is a type of mask that virtually eliminates the inhalation of fine particles such as aerosols and reduces the emission of microdroplets. As shown in Patent Document 1, the N95 mask has a sealant placed around the periphery of a three-dimensionally molded filter, and is tightly fitted to the face by the tension of multiple fastening cords. It takes time and skill to put on the mask without leaving gaps, and it is relatively difficult to breathe, making it difficult to use during activities or for everyday use.

As shown in Patent Documents 2 and 3, household masks and medical surgical masks have elastic ear loops on the left and right side edges of a pleated or three-dimensional flexible filter, but gaps are prone to appear, they do not adequately prevent the inhalation of aerosols, PM2.5, and other fine particles, and are therefore insufficient for preventing airborne infection, causing multiple discomforts and inconveniences when used.

JP 2000-202051 A Patent No. 5837252 Japanese Patent No. 5696047

The filter replacement mask of the present invention solves the following problems that existed with conventional masks and that prevent the improvement of the performance and value of masks:

There will be a gap between the filter and your face.

It is accompanied by an unpleasant stuffy feeling due to breathing.

Air leaking from the nose can easily cause glasses to fog up and dry eyes.

Opening and closing your mouth and moving your jaw up and down can easily cause the mask to slip down and become exposed over your nose.

The filter breathing surface is easily soiled by contact with fingers.

Lack of oxygen and excess carbon dioxide can cause shortness of breath and headaches.

Ear straps can easily cause ear pain and migraines.

Dry mouth caused by mouth breathing can easily worsen bad breath and periodontitis.

The filter fits snugly in the mouth.

Ordinary masks and medical N95 masks have different basic structures.

Medical N95 masks are difficult to breathe through and put a lot of pressure on the face.

Medical N95 masks are generally expensive.

Medical N95 masks do not use existing soft N95-equivalent filters.

Aerosols and particles get into your eyes.

The filter replacement mask of the present invention is constructed by combining an individually prepared flat bag-shaped filter with a curved filter attachment, which is deployed and used to prevent gaps from occurring between the filter and the face. Means for solving the problems that conventional masks have and the problems that prevent improvements in mask performance and value are explained based on the technical content of the claims for the filter replacement mask of the present invention.

Claim 1 to claim 4 show the basic structure of the filter replacement mask of the present invention. The bag-shaped filter, which has a bag-shaped portion closed in a forward convex shape, is sandwiched at its inclined upper and lower ends between a clamping portion provided at the upper center of the nose pad of a separately prepared filter attachment and a clamping portion provided at the lower center of an annular pressing portion extended from the left and right sides of the nose pad, and is deployed from the opening and applied to the face. Furthermore, the bag-shaped filter is applied from above to the nose, between the nose and cheeks, around the mouth, and on the chin by the nose pad and the annular pressing portion, as well as the upper edge pressing portion and the lower edge pressing portion arranged in parallel along the outside of the annular pressing portion.

In addition, the bag-shaped filter is pressed against the face by tension from the left and right temples that extend from the sides of the nose pad of the filter attachment and connect behind the neck, and by tension from the lower temple that connects the middle of the annular retainer to the middle of the temples, preventing any gaps from forming between the filter and the face.

In claims 5 to 10, the configuration of a bag-shaped filter that is prepared separately as part of the filter replacement mask of the present invention is shown. The bag-shaped filter is configured with two flat filter sheets that are overlapped and welded to have a closed bag-shaped portion. The filter sheet is made of multiple overlapping layers of weldable nonwoven fabric, and is equivalent to N95 performance with high dust collection efficiency and relatively small pressure loss. It is also possible to use a soft filter sheet equivalent to N95 performance that is used in conventional masks.

Before being unfolded, the flat bag-shaped filter has a bag-shaped portion that is convex and closed in the forward direction, and a convex opening that is open in the rear direction. The bag-shaped portion is formed by an upper edge that comes into contact with the nose, a front edge in the vertical direction that faces the nasal cavity and mouth, and a lower edge that comes into contact with the chin. The upper and lower edges are arranged symmetrically above and below, with an overall forward inclination of 45 degrees ±15 degrees from the downward and upward directions, respectively. When the bag-shaped filter is unfolded and worn on the face, the inclination of the upper edge that comes into contact with the nose is made slightly larger, the part that comes into contact with the chin is greatly expanded in response to the left and right width of the jawbone, and the lower edge is bent significantly to fit under the chin.

The two individual filter sheets, each made of multiple overlapping nonwoven fabrics, are discretely welded at multiple points within a range of about half the distance from the rear end of the opening to the front and rear of the bag-shaped filter, so as to prevent separation between the layers at the edge of the opening and to maintain the flexibility of the entire sheet. The edges of the opening are arranged with welded and unwelded areas arranged alternately.

Claim 11 to claim 16 show the configuration of the nose pad at the top center of the filter attachment. To prevent gaps from occurring near the nose, which varies greatly from person to person, the nose pad is shaped to have left and right side portions that open downward and outward, and a bridge portion located at a position connecting the upper portions of the left and right side portions. The bridge portion is composed of a bending portion that is thin and easily deformed left and right, and a rigid clamping portion in the center between the left and right side portions, allowing it to bend across the nose.

The left and right side sections have a relatively large front-to-back thickness and cross section so that they have a relatively high rigidity, and have an inner surface that slopes outward from front to back, and are twisted inward by the tension of the temples that extend from a point located toward the front, making it easier for the rear of the inner surface to come into contact with either side of the nose. In addition, the left and right side sections are bent inward at an angle of 30 degrees or less from a point below the middle position, and from this point the thickness in the front-to-back direction is continuously reduced downward in a parallel arrangement, making them more flexible the lower they are, and making it less likely that gaps will form near the rising points on either side of the nose.

The clamping section in the center of the bridge is a beam section with a high cross-sectional rigidity, with a large width at the front and an inner surface that is relatively thick and inclined from front to back, and is formed into an inverted U-shape. When tension is applied to the left and right beam sections from the temples, the gap between the slits in the inverted U-shape is prevented from widening, preventing the clamped bag-shaped filter from coming loose.

In addition, in claim 16, the thin left and right side support parts are arranged continuously from the inside of the upper left and right sides to the left and right bent parts and the lower end of the thick inverted U-shaped beam part, and a gap is continuously formed in the middle position, which is narrower than the inverted U-shaped slit and is aligned in position and direction. The upper edge of the bag-shaped filter is stopped at a small protruding point at the upper end of the gap, making it difficult to come off.

In claims 17 to 20, the annular pressing part of the filter attachment, which is configured in a flat curved shape, has a serpentine side part that is arranged downward and outwardly to the left and right from the lower end of the side of the nose pad in the upper center to the boundary part at the midpoint, and can stretch and bend up and down, left and right, and front and back, so that it contacts the overall convex shape of the face, and further, the chin rest part that continues downward from the boundary part of the annular pressing part is arranged in an outwardly convex curved shape to the left and right, and is bent at the jawbone along the face near the mouth so that it also contacts under the chin.

The clamping section at the bottom center of the annular holder is flattened with two slits that are continuous with the central opening that opens upward and are inclined downward and outward to the left and right, making it less likely to hit the throat when the chin is tucked in.

In claim 21, a meandering upper edge pressing part extending from the lower end of the side of the nose pad to the boundary part at the midpoint, and a lower edge pressing part continuing in an outwardly convex shape from the boundary part shared with the annular pressing part to the pinching part at the lower center are arranged in parallel along the outside of the annular pressing part, and by pressing the vicinity of the edge of the opening of the bag-shaped filter, it is further difficult for a gap to occur between the filter and the face, and the contact with the face is also mitigated.

Claims 22 to 27 show temples that extend downward and open outward from a point above the middle of the side of the nose pad of the filter attachment. The temples are made up of a front half of the face pad and a rear half of the rear pad.

The face restraining section in the front half is serpentine and arranged in parallel up to the branching point halfway, pressing down on part of the edge of the opening of the bag-shaped filter and reducing the pressure on the face. As with the parallel arrangement of annular pressing sections, this makes it easier to ensure the necessary flow path cross-sectional area and manage the temperature during resin molding.

The temples, which are taken out from a location biased toward the front of the relatively thick and rigid side, are stretched backwards, creating tension that bends the bridge that straddles the nose, twisting the sides, and placing the narrow part of the inclined inner surface of the nose pad along both sides of the nose, eliminating any gaps between the bag-shaped filter and the sides of the nose.

The rear part of the rear temple is made up of a linear frame section that extends downward from a branching point in the middle, and a meandering elastic section that continues from the bottom end of the frame and adjusts the length and tension, with connecting parts of different shapes at the ends of the left and right elastic sections.

In claims 28 and 29, the left and right connecting parts are formed in a hook shape or hole shape, making it easy to put on and take off. The hole-shaped connecting part has two holes arranged in series, and by fitting the hook-shaped connecting part into one of the holes, it is possible to adjust the length and tension of the entire temple to some extent. In addition, the left and right connecting parts are made thin and flat in shape except for the hook parts, making it easy to pinch and twist, making it easy to adjust the direction and connect, and reducing the impact on the neck.

In claim 31, each part of the filter attachment is arranged in a flat curved shape. The front side that does not touch the face is a common flat surface, the back side has an uneven shape of within a few millimeters, and each side is composed of a slope, which makes it easy to make a mold and mold the resin.

Claims 30 and 32 show a configuration for attaching a transparent sheet to protect the eyes. The transparent sheet is shaped to cover both eyes, and can be easily attached and detached by fitting a stepped portion in the recess at the bottom center into a protruding stopper on the temple.

In claim 33, a method for manufacturing a bag-shaped filter is shown. Two continuous filter sheets made of multiple layers of nonwoven fabric are discretely welded in a range equivalent to half the front-to-back distance of the bag-shaped filters from a position corresponding to the rear end of the openings of the multiple bag-shaped filters arranged adjacently in the opposite direction in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the continuous direction, and then the discrete welded areas are aligned and overlapped. Next, the sheets are welded at a constant width along the shape corresponding to the bag-shaped portion of the bag-shaped filters arranged adjacently in the opposite direction. Furthermore, cuts are made along the shape of the bag-shaped filters. The two continuously overlapped filter sheets are repeatedly fed and stopped by rollers or the like, and each process is carried out when the sheets are stopped.

This disposable mask is easy to put on and leaves no gaps between the face and the filter.

This disposable mask is easy to breathe through, has a soft feel, and is easy to use on a daily basis.

This is a disposable mask with N95 performance that uses a conventional flexible filter equivalent to N95.

Both medical and household masks have the same basic structure.

It will be a high-performance, low-cost, easy-to-use mask.

There is no lack of oxygen or excess carbon dioxide, so there is no shortness of breath or headache.

No ear straps, so no ear pain or migraines.

Discomfort caused by stuffiness is greatly reduced.

By eliminating gaps around the nose, glasses do not fog up and dry eyes do not occur.

The mask will not slip down due to opening and closing the mouth or moving the jaw up and down, and the mask will not stick out from the nose.

The filter breathing surface is less likely to become contaminated by contact with fingers.

Suppresses mouth breathing, preventing increased bad breath caused by dry mouth and stopping the progression of periodontitis.

The rigidity of the bag-shaped welded convex portion makes it less likely for the filter to stick to the opening.

A transparent sheet is easily placed over the eyes to prevent fine particles from entering the eyes.

Thin, disposable bag-shaped filters are available at low cost.

1 is a perspective view of a filter replacement mask according to a first embodiment of the present invention; A bag filter for use in the present invention is shown in plan view. The bag filter is shown deployed from the opening. A filter attachment for use in the present invention is shown in plan view. A second embodiment of the filter replacement mask of the present invention is shown in a perspective view. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a method for manufacturing a bag-shaped filter used in the present invention.

The filter replacement mask of the present invention is a disposable mask in which an individually prepared flat bag-shaped filter and an overall flat, curved filter attachment are integrated for use. The filter replacement mask of the present invention is primarily intended to suppress the inhalation of aerosols, PM2.5, pollen, and other fine particles with a collection efficiency equivalent to N95 performance, as well as to naturally suppress the scattering of droplets and make breathing easy. Furthermore, it is intended to solve several problems in order to make it easier to use. Below, an embodiment is shown with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a filter replacement mask 11 of the present invention. A bag-shaped filter 12 made of a filter sheet made of multiple layers of nonwoven fabric is attached to a filter attachment 13 and deployed, and is applied to the face, forming a relatively small space in front of the nasal cavity and mouth.

The bag-shaped filter 12 is held by being pinched at the upper end edge 15 and lower end edge 16 of the bag-shaped portion 14, which is convex toward the front, between a downward-opening clamping portion 17 located at the top center of the filter attachment 13 and an upward-opening clamping portion 19 located at the bottom center of the annular pressing portion 18, and is expanded in the left-right direction, with the vertical spacing being smaller than in the flat shape before deployment.

The bag-shaped filter 12 is deployed at the rear-facing convex opening 20 so that it touches the nose, cheeks, and then the mouth and chin, and is held from above by the nose pad 21 of the filter attachment 13, the upper side edge 22 and lower chin pad 23 of the annular holder 18, and the upper edge holder 24 and lower edge holder 25 arranged along the outside.

The left and right temples 27 extending from the left and right side parts 26 of the nose pad 21 are stretched and connected behind the neck, applying rearward tension to the left and right side parts 26. In addition, tension is also applied from the branching part 28 at the middle of the temples 27, the middle part of the upper side part 22 and the lower chin pad part 23 of the annular pressing part 18, and the lower temple part 30 arranged by connecting the border part 29 that shares the middle part of the upper edge pressing part 24 and the lower edge pressing part 25. The bag-shaped filter 12 is pressed widely from above by the annular pressing part 18, the upper edge pressing part 24 and the lower edge pressing part 25, so that no gaps are created between the bag-shaped filter 12 and the face.

Nose shapes vary greatly from person to person, so in order for the soft bag-shaped filter 12 made of multiple layers of nonwoven fabric to be pressed tightly against the nose, the nose pad 21 is designed to be able to deform to fit the shape of the nose. The bridge portion 31 at the top of the nose pad 21 is bent to straddle the nose, so that the left and right side portions 26, which face downward and open slightly outward, are positioned to touch both sides of the nose in a direction that crosses the bridge of the nose.

The left and right side portions 26 of the nose pad 21 have a cross section that is approximately 3 mm wide at the front and 5 mm thick in the front-to-back direction, and are made relatively rigid with an approximately triangular shape, and the inner surface is slanted outwardly to the left and right toward the rear so that it can easily contact both sides of the nose. The bridge portion 31 is composed of a thin bent portion not indicated by the left and right symbols, and a clamping portion 17 consisting of a central highly rigid beam. The upper edge 15 of the bag-shaped filter 12 is clamped and held by the clamping portion 17.

The left and right side sections 26 of the nose pad section 21 are bent inward at an angle of less than 30 degrees from a point below the midpoint in the vertical direction, and are divided in parallel from the vicinity of the bent point, with the thickness continuously decreasing downward. The side sections 26 are twisted by the tension of the temple sections 27 that extend from a point biased toward the front of the face, and the thin rear part of the inner surface is deformed and applied near the nose.

The annular pressing portion 18 is connected from the upper side edge portion 22 to the chin rest portion 23 via the boundary portion 29 at the midpoint, and is connected to the lower clamping portion 19. The left and right side edge portions 22 are pulled outward and downward from the inside of the lower ends of the left and right side portions 26 of the nose pad portion 21, bent slightly downward and inward, and then bent further downward and outward in a serpentine shape extending to the boundary portion 29. The left and right side edge portions 22 are easily deformed in the front-to-back, up-down, and left-to-right directions, so that they fit along the face from near the nose to between the nose and cheeks, and near the mouth.

The chin support section 23, which is positioned in a convex shape outward from the midway border 29, is pulled by the rearward and upward tension of the lower temple section 30, and is bent at a slight angle backwards to the point where the jawbone has a large curvature, and is placed under the chin and on the left and right outer sides of the mouth, eliminating any gaps between the bag-shaped filter 12 and the face and chin.

The inner surface of the unfolded bag-shaped filter 12 that spreads out to the left and right from the bottom edge 16 changes width in response to the left-right spacing of the jawbone, which changes greatly depending on the depth position of the jaw, and is shaped to fit under the jaw, with the bottom edge 16, which is greatly bent near the front edge 40, positioned almost centered along the underside of the jaw.

To accommodate the large individual differences in the length from the nose to the chin, the left and right side portions 26 of the nose pad 21 are adapted to the position and inclination at which they are hung across the nose, the left and right width of the chin pad 23 which changes depending on the position of the jawbone to which they are hung, and the overall inclination direction and expansion/contraction of the serpentine-shaped side portion 22 which changes depending on the amount of tension in the temple portion 30.

The upper edge holding portion 24 extends from the outer lower end of the parallel arrangement of the left and right side portions 26 of the nose pad portion 21 to the border portion 29, and the lower edge holding portion 25 extends from the border portion 29 to the lower center clamp portion 19. As a whole, the annular holding portion 18 is parallel to the outside of the side portion 22 and the chin pad portion 23, and extends to the lower center clamp portion 19 with the border portion 29 in the middle shared.

The upper edge pressing portion 24 is serpentine in shape, so that it conforms to the shape of the cheek, which varies greatly from person to person, and by pressing the bag-shaped filter 12 together with the side edge portion 22 widely, gaps are less likely to form between the bag-shaped filter 12 and the area near the nose, cheeks, and mouth.

The outer upper edge pressing part 24 and the lower edge pressing part 25, like the annular pressing part 18 arranged in parallel on the inside, respond to individual differences in face shape by applying tension to the lower hanging part 30 to the common border part 29, while at the same time reducing pressure on the face.

The clamping section 19 at the bottom center is formed from the introduction section that opens upward, and is inclined downward and outward to the left and right, continuing into two slits, and holds the lower end edge 16 of the bag-shaped filter 12 at either the left or right slit. In addition, the clamping section 19 is designed to protrude downward from the chin only slightly, so that it does not hit the throat too hard when the jaw is moved.

The left and right temples 27 are unfolded from a flat curved configuration and stretched behind the neck, causing tension that presses the nose pads 21 and the parallel annular retaining parts 18 against the bag-shaped filter 12, eliminating any gaps with the face. The temples 27 are made up of a front half face pad temple 33 arranged in parallel from the left and right sides 26 of the nose pad 21, a frame part 34 that is an approximation of a straight line extending from a branching part 28 at the middle, and a rear half rear temple 36 made up of a connecting extension part 35 in a serpentine shape. A connecting part is located at the end of the left and right temples 27.

The face pad bridge parts 33 extend in parallel from the front-biased parts of the left and right side parts 26, which are thick from front to back. When the bridge parts 31 of the nose pad part 21 are placed on the face and tension is applied in the rear direction, they are bent across the nose, the side parts 26 are twisted and the inclination of the inner surface is changed, and the narrow parts at the rear of the inner surface of the side parts 26 are deformed and placed on both sides of the nose from above the bag-shaped filter 12, preventing any gaps from occurring between the bag-shaped filter 12 and the nose.

Before deployment, the parallel-arranged face rests 33 are arranged in a serpentine shape that includes straight sections that are parallel and facing each other in the upward and downward directions, but are arranged non-parallel along the face due to rearward tension, so that the bent sections with large curvatures in the top and bottom do not hit the face hard. Furthermore, the parallel-arranged serpentine face rests 33 are easily deformed in all directions, front to back, left to right, up to down, so that the impact on the face is dispersed and reduced.

The rear temples 36 are lifted along the face from the cheeks to below the ears, and the linearly approximated frame parts 34 are placed along the left and right sides of the face, and the serpentine connecting and stretching parts 35 are stretched and wrapped around the back of the neck, and are connected behind the neck by connecting parts at the left and right ends, allowing the overall length and tension to be adjusted. The left and right connecting parts (not shown) are configured with holes and hooks to facilitate connection and removal.

The upward and backward tension applied to the border 29 by the lower temple 30 causes the parallel chin rest 23 and lower edge holder 25 to push the chin upward from above the bag-shaped filter 12, reducing the frequency of unconsciously opening the mouth. This reduces the proliferation of bacteria and bad breath caused by dry mouth due to the mouth being open, as well as the occurrence and worsening of periodontitis.

Conventional household masks and medical surgical masks are placed on the face with little horizontal force by elastic ear loops attached to the top and bottom edges of the left and right edges of the pleated or three-dimensional filter. Since there is no effective method for lifting or holding the mask upwards, the mask easily shifts downwards when opening and closing the mouth or moving the jaw up and down, leaving the nose exposed.

The tension of the temples 27 causes the bridge 31 to have a small component of force that lifts it upward in response to the inclination of the bridge of the nose, and the inverted V-shaped portion consisting of the left and right side sections 26 that open downward and to the left and right from the bridge 31 of the nose pad 21 acts as a wedge to bite into the nose, which becomes wider and taller the further downward it is, preventing it from slipping downward. Furthermore, the lower temples 30 apply a slightly upward and backward tension to the chin pad 21 and lower edge holder 25, and the upward force component caused by the expansion and contraction of the serpentine side sections and upper edge holder 24 prevents the entire mask from slipping downward due to the opening and closing of the mouth and the up and down movement of the chin, making it less likely for the nose to stick out during use.

The filter replacement mask 11 of the present invention has a bag-shaped filter 12 that is attached from above by the nose pad 21 and annular retaining portion 18 of the filter attachment 13, and further by the upper edge retaining portion 24 and lower edge retaining portion 25 to the nose, between the nose and cheeks, around the mouth, and also to the chin and under the chin, and is pressed down by the tension of the temple portion 27 and lower temple portion 30, so that no gaps are formed.

If gaps occur around the outer edge of the filter or near the nose, it is not possible to adequately prevent the inhalation of aerosols, PM2.5, pollen, and other fine particles, and the associated infections. However, the configuration of the present invention, which does not create gaps, allows for the same collection efficiency as an N95 mask by using a flexible N95 performance filter that is used in conventional general masks, solving the problem of inhaling fine particles.

In addition, the flow of exhaled air along the face, which leaks through the outer edge of the filter and the gaps near the nose, accentuates the stuffiness caused by heat exchange with the face. Furthermore, exhaled air leaking out from the gaps near the nose is likely to cause glasses to fog up and dry eyes, which can be painful when wearing contact lenses. By eliminating the gaps with the nose with the configuration of the present invention, the stuffiness, glasses fogging, and dry eyes are suppressed.

Medical N95 masks are difficult to breathe through because the filter is made three-dimensionally and has a hard, rigid design that creates a large resistance to airflow per unit area. In addition, because the space covering the nostrils and mouth is relatively large, a lot of exhaled air remains in the mask, resulting in a lack of oxygen and an excess of carbon dioxide, making them difficult to use during exercise or for everyday use. Furthermore, the relative increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the blood causes blood vessels to expand, making it easy to experience headaches, drowsiness, and fatigue.

The bag-shaped filter 12, which is convex forward, is unfolded from a flat shape, and the openings 20 are positioned along the nose, cheeks, and chin at a small distance from the nasal cavity and mouth, forming an enclosed space with a small volume and a relatively large filter area. The bag-shaped filter 12 uses a filter material equivalent to the N95 performance used in general masks, making it easier to breathe, reducing stuffiness, and reducing the risk of headaches, drowsiness, and fatigue caused by a lack of oxygen or excess carbon dioxide.

In addition, the filter replacement mask 11 can be easily attached and detached behind the neck by manipulating the temples 27 of the filter attachment 13, and there is little need to correct any downward shifting, so fingers are less likely to come into contact with the inner breathing surface of the bag-shaped filter 12, preventing contamination of the breathing surface.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the flat bag-shaped filter 12 before it is unfolded. The bag-shaped filter 12 is formed by overlapping two filter sheets made of multiple layers of nonwoven fabric, and welding the bag-shaped portion 14 to a fixed width in a convex shape. The filter sheet is made ultrasonically meltable, with, for example, a moisture-absorbent layer on the inside that comes into contact with the face, a water-repellent layer on the outside, a layer with high dust collection efficiency in between, and an antibacterial layer, etc.

The bag-shaped filter 12 is formed of a bag-shaped portion 14 that is closed in a convex shape toward the front, and an opening portion 20 that is open in a convex shape toward the rear. The flat bag-shaped filter 12 is deployed from the opening portion 20 and placed on the face, so that the bag-shaped portion 14 covers the nasal cavity and mouth in a small space with a relatively small gap between them. The opening portion 20 is placed on the cheek or chin in a flat shape and pressed from above with a filter attachment to ensure that no gaps are formed.

The outer shape of the bag-like portion 14 is a convex shape consisting of a straight upper edge 15 inclined downward at about 45 degrees, a straight front edge 40 inclined vertically, and a straight lower edge 16 inclined upward at 45 degrees. The upper edge 15 and lower edge 16, which have a relatively rigidity due to being welded with a width along the outer shape, are easily inserted into the slits of the upper and lower clamping parts of the filter attachment, and are clamped and held.

The bag-shaped filter 12 is symmetrical from top to bottom, eliminating the need to distinguish between the top and bottom when attaching it. In addition, the outer shape of the bag-shaped portion 14, which is convex toward the front, and the outer shape of the opening 20, which is convex toward the rear, are symmetrical, making it easy to stack and store without having to distinguish between the front and rear orientations, and deformation at the edges is suppressed and the filter does not protrude.

The upper edge 15 of the bag-shaped filter 12 is positioned so that the inside of the unfolded filter follows the bridge of the nose, and the angle between the upper edge 15 and the front edge 40 is the angle between the inclination of the bridge of the nose and the front edge 40, which is larger than the angle when flat. The front edge 40 is positioned at a slight angle downwards from an upper position slightly forward of the nose tip and inward toward the mouth.

The lower edge 16 and the inner surface nearby are expanded to correspond to the left and right width of the jawbone, which changes greatly depending on the depth position of the jaw, and the opening 20 is greatly expanded left and right, and the lower edge 16 is significantly changed by local bending from the approximately 45 degree inclination before being expanded near the front end, and is positioned in a direction along the bottom of the jaw.

The edge of the opening 20 of the bag-shaped filter 12 needs to be treated so that the filter sheet, which is made of multiple layers of nonwoven fabric, does not separate between the layers. Before the two filter sheets are stacked together, discrete welded parts 55 are formed in multiple places within a certain width range from near the rear end of the opening 20 so that the filter sheets maintain flexibility and do not separate between the layers. The discrete welded parts 55 may be shaped in the form of letters, numbers, or even symbols.

Figure 3 shows the shape of the bag-shaped filter 12 of the filter replacement mask of the present invention when it is placed on the face and deployed, in a perspective view of only the bag-shaped filter as seen from the opening 20 side, omitting the face and filter attachment. The bag-shaped portion 14 is welded to a width of about 5 mm, and the upper end edge 15, lower end edge 16, and front end edge 40 are made relatively rigid, allowing it to maintain a bag shape that maintains a certain distance from the mouth and nasal cavity.

The angles that the upper edge 15 and lower edge 16 make with the front edge in the vertical direction on the inside of the bag-shaped filter 12 change slightly above and greatly below the 45-degree angle when flat, in accordance with the extent to which the left and right edges of the opening 20 spread from either side of the nose to the cheeks, around the mouth, and against the chin. The lower edge 16, which is located in the center of the inner surface that spreads along the bottom of the chin in accordance with the left and right gap of the jawbone, is greatly bent near the front edge 40.

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the filter attachment of the filter replacement mask of the present invention. The filter attachment 13 is intended to eliminate gaps between the bag-shaped filter and the face, making it easier to attach and remove. Each curved section has an uneven shape of within a few millimeters and an inclined side. The side shown is the rear side of the filter attachment that is placed against the face, and the opposite front side, not shown, is formed by a flat surface within a common plane that does not have uneven parts. The filter attachment 13 is shaped symmetrically except for the left and right connecting parts at the bottom. Instead of indicating two parts of each symmetrical section with the same reference number, only one part is marked with a reference number.

The filter attachment 13 is composed of a clamping section 17 in the upper center of the nose pad 21, left and right side sections 26, a ring-shaped holding section 18 consisting of a meandering upper side section 22 extending downward and outward from the inner lower end of the side section 26 and a convex lower chin rest section 23, a meandering upper edge holding section 24 extending in parallel from the outer lower end of the side section 26 along the outside of the ring-shaped holding section 18 and a convex lower edge holding section 25, and a clamping section 19 in the lower center that is connected to the ring-shaped holding section 18 and the lower edge holding section 25, which clamps and fixes the bag-shaped filter from above and below, and then unfolds it to apply to the face.

Furthermore, the filter attachment 13 has temples 27 extending from the sides 26 of the nose pads 21 to apply tension to the nose pads 21 to press the bag-shaped filter against the nose, and has a lower temple 30 to apply tension to hold down the inside of the opening of the bag-shaped filter. The temples 27 are formed by a meandering-shaped face-supporting temple 33 in the front half and a rear temple 36 in the rear half, and the rear temple 36 is connected to a linear-approximated frame 34 and a meandering-shaped connecting and expanding part 35, with connecting parts 37, 38 of different shapes arranged at the left and right ends.

The bridge portion 31 at the top of the nose pad 21 of the filter attachment 13 is formed by a clamping portion 17 consisting of a highly rigid inverted U-shaped beam at the middle position, and relatively thin bent portions 32 connecting the clamping portion 17 to the left and right side portions 26.

The relatively thin left and right side contact parts 42 are connected continuously from the inside of the upper part of the left and right side parts 26 to the lower ends of the left and right bent parts and the lower end of the clamping part 17, and are arranged in a shape with a gap between them that is narrower than the slit of the clamping part 17, eliminating the gap with the nose when it is placed against the nose, and mitigating the pressure on the nose. In addition, the bag-shaped filter is held in place by the local step part at the boundary between the slit and the gap.

As shown in the A-A cross section enlarged twice, the left and right bending sections 32 of the bridge section 31 are about 1 mm thick and about 3 mm wide, making them easy to bend. The inverted U-shaped beam forming the clamping section 17 located in the middle has a front width of about 3.5 mm, a front-to-back thickness of about 4 mm, and a cross-sectional shape with an inclined inner surface, which provides the rigidity to prevent the slits from widening and makes it easy to remove from the mold during molding.

As shown in the 2x enlarged B-B cross section, the side 26 of the nose pad 17 has an approximately triangular cross-sectional shape with a front width of about 3.5 mm, a front-to-back thickness of about 5 mm, and an inner surface that slopes outward toward the rear. The side 26 is twisted by rearward tension as it opens outward to the left and right due to the temples that extend from a forward-leaning position, and the narrow portion near the rear of the inner surface of the side 26 deforms, so that it fits over the bag-shaped filter so that no gaps form on either side of the nose.

The upper side edge portion 22 and upper edge holding portion 24 of the annular holding portion 18 are arranged in parallel with each other at intervals of about 2 millimeters, and extend in a serpentine shape from the left and right points of the branched lower ends of the left and right side portions 26 of the nose pad portion 21 in a direction generally downward and opening outward to the left and right to the boundary portion 29 at the midpoint.

As shown in the C-C cross section enlarged twice, the serpentine side portion 22 and the upper edge retainer portion 24 along the outside have a width at the front that does not touch the face and a thickness in the front-to-back direction of about 2 mm, and are arranged in parallel at intervals of about 2 mm, and are molded from a flexible resin material, making them deformable in any direction: front-to-back, up-down, and twisting. The width at the front is made larger than the width at the back, and both sides are inclined, making it easier to remove from the mold.

The chin rest 23 and lower edge retainer 25 at the bottom of the annular retainer 18, like the side portion 22 and upper edge retainer 24, have a width of about 2 mm on the front side (not shown) that does not come into contact with the face and a thickness in the front-to-back direction, and are arranged in parallel at intervals of about 2 mm, extending in an outward convex shape from the common border 29 to the lower central clamping portion 19, so that the rearward tension of the lower temple portion causes the jawbone and chin to come into contact with each other.

The lower central clamping section 19 is flat and has slits 44 that run diagonally downward in two directions from the top-opening introduction section 43 to the left and right, preventing the jaw from hitting the throat hard or sharply when it moves up and down significantly.

The bottom edge of the bag-shaped filter is inserted into either the left or right slit 44 and clamped by deformation of the inverted M-shaped elastic beam 45 that connects the ends of the left and right chin rests 23. The width of the slit 44 is changed by the elastic force caused by the vertical deformation of the inverted M-shaped elastic beam 45, making it easier to insert the bag-shaped filter, and it is clamped and held in place. Furthermore, the bag-shaped filter is stopped at a protruding point midway through the slit, making it less likely to come off.

The temple section 27 is formed by a front half face rest temple section 33 that is extended from the left and right side sections 26 of the nose pad section 21 in a parallel arrangement generally downward and opening outward to the left and right, to the branching section 28 at the midpoint, and a rear half rear temple section 36 that extends downward from the branching section 28 to the connecting sections 37, 38 at the ends. The face rest temple sections 33, which have a parallel arrangement configuration that is also applied to the side sections 22 of the annular pressing section 18, each have a cross-sectional shape with a front width and front-to-back thickness of about 2 millimeters, and both sides that extend from the rear to the front, making them easier to deform and reducing the impact on the face, and also making it easier to ensure the resin flow rate and manage the temperature during molding.

The rear temple section 36 is formed by arranging a linear-approximated frame section 34 extending downward from a branching section 28 located midway through the temple section 27, and a serpentine connecting extension section 35 in succession. By giving it a cross-sectional shape with a width of 2 mm or less in the left-right direction along the face and a thickness of more than 2 mm in the face direction, which corresponds to the front-to-back direction, the frame section 34 fits along the face, and the connecting extension section 35 is easily bent and stretched, extending along the face.

The hook-shaped connecting portion 37 and the hole-shaped connecting portion 38 are disposed at the ends of the left and right temple portions 27. The ends of the serpentine connecting extension portion 35, which are thicker than 2 mm in the front-to-rear direction, are overlapped by a few millimeters and connected to the flat portions of the connecting portions 37 and 38, which are about 1.5 mm thin.

The hook-shaped connecting portion 37 has a hook portion 2 mm or more thick placed at the end of a thin flat portion about 1.5 mm. The hole-shaped connecting portion 38 has two holes narrowing toward the tip placed in series at a thin flat portion about 1.5 mm, allowing the length and tension of the temple portion 27 to be adjusted. A portion of the tip of each hole may be thickened for reinforcement.

The lower temple section 30 extends downward from the inside position of the branching section 28 at the midpoint of the temple section 27 in a non-parallel line with the rear temple section 36, and is connected to the midpoint of the annular pressing section 18 and to a boundary section 29 that shares the midpoints of the upper edge pressing section 24 and the lower edge pressing section 25. The front width and front-to-back thickness of the lower temple section 30 are approximately 1.5 mm, making it easy to bend and stretch. The total cross-sectional area of the parallel-arranged face support temple section 33 and the total cross-sectional area of the rear temple section 36 and lower temple section 30 are made approximately the same, ensuring a continuous flow of resin during molding.

Near the point where the temples 27 are pulled out from the side portions 26, the protrusions 48 are positioned rearward from the outer parts of the parallel temples and outward to the left and right.

The flat filter attachment 13 is molded into a curved configuration using high-density polyethylene or the like. The side shown in the figure is the back side that touches the face, and the side not shown is the front side that does not touch the face. The front side is flat and in the same plane with no irregularities, while the back side is formed with irregularities in the range of a few millimeters. The gate for molding the resin is provided at one location in the upper center of the nose pad 21 facing upward at the upper part, and at two locations at the lower part that connect the left and right connecting parts and the left and right of the inverted M shape facing downward.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a filter replacement mask according to a second embodiment of the present invention with a transparent sheet attached. A transparent sheet 46 is shaped horizontally and large enough to cover both eyes, and is attached to the top of the filter attachment. The same filter attachment as in the first embodiment is used, and corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference numerals. The bag-shaped filter has an arc-shaped bag-shaped portion, and each part is indicated by a different reference numeral from the first embodiment.

The recess formed in the lower center of the transparent sheet 46 is inserted under the bridge portion 31 of the nose pad 21, straddling the upper edge 49 of the bag-shaped filter 47 and the nose, and is aligned along the outside of the left and right side portions 26 of the nose pad 21. The step provided on the inner edge of the recess fits into the protrusion 48 under the temple portion 27 near the nose pad 21, thereby holding the transparent sheet 46 in place.

The transparent sheet 46 is held down by bellows-shaped face rests 33 at the bottom left and right, and is positioned with a small gap between it and the eyes, preventing fine particles such as aerosols, PM2.5, and pollen from entering the eyes. Glasses are also worn in front of the transparent sheet 46.

The bag-shaped filter 47 is made up of a bag-shaped portion 50 with an arc-shaped edge 40 welded closed into an approximately arc-shaped shape, and an opening 51 with an external shape that is convex toward the rear and is approximately arc-shaped and symmetrical from front to back, and also has an external shape that is symmetrical from top to bottom. When the bag-shaped filter 47 is deployed and placed on the face, it covers the nasal cavity and mouth with a relatively small space and interval, with no gap between the filter attachment 13 and the face.

Figure 6 shows a method for manufacturing the bag-shaped filters of the filter replacement mask of the present invention. Continuous filter sheets 52, 53 made of multiple layers of nonwoven fabric are made to have a sheet width that is at least an integer multiple of the front-to-back spacing of each bag-shaped filter, and before two sheets are stacked together, multiple discrete welding points 55, 56 are provided in two opposite directions from the positions corresponding to the openings 54 of adjacent bag-shaped filters in the sheet width direction, within a range of about half the front-to-back spacing of the bag-shaped filters.

The two filter sheets 52, 53 are overlapped with the discrete welded areas 55, 56 aligned and welded along the pouches of the individual adjacent filter bags in the opposite direction. They are welded over a width that is greater than the width of the welded portions of the filter bags after they have been cut and separated.

After discrete welding and welding of the bag-shaped outer shape with a certain width, cuts 59 are made along the outer shape of the multiple bag-shaped filters 58 arranged in the width direction of the sheet, and then the filter is removed. Each process of welding, cutting, and removal is performed in synchronization with repeated feeding and stopping in a continuous direction. The feeding and stopping are performed by rollers that pinch the filter sheet.

The filter replacement mask of the present invention has the following industrial advantages over conventional masks:

The filter replacement mask of the present invention is a disposable mask that has the same performance as an N95 mask, but is easy to breathe through and has the primary purpose of preventing infection and the inhalation of fine particles.

The mask of the present invention has a unified structure for both medical and home use, making it versatile.

The mask of the present invention is a disposable mask that is easy to put on and take off, easy to breathe through, does not get stuffy, does not fog up glasses, does not hurt the ears, does not become an open-nose mask, does not stick to the mouth, and is easy to use on a daily basis.

The mask of the present invention is a disposable mask that has the health benefits of preventing breathlessness and headaches caused by a lack of oxygen and excess carbon dioxide, dry eyes caused by breath leakage, dryness and bad breath caused by mouth breathing, contamination of the filter breathing surface, and foreign objects getting into the eyes.

Disposable bag filters can be produced at low cost.

Filter replacement mask 11
Bag filter 12, 47, 57
Filter attachment 13
Bag-shaped portion 14, 50, 57
Top edge 15
Bottom edge 16
Clamping section 17, 19
Annular holding part 18
Openings 20, 51, 54
Nose pad 21
Side portion 22
Chin rest 23
Upper edge holding part 24
Lower edge holding part 25
Side portion 26
Vine 27
Branching part 28
Border 29
Lower part 30
Bridge section 31
Face rest 33
Frame part 34
Connecting extension part 35
Rear temple 36
Connection parts 37, 38
Front edge 40
Side contact portion 42
Welding parts 55, 56, 58

Claims (33)

In disposable masks in which an individually prepared bag-shaped filter and a filter attachment are integrated,
The bag-shaped filter, which has a bag-shaped portion that is convex in the forward direction, is attached to the filter attachment having a curved configuration, and when deployed, is applied to the nose, the area between the nose and cheeks, and the chin by an annular pressing portion that extends from the center of the upper part of the filter attachment to open outward to the left and right, and is also pressed against the nose by the tension of temples that extend to the left and right from the filter attachment, thereby covering the nasal cavity and mouth with a closed inner space.
A filter replacement mask. The bag-shaped filter is attached to the filter attachment and deployed with a rearward-facing convex opening, and is placed against the nose, the area between the nose and cheeks, and the chin by a nose pad at the top center of the filter attachment and the annular pressing parts extending downward and opening outward to the left and right from the lower ends of the left and right sides of the nose pad, and is also pressed against the nose by the tension of temple parts extending outward to the left and right from the left and right sides of the nose pad and a lower temple part connected at the midpoint of the temple part and the midpoint of the annular pressing part, thereby covering the nasal cavity and mouth with a closed space inside.
2. The filter replacement mask according to claim 1. The bag-shaped filter is attached at the upper and lower edges of the bag-shaped portion to the nose pad at the upper center of the filter attachment and two clamping portions provided at the lower center of the annular pressing portion, and is deployed, and is placed against the nose, the area between the nose and cheeks, and the chin by the nose pad and the annular pressing portion, and is also pressed against the nose by the tension of the temple portion and the tension of the lower temple portion, thereby covering the nasal cavity and mouth with an internal closed space.
3. The filter replacement mask according to claim 2. The bag-shaped filter is applied to the nose, the area between the nose and cheeks, and the chin by the annular pressing portion and the upper and lower edge pressing portions which are parallel to each other along the outside of the annular pressing portion from the vicinity of the lower ends of the left and right sides of the nose pad to the pinching portion at the lower center, and is also pressed against the nose by the tension of the temple portion and the lower temple portion, thereby covering the nasal cavity and mouth in an internal closed space.
4. The filter replacement mask according to claim 3. The bag-shaped filter is composed of a bag-shaped portion having a convex shape in the forward direction, which is formed by laminating two filter sheets made of multiple layers including a nonwoven fabric and sealing them by welding, and an opening portion having a convex shape in the rear direction when opened.
5. The filter replacement mask according to claim 3 or 4. The bag-shaped filter has an upper end edge and a lower end edge inclined forward at 45 degrees ±15 degrees with respect to the downward and upward directions, and a front end edge connecting the front ends of the upper end edge and the lower end edge, and the bag-shaped portion has a forward convex shape.
6. The filter replacement mask according to claim 5. The bag-shaped filter is configured to have a plurality of locations where the stacked filter sheets are discretely welded within a certain width range from the rear end of the opening,
6. The filter replacement mask according to claim 5. The bag-shaped filter has a bag-shaped portion having a convex shape in a forward direction that approximates a circular arc.
8. The filter replacement mask according to claim 5 or claim 7. The bag-shaped filter has an outer shape that is symmetrical up and down.
A filter replacement mask according to any one of claims 5 to 8. The bag-shaped filter has a symmetrical outer shape.
A filter replacement mask according to any one of claims 5 to 8. The nose pad of the filter attachment has a bridge portion that is continuous with the side portion that is arranged downward and open outward to the left and right, and the sandwiching portion that is opened downward in the center to the relatively thin left and right bent portions from the inside of the upper part of the left and right side portions,
A filter replacement mask according to any one of claims 2 to 4. The side portion of the nose pad has a cross-sectional shape whose width continuously decreases from the front to the back and an inner surface that is inclined outward.
12. The filter replacement mask of claim 11. The side portions of the nose pads are branched in parallel from a point below the middle position, bent inward at an angle of 30 degrees or less, and have a thickness that decreases continuously from the vicinity of the point downward.
13. The filter replacement mask of claim 12. The bridge portion of the nose pad has a relatively thin bent portion and an inverted U-shaped sandwiching portion made of a beam portion having a relatively thick cross section.
12. The filter replacement mask of claim 11. The inverted U-shaped beam portion of the clamping portion is configured to have an inner surface that is inclined outward in the front-to-rear direction.
15. The filter replacement mask of claim 14. The left and right side contact parts are relatively thin, and are connected from the inside of the upper part of the left and right side parts to the left and right bent parts and the lower end of the clamping part with an approximately constant width, and have a gap in the middle that continues from the slit part of the clamping part with an even narrower width.
16. The filter replacement mask of claim 15. The annular pressing portion extends generally downward and outward from the lower ends of the left and right side portions of the nose pad portion, and is formed in an annular shape to the pinching portion at the lower center.
14. A filter replacement mask according to any one of claims 2 to 4 or claim 13. The annular pressing portion is bent from the lower end of the left and right side portions outward, inward, outward, inward, and further outward with a relatively large curvature generally downward and opening outward to the left and right, and has a serpentine-shaped side portion at the upper part that is continuously extended to the boundary portion at the middle point,
18. The filter replacement mask of claim 17. The annular pressing portion extends outwardly from the border portion to the clamping portion at the lower center in a convex shape and has a chin rest portion at the lower portion.
19. A filter replacement mask according to claim 17 or 18. The clamping portion at the lower center has slits on the left and right that are inclined in two directions from an introduction portion that opens upward to a downward direction and a direction that opens outward to the left and right.
5. The filter replacement mask according to claim 3 or 4. The upper edge pressing portion in the first half extends continuously from the vicinity of the lower end of the left and right side portions to the boundary portion at the midpoint in a serpentine shape, and the lower edge pressing portion in the second half extends continuously from the boundary portion to the clamping portion at the lower center in an outwardly convex shape, and each is arranged in parallel along the annular pressing portion.
5. The filter replacement mask according to claim 4. The temple portion extends generally downward and outward from the left and right side portions of the nose pad portion, and is connectable at the left and right ends.
5. A filter replacement mask according to claim 2, wherein the mask is made of a material that is not particularly limited. The temple portion extends from a portion of the side portion that is relatively thick in the front-rear direction and biased toward the front.
23. The filter replacement mask of claim 22. The temple portion has a meandering-shaped face support temple portion in the front half, which extends from the left and right side portions.
24. A filter replacement mask according to claim 22 or claim 23. The temple portion is linearly taken out from the left and right side portions in the downward direction in the direction of opening outward to the left and right, is continuously bent with a relatively large curvature and extended linearly upward, and further bent with a relatively large curvature and extended linearly downward to a branching portion at the middle point. The face support temple portion has a serpentine shape in the front half.
25. The filter replacement mask of claim 24. The face pad portion is configured in a parallel arrangement close to the left and right side portions of the nose pad portion to the branch portion at the middle portion,
26. A filter replacement mask according to claim 24 or claim 25. The temple portion has a rear temple portion in a downward direction from the branch portion at the middle point, in which a linear approximation frame portion and a meandering shape expansion portion are connected,
27. A filter replacement mask according to claim 25 or claim 26. The temple portion has hole-shaped connecting portions or hook-shaped connecting portions at the left and right ends.
23. The filter replacement mask of claim 22. The left and right connecting portions are relatively thin and flat except for the hook-shaped portion.
29. The filter replacement mask of claim 28. The temple portion has a stopper portion protruding outward and rearward near the left and right side portions,
27. A filter replacement mask according to any one of claims 23 to 26. The filter attachment has a curved configuration in which the front side of each part is a common flat surface, the rear side has a concave-convex shape of within a few millimeters, and the side of each part is formed of a slope.
31. A filter replacement mask according to any one of claims 11 to 30. A transparent sheet large enough to cover both eyes is fitted under the bridge and along the sides of the nose pads from a recess provided in the lower center of the transparent sheet, and is sandwiched between the temples and the upper edge holder, and is hooked onto the protruding stoppers of the temples at the step portions on the left and right inner sides of the recess.
31. The filter replacement mask of claim 30. Two continuous filter sheets made of multiple layers of nonwoven fabric are each individually welded in a plurality of discrete locations in opposite directions from a position corresponding to the rear end of the opening of the bag-like filters arranged adjacently in a plurality of opposite directions in the sheet width direction perpendicular to the continuous direction, and then the discrete fusion locations are aligned and overlapped, and the sheets are welded at a certain width or more along the outer shape corresponding to the bag-like portions of the bag-like filters arranged adjacently in a plurality of opposite directions in the sheet width direction, and further incisions are made along the outer shape including the welded locations of the bag-like filters arranged in a plurality of opposite directions in the sheet width direction.
A method for producing the bag-shaped filter of the filter replacement mask according to any one of claims 5 to 10.