JP7478324B2 - Coolable mask - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coolable mask equipped with a cooling sheet having a cooling composition in a hydrous gel layer.

In recent years, the spread of infectious diseases has dramatically increased user awareness and societal demand for antibacterial and antiviral agents, and it is becoming common for healthy people, other than patients, medical workers, and food service workers, to wear sanitary masks that cover the nose and mouth on a daily basis.

On the other hand, there are also secondary drawbacks to wearing sanitary masks on a daily basis. In recent years, the frequent occurrence of heatstroke during outdoor activities, especially in the summer, has become a problem, and wearing a sanitary mask causes heat to remain near the nose and mouth, which further induces heatstroke. Therefore, there is a growing social demand for measures that can prevent heatstroke while wearing a sanitary mask.

One method for cooling clothes in summer is to spray menthol onto them, and there are also examples of using this method to spray menthol onto sanitary masks or to soak masks in menthol (Patent Document 1). However, menthol only stimulates the nerves on the skin and mucous membranes to give a cooling sensation, and does not dissipate heat, so it cannot be a fundamental measure against heat stroke.

Also, there is a sheet-type cooling agent that has an excellent heat-removing effect, which contains a large amount of water stably and provides a sustained heat-removing effect (Patent Document 2). However, this sheet-type cooling agent is made by laminating a gel-like cooling composition onto a nonwoven fabric, and is attached to the skin due to the adhesiveness of the cooling composition, and cannot be attached to a mask as is. In addition, the cooling composition of the sheet-type cooling agent contains a large amount of water, so it is somewhat heavy and needs to be firmly attached and attached to the mask. Furthermore, since the sheet-type cooling agent has low gas permeability, attaching it to a mask may hinder the inhalation of outside air, which is the original purpose of the mask, and may not be able to achieve the heat-removing effect.

Utility Model Registration No. 3066215 JP 2002-241746 A

In light of these circumstances, the applicant aims to provide a mask that can be cooled by simply and securely attaching a cooling sheet having a cooling composition in a water-containing gel layer to the face side of the mask body to remove heat from the face, while at the same time allowing good ventilation within the mask body and preventing heat retention.

The present invention, which was created to solve the above problems,
A mask that can be cooled by attaching a cooling sheet having a water-containing gel layer to the nose and mouth side of a mask body,
The cooling sheet is
The vertical length is less than half the vertical length of the mask body, and the horizontal length is approximately the same as the horizontal length of the mask body or the length between both side edges,
The hydrous gel layer is composed of a sheet member supporting the hydrous gel layer, and a resin film member preventing water evaporation from an exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer.
The sheet member is placed opposite the nose and mouth side of the mask body, and the upper edge and both side edge portions of the cooling sheet are fixed to the upper edge and both side edge portions of the mask body, respectively, and a gap is provided between the lower edge portion of the cooling sheet and the sheet member relative to the nose and mouth side of the mask body.

In this mask that can be cooled, a cooling sheet with a layer of hydrous gel that is less than half the size of the mask is attached vertically to the upper part of the nose and mouth side (back side) of the mask body, which is usually the nose side, and the hydrous gel layer directly or indirectly contacts the area near the nose, thereby removing heat near the nose and preventing heat stroke, etc. In addition, the upper edge and both side edges of the cooling sheet are fixed to the upper edge and both side edges of the mask body, and a gap is provided between the sheet member and the back side of the mask body, and the sheet member is released from an opening provided at the lower edge, so that hot air does not stagnate inside the mask, and outside air that enters through the mask body can reach the mouth through the gap between the sheet member and the back side of the mask body.

The cooling sheet is
The hydrous gel layer is laminated on the sheet member, leaving the upper edge and both side edges of the sheet member open, and the exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer is covered with the film member having a size that reaches the upper edge and both side edges of the sheet member,
It is preferable that the cooling sheet and the mask body are fixed to each other by pressing the upper and both side edges of the sheet member and film member of the cooling sheet to the upper and both side edges of the mask body.

In this coolable mask, a small hydrous gel layer is laminated only on the edge of the sheet member of the cooling sheet, and a film member made of resin of the same size as the sheet member is placed on top of it to prevent evaporation of water from the hydrous gel layer. The upper and both edge portions of the mask body, the upper and both edge portions of the sheet member, and the upper and both edge portions of the film member are laminated and pressed together, so that the mask body and the sheet member are fixed with the film member that melts easily. By pressing in this way, the cooling sheet can be easily fixed to the mask body. In addition, when the pressed film member is peeled off, the boundary line with the pressed part becomes the cutting line, so the film member can be removed cleanly and easily, and the exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer can be attached to the skin. In addition, since the film member is pressed to the mask body while covering the exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer, even users who do not want the hydrous gel layer to come into contact with their skin can wear the mask without peeling off the film member, and can obtain gradual heat dissipation.

In addition, a resilient wire member can be embedded laterally along the upper edge of the mask body.

In this coolable mask, an elastic wire member made of metal or the like is inserted and arranged across the upper edge in the horizontal direction. By bending the wire member to fit the nose, it is possible to prevent the upper part of the mask body from opening due to the weight of the cooling sheet. In addition, when a user wishes to remove heat from the mouth or cheeks, this coolable mask can be worn upside down with the cooling sheet located at the bottom. In this case, the wire member supports the mask body along the lower jaw, so that the weight of the cooling sheet located at the bottom due to the inversion is received by the lower jaw via the wire member, preventing it from slipping off.
Furthermore, the present coolable mask may be originally designed with the cooling sheet located below the mask body, and the wire member may be internally disposed across the lateral direction of the lower edge. Specifically, the mask has the following configuration.

In another embodiment of the present coolable mask,
A mask that can be cooled by attaching a cooling sheet having a water-containing gel layer to the nose and mouth side of a mask body,
The cooling sheet is
The vertical length is less than half the vertical length of the mask body, and the horizontal length is approximately the same as the horizontal length of the mask body or the length between both side edges,
The hydrous gel layer is composed of a sheet member supporting the hydrous gel layer, and a resin film member preventing water evaporation from an exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer.
The sheet member is placed opposite the nose and mouth side of the mask body, and the lower edge and both side edges of the cooling sheet are fixed to the lower edge and both side edges of the mask body, respectively, and a gap is provided between the upper edge of the cooling sheet and the sheet member relative to the nose and mouth side of the mask body.

The cooling sheet is
The hydrous gel layer is laminated leaving the lower edge and both side edges of the sheet member open, and the exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer is covered with the film member having a size that reaches the lower edge and both side edges of the sheet member,
It is preferable that the cooling sheet and the mask body are fixed to each other by pressing the lower edge and both side edge portions of the sheet member and film member of the cooling sheet to the lower edge and both side edge portions of the mask body.

Furthermore, an elastic wire member can be embedded laterally along the lower edge of the mask body.

The coolable mask of the present invention provides a coolable mask that removes heat from the face by simply and securely attaching a cooling sheet having a cooling composition in a water-containing gel layer to the face side of the mask body, while at the same time providing good ventilation within the mask body and preventing heat retention.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of the coolable mask of the present invention as viewed from the front. FIG. 2 is a photograph of the coolable mask of the present invention as seen from the back (nose and mouth side). 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 in a state in which a cooling sheet is attached to a mask body, and FIG. 2B is a schematic view taken along line AA. FIG. 13 is a photograph of another embodiment of the coolable mask as viewed from the back. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the coolable mask of FIG. 4 with a gap between the cooling sheet and the mask body for easier understanding.

First, an example of the coolable mask of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a photograph of the coolable mask 10 (hereinafter, simply referred to as "the mask 10" or "mask 10") as seen from the front, and Figure 2 is a photograph of the mask 10 as seen from the back (nose and mouth side).

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the mask 10 has a mask body 12 that covers the lower part of the user's face, including the nose and mouth, like a general-purpose sanitary mask, and a pair of hooking means 14 that are attached to two points, one above the other and one below the other, on each side of the mask body 12 so that they can be hooked over the user's left and right ears. The mask body 12 is made of nonwoven fabric, paper, or porous resin material that allows outside air to pass through when suctioned. In the example of Figs. 1 and 2, the mask body 12 is made by overlapping the outer fabric and the lining, folding back the outer edge and crimping it (see crimping marks 15). In this crimping process, both ends of the hooking means 14 are clamped and crimped to fix the hooking means 14 to the mask body 12.

The mask body 12 also has pleats 16 (see pleats 16a, 16b in Figure 1) that extend horizontally and are folded up and down to create a three-dimensional effect when worn and to create space for air to stagnate inside. The mask body 12 of this mask 10 is made of paper and has pleats 16 to create a three-dimensional effect, but if another elastic material such as resin is used, it is possible to consider not using pleats 18 and instead making the material three-dimensional, or using elasticity to expand and contract to create a three-dimensional shape when worn.

In the example of Figs. 1 and 2, a cooling sheet 20 with a hydrous gel layer 22 is attached to the nose and mouth side (Fig. 1) of the mask body 12. Fig. 3(a) is a simplified cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 1 with the cooling sheet 20 attached to the mask body 12, and Fig. 3(b) is a simplified view taken along line A-A. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the cooling sheet 20 has a laminated shape in which a hydrous gel layer 22 is attached to the surface of a sheet member 23, and a film member 23 that prevents water evaporation during storage is attached to the exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer 22.

The sheet member 23 is made of nonwoven fabric or the like. The hydrogel layer 22 on the sheet member 20 is a patch-type coolant that is attached to the entire surface of the sheet member 23, leaving at least both sides and the upper edge 24 of the sheet member 23. By simply attaching the exposed surface of the hydrogel layer 22 to the area where heat removal is desired, the heat removal effect is immediately achieved, making it easy to use and preventing it from slipping off the forehead.

The hydrous gel layer 22 utilizes the mechanism of lowering the skin temperature by utilizing the heat of vaporization of water, and therefore as a cooling (heat-removing) material, it is one that contains a lot of water but has self-shape retention and adhesive properties. For example, it is prepared from natural water-soluble polymers such as gum tragacanth, karaya gum, gum arabic, sodium alginate, mannan, gelatin, and pectin, or synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyacrylic acid and its salts, and carboxyvinyl polymer (CVP).

The sheet member 23 is not particularly limited as long as it can support the hydrous gel layer 22 by laminating it, and has appropriate moisture permeability so as not to impede the moisture release (water evaporation) of the hydrous gel layer 22, and various woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, films, etc. can be used. Specific examples include natural fibers such as cotton, linen, and wool; cellulosic fibers such as rayon and acetate; synthetic fibers such as nylon, vinylon, styrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and acrylic; and natural fibers such as cotton, linen, and wool. Styrol, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, etc. may also be used.

The thickness of the hydrogel layer 22 as an adhesive coolant that is applied, spread, and laminated on the sheet member 23 is usually 10 to 10,000 μm, preferably 500 to 5,000 μm, from the viewpoints of usability, heat absorption, etc.

As described above, the cooling sheet 20 is configured to exhibit heat removal performance by comprising a sheet member 23 and a hydrous gel layer 22 laminated on its surface, but in order to prevent water evaporation from the hydrous gel layer 22 and for ease of handling and hygienic reasons, a film member 21 is laminated over the entire surface of the hydrous gel layer 22, which is peeled off and removed during use (although as described below, there are cases where it is not peeled off and removed).

Such film member 21 can be made of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, etc.

The cooling sheet 20 has both sides and upper edges pressed against both sides and upper edges of the mask body 12 (see reference numeral 24). At this time, the length and width of the mask body 12, the film member 21, and the sheet member 22 are approximately the same, and the length and width of the hydrogel layer 22 are small except for the edge 24 of the sheet member 22, so the mask body 12, the sheet member 22, and the film member 21 are pressed against each other in a layered state. During pressing, the film member 21 melts and cools, and the sheet member 22 is fixed with the film member 21 in between (see pressing marks 16).

When the user uses the mask 10, the boundary between the crimped edge 24 and the uncrimped portion of the film member 21 serves as a cutting guide and the film member 21 is peeled off from the hydrous gel layer 22. In addition, if the user does not want the exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer 22 to come into direct contact with the face, for example when wearing makeup, the film member 21 can be used as is without peeling it off, although the heat dissipation properties and breathability from the sheet member 22 will decrease, and the needs of various users can be met.

Furthermore, to ensure breathability, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the cooling sheet 20 is not fixed to the mask body 12 except for the edge 24, and has a gap 25 when in use. As a result, when the mask 10 is worn and the shape is changed three-dimensionally, the gap 25 also expands, and outside air passes through the gap 25 to stagnate inside the mask body 12, preventing heat from building up (see also FIG. 5 described later).

In addition, an elastic or flexible wire member 26 is inserted horizontally along the upper edge of the mask body 12. Normally, this wire member 26 is curved (or bent) to conform to the shape of the nose, but the mask body 12 can also be worn upside down with the wire member 26 positioned on the bottom.

Figure 4 also illustrates a coolable mask 100 as an example of a case where the mask body 12 in Figures 1 and 2 is originally designed to be worn upside down. Figure 4 is a photograph of the coolable mask 100 as seen from the back (same perspective as Figure 1), and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the coolable mask 100 with a gap between the cooling sheet 120 and the mask body 112 for easier understanding. Note that in Figures 4 and 5, reference numbers with the same last two digits as those in Figures 1 to 3 indicate the same type of components.

The above describes an embodiment of the coolable mask of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and those skilled in the art will understand that other modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and teachings of the claims and the description of the specification, etc.

10,100 Coolable mask (mask)
12, 112 Mask body 14, 114 Hooking means 15 Pressure mark 16 Pleats 20, 120 Cooling sheet 21 Film member 22 Water-containing gel layer 23 Sheet member 24 Edge 25, 125 Gap
26, 126 Wire member

Claims (6)

A mask that can be cooled by attaching a cooling sheet having a water-containing gel layer to the nose and mouth side of a mask body,
The cooling sheet is
The vertical length is less than half the vertical length of the mask body, and the horizontal length is approximately the same as the horizontal length of the mask body or the length between both side edges,
The hydrous gel layer is composed of a sheet member supporting the hydrous gel layer, and a resin film member preventing water evaporation from an exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer.
The sheet member is placed opposite the nose and mouth side of the mask body, and the upper edge and both side edge portions of the cooling sheet are fixed to the upper edge and both side edge portions of the mask body, respectively, and a gap is provided between the lower edge portion of the cooling sheet and the sheet member relative to the nose and mouth side of the mask body. The cooling sheet is
The hydrous gel layer is laminated on the sheet member, leaving the upper edge and both side edges of the sheet member open, and the exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer is covered with the film member having a size that reaches the upper edge and both side edges of the sheet member,
The coolable mask according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling sheet and the mask body are fixed to each other by pressing the upper and both side edges of the sheet member and film member of the cooling sheet to the upper and both side edges of the mask body. The coolable mask according to claim 1 or 2, in which an elastic wire member is disposed laterally across the upper edge of the mask body. A mask that can be cooled by attaching a cooling sheet having a water-containing gel layer to the nose and mouth side of a mask body,
The cooling sheet is
The vertical length is less than half the vertical length of the mask body, and the horizontal length is approximately the same as the horizontal length of the mask body or the length between both side edges,
The hydrous gel layer is composed of a sheet member supporting the hydrous gel layer, and a resin film member preventing water evaporation from an exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer.
The sheet member is placed opposite the nose and mouth side of the mask body, and the lower edge and both side edge portions of the cooling sheet are fixed to the lower edge and both side edge portions of the mask body, respectively, and a gap is provided between the upper edge portion of the cooling sheet and the sheet member relative to the nose and mouth side of the mask body. The cooling sheet is
The hydrous gel layer is laminated leaving the lower edge and both side edges of the sheet member open, and the exposed surface of the hydrous gel layer is covered with the film member having a size that reaches the lower edge and both side edges of the sheet member,
The coolable mask according to claim 4, wherein the cooling sheet and the mask body are fixed to each other by pressing the lower edge and both side edge portions of the sheet member and film member of the cooling sheet to the lower edge and both side edge portions of the mask body. The coolable mask according to claim 4 or 5, in which an elastic wire member is disposed laterally across the lower edge of the mask body.