JP7506416B2 - mask - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mask suitable for use as, for example, a dust mask or a medical mask.

Conventional masks of this type are described in Patent Documents 1 to 3. The mask described in Patent Document 1 has a plastic shape retainer, which has a three-dimensional shape that fits the face, inserted between the joint between the peripheral edge of the mask body and the outer periphery of the face-contact cloth.

The mask described in Patent Document 2 has an annular face pad and a filter section that is joined to the outer periphery of the face pad and bulges in a mountain shape, with pleats formed in the filter section that can be folded to become flat.

The mask described in Patent Document 3 has a mouth sheet attached to the side of the mask body that comes into contact with the target parts of the face, including the nose and mouth.

Utility Model Registration No. 3117121 JP 2006-149739 A JP 2008-302144 A

The mask described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has a plastic shape retainer with a three-dimensional shape that conforms to the face inserted between the joint between the peripheral edge of the mask body and the outer periphery of the facial cloth, which improves the adhesion between the face and the facial cloth when worn. However, the mask has problems such as a high unit price, being bulky when packed, and wasting a lot of space during transportation and storage.

In addition, the mask described in Patent Document 2 has a problem in that the pleats of the mountain-shaped filter portion are folded to become flat, requiring a process of folding the filter portion, which increases costs.

Furthermore, the mask described in Patent Document 3 has a mouth sheet formed by connecting upper and lower mouth sheets with a connecting part, and the ends of the upper and lower mouth sheets are partially overlapped with each other, and the connecting part is attached to the center of the mask body by welding or crimping, etc., resulting in problems such as labor-intensive manufacturing and high unit costs.

And while regular pleated masks (surgical masks) are inexpensive and cause no problems when transporting or storing, they do not fit well to the face, and even if a high-performance filter is used, a large amount of air leaks through the gap between the face and the mask, meaning that they do not function as a mask.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its objective is to provide a mask that is not bulky when packed, adheres better to the face when worn, and is easily manufactured.

Another objective is to provide a mask that can expand the filter portion three-dimensionally and maintain that state.

In order to achieve this object, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a filter section made of a breathable sheet material and having at least one pleat extending laterally, which pleat expands vertically when worn to cover at least the nose and mouth; a face contact body having an annular section formed in a ring shape from an elastically deformable plate material, the peripheral edge of which is joined to the filter section, and which comes into contact with the face when worn and has an opening formed at a position corresponding to at least the nose and mouth; and a hanging string for attaching the filter section and the face contact body to the face by hanging it around either the head or the ears, wherein the face contact body is formed so that a lower protruding piece protrudes like a tongue into the opening on the lower side of the annular piece, and when the filter section is expanded vertically, the face contact body elastically deforms to follow up and down , and the lower protruding piece elastically deforms so as to tilt forward of the face, spreading the filter section out three-dimensionally , and the left and right sides of the face contact body elastically deform to fit closely to the shape of the face.
In order to achieve this object, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a filter section made of a breathable sheet material and formed with at least one pleat extending laterally, which pleat expands vertically when worn to cover at least the nose and mouth; a face contact body having an annular section formed in a ring shape from an elastically deformable plate material, the peripheral edge of which is joined to the filter section and which comes into contact with the face when worn and has an opening formed at a position corresponding to at least the nose and mouth; and a hanging string for attaching the filter section and the face contact body to the face by hanging it around either the head or the ears, wherein the face contact body is formed so that an upper protruding piece protrudes like a tongue into the opening on the upper side of the annular piece, and when the filter section is expanded vertically, the face contact body elastically deforms to follow up and down, and the upper protruding piece elastically deforms so as to tilt forward of the face, spreading the filter section out three-dimensionally, and the left and right sides of the face contact body elastically deform to fit closely to the shape of the face.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower protruding pieces are formed in a pair on the lower edge side of the annular portion, symmetrically about a center line extending in the vertical direction , and these lower protruding pieces are formed so that the spacing between them narrows toward the top.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper protruding pieces are formed in a pair on the upper edge side of the annular portion , symmetrically about a center line extending in the vertical direction, and these upper protruding pieces are formed so that the spacing between them becomes wider toward the bottom, in line with the shape of the nose portion.

When the filter part of the mask according to the present invention is expanded vertically, the face contact body elastically deforms to follow the shape of the face, and the left and right sides of the face contact body elastically deform to fit closely to the shape of the face, which improves the fit to the face when worn. As a result, there are no gaps around the face, making it possible to prevent dust and other particles from leaking in.

In addition, the mask according to the present invention has at least one pleat extending laterally formed in the filter portion, and the pleats are folded flat when packed, so that the mask does not take up much space when packed, making transportation and storage extremely easy. Furthermore, since the mask according to the present invention is composed of a filter portion, a face contact body, and a string, the number of parts is small, making it easy to manufacture and providing an economical mask.

In addition, the mask according to the present invention has a hook on the lower side of the face contact body that hooks onto at least a part of the face when worn, so that the lower side of the face contact body can be hooked securely and easily. When worn, the hook is hooked onto the chin and elastically deformed to tilt forward of the face, and the filter is pushed by the protruding piece and spread out three-dimensionally, so that the filter does not easily return to its original flat state and can maintain its three-dimensionally spread state for a long time.

In addition, in the mask of the present invention, the pair of lower protruding pieces are formed so that the distance between them narrows toward the top, so that the filter part is pushed near the center, and the filter part is pushed outward in a mountain shape with the center as the apex, thereby creating a space.

In addition, in the mask of the present invention, an upper protruding piece that protrudes like a tongue into the opening is formed on the upper side of the face contact body, and when worn, the upper protruding piece fits closely to at least a part of the nose, ensuring a tight fit around the nose.

In addition, in the mask of the present invention, the pair of upper protruding pieces are formed so that the spacing between them increases downward in accordance with the shape of the nose, which further improves the fit around the nose and also allows the filter portion to be pushed open three-dimensionally by the upper protruding pieces, thereby ensuring a space.

In addition, in the mask of the present invention, one end of each of the hanging strings is joined to both upper corners of the polygon, and the other end is joined to a side edge that is approximately 1/4 of the height of the filter part in the vertical direction, making it easier to spread the filter part vertically, and since the filter part hung on the chin part is pulled by the hanging strings, it is possible to prevent the filter part below the chin part from being turned up.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the mask of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the mask of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing part A in FIG. 3 . 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state of the filter portion and the face contact body when the mask of the embodiment is worn. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the mask of the embodiment worn by a wearer. FIG. 11 is a rear view showing a mask according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a rear view showing a mask according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific embodiment of a mask according to the present invention.

Below, the mask of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

First Embodiment
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the mask 1 of this embodiment includes a filter portion 2 made of a breathable sheet material, a face contact body 3 that comes into contact with the face of the wearer, and a pair of left and right hanging strings 4 that are respectively hung on the left and right ears of the wearer.

As shown in FIG. 2, the filter section 2 is formed in a substantially heptagonal shape and has two upper edge portions 5 that are gently inclined in the left-right direction, a straight lower edge portion 6 that faces the upper edge portions 5, straight side edge portions 7a that extend linearly downward from each of the two upper edge portions 5 to a height of approximately 1/4 in the vertical direction, and inclined side edge portions 7b that incline inward in the left-right direction from the straight side edge portions 7a.

As shown in Fig. 2, the filter section 2 includes a central filter 8 formed in the center in the up-down direction, and an upper filter 9 and a lower filter 10 formed respectively above and below the central filter 8. As shown in Fig. 3, the upper filter 9 has two upper mountain folds 11 and upper valley folds 12 extending in the vertical direction, while the lower filter 10 also has two lower mountain folds 13 and lower valley folds 14 extending in the horizontal (left-right) direction, formed in the vertical direction.

3, in the filter section 2, the central filter 8 and the upper filter 9 are connected via two upper folds 15 extending between the two upper mountain folds 11 and the two upper valley folds 12, forming two upper pleats 9a. Also, the central filter 8 and the lower filter 10 are connected via two lower folds 16 extending between the two lower mountain folds 13 and the two lower valley folds 14, forming two lower pleats 10a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the filter section 2 is laminated in, for example, four layers, and from the outside to the inside, the water-absorbing filter 2a for absorbing moisture and improving the appearance, the pre-filter 2b with a thick fiber diameter for filtering large dust particles, the main filter 2c with a thin fiber diameter for filtering fine dust particles, and the water-absorbing filter 2d for mainly absorbing moisture from the wearer's breath are laminated in that order. The filter section 2 may have a three-layer structure in which the pre-filter 2b with a thick fiber diameter is omitted. In the case of this three-layer structure, the water-absorbing filter 2a has the above function and also functions as a pre-filter for filtering large dust particles. The material of the filter section 2 is not particularly limited as long as it is soft and bendable, can take in the wearer's inhaled air and expel exhaled air, and can function as a filter section that can filter inhaled and exhaled air.

As shown in Fig. 2, the filter part 2 is near the upper side 5, and the nose clip 17 is enclosed therein symmetrically with respect to the center line extending in the vertical direction. The nose clip 17 is made of, for example, stretched polyethylene, and is bent along the lateral shape of the nose part to make the filter part 2 adhere closely to the nose part. The nose clip 17 is disposed approximately in the left-right center of the face contact body 3, symmetrically between an imaginary horizontal line (shown by a two-dot chain line) connecting the upper ends of both sides of the face contact body 3 and the upper end of the face contact body 3, which is the top of the upper mountain-shaped part, so that the longitudinal direction is along the left-right direction of the mask 1. The nose clip 17 is not limited to the above-mentioned position as long as it can perform its function appropriately.

As shown in FIG. 1, the face contact body 3 is formed by punching from a flat plate material that can be elastically deformed. For example, the face contact body 3 is made of a non-breathable foamed resin material such as a foamed polyethylene sheet or a foamed polyvinyl alcohol sheet to which nonwoven fabric or pulp is attached. The face contact body 3 has an annular portion 20 formed in a ring shape. The peripheral portion 20a of this annular portion 20 is joined to the peripheral portion of the filter portion 2 via a fixing means such as welding or adhesion. That is, the face contact body 3 can be separated from the filter portion 2 because only the peripheral portion 20a of the annular portion 20 is joined to the peripheral portion of the filter portion 2, and the other portions are not joined but are simply overlapped. Therefore, the face contact body 3 can easily be elastically deformed in the vertical and horizontal directions. The peripheral portion 20a of the face contact body 3 is joined to the filter portion 2, which is overlapped at the upper mountain fold portion 11 and the upper valley fold portion 12 and the lower mountain fold portion 13 and the lower valley fold portion 14, in the overlapped state. The face contact body 3 comes into contact with the wearer's face when worn, and has an opening 21 formed at a position corresponding to the nose, mouth, and surrounding cheeks. This allows the wearer's nose and mouth to pass through the opening 21.

The annular portion 20 of the face contact body 3 is integrally formed with an upper edge portion 25, side edge portions 30 continuing from the upper edge portion 25 on the left and right, and a lower edge portion 22 continuing from these side edge portions 30. The upper edge portion 25 has a predetermined width in the vertical direction. In this case, if the width of the upper edge portion 25 of the face contact body 3 is short, the upper edge portion 25 is likely to stand up when worn, and a gap is likely to occur with the outside. In this embodiment, the vertical width of the upper edge portion 25 has a predetermined length, so that the contact area with the nose is large, and the frictional force is increased, making it difficult for the mask to slip when worn.

The face contact body 3 is provided with a hook 23 on the lower side 22 of the annular part 20 for hooking the chin, which is at least a part of the face, when worn. Therefore, the lower side 22 of the face contact body 3 hooks the chin with the hook 23, while the upper side 25 hooks the upper side 25 with two upper protruding pieces 26 (described later) provided on the upper side 25, which are in close contact with both sides of the nose, so that the filter part 2 is hooked on both the chin and nose in a vertically open state and can maintain its three-dimensional shape. In addition, if the nose clip 17 is bent along the lateral shape of the nose as described above to bring the filter part 2 into close contact with the nose, the upper side 25 side is hooked on the nose more firmly, and the filter part 2 is reliably maintained in a vertically open state by both the chin and nose, and the three-dimensional shape can be maintained for a long time.

On both sides of the hook 23, lower protrusions 24 are formed, each extending into the opening 21. These lower protrusions 24 are formed in pairs symmetrically with respect to the center line extending in the vertical direction of the face contact body 3, and are formed at an angle so that the distance between them narrows toward the top. The lower protrusions 24 are each formed with an angular tip and are formed to protrude like a tongue into the opening 21. The lower protrusions 24 are each formed to have approximately the same width up to their tip, and each tip extends to the central filter 8 formed in the vertical center of the filter part 2. In other words, the lower protrusions 24 extend so that the height in the vertical direction of the filter part 2 is the same. The lower protrusions 24 are each formed so that the sides of their tip are in the same direction as the upper folds 9a and lower folds 10a of the filter part 2. A trapezoidal opening 27, which is a part of the opening 21, is formed between the lower protrusions 24.

By widening the bottom side of the trapezoidal opening 27, the length of the hook 23 is increased, improving the hooking effect on the jaw. As a result, it becomes possible to securely hook the face contact body 3 on the jaw.

The face contact body 3 has upper protrusions 26 formed on the upper side 25 of the annular portion 20, and these upper protrusions 26 are configured to fit closely to both sides of the nose when the upper side 5 and the lower side 6 are pulled apart and spread vertically when worn. The upper protrusions 26 may be configured to fit closely to at least a part of the nose when worn. The upper protrusions 26 are formed in pairs symmetrically with respect to a center line extending in the vertical direction, and these upper protrusions 26 are formed so that the distance between them gradually increases downward along the shape of both sides of the nose, and an inverted V-shaped opening 28 is formed between them. The trapezoidal opening 27 and the inverted V-shaped opening 28 are formed to be large enough to accommodate the wearer's mouth and nose.

The upper protruding pieces 26 each have a rectangular tip and are formed to protrude like a tongue into the opening 21. The tip of each of the upper protruding pieces 26 extends to the central filter 8, similar to the lower protruding piece 24. In other words, the upper protruding pieces 26 extend to have the same height in the vertical direction in the filter section 2. The upper protruding pieces 26 are each formed so that their width gradually narrows toward their tip. The lower protruding piece 24 and the upper protruding piece 26 extend in directions approaching each other, and their tips are located close to each other.

As described above, the face contact body 3 has side edges 30 formed in an arc shape on both sides of the annular portion 20. A curved opening 31 having a predetermined curvature is formed on the inside of each of the side edges 30. The curved portion 31a forming the curved opening 31 is formed continuously with one side of each of the upper protruding piece 26 and the lower protruding piece 24.

The curved portion 31a is formed with a predetermined curvature in the vertical direction. When the curved portion 31a is pulled so as to separate the upper edge portion 5 and the lower edge portion 6 and spread vertically, it absorbs the tensile force and stretches until it becomes approximately straight. Therefore, the greater the curvature of the curved portion 31a in the vertical direction, the longer the separation length becomes, and the greater the effect of absorbing the tensile force. In this way, the curved portion 31a has the function of ensuring the pulling width and increasing the adhesion to both cheeks when it becomes approximately straight.

Here, when the face mask becomes substantially straight, if the curved portion 31a is not formed, the extension is due to the elasticity of the face contact body 3 alone, and the portion that comes into contact with the cheek becomes hard due to the tensile force, resulting in a problem that the fit is significantly impaired. However, if the curved portion 31a is formed as in this embodiment, even if the face mask appears to be straight due to the tensile force, there is still room for the face mask to extend due to elasticity, so a good fit is always obtained.

When the upper protrusions 26 are pulled apart from the upper edge 5 and the lower edge 6 to be spread vertically, the tips of the upper protrusions 26 move upward so as to approach each other, and a force acts to deform the inverted V-shaped opening 28 vertically. At that time, the tips of the upper protrusions 26 push the central filter 8 of the filter section 2, three-dimensionally expanding the upper folds 9a and the lower folds 10a. Since the tips of the upper protrusions 26 are in close proximity to each other and push the central filter 8 of the filter section 2 at the same height, the pressing force is concentrated near the center of the central filter 8. In addition, since a force acts to deform the inverted V-shaped opening 28 vertically, the contact area of the side of each upper protrusion 26 with the side of the nose section becomes wider, and the side of the nose section is strongly pressed against the side.

Similarly, when the lower protruding pieces 24 are pulled apart and spread vertically, the tips of the lower protruding pieces 24 move downward so as to approach each other. At that time, the tips of the lower protruding pieces 24 push the central filter 8 of the filter unit 2, spreading the upper pleats 9a and the lower pleats 10a three-dimensionally. Since the tips of the lower protruding pieces 24 spread the central filter 8 of the filter unit 2 at the same height while being close to each other, the pushing force is concentrated near the center of the central filter 8. Here, the lower protruding pieces 24 and the upper protruding pieces 26 have a predetermined rigidity to reliably spread the upper pleats 9a and the lower pleats 10a three-dimensionally and maintain that state.

The pair of left and right hanging strings 4 are each formed flat from an elastically stretchable rubber string. The pair of left and right hanging strings 4 may be formed from a known elastic material such as a nonwoven fabric, a woven fabric, or a plastic film. One end 4a of each of the pair of left and right hanging strings 4 is joined to the lower end of the upper side 5 of the filter part 2 along the inclination direction of the upper side 5 via means such as welding or adhesive. The other end 4b of each of the pair of left and right hanging strings 4 is joined to the inclination direction of the inclined side edge portion 7b of the filter part 2, which is approximately 1/4 the height in the vertical direction, via the same means as above. When joining the one end 4a and the other end 4b of the pair of left and right hanging strings 4, this is done at the same time as joining the outer periphery of the ring-shaped portion 20 of the face contact body 3 to the outer periphery of the filter part 2 via means such as welding or adhesive.

Next, we will explain how to use and what the effect of the mask 1 of this embodiment is.

The mask 1 is in a flat state by folding the upper pleats 9a and the lower pleats 10a. This makes the mask 1 less bulky when packed, making it extremely easy to transport and store. To wear the mask 1 configured as described above, for example, the face contact body 3 side of the mask 1 is placed against the face of the wearer, the nose clip 17 is folded to bring the face contact body 3 into close contact with the nose protuberance, and then the pair of left and right hanging strings 4 are hung around the ears. When the nose clip 17 is brought into close contact with the nose protuberance, the upper protruding pieces 26 come into close contact with both sides of the nose, and the upper part of the mask 1 is positioned. Here, the nose clip 17 is disposed approximately in the left-right centre of the face contact body 3, and is arranged symmetrically at a position halfway between an imaginary horizontal line connecting the upper ends of both sides of the face contact body 3 and the upper end of the face contact body 3, which is the apex of the upper mountain-shaped portion, with its longitudinal direction running along the left-right direction of the mask 1. Therefore, when the nose clip 17 is folded, it adheres well to the nose and the upper protruding piece 26 can reliably push out the upper folds 9a and lower folds 10a in a three-dimensional manner.

Next, the wearer uses his/her fingertips to pull the upper edge portion 5 and the lower edge portion 6 at the left-right middle part of the filter part 2 apart, spreading them vertically.

5 and 6, the face contact body 3 elastically deforms to follow the up and down movement, and the curved parts 31a of the left and right side parts 30 of the face contact body 3 expand from the shape shown by the solid line in Fig. 1 to the approximately straight line shown by the two-dot chain line after absorbing the above tensile force, and fit closely to the shape of both cheeks of the face. At this time, the inner periphery of the face contact body 3 moves away from the filter part 2, allowing the curved parts 31a to become approximately straight without changing their position in the front-to-back direction. Here, if the upper side part 5 and the lower side part 6 are pulled away from each other and expanded vertically, if the curvature of the inner curved parts 31a of the left and right side parts 30 is small, they will quickly become straight, reducing the effect of absorbing tensile force and reducing the effect of fitting closely to both cheeks of the face. Therefore, if the curved portion 31a quickly becomes straight, and the mask 1 has no room to stretch when the mouth is opened for conversation, etc., then, for example, if the chin serves as the fulcrum, the mask 1 will slide downward, whereas if the nose serves as the fulcrum, the mask 1 will slide upward from the chin, resulting in the problem that the mask cannot be held stably in a specified position on the face.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the face contact body 3 is made of an elastic material, only the peripheral portion 20a of the annular portion 20 is joined, and the curved portions 31a of the left and right side portions 30 of the face contact body 3 are formed with a predetermined curvature in the vertical direction, so that the face contact body 3 absorbs the above-mentioned tensile force and stretches until it becomes approximately straight, and the restoring force exerts an appropriate pressure on both cheeks, so that the left and right side portions 30 of the face contact body 3 adhere closely to both cheeks and always maintain that state. As a result, it is possible to prevent the intrusion of foreign matter such as dust from the outside, and even when the mouth is open during conversation, the mask 1 does not shift upward or downward, and the mask 1 can be stably held in a predetermined position on the face.

When the upper edge 5 and the lower edge 6 are pulled apart and spread vertically, and the hooking portion 23 of the face contact body 3 is hooked to the chin, the lower edge 6 of the face contact body 3 is elastically deformed so as to tilt forward of the face. Then, the central filter 8 of the filter part 2 is pushed by the respective tips of the pair of lower protruding pieces 26 on the left and right, and the upper folds 9a and the lower folds 10a are three-dimensionally spread. More specifically, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the tips of the lower protruding pieces 24 move downward so as to approach each other. At that time, the central filter 8 of the filter part 2 is pushed by the respective tips of the lower protruding pieces 24, and the upper folds 9a and the lower folds 10a are three-dimensionally spread. Since the tips of the lower protruding pieces 24 are close to each other and spread the central filter 8 of the filter part 2 at the same height, the pressure is concentrated near the center of the central filter 8, and the upper folds 9a and the lower folds 10a can be reliably spread three-dimensionally. And, because this state is supported by the lower protruding piece 24, the filter portion 2 does not easily return to its original flat state, and can maintain the three-dimensionally expanded state for a long time.

At the same time, the central filter 8 of the filter part 2 is pushed by the tips of the upper protruding pieces 24, and the upper pleats 9a and the lower pleats 10a are three-dimensionally expanded. Specifically, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the tips of the upper protruding pieces 26 move upward so as to approach each other, and a force that deforms the inverted V-shaped opening 28 vertically acts. At that time, the tips of the upper protruding pieces 26 push the central filter 8 of the filter part 2 to three-dimensionally expand the upper pleats 9a and the lower pleats 10a. Since the tips of the upper protruding pieces 26 are pushed to the same height of the central filter 8 of the filter part 2 in a state where they are close to each other, the pressing force is concentrated near the center of the central filter 8, and the upper pleats 9a and the lower pleats 10a can be reliably pushed to three-dimensionally. And, since this state is supported by the upper protruding pieces 26, the filter part 2 does not easily return to its original flat state, and the three-dimensionally expanded state can be maintained for a long time.

In addition, because a force acts to deform the inverted V-shaped opening 28 vertically, the contact area of the side of each upper protruding piece 26 with the side of the nose becomes larger, and the upper protruding piece 26 is strongly pressed against the side of the nose, increasing the frictional force and improving the fit around the nose. In this way, the nose, mouth, and cheeks of the wearer are covered by the mask 1.

As described above, in this embodiment, the nose clip 17 is bent to bring the face contact body 3 into contact with the nose protuberance and position the top of the mask 1, and then the filter part 2 is pulled with the fingertips to elastically deform the face contact body 3 so that it follows the up and down movement, causing the hook part 23 of the face contact body 3 to hook onto the chin. This causes a vertical contraction force of the face contact body 3 to act on the face, further increasing the adhesion to the face.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the filter part 2 is expanded vertically, the face contact body 3 elastically deforms vertically to follow the shape of the face, and the left and right sides of the face contact body 3 elastically deform to fit closely to the shape of the face, which improves the fit to the face when worn. As a result, it becomes possible to prevent the intrusion of foreign matter such as dust from the left and right of the face contact body 3.

In addition, the mask 1 of this embodiment has upper pleats 9a and lower pleats 10a extending laterally in the filter portion 2, and since the upper pleats 9a and lower pleats 10a are folded and flat when packed, the mask does not take up much space when packed, making transportation and storage extremely easy. Furthermore, the mask 1 of this embodiment is composed of the filter portion 2, the face contact body 3, and a pair of left and right hanging strings 4, so that the number of parts is small, manufacturing is easy, and an economical mask 1 can be provided.

In addition, according to this embodiment, a hook portion 23 is provided on the lower edge portion 22 of the facial contact body 2 for hooking the chin, which is at least a part of the face, when the face contact body 2 is worn, so that the lower edge portion 22 of the facial contact body 2 can be hooked securely and easily.

In addition, when the mask is worn, the hook portion 23 hooks onto the chin and elastically deforms so as to tilt forward of the face, and the filter portion 2 is pushed by the lower protruding piece 24 and spread out three-dimensionally. This state is supported by the lower protruding piece 24, so that the filter portion 2 does not easily return to its original flat state, and the three-dimensionally spread out state can be maintained for a long time.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the pair of lower protruding pieces 24 are formed so that the distance between them narrows toward the top, so that the vicinity of the center of the central filter 8 of the filter part 2 is pressed, making it possible to expand the central filter 8 into a mountain shape with the vicinity of the center as the apex. This makes it possible to secure a space and prevent the wearer from having difficulty breathing.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the pair of lower protruding pieces 24 have their respective tip edges formed in the same direction as the upper pleats 9a and lower pleats 10a of the filter portion 2 when the mask 1 is folded. Therefore, when the filter portion 2 is expanded vertically, the tip edges of the lower protruding pieces 24 come into contact with the central filter 8 as the face contact body 3 elastically deforms, making it possible to reliably push open the upper pleats 9a and lower pleats 10a.

In addition, according to this embodiment, an upper protruding piece 26 is formed on the upper side 25 of the face contact body 3, protruding like a tongue that extends into the opening 21, and the upper protruding piece 26 adheres closely to both sides of the nose when worn, ensuring a tight fit around the nose. In this case, the upper protruding piece 26 may be made to adhere closely to at least a part of the nose.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the pair of upper protruding pieces 26 are formed so that the spacing between them increases downward in accordance with the shape of the nose, which further improves the fit around the nose and also allows the filter part 2 to be pushed open three-dimensionally by the upper protruding pieces 26, thereby ensuring a space.

In addition, according to this embodiment, one end 4a of the hanging string 4 is joined to both upper corners near the lower end of the upper edge portion 5 of the filter part 2, and the other end 4b of each is joined to a side edge portion 7a that is approximately 1/4 the height of the filter part 2 in the vertical direction. This makes it easier to spread the filter part 2 vertically, and since the filter part 2 hung on the jaw part is pulled by the hanging string 4, it is possible to prevent the filter part 2 below the jaw part from being turned up.

In addition, if the other ends 4b of the hanging cords 4 are attached to the two lowest corners of the filter section 2, the lower edge 6 of the filter section 2 will be pulled by the hanging cords 4, which can cause discomfort or discomfort around the throat. Therefore, by attaching the other ends 4b to the side edges at a height of approximately 1/4 in the vertical direction as in this embodiment, these problems can be eliminated.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the tips of the pair of lower protruding pieces 24 and the pair of upper protruding pieces 26 are each formed in an angular shape, so that these corners can easily catch on the vicinity of the center of the central filter 8 of the filter part 2, and it becomes possible to reliably and easily expand the filter part into a three-dimensional shape with the vicinity of the center of the central filter 8 of the filter part 2 as the apex.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the tips of the lower protruding piece 24 and the upper protruding piece 26 extend so that they are at the same height in the vertical direction in the filter section 2. Therefore, the tips of the lower protruding piece 24 and the upper protruding piece 26 are close to each other and push the central filter 8 of the filter section 2 at the same height. As a result, the pushing force is concentrated near the center of the central filter 8, and the upper pleats 9a and the lower pleats 10a can be reliably pushed open in a three-dimensional manner.

In addition, according to this embodiment, a curved portion 31a is formed on the inside of the side portion 30, so that when the upper edge portion 5 and the lower edge portion 6 are pulled apart and expanded vertically, the pulling width can be secured, and when the mask is made to be approximately straight, the mask can be more closely fitted to both cheeks.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 7 is a rear view showing a mask according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In addition, parts that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment are given the same symbols and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

As shown in Figure 7, the mask 1A of this embodiment has an arc-shaped protrusion 29 formed in place of the upper protrusion piece 26 of the first embodiment. Between the arc-shaped protrusions 29, an inverted V-shaped opening 29a is formed, which has a different shape from the inverted V-shaped opening 28 of the first embodiment.

The arc-shaped protrusion 29 curves gently in the left-right direction from the left-right center of the upper side 25 of the annular part 20 downward, and is formed up to both left and right side parts 30. The arc -shaped protrusion 29 is configured to fit closely along both side surfaces of the nose when worn.

Specifically, when the mask 1A of this embodiment is stretched vertically by pulling the upper edge 5 and the lower edge 6 apart, the tips of the arcuate projections 29 move upward so as to approach each other, and a force acts to deform the inverted V-shaped opening 29a vertically. Therefore, the contact area of the inverted V-shaped opening 28 with the side of the nose becomes wider, and the opening is strongly pressed against the side of the nose, increasing the frictional force and improving the fit around the nose. Other than these actions and effects, the mask is the same as the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 8 is a rear view showing a mask according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In addition, parts that are the same as or correspond to those in the first embodiment are given the same symbols and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the mask 1B of this embodiment does not have a lower protruding piece 24 formed on the lower edge portion 22 side of the first embodiment, and the hook portion 23 is formed longer than in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the hook portion 23 is longer than in the first embodiment, so the hooking effect of the jaw is improved and the jaw can be securely and easily hooked to the hook portion 23. The other configurations and functions are the same as in the first embodiment, so their explanation is omitted.

Other Embodiments
Although each embodiment of the present invention has been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention.

In each of the above embodiments, a pair of hanging straps 4 are attached to the left and right ears of the wearer, respectively, but this is not limited to this and it may also be a single strap each on the top and bottom that is wrapped around the wearer's head.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, an example has been described in which two upper pleats 9a and two lower pleats 10a are formed in the vertical direction of the central filter 8, but this is not limited to this, and one upper pleat 9a and one lower pleat 10a may be formed, or only one set of wide mountain folds and valley folds may be formed near the center of the filter portion 2.

Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, an example has been described in which the filter section 2 is formed into an approximately heptagonal shape, but this is not limited to this and the filter section 2 may be formed into any other polygonal shape.

Furthermore, without being limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, any configuration may be used as long as, when the filter portion 2 is expanded vertically, the face contact body 3 elastically deforms to follow the vertical movement, and the left and right sides of the face contact body 3 elastically deform to fit closely to the shape of the face.

(Example)
Next, a specific example of the mask of the first embodiment will be described.

Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific embodiment of a mask according to the present invention. Note that Figure 9 is a quantitative fit test, which is the result of quantitatively measuring mask leakage. In Figure 9, FF stands for Fit Factor, which is the number of particles outside the mask divided by the number of particles inside the mask.

In this example, the test machine used was a PortaCounter Pro 8038 made by TSI, USA, as a fit tester, the test method was N95 companion mode (N95 on mode), and the evaluation movement was an exercise with eight movements. Wearer A and wearer B have different face sizes. These exercises were performed on a general pleated mask and the mask 1 (wearer A and wearer B) of the first embodiment in which the filter portion 2 is laminated in four layers as shown in Figure 4, and the total protection count and average leakage rate were obtained as shown in Figure 9.

As shown in Figure 9, for each exercise, it was found that the total protection factor and average leakage rate were significantly improved for both wearer A and wearer B when using the mask 1 of the first embodiment compared to a general pleated mask.

These results are due to the fact that when the mask 1 of the first embodiment is worn, it adheres extremely closely to the face, eliminating any gaps around the face and preventing the leakage of dust and other particles.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...mask 2...filter section 2a...absorbent filter 2b...prefilter 2c...main filter 2d...absorbent filter 3...face contact body 4...hanging string 4a...one end 4b...other end 5...upper edge portion 6...lower edge portion 7...side edge portion 7a...straight side edge portion 7b...inclined side edge portion 8...central filter 9...upper filter 9a...upper pleats 10...lower filter 10a...lower pleats 11...upper mountain fold portion 12...upper valley fold portion 13...lower mountain fold portion 14...lower valley fold portion 15...upper fold portion 16...lower fold portion 17...nose clip 20...annular portion 20a...periphery 21...opening 22...lower edge portion 23...hook portion 24...lower protruding piece 25...upper edge portion 26...upper protruding piece 27...trapezoidal opening 28...inverted V-shaped opening 29...arcuate protruding portion 30...side edge portion 31...curved opening 31a...curved portion

Claims (4)

a filter section made of a breathable sheet material, having at least one pleat extending in a horizontal direction formed thereon, the pleat expanding in a vertical direction when worn to cover at least the nose and mouth sections;
a face contact body having an annular portion formed in an annular shape from an elastically deformable plate material, a peripheral portion of the annular portion being joined to the filter portion, the face contact body being in contact with the face when the face contact body is worn, and having openings formed at positions corresponding to at least the nose portion and the mouth portion;
A string is provided for attaching the filter unit and the face contact unit to the face by wrapping the string around either the head or the ears,
The face contact body is formed such that a lower protruding piece protrudes into the opening like a tongue on a lower side of the annular part,
This mask is characterized in that, when the filter portion is spread vertically, the face contact body elastically deforms to follow the vertical movement, and the lower protruding piece elastically deforms to tilt forward of the face, spreading the filter portion out three-dimensionally , and the left and right sides of the face contact body elastically deform to fit closely to the shape of the face. a filter section made of a breathable sheet material, having at least one pleat extending in a horizontal direction formed thereon, the pleat expanding in a vertical direction when worn to cover at least the nose and mouth sections;
a face contact body having an annular portion formed in an annular shape from an elastically deformable plate material, a peripheral portion of the annular portion being joined to the filter portion, the face contact body being in contact with the face when the face contact body is worn, and having openings formed at positions corresponding to at least the nose portion and the mouth portion;
A string is provided for attaching the filter unit and the face contact unit to the face by wrapping the string around either the head or the ears,
The face contact body is formed such that an upper protruding piece protrudes into the opening like a tongue on an upper side of the annular portion,
This mask is characterized in that, when the filter portion is spread vertically, the face contact body elastically deforms to follow the vertical movement, and the upper protruding piece elastically deforms to tilt forward of the face, spreading the filter portion out three-dimensionally, and the left and right sides of the face contact body elastically deform to fit closely to the shape of the face. The mask according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower protrusion pieces are formed in a pair on the lower side of the annular portion symmetrically about a center line extending in the vertical direction , and the spacing between the lower protrusion pieces becomes narrower toward the top. 3. The mask according to claim 2, characterized in that the upper protrusions are formed as a pair on the upper side of the annular portion symmetrically about a center line extending in the vertical direction, and the upper protrusions are formed so that the spacing between them becomes wider downward in accordance with the shape of the nose portion .

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