US2039234A

US2039234A - Respiratory mask

Info

Publication number: US2039234A
Application number: US708900A
Authority: US
Inventors: Malcom Robert
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-01-29
Filing date: 1934-01-29
Publication date: 1936-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 1953-04-28

Description

April 28, 1936. R MALCOM 2,039,234

' RESPIRATORY MASK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1934 April 28, 1936- R. MALCOM RESPIRATORY MASK Filed Jan. 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M lllllllllllllll Patented Apr. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates particularly to the type of protective masks to which breathin air is supplied under pressurefrom any suitable source while being used in sand blasting and other occupations where harmful dusts and toxic fumes and gases are present, but it also is applicable to masks of other types.

It is an object of the invention to provide a' soft moulded rubber mask-facepiece with its essential parts integrally formed as an article complete in itself and ready for use.

Among other objects of the invention are to provide improved len's mounting, head-harness, and means for connecting the harness to the facepiece.

When considered with thedescription herein, the characteristics of the invention are apparent in the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, wherein embodiments of the invention are disclosed, for purposes of illustration.

Although the disclosure herein exemplify what now are considered to be preferable embodi-' ments of the invention, it is to be understood that it is not the intention to be limited necessarily thereto in interpretation of the claims, as modifications and adaptations within the limits of the claims can be made without departing from the nature of the invention.

Like reference-characters refer to corresponding parts in the views of the drawings, of which- Fig. 1 is a view of the mask and associated parts in place on a user;

Fig. 2 is a view of the other side of the mask;

Fig. 3 is a view illustrative more particularly of the disposition of the head-harness with respect to the facepiece;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the facepiece;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section thereof;

Fig. 6 is a section illustrative of a lens mountins;

Fig. '7 is a section illustrative of the mounting on the facepiece of a member of a head-harness fastener.

The facepiece 3 is of soft moulded rubber capable of adapting itself to practically any facial contour and with substantially all of its essential parts integrally formed on its main wall 9.

This wall has on each side substantially horizontal elongated protuberances l and II, which begin at the rear with pipe-sections l2 and 53, respectively, slightly separated from the main wall as shown at I4, and which continue forand II contain air-passages l6 and II, which afford communication between the pipe-sections and orifices l8 and I9 at the sides of the space A.

At the top, the front protruding wall gradually recedes and narrows into a nose-cover 20.

The lower part of the front protruding wall merges into a lower receding wall 2| of the space A, and the material of the facepiece thence continues as a depending wall 22 and a substantially horizontal wall 23 extending to the rear edge. The walls 2|, 22, and 23 extend upwardly at the sides and merge into the side protuberances l0 and II. The wall 23 is adapted, when the facepiece is on a face, to conform to the under side of the chin, the point of which contacts with the wall 22, whereby too much protrusion of the face into the breathing space is prevented.

A baiile 24 in the breathing space, fixed to upper and lower walls thereof, may be positioned opposite either or both of the orifices l8--l9.

Forwardly-protruding eyepieces 25 are positioned above the upper wall of the breathing space.

For the mounting of separable-fastener members on the facepiece, its material at requisite places near the edge is thickened to afford approximately dome-like outwardly-protruding parts 26, the bases of which merge into the material except on the side toward the edge, and under each of these parts there is a recess 21 open toward the edge of the facepiece. At these places, strong reenforcement fabric 28 is secured to the facepiece material proper and the under side of the parts 26, as shown by Fig. 7.

The facepiece and its parts so far described are of flexible material, such as rubber for example, moulded as an integral article, which is complete in itself and ready for use when harness-fastener members, window structures, and an exhaling device are fixed permanently therein and thereto.

Each of the eyepieces is fitted with a lens 29 or other suitable transparent sheet, which is sur- 1 into the surrounding material thereof in the following manner, as shown by Fig.6.

The material is thick at the rear to afford an annular portion 32 that envelopes the abutment 3| and abuts at its frontfedge the adjacent marginal portion of the lens, and there is a forward extension 33 of the material that covers the outer periphery of thering 30 and extends inwardly and backwardly over the outer edge and against the inner periphery with its edge abutting the front marginal portion of the lens opposite to the abutment edges of the portion 32. In this way, the window structure is embodied securely in the facepiece material.

Members

34, 35, 36, and 31 of separable fasteners for attachment of straps of the headharness are fixed permanently into the parts 26, the recess 21 of which is provided to permit the opposing clamping parts of the fastener members to be pressed to holding position against the outer and inner sides of the parts 26. The reenforcing fabric 28 prevents the fastener members from pulling out.

The facepiece is maintained on the face of the user by a head-harness of special formation, which is arranged for quick placement and displacement, easy adjustment, and for connection with the facepiece at such places as will afford direct support for the heavier parts thereof, and which may be formed as a single piece by cutting flat from sheet rubber or other suitable flexible fabric.

The harness includes as top members a central strap 38 and straps 39 on each side thereof, which converge rearwardly to a central crown part 40 arranged to rest on the top of the head. Continuing rearwardly and downwardly from the crown part (when the harness is on the head) there is a lower central part 4| arranged to rest against the upper portion of the back of the head. Lower or mid side straps 42 and therebelow under straps 43 diverge oppositely from the lower central part. These straps have, respectively, at their ends longitudinally-adjustable separable-

fastener members

44, 45, 46, and 41 for connection, respectively, with the

corresponding members

34, 35, 36, and 3'! on the facepiece.

The top central strap 38 is connected with the fastener member 34 at the center of the upper part of the facepiece, and the top side straps 39 to the fastener members 35 approximately over the eyepieces. This disposition of the parts gives direct support for the relatively heavy eyepieces and their windows and for the protruding parts therebelow. The lower side straps 42 extend forwardly and downwardly above-the ears of the wearer to connection with fastener members 35 directly or approximately above thepipe-sections l2l3, and thus these givedirect support to the protuberances I-ll and the hose and exhaling device extending backwardly therefrom. The under straps 43 extend forwardly and downwardly from the back of the head to connection with fastener members 31 at the rear of the chin part of the facepiece. The

top straps

38 and 39 keep the upper part of the facepiece against the forehead, the lower side straps 42 keep the nose part in place, and the under straps 43 keep the chin part in place; and all straps operate to maintain the facepiece in sealed relation to the head of the wearer.

An air-supply hose 48 is coupled to pipe-section .l2, and to pipe-section I3 is coupled an exhaling device .49 containing a valve 50 arranged to per mit emission of air and to prevent its entrance from outside of the mask, the valve being protected by a screen at the end of the device.

Ordinarily, the air-supply hose is connected to the right pipe-section l2 and the exhaling device to the left pipe-section 13. However, as the. facepiece is uniform on each side, the hose and exhaling device may be coupled to the left and right pipe-sections, respectively, if desired. In

facepieces intended for interchangeable connection of these parts there may be a baflle 24 opposite each orifice I8l9 to function for the one that happens to be the air-entrance.

The hose 48 is coupled to a filter-body 52 containing material to prevent passage of oil and foreign particles, fumes, and odors to the breathing space, this body being carried by a belt 53.

A relief-valve 54 on the filter-body automatically prevents too great air pressure in the hose 48 and the mask, and an adjustable pressure-regulating valve 55 also is provided so that the user may regulate air pressure to a point below that automatically maintained by the relief-valve, if he so desires.

Air is supplied from a compressor or blower (not shown) by a flexible hose 56 connected to the filter-body by a quick-acting coupling 51 that permits the user of the mask easily to disconnect himself when he wishes to leave his place of work where the air contains injurious dust or toxic gas or fumes. If he disconnects the air supply before he leaves such a place, the material in the filterbody and the valve in the exhaling device will prevent the breathing in of deleterious air-carried substances for the time, at least, required for him to get into normal atmosphere.

When in position on the face of the user, the soft moulded facepiece adapts itself to any facial contourand is sealed against outside air, and the entrance of dust particles prevented. As fresh clean air enters the breathing space through the inlet-orifice, it is diffused therein by the baflle and becomes available for normal respiration. Exhaled air is swept out through the exit-orifice by incoming fresh air and out of the mask from the exhaling device.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A mask-facepiece having moldably formed on the outside adjacent its edge reenforcements for accommodation of head-harness. fasteners, one of said reenforcements being a flap-like part overlapping and spaced from the facepiece material proper, and reenforcing fabric secured to said latter material and to the under side of said part whereby fastener members clamped against opposite sides thereof are kept from displacement.

2. A mask-facepiece having moldably formed on the outside adjacent its edge reenforcements for accommodation of head-harness fasteners, one of said reenforcements being a flap-like part overlapping and spaced from the facepiece material proper and the material thereof merging at the sides and one end into the facepiece material, and reenforcing fabric secured inside of and to said part whereby fastener members clamped against opposite sides thereof are kept from displacement.

3. A mask facepiece having an eyepiece of molded flexible material such as rubber, and molded in said eyepiece a window structure comprising a rigid metallic protective ring having an annular inwardly-extending flange, and a lens in said ring against said flange and said ring protectively extending forwardly beyond the lens, annular portions of said molded material covering said ring and its flange outside and inside, and abutting both sides of said lens adjacent to the inner periphery of the ring, whereby said structure is held securely in the eyepiece and the lens securely in the ring.

4. In a mask facepiece of molded flexible material such as rubber, the combination of protrusive eyepieces of the same material as and integral with the facepiece material, each of said eyepieces having molded therein a window structure comprising a. rigid metallic protective ring having an annular inwardly-extending flange, and a.

lens in said ring against said flange and said ring protectively extending forwardly beyond the lens, annular portions of said molded material covering said ring and its flange outside and inside and abutting both sides of the lens adjacent to the inner periphery ,of the ring, whereby said structure is held securely in the eyepiece and the lens held securely in the ring, and above said eyepieces reenforcements moldably formed on the facepiece material for accommodation of headharness fasteners. one of said reenforcements being a flap-like part overlapping and spaced from the facepiece material proper, and reenforcing fabric secured to said latter material and to the under side of said part whereby fastener members clamped against opposite sides thereof are kept from displacement.

,RQBERT