US2336979A - Aviation mask - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 14, 1943. w. M. BOOTHBY ETAL AVIATION MASK Filed April 19, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor-s: W. l LBooL'hbg q A. H.BUlbUlld.n.

Dec. 14, 1943. w. M. BOOTHBY ETAL 2,335,979

AVIATION MASK Filed April 19. 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventors W. M. Boothlog. A H Bulbulian Dec. 14, 1943. w BQQTHBY ETAL 2,336,979

AVIATION MASK Filed April 19, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Invenio a-s: W. M. BOO'thb 4-6 A. H.1Bulbulman.

Patented Dec. 14, 1943 AVIATION MA SK Walter M. Boothby and Arthur H. Bulbulian,

Rochester, Minn.

Application April 19, 1941, Serial No. 389,348 6 Claims. 31. 128-402) Our inventlon relates to aviation masks and has for its object to provide a mask structure of unusual simplicity and efficiency for use of aviators or others where it is desirable to employ in connection with the mask a microphone for transmission of radio speech.

Aviators, particularly in military and commercial aviation, are often required to take their plane to high altitudes where the barometric pressure is low and the oxygen pressure in the alveolar passages of the lungs will be correspondingly low. When certain heights have been passed, say elevations of twelve to fifteen thousand feet, this alveolar pressure becomes so low as to render it dangerous for an individual to breathe external atmosphere without oxygen reinforcement. But military aviators, and also to a considerable extent pilots of commercial airplanes, should be provided in the mask structure itself with microphones suitably positioned and having customary connection (not shown) with radio transmitting mechanism carried by the plane, so that at all times, and particularly when traveling on the radio beam, the pilot can talk with those on the ground or in other planes which may be directing the course and operation of the airplane occupied by such pilot.

It is a principal object of our invention, therefore, to so improve the construction of an oronasal mask adapted to be worn by an individual as to make possible a satisfactory placement of the microphone in the mask structure itself and insure easy and effective breathing at high altitudes while eliminating the danger of freezing due to low temperatures which are always encountered in very high altitudes.

It is a further object of our invention to provide an oronasal mask .having a breathing chamber adapted to enclose the mouth and nose of the wearer, with a microphone located immediately in front of .the mouth of the wearer and having breathing valves symmetrically positioned in a transverse line on either side of the microphone casing, said transverse valves being effectively placed for easy balanced breathing' It is a further object of our invention to employ in connection with the aforesaid double valve openings a porous material, such as sponge rubber, which will permit the passage of gas outwardly upon expiration and to an extent inwardly upon inspiration, and which yet will effect such restriction upon breathing as to permit a reservoir rebreathing bag of less capacity than a normal inspiration or expiration to control to a large degree the inlet and exit of air from the breathing chamber.

It is a further object of our invention to provide, in conjunction with the aforesaid breathing chamber, contour margins for contacting the chin and the face of the wearer about the mouth and which comprise a continuous, hollow, yieldable tube opening at both of its ends into the breathing chamber above the mouth portion thereof.

It is a further object of our invention to provide the valve openings with symmetrically disposed turret extensions extending outwardly from the mask body along axial lines perpendicularly to said mask body and hence diverging from the microphone compartment at the center of the mask.

It is a further object of our invention to provide a saddle or cover of Bakelite or similar strong and inflexible material so shaped that the same may be caused to encircle the microphone turret and have portions'engage under grooves formed at the bottom of the valve turrets so that the same will be held positioned upon the mask without other fastening devices and to provide means for securing the mask upon the face of the wearer, which means engage said saddle member substantially above the bridge of the nose and which can be carried directly back about the head of the wearer just above the nape of the neck.

The full objects and advantages of our invention will appear in connection with the detailed description given hereafter in the specification and the novel features by means of which the advantageous results above noted are obtained are particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating an application of our invention in one form:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the mask structure as worn.

Fig. 2 is a section through the mask structure itself as it would appear on the face of a wearer.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mask from the face-contacting side thereof.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the mask body without the saddle applied thereto viewed from the opposite direction from the sectional view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the mask structure with the saddle applied thereto.

.Fig. 6 is a plan view of the saddle removed from the mask body.

Fig. 7 1s a sectional view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 5.

portion |9 which encloses a forward breathin 1 chamber for receiving the nose of the wearer, as clearly shown.

The chamber 20, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4, is topped by a bulbous extension 2| at the top of the U-shaped portion |9. This bulbous extension 2| extends inward in a part 22 which opens past a rib-like member 23 into breathing chamber 24 opposite the mouth of the wearer, as best shown in Fig. 2. The rib 23 extends into bottom walls 25 and 26, Fig. '7, of a continuous tube 21 which encloses a channel 28 that opens at each of its ends into the nose chamber 26, as indicated at 29 and 30 of Fig. 3. There is thus provided the continuous channel 28 which has continuous flow connection at both ends with the nose chamber 26. The face 3| of the tube 21 is merged into the beveled faces l1, l8 of the contour margins I5 and I6 surrounding the open side of the chamber 26, and forms a continuation of said contour margins and a resilient portion for contacting the chin and cheeks of the wearer, as shown in dotted lines at 32 of Fig. 2. This has the effect of providing a very firm and uniform contact with the face of the wearer and yet giving a cushioning member which engages the chin and cheeks and which. because it is continuously open into the breathing chamber, tends to keep filled with warm air and thus effectively to insulate the contacted portions of the face, and warm the cushioning tube of the mask.

At the center of the body ID of the mask is formed what may be called a microphone turret 33. This is preferably formed, as clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 7, with outwardly diverge ing annular walls 34 which enclose the microphone indicated diagrammatically at (35. The walls 34 are, of course, continuous with the body In and run into a' cap wall 36 which in turn extends into a button-like projection 31. The diverging inside walls 38 surrounding the microphone provide a constricted opening 39 which holds the microphone in place. These diverging walls also in effect form a groove 40 extending an annular bottom'wall 44 united with the wall 8 H) of the mask body and having constricted openings 45 thus forming an annular groove 46, Fig '7.

nonetheless sets up a sufficient restriction of air to function as hereinafter pointed out. From the central bottom of chamber 24, for mouth breathing, extends at a suitable outward angle an opening 5|! which leads; Figs. 2, 3 and 4, to a channel 5| extending through a tube 52 in a downwardly and outwardly direction. The tube 52, as clearly shown, is located along the central plane of the mask directly below the microphone turret 33. To the depending tube 52 is secured a connector member 53 which enters the opening 5| in tube 52 at the upper portion of the connector member, as shown in Fig. 1 and is adapted to receive a reservoir rebreathing bag 54. Also the connector member 52 is provided with a nipple 55 to which an oxygen tube 56 runs to a source of oxygen supply at regulated pressure, not shown. A bottom tube 51 closed by a removable stopper 58 is adapted-to collect any moisture which may form within reservoir rebreathing bag 54, which can be readily emptied by withdrawing this stopper 58.

Directly cooperating of the body III of the mask is a supporting member 60 which may be termed a saddle. This supporting member is shown more or less in detail in Figs. 5 and 6, in Fig. 5 being shown applied to the mask structure and in Fig. 6 being shown independently of the mask structure. The saddle or supporting member directly cooperates with the structure of the mask body and the several turrets on it. It comprises a main body portion 6| in which there is a circular hole or opening 62 adapted to have passed therethrough the central microphone turret 33. At each side of the opening 62 are bars of material 63 and 64 which are adapted to engage the body I0 between the respective turrets 33, 4| and 33, 42, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Oppositely turned sets of points 65, 66 and 61, 68 are formed on each side of semi-circular margins 69 and 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The outer limits of margins 69 and 1D and of the respective sets of points 65, 61, and 66,- 68 engage in the grooves 46 formed at the bottoms of the cylindrical turret members 43. Taken in conjunction with the central microphone turret 33 extending through the opening 62, this arrangement firmly anchors the saddle 6| upon the mask body l0 without any other securing means. A raised front portion H of saddle member 60 is provided with a series of lifted bars l2, l3 and I4 which form a corresponding series of underlying slots 15, Figs. 1 and 6. The several slots 15 are of a size to receive a fastening strap 16, Fig. 1, which as shown in the figure, passes around the back of the wearer's neck as at 11 just above the nape, and by direct right-line pull holds the mask and the parts connected therewith secured to his face.

At the lower part of the saddle is a portion 11' which is curved outwardly so as to enevelope the outlet tube 52, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. This, in conjunction with other features of the saddle, enables it to be applied to the mask body and to be held thereon, without the necessity of riveting or other fastening means. It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the portion 1| of the mask body closely embraces the top of the U-shaped portion 2| and the whole construction of the saddle and its contacting arrangement in respect to the mask body produces an extremely with the surface portion 4 move to the breathing passages either through the nose or the mouth in such a manner as to make breathing easy and natural under any conditions of stress, such as may occur when a military aviator is engaged in combat. Another important feature resides in the provision of a microphone turret directly in front of the mouth ofthe wearer of the mask in the most convenient position to transmit the voice, and the provision of balanced breathing valves at either side of the microphone turret which additionally facilitates breathing under any and all conditions.

The oxygen entering the rebreathing bag and the breathing system from tube 56 may be set for a continuous flow suflicient to meet the needs of the aviator or may be varied .in its flow as breathing requirements necessitate, all in a well known manner. This connection is one which effectively holds the mask in position and enables it to support the reservoir rebreathing bag and the connected oxygen tube in an efficient manner. It also permits rapid removal of the mask by a simple upward movement of the same in the event that such rapid removal becomes necessary or desirable.

We claim:

1. A mask adapted to contact the face of a I wearer to seal against the face so as to enclose a breathing chamber overlying the nose and mouth of the wearer, a tube united with the margins of the mask and opening at both ends into the chamber, said tube adapted to surround the mouth of the wearer and engage the chin and the cheeks at each side of the mouth, whereby the mouth portion of the breathing chamber is sealed, a microphone turret centrally positioned so as to be in front of the mouth of the wearer, a. valve turret on each side of said microphone turret all in substantially a line across the mask body and between portions of said tube, and a restrictive valve in each turret adapted to permit flow therethrough of inhalation gases into the breathing chamber subject to inhalation negative pressure therein and of exhalation gases therefrom subject to exhalation positive pressure therefrom, and a central open-ended breathing tube leading downwardly from the breathing chamber adapted to be connected with a reservoir rebreathing bag.

2. A mask adapted to contact the face of a wearer to seal against the face so as to enclose a breathing chamber overlying the nose and mouth of the wearer, a centrally positioned microphone turret, two valve turrets disposed on either side of the microphone turret and spaced therefrom, said valve turrets being formedto provide an annular groove between their bodies and the body of the mask, and a saddle member 01' rigid material having portions positioned to surround the microphone turret and extend between it and adjacent portions of the valve turrets and into the grooves surrounding the same for removably holding the saddle upon the mask body.

3. In a mask structure having a breathing chamber formed with connected mouth breathing and nose breathing portions, the nose breathing portion projected above the mouth breathing portion, a pair of space d valve turrets provided with surrounding grooves, a saddle member of rigid material having portions to enclose the part of the mask forming the nose breathing chamber and to extend partially around the valve turrets and beneath said grooves for removably holding the saddle upon the mask body, and securing means for the mask attached to the portion of the saddle enclosing the nose breathing chamber.

4. In a mask structure having a breathing chamber formed with connected mouth breathing and nose breathing portions, the nose breathing portion projected above the mouth breathing portion, a pair of spaced valve turrets provided with surrounding grooves, a saddle member of rigid material having portions to enclose the part of the mask forming the nose breathing chamber and to extend partially around the valve turrets and within said grooves for removably holding the saddle upon the mask body, a series of slots formed across the portion of the saddle enclosing the nose breathing chamber and a band extending through those slots and adapted to be carried back about the head of the wearer directly above the nape of the nack for holding the mask in sealing position upon the face of a wearer.

5. A mask adapted to contact the face of a wearer to seal against the face so as to enclose a breathing chamber overlying the nose and mouth of the wearer and formed of yielding material such as rubber, two valve turrets disposed in symmetrical relation at each side of the center of the mask and provided with surrounding grooves adjacent the mask body, and a saddle member of rigid material having portions positioned to partially surround the valve turrets and extend within said grooves for removably holding the saddle upon the mask body.

6. A mask adapted to contact the face to seal a breathing chamber over the nose and the mouth of the wearer, a microphone turret centrally positioned so as to be in front of the wearer's mouth, a valve turret on each side of said microphone turret in substantially a line across the mask body, a restriction valve on each turret adapted to permit flow therethrough of inhalation gases into the breathing chamber subject to inhalation negative pressure therein and of exhalation gases therefrom subject to exhalation positive pressure therein, and a central open-ended breathing tube leading downwardly from the breathing chamber and adapted to be connected with a reservoir rebreathing bag.

WALTER M. BOOTHIBY. ARTHUR H. BUIBULIAN.

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