US3077880A

US3077880A - Mask harness

Info

Publication number: US3077880A
Application number: US12482A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr William D Morton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-03-02
Filing date: 1960-03-02
Publication date: 1963-02-19
Anticipated expiration: 1980-02-19

Description

Feb. 19, 1963 w. D. MORTON, JR 3,077,880

MASK HARNESS Filed March 2. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTO WILLIAM D. MORTON,

ATToRNm'rs Feb. 19, 1963 W. D. MORTON, JR

MASK HARNESS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 2. 1960 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM D. MORTON,

u/ML.

ATTORNEY Feb. 19, 1963 w. D. MORTON, JR

' MASK HARNESS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 2, 1960 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,077,889 MASK HARNEdS William D. Morton, .ha, Pasadena, (Iaiih, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Filed Mar. 2, 19st er. No. 12, 282 3 tllaims. (Cl. 128141) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the United States Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates generally to a harness for a face mask and, more particularly, to a way of supporting a face mask, such as an oxygen mask of the type worn by airplane pilots and crew members, away from the face of the wearer until such time as its use is required.

It is quite often not necessary for an airplane pilot or crew member to use his oxygen mask at all times during a flight, although he must continuously use the microphone and headphone ear pieces that are normally attached to the same head harness as the oxygen mask. in mask and harness arrangements of the prior art, when the wearer removed his oxygen mask it would either dangle from one side of the harness or would fall upon the chest of the wearer. This arrangement would not only interfere with the use of other instruments, such as a secondary microphone, but would also require the use of two hands to replace the mask on the face of the wearer. This is an obvious disadvantage because the modern aircraft of today require the complete attention of the pilot or crew member to his duties, and leave little time for searching for a loosely dangling oxygen mask and rte-adjusting it to the wearers face for maximum comfort and efficiency.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a harness for oxygen masks which will support the mask away from the face of the wearer when not in use and can be quickly and accurately registered with the face of the wearer when its use is required.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a harness for an oxygen mask which will hingedly support the mask away from the face of the wearer when not in use and can be re-registered with the face of the wearer by swinging the mask into face-engaging posi tion with one hand.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a resiliently biased hinged attachment mounted on a harness for swingably supporting an oxygen mask therefrom.

it is a still further object of the present invention to provide a hinged attachment on a harness for an oxygen mask for adjustably preregistcring the mask to the face of the wearer whereby the mask will be supported away from the face of the wearer when not in use and will be accurately reregistered with the face by swinging the mask with one hand.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an oxygen mask harness for pivotally supporting the mask in such manner that the angular relation established by the respective planes of the harness and the mask when the mask is in face engaging position remains constant when the mask is swung away from the face.

According to the present invention an oxygen mask is attached to a head harness by a resiliently biased hinged attachment which is fixedly attached at its one end to the oxygen mask and adjust-ably attached at its other end to the harness. When in use the mask is secured in a face engaging position by a catch arrangement mounted on the mask and the harness. Initial adjustment of the "ice mask to the wearers face should be made prior to using the mask and no further adjustments would ordinarily have to be made during the course of its use. When the wearer no longer needs the mask, he releases the catch with one hand and swings the mask away from his face. The hinged attachment may be so adjusted to maintain the open position of the mask with respect to the face, thereby supporting the mask in cantilever fashion from the harness at an angle of approximately 96 from the face engaging position.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement of parts and methods shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction, arrangement of parts and methods which have been herein set forth as illustrative only and not exhaustive, but only as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an oxygen mask and harness according to the present invention with the mask in the face engaging position.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 wherein the mask is in the open position.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the hinged support memher for supporting the mask on the harness.

FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken along the line 4-4 in PEG. 3.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a mask harness indicated generally at 1, comprising an oxygen face mask 2 having a conduit 3 leading to an oxygen supply. The internal arrangement of the mask is not a part of this invention and is not illustrated as any of the standard oxygen masks normally used by pilots, etc. may be used. Pixedly mounted on mask 2 is a hinged support member indicated generally at 4%, the details of which will be hereinafter described. Support member 44? is adjustably mounted on a plate 20 which is attached to a housing 13 on one earpiece 5.

Also mounted on the housing 13 is a secondary microphone 4 and an earphone 6. A plate 8 mounted on the back of housing 13 has attached thereto a flexible band 9 which is adjustable to the conformation of the wearers head by means of adjusting buckle it A flexible head band 7 is mounted on housing 13 to support the harness on the top of the wearers head. Securing means for securing the mask to the wearers face is attached to the other earpiece 5 comprising a plate 16 to which is attached a hook 13 for locking engagement with catch 14 on strap 12, the strap 12 being mounted on the forepart of mask 2. It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the particular securing means described for securing the mask to the wearers face, but rather, any of the commonly known catching or securing means may be substituted therefor.

Referring now to FEGS. 3 and 4, the hinged support member 4% is fixedly attached, as by rivets 46, to mask 2 by a tab 44. A rigid plate 42 is fixedly attached to tab 44 by rivets 45, or any other commonly used means of attachment. integral with plate 42 and at right angles thereto is a. U-shaped bracket or clip 41 which meshes with an opposing U-shaped bracket or clip 28 and pivots with respect thereto about a vertical shaft 32, which engages

brackets

41 and 28, res ectively, through openings 47 located distally of each of the brackets. A flared, annular member 39 having a plurality of diametrically opposed notches '37 located therein is fixedly mounted on the lower portion of U-shaped bracket 41. Shaft 32 extends axially through member 39 and has a locking pin 3 38 fixedly attached thereto and adapted for locking engagement with a pair of the notches 37. Shaft 32 is adapted for axial and rotational movement through openings 47 and member 39, the axial movement thereof being resisted by spring 31, which is mounted axially of shaft 32 between an integral, knurled knob 30 and the top of bracket 41, in order to maintain the locking engagement of pin 38 in notches 37. The rotational movement of shaft 32 is resisted by a spring 34 which is located axially of shaft 32 within the confines of the substantially rectangular structure defined by the meshing engagement of the

brackets

41 and 28, respectively.

As can best be seen in FIG. 4, the lower end of spring 34 is engaged in slot 35 in shaft 32, while the other end of spring 34 passes through an aperture 48 in U-shaped bracket 28 and is braced against plate 22, which is per pendicular to and integral with bracket 28. Plate 22 contains a pair of parallel slots 24 in juxtaposition with a pair of slots 21 in plate 20, which is fixedly mounted on housing 13 of earpiece 5. Adjustable securing means, such as a wing nut 26 in locking cooperation with a washer 29 and locking nut 27, are positioned in each of said slots 24 and slots 21 to adjustably secure plate 22 to plate 20, which is fixedly mounted on housing 13 of earpiece 5.

In operation, the wearer may initially adjust the harness to the configuration of his head prior to using the oxygen mask by loosening the wing nuts 26 and moving the plate 22 over plate 20 until a proper fit of the mask to the face of the wearer is acquired, at which time the wing nuts 26 are tightened. The tension in spring 34 may also be adjusted by depressing shaft 32 in openings 47 against the resistance of spring 31, thereby freeing pin 38 from notches 37 in member 39. Locking pin 38 can be turned clockwise or counterclockwise to either increase or decrease, respectively, the tension in spring 34, thereby adjustably and resiliently biasing mask 2 away from the face of the wearer. When the downward pressure upon shaft 32 is released, it will be biased upwardly into look ing engagement with another pair of notches 37 in member 39 by the elastic action of spring 31, as previously described.

It will be understood that when the mask is pivoted in either direction the mask 2, U-shaped bracket or clip 41, shaft 32 and spring 34 move as a unit. This is due to the fact that these members are interconnected in the following manner: The mask 2 is fixedly connected to bracket 41 by the tab 44 and plate 42, which is integrally connected to bracket 41; member 39 fixes shaft 32 with respect to bracket 41 due to the fact that pin 38 engages notches 37 in member 39, which is fixedly attached to bracket 41; the lower end of spring 34 is engaged in slot 35 of shaft 32, while the other end of spring 34 is braced against plate 22 to spring load the unit with respect to bracket 28.

When the respiratory mask 2 is not being used, it will be pivoted away from the face and will be supported in cantilever fashion from the harness, as shown in FIG. 2. When the wearer needs the mask, he merely swings the mask with one hand into the face engaging position shown in; FIG. 1 and secures it in this position by engaging catch 14 on hook 18.

It will be noted that the respective planes of the oxygen mask and the harness establish an angular relation when the mask is in the face engaging position. When the mask is swung to the open position, this angular relation remains unchanged, since the mask is pivoted about a fixed point. This feature has the inherent advantage of always placing the mask in the same position when not in use, thereby making it unnecessary for the user to search for the mask when he desires to replace it on his face. This feature also permits the placing of other instruments on the harness, such as a secondary microphone, so that the swinging of the oxygen mask does not interfere with the position or the use of such secondary instruments.

It will be readily apparent that the present invention is not limited to an oxygen mask in combination with a head harness, but may also be applied to a helmet, or any other supporting means without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I. claim:

I. in a respiratory mask consisting of a face mask adapted for registry with the face of the wearer, a head harness and means for attaching said face mask to said head harness for holding said mask in position on the face of a wearer, said means comprising a first bracket and a second bracket oppositely disposed for meshing engagement, a shaft engaging each of said brackets for establishing a pivotal relation therebetween, an annular member fixedly mounted on the first of said brackets, the annular member having at least one pair of notches formed therein, one notch of a pair located diametrically opposite the other not-ch of the pair, a transverse pin fixedly attached to said shaft and in locking engagement with one of said notches, a spring mounted axially of said shaft and having one end thereof mounted in a slot in said shaft and the other end thereof braced against the second bracket, and one of said brackets being fixedly attached to said face mask and the other of said brackets being adjustably attached to said head harness whereby said face mask will be pivotally and resiliently biased away from the face of the wearer when not in use.

2. In an oxygen mask apparatus consisting of a face mask adapted for registry with the face of the wearer, a head harness and means for supporting said face mask from said head harness for position on the face of a wearer, said means comprising a pair of brackets disposed for meshing engagement, one of said brackets being fixedly attached to said face mask and the other of said brackets being adjustably attached to said head harness,

' a shaft engaging each of said brackets for establishing a pivotal relation therebetween, said shaft being adapted for axial and rotary movement relative to said brackets, an annular member fixedly mounted on one of said brackets and having a plurality of diametrically opposed notches therein, a transverse pin fixedly mounted on said shaft and in locking engagement with said notches, elastic means mounted on said shaft for maintaining said locking engagement of said transverse pin in said notches, a first plate fixedly mounted on said head harness and having a pair of slots therein, a second plate integrally connected to the other of said brackets and having a pair of slots therein, means extending through each of said slots connecting said second plate to said first plate, said slots of said second plate being juxtaposed with said slots of said first plate for adjusting said face mask relative to said head harness, and a spring mounted axially of said shaft and having one end thereof engaged in a slot in said shaft and the other end thereof braced against said second plate for resiliently biasing said face mask pivotally away from the face of the wearer to provide support therefor when the face mask is not in use.

3. In an oxygen mask apparatus consisting of a face mask adapted to define a face engaging position and an open position away from the face of the wearer, a head harness, catch means attached to said face mask and to said head harness for securing said face mask to said head harness in the face engaging position, and cantilever support means for supporting said face mask from said head harness when the face mask is in the open position away from the face of the wearer, said cantilever support means comprising a pair of U-shaped brackets oppositely disposed for meshing engagement, one of said brackets being fixedly attached to said face mask, the other of said brackets having a member integrally attached thereto, said member having a plurality of slots therein, a plate fixedly mounted on said head harness and having a plurality of slots therein, said slots of said member being juxtaposed with said slots of said plate for adjusting said face mask relative to said head harness, locking means engaging said slots of said member and said slots of said plate for maintaining said adjustment, a shaft engaging each of said brackets for establishing a hinged relation therebetween, said shaft being adapted for axial movement relative to both of said brackets and for rotary movement relative to one of said brackets, an annular member fixedly attached to one of said brackets and having a plurality of diametrically opposed notches therein, a transverse pin fixedly attached to said shaft and in locking engagement With said notches of said annular member. elastic means mounted on said shaft for maintaining the locking engagement of said transverse pin With said notches, and a spring mounted axially of said shaft and having one end thereof engaged in a slot in said shaft and the other end thereof braced against the member integrally attached to the other of said brackets for pivotally and resiliently biasing said face mask into the open position away from the face of the wearer when the face mask is not being used.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,272,537 Sample July 16, 1918 1,810,534 Rubin June16, 1931 2,814,293 Gabb Nov. 26, 1957 2,882,896 Seeler Apr. 21, 1959 2,912,978 Seeler Nov. 17, 1959

Claims

2. IN AN OXYGEN MASK APPARATUS CONSISTING OF A FACE MASK ADAPTED FOR REGISTRY WITH THE FACE OF THE WEARER, A HEAD HARNESS AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID FACE MASK FROM SAID HEAD HARNESS FOR POSITION ON THE FACE OF A WEARER, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF BRACKETS DISPOSED FOR MESHING ENGAGEMENT, ONE OF SAID BRACKETS BEING FIXEDLY ATTACHED TO SAID FACE MASK AND THE OTHER OF SAID BRACKETS BEING ADJUSTABLY ATTACHED TO SAID HEAD HARNESS, A SHAFT ENGAGING EACH OF SAID BRACKETS FOR ESTABLISHING A PIVOTAL RELATION THEREBETWEEN, SAID SHAFT BEING ADAPTED FOR AXIAL AND ROTARY MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID BRACKETS, AN ANNULAR MEMBER FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID BRACKETS AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED NOTCHES THEREIN, A TRANSVERSE PIN FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND IN LOCKING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NOTCHES, ELASTIC MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT FOR MAINTAINING SAID LOCKING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID TRANSVERSE PIN IN SAID NOTCHES, A FIRST PLATE FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID HEAD HARNESS AND HAVING A PAIR OF SLOTS THEREIN, A SECOND PLATE INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHER OF SAID BRACKETS AND HAVING A PAIR OF SLOTS