WO2022008987A1

WO2022008987A1 - Individual protection filtering device aiming at safeguarding the respiratory tract and at preventing infectious diseases

Info

Publication number: WO2022008987A1
Application number: PCT/IB2021/053714
Authority: WO
Inventors: Laura LUPERTO
Original assignee: Luperto Laura
Priority date: 2020-07-10
Filing date: 2021-05-04
Publication date: 2022-01-13
Also published as: JP3242778U; EP4178388A1; CN220477000U

Abstract

The front bearing structure of the device consists of a horizontal upper rod (5) which rests on the forehead, the lateral-posterior structure, connected to said horizontal rod, consists of two earpieces (8) which extend from the temples behind the user's auricle, the lateral structure, which runs laterally along the face, at the sides of the face, and in front of the ears, consists of two vertical rods, each of which, runs downwards and widens to form a side wall (10) which follows the outline of the cheek from the cheekbone to the mandible, the anterior structure has the shape of a rectangular polyhedron (11) provided with an upper wall (14) bordering the upper part of the nose close to its tip, on the upper side, whereas it is rather far away from the mouth and the nostrils, the visor is provided with folding means (7) for folding it upwards on the forehead.

Description

INDIVIDUAL PROTECTION FILTERING DEVICE AIMING AT SAFEGUARDING THE

RESPIRATORY TRACT AND AT PREVENTING INFECTIOUS DISEASES

This invention relates to devices presently intended for filtering the breathed in and out air, in order to prevent any contaminations from infectious or non-infectious agents.

More specifically, this invention relates to an individual protection filtering device configured in such a way as to implement a respiration chamber separate from the external world and that encloses a user’s mouth, nose, and portion of his/her face; the device comprises a bearing front structure, a lateral-posterior structure, a lateral structure, and an anterior structure and a protection visor, which is foldable upwards. State of the art

Presently all devices generically in use for this purpose feature strong limitations and drawbacks.

First of all, their almost total masking of a user’s face results in major impacts in terms of social and human relations, as occurred during the recent pandemic whereby it has not been possible to offer the view of a dear person or a friend face to dying persons either.

Likewise, in terms of verbal communication, and even more for hearing-impaired persons, masking hampers labial reading and hides emotional states. Also, most masks in use tightly adhere to the cutis of the face, thus often determining allergy phenomena for the most sensitive skins.

Such tight adherence to the mouth and to the nose creates an accumulation of bacteria, fungi, viruses, just close to the inhalation areas.

In a so much extended use, the warm air exhaled results in increased temperature in the mask fabric around the face, formation of humid condensation, accumulation of microorganisms, all negative events that in part are re-breathed in and in part go out, not only from the small valve provided for this purpose, but escape all around the filtering device, thus misting the glasses and scattering potential infectant particles.

Also, because not all the air breathed out by a user can be expelled, an excess of CO2 is generated which is progressively inhaled in increasing amounts by the mask user, who consequently inhales air from the external world that is increasingly spoiled and less and less filtered.

A further problem encountered in the present status of the art is that related to disposal of hundreds of millions of disposable masks, which already led many administrations to apply hefty fines to those who leave them at every street corner or in the most varied sites and consequently, in spite of their scarce economical value, imply a high disposal cost for the community.

Finally, the use of the present devices obliges the authorities to take social safety measures that are severely prejudicial to the economic interests of transport companies and to the social, sporting, cultural, working, and leisure activities of millions of persons. An object of the present invention is to implement a filtering device for protecting the respiratory tract that is capable of solving the above-mentioned drawbacks of the present art, irrespective of the filtering method used, with innovative characteristics; in other terms, it is a device simple to use, functional, and safe. Summary of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for protecting eyes and preventing pathologies in the respiratory tract, mainly infections and allergies, which revolutionizes the models known in the present state of the art.

The device according to this invention is made from an anallergic, reusable, cleanable, and sterilizable material and is produced according to the 3D printing technique and is available in a “basic” version featuring reduced costs and accessible to everybody, as well as in a more sophisticated variant for use in more specific and specialistic environments.

The device according to this invention comprises two separate, but complementary parts; the main part is for protecting the organs of respiration whereas the other, a visor, covers the eyes.

Brief description of the figures

The characteristics and advantages of such device can be inferred from the following description, which is provided for explanatory, non-limitative purposes, and makes reference to the attached schematic drawings.

Figures 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 are schematic views which illustrate the main features of the anterior, lateral, and posterior part of the invention and of the different models possible with respect to the types of filters, be they square or cylindrical, without using a small fan. More specifically, figures 1 , 2 show a front view, figure 3 shows a rear view, the embodiments of which are provided with a small fan.

Figures 4, 6, 7 are further embodiments of the invention.

Figures 8, 10, 11 schematically show the path followed by the breathed out air drained by the positive pressure created inside the mask because of the thrust action exerted by the small fan.

Detailed description of the invention

The following description makes reference to Fig. 1.

The individual protection filtering device according to the present invention is configured in such a way as to implement a respiration chamber separate from the external world enclosing a user’s mouth, nose, and a part his/her face. The device comprises a front bearing structure, a lateral-posterior structure, a lateral structure, an anterior structure and a protection visor, which is foldable upwards.

More specifically, said components are configured as follow:

- the front bearing structure is comprised of a horizontal upper rod 5 which rests, properly spaced away, on the user’s forehead,

- the lateral-posterior structure, connected to said horizontal rod 5, is formed of two earpieces rods 8 which extend from the temples behind the user’s auricle,

- the lateral structure, which runs laterally along the face, at the sides of the face, and in front of the ears, consists of two vertical rod 9, each of which, together with the earpiece 8 located at the temples, runs downwards and widens so as to form a side wall 10 which follows the outline of the cheek from the cheek bone to the mandible,

- the anterior structure has the shape of a polyhedron 11 provided with an upper wall 14 bordering the upper part of the nose, close to its tip, in the upper side,

- the visor 6 is provided with folding means 7 for being raised on the forehead, if desired.

Each of the two side walls 10 of the lateral structure and the anterior structure 11 form hollow structures, suitable for accommodating filters 13, 16, and 15 respectively.

The device 2 is of a type wearable by a user and, when worn, is configured for implementing a respiration chamber 11 separate from the external world and containing a user’s mouth and nose.

This chamber is fully transparent, but the remaining part of the device also leaves the face, the mouth, and the nose widely visible to those who are in front of the user.

As shown in the figures, the mask comprises a front bearing structure 5, a lateral- posterior structure 8, and a lateral structure 9 made from a more compact plastic material, consisting of a horizontal upper rod 5, which rests on the forehead, properly spaced away from the forehead of the user, thanks to the presence of a soft shim (not shown), so as to leave space to the possible insertion of personal glasses below a protection visor 6, which is foldable upwards by way of foldable means 7.

The device is worn as with glasses, but it leaves the eyes free which, if so desired, are protected by folding the visor down.

The horizontal rod 5, which runs along the forehead, joins the two lateral-posterior earpieces 8 together, which run from the temples, behind the auricle, as with the earpieces of a pair of glasses and are connected to each other by an adjustable buckle 18 behind the nape (Fig. 1 , 2, 3, 4). Schematic figures 5 and 7 show the anterior part and the lateral-front part of the device and illustrate (Fig. 7) how the vertical rod 9, joined to that located on the temples 8, runs down along the face, at the side of the face, and in front of the ears, by following the outline of the upper part of the mandible 10 and, upon reaching the mandibular angle, it deviates by almost ninety degrees, following the outline of the lower zone of the mandible, towards the mouth and the nose.

Coming back to Fig. 1, the rods 9 have dimensions of few centimeters, but they widen just after passing the mandibular angle and reach dimensions of about five centimeters, and their thickness increases up to about 3 cm, so as to make-up two hollow structures 10 in the form of a polyhedron with two squeezed side faces, which accommodate the filter 13 of the device, which might have a parallelepiped shape or even a cylindrical shape, see Figs. 2 and 2B.

These two structures 10, placed at the sides of the face, terminate at the angles of the mouth, where they join the anterior-lateral wall 11 of the mask, which has the shape of a rectangular polyhedron. The distance that is thus created between these two side walls and the skin of the face around the nose and at the sides of the face is coated by an anallergic soft polymeric material (TPE) 12, which closes the spaces all around, thus creating an isolated compartment and contributing to structure an air chamber which surrounds the respiration organs: the mouth and the nose. This anterior area, consisting of the polyhedron having a rectangular shape, is fully transparent (is made from polycarbonate or a transparent polymeric material) thus leaving the nose and the mouth clearly visible.

Also, the upper wall 14 of this rectangular polyhedron, see Figs. 1 , 5, 9, borders the anterior part of the nose, close to its tip, on the upper part, whereas it is rather spaced away from the mouth and from the nostrils and participates in forming the already mentioned air chamber, around the face, while leaving more space to air flowing and contributing to prevent transparent anterior part from misting as a consequence of the warm air breathed out.

For this purpose, an under-chin filter 15 is present at the base of the rectangular polyhedron and constitutes the lower face thereof.

Because of the user’s respiratory action, air passage is assured, both when breathing in and out, by two filters 13, having a parallelepiped shape as shown in Fig. 1 , 9, and 16 or a cylindrical shape, as shown in Fig. 2, 7, located at the sides of the face with the contribution of a filter 15, forming the lower face of the transparent rectangular polyhedron, see Fig. 1 A and Fig. 7.

These filters are used to filter both the air breathed in by the user and that exhaled by him/her and, by virtue of the already known structural characteristics of the materials they are made from (polypropylene fabric certified in the protection class FFP3), provide an effective filtering and purification. The device is supplemented by an eye protection function, which covers the eyes by way of a visor 6, provided with folding means 7, see Fig. 1 , for possibly folding it upwards and making it possible the use of personal glasses.

The visor being closed, an isolated compartment is created also for the eyes and the fresh air, pushed by the small fan also reaches this zone, through the bearing hollow structure, to prevent the conjunctiva from getting dry, while protecting it from possible intrusions.

A second embodiment of the device according to the present invention includes the presence of a small radial fan (5-12 V - 120 mAh) 17, inside the cylindrical filter 16 located on the right or left side of the face, Fig. 4-7, the purpose of which is to facilitate air intake internally to the mask, by sucking it through the filter, and to push it towards the mouth and the nose by a gentle flow.

Simultaneously, the breathed-out air is conveyed both downwards, by getting out of the under-chin filter 15, and upwards towards the other filter 13 located on the opposed side of the face, driven by the positive pressure created inside the mask because of the thrust action exerted by the small fan 17, figures 8, 10, 11.

All of these features provide an appropriate intake of oxygen, a constant and pleasant flow of fresh and clean air, possibly slightly impregnated, for those who like it, with healthy essences which make the use of the mask more comfortable, while preventing concentration of CO2 or accumulation of bacteria, fungi, viruses, mainly for those applications wherein it is necessary to wear the mask for many hours in closed environments.

At the retro-auricular level, a seat is provided to accommodate a long-life lithium battery at one end of the lateral-posterior earpiece 8.

A further, third embodiment of the device comprises a different allocation of the cylindrical filter 16, which contains the small radial fan 17; said filter is located behind the nape, in correspondence with the mastoid, Fig. 6, and is connected to the retro- auricular part of the earpiece.

The earpiece 8 is connected to that of the other side by means of an adjustable buckle 18. Inside the filter, which consequently is located in the back in correspondence with the mastoid, behind the right or left auricle, there is placed the small radial fan 17 which sucks the external air and conveys it to the nostrils and the mouth, via the hollow structure of the device, earpiece 8, rod 9, and side wall 10, by flowing in front of these organs and continuing up to reaching the other side of the face, where there is present a filter 13 , featuring a cubic shape, through which the breathed out air flows outwards, a function that is also fostered by the presence of an under-chin zone provided with a filter 15 at the base of the transparent structure.

Both the purifying effect of the filters and the quality of the breathed in air can be further enhanced and improved by making the air input from the external world pass through an area of the device specifically provided for this purpose, impregnated with essential oils extracted from officinal plants, whose effects are known for their sanitizing, anti- infectious, germicidal, antiviral, antibacterial, antimycotic, anti-inflammatory or even balsamic or relaxing properties (niaouli, tea tree, cajeput, cloves, laurel, propolis...). Fragrant essences of coffee, fruits, flowers, etc. can also be used, whose molecules are gradually released from a capsule or a wafer, not shown in the figures, placed close to the filters.

A fully digitalized version of the device is possible, mainly addressed to persons bedridden in infectious disease wards and in respiratory disease wards, but also to hospitalized persons in general. For these applications, the device includes a connector for receiving oxygen directly from the hospital’s system.

A touch-screen display, worn on the sick person’s wrist or belt, provides the arterial pressure, heartbeats, body temperature, oxygen concentration in the blood parameters, as well as switch on/off controls, battery charge and fan speed indicator, default indicator.

This type of device is suitable for being further enriched with special last generation ceramic filters capable of ultrafiltration, presently in an advanced step of research (“Smart Separation” SSL - LTD -UK).

As far as production is concerned, the device can be reproduced by 3D printing and is designed to occupy a segment of the market that does not include any similar devices at present. The device can be implemented with the addition of a headdress and a complete gown, in that it does not hamper nor does it represent an obstacle to operations of use.

An advantage of the present device is in that it fully isolates the input ports of infectant agents, i.e. conjunctiva, nose and mouth, from the surrounding environment, as with Covid-19, while zeroing or strongly attenuating the need for maintaining the prescribed distances between individual persons, which results in a great benefit for transport companies, supermarkets, factories, schools, all public offices, stadiums, and all circumstances of the social, cultural, and sporting life. Therefore, a general use is expected for all citizens as well as a more specific use in the fields of various working activities, in the hospital environment, and in all pathologies where the respiratory system is involved.

In summary, this invention is susceptible of being implemented in different models, with modifications and variants concerning the filtering and sterilizing devices, which might even include last generation ceramic filters or the use of UV rays. All details are replaceable by technically equivalent elements depending on the technical requirements and the objectives aimed at.

Claims

1. An individual protection filtering device configured in such a way as to implement a respiration chamber separate from the external world and enclosing mouth, nose, and part of a user’s face, comprising a front bearing structure, a lateral- posterior structure, a lateral structure, and an anterior structure and a protection visor, foldable upwards, characterized in that:

- the front bearing structure comprises a horizontal upper rod (5) which rests, properly spaced away, on the user’s forehead,

- the lateral-posterior structure, connected to said horizontal rod (5), consists of two earpieces (8) which run from the temples behind the user’s auricle,

- the lateral structure, which runs laterally along the face, the sides of the face and in front of the ears, consists of two vertical rods (9), each of which, joined to that (8) located at the temples, runs down and widens to form a side wall (10) which follows the outline of the cheek from the cheekbone to the mandible,

- the anterior structure has the shape of a polyhedron (11) provided with an upper wall (14) bordering the front part of the nose, close to its tip, on the upper side,

- the visor (6) is provided with a folding means (7) for folding it upwards on the forehead, and in that each of the two side walls (10) of the lateral structure and the anterior structure (11) form hollow structures, suitable for accommodating filters (13, 16) and (15) respectively.

2. The individual protection filtering device according to claim 1 characterized in that the lateral structure and the anterior structure are provided with a soft polymeric material (TPE) (12), which adheres to the user’s face.

3. The individual protection filtering device according to claim 1 characterized in that the two earpieces (8) of the lateral-posterior structure that extend up to behind the user’s auricle are connected to each other, behind the nape, by an adjustable locking device (18).

4. The individual protection filtering device according to claim 1 characterized in that the filter (15) is an under-chin filter.

5. The individual protection filtering device according to claim 1 characterized in that the filter (13, 16) has a parallelepiped or cylindrical shape respectively.

6. The individual protection filtering device according to claim 5 characterized in that the cylindrical filter (16) is provided with a small radial fan (17) to facilitate air intake.

7. The individual protection filtering device according to the previous claims characterized in that the anterior structure (11) is made from polycarbonate or a transparent polymeric material.

8. The individual protection filtering device according to the previous claims characterized in that one end of the lateral-posterior earpiece (8) is provided with a seat for accommodating a lithium battery at the retro-auricle level.

9. The individual protection filtering device according to the previous claims characterized in that said air filters (13, 15, 16) are associated with capsules, wafers or interchangeable filters for flavoring the filtered air.