WO2022128423A1

WO2022128423A1 - Reusable face shield

Info

Publication number: WO2022128423A1
Application number: PCT/EP2021/083313
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cormac Diamond; Shay Mcguinness; Patrick MCGIRR
Original assignee: Fourds Limited
Priority date: 2020-12-14
Filing date: 2021-11-29
Publication date: 2022-06-23
Also published as: GB2601823B; GB2601823A; GB202019680D0

Abstract

A face shield comprising a shield portion (2) formed from a sheet of transparent plastic, a fastening system (4, 6) adapted to secure the shield portion to a wearer's head such that the shield portion is positioned in front of the wearer's face, and a resilient brow pad (18) mounted adjacent an upper edge of the shield portion on an inner face thereof to rest against the wearer's forehead, wherein the brow pad is releasably mounted on the shield portion by a detachable mounting system permitting removal of the brow pad from the shield portion to facilitate cleaning of the face shield following use.

Description

Reusable Face Shield

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a face shield to be worn over the face to provide protection from liquid splashes and droplets, and more particularly to a face shield that can be readily cleaned to permit reuse.

BCKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Medical professionals oftentimes must wear shields to protect themselves from liquid splashes, fluid droplets and other contaminants from a patient and also to reduce the transmission of fluid droplets from the wearer to other persons to thereby provide protection from air borne pathogens, such as COVID 19 and similar viruses and/or disease. These face shields are typically in the form of a large clear sheet of plastic that is positioned in front of the face and attached to head with a fastening system attached to the shield. The fastening system may comprise straps provided with hook and loop fasteners or an elastic strap. A foam pad is typically adhesively and non-releasably affixed to an upper edge of an inner face of the shield to rest against the wearer’s forehead, providing increased comfort and spacing the shield from the wearer’s face. Such pads are typically made from open cell foam which, while providing comfort, absorbs contaminated liquids and prevent reuse of the foam pad while making cleaning impossible.

While known face shields provide a great deal of protection, they are generally unduly complex to assemble and expensive and in particular cannot be adequately cleaned for reuse due to the mixture of different materials used to make the shield, fastening system and open cell foam pad. Therefore known face shields must generally be disposed of after only a single use, particularly in medical environments where there is a greater risk of cross contamination. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a face shield comprising a shield portion formed from a sheet of transparent plastic, a fastening system adapted to secure the shield portion to a wearer’s head such that the shield portion is positioned in front of the wearer’s face, and a resilient brow pad mounted adjacent an upper edge of the shield portion on an inner face thereof to rest against the wearer’s forehead, wherein the brow pad is releasably mounted on the shield portion by a detachable mounting system permitting removal of the brow pad from the shield portion to facilitate cleaning of the face shield following use.

Preferably the fastening system is integrally formed with the shield portion. In a preferred embodiment the fastening system may comprise a pair of straps extending from opposing side edges of the shield portion, said straps being provided with fastening means to permit attachment of the straps to one another to form a band around the wearer’s head. A first of said pair of straps may be provided with a plurality of spaced apertures along at least a portion of its length and a second of said pair of straps may be provided with an integrally formed tab adapted to engage a selected one of said plurality of apertures. Each of said spaced apertures in the first strap may comprise a rectangular slot extending transverse to the strap. The tab may be defined by first and second parallel slots formed on either side of the tab extending substantially parallel to adjacent side edges of the second strap and a third slot extending between respective first ends of said first and second slots perpendicular to said first and second slots, such that said tab extends away from a distal end of the second strap. Further slots may be provided in the second strap on either side of the tab, said further slots being dimensioned to allow the first strap to pass therethrough, the second strap being of a greater width than the first strap.

A distal end of each of said pair of straps may be provided with a loop to facilitate fastening and unfastening of the fastening system. The loops may be sized to allow the user to insert a finger into each loop. In a preferred embodiment the detachable mounting system may comprise first and second projections formed respectively on a first face of said brow pad at or adjacent opposite ends thereof, wherein said projections are received in receiving apertures formed in said shield portion when said first face of the brow pad is placed against an inner face of the shield portion to thereby detachably secure the brow pad to the shield portion. Each of receiving aperture in said shield portion may comprise a rectangular window, said projections having a corresponding rectangular cross sectional shape. The said first and second projections may each comprise rearwardly extending wing portions adapted to retain the projections within the respective apertures in the shield portion once the brow pad has been attached to the shield portion. The brow pad may be provided with one or more further projections extending from said first face of the brow pad to be received in cooperating apertures formed in the shield portion when said first face of the brow pad is placed against an inner face of the shield portion.

In one embodiment the brow pad may incorporate an upper lip adapted to overly a top edge of the shield portion to close any gaps between the shield portion and the brow pad.

Preferably the brow pad is formed from self skinning foam, such as closed cell polyethylene foam, preventing the absorbtion of water, thereby allowing the brow pad to be cleaned for reuse.

Preferably the brow pad is pre-curved to fit against the wearer’s head.

At least one recess may be formed in a lower face of the brow pad, said at least one recess defining a gap between the brow pad and said inner face of the shield portion when the brow pad is attached to the shield portion to collect condensation out of the line of sight of the wearer while still forming a sufficiently gas tight seal against the shield portion.

The shield portion may be formed from Polyethylene terephthalate sheet material. An inner face of said shield portion may be coated with an anti-fog coating. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Face shields in accordance with two embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a face shield in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the face shield of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the face shield of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a detailed perspective view of the face shield of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a detailed view of the strap arrangement of the face shield of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a detailed view of the brow pad of the face shield of Figure 1 ;

Figure 7 is a front perspective view of a face shield in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the face shield of Figure 7;

Figures 9 and 10 are exploded views of the face shield of Figure 7; and

Figure 11 is a part sectional view of the face shield of Figure 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A face shield in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 1 to 6. The face shield comprises a sheet of optically transparent plastic, preferably PET, defining a shield portion 2 to be positioned in front of the wearer’s face and first and second integrally formed straps 4,6 extending respectively from opposite side edges of the shield portion 2 adjacent an upper edge of the shield portion 2.

Cut outs are formed in the first and second straps 4,6 to define an integrally formed fastening system to allow the straps 4,6 to be coupled together such that the face shield forms a band around the wearer’s head.

In the embodiment shown, the first strap 4 may be provided with a plurality of transversely extending slots 8 along its length and the second strap 6 may be provided with a tab 10 adapted to engage a selected slot 8 of the first strap 4 to connect the straps 4,6 together. The tab 10 faces away from a distal end of the second strap 6 so that it resists tension applied to the straps once the tab 10 is engaged with one of the slots 8 in the first strap 4.

As illustrated in Figure 5, the second strap 6 may be provided with further transversely extending slots 12 along its length on either side of the tab 10 and the second strap 6 preferably has a width greater than that of the first strap 4 such that the first strap 4 can be inserted through the further slots 12 in the second strap 6 before the tab 10 is inserted through one of the slots 8 in the first strap 4 to securely fasten the two straps 4,6 together and thereby retain the face shield on the wearer’s head, the further slots 12 and tab 10 acting as an integrally formed buckle.

A respective loop 14,16 is defined at a distal end of each of the first and second straps 4,6 to facilitate fastening and unfastening of the fastening system by enabling the user to insert a finger through each of said loops 14, 16 to pull on the straps 4,6, for example to facilitate removal of the tab 10 from the respective slot 8 in the first strap 4.

A resilient brow pad 18 is releasably attached to an upper portion of an inner face of the shield portion 2 to rest against the wearer’s forehead, providing increased comfort and serving to space the shield portion 2 from the wearer’s face. The brow pad 18 is preferably formed from a self skinning foam material such as closed cell cross-linked polyethylene foam. The self skinning nature of such materials provides the brow pad 18 with a smooth outer surface that it is impermeable to moisture and which can be readily cleaned.

The brow pad 8 may be formed by an injection moulding process and is preferably shaped to provide a comfortable and flexible fit against the wearer’s brow while correctly spacing the shield portion 2 from the wearer’s face and constraining the face shield 2 into the required curvature around the wearer’s face.

At each end of an outer face of the brow pad 18 a respective outwardly and rearwardly extending wing 20,22 is integrally formed, said wings 20,22 being adapted to be inserted through respective receiving apertures 24,26 formed in the shield portion 2 to thereby secure the brow pad 18 to the shield portion 2 of the face shield. The maximum length of the body of each wing 20,22 is greater than the length of the cooperating receiving aperture 24,26 so that the wings 20,22 are retained in the receiving apertures 24,26 once inserted therein, the resilience of the wings 20,22 allowing them to be deformed as they are inserted into and removed from the respective receiving apertures 24,26. A base portion of each wing 20,22 preferably has a length substantially equal to the length of the respective receiving aperture 24,26 to securely locate each wing 20,22 within the respective receiving aperture 24,26. When it is required to clean the face shield for reuse, the shield portion 2 and brow pad 18 can be manipulated to remove the wings 20,22 from the receiving apertures 24,26 and thereby detach the brow pad 18 from the shield portion 2.

The receiving apertures 24,26 are rectangular in shape and the cooperating wings 20,22 have a corresponding rectangular cross section to prevent rotation of the wings 20,22 with respect to the receiving apertures 24,26 and thereby resist tilting of the brow pad 18 with respect to the shield portion 2 of the face shield and to avoid the formation of air gaps between the shield portion 2 and the brow pad 18.

A modified face shield in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figures 7 to 11. In the second embodiment the brow pad 18 is provided with an outwardly extending lip 28 along an upper edge of outer side of the brow pad 18, said lip 28 being adapted to overlie a top edge of the shield portion 2 to close any gaps between the shield portion 2 and the brow pad 18 and provide a sufficiently gas tight seal against the shield portion 2. To ensure that the lip 28 remains correctly located against the top edge of the shield portion 2, a further and centrally located locating pin 22 is provided on the front face of the brow pad to engage a cooperating aperture 32 in the shield portion 2.

As illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 , recesses 34,36 may be formed in the underside and front face of the brow pad to space the brow pad 18 from the shield portion 2 in such regions and thereby define gaps wherein condensation may form out of the line of sight of the wearer of the face mask while retaining the gas tight seal of the brow pad 18 against the shield portion 2.

The face shields described above have a number of advantages over the prior art. The single piece shield portion with the integrally formed straps can be cheaply and easily manufactured and the fastening system, utilising cut outs in the straps to define a buckle assembly, greatly eases assembly of the face shield.

The readily removable brow pad can be easily removed from the shield portion to facilitate cleaning and reuse of the face shield, facilitated by the impermiability of the brow pad to moisture, and provides an effective, reliable and comfortable seal between the top edge of the face shield and the wearer’s head. The use of integrally formed wings on the brow pad received within apertures in the shield portion to secure the brow pad to the shield again reduces cost and complexity of the face shield, the entire face shield being formed from only two parts.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

8 CLAIMS

1 . A face shield comprising a shield portion formed from a sheet of transparent plastic, a fastening system adapted to secure the shield portion to a wearer’s head such that the shield portion is positioned in front of the wearer’s face, and a resilient brow pad mounted adjacent an upper edge of the shield portion on an inner face thereof to rest against the wearer’s forehead, wherein the brow pad is releasably mounted on the shield portion by a detachable mounting system permitting removal of the brow pad from the shield portion to facilitate cleaning of the face shield following use.

2. A face shield as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fastening system is integrally formed with the shield portion.

3. A face shield as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fastening system comprises a pair of straps extending from opposing side edges of the shield portion, said straps being provided with fastening means to permit attachment of the straps to one another to form a band around the wearer’s head.

4. A face shield as claimed in claim 3, wherein a first of said pair of straps is provided with a plurality of spaced apertures along at least a portion of its length and a second of said pair of straps is provided with an integrally formed tab adapted to engage a selected one of said plurality of apertures.

5. A face shield as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of spaced apertures in the first strap comprises a rectangular slot extending transverse to the length of the first strap.

6. A face shield as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said tab is defined by first and second parallel slots formed on either side of the tab extending substantially parallel to adjacent side edges of the second strap and a third slot extending between respective first ends of said first and second slots perpendicular to said first and second slots, such that said tab extends away from a distal end of the second strap. 9

7. A face shield as claimed in claim 6, wherein further slots are provided in the second strap on either side of the tab, said further slots being dimensioned to allow the first strap to pass therethrough, the second strap being of a greater width than the first strap.

8. A face shield as claimed in any of claims 3 to 7, wherein a distal end of each of said pair of straps is provided with a loop to facilitate fastening and unfastening of the fastening system.

9. A face shield as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said detachable mounting system comprises first and second projections formed respectively on a first face of said brow pad at or adjacent opposite ends thereof, wherein said projections are received in receiving apertures formed in said shield portion when said first face of the brow pad is placed against an inner face of the shield portion to thereby detachably secure the brow pad to the shield portion.

10. A face shield as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of receiving aperture in said shield portion comprises a rectangular window, said projections having a corresponding rectangular cross sectional shape.

11. A face shield as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, wherein said first and second projections each comprise rearwardly extending wing portions adapted to retain the projections within the respective apertures in the shield portion once the brow pad has been attached to the shield portion.

12. A face shield as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11 , wherein the brow pad is provided with one or more further projections extending from said first face of the brow pad to be received in cooperating apertures formed in the shield portion when said first face of the brow pad is placed against an inner face of the shield portion.

13. A face shield as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said brow pad incorporates an upper lip adapted to overlie a top edge of the shield portion to close any gaps between the shield portion and the brow pad. 10

14. A face shield as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said brow pad is formed from self skinning foam.

15. A face shield as claimed in claim 14, wherein said brow pad is formed from closed cell polyethylene foam.

16. A face shield as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said brow pad is precurved to fit against the wearer’s head.

17. A face shield as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one recess is formed in a lower face of the brow pad, said at least one recess defining a gap between the brow pad and said inner face of the shield portion when the brow pad is attached to the shield portion.

18. A face shield as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said shield portion is formed from Polyethylene terephthalate sheet material.

19. A face shield as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an inner face of said shield portion is coated with an anti-fog coating.