U.S. patent application number 16/774395 was filed with the patent office on 2020-05-21 for half facepiece.
The applicant listed for this patent is Scott Technologies, Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael PARHAM, Amy Elizabeth QUIRING, Antti SEPPALA, Robert Charles SUTTON.
Application Number | 20200155878 16/774395 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49514799 |
Filed Date | 2020-05-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200155878 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SEPPALA; Antti ; et
al. |
May 21, 2020 |
HALF FACEPIECE
Abstract
A half facepiece respirator has a shaped support piece
supporting and fixing the position of a particle or paper filter
insert or outsert with either the support piece or the particle
filter incorporating a face sealing component. Placed within the
shaped support piece, a grille may be placed in the lower section
of the shaped support piece. Additionally the half facepiece
includes a head harness having a release mechanism.
Inventors: |
SEPPALA; Antti; (Vaasa,
FI) ; SUTTON; Robert Charles; (Merseyside, GB)
; QUIRING; Amy Elizabeth; (Matthews, NC) ; PARHAM;
Michael; (Weddington, NC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Scott Technologies, Inc. |
Boca Raton |
FL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
49514799 |
Appl. No.: |
16/774395 |
Filed: |
January 28, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16402041 |
May 2, 2019 |
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16774395 |
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14528159 |
Oct 30, 2014 |
10556136 |
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16402041 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B23P 6/00 20130101; A62B
18/084 20130101; A62B 18/082 20130101; A62B 9/003 20130101; A62B
18/10 20130101; A62B 18/025 20130101; A62B 23/025 20130101; Y10T
29/4973 20150115 |
International
Class: |
A62B 23/02 20060101
A62B023/02; A62B 18/02 20060101 A62B018/02; A62B 9/00 20060101
A62B009/00; A62B 18/08 20060101 A62B018/08; A62B 18/10 20060101
A62B018/10; B23P 6/00 20060101 B23P006/00 |
Claims
1. A half facepiece, the half facepiece comprising: a support
piece; a head harness detachably connected to the support piece; at
least one laterally positioned filter removably adjacent to the
support piece, the support piece fixing the position of the at
least one filter to the half facepiece, the at least one filter
allowing air to pass therethrough and separating contaminants from
the air; and a sealing edge molded to either the support piece or
filter.
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. The half facepiece of claim 1, wherein the composition of the
sealing edge is selected from the group consisting of silicone, TPE
and combinations thereof.
5. The half facepiece of claim 1, wherein the support piece is at
least partially transparent.
6. The half facepiece of claim 5, wherein the support piece is
fully transparent.
7. The half facepiece of claim 1, wherein the head harness is
connected to the support piece with a quick release mechanism.
8. (canceled)
9. (canceled)
10. The half facepiece of claim 1, wherein the head harness
includes a net head crown support.
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. The half facepiece of claim 1, further comprising a frame
member for supporting the filter within the support piece.
14-19. (canceled)
20. A method of decontaminating a half facepiece, comprising:
providing a non-porous support piece, a head harness detachably
connected to the support piece, at least one porous filter
removably adjacent to the support piece, the support piece fixing
the position of the at least one filter to the half facepiece, at
least one exhaust valve, the at least one exhaust valve being
positioned to transmit exhaust air through the support piece and a
sealing edge, and a grille of slotted overlays in the support
piece, the grille being configured to deflect spray and prevent
splashed liquids from passing through the grille and into contact
with the at least one filter; disconnecting the support piece from
the head harness; separating the filter from the support piece;
washing the support piece, head harness and exhaust valve; and
inserting a new filter into the support piece for renewed use.
21. A method of decontaminating a half facepiece, the method
comprising: providing a support piece, a head harness including a
head support and support straps, and a filter removably attached to
the support piece, the filter being a peel-off filter paper
including a glue border and a peel-off backing, the support piece
including a sealing edge and an exhaust grille to prevent
contamination from splash hazards; disconnecting the support piece
from the support straps; peeling the filter from the support piece;
washing the support piece, head harness and exhaust valve; remove a
peel-off backing from a new peel-off filter paper to expose a glue
border; and adhering the new peel-off filter paper onto the support
piece to create an air-tight glue joint.
22. The half facepiece of claim 1, wherein the at least one
laterally positioned filter includes a first laterally positioned
filter on a first side of the half facepiece and a second laterally
positioned filter on a second side of the half facepiece.
23. The half facepiece of claim 22, wherein the first and second
laterally positioned filters are pancake-type filters.
24. The half facepiece of claim 23, wherein the first and second
laterally positioned filters are attached to the half facepiece by
quick attachment/release clips.
25. The half facepiece of claim 22, wherein the first and second
laterally positioned filters are conformal filters.
26. The half facepiece of claim 22, wherein the support piece
includes an exhaust valve, the exhaust valve positioned to transmit
exhaust air through the support piece, the exhaust valve being
positioned between the first and second laterally positioned
filters.
27. The half facepiece of claim 26, wherein the exhaust valve is
positioned behind a cover.
28. A half facepiece, the half facepiece comprising: a support
piece, the support piece forming an opening therein; at least one
filter removably attached to the support piece, the at least one
filter being at least partially located within the support piece;
and a frame member, the frame member removably sealing the at least
one filter to the support piece.
29. The half facepiece of claim 28, further comprising: a first
exhaust valve on a first side of the at least one filter; and a
second exhaust valve on a second side of the at least one filter,
each of the first and second exhaust valves being located behind a
cover.
30. The half facepiece of claim 28, wherein the support piece
includes: a hard plastic body; and a soft molded sealing edge, the
hard plastic body and the soft molded sealing edge being molded
together.
31. The half facepiece of claim 28, further comprising goggles
removably attached to the support piece.
32. The half facepiece of claim 31, wherein the goggles are
removably attached to the support piece by a quick release
mechanism.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 16/402,041 filed May 2, 2019 entitled "HALF FACEPIECE", which
claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 14/528,159 filed Oct.
30, 2014 entitled "HALF FACEPIECE", which claims priority to
International Application Number PCT/US2013/038816 filed Apr. 30,
2013 entitled "HALF FACEPIECE", which claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/640,531 filed Apr. 30, 2012,
the entireties of all of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to half facepiece
protective equipment for emergency personnel or industrial
work.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A half facepiece respirator has a shaped support piece
supporting and fixing the position of a particle or paper filter
insert or outsert with either the support piece or the particle
filter incorporating a face sealing component. Placed within the
shaped support piece, a grille may be placed in the lower section
of the shaped support piece. Additionally the half facepiece
includes a head harness having a release mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and
constitute part of this specification, illustrate exemplary
embodiments of the invention, and together with the description
above, serve to explain further features of the invention.
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a person wearing the half facepiece of
the invention;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates a separated view of front grille section
and filter of the half facepiece;
[0007] FIG. 3 further illustrates a person wearing the half
facepiece of the invention;
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the invention having
multiple side pancake filters;
[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates a press on and peel-off type filter
embodiment of the half facepiece;
[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates the filter of FIG. 5;
[0011] FIG. 7 further illustrates the removal of a paper component
protecting a glue on the filter shown in FIG. 6;
[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates a person wearing the half facepiece of an
embodiment of the invention having a small motor and impellor for
face cooling;
[0013] FIG. 9 illustrates an expanded view of the embodiment shown
in FIG. 8;
[0014] FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of the invention having a
frame member to fix the filter within the support piece, and the
optional attachment of goggles to the mask; and,
[0015] FIG. 11 illustrates an expanded view of the embodiment of
FIG. 10.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0016] The invention includes multiple improvements for half
facepiece personal protective equipment. As seen in FIG. 1, a
person 200 is wearing the invention which includes a half facepiece
100, also referred to as a mask, for personal protection that is
conveniently worn by the user 200. The half facepiece 100 has a
shaped support piece 20 supporting and fixing the position of a
particle or paper filter 30 insert with either the support piece 20
or the particle filter 30 incorporating a face sealing component
32. Placed within the shaped support piece 20, a grille 22 is
configured in the lower section of the shaped support piece 20.
Additionally the half facepiece 100 includes a head harness 40
having a release mechanism 42.
[0017] Referring to FIG. 2, the shaped support piece 20 of the half
facepiece 100 is shown separated from the mask filter 30. The
support piece 20 includes a molded hardened frame member 24, such
as plastic, composite or other light and moldable composition that
is preferably transparent allowing for visual inspection of the
wearer's 200 mouth, mouth movements and the facial area adjacent to
the mouth as well as providing a lighter impression for improved
communications. The support piece 20 may be partially or completely
transparent. Preferably plastic is used to form a hardened frame
member 24 to integrate other parts of the half facepiece 100. The
hardened frame member 24 forms an opening 70 for incorporation of
the grille 22 or other component, such as an exhaust valve. The
grille 22 in the front of the hardened frame member 24 allows for
airflow from the outer environment to access the filter 30 while
protecting against contamination and spoilage of the filter 30 from
splash hazards and other similar liquid contact against the filter
30. The grille 22 may include any appropriate configuration for
splash protection of the filter 30, which preferably has slotted
overlays of plastic ridges 23 to deflect fluid spray traveling in
an approximate line-of-sight trajectory from passing through the
grille 22 and contacting the filter 30. As such, the ridges 23 may
be individual straight, curved, or multi-faced slats, or other
configurations that would interrupt splashed fluids from passing
through the grille 22 and contact the filter 30. Additionally the
shaped support piece 20 may form an opening 26 for additional
airflow from outside of the mask to pass to and through the filter
30. This opening 26 is preferably located close to the wearer's
eyes in the upper section of the hardened frame member 24 in an
area the is typically curved or angled away from common splash
hazards during normal operational wear of the half facepiece 100.
The hardened frame member 24 may also include an attachment point
28 for convenient connection, joining and/or adjustment of the
hardened frame member 24 with the head harness 40. This attachment
point 28 may include an opening, hook, ring, VELCRO.TM., or other
like fastening mechanism. Preferably the fastening mechanism
includes an opening within the hardened frame member 24 to provide
convenient washing and sanitization of the hardened frame member 24
when desired.
[0018] The filter 30 of the half facepiece 100 preferably includes
a particle filter that is more preferably a shaped molded particle
filter 30. The shaped molded particle filter 30 has a sealing edge
32 component, preferably having a composition of silicone,
thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or combination thereof. Silicone and
TPE materials include any appropriate silicone rubber or
thermoplastic rubbers having thermoplastic and elastomeric
properties appropriate for facial contact and filter support. This
sealing edge 32 component is molded to the filtering paper 32 to
provide a comfortable fit and wear of the half facepiece 100 to the
wearer 200. Generally the molded sealing edge 32 includes a rounded
and/or textured edge for a comfortable facial contact to increase
the area of contact with the wearer's 200 face for extended times
of use. As seen in FIG. 2, the shaped molded particle filter 30
includes a large exhaust valve flap 34 integrated into an exhaust
valve 36 in a housing, such as a plastic body, where the plastic
body can be detached from filter 30. The exhaust valve 36 is in
line and adjacent to, when assembled, the back of the grille 22 so
as to be protected from being compromised by splash
contamination.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 3, the head harness 40 of the half
facepiece 100 of the invention includes the release mechanism 42
for donning and doffing the mask 100. The release mechanism 42
preferably includes a quick release mechanism used in combination
with the attachment point 28 of the hardened frame member 24. The
head harness 40 includes support straps 44 for horizontal and
vertical support on the user's 200 head, with the support straps 44
preferably configured for a soft textured feel in a permanent shape
corresponding to the user's 200 head. Various strap locations and
head crown support 46 designs may be used, such as for example
without limitation, the multiple strap head crown support 46 design
shown in FIG. 3 and alternatively the net head crown support 46
design shown in FIG. 4. Some or all of the head harness 40 support
straps 44 may be elastic, generally with tightening mechanisms. As
further shown in FIG. 3, a gap between the shaped support piece 20
and molded filter 30 may allow airflow into the filter 30.
[0020] As seen in FIG. 4, the half facepiece 100 is shown having a
transparent support piece 20 that incorporates the exhaust valve 36
therein located behind a cover 72. In this embodiment, no
additional openings are resident in the support piece 20 allowing
the support piece 20 to remain air-tight while allow airflow
through the attached pancake filters 60. The mask 100 incorporates
two laterally positioned pancake-type filters 60 which in an
alternative embodiment may be conformal filters 60. The mask 100 in
this embodiment may include multiple, e.g., two, pancake type
filter preferably with quick attachment/release clips. The support
piece 20 incorporates the sealing edge 32 along its perimeter,
where the support piece 20 contacts the wearer's 200 face. The mask
100 includes a soft comfortable net type textile harness 40,
elastic textile straps 44, adjustable strap length and quick
release clips 42.
[0021] As seen in FIG. 5, the support piece 20 of the half
facepiece 100 includes the silicone and/or TPE molded sealing edge
32, exhaust grille 22 to prevent contamination from splash hazards,
the soft and shape permanent head support 40, and support straps 44
with length adjusting mechanisms 48. Additionally the embodiment
shown in FIG. 5 includes a changeable peel-off filter paper 80,
preferably with air-tight glue joint. In a preferred embodiment,
shown in FIG. 6, the peel-off filter paper 80 includes a flat
pancake filter with peel-off paper 86 and glue border 84, which as
further seen in FIG. 7, has filter peel-off paper 88 that is
removed (as shown by the arrow) before the filter 80 is glued to
support piece 20 of the respirator.
[0022] In an alternative embodiment, as seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, the
half facepiece 100 of the invention includes a small motor 90 and
impellor 92 to cool down the user's 200 face heat and help with
breathing, preferably with a blower 94 that also prevents the
misting of the transparent plastic front cover of the support piece
20. The embodiment further includes a plastic transparent front
cover of a plastic filter body 96 that houses a built-in power
source 98, such as a thin Li-battery, and changeable filter paper
30. Also shown re the silicone or TPE face sealing edge 32, exhaust
valve 36 located in the lower section of the support piece 20,
quick release clip 42 for the head harness 40, and the elastic
textile straps 44 of the head harness 40.
[0023] As seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, the half facepiece 100 of the
invention may include the support piece 20 having silicone or TPE
face sealing edge 32 with the support piece 20 forming an opening
110 for placement of the molded filter 30 therein. The support
piece 20 includes a hard plastic body with the soft molded sealing
edge 32 molded together. In this embodiment, the support piece 20
incorporates multiple laterally placed exhaust valve 36, e.g., two,
with each exhaust valve 36 located behind a cover 72. The mask 100
further incorporates a frame member 112 that seals the filter 30 to
the support piece 20. The frame member 112 may be detached for
filter 30 insertion and removal, e.g., replacement of the filter
30. The filter 30 includes a shaped molded particle filter 30 that
is placed within the inside of the support piece 20 and retained
within the support piece 20 with the frame member 112. Safety
goggles 114 may be attached to the upper portion of the support
piece 20, preferably using a quick release mechanism 116 for
attachment and detachment of the safety goggles to the mask
100.
[0024] In operation, the half facepiece 100 is easily donned or
doffed for convenient cleaning and decontamination. The filter 30
is removed from the support piece 20 and as such each component may
be most efficiently clean. In high use area, the filter 30 may be
removed and the support piece 20 and head harness 40 may be cleaned
locally and immediately used with a new filter 30. The quick
release mechanism 42 further advances this rapid turnaround of
equipment use.
[0025] While certain embodiments of the disclosure have been
described herein, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited
thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope
as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise.
Therefore, the above description should not be construed as
limiting, but merely as exemplifications of particular embodiments.
Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within
the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *