U.S. patent application number 17/032594 was filed with the patent office on 2021-04-01 for full-face mask.
The applicant listed for this patent is QBAS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Chih-Cheng SHIUE.
Application Number | 20210094662 17/032594 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005118497 |
Filed Date | 2021-04-01 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210094662 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SHIUE; Chih-Cheng |
April 1, 2021 |
FULL-FACE MASK
Abstract
A full-face mask including a mask body, a breathing tube, an
isolation support portion, and a first partition is provided. The
mask body includes a lens portion and a soft portion, the soft
portion fits a user's face to form an inner space. The breathing
tube is disposed above the mask body and is connecting with the
inner space. The isolation support portion is disposed in the inner
space to define an upper space and a lower space which are
connected with each other. A first partition is disposed in the
lower space and includes an intake valve. The lower space is
defined with a proximal space and a distal space. When the user
inhales, the clean air passes through the intake valve into the
proximal space. Thus, the user could effectively breathe, exhale
and/or isolated from leakage water to avoid danger.
Inventors: |
SHIUE; Chih-Cheng; (Taipei,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QBAS CO., LTD. |
Taipei |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005118497 |
Appl. No.: |
17/032594 |
Filed: |
September 25, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62906925 |
Sep 27, 2019 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B63C 2011/165 20130101;
B63C 11/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B63C 11/16 20060101
B63C011/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 22, 2020 |
TW |
109117092 |
Claims
1. A full-face mask being wearable on a user's face, comprising: a
mask body, comprising a lens portion and a soft portion connected
to each other, the soft portion is configured to fit the user's
face to form an inner space thereof; a breathing tube, being
disposed above the mask body and connected with the inner space for
the user to inhale clean air; an isolation support portion, being
disposed in the inner space to define an upper space and a lower
space thereof, wherein the upper space is connected with the lower
space; and a first partition, being disposed in the lower space to
define a proximal space and a distal space thereof, further
comprising an intake valve, whereby the clean air enters the
proximal space through the intake valve when the user inhales the
clean air; wherein the breathing tube is configured to connect with
the proximal space of the lower space, whereby the dirty air
exhaled from the user leave the proximal space through the
breathing tube.
2. The full-face mask of claim 1, wherein the first partition is
shaped to allow the intake valve to be close to and aimed at the
user's nostril.
3. The full-face mask of claim 1, wherein the intake valve is a
constantly open intake valve.
4. The full-face mask of claim 1, wherein the first partition
further comprises an exhaust valve which is disposed below the
intake valve to further discharge the dirty air exhaled from the
user.
5. The full-face mask of claim 1, further comprising a second
partition which is disposed in the distal space to define a guide
space and a temporary storage space of the distal space.
6. The full-face mask of claim 5, wherein the lens portion further
comprises a guide opening which is connected with the temporary
storage space.
7. The full-face mask of claim 5, further comprising at least one
one-way valve which is disposed in the temporary storage space to
discharge water or the dirty air exhaled from the user.
8. The full-face mask of claim 1, further comprising a channel and
a splitter, wherein the channel is formed where the lens portion
connects to the soft portion, and the splitter is disposed in the
channel to prevent the circulation of air flowing from a lower end
of the channel to the breathing tube.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priorities to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 62/906,925 filed on Sep. 27, 2019 and the
present invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119 Taiwan
Patent Application No. 109117092 filed on May 22, 2020, where are
hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention provides a full-face mask for
underwater activities. In particular, it provides a full-face mask
for snorkeling which can improve safety.
Descriptions of the Related Art
[0003] When the full-face mask is worn, it covers the eyes, the
nose and the mouth of the user at the same time so that the user
can naturally breathe with the nose or the mouth, which is close to
the breathing habit in general life.
[0004] At present, the intake valves of the full-face masks on the
market are mostly disposed on both sides of the isolation portion.
The intake valve of the full-face mask is close to the user's cheek
after the wearing. Because of the different face shape of each
person, some people will squeeze into the intake valve after
wearing the mask. As a result, when inhaling, the intake valve will
not open smoothly and not enough clean air will be inhaled.
Otherwise, the intake valve will be distorted and deformed from
extrusion, so that the pressure cannot make it completely closed
when exhale, and the dirty air (with water vapor) leaks into the
lens area through the unclosed part, making the lens foggy. The
carbon dioxide contained in the dirty air cannot be discharged
smoothly, which will cause the user to be easily tired and pant
aggravated during activities. For beginners or people who are
afraid of water, that increases the chance of inhaling water, has
poor safety, and greatly reduces the fun of leisure activities.
[0005] The carbon dioxide can easily accumulate and cause dizziness
and fainting or the user may hyperventilate due to anxiety caused
by water accumulation in the mask or the like, if the channel for
the inhaled/exhaled air of this kind of full-face mask is not
smooth, the ability to block water inflow is not good, and the
drainage design is not stable. If the user encounters the
above-mentioned conditions when wearing the full-face mask, the
user may face the fate of drowning whether the user continues to
wear the mask or completely removes the mask, which is quite
dangerous. The following two news about the drowning of users
highlight the hidden hazards in the design of full-face masks: 1.
"Snorkeling Safety and the New Potential Hazards of Full-Face
Snorkel Masks"
(https://snorkelstore.net/snorkeling-safety-new-potential-hazards--
full-face-snorkel-masks); and "Recent snorkel deaths prompts
investigation into full-faced snorkel masks"
(http://www.ktvu.com/news/recent-snorkel-deaths-prompts-investigation-int-
o-full-faced-snorkel-masks).
[0006] The design flaws of such masks are described with the
accompanying drawings in detail as follows:
[0007] First, as shown in FIG. 1, the conventional full-face mask
100 is provided with an isolation portion 110 in an inner space
thereof and two air passages 116 annularly arranged at the left and
right sides of the full-face mask. The isolation portion 110 is
used to define an upper space 112 (also known as the eye space) and
a lower space 114 (also known as the nose and mouth space), while
the two air passages 116 are used for dirty air communication
between the breathing tube (not shown) and the lower space 114.
[0008] This design officially announces that the circulation path
of the dirty air is as follows: a) the clean air inhaled from the
upper breathing tube flows through the upper space 112, and then
flows into the lower space 114 through isolation portion one-way
valves 120 at two sides of the isolation portion 110 for oral and
nasal inhalation; b) the dirty air exhaled from the mouth and the
nose is discharged from the lower portion of the full-face mask 100
to lateral one-way valves 140 and the breathing tube at the upper
end through the two air passages 116 annularly arranged on the left
and right sides of the full-face mask 100, and then discharged to
the outside.
[0009] In addition, the conventional full-face mask 100 also
asserts that when water enters the mask and accumulates in the
lower space 114 of the mask, the user only needs to exhale deeply,
and then the pressure inside the mask can be increased to discharge
the accumulated water from a one-way valve 130 at the mouth portion
disposed below the lower space 114.
[0010] This seemingly reasonable theoretical design actually hides
great flaws. Specifically, the isolation portions 110 of the
conventional full-face masks 100 all have a reflex (or folded)
design (i.e. the isolation portion is folded in half, with the two
ends facing each other) in consideration of a simple manufacturing
process, wide adaptation to face shapes, and wearing comfort.
However, this design sometimes cannot completely fit or cover the
cheeks and the nose of the user. That is, when such a full-face
mask is worn, many gaps or interstices (hereinafter referred to as
interstices) will be formed between the isolation portion 110 and
the cheeks and the nose of the user. Because the isolation portion
one-way valve 120 is squeezed and distorted by the user's cheek, it
cannot be completely opened or closed, and the interstices will
also be formed.
[0011] Due to the existence of these gaps or interstices, the
inhaled/exhaled air will not flow according to the originally
envisaged path (i.e., the clean air enters the lower space 114 from
the upper space 112 and through the isolation portion one-way
valves 120 of the isolation portion 110. The dirty air all travels
upward through the air passages 116 to the breathing tube and the
lateral one-way valves 140 to be discharged. Actually, the clean
air is more likely to flow directly into the lower space 114
through the interstices to be inhaled by the nose and the mouth
(because the air flow will encounter the interstices first); and
correspondingly, the dirty air exhaled from the mouth and the nose
is more likely to flow back to the upper space 112 through the
interstices than discharge smoothly out through the air passages
116 and the lateral one-way valves 140.
[0012] The actual dirty air circulation path constructed by the
above-mentioned conventional full-face mask 100 is quite different
from the expected theory. That is, theoretically, the clean air
inhaled by the user and the dirty air exhaled by the user are
expected to travel through specific paths. However, due to the
interstices between the isolation portion 110 and the user's face,
the clean air enters through the interstices. As a result, the
isolation portion one-way valve 120 on the isolation portion 110
cannot be opened or cannot be completely opened. The amount of
clean air entering the nose and the mouth is naturally
insufficient. The user naturally feels that the inhalation is not
smooth. In addition, in the case where the air intake is
insufficient, the dirty air exhaled is mostly discharged through
the interstices. When water accumulates in the mask, the user
wishes to discharge the accumulated water from the one-way valve
130 at the mouth portion below the mask by exhaling deeply, but the
effect of discharging the water is greatly reduced due to air
leakage. Thus, the danger of inhaling water or hyperventilating due
to anxiety is likely to occur because the water cannot be
discharged in time. The result of insufficient air intake and
inability to discharge water indeed is a serious threat to life
safety.
[0013] In addition, the kind of full-face masks that use the
one-piece design of eyes, the nose and the mouth to reduce the
breathing skills required for underwater use, have resulted in wide
application by various age groups. However, this has caused many
fatal accidents in recent years. Starting from 2019, based on
security supervision, the European Union (EU) has imposed a
mandatory provision that a CE certification complying with the
requirements of the new regulation (EU) 2016/425 must be provided
for respiratory products before the products can be sold in the EU
region, wherein EN 136: 1998 is a standard made by EU for the
performance, testing modes and labeling of full-face masks. It is
especially important that in the test mode of EN 136: 1998, the
full-face diving mask shall be tested at 50 RMV (respiratory volume
ratio) and under the conditions that the drain valve on the mask is
opened/closed respectively, and the test result of the mask needs
to conform to the condition that the carbon dioxide content of the
inhaled air (dead space) should not exceed 1% on average. That is,
when the full-face diving mask is used in water, enough clean air
must be brought in when the user inhales so that a higher amount of
oxygen can fully enter the mask; and when the user exhales, dirty
air can be really and effectively discharged to the outside of the
mask so that carbon dioxide does not remain in the mask. Only in
this way can the mask passes the test standard to ensure that the
user can safely breathe in the dead space without being in danger
under water.
[0014] However, as mentioned above, the conventional full-face
masks have a number of technically fatal designs (i.e., the actual
dirty air circulation path is obviously different from what is
expected in theory, and thus, the intake of clean air and the
discharge of carbon dioxide fail to meet the standard), so it is
almost impossible for these masks to pass the EN 136: 1998 test
standard. These fatal designs belong to potential hazards and
consumers have no ability to find technical defects from the
appearance of the masks. Therefore, it is especially important to
introduce the EN 136: 1998 standard certification for the
product.
[0015] Accordingly, providing a full-face mask that meets various
safety standards has become an urgent need in the art at present,
and it is also a special emphasis of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] An objective of the present invention is to provide a
full-face mask that meets various safety standards.
[0017] To achieve the aforesaid objective, a full-face mask
according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention
comprises a mask body, a breathing tube, an isolation support
portion and a first partition. The mask body comprises a lens
portion and a soft portion connected to each other, and the soft
portion is configured to fit the user's face to form an inner space
thereof. The breathing tube is disposed above the mask body and
connected with the inner space for the user to inhale clean air and
exhale dirty air. The isolation support portion is disposed in the
inner space to define an upper space and a lower space thereof. The
upper space is connected with the lower space. The first partition
is disposed in the lower space to define a proximal space and a
distal space thereof, further comprises an intake valve, whereby
the clean air will enters the proximal space through the intake
valve when the user inhales the clean air.
[0018] In an embodiment, the first partition is shaped to allow the
intake valve to be close to and aimed at the user's nostril.
[0019] In an embodiment, the intake valve of the first partition
comprised in the full-face mask of the present invention is a
constantly open intake valve.
[0020] In an embodiment, the first partition comprised in the
full-face mask of the present invention further comprises an
exhaust valve which is disposed below the intake valve to further
discharge the dirty air exhaled from the user.
[0021] In an embodiment, the full-face mask of the present
invention further comprises a second partition which is disposed in
the distal space to define a guide space and a temporary storage
space of the distal space.
[0022] In an embodiment, the lens portion comprised in the
full-face mask of the present invention further comprises a guide
opening which is connected with the temporary storage space.
[0023] In an embodiment, the full-face mask of the present
invention further comprises at least one one-way valve which is
disposed in the temporary storage space to discharge water or the
dirty air exhaled from the user.
[0024] In an embodiment, the full-face mask of the present
invention further comprises a channel and a splitter, the channel
is formed where the lens portion connects to the soft portion, and
the splitter is disposed in the channel to prevent the circulation
of air flowing from a lower end of the channel to the breathing
tube.
[0025] The detailed technology and preferred embodiments
implemented for the subject invention are described in the
following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people
skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the
claimed invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a full-face mask of the
prior art;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a full-face mask
of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 3A is a schematic rear view of the full-face mask of
the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 3B is a schematic perspective view of the full-face
mask of FIG. 3A;
[0030] FIG. 4 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the
full-face mask of the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 5A is a schematic exploded view of the full-face mask
of FIG. 4;
[0032] FIG. 5B is a schematic view of a first partition and a soft
portion formed integrally in the full-face mask of the present
invention;
[0033] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the airflow path in the
full-face mask of the present invention when the user inhales;
[0034] FIG. 7A is a perspective schematic view of a constantly open
air valve of the full-face mask of the present invention;
[0035] FIG. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a
line B-B of the constantly open air valve of FIG. 7A when the user
inhales;
[0036] FIG. 7C is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a
line B-B of the constantly open air valve of FIG. 7A when the user
exhales;
[0037] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the airflow path in the
full-face mask of the present invention when the user exhales;
[0038] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the water flow path in the
full-face mask of the present invention;
[0039] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the water flow path in part
of the lens portion in the full-face mask of the present
invention;
[0040] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the flow path of the airflow
in the channel of the full-face mask of the present invention when
the user exhales; and
[0041] FIG. 12 is a schematic exploded view of a full-face mask of
the present invention which comprises a frame and an outer
cover.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, a full-face mask
200 disclosed in the present invention is wearable on a user's
face, and comprises a mask body 210, a breathing tube 220, an
isolation support portion 230 and a first partition 260.
[0043] The mask body 210 comprises a soft portion 214 and a lens
portion 216 connected to each other. The soft portion 214 (or
referred to as "skirt portion") provided on the periphery of the
lens portion 216 fits the user's face, and the mask body 210 forms
an inner space 212. The breathing tube 220 is disposed above the
mask body 210 and communicates with the inner space 212 so that a
user can inhale clean air (fresh air) and exhale dirty air through
the breathing tube.
[0044] The isolation support portion 230 is disposed in the inner
space 212 so that the inner space 212 defines an upper space 232
and a lower space 234, and the upper space 232 is connected with
the lower space 234. In detail, there may be an interval 215
between the front side 2301 of the isolation support portion 230
and the lens portion 216, and the rear side 2302 of the isolation
support portion 230 faces backward and faces the face of the user
(the face facing frontward and facing and the lens portion 216) and
fits the cheek of the user and covers the nose area of the user
(approximately from the bridge of the nose to the cheeks on both
sides of the mouth). The interval 215 may be disposed generally
above the bridge of the nose or extend from above the bridge of the
nose to both sides of the mouth. That is, the front side 2301 of
the isolation support portion 230 may partially contact the inner
side of the lens portion 216 so that the interval 215 presents an
opening (not shown) of a micro-arc shape. Alternatively, the front
side 2301 does not contact the inner surface of the lens portion
216 at all so that the interval 215 presents an opening of an
inverted U shape (as shown in FIG. 3B). Preferably, the position of
the interval 215 is closer to the lens portion 216 and the
breathing tube 220 than the position where the rear side 2302 fits
the user. In this way, when the user inhales, the clean air R
flowing in from the breathing tube 220 will directly flow from the
upper space 232 into the lower space 234 through the interval 215
in this shorter path, thereby improving the efficiency of inhaling
clean air for the user. Different from the prior art where the
isolation portion 110 is disposed against the lens portion of the
mask, there is an interval 215 between the front side 2301 of the
isolation support portion 230 and the lens portion 216 in the
present invention, and the isolation support portion 230 is made of
a soft material. Thus, when the user wears the full-face mask 200,
the isolation support portion 230 can elastically deform and move,
can more closely fit the face shape and bridge of the nose of the
user, so as to completely fit the cheek and cover the nose area of
the user. In this way, there is little or no interstice between the
isolation support portion 230 and the user's cheek and nose to
prevent dirty air from flowing back through the interstice and
accumulating in the inner space 212 or making the lens surface of
the lens portion 216 foggy. The isolation support portion 230 may
also be provided with a reflex design or a non-reflex design
according to different use requirements (the non-reflex design
means that the isolation support portion 230 are not completely
folded in half and the two tail ends of the isolation support
portion 230 are not completely face each other) so as to better
conform to differences of face width, bridge height of the nose or
the like of different users, thereby avoiding problems of backflow
and accumulation of the dirty air or the like.
[0045] As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the mask body 210
of the present invention further has a first partition 260, which
is disposed in the lower space 234 and may be made of a soft
material or a hard material. The first partition 260 may be formed
independently or formed integrally with the soft portion 214 (as
shown in FIG. 5B). When the first partition 260 and the soft
portion 214 are formed integrally, materials of different hardness
may be used in different regions. For example, the isolation
support portion 230 of the soft portion 214 is made softer and the
first partition 260 is made harder. When the first partition 260
and the soft portion 214 are formed independently, the first
partition 260 has a peripheral portion 261 which may be directly or
indirectly fixed on the isolation support portion 230 of the soft
portion 214. For example, the peripheral portion 261 may be
directly clamped to, abutted on the rear surface of the front side
2301 of the isolation support portion 230, or directly mounted in a
clamping groove (not shown) formed by the front side 2301 of the
isolation support portion 230 by injection molding. Alternatively,
other elements are arranged between the peripheral edge 261 and the
isolation support portion 230 to assist fixation and strengthen
prevention of water flow from penetrating and touching the user
(e.g., using fixing members and an adhesive layer). The lower space
234 is defined with a proximal space 235 and a distal space 236 by
the arrangement of the first partition 260.
[0046] Referring to FIG. 6 together, the first partition 260 has an
upper plane 262 and a lower plane 263, and the upper plane 262 may
be provided with an intake valve 241. The first partition 260 is
shaped to allow the intake valve 241 preferably forms an
inclination angle with respect to the direction that the user's
face faces. That is, when the mask body 210 is placed vertically
with respect to the ground, the cross section of the first
partition 260 may be generally of an S shape for example. In this
way, when the user wears the full-face mask 200, the intake valve
241 is preferably located at the center position of the mask body
210, close to and aimed at the nostril 10 of the user, so that the
air inhalation path is shorter and the user can inhale the clean
air R more efficiently. The inclination angle of the upper plane
262 may be adjusted according to the configuration or size of
different full-face masks so as to be close to the front of the
nose (especially the nostril position). The intake valve 241 may be
further provided with a larger size than a conventional one-way
valve, for example, with a diameter of about 2 cm to 3 cm. In this
way, as compared to the longer air intake path where the isolation
portion one-way valve 120 is arranged on the isolation portion 110
(approximately located on the left and right sides of the wing of
the nose) in the prior art, the present invention allows the clean
air R to easily flow into the lower space 234 through the interval
215 and then flow into the proximal space 235 through the intake
valve 241 when the user inhales, so that the user can more directly
and more efficiently inhale enough clean air without feeling lack
of oxygen and dizzy due to insufficient clean air.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C, the structure of the intake
valve 241 may be selected as a bowl-shaped constantly open air
valve. The bowl-shaped air valve has a bowl-shaped structure
inclined inward (in the direction facing the face of the user after
the user wears the full-face mask 200), which is made of a soft and
thin material. When the user inhales, the bowl-shaped air valve is
kept constantly open to allow the clean air R to flow to the user.
When the user exhales the dirty air C, the bowl-shaped air valve is
squeezed and unfolded outward into a plane to cover the air inlet
231 (as shown in FIG. 7C). Since the air valve structure does not
cover the air inlet 231 when the user inhales, the clean air can
pass directly through the air inlet 231 to the proximal space 235
when the user inhales easily with a normal inhaling force. When an
appropriate setting angle and distance are provided between the
intake valve 241 and the nose of the user (i.e. the intake valve
241 is close to the nose of the user), the intake valve 241 may be
a normal intake valve (not shown), i.e., a constantly closed intake
valve. When the user inhales, the decrease in pressure in the
proximal space 235 (especially near the nostril) will open the
intake valve, whereas when the user exhales, the increase in
pressure will make the intake valve closed more tightly, thereby
avoiding the accumulation of carbon dioxide.
[0048] Moreover, the lower plane 263 is located below the upper
plane 262, forms an angle with respect to the upper plane 262, and
may be further provided with an inner exhaust valve 257. The inner
exhaust valve 257 may be a one-way valve and preferably corresponds
to the position of the user's mouth. Thus, when the user exhales
from the mouth, the inner exhaust valve 257 will be directly
pressurized to open so that the dirty air C can be further directly
discharged to the distal space 236 through the inner exhaust valve
257 in addition to being discharged through the breathing tube 220,
and will not flow back from the interstice between the isolation
support portion 230 and the user (if present inadvertently) and
accumulate in the inner space 212. The arrangement of the lower
plane 263 may also be modified corresponding to the adjustment of
the upper plane 262.
[0049] Referring again to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5A, the mask body 210
further comprises a second partition 270, and the second partition
270 may also be made of a soft material or a hard material and has
a peripheral portion 271. The upper end of the peripheral portion
271 may be directly or indirectly fixed (e.g., clamping other
elements) on the inner side of the lens portion 216. The lower end
of the peripheral portion 271 may be directly or indirectly fixed
to and abut against the first partition 260 to divide the distal
space 236 into a guide space 237 and a temporary storage space
238.
[0050] The temporary storage space 238 may comprise an upper
exhaust valve 252 and a lower drain valve 254. Each of the upper
exhaust valve 252 and the lower drain valve 254 may be a one-way
valve and may be respectively obliquely set at different angles. In
this way, when water accumulates in the temporary storage space 238
due to water penetration of the full-face mask 200, the accumulated
water may be selectively discharged by the most suitable valve
according to the steering angle of the user's head. If there is
only a small amount of accumulated water, then the accumulated
water can be easily discharged to the outside from the lower drain
valve 254 without waiting for the water accumulating to the height
of the upper exhaust valve 252. At this time, the upper exhaust
valve 252 is specially responsible for processing the dirty air C
exhaled by the user, so that the efficiency of discharging water
and dirty air is further improved. Even if the water accumulates to
the upper exhaust valve 252, the accumulated water will not touch
the nose and mouth of the user due to the arrangement of the first
partition 260 and the second partition 270, thereby avoiding the
fear and pressure of inhaling water for the user, and naturally
improving the safety and fun of snorkeling. When the upper exhaust
valve 252 and the lower drain valve 254 are sufficient for the user
to completely discharge the accumulated water, it is not necessary
to provide the second partition 270.
[0051] With reference to FIG. 6, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the preferred
air path of the full-face mask 200 of this application is described
as follows:
[0052] When the user inhales, the air B can flow from the breathing
tube to the guide space 237 from the upper space 232 and through
the interval 215 and enter the proximal space 235 through the
intake valve 241 on the upper plane 262 of the first partition 260,
and is directly inhaled by the user, so the amount of clean air
(oxygen) inhaled by the user can easily reach and exceed the safety
standard. When the user exhales, the pressure in the proximal space
235 increases, so that the intake valve 241 becomes closed. At this
time, part of the dirty air C flows from the proximal space to the
channel 213 and then to the breathing tube 220 to be discharged,
and part of the dirty air C flows through the inner exhaust valve
257 from the proximal space into the temporary storage space 238,
and then flows out through the upper exhaust valve 252 and/or the
lower drain valve 254. As shown in FIG. 9, if water W accidentally
flows into the full-face mask 200 and accumulates in the temporary
storage space 238, when the user exhales, the pressure of the
temporary storage space 238 will be more easily increased due to
the blocking of the second partition 270, and the water W will be
discharged from the lower drain valve 254 more easily, and will
hardly accumulate to the height of the upper exhaust valve 252. In
this way, the upper exhaust valve 252 may be specially responsible
for processing the dirty air exhaled by the user, thereby improving
the efficiency of discharging the dirty air and improving the
safety of use.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 10, the lens portion 216 of the full-face
mask 200 of this embodiment may further comprise a guide opening
211 located below a guide sheet 217 extending from the inner side
of the lens portion 216, e.g., between the guide space 237 and the
temporary storage space 238. When water W penetrates into the upper
space 232 of the full-face mask 200, it flows along the inner side
of the lens portion 216 or the guide sheet 217 to the guide opening
211 and to the lower drain valve 254 of the temporary storage space
238, and then the water is discharged to the outside as the user
moves or exhales. Even if the water W is not discharged
immediately, the second partition 270 may be arranged to prevent
the water W from flowing back to the guide space 237 along the
guide opening 211 or reaching the position of the intake valve 241
and being accidentally inhaled by the user. Alternatively, the soft
portion 214 may comprise a stopper (not shown), which can cover the
guide opening 211 after the soft portion 214 is connected with the
lens portion 216 to prevent the water W from flowing back to the
guide space 231 along the guide opening 211. That is, the stopper
may serve as a one-way valve so that the water W flows to the
temporary storage space 238 in a unidirectional manner.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 11, after the soft portion 214 is connected
with the lens portion 216, a channel 213 may be formed inside a
periphery of the full-face mask 200. The channel 213 has a splitter
213a, the splitter 213a may be a part of the lens portion 216 or a
part of the soft portion 214, and is arranged at the connection
between the channel 213 and the breathing tube 220 to block the
direct circulation of dirty air from a lower end of the channel 213
to the breathing tube 220. Further speaking, when the dirty air C
exhaled by the user enters a lower end of the channel 213 from the
lower space 234 and then flows to an upper end of the channel 213
and to the breathing tube 220, the splitter 213a can prevent the
circulation of the dirty air in the vicinity of the breathing tube
220 (the air in the left channel flows directly from the right
channel, or vice versa); otherwise, the dirty air C (carbon
dioxide) cannot be completely and smoothly discharged and
accumulated in the full-face mask 200. In this way, the danger
caused by insufficient clean air inhaled by the user can be
avoided. Due to the arrangement of the splitter 213a, the dirty air
C from the left and right channels will be blocked and respectively
flow to the breathing tube 220 more smoothly and directly, and then
discharged to the outside of the full-face mask 200.
[0055] As shown in FIG. 12, the mask body 210 may further comprise
a frame 219 and an outer cover 218, wherein the frame 219 may be
clamped around the lens portion 216 and the soft portion 214 to
further protect the lens portion 216. The outer cover 218 may be
detachably fixed to the lens portion 216 or the frame 219 or
integrally formed with the frame 219, thereby preferably shielding
the region of the lens portion 216 having the upper exhaust valve
252 and the lower drain valve 254 to protect the upper exhaust
valve 252 and the lower drain valve 254. If the upper exhaust valve
252 and the lower drain valve 254 have structures that are not
easily damaged, then the outer cover 218 may not be required.
[0056] According to the above descriptions, because the upper space
232 and the lower space 234 of the full-face mask of the present
invention are directly connected and the intake valve 241 is close
to the nose of the user, the user can more efficiently breathe
clean air through this shorter and more direct air inhalation path.
On the contrary, when the user exhales with the nose and/or the
mouth, the intake valve 241 will be directly pressurized to cover
the air inlet 231 and turn into a closed state if the intake valve
241 is a constantly open intake valve, and the dirty air C may flow
directly to the breathing tube 220 through the channel 213 to be
discharged. Alternatively, when the first partition 260 is further
provided with an inner exhaust valve 257, the dirty air C can be
more efficiently discharged to the temporary storage space 238
because the position of the inner exhaust valve 257 is close to the
user's mouth. Meanwhile, the water W accumulated in the temporary
storage space 238 can be discharged out of the mask body 210 so
that the dirty air C and accumulated water are not easy to flow
back or accumulate, thereby meeting various safety standards. By
providing the first partition to isolate the water inadvertently
flowing into the full-face mask from the nose and mouth of the
user, the present invention can avoid anxiety and panic of the user
caused by touching the water. Moreover, the present invention may
be further provided with the second partition and/or the stopper to
block the backflow of the water accumulated in the mask, thereby
further increasing the safety in use. Such a design can greatly
improve the problems of the prior art that it is difficult to
inhale enough clean air (includes the content of carbon dioxide is
too high because carbon dioxide cannot be exhaled completely) and
the user feels anxious because of touching the accumulated water,
and various safety standards are met no matter during air
inhalation or exhalation.
[0057] The above disclosure is related to the detailed technical
contents and inventive features thereof. People skilled in this
field may proceed with a variety of modifications and replacements
based on the disclosures and suggestions of the invention as
described without departing from the characteristics thereof.
Nevertheless, although such modifications and replacements are not
fully disclosed in the above descriptions, they have substantially
been covered in the following claims as appended.
* * * * *
References