Mask, mask shell and seal with improved mounting, mask seal, method of mask manufacture and mask with reduced exhalation noise

• US 20060042629A1
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vital Signs Incorporated (Becton Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Vital Signs Incorporated (Becton Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Geist, Leroy D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,353,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/206.240
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0683 Holding devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0825 with ball-sockets
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0858 Pressure sampling ports
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/42 Reducing noise

Abstract

A mask, a mask shell and seal provided with cooperative mounting members for mounting the seal to the shell, method of manufacturing such mask, mask shell and seal, a mask including a plurality of headstraps and a headstrap retention bracket for mounting the headstraps removably to the mask, a mask seal including an embedded seal mounting member for mounting the seal to a mask shell, a mask shell including a malleable member in its peripheral portion which may be deformed to customize the mask seal to a person'"'"'s face, and a mask with a plurality of angular vent holes for reducing the noise of a mask wearer'"'"'s exhaled breath and for directing the exhaled breath away substantially parallel to the mask wearer'"'"'s body.

Claims

1. Mask, comprising:

a generally triangular shell including an apex portion and triangular walls providing an interior and including a shell outer peripheral portion, said apex portion provided with a circular opening circumscribed by an outwardly extending hollow cylindrical member terminating in a plane and for supplying gas to said mask, said shell outer peripheral portion provided with first mounting means;

a seal including a seal outer peripheral portion provided with second mounting means for engaging said first mounting means to mount said seal to said shell;

one of said walls for being disposed beneath a person'"'"'s nose and wherein said one wall is provided with a plurality of vent holes extending upwardly from said interior and angularly outwardly through said one wall;

a malleable member mounted in said shell outer peripheral portion and for being deformed to deform said shell and thereby said seal to fit said seal to portions of a person'"'"'s face;

a plurality of adjustable headstraps for surrounding and being attached to a person'"'"'s head; and

a headstrap retention bracket mounted to said plurality of headstraps and provided with a generally inwardly extending indentation generally complementary in shape to said cylindrical member and for permitting said headstrap retention bracket to wedgedly engage said cylindrical member to mount said shell and said seal removably to said plurality of headstraps.

2. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said first mounting means comprise a plurality of pins extending outwardly from said shell outer peripheral portion and wherein said second mounting means comprise a plurality of bosses extending outwardly to said seal outer peripheral portion and for wedgedly receiving said pins.

3. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said seal comprises a generally hollow triangular body comprising a styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil.

4. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said seal comprises a generally hollow triangular body comprising a styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil having a durometer of about 63.6 on the Shore 000 scale.

5. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said seal comprises a body of moldable material and wherein said second mounting means is molded into said moldable material.

6. The mask according to claim 5 wherein said moldable material comprises a styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil.

7. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said shell comprises a body of first moldable material, wherein said first mounting means comprise a plurality of pins extending outwardly from said shell outer peripheral portion, and wherein said seal comprises a body of second moldable material and wherein said second mounting means comprise a plurality of outwardly extending bosses for wedgedly receiving said pins.

8. The mask according to claim 7 wherein said second mounting means comprise a hollow generally triangular frame molded into said seal outer peripheral portion and provided with said plurality of bosses.

9. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said mask comprises a body of moldable material and wherein said malleable member is molded into said shell outer peripheral portion.

10. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of vent holes are disposed at an exit angle of approximately 30°

with respect to said plane.

11. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said one wall has a thickness and wherein said vent holes are cylindrical and have a diameter less than said thickness of said one wall.

12. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said hollow cylindrical member is provided with an outwardly extending radial ridge, wherein said indentation is a generally semi-circular indentation provided with a generally central inwardly extending radial indentation, wherein said indentations are circumscribed by an outwardly extending generally semi-cylindrical member including an inwardly extending portion providing a radial recess and wherein said generally semi-cylindrical member is for wedgedly engaging said cylindrical member with said radial recess receiving said radial ridge to orient said retention bracket with respect to said shell and to mount said shell and said seal removably to said plurality of headstraps.

13. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said seal outer peripheral portion is provided with a seal indentation complementary to and for receiving said shell outer peripheral portion to facilitate mounting of said seal to said shell.

40. The mask according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of vent holes comprise an array of vent holes including at least two opposed curved rows of vent holes.

41. The mask according to claim 40 wherein the distance between the vent holes in each row is substantially the same as the distance between opposed vent holes.

42. The mask according to claim 41 wherein said vent holes have a diameter and wherein said distances between vent holes are at least three times said diameter.

14. The method of manufacturing a mask, comprising the steps of:

molding a seal having first mounting means molded therein; and

providing a shell having second mounting means, and mounting said seal to said shell by engaging said first mounting means with said second mounting means.

15. The method of manufacturing a mask, comprising the steps of:

molding a seal including a seal outer peripheral portion having first mounting means molded therein;

molding a shell including a shell outer peripheral portion having a malleable member molded therein and provided with second mounting means; and

mounting said seal to said shell by engaging said first mounting means with said second mounting means.

16. The method of manufacturing a mask, comprising the steps of:

providing a body comprising a styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil;

providing a generally hollow triangular seal mounting member provided with a plurality of outwardly extending bosses;

injection molding said body to have a seal outer peripheral portion and molding said seal mounting member into said seal outer peripheral portion with said plurality of bosses extending outwardly to said seal outer peripheral portion;

providing a hollow generally triangular malleable member;

molding a generally hollow triangular mask shell having a shell outer peripheral portion provided with a plurality of outwardly extending pins and molding said malleable member into said shell outer peripheral portion; and

wedgedly inserting said pins into said plurality of bosses to mount said seal and mask together.

17. The method according to claim 16 including the further step of molding said mask shell to include triangular walls providing an interior and to include an apex portion provided with a circular opening circumscribed by an outwardly extending wall terminating in a plane;

and

forming a plurality of vent holes extending upwardly from said interior and angularly outwardly through one of said walls at an acute angle with respect to said plane.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein said vent holes are formed at an exit angle of about 30°

with respect to said plane.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein said mask shell molding step includes the further step of forming said one wall to have a thickness and wherein said vent holes forming step includes the step of forming said vent holes to be cylindrical and to have a diameter less than said one wall thickness.

20. The method according to claim 16 wherein said step of providing said body comprises the steps of providing a body comprising a styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil and having a durometer of about 15-20 on the Shore 00 scale and injection molding said body to have a durometer of about 63.6 on the Shore 000 scale.

21. A mask, comprising:

a shell and a seal mounted to said shell, said shell provided with an outwardly extending hollow cylinder for supplying gas and in fluid communication with said shell;

a plurality of headstraps; and

a headstrap retention bracket mounted to said headstraps and provided with an inwardly extending indentation permitting said bracket to wedgedly engage said cylinder and mount said shell and said seal removably to said plurality of headstraps.

22. The mask according to claim 21 wherein said cylindrical member is provided with a radially outwardly extending ridge, wherein said indentation is provided with a generally central radial indentation, wherein said indentations are circumscribed by an outwardly extending generally semi-cylindrical member including a portion providing a radially outwardly extending recess and wherein said generally semi-cylindrical member is for wedgedly engaging portions of said cylindrical member with said radial recess for receiving said radial ridge to orient said headstraps with respect to said shell and said seal and to mount said shell and said seal removably to said plurality of headstraps.

23. A mask, comprising:

a shell provided with first mounting means;

a seal; and

second mounting means embedded in said seal and for engaging said first mounting means to mount said seal to said shell.

24. The mask according to claim 23 wherein said shell includes a shell peripheral portion provided with a plurality of outwardly extending pins and wherein said seal includes a seal peripheral portion and wherein said second mounting means comprise a generally triangular frame embedded in said seal peripheral portion and provided with a plurality of outwardly extending bosses for wedgedly receiving said pins to mount said seal to said shell.

25. The mask according to claim 23 wherein said seal comprises a generally hollow triangular body comprising a styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil.

26. The mask according to claim 25 wherein said copolymer modified with a mineral oil has a durometer of about 63.6 on the Shore 000 scale.

27. The mask according to claim 23 wherein said seal comprises a body of moldable material and wherein said second mounting means is molded into said moldable material.

28. The mask according to claim 27 wherein said moldable material comprises a styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil.

29. The mask according to claim 23 wherein said shell includes an outwardly extending hollow cylinder terminating in a plane and includes a wall provided with a plurality of vent holes extending upwardly through said wall and disposed angularly with respect to said plane.

30. The mask according to claim 29 wherein said plurality of vent holes is disposed at an exit angle of about 30°

with respect to said plane.

31. The mask according to claim 23 wherein said shell comprises an apex provided with a circular opening circumscribed by an outwardly extending cylindrical wall terminating in a plane, wherein said shell further comprises generally triangular walls providing an interior, wherein one of said walls is for being disposed beneath a person'"'"'s nose and wherein said one wall is provided with a plurality of vent holes extending upwardly from said interior and angularly outwardly through said one wall and disposed at an acute angle with respect to said plane.

32. The mask according to claim 31 wherein said plurality of vent holes are disposed at an acute exit angle of about 30°

with respect to said plane.

33. The mask according to claim 31 wherein said one wall has a thickness and wherein said vent holes are cylindrical and have a diameter less than said thickness of said one wall.

34. A mask seal comprising a generally hollow triangular body of styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil.

35. The mask seal according to claim 34 wherein said copolymer is further modified with anti-oxidants and vitamin E.

36. The mask seal according to claim 34 wherein said body has a durometer of about 63.6 on the Shore 000 scale.

37. The mask seal according to claim 34 wherein said mask seal is for being mounted to a mask shell and wherein said body includes a peripheral portion provided with an indentation complementary in shape to and for receiving the outer peripheral portion of a mask shell.

38. The mask seal according to claim 34 wherein said body includes a peripheral portion and wherein said mask seal further comprises a generally hollow triangular seal mounting member embedded in said peripheral portion, said seal mounting member including a plurality of bosses extending outwardly through said peripheral portion and for mounting said mask seal to a mask shell.

39. The mask seal according to claim 34 wherein said body includes a seal peripheral portion provided with an indentation complementary in shape to and for receiving the outer peripheral portion of a mask shell, and wherein said mask seal further comprises a generally hollow triangular seal mounting member embedded in said seal outer peripheral portion and including a plurality of bosses extending outwardly and accessible through said indentation and for mounting said mask seal to a mask shell.

43. A mask seal comprising a generally hollow triangular body of soft resilient material including a peripheral portion and a generally hollow triangular mask seal mounting member embedded in said peripheral portion.

44. The mask seal according to claim 43 wherein said peripheral portion is provided with a generally triangular indentation and wherein said mask seal mounting member includes a generally hollow triangular frame embedded in said peripheral portion and provided with a plurality of bosses extending outwardly and accessible through said indentation.

45. The mask seal according to claim 43 wherein said body of soft resilient material comprises a body of styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer modified with a mineral oil.

46. The mask seal according to claim 45 wherein said body has a durometer of about 63.6 on the Shore 000 scale.