Anti-fog surgical face mask with slits

• US 3,890,966 A
• Filed: 11/01/1973
• Issued: 06/24/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gary Bertil Aspelin, Richard Francis Caffrey, William Lauer
• Original Assignee: Gary Bertil Aspelin, Richard Francis Caffrey, William Lauer
• Inventors: Lauer, William, Aspelin, Gary Bertil, Caffrey, Richard Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaudet, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Recla, Henry J.
• Application Number:
  US05/411,872
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 2/206,14K,9R 128/146,146.2,146.3,146.4,146.5,146.6,142.4,136,132D,163
• US Class Current: 128/201.17
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1115 with a horizontal pleated pocket

Abstract

A surgical face mask comprising a filtration medium and a sheet of air impervious material, said sheet having slits which define flaps that are outwardly moveable under the influence of exhaled breath to provide paths for directing the flow of exhaled breath away from the eyes of the wearer of the mask.

Claims

1. A surgical face mask comprising a body portion having upper and lower parts, said body portion comprising a filtration medium for filtering bacteria, means for securing the mask over the mouth and nose of the wearer, and a sheet of air impervious material secured to the upper part of said body portion, substantially the entire area of one major surface of said air impervious material overlying said body portion, said sheet of air impervious material having slits defining downwardly extending flaps which are outwardly movable under the influence of exhaled breath to provide paths for directing the flow of said exhaled breath away from the eyes of the wearer.

2. A face mask according to claim 1 wherein said slits define flaps having an arcuate configuration.

3. A face mask according to claim 2 wherein said slits are arranged in rows.

4. A face mask according to claim 3 wherein the slits in each row are arranged in pairs.

5. A face mask according to claim 1 wherein said slits are generally V-shaped, and define triangular flaps whose apices are directed toward the lower part of the mask.

6. A face mask according to claim 1 wherein said slits define rectangular flaps.

7. A face mask according to claim 1 wherein said slits define modified rectangular flaps.

8. A face mask according to claim 1 wherein said slits define flaps having three sides, one of said three sides being substantially horizontally disposed and the other two of said three sides being generally vertically disposed, each of said other two sides forming an angle of from about 90* to about 135* with said horizontally disposed side.