Respirators

• US 4,417,575 A
• Filed: 06/22/1981
• Issued: 11/29/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Company
• Original Assignee: Racal Safety Limited
• Inventors: Wood, John D., Hilton, Joseph R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Howell, Kyle L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reichle, Karin M.
• Application Number:
  US06/276,190
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 128/206.19, 128/206.12, 128/206.16, 128/139, 128/206.24, 128/206.28, 128/909, D29/8, 46/1 F, 32/1 R, 2/9, 2/175, 2/206
• US Class Current: 128/206.19
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1115 with a horizontal pleated pocket
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1123 with a duckbill configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/113 with a vertical fold or weld

Abstract

The present invention relates to a filtering facepiece made from flexible filtering sheet material.

The facepiece is made from a flat pocket 100 of filtering sheet material having opposed side walls 105 and 106, a generally tapering shape with an open end 104 at the larger end and a closed end 101 at the smaller end. The edge of the pocket at the closed end is outwardly bowed, e.g. defined by intersecting straight lines and/or curved lines, and the closed end is provided with fold lines 107 defining a surface which is folded inwardly of the closed end of the pocket to define a generally conical inwardly extending recess 108 for rigidifying the pocket against collapse against the face of the wearer on inhalation.

Claims

1. A generally cup-shaped filtering facepiece (100) formed of flexible filtering material adapted to cover the nose and mouth of a user, said facepiece comprising

(a) convergent generally frusto-conical side wall means (105, 106) having at its large end a peripheral free edge (104);

(b) end wall means (108) closing the smaller end of said side wall portion, thereby to define a pocket for receiving the nose and mouth of the user with said peripheral edge extending over the nose and under the chin of the user, said end wall means including

(1) a plurality of end wall panels (108a, 108b) foldably connected with said side wall means by four first fold lines (107a, 107b) that are interconnected by four apices (X, Y, Z), respectively, said end wall panels being connected with each other by central fold line means (109a, 109b) that extend between a pair of opposite apices (X, Z), thereby to define between said four interconnected fold lines a generally pyramidical quadrilateral region (108) having four triangular panels;

(2) said end wall panels being folded inwardly about said four interconnected fold lines to cause said generally pyramidical quadrilateral region to extend reversely within said pocket at the closed end of the facepiece; and

(c) means (114) for attaching said facepiece to the wearer'"'"'s head.

2. A filtering facepiece as defined in claim 1, wherein said central fold line means (109a, 109b) extend vertically.

3. A filtering facepiece as defined in claim 2, and further including a generally horizontally arranged horizontal seam means (103) dividing said facepiece into upper and lower sections (105, 106).

4. A filtering facepiece as defined in claim 3, wherein said seam means is defined by the arc of a circle.

5. A facepiece as defined in claim 4, wherein said seam means is defined by at least two intersecting lines.

6. A facepiece as defined in claim 4, wherein said seam means is defined by intersecting curved and straight lines.

7. A facepiece as defined in claim 4, wherein said cup-shaped member has a first portion at the open end thereof having a generally frusto-conical cross-sectional configuration and a second portion at the closed end thereof having a generally conical cross-sectional configuration, the angle of the cone of said second portion being greater than the angle of the cone of said first portion.

8. A facepiece as defined in claim 7, wherein said cup-shaped member further comprises an intermediate section between said first and second sections, said intermediate section having a generally frusto-conical cross-section configuration, the angle of the cone of said intermediate portion being between the angles of the cones of said first and second portions, respectively.

9. A facepiece as defined in claim 8, wherein the angle of the cone of said first portion is 60°

.

10. A facepiece as defined in claim 3, wherein said horizontal seam divides said center fold line means into upper and lower center fold lines (109a, 109b) arranged in the vertical plane containing the nose and chin of the user.

11. A facepiece as defined in claim 10, wherein said upper and lower center fold lines and said first pairs of fold lines are longitudinally rigidified.

12. A facepiece as defined in claim 11, wherein said filtering material is weldable, and further wherein said rigidified fold lines are defined by welds in said filtering material.

13. A facepiece as defined in claim 3, wherein said upper section contains second fold line means (110, 112) defining in said side wall means an inverted generally V-shaped channel (113) for receiving the nose portion of the user.

14. A facepiece as defined in claim 13, and further comprising a deformable element (116) having a generally U-shaped configuration and connected with said upper section across said V-shaped channel adjacent said free edge.

15. A facepiece as defined in claim 10, wherein said cup-shaped member is adapted for folding about said upper and lower second center fold lines to a flat configuration for storage thereof.

16. A facepiece as defined in claim 1, wherein said filtering sheet material has particulate and gas filtering capabilities.

17. A facepiece as defined in claim 1, wherein said filtering sheet material includes microfibers having electrostatic efficiency.

18. A facepiece as defined in claim 1, wherein said filtering sheet material includes activated charcoal.