Firefighting hood and face mask assembly

• US 6,328,031 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2000
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Morning Pride Manufacturing LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Jerry Yort, Michael Scott Tischer, Rick Allen Austin
• Inventors: Tischer, Michael Scott, Austin, Rick Allen, Yort, Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SRIVASTAVA, VIRENDRA KUMAR
• Application Number:
  US09/544,369
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 128/201.25, 128/201.18, 128/201.19, 128/201.21, 128/201.22, 128/201.23, 128/201.24, 128/201.27, 128/201.29, 128/202.11, 128/206.23, 128/206.24, 128/206.28, 428/224, 428/229
• US Class Current: 128/201.25
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 17/04 Hoods
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/02 Masks gas-masks for animals A62B18/06; masks for welders A61F9/06
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/084 Means for fastening gas-masks to heads or helmets

Abstract

An apparatus having a face mask removably attachable to a firefighting hood is provided. The face mask used in cooperation with a breathing apparatus such as a self-contained breathing assembly or a respirator. The face mask has a rim supporting a seal member that operatively sealingly engages the user'"'"'s face providing a breathing chamber between the user'"'"'s face and the face mask that is sealed off from the external environment. The firefighting hood has a compliant material enclosing the wearer'"'"'s head and a support frame surrounding a front opening in the firefighting hood exposing the wearer'"'"'s face. The firefighting hood matingly engages the face mask such that a perimeter portion of the firefighting hood around the front opening is nested behind the rim of the face mask so as to prevent gaps between the firefighting hood and the face mask. A fastener system attaches the face mask to the firefighting hood to retain the nested arrangement of the perimeter portion of the firefighting hood in an attached position of the face mask to the firefighting hood.

Claims

1. An apparatus for protecting an individual from elements associated with a firefighting site, comprising:

a face mask comprising;

an annular rim having a front side, a rear side, an inner side, and an outer side;

a seal member secured to the rim and adapted for sealing engagement with the individual'"'"'s face, the seal member configured so as to define an annular recess between a portion of the seal member and the rear side of the rim; and

a face plate extending across the rim and cooperating with the rim and the seal member to form a breathing chamber when the seal member is in sealing engagement with the individual'"'"'s face;

a firefighting hood constructed of a fire resistant material and configured to be extendible over the head of the individual, the hood having a face opening for exposing the individual'"'"'s face to the breathing chamber of the face mask, the face opening defined by an annular edge, the annular edge of the hood disposed within the annular recess of the face mask; and

means for detachably connecting the hood to the face mask so as to secure the annular edge of the hood in the annular recess of the face mask and thereby prevent direct exposure of the individual'"'"'s head to the high heat environment associated with a firefighting site.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hood further comprises:

at least one strap having a first end attached to the hood near one portion of the connecting means and a second end attached to the hood near a second portion of the connecting means, the strap extending around a portion of the hood for holding the face mask snugly against the individual'"'"'s face.

3. An apparatus for protecting an individual from elements associated with a firefighting site, comprising:

a face mask comprising;

an annular rim having a front side, a rear side, an inner side, and an outer side;

a seal member secured to the rim and adapted for sealing engagement with the individual'"'"'s face, the seal member configured so as to define an annular recess between a portion of the seal member and the rear side of the rim; and

a face plate extending across the rim and cooperating with the rim and the seal member to form a breathing chamber when the seal member is in sealing engagement with the individual'"'"'s face;

a firefighting hood constructed of a fire resistant material and configured to be extendible over the head of the individual, the hood having a face opening for exposing the individual'"'"'s face to the breathing chamber of the face mask, the face opening defined by an annular edge, the annular edge of the hood disposed within the annular recess of the face mask;

a plurality of first connector members secured to the hood; and

a plurality of second connector members secured to the face mask, each of the first connector members detachably connected to a corresponding one of the second connector members so as to detachably connect the hood to the face mask and secure the annular edge of the hood in the annular recess of the face mask thereby preventing exposure of the individual'"'"'s head to the high heat environment associated with a firefighting site.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the hood further comprises:

at least one strap having a first end attached to the hood near one of the first connector members and a second end attached to the hood near another one of the first connector members, the strap extending around a portion of the hood for holding the face mask snugly against the individual'"'"'s face.

5. An apparatus for protecting an individual from elements associated with a firefighting site, comprising:

a face mask comprising;

an annular rim having a front side, a rear side, an inner side, and an outer side;

a seal member secured to the rim and adapted for sealing engagement with the individual'"'"'s face, the seal member configured so as to define an annular recess between a portion of the seal member and the rear side of the rim; and

a face plate extending across the rim and cooperating with the rim and the seal member to form a breathing chamber when the seal member is in sealing engagement with the individual'"'"'s face;

a firefighting hood constructed of a fire resistant material and configured to be extendible over the head of the individual, the hood having a face opening for exposing the individual'"'"'s face to the breathing chamber of the face mask, the face opening defined by an annular edge and a support frame secured adjacent the annular edge to increase the rigidity of the annular edge of the hood, the annular edge of the hood and the frame member disposed in the annular recess of the face mask; and

means for detachably connecting the hood to the face mask so as to secure the annular edge of the hood in the annular recess of the face mask and thereby prevent direct exposure of the individual'"'"'s head to the high heat environment associated with a firefighting site.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the hood further comprises:

at least one strap having a first end attached to the hood near one portion of the connecting means and a second end attached to the hood near a second portion of the connecting means, the strap extending around a portion of the hood for holding the face mask snugly against the individual'"'"'s face.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein each of the first and second ends of the strap are connected to the support frame.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the support frame has a forward edge configured to conform to the contour of the recess of the face mask.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the support frame has a thickness such that the support frame is flexible in a radial inward direction and a width such that the support frame is substantially rigid across the width to prevent the support frame from buckling when operatively positioned in the recess of the face mask and thus prevent the formation of gaps between the annular edge of the hood the face mask.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the support frame is disposed within a hem formed in the firefighting hood.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein at least a portion of the connecting means is secured to the support frame.