Convenient “drop-down” respirator

• US 6,591,837 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2000
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Byram, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Aaron J.
• Application Number:
  US09/625,794
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 128/201.19, 128/206.24, 128/206.27, 128/207.11
• US Class Current: 128/206.24
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/084 Means for fastening gas-masks to heads or helmets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4088 One-piece

Abstract

A respirator 15 has a harness 10 that allows the respirator body 20 to be conveniently disposed beneath a wearer'"'"'s chin when not in use. The harness 10 includes a substantially flat, flexible strap 14 and an element 12 that contains a curved elongated slot 16. The substantially flat, flexible strap 14 is threaded through the curved elongated slot 16. The curved configuration of the slot 16 causes the flat flexible strap 14 to be deformed to assume the curved configuration of the slot. This deformation of the strap 14 allows the strap 14 to frictionally engage element 12, and the frictional engagement allows the respirator body 20 to be incrementally withdrawn from the wearer'"'"'s face so that it can be temporarily stored beneath the wearer'"'"'s chin, and allows the respirator body 20 to be conveniently repositioned over the nose and mouth of the wearer by simply pulling on free ends 34 of each strap 14 and joining a buckle 32 behind the wearer'"'"'s neck.

Claims

1. A device through which a fluid passes to enter a person'"'"'s breathing tract, the device comprising:

(a) a body member that is sized to fit over a nose and mouth of a person; and

(b) a harness for supporting the body member from a person'"'"'s head, the harness being attached to the body and comprising;

(i) a strap;

(ii) an element through which the strap slidably passes, the strap frictionally engaging the element as the strap slidably passes therethrough so that the body can be provisionally supported over such a person'"'"'s nose and mouth by the frictional engagement between the element and the strap without further support from another source, the frictional engagement also allowing for selective suspended positioning of the body on the strap and for deliberate sliding of the strap through the element; and

(iii) a disengagable fastener, other than the element (ii), attached to the strap to support the body member over such a person'"'"'s nose and mouth more snugly than provided by the frictional engagement between the element and the strap and to allow the body member to achieve off-the-face storage when the fastener is disengaged.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the body member is a respirator body that includes a filter element, and wherein the harness includes first and second straps that slidably and frictionally pass through first and second elements, respectively, to provisionally support the respirator body over such a person'"'"'s nose and mouth, the first and second straps being capable of being joined together by the fastener to more snugly support the respirator body over such a person'"'"'s nose and mouth.