See-through anesthesia mask

• US 4,196,727 A
• Filed: 05/19/1978
• Issued: 04/08/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Professional Medical Products, Inc. (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Kippel, Edward A., Verkaart, Wesley H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Recla, Henry J.
• Application Number:
  US05/907,742
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 128/205, 128/188, 128/185, 128/211, 128/145.5-145.8
• US Class Current: 128/202.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0087 Environmental safety or protection means, e.g. preventing explosion
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/01 specially adapted for anaesthetising A61M16/104, A61M16/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks

Abstract

The disclosure is of improved "see-through" or visibly transparent anesthesia masks providing safety by electrical grounding. The improved masks are positively grounded between patient and anesthetic delivery system and may be moved freely on the face of the patient without interruption of the ground circuit. The improvement comprises, as a ground component for contact between an anatomical portion of a patient on which the mask is fitted and the anesthesia delivery system, an electrically conductive spring, resiliently mounted in the mask interior so as to make positive contact with the patient even if the edges of the mask are momentarily raised from sealing contact with the patient'"'"'s facial parts.

Claims

1. In an electrically grounded anesthesia mask having a body molded from a visually transparent, synthetic polymeric resin, said body defining an inner zone adapted to receive the mouth and nose of a patient and having a portal therethrough providing gaseous communication between the inner zone and the outside of the mask, said portal being adapted to connect with an electrically grounded anesthetic delivery system, the improvement, which comprises;

as an electrical ground component for connection between an anatomical portion of a patient over which the mask is fitted and the anesthesia delivery system, an electrically conductive, resilient, elongate, spring-like, grounding means mounted on said mask and extending into the inner zone and having one end secured in the portal so as to make electrical contact with the grounding means associated with the anesthetic delivery system and a second end cantilevered from said portal so as to contact said anatomical portion in the inner zone and be resiliently displaced by the anatomical portion when the mask is in place over said anatomical portion.

2. The improved mask of claim 1 wherein the grounding component is a metallic spring.

3. The improved mask of claim 1 wherein the grounding component is an elastomeric spring.

4. The improved mask of claim 1 wherein the one end is secured to the mask by integrally molding it therein.

5. The improved mask of claim 1 wherein the grounding component is so positioned that it makes resilient contact with the patient'"'"'s nose.