Disposable Hygiene Mask - Sneeze Guard
A sneeze guard in the form of a strapless, disposable hygiene mask that is positioned within a dispenser in a kitchen or food production setting. The hygiene mask is intended for a one-time use to control the pathogens and bacteria that is spread through aerosols expelled from a sneeze or a cough. The inside of the hygiene mask contains a filter material with a 99% filtration efficiency to help protect against the spreading of the pathogens and bacteria resulting from the sneeze or cough. The hygiene mask does not contain any straps and is solely intended for a single use, with the intention to be discarded upon being used. The hygiene masks are positioned in a nested relation to one another within the dispenser. The dispenser is composed of a plurality of walls with a dispensing end. The dispensing end consists of a resilient diaphragm containing an opening. The stack of hygiene masks are positioned in such a way within the dispenser that the outermost mask may be pulled through the opening, resulting in the mask that was adjacent to the dispensed hygiene mask to become the outermost mask.
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIXNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDisposable hygiene masks have been manufactured for many years. They have been primarily used in the healthcare industry. There has been an observed need throughout many kitchens for a disposable hygiene mask to be equally common within a culinary setting. Currently there is not a formal protocol within the culinary industry on the best practices to combat a sneeze or cough within a kitchen. Most commonly, employees in the industry sneeze and cough into their elbow and shoulder creases, which does not properly restrain the pathogenic elements expelled by the sneeze and/or cough and also results in the employee carrying the pathogens and bacteria to other parts of the kitchen and dining room(s) throughout their shift.
There is currently a need to improve upon best practices in combatting the harmful residue that results from a sneeze or cough. In a healthcare setting, the healthcare professional dons a hygiene mask that protects him/herself as well as others from harmful particles. In a kitchen setting, donning a hygiene mask can prove to be inconvenient and extremely unlikely to enforce considering the nature of the work and the high temperatures of a kitchen. Furthermore, the presence of a hygiene mask upon a culinary professional may portray a bad image to a guest, particularly in an open kitchen setting that is very prevalent in the industry. A strapless disposable hygiene mask that effectively restricts the spreading of harmful bacteria and pathogens of a sneeze and/or cough with the sole intention to be discarded upon its use is a necessary addition to every kitchen.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a sneeze and cough protection device that is primarily intended to be used in kitchen and food production settings. The device is in the form of a strapless disposable hygiene mask with a filter material on the inside of the mask, designed to restrict the spreading of bacteria and pathogens from a sneeze and/or cough. The hygiene mask is intended for a one-time use with the sole intention to discard the mask upon using it to combat a sneeze and/or cough. The hygiene mask is not intended to be donned on the user in any way. The hygiene mask is meant to be held to the user's mouth and nose area with the use of a single hand. The hygiene mask is meant to be discarded immediately after being used.
The present invention contains a plurality of hygiene masks within a dispenser that contains a plurality of walls, with a single resilient opening, from which the hygiene masks are dispensed from, a single mask at a time. Upon dispensing of the outermost hygiene mask, the hygiene mask that was previously adjacent to the dispensed hygiene mask will become the outermost hygiene mask.
The sneeze guard dispenser is designed to be stationed at preparation and working tables in a kitchen. It is also designed in such a way that it can be mounted upon a wall within the same settings. In either way, the method of dispensing remains the same.
The present invention relates to a strapless hygiene mask that is designed for a single use, to act as a safe guard in a kitchen or food production setting in combatting the spreading of aerosols from sneezes and coughs. A single use is defined as a single sneeze or cough, after which the hygiene mask should be properly discarde. The hygiene mask is intended to be gripped by the user with a single hand and is designed to cover both the nose and mouth to restrict the spreading of pathogens and bacteria expelled during a sneeze or cough. The hygiene mask is designed to be used with the use of a single hand and discarded with a single hand as well. The hygiene mask is intended to improve the hygiene and overall sanitation of a kitchen and/or food production setting by combatting the spread of bacteria expelled from sneezes and coughs, to drastically reduce contamination and infection within kitchens and food production settings. It further relates to a dispenser that holds the hygiene masks in a nested relation to one another. It further relates to the practical application of the hygiene mask within a kitchen and food production setting.
One view of a hygiene mask 10 is illustrated in
The hygiene mask is designed to cover the nose and mouth regions as shown by
The hygiene mask is intended to be dispensed with the use of one hand and is meant to be applied to the face with the use of one hand.
The hygiene masks are intended to be positioned in a nested relation to one another as portrayed in
The invention is strategically designed in such a way where the outer layer 21 is never in contact with the face, while the inner surface layer 11 that is designed to be placed over the mouth and nose, never makes contact with the outside environment. The invention is designed in such a way to offer an improvement to the current forms of combatting sneezes and coughs by eliminating the likelihood of airborne pathogens making contact with the inner surface layer 11; thus reducing the likelihood of illness and contamination.
The hygiene mask 10 within dispenser 50 is intended to sit within a kitchen setting, on either working or preparation tables 71 as portrayed in
The present invention is not intended to be used as a substitute to proper hygiene and hand washing protocols but rather to serve in a complimentary fashion to those protocols with the main focus being the containment of particles and pathogens expelled during sneezes and/or coughs with the intended goal to eliminate the likelihood of contamination of food produced by the kitchen and of the spreading of illness amongst a kitchen's employees.
Claims
1. A disposable hygiene mask, comprising:
- a strapless mask completely covering the nose and mouth of a user, constructed from polypropylene material and an inner filter material with a 99% Bacteria Filtration Efficiency.
2. The disposable hygiene mask of claim 1, wherein the mask is comprised of an inner filter material that guards against aerosols expelled from sneezes to reduce contamination and infection within a food production setting.
3. The disposable hygiene mask of claim 1, wherein the mask contains an inner, softer surface that is applied to the users nose and mouth.
4. The disposable hygiene mask of claim 3, wherein the inner surface of the mask rests inside the box, unexposed to the outside environment.
5. The disposable hygiene mask of claim 1, wherein the mask fits comfortably inside a single hand of the user.
6. The disposable hygiene mask of claim 1, wherein the sides of the disposable hygiene mask are pleated, allowing for the mask to change shapes.
7. The disposable hygiene mask of claim 4, wherein the shape of the disposable hygiene mask at its starting position is rectangle.
8. The disposable hygiene mask of claim 4, wherein the shape of the disposable hygiene mask becomes oval upon being dispensed to apply to the user's mouth and face.
9. A disposable box for containing at least one disposable hygiene mask, wherein the at least one disposable hygiene mask contained within the disposable box, the disposable box comprising of a single resilient opening from which the at least one disposable hygiene mask will be disposed from.
10. A disposable box for containing at least one disposable hygiene mask of claim 9, wherein the plurality of masks are positioned within the box such that when an outermost mask, of the plurality of masks, is dispensed, an adjacent mask, of the plurality of masks, becomes the outermost mask.
11. A disposable box for containing at least one disposable hygiene mask of claim 9, wherein the plurality of masks are positioned within the box such that an outermost mask, of the plurality of masks, is the only layer that is exposed to the outside environment.
12. A disposable box for containing at least one disposable hygiene mask of claim 9, wherein the resilient opening of the box is designed to be smaller than the size of the mask to provide tension upon dispensing of the mask to turn the mask into an oval shape, which more effectively covers the nose and mouth.
13. A method of application of the disposable hygiene mask requiring a user to only use one hand.
14. A method of application of claim 11, wherein the user uses a single hand to dispense the disposable hygiene mask from the disposable box, through the resilient opening.
15. A method of application of claim 11, wherein the user uses a single hand to apply the disposable hygiene mask to the user's mouth and nose.
16. A method of application of claim 11, wherein the user uses a single hand to discard of the disposable hygiene mask upon a single use.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 21, 2017
Publication Date: Feb 21, 2019
Inventor: Shant Abdo (Sun Valley, CA)
Application Number: 15/682,184