Face covering with separator
A face covering includes an upper portion and a lower portion, a separator disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, and a strap coupled to the separator. The separator includes a front portion and a rear portion. The strap pulls the separator toward a face to make a part of the rear portion of the separator contact the face when the face covering is secured over the face.
Masks are generally uncomfortable to wear: it causes warm, humid air to circulate in a small enclosed area of the face, leading to increased discomfort with time of wear. People may also experience additional discomfort with air transfers between the nose and mouth, for example, bad breath and humidity from the mouth. Such an increased level of discomfort may discourage people from wearing masks, leading to unsanitary environments and spread of viruses.
SUMMARYEmbodiments of the present application relate to a face covering with a separator.
In an embodiment, a face covering includes an upper portion and a lower portion, a separator disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, the separator including a front portion and a rear portion, and a strap coupled to the separator. The strap pulls the separator toward a face to make a part of the rear portion of the separator contact the face when the face covering is secured over the face.
Embodiments of the present application relate to a face covering with a separator.
In an embodiment, a face covering includes an upper portion and a lower portion, a separator disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, the separator including a front portion and a rear portion, and a strap coupled to the separator. The strap may not only secure the face covering over a face of a user but also pull the separator toward the face to make a part of the rear portion of the separator contact the face when the face covering is secured over the face, thereby significantly reducing communication of air through the separator between a nose room and a mouth room.
In an embodiment, the face covering further includes two couplers coupling the strap to the face covering and being disposed opposite to each other with respect to a plane, the plane including a center line and vertically bisecting the face covering, a first point being a middle point in a line connecting the couplers. The front portion of the separator is coupled to an inside surface of the face covering along a contact line, a first projected line is obtained by projecting the contact line onto the plane, and a reference line connects the first point and a middle point of the center line. A first angle between the first projected line and the reference line may be in a range from −10° to 10°. A virtual line connects the first point and a middle tip of the separator, and a second angle between the reference line and the virtual line may be in a range from 10° to 30°. These ranges of the first angle and the second angle can ensure sufficient space for nasal breathing while avoiding significant interruptions to mouth breathing.
A detailed description of embodiments is provided below along with accompanying figures. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the claims and encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Although steps of various processes are presented in a given order, embodiments are not necessarily limited to being performed in the listed order. In some embodiments, certain operations may be performed simultaneously, in an order other than the described order, or not performed at all.
Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description. These details are provided to promote a thorough understanding of the scope of this disclosure by way of specific examples, and embodiments may be practiced according to the claims without some of these specific details. Accordingly, the specific embodiments of this disclosure are illustrative, and are not intended to be exclusive or limiting. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to this disclosure has not been described in detail so that the disclosure is not unnecessarily obscured.
Referring to
The separator 120 is disposed on the inside surface of the face mask 100 along a contact line 150. For example, the separator 120 may be disposed between the upper portion 102 and the lower portion 104 of the face mask 100. The separator 120 may divide a space between the face mask 100 and the face of the user into a first room (e.g., a nose room 311 in
As shown in
The user of the mask 300 can position the separator 320, more specifically, the rear portion 308, between the nose and the mouth and hook strap 306 onto the ears. Additionally, the strap 306 may come in different lengths or with adjustable straps (i.e. using sliding clasps) to accommodate any face size so that the separator 320 will fit comfortably on the face without being too tight or loose. As the side portions including a left portion 306-2 and a right portion (not shown) of the strap 306 are pulled to hook onto the ears, the side portions pull the middle portion 306-3 of the strap 306 toward the face. Since the strap 306 loops through the rear portion 308 of the separator 320 to be coupled to the rear portion 308, the pulling motion of the strap 306 causes the separator 320 to move toward the face. When the strap 306 is hooked on the ears, at least a part of the rear portion 308 of the separator 320 may directly contact the face surface. In an embodiment, the length of the contacting part of the rear portion 308 may be equal to or greater than 50% of the entire length of the rear portion 308. When the length of the contacting part of the rear portion 308 is less than 50% of the entire length of the rear portion 308, warm and humid air coming out of the mouth or the nose may not be sufficiently blocked by the separator 320, leading to discomfort of the user in using the mask 300. The flexibility of the separator 320 and elasticity of the strap 306 allows the separator 320 to conform to any face shape. Some of beneficial aspects of a combination of the separator 320 and strap 306 are to significantly reduce the discomfort of having warm, humid air circulating throughout the entire mask 300 as well as make the mask 300 functional for various face shapes.
As seen in the upper portion 302 of the mask 300, a nose clip 322 may be disposed approximately at the center of the nose. The nose clip 322 is bent to fit the nose shape of the user and holds its shape, thereby significantly reducing communication of air between the nose room 311 and outside of the mask 300.
Air coming in and out of the nose may be contained in the nose room 311 and be filtered through the upper portion 302 of the mask 300. Since the separator 320 may be made of one or more relatively impermeable materials and the rear portion 306-3 of the separator 320 may be in direct contact with the face skin, air from the nose may not flow into the mouth room 313. The separator 320 and strap 306 may perform similarly for the mouth; warm air and bad breath coming out of the mouth may not flow into the nose room 311. These divided rooms 311 and 313 allow the user to be able to talk with ease without the discomfort of having warm and unpleasant smelling breath from the mouth flowing into the nose.
The upper and lower portions 302 and 304 of the mask 300 may be made of one or more materials that filter air going in and out of the mask 300. The degree of filtration may differ depending on its specific use. Materials with high filtration rates, such as the pre-existing N95 filter, can be used in high-risk or cautionary environments such as hospitals. Other materials can be used as well (e.g., cloth) depending on the situation and user's preference.
The face mask 400 shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 are defined in the embodiment of
Aspects of the present disclosure have been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments thereof that are proposed as examples. Numerous alternatives, modifications, and variations to the embodiments as set forth herein may be made without departing from the scope of the claims set forth below. Accordingly, embodiments as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative and not limiting.
Claims
1. A face covering, comprising:
- an upper portion and a lower portion;
- a separator disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion, the separator including a front portion and a rear portion; and
- a strap coupled to the separator, the strap pulling the separator toward a face to make a part of the rear portion of the separator contact the face when the face covering is secured over the face.
2. The face covering of claim 1, wherein a length of the part of the rear portion contacting the face is equal to or greater than 50% of the entire length of the rear portion.
3. The face covering of claim 1, wherein the part of the rear portion of the separator directly contacts the face.
4. The face covering of claim 1, wherein the strap is formed of a single string and the string includes a left portion, a middle portion, and a right portion, the middle portion passing through the rear portion of the separator.
5. The face covering of claim 4, wherein the front portion of the separator includes one or more of polypropylene fabric, vinyl fabric, and silicon rubber.
6. The face covering of claim 5, wherein the rear portion of the separator includes cotton.
7. The face covering of claim 1, further comprising:
- a coupler coupling the strap to the face covering,
- wherein the front portion of the separator is coupled to an inside surface of the face covering along a contact line, a reference line connecting the coupler and a middle point of a center line that vertically bisects the face covering, a first angle between the contact line and the reference line being in a range from −10° to 10° seen in a side view when the face covering is folded along the center line.
8. The face covering of claim 7, wherein a virtual line connects the coupler and a middle tip of the separator, a second angle between the reference line and the virtual line being in a range from 15° to 35° seen in the side view when the face covering is folded.
9. The face covering of claim 1, further comprising:
- two couplers coupling the strap to the face covering and being disposed opposite to each other with respect to a plane, the plane including a center line and vertically bisecting the face covering, a first point being a middle point in a line connecting the couplers,
- wherein the front portion of the separator is coupled to an inside surface of the face covering along a contact line, a projected line being obtained by projecting the contact line onto the plane, a reference line connecting the first point and a middle point of the center line, a first angle between the projected line and the reference line being in a range from −10° to 10°.
10. The face covering of claim 9, wherein a virtual line connects the first point and a middle tip of the separator, a second angle between the reference line and the virtual line being in a range from 10° to 30°.
11. The face covering of claim 1, wherein the face covering is a face mask.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2020
Publication Date: May 27, 2021
Inventor: Seeun Hong (BELLEVUE, WA)
Application Number: 17/019,250