Gasket for Face Mask

Abstract

An improvement to a face mask which prevents warm water vapor from the mask wearer's breath from traveling up toward the eyes and fogging transparent glasses, face shield or other eye coverings. A piece of neoprene or other airtight material attached to the top edge of the face mask, over the bridge of the nose, fits snugly and functions as a gasket to prevent air flow of exhaled breath from traveling towards the wearer's eyes.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of face masks and other coverings which cover the nose and mouth.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Face masks are ubiquitous in this time of COVID-19. Medical professionals have long worn them to protect themselves from their sick patients, as well as to protect their patients from the medical professional's germs. Today most people wear some type of face mask when going out in public. The masks are made of many different materials. All cover the nose and mouth, and some also shield the eyes.

For most people today, the purpose of wearing a face mask is to prevent viruses from travelling either into the wearer's nose or mouth from the surrounding environment, as well as out into the surrounding environment from the wearer's nose and mouth.

Before COVID-19, more common reasons to wear a face mask were to prevent breathing in particles such as sawdust. Face masks also exist to keep the wearer's face warm in extreme cold, and to restrict air flow for athletes, mimicking high altitude training.

A long standing problem exists when a nose and mouth covering is worn at the same time as glasses or other transparent eye coverings—if the breath travels up to the glasses, especially in cold temperatures, it fogs the glasses so that the wearer's vision is impaired.

Several strategies exist to combat this fogging problem, such as anti-fogging coatings for glasses and goggles, and mechanisms to encourage the breath to travel in another direction away from the eyes.

Many dust masks have an aluminum nose strip which attempt to fit the mask snugly against the bridge of the nose. This can help improve fit for some nose shapes, but doesn't improve fit for everyone, and doesn't usually make the top of the mask airtight.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,181, Anti-Fog Face Mask, by Baumann et al., includes a sticky strip along the top edge of the face mask, which adheres the top of the mask to the cheeks and bridge of the nose, with the intent to prevent air flow.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,061, Disposable Aerosol Mask, by Brunson, indicates that a tight fit is desirable for a face mask.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,545, Face Mask with Anti-Fog Folding, by Kleman et al., utilizes special folds in the multi-layer body portion of the mask, to attempt to direct the flow of breath away from the wearer's eyes. This reference mentions an anti-fog strip along the top of the mask, referring to that described by Baumann.

Many face mask patents concentrate on preventing liquids and particulates from traveling through the body of the mask, rather than around the edges.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an improvement to existing face masks which fit snugly to the face, at least on the top edge of the mask. A gasket made of a rectangular piece of neoprene material is sewn or otherwise attached to the top edge of the mask, on the side of the mask which contacts the face, such that the gasket extends down toward the nose and mouth when the mask is not being worn. In the process of putting on the mask, the wearer flips the gasket upward toward their eyes. The mask fits tightly enough, and the gasket resists being folded, such that the entire length of the gasket presses snugly against the bridge of the nose and cheeks, acting as a seal and preventing water vapor from the breath from escaping past the top edge of the mask.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the inside surface of a pleated face mask which would touch and cover the face, with the gasket attached.

FIG. 2 shows the inside surface of a pleated face mask which would touch and cover the face, with the wearer's fingers folding the gasket upward.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of a person wearing the pleated face mask of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a person wearing the pleated face mask of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 5 shows the gasket before it is attached to a face mask.

FIG. 6 shows the inside surface of a shaped face mask which would touch and cover the wearer's face, with the gasket attached.

FIG. 7 shows the inside surface of a N95 face mask made of polypropylene fibers, with the gasket attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Anyone who has gone skiing in the cold weather with a scarf covering the nose and mouth, along with goggles or glasses, is aware of the fogging problem that this invention fixes. Any mouth and nose covering which allows the breath to escape from its top edge can cause fogging on glasses or other transparent eye coverings, so that the wearer can't see very well or at all.

Existing masks, when worn to prevent inhalation or escape of the COVID-19 virus, prevent particulates like tiny virus-laden water droplets from passing through the body of the mask. These viruses and droplets are larger than the gas molecules that make up the breath. Oxygen and carbon dioxide gas and water vapor are intended to pass right through a face mask, but the breath will inevitably travel through the path of least resistance, which may be the edge of the mask if the mask doesn't fit tightly.

The present invention is a gasket that prevents water vapor or any gas from escaping upward past the top edge of a face mask. The invention is an improvement to any face mask which covers the nose and mouth, and is made of flexible material such as paper, fibers, cloth, nylon, or polypropylene. The upper edge of the face mask must fit snugly against the cheeks and bridge of the wearer's nose. The body of the face mask should not be made of perforated fabric, because the warm humid breath passes straight through perforated fabric too easily, and can travel up towards glasses or other eye coverings, causing fog that obscures vision.

Many existing masks do not fit snugly enough along the top edge. Some dust masks have an aluminum nose piece which is a small bendable strip which can be pinched across the bridge of the nose. While this nose piece is helpful in improving fit for some nose shapes and sizes, it doesn't work for everyone, may not provide a seal even with a perfect fit, and can be uncomfortable.

The improvement is a gasket which consists of a generally rectangular piece, shown in FIG. 5, of neoprene or other synthetic rubber or silicone, or of any flexible material which does not allow air to pass through it. The gasket is preferably 1 inch wide, but can be narrower, or wider to extend up towards the eyes and fit under the bottom edge of the wearer's glasses. The length of the gasket is a little bit shorter than the top edge of the mask where it is installed, and long enough so as to extend approximately from the outer edge of one eye to the outer edge of the other eye when installed on the mask and worn on the face.

In a preferred embodiment, neoprene of thickness 1 ml to 1.5 ml works well. This range of thickness is thick enough to provide sturdiness and prevent airflow through the gasket. It is not too thick, so is flexible and fits tightly against the contour of the face and bridge of the nose, and also doesn't push the glasses away from the face too much or change the position of the glasses too much.

The gasket, 1, is sewn or otherwise attached to the top edge of a face mask, 2, as shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7. The top edge of the gasket is positioned level with the top edge of the mask, against the inside surface of the mask which contacts with the wearer's face. The top edge of the gasket may be sewn directly along the top edge of the mask, and the edges may be covered with a binding, 3, or not. The approximately 1 inch width of the gasket extends down in the direction of the bottom of the mask, towards where the wearer's nose and chin would be. The material of the gasket is not folded when installed on the mask. The length of the gasket follows the contour and shape, if any, of the top edge of the mask. The gasket can be just as easily attached to a mask with a straight top edge as to a mask with a curved or contoured top edge.

When putting on the mask with the gasket, the wearer folds the gasket upward so that it extends above the top edge of the face mask, as shown in FIG. 2. The surface of the gasket which was facing the inside of the mask is now facing the wearer's face. The wearer puts on the mask, making sure that the gasket continues to extend above the top edge of the mask, and that the gasket fits snugly against the wearer's cheeks and bridge of the nose, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The gasket resists the fold, and naturally presses against the face, acting as a seal. If the face mask fits snugly against wearer's face along the top edge of the mask, then the gasket seals effectively and is air tight, so that no air or gas travels in or out of the face mask along its top edge.

If the wearer is wearing eyeglasses, the gasket may fit between the wearer's glasses and face, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Alternatively, the gasket may lay completely or partially below the bottom of the glasses. Alternatively, the wearer may instead or in addition wear a face shield or goggles of any kind.

The face mask may attach to the wearer's head using any method, such as elastic ear loops, 4, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, or with elastic that fits around the back of the head, as shown in FIG. 7, or with strings which tie around the back of the head, or with hook and loop closures, or any other method.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is a rectangular piece of neoprene material, between 1 and 1.5 ml thick, 1 inch wide, and several inches long, the length corresponding to the length of the top edge of a face mask, minus an inch or two. The top edge of the gasket is sewn to the top edge of the face mask, and both top edges are covered with a thin binding. The face mask may be made of paper, or nylon, or multiple layers of fabric, or polypropylene.

The gasket need not be perfectly rectangular, and may instead be generally trapezoidal or have rounded corners. The gasket may be made of neoprene, or any other flexible material which is airtight, such as synthetic rubber, silicone, or cloth or paper which is coated with plastic or other sealing material. The gasket may be sticky and adhere to the face. The thickness of the gasket must be appropriate to allow the right amount of flexibility such that the gasket follows the contours of the cheeks and bridge of the nose, without being so thick that it causes glasses to be too far away from the eyes.

The gasket's width may be somewhat less than one inch, for example ½ inch, though at least one inch is recommended to ensure a seal. The gasket may be wider to fit people with a larger face, for example 2 inches or more, so that the gasket extends up underneath the bottom edge of glasses.

The gasket may be sewn, or glued, or melted, or sonic welded, or otherwise permanently attached to the top edge of the face mask, so long as it can be folded up, generating resistance, in order to contact the face properly. Use of a binding is not necessary for the invention to work, as shown in FIG. 7.

Claims

1. An improvement to a face mask, comprising a generally rectangular piece of airtight flexible material, having a length, a width, a thickness, and a top edge along its length;

wherein said face mask is intended to cover a person's mouth and nose, and wherein said face mask has a top edge which is intended to be placed under a wearer's eyes, and which top edge is intended to rest on a person's nose bridge and upper cheeks; and

wherein said top edge of said piece of material is attached to said top edge of said face mask along the full length of the top edge of the piece of material, such that said piece of material extends below the top edge of the face mask, and only extends above the top edge of the face mask when said piece of material is intentionally folded upwards, so as to rest on a wearer's nose bridge and upper cheeks above said top edge of said face mask; and

wherein said piece of material resists being folded upwards, such that it naturally presses against the nose bridge and upper cheeks of a mask wearer.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said width of said piece of material is between ½ inch and 2 inches.

3. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said piece of material is made of neoprene.

4. The improvement of claim 3, wherein the thickness of said neoprene piece of material is between 1 and 1.5 millimeters.

5. The improvement of claim 1, further comprising a binding which extends along and covers and is attached to both said top edges of said piece of material and said face mask.