Patent ID: 8978655
Filing Date: 2015-03-17
Classification: A62B

Abstract:
1. A respirator comprising: a nose and mouth covering porous filter body with an upper nose contact portion and a lower chin contact portion, the upper nose contact portion configured and arranged as a pivot point and including an uppermost point of the porous filter body and the lower chin contact portion being an edge of the filter body configured and arranged to be in contact with a user's chin and including a lowermost point of the porous filter body, wherein the filter body is made of a material that has inherent shape memory, and the respirator further includes a flexible, non-elastic and user adjustable restraining device, wherein a mass of the restraining device is greater than or equal to 1.5 grams per centimeter, and the porous filter body includes a vertical plane of symmetry defining a right and left side of the filter body and, perpendicular to the vertical plane of symmetry, a transverse plane containing both the uppermost and lowermost points and intersecting an interior of the filter body, and on each right and left side of the filter body, the restraining device attaches to the filter body at a position coincident with or interior to the intersection of said transverse plane with the filter body thereby securing the filter body by providing a restraining force, and a vertical distance running along said transverse plane measured between the uppermost point and the attachment positions of the restraining device is less than or equal to one fourth of a distance between the uppermost point and the lowermost point, and the attachment positions of the restraining device are such that, when draped in a non-straight form, weight and catenary deflection by gravity of the restraining device cause the restraining force to seal the lower chin contact portion during inspiration and enable user expiration force to pivot said filter body in its vertical plane of symmetry about said nose contact portion during user expiration, thereby separating the lower edge chin contact portion of the filter body from contact with the user's chin.