Patent ID: 7543584
Filing Date: 2009-06-09
Classification: A62B

Abstract:
1. A breathing apparatus comprising: a tank adapted to contain air under pressure operatively associated with a regulator to enable delivery of said pressurized air to a user of said apparatus; a filter/canister system adapted to enable ambient air to pass through a filter medium having a mesh that is sufficient to trap solid particles in ambient air and/or to enable ambient air in need of cleaning to have a residence time in contact with media that is sufficient to decontaminate contaminating vapors and gases from said ambient air to form clean air; means for moving said ambient air into said filter system, through said filter medium in said filter system and thence into operative relationship with a user of the apparatus during said filtered air mode; a valve assembly comprising a first valve associated with said tank and a second valve associated with said filter system, the valve assembly adapted to control the flow of cleaned air from said filter system in said filtered mode and pressurized air from said tank in said clean air mode, a flow path defined between the tank and valve assembly, the regulator being disposed between the tank and valve assembly along the flow path and reducing air pressure of the pressurized air to resultant air pressure, such that the resultant air pressure opens said first valve and closes said second valve to actuate said valve assembly from the filtered mode to the clean air mode while continuously providing a supply of breathable air to the user; and a first switch operably coupled to the tank and selectively enabling switching between the clean air mode and the filtered air mode.