Abstract:
A face mask with full-face, wrap-around protection is disclosed. The face mask has a filter mask portion with an attached face shield portion and is adapted to be compatible with loupes and a loupe light. Specifically, the central portion of the face shield includes a horizontally centered cut out that extends downwardly from a top edge. The cut out is sized and positioned to allow a loupe light to pass through. The central portion of the face shield is hingedly connected to a pair of side portions. The side portions may include openings that allow straps from the filter mask to pass through and secure the side portions against the head.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/718,058, filed Oct. 24, 2013. That application is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The invention relates to disposable body substance isolation equipment, and in particular, to medical masks with eye shields that are compatible with loupe lights. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Over the last several decades, both medical professionals and the general public have become far more aware of the dangers of pathogens in bodily fluids. Some of the pathogens themselves have become increasingly virulent, and drug resistance has become an issue with strains of bacteria that were once easily eradicated using standard antibiotics. 
         [0006]    Products that are intended to prevent a medical practitioner from coming into contact with potentially infectious bodily fluids are referred to generally as body substance isolation (BSI) equipment. One of the most common types of BSI is the face mask. 
         [0007]    Face masks exist in several forms, perhaps the most common of which is the filter mask. A filter mask is essentially a piece of material that is worn over the nose and mouth to filter the incoming and outgoing breath, thus preventing the wearer from being infected by others and others from being infected by the wearer. The filter mask is typically tied around the back of the head and neck, or includes elastic straps that are looped over the ears. Surgeons typically wear this kind of face mask during most surgical procedures, and some patients with chronic conditions, like tuberculosis, may routinely wear filter masks to prevent others from becoming infected. 
         [0008]    Filter masks may be adequate for some applications where small droplets in the breath are the primary concern. However, for applications in which blood and other bodily fluids may splash or splatter, full-face protection may be more desirable. For example, full-face protection is becoming increasingly common in dental offices, where the dentist or hygenist has close contact with the patient. 
         [0009]    There are several common options for full-face protection. The first, and perhaps most complete, is a helmet-style shield that fits over the head and covers the face entirely. In some versions, the face shield portion may rotate up and out of the way when not needed. Although effective and able to offer full wrap-around protection of the head and face, this equipment is cumbersome, and can be hot and uncomfortable to wear. 
         [0010]    A second, lighter option is a filter mask with an integrated plastic face shield. In masks of this sort, a clear piece of plastic is attached to and around the filter mask and extends upwardly to cover the face. While useful, and often more comfortable than a helmet-style shield, these disposable integrated face shields often do not have good wrap-around coverage of the face, i.e., they may offer poor protection for the side of the face and are not contoured to fit the face well. 
         [0011]    Another problem with the standard disposable integrated face shield is that medical providers often wear glasses or other equipment on their faces. For example, it is extremely common for a medical provider to wear a set of loupes. Loupes bear a general resemblance to glasses, and typically include magnifiers (2.5× and 3.5× are common magnifications) as well as a light. When worn, a loupe light is typically centered on the brow, just above the bridge of the nose. Unfortunately, standard disposable face shields cannot accommodate this kind of equipment, which projects out from the face. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    One aspect of the invention relates to a face mask. The face mask has a filter mask portion with an attached face shield portion and is adapted to be compatible with loupes and a loupe light. Specifically, the central portion of the face shield includes a horizontally centered cut out that extends downwardly from a top edge. The cut out is sized and positioned to allow a loupe light to pass through. The central portion of the face shield is hingedly connected to a pair of side portions. The side portions may include openings that allow straps from the filter mask to pass through and secure the side portions against the head. In some embodiments, the central portion may include a frangible section that can be removed to create the cut out. 
         [0013]    These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will be described below. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
         [0014]    The invention will be described with respect to the following drawing figures, in which like numerals represent like features throughout the drawings, and in which: 
           [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a medical mask with a loupe light-compatible eye shield according to one embodiment of the invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a medical mask according to another embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the mask of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a medical mask with a loupe light-compatible eye shield, generally indicated at  10 , according to one embodiment of the invention, shown as worn on the head of a person P. The medical mask  10  includes both a filter mask portion  12  and a face shield portion  14 . 
         [0019]    The filter mask portion  12  is a pleated sheet of natural or polymer fibers that is extended over the nose and the mouth, down to and beyond the level of the chin. The construction of filter masks is well known in the art, and any known materials may be used for the filter mask portion  12 . The material of which the filter mask portion  12  is made may depend on any number of factors, including the size of particulate or aerosol matter that the filter mask portion  12  is intended to filter. In the illustrated embodiment, the medical mask  10  and filter mask portion  12  are secured by a pair of elastic straps  16 , each of which is secured to the filter mask portion  12  at two locations  18 ,  20 . Depending on the embodiment, the straps  16  may be sewn or fused to the filter mask portion  12 , or simply passed through it and knotted. Of course, inextensible tied straps or other methods of securement may be used instead of elastic straps  16 . 
         [0020]    Provided above the filter mask portion  12  and covering the eyes, brow, and sides of the face in  FIG. 1  is the face shield portion  14 . The face shield portion  14  is attached at its left and right edges to the left and right edges of the filter mask portion  12 , typically by fusing, adhesives, or any other known means. The bottom edge of the face shield portion  14  is typically free to move relative to the filter mask portion portion  12 , and an upper strip  22  of the filter mask portion  12  includes an embedded malleable metal strip that can be contoured to fit the nose. As shown, there is some overlap between the filter mask portion  12  and the face shield portion  14 ; the face shield portion  14  extends below the top of the filter mask portion  12  and terminates in a convex curve with a high point proximate to the tip of the nose, which helps to accommodate the nose. Of course, the bottom curvature of the filter mask portion  12  may vary from embodiment to embodiment, and in some embodiments, the filter mask portion  12  may be squared off. 
         [0021]    The face shield portion  14  itself is made from a thin, transparent sheet of material, and includes a central section  24  and two side portions  26 . The side portions  26  are connected to the central section  24  by respective hinges  28 , which may, for example, be living hinges or scores that allow the two side portions  26  to fold and bend relative to the central section  24 . This, in turn, may allow better coverage of the sides of the face as compared with conventional face masks, in which there are no hinges and the plastic simply wraps around the face as best it can. The hinges  28  may also reduce the tendency for the face shield portion  14  to warp, crimp, or distort, which may interfere with the provider&#39;s view or be uncomfortable. 
         [0022]    Additionally, the central section  24  of the face shield portion  14  defines a cut out  30 . The cut out  30  is essentially horizontally centered on the face shield portion  14 , and extends downwardly from a top edge of the face shield portion  14 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , when a user is wearing loupes  32  with a loupe light  34 , the cut out  30  allows the loupe light  34  to pass through the face shield portion  14 , thus making it easier to wear loupes  32 , a loupe light  34 , and the mask  10  at the same time. 
         [0023]    The cut out  30  of the illustrated embodiment is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, and the bottom may be rounded (i.e., to match or approximate the curvature of a typical loupe light  34 ). The shape of the cut out  30  may be different in other embodiments—for example, the bottom may be squared, and the top may have a different taper or no taper at all. In one embodiment, for example, the cut out  30  may be about 2.5 inches at its top, about 2 inches at its bottom, and with a height of about 2.5 inches, which provides enough room to accommodate a typical loupe light  34 . However, other embodiments may use different dimensions, and as was noted above, the cut out  30  need not taper in all embodiments. 
         [0024]    In some embodiments, masks  10  may be made with no cut out  30 . In other embodiments, masks may be made with a perforated frangible portion that can be torn off to create a cut out like the cut out  30  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Of course, the user is under no obligation to remove a frangible portion if one is present, and may use a face mask without removing a frangible portion if, for example, he or she does not wish to wear a loupe light. 
         [0025]    In embodiments of the invention, the straps  16  or ties that secure the mask  10  to its wearer may cooperate with the side portions  26  to secure them around the sides of the face or otherwise maintain their position, creating a wrap-around effect. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the top half of each elastic strap  16  passes through a hole  36  defined toward the bottom of the side portion  26 , emerges on the outside of the side portion  26  and, because of the tension in it, presses against the side portion  26  and keeps it against the face as the strap  16  extends toward and around the ear. 
         [0027]    Each hole  36  may be reinforced, for example, by an additional layer or layers of plastic fused or sintered around each hole  36 . However, the holes  36  need not be reinforced. In fact, the side portion  26  need not have a hole  36  per se; instead, any kind of opening of sufficient size to allow the strap  16  to pass may be used. As one example,  FIG. 2  is a perspective view similar to the view of  FIG. 1  illustrating another embodiment of the invention, generally indicated at  100 . The face mask  100  has essentially the same features as the mask  10  described above. However, in each side portion  102 , a slit  104  extends from the bottom edge up. The slit  104  has an upwardmost point at about the same position where a hole  36  would be in mask  10 . In some embodiments, the slit  104  may terminate in a hole, although it need not. In some embodiments, there may be no opening in the side portion  26 ,  102  at all. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view of the mask  10  of  FIG. 1 , illustrating how the mask  10  appears when not in use. One advantage of the mask  10  is that when not in use, it is essentially flat, making it easier to package and ship. However, it should be understood that although the filter mask portion  12  of the illustrated embodiment is a pleated flexible material that contours to the face, in other embodiments, the filter mask portion could be a dome-shaped mask with sufficient rigidity to hold its own shape. Masks of this type are known, and are often used to filter dust and other particulate matter. 
         [0029]    While the invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting. Modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.