Abstract:
A respirator mask dispensing system is provided. It includes a carrier material and a plurality of respirator masks mounted in parallel on the carrier material by an adhesive. The carrier material is deformed between adjacent ones of the plurality of respirator masks, the deformation being configured to assist in the tearing of the carrier material at points of deformation. The carrier material with the plurality of respirator masks as mounted therein is wound on the central core member to provide a continuous roll The adhesive bonds more strongly with the respirator masks than the carrier material such that when an individual respirator mask is removed from the carrier material the adhesive will separate from the carrier material and remain attached to the individual respirator mask.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent application 61/281,171 entitled Respiratory Face Mask Dispensed From Continuous Roll, filed on Oct. 14, 2010, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a respiratory face mask. More specifically, the present invention relates to a plurality of respiratory face masks that are mounted on a carrier material and dispensed from a wound continuous roll of carrier material. 
         [0004]    2. Discussion of Background Information 
         [0005]    Various types of filtering face-piece respirators and masks are designed to protect the wearer from inhaling harmful particulates and dust. An air purifying respirator is a particular type facial mask that is specifically designed to filter contaminants out of the air as it flows through filter media of the mask. (This differs from, for example, a surgical mask, which is designed to block the flow of fluids between a health professional and a patient, but which provides negligible filtration of the passage of air through the surgical mask itself.) 
         [0006]    There is a continuing need to increase prevention of the spread of disease caused by infected airborne droplets and aerosols, particularly in healthcare and clinical environments. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated its concern about extending respiratory protection to patients, visitors, and other persons in the healthcare setting, in addition to healthcare workers. For example, in order to prevent transmission of communicable respiratory diseases like influenza, the CDC suggests the use of respirator masks rated N95, N99, or N100 (per U.S. standards, the “N” number rating means that the mask will stop that percentage of particles 0.3 microns or larger in size, thus N95 is rated to stop 95% of particles 0.3 microns or larger). 
         [0007]    Prior art tight-fitting face—piece respirator masks for health environments generally fall into two categories. The first is a flexible mask, which includes an expandable air permeable filter with one or more straps that the user secures around the head and neck. These types of masks are typically individually available in a polyethylene container. 
         [0008]    The other category of respirator masks is a semi-rigid air permeable filter material that is preformed into a cup shape with one or more straps that secure the cup over the mouth and nose of the wearer. Due to the preformed semi-rigid shape, there is little option for customization of the fit of the mask to the wearer. The mask may thus have a particular N rating based on its material, but in practice the effective N rating can be substantially lower due to a poor fit over the face of the wearer. The preformed semi-rigid shape also requires that these types of masks be formed individually and packaged in a nesting format, which is a cumbersome manufacturing process. 
         [0009]    The current state of the art lacks a type of tight-fitting face-piece respirator mask that is easily customizable to the face of the user and can be packaged, transported and dispensed in a expeditious and low cost manner. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    Embodiments of the present invention describes a system and method for reducing the risk to persons by facilitating the dispensing of high performance protective face masks from surface-mounted point of service delivery systems on demand. Point of service delivery would provide greater access and convenience at reduced cost, and thus likely result in increased use by a wider range of people at risk in healthcare settings. 
         [0011]    According to an embodiment of the invention, a respirator mask dispensing system is provided. It includes a carrier material and a plurality of respirator masks mounted in parallel on the carrier material by an adhesive. The carrier material is deformed between adjacent ones of the plurality of respirator masks, the deformation being configured to assist in the tearing of the carrier material at points of deformation. The carrier material with the plurality of respirator masks as mounted therein is wound on the central core member to provide a continuous roll The adhesive bonds more strongly with the respirator masks than the carrier material such that when an individual respirator mask is removed from the carrier material the adhesive will separate from the carrier material and remain attached to the individual respirator mask. 
         [0012]    The above embodiment may have various features. The individual respirator mask may be dispensed by unrolling the carrier material to extend the individual respirator mask from the continuous roll, tearing the carrier material along the adjacent deformation to release a single sheet of carrier material with the individual respirator mask thereon, and separating the individual respirator mask from the torn single sheet of carrier material. The adhesive may be positioned on the plurality of masks at least as strips with uniform thickness along the lateral sides of the plurality of masks. The strips may be parallel to the dispensing direction of the continuous roll. The adhesive may be positioned on the plurality of masks as at least one island proximate to an under the chin portion on the plurality of masks. Each of the plurality of masks may have first and second notches proximate to an under the chin portion of the masks that separates the under the chin portion of the masks into first, second and third sections, the second section being coextensive with an area under the chin of a wearer, and the first and third sections can be at least partially overlapped onto the second section to form a seal on a lower jaw of a wearer. Each of the plurality of masks may have a wire generally disposed in a bridge of nose portion of the masks, the wire being deformable. The wire may be perpendicular to the dispensing direction of the continuous roll. The individual respirator mask may be dispensed by unrolling the individual respirator mask and underlying carrier material, tearing the underlying carrier material along the adjacent deformation to release the individual respirator mask with a corresponding sheet of carrier material, and individually sealing the individual respirator mask with a corresponding sheet of carrier material within packaging. The plurality of respirator masks may be mounted on the carrier medium are separated from each other. The plurality of respirator masks may be connected to each other, and delineated by deformations configured to assist in tearing an individual respirator mask free from the plurality of respirator masks. The deformations may include perforations or notches in the lateral sides of the continuous roll of carrier material. 
         [0013]    According to another embodiment of the invention, a respirator mask packaging system, is provided. A sheet of carrier material is provided, and a respirator mask is mounted on the sheet of carrier material by an adhesive. The mask includes a deformable support along a bridge of the nose section of the respirator mask; the adhesive being positioned on the mask at least: as lateral strips along the lateral sides of the mask; and at least one island along an under the chin area of the mask. The adhesive bonds more strongly with the respirator masks than the carrier material such that when an individual respirator mask is removed from the carrier material the adhesive will separate from the carrier material and remain attached to the individual respirator mask. 
         [0014]    The above embodiment may have various optional features. The respirator mask may have first and second notches proximate to an under the chin portion of the respirator mask that separates the under the chin portion of the respirator mask into first, second and third sections, the second section being coextensive with an area under the chin of a wearer, and the first and third sections can be at least partially overlapped onto the second section to form a seal on a lower jaw of a wearer. A plurality of the respirator mask packaging systems may be provided in which each sheet of carrier material is connected together, and collectively wound about a core member to form a continuous roll of carrier material. The continuous roll of carrier material may be deformed along lines perpendicular to the dispensing direction of the continuous roll, the individual sheets of carrier material being defined by the deformations. The deformations may include perforations or notches in the lateral sides of the continuous roll of carrier material. 
         [0015]    Other exemplary embodiments and advantages of the present invention may be ascertained by reviewing the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The present invention is further described in the detailed description which follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way of non-limiting examples of certain embodiments of the present invention, in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of the invention with notches. 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of masks supported by a continuous roll of wound carrier material. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  illustrates a front view of an embodiment of the invention in which the masks and carrier are commonly perforated. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice. 
         [0022]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the invention is shown. A series of respirator masks  110  are mounted in parallel on an underlying carrier material  140 . The entirety of one mask  110  is shown in the center of  FIG. 1 , while portions of adjacent masks  110  are shown above and below along carrier material  140 .  FIG. 1  thus shows three masks  110 , although it is to be understood that carrier material  140  extends for some distance and can support as many masks  110  as are desired and/or feasible (taking into account thickness and weight considerations); an overall length of carrier material  140  on the order of 25-50 feet is preferable, but the invention is not limited to any particular length. 
         [0023]    Carrier material  140  is preferably perforated between adjacent masks  110  along line  120  so that individual masks  110  and the corresponding sheet of carrier material  140  can be easily torn free for individual use. As shown in  FIG. 2 , notches  212  may supplement perforations along line  120 . In the alternative, notches  212  can be provided without perforations. Other deformations of carrier material  140  could also be used, such as scoring or a crease in the carrier material  140 . 
         [0024]    Carrier material  140  and mounted masks  110  are for package and dispensing purposes preferably wound into a roll around a core member, akin to the manner in which paper towels are wound around a cardboard tube. The core member (show in  FIG. 3  at  325 ) of the instant embodiment is preferably made of a medium such as plastic that does not foster bacterial or viral growth if exposed to contaminants, although other materials could be used. The core member may be hollow so that it can be mounted on a dispenser, or include some of or the entire dispenser itself The invention is not limited to any particular type of mounting methodology. In this manner, respirator masks  110  can be packaged, transported and dispensed in the same manner as paper towels. 
         [0025]    Each respirator mask is made from air permeable flexible filter media  115 . The filter media  115  could be single flat layer, multiple layers of the same or different sub-materials, and/or overlapping layers. Filter media  115  preferably meets at least N95 standards, although lower rated masks may be acceptable for other environments such as construction sites to block out inhalation of dust and airborne debris. Electro-statically charged melt blown polypropylene fibers may be appropriate material for filter media  115 . Certain types of paper or non-woven material may also be appropriate. The specific types of materials that provide the noted degrees of filtration are known to those of skill and are not discussed in further detail herein. 
         [0026]    The mask  110  includes adhesive that preferably both secure the masks  110  to the carrier material  140  and will later secure the mask  110  to the face of the wearer. The embodiment of  FIG. 1  shows the adhesive as adhesive strips  130  and adhesive islands  190 . Adhesive strips  130  preferably align with the left and right sides of mask  110  and run the full length thereof; these strips  130  will later attach the lateral sides of mask  110  to the wearer&#39;s face. Adhesive islands  190  will later attach under the wearer&#39;s chin. Double sided tape is a non-limiting example of an appropriate adhesive, such as 3M brand 9828, 9917, 1522, or 9874. 
         [0027]    The adhesive, carrier material  140  and mask  110  are preferably made from a collection of materials for which the adhesive will only lightly bond to carrier  140 , but more tightly bond to the mask  110 ; thus when the mask  110  is removed from carrier material  140  the adhesive will separate from carrier material  140  and remain on mask  110  for later bonding with the wearer&#39;s face. Similarly, the adhesive must sufficiently bond with the wearer&#39;s face so as to maintain a seal and resist removal from light (accidentally applied) pressure, but which will yield under sufficient pressure for removal without discomfort to the wearer; adhesives used in medical contexts (such as 3M brand 9828 9917, 1522, or 9874 double sided medical tape) may be appropriate. By way of non-limiting example, mask  110  may be of an appropriate N95 paper based material, the adhesive may be a medical double sided tape, and the carrier material  140  may be of the same type of materials used between layers of double sided tape (e.g., a silicone coated or infused material, plastic, poly coated paper or Kraft liner). 
         [0028]    The nature and location of adhesive  130  and  190  in  FIG. 1  is merely exemplary. For example, Adhesive island  190  could be a single patch of adhesive or more than two patches. Other configurations of adhesive could also be used. 
         [0029]    Adhesive  130  and  190  are preferably the same material and/or located symmetrically on mask  110 , but this need not be the case and the invention is not so limited. For example, two different adhesives could be used—one that bonds more strongly with mask  110  and will remain with mask  110  when separated from carrier material  140 , and a second adhesive with bonds more strongly with carrier material  140  and will remain with carrier material  140  when separated from mask  110 . A similar effect could be achieved using the same adhesive but using different materials to make up carrier material  140  and/or mask  110 , although this would be a more expensive solution. 
         [0030]    Mask  110  preferably includes a horizontally positioned deformable plastic or metal wire, strip or clip  150  (“wire  150 ”) that is perpendicular to the direction in which masks  110  are dispensed from the continuous roll. Wire  150  is preferably attached to mask  110  and sandwiched between mask  110  and carrier material  140 , although the wire  150  may be on the outer side of mask  110  and/or embedded (e.g., woven into) mask  110 . Wire  150  retains its original flat elongated shape absent deforming pressure, but will deform into and retain a new shape under sufficient deforming pressure. Wire  150  will generally align with the wearer&#39;s face across the bridge of the nose, and can be deformed by the wearer to contour to the bridge of the nose and the upper cheek bones. 
         [0031]    Mask  110  preferably includes notches  180  at the lower portion thereof, which separates the lower portion of mask  110  into an under the chin section  170  and flaps  160 . The under the chin section  170  will attach under the wearer&#39;s chin due to the presence of adhesive islands  190 . 
         [0032]    The mask  110  is preferably applied to the wearer&#39;s face by placing the wire  150  proximate to the bridge of the nose and deforming it into shape. Pressure is then applied to the upper and middle portions of lateral adhesive strips  130  to form and adhesive seal with the face along the cheeks, while the flaps  160  extend below the chin. The under the chin section  170  is lowered into a position first over and then under the chin with adhesion via adhesive islands  190 . The wearer then pulls the flaps  160  laterally to cross over and overlap the under the chin section  170 , and applies pressure to the lower portion of strips  130  to create a seal. This last step causes flaps  160  to fold over a portion of under chin section  170 , thus securing the bottom of mask  110  over the user&#39;s chin and forward jaw. 
         [0033]    Flaps  160  tend to retain sufficient flexibility to act as valves. When the wearer exhales, flaps  160  will expand away from the face and allow air to exit at least at the border of notch  180  without the exhaled air necessarily having to pass through the filtering media  115 . When the wearer inhales, the negative pressure will pull flaps  160  toward the face to reassert the seal, forcing incoming inhaled air to pass through the filtering media  115 . Notches  180  may be of any width, including zero (for which the notch is essentially just a cut in the media  115 ). 
         [0034]    The embodiment of  FIG. 1  is preferably formed using an in-line continuous rotary web process. Carrier material  140  is provided by its own continuous roll which is fed into a mechanism for supporting masks  110 . Masks  110  are themselves formed from a continuous roll of media  115  which is cut to appropriate shape for individual masks  110 ; for stability purposes, the notches  180  can be formed on the leading edge of the media  115  before it is cut to size. The wire  150  may be added before or after the mask is cut from the roll of media  115 . Adhesive for areas  130  and  190  may be applied directly to the roll of carrier material  140  before the mask  110  is mounted thereto, or applied directly to the mask  110  before it is mounted; some adhesive on the carrier material  140  and some on the mask  110  before mounting is also possible. For alignment purposes, carrier material  140  is preferably perforated after the leading and trailing mask are mounted, although it could be done before either mask  110  is applied, or after one mask  110  is mounted but before the adjacent mask  110  is mounted. 
         [0035]      FIG. 3  shows the embodiment of  FIG. 1  as a continuous roll  300 , with several of the closest front masks  110  dispensed (delineation is shown by indication of lines  120 ). The embodiment of  FIG. 3  shows the continuous roll  300  supported about a hollow core member  325 , which may be a plastic tube. As noted above, there are various methodologies that could be used for mounting the continuous roll  300 . 
         [0036]    Roll  300  may be manufactured individually. In the alternative, several individual rolls  300  could be manufactured as a common roll, whereupon individual rolls are cut from the larger common roll. 
         [0037]    The rotary web process enables the mask to be produced in volume at high throughput speed, which reduces production cost. A material perforated at various intervals is used as both a carrier material  140  and mask media  115 , so that when the mask  110  is dispensed from the roll it can first be separated from the roll, and then easily pulled apart and removed from the carrier for instant application. 
         [0038]    The masks  110  could be packaged and sold for use in the continuous roll format as shown in  FIG. 3 . In the alternative, the mask could be individually cut at the production end, packaged individually, and dispensed as individual masks using the same rotary web process. 
         [0039]    Adhesive strips  130 , adhesive islands  190 , and notches  180  are preferably of uniform thickness and aligned along common longitudinal axis for the length of the continuous roll  300 . Throughput speed is increased and waste minimized by applying adhesive only to the lateral side edges of the mask  110  in continuous line with the direction of the web process, and in conjunction with utilizing other methods of adapting the mask  110  to the contours of the user&#39;s face across the top and bottom of the mask. In the alternative, masks  110  could be oriented at an angle to that shown in  FIG. 1  such that various structures are not aligned with the direction of the web process, although this would make the manufacturing more complicated and expensive. 
         [0040]    Masks  110  are shown as smaller in dimensions than the individual sheets of carrier material  140 . However, the invention is not so limited, and the edges of masks  110  may be coextensive with any or all of the edges of carrier material  140 . Such an embodiment of the invention is shown with respect to  FIG. 3 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the respirator masks  110  were not directly connected to each other on the carrier material  140 . In  FIG. 4 , the flexible media  115  of masks  110  is formed as a continuous sheet, and commonly perforated with carrier material  140  along line  420 , such that masks  110  share two common edged with the individual sheets of carrier material  140 . Other deformations other than or in addition to perforations may also be used, e.g., scoring, creasing, notching. 
         [0041]    Masks  110  are preferably on the order of a height of 5-6 inches and a width 7-8 inches, although other dimensions could be used. 
         [0042]    According to another embodiment of the invention, carrier material  140  could be eliminated entirely if an appropriate media  115  is used for mask  110 . In this case, masks  110  would be wound directly over each other to form the continuous roll. Media  115  would likely need to include at least two different layers, one on the inward (users&#39; face side) of the mask  110  to support the adhesive, and one on the outward side of the mask  110  that would lightly bond with and easily release from the adhesive. Both layers would also need to be air permeable, and either individually or collectively with whatever purification standard was desired (e.g., N95). 
         [0043]    It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.