Abstract:
The facemask tape-adjuster is an adjusting device for the tapes of facemasks comprising of a upper piece and a lower piece respectively made joint at one edge, in which the inner face of upper piece is made to have pressing region complementary to that which is made on the inner face of bottom piece, which are further mounted between by a two-stage buckling structure, wherein opposing two of four tapes are held between the complementary inner faces reverse-overlapped through opposing ends of the adjuster, which upon first clipping stage there is space given between the two piece allowing the two tapes limited mobility for adjustment, which further upon second clipping stage the space is minimized to such that the two tapes become held fixed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to adjusting devices for facemasks, but more particularly, it is an adjusting device that allows tying degrees for the tapes of facemasks to be adjustable.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     When medical personnel are treating patients, suitable protection tools are necessary guard against infection by viruses and bacteria, while providing safer environment for patients. Among these, a mask is most basic and most popular of the protection tools. For example, a doctor in surgery must wear a mask throughout the whole operation in conforming with medical standards.  
         [0005]     A conventional mask is worn by tying the each corresponding two of the four tapes of the facemask behind the head of the user.  
         [0006]     However, because the doctor has to wear the facemask before the operation starts, tying is not suitable, as it can be too tight, too loose, or at an angle, which ultimately has to be untied and retied again. Furthermore, during the operation, the tapes might be loosened owing to the curved surface of the head, and therefore need to be readjusted. However, because the hands of the doctor have to stay sterile, another medical personnel will have to release and retie the tapes. This is inconvenient and time-consuming.  
         [0007]     Thus, it can be seen that the wearing method of conventional facemasks described above is inconvenient, and that there are defects to be improved.  
         [0008]     Consequently, because of technical defects as described above, the applicant has carved unflaggingly through wholehearted experience and research to develop the present invention, which can effectively improve on the shortcoming described above.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The object of the present invention is to provide an adjusting device for the tapes of facemasks so that the tapes can quickly and easily be held fixed or loosened, making it easily adjustable so as to facilitate the usage and increase the comfort.  
         [0010]     For achieving the objective described above, the present invention provides the tape-adjuster for the tapes of facemasks, comprising of a upper piece and a lower piece respectively made joint at one edge, in which the inner face of upper piece is made to have pressing region complementary to that which is made on the inner face of bottom piece, which are further mounted between by a two-stage buckling structure, wherein opposing two of four tapes are held between the complementary inner faces reverse-overlapped through opposing ends of the adjuster, which upon first clipping stage there is space given between the two piece allowing the two tapes limited mobility for adjustment, which further upon second clipping stage the space is minimized to such that the two tapes become held fixed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional drawing showing the tape-adjuster according to the present invention when unfolded;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a three-dimensional drawing showing the tape-adjuster according to the present invention when clipped;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view showing the tape-adjuster according to the present invention when clipped;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view showing the first stage of the buckling structure, which clips two overlapped tapes, of the tape-adjuster according to the present invention as;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view showing a the second stage of the buckling structure, which clips two overlapped tapes, of the tape-adjuster according to the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a three-dimensional drawing showing an arc piece mounted on the tape-adjuster according to the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is a side view showing the tape-adjuster with an arc piece mounted thereon according to the present invention before being pressed down;  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  is a side view showing the tape-adjuster with an arc piece mounted thereon according to the present invention as being pressed down; and  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  is a schematic view showing the operation state of the tape-adjuster according to the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 10  is a three-dimensional drawing showing the tape-adjuster having a liftable piece mounted thereon according to the present invention; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 11  is a side view showing the tape-adjuster with a liftable piece, which is lifted up, according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Now the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.  
         [0023]     By referring to FIGS.  1  to  3  and  FIG. 9 , in using the tape-adjuster as according to the present invention, two tapes  51 ,  52  in which two of the four tape ends are respectively fixed on both sides of a mask  5  and the other ends thereof are overlapped and clipped fixed by adjuster, the adjuster includes an upper piece  1 , a lower piece  2 , a pressing structure  3  and a two-stage buckling structure  4 . In addition, the upper piece  1  has a first inner face  10  and the lower piece  2  has a second inner face  20 , and one edge of the upper piece  1  and one edge of the lower piece  2  are joined together to form a joint line  40 . In this preferred embodiment, the upper piece  1  and the lower piece  2  are integrally formed with the joint line  40 , which is in form of an elastic ligament having thickness less than that of the upper piece  1  and the lower piece  2 . Alternatively, the upper piece  1  and the lower piece  2  can also be formed separately but with pivoting holes (not shown) for a pivot (not shown), so as to form the joint line  40  analogously. In addition, the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20  have pressing regions  11 ,  12  respectively for oppositely clipping the two overlapped tapes  51 ,  52 .  
         [0024]     Furthermore, the pressing structure  3  is mounted on the pressing regions  11 ,  12  of the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20 . In this preferred embodiment, the pressing structure  3  is a concave-convex matched structure comprising protrusion portions  31  and indentation portions  32 , which are strip-like, arranged and mounted on the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20  respectively and oppositely. A width and a depth of the indentation portion  32  cling on the two overlapped tapes  51 ,  52  and are larger than those of the protrusion portion  31 .  
         [0025]     The two-stage buckling structure  4  is mounted between the upper piece  1  and the lower piece  2 . In this preferred embodiment, the two-stage buckling structure  4  is mounted between the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20 , located at the sides of the upper piece  1  and the lower piece  2  opposite the joint line  40 . The two-stage buckling structure  4  can connect the edge opposite the joint edge of the upper piece  1  and the lower piece  2 .  
         [0026]     Please refer to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The two-stage buckling structure  4  further comprises a first stage structure  41  and a second stage structure  42 . The first stage structure  41  is employed to clamp the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20  together, while leaving space between the pressing regions  11 ,  21  for the two overlapped tapes  51 ,  52  to be movable. Then, the second stage structure  42  is used to fasten the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20 , together reducing the space between the pressing regions so that the two overlapped tapes  51 ,  52  can be clipped fixed.  
         [0027]     In this preferred embodiment, the two-stage buckling structure  4  has the positioned posts  12  mounted on the first inner face  10  and positioned holes  22  mounted on the second inner face  20 , wherein the free end of the positioned post  12  has a protruding edge  13  with an arc-guiding angle, and a cutting trench  15 , forming two opposite elastic arms  14 . The positioned hole  22  has a neck portion  23  with a smaller outer diameter and a chamber  24  with a larger outer diameter. The combining structure  41  is that the two opposite elastic arms  14  are introverted, and the protruding edge  13  of the positioning post  12  can be slid against the inner wall of the neck portion  23  cooperatively. Then, the buckling structure&#39;s  42  outer wall of the positioned post  12  is fitted with the inner wall of the neck portion  23 , and the protruding edge  13  of the positioned post  12  is fitted with the inner wall of the chamber  24 .  
         [0028]     According tape-adjuster of the present invention, when the user intends to wear the mask  5 , the two tapes  51 ,  52  on each side of the mask  5  should first be overlapped. Then the pressing regions  11 ,  21  of the upper piece  1  and the lower piece  2  can clip the two overlapped tapes  51 ,  52  in two stages. In the first stage, the positioned post  12  should be plugged into the positioned hole  22  correspondingly, and because the two opposite elastic arms  14  must be introverted through the arc guiding angle of the protruding edge  13 , the protruding edge  13  of the positioned post  12  can be smoothly and conveniently inserted into the neck portion  23  of the positioned hole  22 . At this time, because the protruding edge  13  can cling against the inner wall of the neck portion  23 , the buckling structure  41  will only clip the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20  together but with a space between the pressing regions  11 ,  21 . Thus the two overlapped tapes  51 ,  52  are confined by the space, but still easily pulled for adjusting. When the tapes are adjusted to a comfortable position, the protruding edge  13  of the positioned post  12  can now be inserted further into the chamber  24  of the positioned hole  22 , and the outer wall of the positioned post  12  will slide against the inner wall of the neck portion  23 . At this time, because the two opposite elastic arms  14  are returned to their original positions, the protruding edge  13  of the positioned post  12  is accommodated into the chamber  24 , and the buckling structure  42  will fastened the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20  tightly reducing the space between the pressing regions  11 ,  21 , thus clipped the two overlapped tapes  51 ,  52  fixed. At this point, the wearing of the mask is completed. If the tapes  51 ,  52  are loose owing to the curved surface of the head during operation, the wearer only needs to pull the tapes  51 ,  52 . Further, the pressing structure  3  will easily be released thereby so as to release the buckling structure  42 . At this time, through the arc-guiding angle of the protruding edge  13 , the positioned post  12  will be slid out of the chamber  24  so as to return to the larger space between the pressing regions  11 ,  21 . Likewise, the protruding edge  13  will cling against the neck portion  23  so the two tapes  51 ,  52  can once again be limitedly moved inside the space. After the adjusting is completed, the buckling structure  42  may once again fasten the first and the second inner faces together. When surgery is finished, the user needs only to unclamp the first inner face  1  and the second inner face  2 , and the mask  5  is easily taken off.  
         [0029]     By referring to FIGS.  6  to  8 , the upper piece  10  can further comprise an arc piece  17  protruding outwardly and two rejecting blocks  16  mounted on two ends of the arc piece  17 , which protrude inwardly to contact the second inner face  20 . When the two tapes  51 ,  52  are clipped fixed between the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20 , the tying degree can be adjusted by the user by pressing the arc piece  17 . Through an elastic deformation, the rejecting blocks  16  will be slightly moved outwardly so as to release the first inner face  10  from the second inner face  20 . At this time, because the two tapes  51 ,  52  are only limited by the combining structure  41 , they can be readjusted.  
         [0030]     Referring to  FIGS. 10 and 11 , this embodiment&#39;s two-stage buckling structure  4  has the positioned post  12  mounted on the first inner face  10  and the positioned hole  22  on the second inner face  20 , wherein the positioned post  12  comprises at least a cutting trench  15  so as to form two opposite elastic arms  14 . The positioning hole  22  on the other hand has a neck portion  23  with a smaller outer diameter, and a chamber  24  with a larger outer diameter. Furthermore, an extending slot  25  is mounted on the outer edges of the lower piece  2  and an opening  26  is mounted on the second inner face  20  so that an arc thin-wall might be formed between the positioned hole  22  and the opening  26 , thus a preferable buckling performance can be achieved between the positioned post  12  and the positioned hole  22 . In addition, the pressing structure  3  comprises a first protruding portion  33  and a second protruding portion  34  arranged in a hemispherical shape, correspondingly mounted respectively on the first inner face  10  and the second inner face  20 , wherein the first protruding portion  33  and the second protruding portion  34  are pressed together in an alternate manner. Other than that, the upper piece  1  may further comprise a liftable piece  18  so that, if the tying degree is needed to be readjusted, it only needs to be lifted by the liftable piece  18  to release the buckling structure  42  of fastening, making readjusting easily performed.  
         [0031]     Consequently, the tape-adjuster according to the present invention is advantageous in that: 
        1. The two overlapped tapes of the mask are positioned between the pressing regions of the first inner face and the second inner face, such that when the first inner face and the second inner face clips together, the two-stage buckling structure fastens while allowing some space to formed between the pressing regions, so as to allow some mobility to the overlapped tapes for adjustment.     2. The two-stage buckling structure is employed to fasten the first and the second inner faces and to reduce the space between the pressing regions, so that the two overlapped tapes can be clipped fixed there between.     3. When the buckling structure is released, the first and the second inner faces can still be clipped together to providing easy adjusting for the tapes, quick fixing and releasing, in all making wearing the mask simpler and more comfortable.        
 
         [0035]     While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.