Abstract:
A disposable half mask drop-down respirator system comprised of a face seal, mount, filter, frame, and straps; the disposable filter interposed between a removable frame and a mount adjoined to the face seal; the mount/face seal assembly supported on the user&#39;s face by one or more straps; the frame adjoined to the mount in a manner that allows rotation about the mount between open and closed positions, the former position used at times when it is necessary to eat, drink, smoke, or talk, without having to remove the entire respirator system and the latter position used at times when it is necessary to filter inhaled or exhaled air.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 62/028,285 filed 23 Jul. 2014, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to personnel protection equipment. More particularly, the present invention is a respirator system used to protect the user from ambient dust and other objectionable airborne particles that potentially can be inhaled through the mouth or nose. Common terms used to describe these devices are “half-mask respirator” or “filter mask”. Additionally, these devices are worn by medical workers to protect patients from pathogens or other biological hazards that may be exhaled by the user. These devices are commonly sold in hardware stores or provided by medical supply companies. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Many home improvement, industrial, and construction projects involve operations that create dust and the like. Such operations include but are not limited to sanding, grinding, mowing, harvesting, sawing, painting, and spraying. Personnel working in such environments are required, or otherwise wise to wear filtering masks, including the disposable type, to help reduce the amount of airborne particles inhaled into the lungs. The most common of these is the filter mask made of multi-laminate paper/polypropylene material shaped to the contour of the human face, covering mouth and nose, and attached to the head using one or more elastic straps. Examples of these masks are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,440 to Berg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,619 to Dyrud et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,090 to Chen, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,442 to Kronzer et al. Such masks and respirators, because of their benefit to the health and well-being of the user, must not be uncomfortable, or burdensome, lest the user be discouraged from using the device. 
         [0006]    In use, the common disposable mask used by medical or construction workers has many limitations. Most limiting is the inability to quickly and temporarily remove or re-install the mask; a necessity in such cases as talking, smoking, ingesting food and beverages, or replacing the filter element. In both medical and construction environments it is common that gloves, headwear, and filter masks be worn together. As such, manipulation of the thin head straps or the thin flexible filter element is difficult if not impossible. The problem is eloquently described in Seppala&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,986. Other inventions, including Byram&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,692, and Nelson&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,121 recognizes the need to temporarily displace the mask from the face and then conveniently facilitate its return to the operating position in those situations previously described. 
         [0007]    Additionally, the majority of disposable masks are ill-fitting, compromising their functionality and their corresponding filter rating. This problem is well recognized in the field and addressed by recent inventions like U.S. Pat. No. 8,066,006B2 granted to Daugaard et al. adding built-in nose clips and the like. The desired disposability of such masks, including their economical cost, should only apply to the filter element and not the face sealing features. A disposable filter mask system that embodies that belief was invented as early as 1924 in U.S. Pat. No. 1,502,450 by Wood. Wood&#39;s device however lacks the quick donning benefit afforded by the present invention. Building on Wood&#39;s invention, U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,362 by Gélinas also puts the disposable filter in between a face seal and a cover but makes no attempt at creating open/closed positions of the cover that would permit talking, eating, etc. Nor are there adequate provisions in the face-piece for passing food or beverage. 
         [0008]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a respirator system that: 1) supports a disposable filter, 2) provides an effective face seal, 3) is comfortable to wear, 4) is economical, 5) can be manipulated by the user even when wearing gloves, 6) quickly changes from “talking/eating mode” to “respiratory-protection” mode; readily accessible in either position, 7) permits replacing the disposable filter without removing the respirator, and 8) isolates the filter from the user&#39;s skin. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    Briefly described, a respirator system is disclosed for use by personnel in those situations where it is necessary to filter the user&#39;s exhalation or inhalation. The present invention is comprised, in combination, of the following components: a face seal, mount, one or more head and neck straps, frame, and filter. The face seal, as the name implies, is the deformable component generally conforming to surround the user&#39;s nose and mouth, containing an opening exposing both nose and mouth. A rigid mount attaches to the face seal. It too contains an opening designed to expose the nose and mouth. The mount further contains strap-receiving buttons used to attach the head and neck straps. The upper portion of the mount further contains rectangular clip-receiving apertures. The lower portion of the mount contains one half of a hinged joint. The other half of the hinged joint is attached to the frame. When the two halves of the hinged joint are joined together, the combination of frame and mount can open or close like a clamshell. The frame additionally contains two male spring clips used to mate with two female apertures in the mount; the mated pair of clip and aperture being hereafter referred to as a “lock”. Once the frame and mount are co-joined through the hinged joint, the frame may be rotated upward to bring the clips and apertures into alignment. Further rotation of the frame will result in the clips inserting through the apertures forming two locks. When no further rotation is possible, the clips in their free state, provide positive retention of the frame against the mount. When depressed and pushed away from the user&#39;s nose, the clips disengage from the apertures permitting downward rotation of the frame. The frame is free to hang below the user&#39;s chin. Further rotation of the frame permits its complete removal from the mount. 
         [0010]    Other means of locking or securing the frame against the mount (in the upright “filtering position”) are anticipated such as magnets, pushbuttons, push-tabs, etc. but none of these will be discussed or shown. 
         [0011]    Interposed between frame and mount, a semi-rigid disposable filter is held in place by retention features provided in the frame. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the more detailed description and drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the drawings and: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the respirator system; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the respirator system; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view the respirator system&#39;s closed position; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view the respirator system&#39;s mount and dislodged frame; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a filter; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6   a,b,c  are fragmentary sectional views taken through the hinged joint; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  depicts the invention in use; both open and closed positions; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  depicts the invention in use; a user removing the frame. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    Referring now to the present invention in more detail, in  FIG. 1  there is shown respirator system  10  comprised of face seal  12 , neck strap  14   a,  head strap  14   b,  filter  16 , mount  18 , and frame  20 . Mount  18  contains apertures  24  and buttons  26 . Buttons  26 , shaped like small mushrooms, project outward from mount  18  and provide an attachment point for straps  14   a  and  14   b.  Frame  20  contains spring clips  22 . Both straps  14   a  and  14   b  contain hourglass shaped button holes  28  allowing them to be secured to buttons  26 . 
         [0022]    Referring now to the present invention in more detail, in  FIG. 2  there is shown respirator system  10  of  FIG. 1 , rotated to show the side view. Different from  FIG. 1 , neck strap  14   a,  and head strap  14   b  of  FIG. 2  are not connected to buttons  26  in order to better depict the well-known button-hole means of attachment. 
         [0023]    Referring now to the present invention in more detail, in  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4 , and  FIG. 5 , there is shown frame  20  and mount  18 . In  FIG. 3 , frame  20  is joined to and rests atop mount  18 . In  FIG. 4  frame  20  is dislodged from mount  18  to better show the details of the hinged joint connecting these two components as well as mount flange  18   a,  frame flange  20   a,  frame opening  44 , and mount opening  46 . Side members  36  extend upward from the bottom of mount  18 . Crossbar  38  transits the open gap between side members  36 . 
         [0024]    Extending from frame  20 , tower  30  contains slot  32  and circular recess  34 . The width of tower  30  is slightly smaller than the width of crossbar  38  allowing it to be interposed between side members  36 . The width and height of crossbar  38  are such that once agreeably inserted in slot  32 , and agreeably resting in recess  34 , recess  34  and frame  20  can rotate freely about crossbar  38 . The union of the lower portions of mount  18  and frame  20  is made possible by the retention of crossbar  38  in recess  34 . 
         [0025]    A plurality of pins  40  protrude vertically upward from frame flange  20   a  and a like number of mount holes  42  recede into mount flange  18   a.  Mount holes  42  are sized to cooperatively receive and engage with pins  40 . Both flanges  18   a  and  20   a  are generally flat contiguous surfaces geometrically sized and shaped to align and mate with each other. With flanges  18   a  and  20   a  mated as such, pins  40  and mount holes  42  align, resulting in the insertion of pins  40  into mount holes  42 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 5  shows filter  16  containing border portion  16   a  and a plurality of mount holes  16   b . Border portion  16   a  is generally a flat contiguous surface, the geometry of which is made to conform to overlay and reside on frame flange  20   a  after filter  16  has been inserted through frame opening  44 . The size and spacing of mount holes  16   b  in border portion  16   a  are designed to align and cooperatively engage pins  40 . Filter  16  captured between flanges  18   a  and  20   a,  with frame  20  locked against mount  18  (aka closed position) creates an air-tight seal such that when the user inhales, air can only pass thru filter  16  media. 
         [0027]      FIG. 6   a,b,c  depicts the relationship between crossbar  38  and recess  34  after frame  20  has been mated to mount  18  by the union of tower  30  and side members  36 . As shown in  FIG. 6 a   , in order to join frame  20  to mount  18 , it is necessary to position tower  30  such that slot  32  aligns with the long axis of crossbar  38 ; allowing then tower  30  to move in a direction that results in crossbar  38  resting in recess  34 . In this mated configuration, tower  30  and subsequently frame  20 , can rotate about crossbar  38 . As shown in  FIG. 6 b    and  FIG. 6 c   , frame  20  and mount  18  are prevented from dislodging for any angular relationship of frame  20  and mount  18  other than the “insert” angular position depicted in  FIG. 6 a   .  FIG. 6 b    shows what the hinged joint looks like when frame  20  is hanging freely under the user&#39;s chin  FIG. 6 c    shows what the hinged joint looks like when frame  20  is rotated up into the deployed position; this position being defined by the locks in their locked configuration. 
         [0028]    The construction and assembly details of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 8  are not unlike masks known in the prior art and available in stores today. Straps  14   a  and  14   b  are preferably each of one-piece elastic material or two-piece construction (left side/right side) using non-elastic material and buckles, snaps, VELCRO®, and the like, to join straps  14   a  and  14   b  behind the user&#39;s head. Face seal  12  is made of rubber, sponge, foam or other deformable material. Both frame  20  and mount  18  are each single-piece constructions made from thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers. Filter  16  material is not unlike the disposable mask material found in the prior art, commercially available, and meeting industry filtration standards (e.g. NIOSH N95). Because of the present invention&#39;s approach to mounting disposable filters in a “clamshell” arrangement, filter  16  does not require nose bridges and head bands. Optionally, filter  16  may however contain an exhalation valve also well known in the prior art (valve not shown). Mount  18  may be permanently joined to face seal  12  using glues and the like. Preferably, mount  18  is temporarily joined to face seal  12  in order to permit cleaning of face seal  12  (similar then to straps  14   a  and  14   b ). The deformable material of face seal  12  may be formed or molded to create recesses or channels (recesses or channels not shown) allowing an interference-fit insertion of mount  18 . 
         [0029]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 6 ,  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 8 , the use of respirator  10  will be described. Like today&#39;s available masks, neck strap  14   a  and head strap  14   b  are used to secure respirator  10  to the user&#39;s face. In order to lower frame  20 , say for the purpose of eating, the user simply has to depress spring clips  22  (releasing them from apertures  24 ) and pushing frame  20  away from the user&#39;s nose. Frame  20  will remain hanging below the user&#39;s chin supported by crossbar  38 . To disengage frame  20  from respirator  10 , say for the purpose of changing filter  16 , the user simply has to continue rotation of frame  20  towards their neck, bringing into alignment slot  32  and crossbar  38  as shown in  FIG. 6 a   . This action by the user is facilitated by tilting the head backward. 
         [0030]    Advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, the following: 1. the respirator system uses only five components making it economical, 2. each component is a one-piece construction making the system highly producible, 3. joining the components can be performed by the user, 4. permits eating, drinking, changing filters, etc., without removing straps, 5. the respirator quickly changes from “filtering mode” to “smoking/drinking mode”, and 6. the filter is isolated from dirt and perspiration on the user&#39;s skin. 
         [0031]    While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention.