Patent Publication Number: US-2022225704-A1

Title: Face mask shield for prolonged use

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to face shields, more particularly to new and improved face masks with mouth and eye protection shields. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Face masks and shields have been used in the healthcare field for decades to protect scientists, doctors, dentists, nurses, essential workers and the like while working with dangerous and infectious chemicals or viruses, bacteria in labs or with patients who have contracted an infectious disease. 
     At present the entire world is dealing with Covid-19 pandemic and even common people have been advised to wear masks when out in public or where they cannot maintain a distance from another human being which has resulted in a huge shortage of masks and shields. Many epidemiologists are predicting that we are going to see many viral outbreaks in the near future and therefore, masks and shields will become norm with the public. However, these masks or face shields have a lot of disadvantages or concerns. Most of these masks are made for single use and are disposable. Further, the ear loops on these masks makes it difficult to wear these masks for a long duration. 
     Moreover, Covid-19 pandemic has also thrown light on the damage the disposable single use and throw masks and shields cause to the environment. The cloth masks that can be reused are not very effective against viruses. Whereas, the plastic face shields in the market are very flimsy thereby not providing any long term use. 
     Therefore, a need remains for a robust face mask and a protection face shield that provides flexibility to a user for protection for both eyes and face as required and which can be used for extended period of time thereby making it economical and environment friendly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description of the invention. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     The present application discloses a face mask with protection shields for maximum protection against viruses, volatile liquids, chemical vapors and flames, allergens and the like. 
     It is an object of this invention to provide a face mask comprising a mouth-nose protection shield, an eye protection shield, a hold-down bar strap, and a one-piece frame band. The mouth-nose protection shield and the eye protection shield are affixed individually onto the hold-down bar strap which is further snapped onto the one-piece frame band. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a face mask comprising a contour fit mouth-nose protection shield covering half of the nose and extending below the chin to provide maximum protection to the wearer. 
     It is yet another object of the invention to provide a face mask comprising an eye protection shield covering the eyes of the wearer. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a face mask comprising a one-piece frame band extending from nose to ears to hold the entire face mask wherein the frame band consists of a nose bridge, temples, ear loops, and plurality of snaps. 
     It is an additional object of the invention to provide a hold-down bar strap consisting of a plurality of snaps on the inside for snapping the mouth-nose and eye protection shields respectively onto the frame brand. Its purpose is to hold both mouth-nose protection shield and eye protection shield in their place and provide easy replacement or detachment from the hold-down bar strap and the frame band. In one embodiment, the eye protection shield can be removed and the face mask can be used only with the mouth-nose protection shield by the user. 
     Further, the plurality of snaps on the frame band and the hold-down bar strap makes it user friendly wherein the mouth-nose protection shield and the eye protection shield can be easily snapped onto or detached when not in use or for cleaning purposes. 
     It is still another object of this invention to provide a rim around the mouth protection shield and the eye protection shield to maintain the structure of both the shields, for providing extra strength, and also for aesthetic purposes. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a face mask with an option of eye protection wear. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a lightweight face mask with protection shields that can be worn for extended duration and provides maximum protection to the user 
     In a preferred embodiment, a reusable protective face mask comprises a separate mouth-nose protection shield, wherein the said mouth-nose protection shield begins at center of the nose and extends below the chin to provide maximum protection to the wearer by covering the nose and mouth of the wearer; a separate eye protection shield, wherein the said eye protection shield cover the eyes of the wearer; a one-piece frame band extending from nose to ears to hold the entire face mask and consisting of a nose bridge, temples, ear loops, and at least one female snap; and a hold-down bar strap consisting of at least one male snap-in plug on the inside, wherein the said mouth-nose protection shield and the said eye protection shield are affixed individually onto the said hold-down bar strap which is further snapped onto the said frame band, whereby the said hold-down bar strap and the said frame band provide easy replacement or detachment of the said mouth-nose protection shield and the said eye protection shield from the hold-down bar strap and the frame band. 
     In another preferred embodiment, a reusable, lightweight protective face mask comprises a plurality of protection shields including a contour fit mouth-nose protection shield and a rectangular continuous eye protection shield wherein the upper corner edges are rounded, a hold-down bar strap to affix the said mouth-nose protection shield and an eye protection shield onto a one-piece frame band; a separate eye protection shield wherein the said eye protection shield covers the eyes of the wearer; a one-piece frame band extending from nose to ears to hold the entire face mask and consisting of a nose bridge, temples, ear loops, and at least one snap; a hold-down bar strap consisting of at least one snap on the inside for snapping the said mouth-nose protection shield and the said eye protection shield respectively onto the said frame brand, wherein the said mouth-nose protection shield and the said eye protection shield are affixed individually onto the said hold-down bar strap which is further snapped onto the said one piece frame band; and a continuous rim around the mouth-nose protection shield and the eye protection shield to maintain the structure of each shield, for providing extra strength, and for aesthetic purposes 
     These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of the invention as more fully described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features of the invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which: 
         FIG. 1 : shows an isometric view of the face mask of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2 : shows a front view of the face mask; 
         FIG. 3 : shows a left-side view of the face mask; 
         FIG. 4 : shows an isometric view of the face mask with mouth-nose protection shield; 
         FIG. 5 : depicts an exploded view of all the accent pieces of the face mask; 
         FIG. 6 : shows a top view of the frame band of the face mask; 
         FIG. 7 : depicts a right side view of frame band showing enlarged view of the ear loop; 
         FIG. 8 : shows view of male snaps (Detail I) and female snaps along the lines V-V and 
     
    
    
     Detail G on enlarged scale; and 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/or examples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  shows a full view of reusable, lightweight face mask  10  according to the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the face mask  10  of the present invention has a plurality of protection shields including a mouth-nose protection shield  11  and an eye protection shield  13 , a hold-down bar strap  14  to affix the said mouth-nose protection shield  11  and an eye protection shield  13  onto a one-piece frame band  15 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the mouth-nose protection shield or a mouth protection shield  11 , is round U-shaped at the bottom depicting an outline of a human&#39;s lower face, a convex shape in the middle to accommodate the entire mouth and the lower part of the nose of the user, whereas, at the top, the mouth protection shield  11  will take the shape of a one-piece frame band  15 . The mouth-nose protection shield  11  at the bottom extends beyond the chin of the user thereby providing maximum protection against virus, bacteria, allergens, dust and the like. 
     The mouth-nose protection shield  11  is made up of, but not limited to, polycarbonate plastic sheet, a plexiglass sheet, sheet of cloth or Nano filters or a combination. Further, the material used to make the mouth-nose protection shield can be of different opacity, and different colors for the mouth mask. The sheet of the mouth-nose protection shield can be, but not limited to, colored, tinted, transparent, translucent, or opaque. The mouth-nose protection shield is preferably made up of transparent plexiglass sheet, more preferably a translucent plastic sheet. In one embodiment, the mouth-nose protection shield may have a piece of cloth or filter as an additional layer for protection. 
     The shape of the mouth-nose protection shield  11  is formed when the sheet is vacuum or thermally formed at a particular temperature and trimmed at the ends. The mouth-nose protection shield  11  is preferably vacuum formed to achieve a contour fit which maintains a gap between the mouth protection shield and the chin of the user. Thus, small amount of air flows through the gap between the mouth protection shield and the chin of the user which extends the usage of the face mask as the wearer does not feel suffocated and the transparent or translucent sheet of the mouth shield also doesn&#39;t get foggy when the wearer talks or breathes out. In one embodiment, the mouth protection shield  11  could be slightly pointed at the bottom. 
     The face mask  10  of the present invention further comprises an eye protection shield to protect the eyes from any allergens, virus or bacteria exposure, volatile liquids, vapors, chemicals, and the like. The eye protection shield  13 , as seen in  FIGS. 1-3 , is a rectangular continuous clear sheet wherein the upper corner edges are rounded or curved and the bottom portion is in the shape of the one-piece frame band  15 . Thus, the eye protection shield.  13 , when worn, covers half of the forehead of the user extending down through the brows, to the eyes and ending at the middle of the nose of the user when the said shield is affixed in the one-piece frame band  15  via the hold-down bar strap  14 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 1  &amp;.  5 , the eye protection shield  13  when affixed to the frame band  15  forms a crescent shape  21   a  in the center at the top of the said shield thereby providing a comfortable distance between the eyes of the user and the said eye protection shield  13 . 
     The eye protection shield  13  is made up of, but not limited to, polycarbonate plastic sheets or a plexiglass sheet. The sheet of the said eye shield can be, but not limited to, colored, tinted, transparent, translucent. The eye protection shield  13  is preferably made up of translucent plastic sheet b also be tinted to minimize sun glare during the day or artificial light at night like headlight from cars. The clear sheet of the eye protection shield is not vacuum formed to ensure optical clarity. 
       FIG. 4  shows a face mask  10  designed to be used without the eye protection shield  13  thereby making the eye protection shield an optional feature in some embodiments. Thus, the face mask of the present invention with a detachable eye protection shield provides a choice to the user to remove the eye protection shield when not needed or if the user wears prescription glasses. It also works with people who wear glasses. 
     In one embodiment, the mouth protection shield and the eye protection shield may have an optional rim, a continuous cylindrical line covering the outline of the mouth protection shield and the eye protection shield respectively. The said optional rim can be made up of, but not limited to, flexible plastic, rubber, or silicone materials and the said material is either over-molded or undergoes through the process of piping to produce a continuous piece of cylindrical rim. Further, the said rim can be colored, translucent, clear, tinted or opaque. As seen in  FIG. 5 , the optional rim  20  around the mouth-nose protection shield  11  is affixed to the frame band via mouth-nose protection shield to frame band and the hold-down bar strap and will mostly cover the edges of the entire mouth-nose protection shield. Whereas the optional rim  21 , as seen in  FIG. 5 , around the eye protection shield  13  is affixed to the frame band via the eye protection shield to frame band and the hold-down bar strap. The feature of rim  21  around the eye protection shield  13  will mostly cover the edges of the entire eye protection shield. The optional rim around the said shields is provided to further strengthen the said shields thereby extending the life of the face mask and also, as an aesthetic highlight. 
     In another embodiment, the face masks may have the feature of a rim around the protection shields as either fixed or detachable thereby allowing the user to choose before buying the product depending upon their environment or desire of use. For example, workers in the field of construction may wish to use a rigid shield and they may prefer the strengthening rim affixed to the shield(s). Whereas, individuals and/or fashion-conscious users, may prefer a light-weight product i.e. without the fixed strengthening rim(s), but a detachable rim which may work as an optional fashion aesthetic highlight made of various colors. 
     The one-piece frame band  15  of the face mask  10 , as seen in  FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5 &amp; 6 , is a one-piece of injection molded plastic extending from one ear to another ear of the user. The frame band  15  is thick enough to bear the weight of both the eye protection shield  13  and the mouth protection shield  11 . It is generally about 1 mm-4 mm in diameter, preferably 2 mm-3 mm in diameter. The top view of the frame band  15 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , shows a continuous U-shaped cylindrical piece of plastic with a convex curve in the center. 
     As seen in  FIGS. 5 &amp; 6 , the convex curve in the center of the frame band  15  is designed to accommodate a nose bridge  18 , which rests crosswise along the length of the nose of the user. The frame band  15  lays across the nose via said nose bridge  18  at the middle of the nose of the user covering almost half of the nose lengthwise. The nose bridge  18  is a broad U-shape over-molded soft foam and rubber and supports the forward weight of the face mask  10  and also, makes sure that it stays on the nose. In another embodiment, the nose bridge  18  can be hard molded plastic with a soft rubber nose pad lining the nose bridge  18  that would come in contact with the nose of the user. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the sides of the frame band  15 , adjacent to the mouth and eye protection shields, are curved temples  19 , which bend at the end in loop shapes to form ear loops  16  to fit around the ear of the user. 
     The ear loop covers  17   a  &amp;  17   b , as seen in  FIGS. 4 &amp; 5 , provided over the plastic ear loops  16  of the frame band  15 , are made up of over-molded soft foam and rubber to provide comfort and extend the wearable time for the user. Detail H, scale 2:1 in  FIG. 7  shows the plastic ear loops  16  are slightly thinner than the ear loop covers, which makes it easier to put on the ear loop covers  17   a  &amp;  17   b . In another embodiment, the face mask of the present invention includes a feature of an adjustable one-piece frame band and ear loop to allow for various sizes of faces. 
     The shape, structure, and thickness of the frame band  15  ensures easy placement and removal of the face mask  10  around the ears and the nose almost like a pair of eyeglasses. 
     The face mask  10  of the present invention further comprises a hold-down bar strap  14  as shown in  FIGS. 1-5 . According to the present invention, the hold-down strap in a face mask of standard size will be approximately 200 mm in length across face and below eye level, 2-3 mm in thickness, and 8-12 mm in width. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 8 , a plurality of snap-in plugs are provided on the hold-down bar strap  14  to which the mouth protection shield  11  and the eye protection shield  13  are affixed. The snap-in plugs comprise at least one female snap tab on the frame band and at least one male snap tab on the hold-down bar strap allowing the user to attach and detach the shields conveniently from the hold-down bar strap and the frame band. The male snap-ins on the hold-down bar strap are semi-cylindrical protrusions with a thick ball head  14   d  and a stalk  14   e , as shown in  FIG. 8 , wherein the ball head  14   d  is wider than the stalk  14   e  and the whole of the ball head and the stalk is cut into halves. As seen in  FIGS. 5 &amp; 8 , the female snaps are small round recesses  15   a ,  15   b  &amp;  15   c  on the frame band  15 . The sectional view of a female snap  15   b  on the frame band  15 , taken along line V-V of  FIG. 8 , shows the recessed hole is wider on top to receive the ball head  14   d  of the male snap from the hold-down bar strap  14 . Detail G, scale 2:1 in  FIG. 8  further shows lines  15   d  within the recessed hole to receive the male snaps from the hold-down bar strap for exerting pressure onto the ball head thereby retaining the ball head of the male snap on the hold down bar strap. 
     The mouth protection shield  11  and the eye protection shield  13  are affixed individually to the frame band  15  via the hold-down bar strap  14  through the snap-in plugs thereby providing easy replacement or detachment of the individual shield. Further, the frame band  15  along with the hold-down bar strap  14  holds down the entire face mask  10  in its place and enables easy removal and wearing of the said face mask  10 . In order to affix the mouth-nose protection shield  11  and eye protection shield  13  to the hold-down bar strap  14  and the frame band  15 , usually 1 to 3 male snaps ( 14   a ,  14   b  &amp;  14   c ) on the hold-down bar strap and 1 to 3 female snaps ( 15   a ,  15   b  &amp;  15   c ) on the frame band are preferred as seen in  FIGS. 5 &amp; 8   
     During the assembly of the face mask  10 , the user first inserts the female snaps  14   a ,  14   b  &amp;  14   c  of the hold-down bar strap  14  into the holes  11   a ,  11   b  &amp;  11   c  ( FIG. 5 ) respectively on the mouth protection shield  11  and then into the holes  13   a ,  13   b ,  13   c  ( FIG. 5 ) respectively on the eye protection shield  13  followed by aligning the male snaps  14   a ,  14   b  &amp;  14   c  ( FIG. 8 ) on the hold-down bar strap  14  to snap into the female snaps  15   a ,  15   b  &amp;  15   c  ( FIG. 8 ) on the frame band  15  wherein the head  14   d  of the female snap expands against the side of the recess holes interlocking within the recess thereby securely holding and locking the shields in their place. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the position of snaps is such that at least one male snap  14   a  is in center and two  14   b  &amp;  14   c  towards each end of the hold-down bar strap  14  whereas, in the case of the frame band  15 , at least one female snap  15   a  is positioned in the center and at least two snaps  15   b  &amp;  15   c  on each side right before the temples. The snaps are spaced no more than approximately 2.5 inches or 60 mm apart and preferably 1.5 inches or 40 mm apart. Such spacing and position of snaps also help with not only securely holding down the protection shields in their places but also in bearing the weight of the protection shields. 
     The face masks disclosed in the present invention are easy to clean and sterilize before the next use thereby extending the use and wear of the mask. Further, the easy assembly of the said shields onto the frame bands make the disclosed masks user friendly. The face mask is lightweight which further ensures the extended use by the wearer. 
     The masks are made in different sizes to incorporate different face sizes for men, women, kids. Therefore, size of the shields, length and thickness of the frame band and the hold-down strap will vary for children, woman, and man. Further, the face masks of the present invention can be made for people with big faces. 
     The face masks can be used while working in a lab by scientists, during cleaning to prevent burning in the eyes and inhaling any chemical agents by cleaners, and during construction by workers. They also act as a barrier against viruses, bacteria, chemical vapors, volatile liquids, dust, allergens. Moreover, as both the mouth and eye protection shields cover substantially the whole face of the user, it also prevents the user from touching his face thereby reducing his chances of getting infected from virus or bacteria or injured when working with dangerous liquids/vapors. 
     While many of the fundamental characteristics and features of the face mask have been described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure, and it should be apparent that in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should be understood that such substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations are included within the scope of the invention as defined herein.