Patent Publication Number: US-2005126566-A1

Title: Adaptor for use with drinking tube on protective mask

Description:
PRIORITY INFORMATION  
      This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/506,444 filed on Sep. 26, 2003. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The field of the invention relates to protective masks, and more specifically, to an adaptor for connecting the drinking tube of a protective mask to a commercially available water bottle.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      In recent years, the general public has grown increasingly aware of the potential dangers presented by terrorist activity. As a result, the demand has grown for various types of personal protective gear One example of such gear is the protective gas mask that prevents a wearer from breathing potentially harmful chemical and biological airborne agents. Previously, this type of protective mask was desirable or available only to military personnel or workers in certain types of dangerous environments. However, the threat of terrorism has led to these masks becoming available on a more widespread scale to consumers in the general population.  
      The typical protective mask is available in a variety of sizes to fit adults and children. The mask is designed to fit snugly around the wearer&#39;s face to form a seal that prevents the wearer from being exposed to harmful airborne agents. The wearer breathes air through a filter that is attached to the mask. The filter, which typically contains activated charcoal, removes any dangerous biological and chemical agents from the air. Some masks are equipped with a voice box that allows to wearer to speak and communicate with others more easily while wearing the mask.  
      In a situation where a person is forced to wear one of these protective masks, it is not uncommon for the person to need to wear the mask for an extended period of time. During this extended period, the wearer is typically unable to remove the mask to drink water or any other beverage, as this would break the seal and expose the wearer to the dangerous airborne agents.  
      As a result, there have been proposed in the prior art various means for allowing the wearer of a protective mask to ingest liquids without removing the mask from his face. However, given that these protective masks were more often than not used in a military setting, the previously proposed solutions were typically military-oriented. For example, certain U.S. patents show a protective gas mask with a drinking tube attached to the mask. The drinking tube is attachable to a standard sized military canteen that holds water or some other liquid. The wearer can thus drink from the canteen through the tube without removing the mask.  
      However, these devices were not, so far as is known, adapted or suitable for use with other types of liquid containers besides canteens. If an individual, whether a ordinary citizen or military personnel, owned a protective mask, but did not own or have access to a canteen or other standard military liquid container, they would not be able to effectively utilize the drinking tube to drink liquids while wearing the mask. Regulation military canteens can be relatively expensive and are often difficult to locate and/or distribute. As a result, these prior art uses for the protective masks were severely limited.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In light of the foregoing, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for allowing the wearer of a protective mask to utilize the drinking tubing of a gas mask to drink liquids from standard commercial beverage containers without needing to remove the mask or break the seal between the mask and the wearer&#39;s face. The standard commercial beverage container, for example a commercial water bottle, does not need to meet military specifications, and is typically more economical, more readily available, and easier to distribute than a military canteen. An adaptor is provided that connects the drinking tubing of the protective mask with the opening of the commercially available beverage container. In one embodiment, the adaptor has a stem at one end that can be inserting into the tubing of the protective mask. In another embodiment, the adaptor is secured to the beverage container by threading. In another embodiment, the adaptor is constructed of a material that is resistant to chemical or biological agents. In another embodiment, the adaptor has a plurality of different sized sections so that the adaptor may be used on various sizes of beverage containers. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the detailed description set forth below is reviewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a protective mask as used in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an adaptor in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of an adaptor in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a side view of a protective mask being used with an adaptor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 7  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 8  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
       FIG. 9  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       FIG. 1  shows a protective mask  10 . Typically, the mask  10  includes a front section  20  that is located near the wearer&#39;s mouth. A first end  44  of a length of hollow outer tubing  40  is mounted to the front section  20  of the mask  10  or to any other region of the mask  10  that is near the wearer&#39;s mouth. In one embodiment, the first end  44  may extend through the mask  10  and provide liquid to the wearer&#39;s mouth either directly or else with the aid of a suitable mouthpiece. Note, however, that any tubing design that allows liquid from the outer tubing  40  to reach the wearer&#39;s mouth without the wearer needing to remove the mask  10  would be in accordance with the present invention. Preferably, the outer tubing  40  is constructed of a material of suitable resistance to chemical or biological agents, for example polypropylene, polyurethane, metals or other similar materials. However, this is not required. A second end  45  is attached to a source of water or other liquid may pass through the tubing  40  and the wearer can drink without needing to remove the mask  10 .  
       FIG. 2  shows an embodiment of an adaptor  50  in accordance with the present invention. Preferably, the adaptor  50  is constructed of a material of suitable resistance to chemical or biological agents, for example polypropylene, polyurethane, metals or other similar materials. However, this is not required. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the adaptor  50  has a hollow interior chamber  30 . Threading  51  is located along the walls of the hollow interior chamber  30 . The adaptor  50  is generally the same size, shape, and configuration as a cap typically used on a conventional, commercially available water bottle. The threading  51  along the walls of the hollow interior  30  of the adaptor  50  is sized and configured so that it mates with the threading on the neck of the commercially available water bottle. Thus, the adaptor  50  can be twisted to fit securely unto such water bottle.  
      In an embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 3 , an elongated stem  52  extends from the top of the adaptor  50 . The stem  52  has a hollow interior so that water or other liquid may pass through the stem  52 . The stem  52  has an outer diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer tubing  40 . Thus, the stem  52  can be fitted into the outer tubing  40  so that water or other liquid can pass through the hollow interior  30  of the adaptor  50  and through the stem  52  into the tubing  40 . At least one raised ridge  54  is provided on the outer surface of the stem  52 . The ridge(s)  54  can be constructed of a resilient, gripping material such as rubber. When the stem  52  is inserted into the tubing  40 , the ridge(s)  54  grip the interior surface of the tubing  40  so that the stem  52  cannot be easily pulled out from the tubing  40 . Also, the ridge(s)  54  aid in creating a hermetic or airtight seal so that biological or chemical agents from the atmosphere cannot contaminate the liquid in the tubing  40 . Alternatively, other designs can be used to prevent the stem  52  from being pulled out from the tubing  40  and/or to prevent contamination of the liquid in the tubing  40 .  
      In an alternative embodiment, the end  45  of the tubing  40  will have a closed-off tip to prevent contaminants from entering the tubing  40  when the adaptor  50  is not attached. When the stem  52  is inserted into the tubing end  45 , the tip is opened to allow the stem  52  to enter. Alternatively, an elongated stem can be located at the end  45  of the tubing  40 , and an opening can exist on the adaptor  50  to produce a similar result.  
      As shown in  FIG. 4 , the outer tubing  40  is fitted upon the stem (not shown) of the adaptor  50  and the adaptor  50  is affixed to the neck  62  of a standard water bottle or similar beverage container  60 . The wearer of the mask  10  can thus drink liquid from the bottle  60  through the tubing  40  without removing the mask  10 .  
       FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the adaptor  50  can be utilized to connect the outer tubing  40  of the mask  10  to a commercial bottled liquid source  60  in the case where the tubing  40  has an attached canteen cap  70 . The adaptor  50  is attached to the canteen cap  70  by, for example, threading. The adaptor  50  effectively serves as a “reducer” for the canteen cap  70  so that the cap  70  can be made to securely fit onto the neck  62  of the bottled liquid source  60 . The adaptor  50  has a hollow interior section  30  with threading  51  that is sized to allow for a secure fit between the adaptor  50  and the neck  62  of the bottled liquid source  60 .  
       FIGS. 6 &amp; 7  show an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the adaptor  50  can be used with various sized commercial beverage containers  60 . In this embodiment, the adaptor  50  is inserted into the neck or nozzle  62  of the beverage container. The adaptor  50  has a plurality of sections, with each section having a different outer diameter. The outer diameter measurement for each of the different adaptor  50  sections should match the sizes of commonly occurring neck or nozzle sizes for commercial beverage containers. Each section has a gripping element  82  constructed of, for example, rubber, that will grip the interior of the neck or nozzle  62  of the beverage container  60  so that the adaptor  50  cannot be easily removed from the beverage container  60 , to prevent spilling of the liquid, and to prevent contaminants from reaching the liquid. In the embodiment shown, the wider the neck or nozzle  62  of the beverage container  60 , the further that the adaptor  50  must be inserted into the beverage container  50  in order for the proper sized adaptor  50  section and gripping element  82  to securely grip the interior of the neck or nozzle  62  of the container  60 . The adaptor  50  has an opening  81  so that liquid from the beverage container  60  can enter the adaptor  50  and be delivered to the mask wearer.  
       FIGS. 8 &amp; 9  show another alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the adaptor  50  can be used with various sized commercial beverage containers  60 . In this embodiment, the adaptor  50  has a hollow interior and a plurality of sections each having differing inner diameters. The inner diameter measurements for each of the different sections of the adaptor  50  should match the sizes of commonly occurring neck or nozzle sizes for commercial beverage containers. Each section of the adaptor  50  has threading in its interior walls that matingly corresponds to the threading on the exterior of the neck or nozzle  62  of the different sized beverage containers  60 , so that the neck or nozzle  62  of the beverage container  60  is inserted into the hollow interior section of the adaptor  50  and attached to the section of the adaptor  50  with correspondingly sized threads. In the embodiment shown, the narrower the neck or nozzle  62  of the beverage container  60 , the further that the neck or nozzle  62  of the beverage container  60  must be inserted into the adaptor  50  in order for the proper sized adaptor  50  section to securely grip the exterior of the neck or nozzle  62  of the container  60 .  
      It can thus be seen that the adaptor  50  of the present invention allows the wearer of a protective mask  10  to drink liquid from a commercially available liquid source  60  without removing the mask  10 . The adaptor  50  can be sized to fit the necks or nozzles  62  of the containers of various brands of U.S. or foreign produced commercial beverages. for example, Ozarka®, Poland Springs® or Dasani® brands of bottled water, Coca-Cola® or Pepsi®, soda, Gatorade® sports drink or other similar beverages. It is not necessary that the bottled beverage container be constructed of a material that meets military specifications or any certain standards for resistance against certain chemical or biological agents such as those required for military issued canteens, for example, those standards set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety &amp; Health (“NIOSH”). However. in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the adaptor would be constructed of a material that would provide adequate resistance to chemical or biological agents.  
      The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are illustrative and exemplary thereof, and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.