Patent Publication Number: US-2022225702-A1

Title: Face covering

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application incorporates by reference for all purposes the full disclosure of co-pending U.S. Design Application No. ______ filed concurrently herewith, entitled “FACE COVERING” (Attorney Docket No. 0105092-001US0). 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Face coverings are a popular accessory for covering a person&#39;s mouth and nose. However, traditional face masks are typically manufactured from bulky, uncomfortable, non-stylish, yet utilitarian materials. Generally speaking, face coverings when implemented as a clothing accessory utilize common fabrics of low material strength and a textured surface a wearer may perceive as less than ideal comfort when in contact with the wearer&#39;s skin. Alternative material choices can lack sufficient rigidity to function as a face covering where breathing in can create a pressure differential causing the face covering to collapse against the user&#39;s mouth, thereby significantly reducing the surface area through which air can pass, resulting in discomfort to the user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various techniques will be described with reference to the drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear view of a face covering structure in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a left side view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a right side view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom view of a face covering in accordance with an embodiment; and 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of a face covering worn by a person in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Techniques and systems described below relate to face covering devices. In some examples, a face mask device covers a human wearer&#39;s mouth and nose. Various details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure, describing specific structures to cover features of a wearer&#39;s face while fitting snugly and comfortably against portions of the wearer&#39;s face in order. 
     As one skilled in the art will appreciate in light of this disclosure, such face covering structures contemplated in this disclosure may be adapted for use as a mask in accommodating various face covering devices. It should also be understood that there is no intention to limit the face covering structures to a specific form or forms disclosed for use to cover features of a wearer&#39;s face disclosed herein; but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure, as defined in the appended claims. Various examples described below relate to a face covering structures for use with a face covering. In an example, structures are configured to form a face mask. 
     Face covering structures contemplated by this disclosure may be fashioned with fabric materials. One skilled in the art may appreciate that such fabric materials may be selected for being perceived as smooth and/or soft by such a skilled person. For example, silk, nylon, polyester, and similar materials, or blends of materials, suitable for clothing items made from natural, synthetic, or recycled materials may serve as suitable fabric for a panel that contacts a wearer&#39;s face. In some examples, fabric used for a front panel that faces away from the wearer is of the same fabric material as a fabric type used for the back panel that contacts a wearer&#39;s face. 
     One or more additional fabrics and/or fabric types may be situated as one or more interior layers between exterior fabrics. For example, a second fabric may be sandwiched or inserted between the exterior first fabric. An additional fabric may be joined to the front panel, the rear panel, or both front and rear panels. In some examples, the additional fabric may be composed of a more rigid material than the exterior facing fabric to which it is joined. For example, a second fabric made from cotton may be used in conjunction with a silk fabric used for the front and/or back panel exterior fabric. A periphery of the additional fabric may match the size and/or contours of a periphery of the first fabric. 
     One or more pleats may be formed by folds of a panel. For example, one or more front pleats may be formed by corresponding folds along a length of the front panel. One or more back pleats may be formed by corresponding folds along a length of the back panel. In some examples, front pleats may be orientated in an opposing direction relative to back pleats. 
     Straps may be attached to or extend from side edges of the face covering. In some examples, the straps may be configured to loop around a wearer&#39;s ears. Straps may be composed of a compressible and/or elastic material. A pair of straps may be oriented on opposite sides of the face covering. Further, ear loops configured with an adjustment device may serve to modify tension of the face mask straps to accommodate a variety of face sizes and shapes. For example, the adjustment device may be a bead with an aperture of an interior diameter similar to the thickness of the strap when the strap is made of a compressible material, such that the bead fits tightly yet slideably adjustable along a length of the strap. 
     In some examples, a posable structure may fit within an edge of the face covering to provide rigidity around the edge of the face covering. For example, the posable structure may be used to adjust an edge of the face covering to match a contour of a wearer&#39;s facial features. The posable structure may form an edge of the face covering to accommodate wearers of various nose sizes and shapes. The posable structure may form an edge of the face veering to accommodate wearers of various cheek sizes and shapes. In some example, the posable structure is a wire or panel made from metal, resin, or similar posable material. The posable structure may be stowed with a pocket or seam of the face covering. Such pocket or seam may be within or near an edge of the face covering. 
     In some examples, the face covering is a face mask. Such a face mask may include front and rear panels. One or both panels may incorporate one or more pleats. The one or more pleats may be distributed along a height of the face mask and extending along a length of the face mask. Pleats may be formed by folds at left and right sides of the face mask. For example, stitched folds at the left side and right side of the face mask may effectively form horizontal pleats, wherein the length of the pleat is not entirely stitched along the corresponding portion of the length of the face mask resulting in a central portion along the length of the face mask without a stitched pleat. Such horizontally extending pleats, when the face covering device is laid flat, have respective overlaps that decrease as the pleats extend away from the side edge toward a vertical centerline of the face covering device. In a subset of examples, one or more pleats of the front panel may be orientated in an opposing direction to one or more pleats of the back panel. One or both panels may be comprised of an exterior material and an interior material. In particular examples, the exterior material may be silk and the interior material may cotton. 
     In the preceding and following description, various techniques and systems are described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of possible ways of implementing the techniques and devices. It will also be apparent that the techniques and devices described may be practiced in different configurations without the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features of certain structures, such as material attachments, may be omitted or simplified to avoid obscuring the techniques and devices being described. Examples should be taken as being illustrative in nature and not limiting to the scope of the disclosure. 
     As one skilled in the art will appreciate in light of this disclosure, certain embodiments may be capable of achieving certain advantages, including some or all of the following: improving rigidity of non-rigid materials; reducing contact of portions of a face covering with portions of a wearer&#39;s face, such as their mouth or nostrils; and improving wearer comfort of face coverings. 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a face covering  100  in accordance with at least one embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a front view of a face covering  100  in accordance with an embodiment.  FIG. 4  is a left side view of a face covering  100  in accordance with at least one embodiment.  FIG. 5  is a right side view of a face covering  100  in accordance with at least one embodiment.  FIG. 6  is a top view of a face covering  100  in accordance with at least one embodiment.  FIG. 7  is a bottom view of a face covering  100  in accordance with at least one embodiment.  FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of a face covering  100  worn by a person in accordance with at least one embodiment. 
     The face covering  100  may comprise a front panel  102 . A front panel  102  may be comprised of one or more fabrics. Fabric materials may be selected for being perceived as smooth and/or soft by such a skilled person. For example, fabric materials may include silk, nylon, polyester, or similar materials, or blends of such materials. Fabric materials may be selected based on suitability for clothing items, such as fabrics made from natural, synthetic, or recycled materials. In at least one embodiment, a first fabric forming an exterior of the front panel  102  is comprised of a silk, such as mulberry silk. 
     One or more additional fabrics and/or fabric types may be situated as one or more interior layers underneath exterior fabrics. For example, a second fabric may be situated between an exterior, first fabric. An additional fabric may be joined to the front panel, such as by adhesive, fabric welding, and/or sewn seam. In some examples, the additional fabric may be composed of a material with different rigidity than the exterior facing fabric to which it is joined. The additional fabric may be different thickness than the exterior facing fabric to which it is joined. In some examples, the additional fabric may be situated between the front and rear panels without being joined to one or both panels. For example, the additional fabric may be batting, padding, or similar material to add cushioning to the face covering. The front and rear panels may not be joined wholly about their periphery, allowing for the addition or removal of an additional fabric via an opening caused by a portion of the front panel not joined to the rear panels. For example, a filter may be an additional fabric that can be inserted between the front and rear panels by an opening along an edge of the front and rear panel shared periphery. In at least one embodiment, a second fabric made from cotton may be situated under a silk fabric. 
     It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a first fabric, and in applicable embodiments with one or more additional fabrics, may be formed into a shape for the front panel  102 . For example, a raw side of a fabric blank may be folded back on itself and secured to itself to create a finished edge. In an example, a fabric blank may be larger than a shape for the front panel  102  and individual sides may be folded along edges of the substantially rectangular design. In some examples, a first fabric and a second fabric are joined together, the first fabric covering the second fabric, wherein the second fabric is of sufficient dimension to extend beyond the periphery of the shape. In an example, the first and second fabrics are folded onto themselves along a design template of a substantially rectangular shape. It will be appreciated that other embodiments may utilize alternative shapes. For example, a face covering shape may contour along a person&#39;s nose, cheek bones, and/or chin. While a panel may be substantially rectangular, a panel may incorporate ovoid, triangular, or crescent-like features, which may facilitate contouring to a person&#39;s face. 
     A front panel  102  may have a height of between approximately 8 cm and approximately 20 cm. The front panel  102  may have a length of between approximately 15 cm and approximately 22 cm. The front panel  102  may have a thickness of between approximately 0.1 mm and 0.8 mm. In some embodiments, a first material of a front panel  102  may have a thickness between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm. In embodiments that include an additional materials, an additional material may have a thickness of between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm. Height and/or length may be uniform or non-uniform throughout the face covering  100  and, if non uniform, then these measurements represent average values. 
     The front panel  102  may comprise one or more front pleats  104 . A front pleat  104  may be formed from a portion of the height of the front panel  102  wherein the front pleat  104  extends along a length of the face covering  100 . A pleat  104  may extend a portion of the length of the front panel  102 . A front pleat  104  may be formed with a gathering of approximately 1 cm and 4 cm of the height of the front panel  102 . A front pleat  104  may be gathered after raw edges of a blank comprising the first and additional fabric are folded and secured along the periphery of the front panel  102  to form finished edges of the blank. In some examples, the front pleat  104  is secured at a left side and a right side of the front panel  102 . In an embodiment, one or more front pleats  104  are orientated toward an edge of the front panel  102 . For example, a folded edge of one or more front pleats  104  may be orientated towards a bottom edge of the front panel  102 . In some examples, front pleats  104  of front panel  102  are orientated towards a bottom edge of the face covering  100 . In some examples, rear pleats  114  of rear panel  112  are orientated towards a top edge of the face covering  100 . 
     In some embodiments, one or more front pleats  104  and one or more rear pleats  114  allow a shape of the face covering  100  to expand. For example, when a person wears the face covering  100 , the one or more front pleats  104  and the one or more rear pleats  114  may expand outward relative to the person&#39;s face. The pleats effectively increase the height or vertical dimension of their panel so that the face covering covers face features of the wearer, such as the wearer&#39;s mouth and nose. In some examples, the one or more front pleats  104  may be orientated in an opposing direction to the one or more rear pleats  114  to facilitate expansion of the face covering  100 , such as to accommodate a wearer&#39;s face. Either the one or more front pleats  104  within the front panel  102 , the one or more rear pleats  114  within the rear  112 , or both front pleats  104  and rear pleats  114  may be varied to accommodate different facial shapes and features, such as the nose, cheek bones, and/or chin of a wearer. 
     The front covering  100  may comprise one or more openings  106 . An opening  106  may be situated within an edge of the front panel  102 , or another panel described below. An aperture may be formed by a region of the edge of a periphery of the front panel  102  not joined to an additional panel, such as a back panel  112  described below. 
     The face covering  100  may comprise one or more straps  108 . A strap  108  may be formed from a material, such as described above, or an elastic material. In some examples, a strap  108  is formed from a casing, or tube. The strap  108  may be formed of compressible and or elastic material. One strap  108  of a pair of straps may be joined to one side of the front panel  102  or an additional panel described below. The strap  108  may be joined to the corners of one or more panels described herein. For example, a left strap may be joined to a top corner of a left side of the panel and a bottom corner of the left side of the panel and a right strap may be similarly joined to a right side of the panel. A fabric for strap  108  may be between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm thick. A fabric strap  108  may be between 15 cm and 20 cm long. A fabric strap may be a continuous loop extending from a top edge of a panel to a bottom edge of the panel. The face covering  100  may comprise adjustment devices  110 . The adjustment devices  110  may each be a bead, one per strap of a pair of straps, with an aperture on opposing side of the bead. In an example, at least one aperture of the adjustment device  110  may be between 1 mm and 3 mm, thereby creating a sufficient opening by which two portions of the strap  108  may be inserted, such as when the portions of the strap  108  are compressed. An adjustment device  110  may be configured to slide along a length of a strap  108 , thereby adjusting a size of a loop of the strap  108  bounded by the position of the adjustment device  110  along the length of the strap  108 . An adjustment device  110  may be made from flexible materials, such as silicone or rubber. In some examples an adjustment device  100  may be made from rigid materials, such as plastic, ceramic, metal, etc. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the face covering  100  may include straps  108  without adjustment devices  110 . 
       FIG. 3  is a rear view of a face covering structure in accordance with at least one embodiment. In an example, a rear panel  112  is comprised of a first material, such as discussed above. The rear panel  112  may be made from the same fabric material as the front panel  102  or different fabric material. In some embodiments, the rear panel  112  is made from the same cut of fabric as the front panel  102 , wherein the fabric is folded onto itself thereby forming the front panel  102  and the rear panel  112 . In some examples, one or more fabric layers used within the rear panel  112  include some of the same materials as a fabric types used for one or more layers of the front panel  102 . The rear panel  112  may be shaped and/or formed similarly to the front panel  102  described above. It will be appreciate by one skilled in the art that the face covering  100  may include either a front panel  102 , rear panel  112 , or both a front panel  102  and a rear panel  112 . In some embodiments, a face covering  112  comprises a rear panel  112  without a front panel  102 . 
     In some examples, a rear panel  112  may be similar to the front panel  102 . A rear panel  112  may comprise additional fabrics, such as described above regarding the front panel  102 . One or more fabrics of the rear panel  112  may be of similar dimensions discussed above regarding the front panel  102  so that the front panel  102  and rear panel  112  are peripherally joined. In an embodiment, the rear panel  112  is a continuation of the front panel  102  such that the front panel  102  and rear panel  112  are formed from a single piece of fabric that is folded in half at one edge of the face covering  100  and joined to itself along its periphery. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a first fabric, and in applicable embodiments with one or more additional fabrics, may be formed into a substantially rectangular shape for the front panel  102 . A raw side of a fabric blank corresponding to the rear panel  112  may be folded back on itself and secured to itself to create a finished edge. In an example, a fabric blank for the rear panel  112  may be larger than a rectangular design for the rear panel  112  and individual sides may be folded along edges of the rectangular design. In some examples, a first fabric and a second fabric are joined together, such as when the first fabric and the second fabric are joined for the front panel  102  discussed above. 
     A rear panel  112  may be joined to a front panel  102 . The rear panel  112  may be joined to the front panel  102  near or along a periphery of the rear panel  112 . The rear panel  112  may be joined to the front panel  102  by an adhesive, fabric melting/welding, and/or stitching. Stitching may utilizing a variety of hemming stitch techniques, including blind stitch, catch stitch, fell stitch, slip stitch, hidden stitch, or similar stitches. For example, a blind stitch is a method of joining two pieces of fabric so that the stitch thread is invisible, or nearly invisible, such that when an exterior of a panel in which the blind stitch is location, the stitch is hidden or concealed from view. Blind stitching hides stitching under folded edges; therefore, this type of stitch can be used to create a blind hem or to join two folded edges together. In some examples, joining means for securing the rear panel  112  to the front panel  102  is orientated within a periphery fold of each panel. In some embodiments, a rear panel  112  comprising a first fabric and at least one additional fabric is joined to a front panel  102  comprising the first fabric. 
     The rear panel  112  and front panel may be stitched to form one or more openings  106 . An opening  106  may be situated within an edge of the rear panel  112  where the rear panel  112  meets the top panel  102 , or another panel described below. An opening  106  may be formed by a region of the edge of a periphery of the rear panel  112  not joined to an additional panel, such as a front panel  102  described above. For example, an opening  106  may be formed by a break in stitching that connects the front panel  102  and the rear panel  112 . In an embodiment, the opening provides access to an internal pocket formed between the front panel  102  and the rear panel  112 . 
     The opening  106  may be of sufficient length to accommodate a wearer inserting a length of material along the top edge of the face covering  100 , such as a structure for reinforcing rigidity of the top edge of the face covering  100 . Such reinforcing structure may be a strip or rod. The reinforcing structure may be made from a malleable or semi-rigid material, such as thin metal or plastic. In an embodiment, the reinforcing structure may have width between approximately 2 mm and 7 mm, length between approximately 80 mm and 100 mm, and thickness between approximately 0.3 mm and 1 mm. As a strip of material, the reinforcing structure may have rounded corners and/or beveled edges, such as to mitigate the potential for the reinforcing structure to snag fabric of the internal pocket. 
     In an embodiment, an internal pocket for the reinforcing structure is formed by joining a region along a portion of the top edge of front panel  102  to the rear panel  112 . For example, the internal pocket may be formed by a fold of the top edge of either the front panel  102  or the rear panel  112 , thereby forming a pleat along the top edge when attached to the other panel. In another example, one or more additional fabrics may form the pocket along the top edge of the face covering  100  when the one or more additional fabrics are joined to the front panel  102  or rear panel  112 . As described herein, joining of fabrics may be accomplished by stitching, fabric welding, and/or adhesive. In one example, the internal pocket is a rectangular region within a fold of the rear panel  112 , the fold along a top edge of the rear panel  112  and orientated towards an interior of the face covering  100 . The rectangular region may have a length of between approximately 100 mm and 150 mm and a height of between approximately 5 mm and 11 mm. An opening  106  along the top of the rectangular region may have a length of between approximately 5 mm and 15 mm, wherein the length of the open  106  is between approximately 20 mm and 60 mm from the closest end of the rectangular region. 
     The rear panel  112  may comprise one or more rear pleats  114 . A rear pleat  114  may incorporate similar features relative to the rear panel  112  as those features of the front pleat  104  relative to the front panel  102  as described above. A rear pleat  114  may be formed of a gathering of the rear panel  112  while otherwise being similar in dimensions to the front pleat  104 . A rear pleat  114  may be gathered after raw edges of a blank comprising a first and additional fabric are folded and secured along the periphery of the rear panel  112  to form finished edges of the blank. One or more rear pleats  114  may be substantially parallel to a top or bottom edge of the rear panel  112 . One or more rear pleats  114  may be orientated toward an edge of the rear panel  112 . For example, rear pleats may be orientated toward a top of the rear panel  114 , the top edge of the rear panel  112  being in contact with a top edge of the front panel  104 . Each of the one or more rear pleats  114  may be secured to the rear panel  114  at a left side and a right side of the rear panel  114 . In some examples, where the rear pleats  114  are secured at the sides of the rear panel  114  but not along a central portion of the length of the pleat  114 , when worn by a person the central portion of the rear panel  114  effectively becomes a non-pleated region as the mask expands to accommodate facial features of the person. Some embodiments may incorporate vertical stitching  116  that secures a first pleat to the panel while extending through an unpleated region of where a non-secured second pleat would extend from left and right sides of a second pleat within the panel. 
     The rear panel  112  may comprise one or more vertical stitching  116  along a height of the rear panel  112 . In some examples, the vertical stitching  116  may be wholly within a height of the rear panel  112  such that neither a top end of the vertical stitching  116  extends to a top edge of the rear panel  112  nor the bottom end of the vertical stitching  116  extends to a bottom edge of the rear panel  112 . As the rear panel  112  may be joined to the front panel  102  about their shared periphery, the vertical stitching  116  may be disconnected from the front panel  102 . 
     The vertical stitching  116  may be formed by a running stitch penetrating through one or more layers of fabric comprising the rear panel  112 . In some embodiments, one or more vertical stitching  116  may be formed by a dart within a height of the rear panel  112 , the dart having gathered a portion of fabric of the rear panel  112  and joined the fabric to itself. The dart may be tapered at either a top end, a bottom end, or both a top end and a bottom end. The dart may be one or more folds or tucks that end in a point. A dart may be sewn into fabric to take in ease and provide shape to a garment. The dart may be formed by a blind stitch, ladder stitch, or similar stitch. 
     A gathering of fabric, such as a gathering of a first fabric and/or additional fabrics, of the rear panel  112  corresponding to a vertical stitching  116  may be orientated such that the raised portion of the gathering faces an interior portion of the face covering  100 . It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a vertical stitching  116  may be a vertically biased stitch, such as a stitch angled at approximately forty-five degrees or more relative to the bottom edge or top edge of the face covering  100 . In some examples including more than one vertical stitching  116 , the plurality of stitches may or may not be parallel to one another. A vertical stitching  116  may be substantially linear, curved, or contain one or more angles. In some examples, an enhancement to the vertical stitching  116  may be contained within the gathering of fabric, such as an embedded structure contained by the vertical stitching  116  that provides additional rigidity. Such an enhancement may be a strip, rod, or wire structure made from metal or plastic. 
     A vertical stitching  116  may be situated wholly within one or more pleats  114  or extend between two or more pleats  114 . In some embodiments, the vertical stitching  116  may begin at a folded edge of an upper pleat and extend to terminate at a folded edge of a lower pleat. Vertical stitching  116  may be applied to a panel before or after horizontal pleats along the length of the face covering  100  are formed. For example, when vertical stitching  116  is applied to a panel before one or more pleats  114  are formed, and in examples wherein pleats are secured at left and right sides of the panel, the vertical stitching  116  does not interfere with the panel expanding outward from a wearer&#39;s face when worn thereby allowing the panel to expand into a dome shape. In an embodiment when the face covering  100  is laid flat, pleats  114  extending horizontally have respective overlaps at their left and right sides that decrease as the pleats  114  extend away from a side edge of the face cover  100  toward a vertical centerline of the face covering  100 . In other examples when vertical stitching  116  is applied to a panel after one or more pleats  114  are formed, the vertical stitching secures the pleats to the panel and may inhibit the panel from fully expanding when the face covering  100  is worn by a person. 
     In an embodiment of two vertical stitching  116 , a left vertical stitch and a right vertical seam mirror each other and are offset from center of a length of the rear panel  112 . For example, a left vertical stitching is offset by between approximately 5 mm and 15 mm to the left of center of the length of the rear panel  112 . In such an example, a right gathering of the twin left and right gatherings is a right vertical stitching mirroring the left vertical stitching relative to a central vertical axis of the rear panel  112 . Offsetting and mirroring two vertical stitching  116  from center reduces contact of a left vertical seam and a right vertical seam with a wearer&#39;s nose. The left and right gatherings may be twin darts, such as darts that mirror each other about a vertical centerline of the rear panel  112 . 
     It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that additional embodiments may incorporate different orientations and/or number of stitchings within a panel. For example, a face covering using a single vertical stitching  116  may orientate the vertical stitching  116  about a centerline of the rear panel  112 , wherein the single vertical stitching  116  is of similar dimension, shape, and configuration as one of the twin vertical stitching  116  described above. A face covering using a plurality of vertical stitches may distribute the vertical stitches approximately equally about the central vertical axis of the rear panel  112 , wherein an odd number of vertical stitches may include a vertical stitch orientated along the central vertical axis of the rear panel  112 . Configurations of two, four, six, etc. vertical stitchings  116  may group half of the stitchings to the left half of a centerline and the other half of the stitching to the right half of the centerline. An even number of stitchings may be offset from the centerline by sufficient distance so as to provide rigidity to the panel and mitigate movement of the panel towards a wearer&#39;s nostrils and/or mouth when the wearer inhales. 
     A vertical stitching  116  may terminate at two ends. For example, a vertical stitching  116  terminates at top end  118  and bottom end  120 . In at least one embodiment, top end  118  of vertical stitching  116  is orientated at a location corresponding to an edge of a top pleat, the top pleat one of the one or more rear pleats  114 . In at least one embodiment, bottom end  120  of vertical stitching  116  is orientated at a location corresponding to an edge of a bottom pleat, the bottom pleat one of the one or more rear pleats  114 . In some examples, one or more additional pleats may be formed between the top pleat and the bottom pleat. In at least one embodiment, vertical stitching  116  are formed before rear pleats  114 , such that the vertical stitching  116  extend continually through pleats  114  without securing folds of rear pleats  114 . In an example, the vertical stitching  116  extends closer to one edge of the rear panel  112  than another edge of the rear panel  112 . 
     In an embodiment, a top end  118  of a vertical stitching  116  is between approximately 16 cm to 19 cm from an edge of a panel, such as the rear panel  112 . The top end  118  may be between approximately 1 cm and 4 cm from a top edge of the finished rear panel  112 . In some examples, finishing the panel includes folds along the edge of the rear panel  112  and rear pleats  114 . In an embodiment, a bottom end  120  of a vertical stitching  116  is between approximately 12 cm and 15 cm from an edge of the panel, such as the rear panel  112 . The bottom end  120  may be between approximately 1 cm and 4 cm from a bottom edge of the finished rear panel  112 . In an embodiment with two vertical stitching  116 , the two vertical seams are substantially parallel to each other, with a first vertical seam being between approximately 5 mm and 20 mm left offset from a midpoint of the length of the rear panel  112  and a second vertical seam being between approximately 5 mm and 20 mm right offset from a midpoint of the length of the rear panel  112 . In some embodiments, a vertical stitching  116  may occupy approximately 20% to 80% of the height of a panel, such as the rear panel  112 . 
     It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that a vertical stitching  116  may be located on either the rear panel  112 , front panel  102 , or both. Vertical stitching  116  may be distributed evenly about the midpoint of the length of the rear panel  112 . When one or more vertical stitching  116  are located on the rear panel  112 , the rear panel  112  facing a wearer, the one or more vertical stitching  116  may be concealed from an observer&#39;s view of the rear panel  112  by a front panel  102 . In addition, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the one or more vertical stitching  116  add structural rigidity to the panel in which the one or more vertical stitching  116  are located. Such structural rigidity reduces movement of the panel in which the one or more vertical stitching  116  are located when a wearer inhales or exhales. For example, the vertical stitching  116  may function to reduce the degree to which the face covering  100  may collapse inward toward the wearer&#39;s mouth in response to a pressure differential caused by the wearer inhaling. Such function reduces discomfort to the user. One skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more vertical stitching  116  may be located within the front panel  102 . 
     In some embodiments, the configuration of one or more fabrics included in the front panel  102  and/or rear panel  112  are sufficient to meet various standards of filtration effectiveness. For example, a configuration of one or more fabrics included in the front panel  102 , rear panel  112 , and/or an interior region between the front panel  102  and rear panel  112  filter at least 95% of particles 3.0 microns or larger and/or at least 30% of particles 0.1 microns or larger. Some embodiments of face covering  100  may meet United States Standards ASTM F2100 (e.g., surgical mask level 1, 2, or 3) or NIOSH (42 CFR 84) (e.g., N95/KN95, N99/KN99, or N100/KN100), Europe Standards EN 14683 (e.g., surgical mask type 1, 2, or 3) or EN 149:2001 (e.g., FFP1, FFP2, or FFP3), or China Standards YY/T0969 and/or YY 0469. 
     The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. 
     The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Similarly, use of the term “or” is to be construed to mean “and/or” unless contradicted explicitly or by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected,” when unmodified and referring to physical connections, is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. The use of the term “set” (e.g., “a set of items”) or “subset” unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, is to be construed as a nonempty collection comprising one or more members. Further, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, the term “subset” of a corresponding set does not necessarily denote a proper subset of the corresponding set, but the subset and the corresponding set may be equal. The use of the phrase “based on,” unless otherwise explicitly stated or clear from context, means “based at least in part on” and is not limited to “based solely on.” 
     Conjunctive language, such as phrases of the form “at least one of A, B, and C,” or “at least one of A, B and C,” (i.e., the same phrase with or without the Oxford comma) unless specifically stated otherwise or otherwise clearly contradicted by context, is otherwise understood within the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either A or B or C, any nonempty subset of the set of A and B and C, or any set not contradicted by context or otherwise excluded that contains at least one A, at least one B, or at least one C. For instance, in the illustrative example of a set having three members, the conjunctive phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}, and, if not contradicted explicitly or by context, any set having {A}, {B}, and/or {C} as a subset (e.g., sets with multiple “A”). Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require at least one of A, at least one of B and at least one of C each to be present. Similarly, phrases such as “at least one of A, B, or C” and “at least one of A, B or C” refer to the same as “at least one of A, B, and C” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of the following sets: {A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}, unless differing meaning is explicitly stated or clear from context. In addition, unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, the term “plurality” indicates a state of being plural (e.g., “a plurality of items” indicates multiple items). The number of items in a plurality is at least two but can be more when so indicated either explicitly or by context. 
     The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. 
     Embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for embodiments of the present disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.