Abstract:
Respiratory apparatus including stowage equipment is addressed. The equipment may include a non-rigid bag covering at least part of an oxygen mask. The bag additionally may have an opening through which a portion of the mask protrudes, thereby facilitating its grasping and rapid donning by a user.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates generally to respiratory equipment and more particularly to housings adapted to facilitate rapid donning of respiratory masks, typically (but not exclusively) by aircraft crewmembers. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,045 to Bertheau, et al., incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, discloses an exemplary respiratory mask and an associated box or housing. As noted in the Bertheau patent: “As the cruising altitude of passenger and business airplanes increases, it becomes more and more difficult to protect the crew members against a sudden depressurization.” See Bertheau, col. 1, 11.
     16–18. Consequently, harnesses for respiratory masks have been developed which may be stored in a box in close proximity to the seat and may be grasped by the user with one hand and donned in a time as short as some seconds. However, if depressurization occurs at a very high altitude, lack of oxygen due to exposure to vacuum during some seconds may be sufficient for causing a delayed temporary loss of consciousness after which it will be too late for the pilot to resume aircraft control.   See id., 11. 37–44.   

   The Bertheau patent thus describes equipment including a mask harness which, among other features, “lowers the time period following pressurization failure before respiratory oxygen is available to the user.” See id., 11. 59–61. Illustrated in  FIG. 1A  of the Bertheau patent is an exemplary storage box for the harness. Because of space restrictions in cockpits of many aircraft, often these storage boxes are sized to be only slightly larger than the dimensions of the associated mask (and uninflated harness), thus lacking room for many “full-face” masks combining both oxygen regulators and goggles. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,566 to McDonald, et al., also incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference, illustrates one such full-face assembly. The McDonald patent attempts to describe a supposed solution to this issue by utilizing so-called “flexible” lenses and seals so that “the mask may be rolled” for storage in a small(er), boxy container. See McDonald, col. 5, 11. 18–22. Such a container is illustrated, at least generally, in  FIG. 3  of the McDonald patent. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides respiratory apparatus including storage equipment unlike the boxes presently in use. Although the apparatus may incorporate features of existing stowage boxes, it additionally may comprise a non-rigid bag covering at least part of a full-face type mask. Typically (although not necessarily) made of fabric, preferred bags will be attached to upper parts of associated boxes and contain lateral openings through which mask assemblies may protrude. By appropriately orienting the protruding portions, the masks may be positioned to facilitate their rapid donning by aircrew personnel. 
   Bags of the present invention further may include one or more repositionable flaps to facilitate donning and stowage of the masks. Preferably hook-and-loop (e.g. Velcro) fasteners are used to attach the flaps to the remainder of the bags, with the fastening strength being sufficiently low as not to impede significantly a user from removing the mask for use. Indeed, a user&#39;s grasping the mask and pulling it from the housing is expected readily to cause the components of the hook-and-loop fasteners to disengage, thus freeing the mask from the bag for donning. Upon returning the mask for stowage, the user need merely position the mask appropriately and then reconnect the components of the fasteners to provide a snug enclosure for the mask. 
   Stowage equipment of the present invention also may include a pneumatic assembly with suitable supply and outlet hoses and valving. In some embodiments of the equipment, the pneumatic assembly is installed in the bag with a mounted bracket so as to allow a flow indicator to protrude therefrom to make it visible to crew members. The equipment additionally may be adapted to fit into the console space currently allocated for the solely rigid boxes so that, if desired, aircraft may be retrofitted. 
   It thus is an object of the present invention to provide storage equipment for respiratory apparatus equipped with a face seal of a full-face mask. 
   It is also an object of the present invention to provide storage equipment including a bag adapted snugly to enclose at least part of the respiratory apparatus. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide storage equipment in which the bag includes a lateral opening through which at least part of the respiratory apparatus may protrude. 
   It is an additional object of the present invention to provide storage equipment with one or more repositionable flaps whose fastening components may be caused to separate when a mask of the respiratory equipment is pulled from the bag. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a pneumatic assembly attached to the storage equipment so as to permit a flow indicator to protrude therefrom. 
   Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art with reference to the remaining text and the drawings of this application. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of exemplary respiratory equipment including a full-face respiratory mask and a housing or container therefor. 
       FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the equipment of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  but with the mask removed from the housing (as, for example, for use). 
       FIGS. 4A–D  are views showing aspects of the housing of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIGS. 1–3  detail equipment  10  of the present invention. Equipment  10  includes housing  14  and mask  18 , the latter of which is of the full-face variety. Depicted in  FIGS. 1–2  are portions of oxygen regulator  22  and (inflatable) harness  26  together with regulator supply hose  30 . Such components may be similar to the regulator, harness, and supply hose of the Bertheau patent, for example, or to the corresponding components identified in the McDonald patent. They need not be so limited, however, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerous other regulation equipment, harnesses or straps (whether inflatable or not), and hoses or tubes may be satisfactorily employed. 
   Additionally illustrated in  FIGS. 1–2  are tabs or paddles  34 , described as “ears” in the Bertheau patent. These paddles  34 , when depressed, actuate a control valve permitting pressurized respiratory gas to inflate harness  26 . Paddles  34  further typically constitute the means by which a user grasps mask  18  to remove it from housing  14 . 
   As detailed in  FIGS. 1–3 , housing  14  may comprise container  38  and bag  42 . Container  38  and bag  42  typically are connected in some manner to form a single unit. Screws, bolts, or any other suitable fasteners may be used to attached the two together. 
   Container  38  preferably is comprised of metal, hard plastic, or other relatively rigid material and may be adapted to fit into the instrument console of an aircraft cockpit. Bag  42 , by contrast, is preferably formed of a flexible material, such as soft fabric, able to conform (at least to reasonable extent) to the general shape of mask  18 .  FIGS. 1–2  illustrate bag  42  as so conformed, so that bag  42  covers much of mask  18 . 
   Typically, however, bag  42  is designed with lateral opening  46  through which a portion of mask  18  protrudes. In particular, paddles  34  advantageously protrude through opening  46  and thus are immediately accessible to a wearer of mask  18 . With this arrangement, no part of either bag  42  or container  38  impedes access to paddles  34 . 
   Depicted especially in  FIG. 3  are flap  50 , side walls  54 A–B, rear wall  56 , and base  58  of bag  42 . Base  58  preferably constitutes the portion of bag  42  fixed to container  38  and may include one or more openings through which supply hose  30  and other hoses, tubes, connectors, or other equipment extend. Flap  50  may be integrally formed with or sewn or otherwise attached to rear wall  56 , preferably (although not necessarily) so as to be inseparable therefrom. By contrast, flap  50  typically is designed to separate from side walls  54 A–B (as illustrated in  FIG. 3 ); hence, connection of flap  50  and side walls  54 A–B desirably is made with a non-permanent, re-engageable fastening mechanism. One such mechanism comprises hook-and-loop fasteners  62  and  64 , with strips of either hooks or loops affixed along appropriate edges of each of flap  50 , side wall  54 A, and side wall  54 B. Those skilled in the art will, of course, recognize that alternative fasteners may be employed instead. 
   When the hooks and loops of fasteners  62  and  64  are engaged, bag  42  appears as shown in  FIGS. 1–2 , snugly enclosing the bulk of mask  18 . To utilize the mask  18 , a wearer may simply grasp the protruding mask  18  (preferably using—and thereby depressing—paddles  34  so as immediately to inflate harness  26 ) and pull the mask away from bag  42  (i.e. out of the plane of the page of  FIG. 1 ). Doing so provides enough force to cause the hooks and loops of fasteners  62  and  64  to disengage, thus separating flap  50  from side walls  54 A–B (as shown in  FIG. 2 ). Not only does this result prevent bag  42  from impeding removal of mask  18  to any significant extent, it also facilitates reinsertion of the mask  18  into housing  14  after use. 
     FIGS. 4A–D  detail, somewhat schematically, additional features of embodiments of equipment  10 . System  81 A may, for example, be quarter-turn fastening apparatus designed to attach equipment  10  to a console, while connectors  81 B and  81 C allow connection to a respiratory gas supply and electrical supply (to power a microphone), respectively. Any suitable fasteners and connectors may be used, however. To retrofit an aircraft console with equipment  10 , the existing stowage box may be removed and disconnected from the cockpit gas and electrical supply lines, those lines connected to connectors  81 B and  81 C, respectively, and equipment  10  affixed in position in the console using system  81 A. 
   Additionally detailed in FIGS.  3  and  4 A–D is a pneumatic assembly  83 , comprising some or all of supply hose  83 A, valve  83 B, flow indicator  83 C, and outlet hose  83 D (for connection to regulator supply hose  30 ). In preferred embodiments of equipment  10 , assembly  83  is installed in bag  42  using a mounting bracket, with flow indicator  83 C protruding through flap  50  and visible externally of the bag  42 . In this manner, a user (or others) may visually determine whether respiratory gas is flowing to mask  18  merely by examining flow indicator  83 C. Those skilled in the art understand assembly  83  need not be installed in exactly this manner, however, but rather may be incorporated in any desirable way as part of equipment  10 . 
   The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Modifications and adaptations to the illustrated and described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. As a non-limiting example of a possible adaptation, applicants note that embodiments of equipment  10  may include as part of assembly  83  a valve activated automatically when mask  18  is removed from bag  42 . Likewise, a microphone included as part of mask  18  may be activated automatically when the mask  18  is deployed. Further, equipment  10  may be positioned within aircraft other than in cockpits, permitting its use by non-pilot crew and passengers; additionally, if appropriately modified, equipment  10  may be utilized in vehicles other than aircraft, in buildings, or as stand-alone or portable breathing apparatus.