US-12616258-B2 - Respirator tab

US12616258B2US 12616258 B2US12616258 B2US 12616258B2US-12616258-B2

Abstract

A personal respiratory protection device comprising an upper panel ( 18 ), a central panel ( 16 ), and a lower panel ( 20 ), the central panel ( 16 ) being separated from each of the upper and lower panels ( 18 ) by a first and second fold ( 36 ), seam, weld ( 76 ) or bond, respectively, such that device is capable of being folded flat for storage along the first and second fold ( 36 ), seam, weld ( 76 ) or bond and opened to form a cup-shaped air chamber over the nose and mouth of the wearer when in use, wherein the lower panel ( 20 ) has a graspable tab ( 32 ) attached to an interior portion of an external surface of the lower panel ( 20 ), the tab ( 32 ) being graspable in use to open the device.

Inventors

Christopher P. Henderson
Reyad A. Abdulqader
James J. May
Mark A. J. Fernandes
David N. Boyce

Assignees

3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20151203
Priority Date: 20141204

Claims (10)

1 . A personal respiratory protection device comprising: an upper panel, a central panel, a lower panel, a respirator external surface, and a respirator internal surface, the central panel being separated from each of the upper and lower panels by an upper bond and a lower bond, respectively, such that the personal respiratory protection device is capable of being folded flat for storage along the first and second bond and opened to form a cup-shaped air chamber over a nose and mouth of a wearer when in use, wherein: the central panel comprises a curvilinear lower peripheral edge that is coexistent with the lower bond between the central panel and the lower panel such that the curvilinear lower peripheral edge comprises an axis of rotation between the lower panel and the central panel, and the lower panel comprises a lower outer periphery; wherein the lower panel has a graspable tab attached to an interior portion of a lower panel external surface at a point of attachment whereby the graspable tab is attached inwardly of the lower outer periphery and the lower bond such that the point of attachment is closer to the axis of rotation than if the graspable tab were positioned on the lower outer periphery of the lower panel, wherein the graspable tab faces away from the nose and mouth of the wearer on the respirator external surface when the personal respiratory protection device is on a face of the wearer, wherein attachment of the graspable tab on the interior portion of the lower panel external surface enables the graspable tab to be graspable in use without making contact with the respirator internal surface and to apply an opening force to the interior portion to pivot the lower panel about the axis of rotation of the lower peripheral edge of the central panel and to cause a middle portion of the lower panel to open wide to form an air chamber which closely matches the face of the wearer.
2 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 1 wherein the lower panel is folded to form a lateral fold at a position equidistant between the lower bond and the lower outer periphery of the lower panel, wherein the point of attachment of the graspable tab is positioned within 10 mm above or below the lateral fold.
3 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 2 , wherein the point of attachment of the graspable tab is positioned on the lateral fold.
4 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 1 further comprising a resiliently compliant headband secured to the central panel.
5 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 4 wherein the resiliently compliant headband is positioned forward of the graspable tab towards the central panel when the personal respiratory protection device is folded.
6 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 1 further comprising an exhalation valve that is disposed on the central panel.
7 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 6 wherein the exhalation valve has a grip region which is grippable by the wearer, the grip region being configured to indicate to the wearer that the exhalation valve is to be gripped during opening and donning of the personal respiratory protection device.
8 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 1 wherein the graspable tab is positioned on a longitudinal centerline of the personal respiratory protection device.
9 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the graspable tab is visible to the wearer when the personal respiratory protection device is folded.
10 . The personal respiratory protection device of claim 1 wherein the personal respiratory protection device has a multi-layered structure that comprises a first inner cover web, a filtration layer that comprises a web that contains electrically-charged microfibers, and a second outer cover web, the first and second cover webs being disposed on first and second opposing sides of the filtration layer, respectively, wherein a nose conforming element is attached to the second cover web.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT/US2015/063577, filed Dec. 3, 2015, which claims the benefit of Great Britain Application No. 1421617.0, filed Dec. 4, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its/their entirety herein. FIELD The present invention relates to personal respiratory protection devices, known as respirators or face masks, which are capable of being folded flat during storage and forming a cup-shaped air chamber over the mouth and nose of a wearer during use. BACKGROUND Filtration respirators or face masks are used in a wide variety of applications when it is desired to protect a human's respiratory system from particles suspended in the air or from unpleasant or noxious gases. Generally such respirators or face masks may come in a number of forms, but the two most common are a molded cup-shaped form or a flat-folded form. The flat-folded form has advantages in that it can be carried in a wearer's pocket until needed and re-folded flat to keep the inside clean between wearings. Such respiratory devices include, for example, respirators, surgical masks, clean room masks, face shields, dust masks, breath warming masks, and a variety of other face coverings. Flat-fold respirators are typically formed from a sheet filter media which removes the suspended particles from the air prior to inhalation by the user. Performance of the respirator is therefore reliant on minimizing the flow of air that bypasses the filter medium prior to inhalation. It is recognized that the primary route for bypass air is between the respirator and the face of the user. It is therefore imperative to provide a close fit between the respirator and the face in order to minimize the bypass airflow. This is particularly challenging in the region of the nose of the user given the protrusion of the nose from the face and the ergonomic variations in the size and shape of the nose of different users. Flat-fold respirators are typically formed from a sheet filter medium which is folded or joined to form two or more panels. The panels are opened out prior to or during the donning process to form the air chamber. Often an exhalation valve is provided on one of the panels in order to reduce the respiratory effort of exhaling. It is common for the user of the respirator to be wearing additional safety equipment such as goggles, gloves or protective clothing. This can impair the ability of the user to efficiently don the respirator. This can reduce the effectiveness of the respirator due to impaired fit or comfort. It is also recognized that at times the user holds the outer edges of the respirator during the donning procedure. This causes the user to touch the inside surface of the respirator. This can be disadvantageous in certain environments such as surgical use. Furthermore it is recognized that the adequate opening of the respirator prior to donning affects the ease of donning and the perceived comfort of the wearer once the respirator is in position. There is therefore a perceived need to improve the ease of opening and donning of the respirator. Similarly there is a perceived need to reduce the likelihood that the internal surface of the respirator is handled during the donning and doffing the respirator. It is an object of the present invention to at least mitigate the above problems by providing a personal respiratory protection device which opens effectively and is easier to open and don. SUMMARY Accordingly, the invention provides a personal respiratory protection device comprising: an upper panel, a central panel, and a lower panel,the central panel being separated from each of the upper and lower panels by a first and second fold, seam, weld or bond, respectively, such that device is capable of being folded flat for storage along the first and second fold, seam, weld or bond and opened to form a cup-shaped air chamber over the nose and mouth of the wearer when in use,wherein the lower panel has a graspable tab attached to an interior portion of an external surface of the lower panel, the tab being graspable in use to open the device. Advantageously, the provision of a graspable tab at attached to the lower panel enables the user to open the respirator without making contact with the inside surface of the respirator. Furthermore the positioning of the tab at the interior of the lower panel rather than, for example, the lower outer periphery optimizes the opening of the respirator as the point of action (i.e. the point of attachment) of the tab on the lower panel is closer to the axis of rotation of the lower panel relative to the front panel. In other words, the interior of the lower panel is pulled downwardly and outwardly rather than the lower outer periphery of the lower panel being pulled. This causes the middle of the lower panel to open wide which forms an air chamber which more closely matches the face of the user. Preferab