US-12623759-B2 - Breathable mask

US12623759B2US 12623759 B2US12623759 B2US 12623759B2US-12623759-B2

Abstract

A breathable mask includes a body having a main frame, a lens, and a waterproof sealing skirt. The waterproof sealing skirt has a partition dividing the interior of the body into an upper chamber that shields the eyes and a lower chamber that shields the nose, and arranges independent air intake passages and exhaust passages to separate the fresh air inhaled and the dirty air exhaled. Alternatively, a nasal connecting portion having a purge valve can be provided in fluid communication with the lower chamber. It is also possible to provide a three-way connector having a nasal connecting portion, a mouth portion, and a drain portion in fluid communication with one another, wherein the nasal connecting portion is in fluid communication with the lower chamber. The mouth connecting portion is adapted to be contained in the user's mouth when the user well wears the breathable mask.

Inventors

Chih-Cheng Shiue

Assignees

QBAS CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230125

Claims (20)

1 . A breathable mask comprising a body and a breathing tube, the breathing tube being in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the breathing tube including an intake conduit and an exhaust conduit adjacent to the intake conduit, the body including: a main frame configured to only encircle a user's eyes a lens fitted in the main frame; a waterproof sealing skirt, partially fitted with the main frame and the lens, the waterproof sealing skirt being suitable for fitting on a user's face; wherein the waterproof sealing skirt has a partition, which divides the interior of the body into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, whereby when a user wears the breathable mask through a fastening device, the partition is seated on the user's nose, and the user's eyes are accommodated in the upper chamber, whereas the user's nose is accommodated in the lower chamber; characterized in that the lens is configured to only cover the user's eyes, the waterproof sealing skirt further includes a soft nasal covering portion, which defines the lower chamber together with the partition; wherein the nasal covering portion has a protruding area and a bottom area configured to correspond to the user's nostrils; the body further includes: an intake passage being formed between the intake conduit and the lower chamber, and is provided with a first one-way valve, wherein the first one-way valve is disposed on the partition, and the first one-way valve is provided for external fresh air to enter the lower chamber through the intake passage; an exhaust passage being formed between the exhaust conduit and the lower chamber, and the exhaust passage being provided for dirty air exhaled by the user to pass through and be discharged outside; wherein the intake passage and the exhaust passage are in fluid independent of each other.
2 . The breathable mask according to claim 1 , further comprising a second one-way valve, wherein the intake passage is defined by the upper chamber and the first one-way valve, and the exhaust passage is defined by the second one-way valve and an exhaust tunnel; wherein the exhaust tunnel is formed by the waterproof sealing skirt together with a peripheral edge of the lens.
3 . The breathable mask according to claim 2 , wherein the second one-way valve is disposed on the partition, and when the user inhales, fresh air passes from the intake conduit, through the upper chamber, and enters the lower chamber through the first one-way valve to supply the user's nose to inhale; when the user exhales, the dirty air passes through the second one-way valve and the exhaust tunnel, and is discharged outside through the exhaust conduit.
4 . The breathable mask according to claim 1 , wherein the nasal covering portion is made of a material with Shore A hardness of 30-95, and the protruding area extends forward from a rear edge of the main frame to form a cross section having a single-crest mountain shape.
5 . The breathable mask according to claim 4 , wherein the cross section has a maximum height (Nh) ranging between 20 mm and 35 mm.
6 . The breathable mask according to claim 4 , wherein the protruding area protrudes forward from the rear edge of the main frame to go beyond a lower, outer edge of the main frame for a maximum extent (Nt) ranging between 5 mm and 20 mm.
7 . A breathable mask comprising a body and a breathing tube, the breathing tube being in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the breathing tube including an intake conduit and an exhaust conduit adjacent to the intake conduit, the body including: a main frame configured to only encircle a user's eyes a lens fitted in the main frame; a waterproof sealing skirt, partially fitted with the main frame and the lens, the waterproof sealing skirt being suitable for fitting on a user's face; wherein the waterproof sealing skirt has a partition, which divides the interior of the body into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, whereby when a user wears the breathable mask through a fastening device, the partition is seated on the user's nose, and the user's eyes are accommodated in the upper chamber, whereas the user's nose is accommodated in the lower chamber; characterized in that the lens is configured to only cover the user's eyes, the waterproof sealing skirt further includes a soft nasal covering portion, which defines the lower chamber together with the partition; wherein the nasal covering portion has a protruding area and a bottom area configured to correspond to the user's nostrils; the body further includes: an intake passage being formed between the intake conduit and the lower chamber, and being provided with a first one-way valve, wherein the first one-way valve is provided for external fresh air to enter the lower chamber through the intake passage; an exhaust passage being formed between the exhaust conduit and the lower chamber, and the exhaust passage being provided for dirty air exhaled by the user to pass through and be discharged outside; a nasal connecting portion, having one end being in fluid communication with the lower chamber, and the other end is provided with a purge valve.
8 . The breathable mask according to claim 7 , further comprising a second one-way valve, wherein the intake passage is defined by the upper chamber and the first one-way valve, and the exhaust passage is defined by the second one-way valve and an exhaust tunnel; wherein the exhaust tunnel is formed by the waterproof sealing skirt together with a peripheral edge of the lens.
9 . The breathable mask according to claim 8 , wherein the first one-way valve is disposed on a sidewall at an entrance of the exhaust tunnel, and the second one-way valve is disposed inward further in the exhaust tunnel in view of the first one-way valve, when the user's nose inhales, fresh air enters the lower chamber from the intake conduit, through the upper chamber, the first one-way valve, and then the entrance of the exhaust tunnel, for the user to inhale, whereas when the user's nose exhales, a part of the dirty air passes through the second one-way valve, enters the exhaust conduit to be discharged outside through the exhaust tunnel.
10 . The breathable mask according to claim 7 , wherein the nasal connecting portion is in fluid communication with the lower chamber through the bottom area.
11 . The breathable mask according to claim 10 , wherein the bottom area is provided with a third one-way valve, which only allows fluid to pass therethrough from the lower chamber to the nasal connecting portion; thereby when the user exhales through the nose, a part of the dirty air passes through the third one-way valve and is discharged outside through the purge valve of the nasal connecting portion.
12 . The breathable mask according to claim 7 , wherein the nasal covering portion is made of a material with Shore A hardness of 30-95, and the protruding area extends forward from a rear edge of the main frame to form a cross section having a single-crest mountain shape.
13 . The breathable mask according to claim 12 , wherein the cross section has a maximum height (Nh) ranging between 20 mm and 35 mm.
14 . The breathable mask according to claim 12 , wherein the protruding area protrudes forward from the rear edge of the main frame to go beyond a lower, outer edge of the main frame for a maximum extent (Nt) ranging between 5 mm and 20 mm.
15 . A breathable mask comprising a body and a breathing tube, the breathing tube being in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the breathing tube including an intake conduit and an exhaust conduit adjacent to the intake conduit, the body including: a main frame; a lens fitted in the main frame; a waterproof sealing skirt, partially fitted with the main frame and the lens, the waterproof sealing skirt being suitable for fitting on a user's face; wherein the waterproof sealing skirt has a partition, which divides the interior of the body into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, whereby when a user wears the breathable mask through a fastening device, the partition is seated on the user's nose, and the user's eyes are accommodated in the upper chamber, whereas the user's nose is accommodated in the lower chamber; characterized in that the body further includes: an intake passage being formed between the intake conduit and the lower chamber, and being provided with a first one-way valve, wherein the first one-way valve is provided for external fresh air to enter the lower chamber through the intake passage; an exhaust passage being formed between the exhaust conduit and the lower chamber, and the exhaust passage being provided for dirty air exhaled by the user to pass through and be discharged outside; a three-way connector having a nasal connecting portion, a mouth portion, and a drain portion which are in fluid communication with one another, wherein the nasal connecting portion is in fluid communication with the lower chamber, whereby when the user puts on the breathable mask, the mouth portion is suitable for being contained in the user's mouth.
16 . The breathable mask according to claim 15 , wherein the drain portion is adapted to drain and exhaust downwards and forwards.
17 . The breathable mask according to claim 16 , wherein the waterproof sealing skirt further includes a nasal covering portion, which defines the lower chamber together with the partition; wherein the nasal covering portion has a protruding area and a bottom area configured to correspond to the user's nostrils.
18 . The breathable mask according to claim 17 , wherein the nasal connecting portion is in fluid communication with the lower chamber through the bottom area.
19 . The breathable mask according to claim 18 , wherein the nasal connecting portion and the bottom area is provided with a flexible portion therebetween to promote a movable range of the three-way connector.
20 . The breathable mask according to claim 19 , wherein the bottom area is provided with a third one-way valve, which only allows fluid to pass therethrough from the lower chamber to the nasal connecting portion; thereby when the user's mouth inhales, the fresh air passes through the third one-way valve and the mouth portion to supply the user; when the user's nose exhales, the dirty air passes through the third one-way valve and the nasal connecting portion, and is discharged outside through a purge valve of the drain portion; when the user's mouth exhales, the dirty air is discharged outward through the purge valve, and water accumulated in the three-way connector is forced out through the purge valve.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This patent application claims the benefits of U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 63/304,383 filed on Jan. 28, 2022, and No. 63/356,237 filed on Jun. 28, 2022. All of the above applications are incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mask for water sports, in particular, to a breathable mask that a snorkeler can breathe by his/her nose, or by his/her nose and mouth when wearing the mask. Descriptions of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 1, most of the current snorkeling activities use a mask 1 that covers the eyes and nose, and a snorkel 2. The user can't use the nose to breathe at all, and can only use the mouth to breathe through the snorkel 2. Because the breathing tube 2 extends from one side of the mask 1, it is unbalanced in use. In addition, because the breathing tube 2 needs to be connected to the mask 1, the connection position is usually very close to the head strap 3 of the mask 1, and the head strap 3 is easy to get entangled with hair, such snorkeling equipment increases the trouble for users to wear. In addition, human beings are used to breathe through their noses in the air, so using this equipment will force the user to breathe through the mouth only, which is against the human's physical nature. Based on the above-mentioned shortcoming, the industry has begun to consider adopting the top snorkel 4 of the full-face snorkel mask (FFSM) to fit onto the traditional diving mask 5, and then let it communicate with the interior of the mask 5, allowing the user to breathe through the nose. That is to say, the traditional mouthpiece-type breathing tube 2 as shown in FIG. 1 is replaced with the design as shown in FIG. 2A. Of course, this design is smaller than an FFSM, and it can maintain a good fit with the user's face. However, the breathing tube 4 in this design communicates with the nose pocket 7 of the mask 5 through a tunnel 6 on order to let the user be able to breathe through the nose (also see FIG. 2B). With this design, the airflow of inhalation and exhalation is not separated. During the breathing cycles, clean air and dirty air will be rapidly mixed in the nose pocket 7 of the mask 5, and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the mask 5 will rise sharply, making it easy for the user to be unconsciously hypoxic in a short period of time. When the user feels uncomfortable, there is no way to switch to mouth breathing. In addition, due to the improper use of the shape and material of the nasal covering portion 8 of this design, after the actual use test, due to the water pressure P, the result of “automatic nose pinching” will occur (as shown in FIG. 2C), hindering nose breathing. The chance of danger becomes higher. Again, the water leaking in the mask 5 will be accumulated in the nose pocket 7 inside the nose covering portion 8, which is very close to the user's nostrils. This accumulated water makes the user feel uncomfortable and even choke on water. Moreover, the face mask 5 can only cover eyes and nose, and the user's mouth is still exposed to water. This causes the user to naturally close the mouth to prevent accidental drinking of water, which has no sense of safety. Therefore, proposing a design that partially or fully solves the above-mentioned problems will be a great breakthrough, and become the goal pursued by the industry. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The first objective of the present invention is to provide a breathable mask that covers the user's eyes and nose, allowing the user's nose to breathe freely in the mask, and allowing the fresh air inhaled and the dirty air exhaled to be separated. The shunt airflow does not let the carbon dioxide concentration in the mask increase. To achieve this objective, the present invention provides a breathable mask comprising a body and a breathing tube, the breathing tube being in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the breathing tube including an intake conduit and an exhaust conduit adjacent to the intake conduit. The body includes a main frame, a lens fitted in the main frame, and a waterproof sealing skirt, partially fitted with the main frame and the lens. The waterproof sealing skirt is suitable for fitting on a user's face, wherein the waterproof sealing skirt has a partition, which divides the interior of the body into an upper chamber and the lower chamber, whereby when a user wears the breathable mask through a fastening device, the partition is seated on the user's nose, and the user's eyes are accommodated in the upper chamber, whereas the user's nose is accommodated in the lower chamber. The mask is characterized in that the body further includes an intake passage and an exhaust passage. The intake passage is formed between the intake conduit and the lower chamber. The intake passage is provided with a first one-way valve, wherein the first one-way valve is disposed on the partition, and the first one-way valv