JP2010042087A - Protective mask - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a protective mask preventing infection by droplet infection or airborne infection by exhibiting high adhesiveness and smoothly carrying out exhalation and inhalation while exhibiting excellent fitness. <P>SOLUTION: A mask body 1 is formed by forming a filter material 3 for preventing intrusion of fine particle into a foldable bag shape. The mask body 1 is formed into a surrounding shape in which a four-face portion 15 comprising an upper face portion 11, a lower face portion 12 adjacent to the upper face portion 11, and a left face portion 13 and a right face portion 14 adjacent to the upper face portion 11 and the lower face portion 12 and facing each other is formed in the inside face side during opening. Further, an exhalation valve 7 for discharging exhalation and for preventing the intrusion of outer air during inhalation is arranged in the lower face portion 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a protective mask for infectious diseases that prevents inhalation of infectious droplets and droplet nuclei to prevent droplet infection, air infection, and the like, and particularly relates to a foldable and disposable mask.

  Conventionally, masks for protection against infection have been proposed in order to prevent inhalation of droplets that are infected by droplets such as influenza and inhalation of droplet nuclei that are infected by air such as tuberculosis and protect them from infection. In this type of infection protection mask, if there is a gap between the face and the mask, the outside air enters through the gap and the risk of infection with viruses and bacteria increases. In particular, if a virus such as a new influenza or avian influenza enters through a gap, it may be life-threatening. Therefore, it is important that the mask for protecting against infection can be worn while being fitted and closely attached to the face during use.

As a protective mask, for example, a dust mask of Patent Document 1 has been proposed. The mask of Patent Document 1 is processed into a bag-like shape in which a nonwoven fabric sheet folded in a trapezoidal shape is used as a base material, and the upper and lower sides of the trapezoid are joined and the lower side is an opening. . Further, this mask is provided with a middle fold pleat portion at the center along the embossed line, and the pleat portion becomes three-dimensional when worn and is intended to be foldable.
The mask is provided with an exhaust valve that discharges exhaled air to the outside. The exhaust valve is provided in a region outside the folded pleat portion.

  Patent Document 2 has a filter paper body composed of a front filter paper and a close-contact wing that is foldably connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the front filter paper. This is a disposable dust mask intended to be brought into close contact with a person's nose and chin.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 3 is a mask that has a substantially rectangular front panel, left and right side panels, an upper panel, and a bottom panel that are formed flat, and can be folded flat. Another panel is raised to form a cup-shaped air chamber. In addition, a one-way valve is provided on the front panel.

JP 2006-218079 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-81152 Special table 2008-506455 gazette

  When the dust mask of Patent Document 1 is three-dimensionally deployed at the time of mounting, the upper and lower trapezoidal sheets are opened to the left and right with a center line as the center. And on the inner surface side of the mask, the upper and lower trapezoidal sheets are each formed with two curved surfaces, and the mask outer peripheral portion corresponding to the lower side of the trapezoidal shape on these two surfaces is deformed into a substantially rhombus shape. The upper side and the lower side that make up the rhombus portion are in contact with the face. For this reason, this dust mask is not sufficiently close to the face, particularly close to the cheek, and there is a possibility that a gap may be formed between the mask and the face depending on the face shape and the size of the face. . And the fit is not enough.

  Furthermore, since the inner surface is composed of two surfaces as described above, the volume between the face and the face is reduced, and the wearer may find it difficult to breathe smoothly or feel stuffy. It was. In addition, since the exhaust valve is mounted at a position shifted from the mouth, the exhaust valve cannot sufficiently exhibit the function of discharging exhaled air.

  On the other hand, the disposable dust mask of Patent Document 2 is intended to improve the adhesion to the wearer with the upper and lower contact wings, but this mask has a face in a state where the upper and lower contact wings are each curved in an arc shape. Therefore, as in the case of the literature 1, the adhesion to the face is not sufficient. Moreover, the volume between the face is small and the wearer cannot breathe smoothly.

  In addition, the filter mask of Patent Document 3 secures a volume for breathing by providing a cup-shaped air chamber at the time of wearing, but for each side of the substantially rectangular front panel, Since the panel and the bottom panel are provided, the contact portion with the face on the outer peripheral side of the mask becomes a rectangular shape having a substantially constant shape, and a gap may be formed between the face and the face. In addition, since the one-way valve is provided on the front panel on the side facing the mouth, this filter mask is difficult to inhale from the mouth during inhalation and may not be able to inhale smoothly.

  The present invention solves various problems in the past and has been developed as a result of intensive studies. The purpose of the present invention is to demonstrate high adhesion to prevent infection caused by droplet infection or air infection. An object of the present invention is to provide a protective mask that can perform exhalation and inhalation smoothly while exhibiting excellent fit.

  To achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 forms a mask body by forming a filter material for preventing entry of fine particles into a foldable bag shape, and this mask body has an upper surface on the inner surface side when mounted. And a lower surface portion adjacent to the upper surface portion, and a four-surface portion including a left surface portion and a right surface portion adjacent to the upper surface portion and the lower surface portion and facing each other. It is a protective mask provided with an exhalation valve that releases air and prevents intrusion of outside air during inspiration.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a protective mask, wherein the filter material is a material having a function of cutting 95% or more of fine particles in air of 0.3 microns or more.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the exhalation-valve has a substantially cylindrical shape having an elastic thin film-like circular valve body, a holding portion for holding the center of the valve body, and a valve seat on which one surface side of the valve body can be seated. When the air is about to flow from the inside of the body, the valve body is separated from the valve seat so that the air flows to the outside of the body and the air flows from the outside of the body to the valve. It is a protective mask that is a check valve that prevents the intrusion of air by sitting on the valve seat.

  The invention according to claim 4 is a protective mask in which a flexible holding member such as a wire member for holding the folded shape of the mask body or the opened shape is provided on the left and right surface portions of the mask body.

  The invention according to claim 5 is a protective mask in which a nose piece is provided in the vicinity of the center of the upper surface on the opening side.

  The invention according to claim 6 is a protective mask in which a folded portion is provided in the vicinity of both sides of the mask body, and one annular rubber band is sandwiched between the folded portions at two locations.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to reliably prevent the invasion of fine particles such as viruses and bacteria that cause high-adhesion due to excellent fit and cause droplet infection and air infection, and the mask body and the face. It is a protective mask that has a sufficient volume for air to enter between, and an exhalation valve that makes it easy to discharge exhaled air. .

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, it is a protective mask which can block | disconnect the splash nucleus by coughing and sneezing of a sterilization patient, and exhibits a high level blocking function with respect to a virus or bacteria.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, the infiltration of fine particles and the like from the outside is prevented by passing through the filter material during inhalation, and the warm and moist exhaled air expelled from the inside of the mask body by the exhalation valve at the time of exhalation is quickly discharged from the exhalation valve. Since it can be discharged, the inside of the mask body cools down, so that it is easy to wear, and it is a protective mask that can be worn for a long time while maintaining comfort.

  According to the invention according to claim 4, when folded, the folded shape is ensured so that storage and storage are easy, and at the time of wearing, the open shape is maintained to maintain a close contact with the face, so that it can be worn. Even if a person moves his face or chin, the mask main body is prevented from being deformed, and the protective mask prevents the gap between the mask main body and the face.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the protective mask is configured such that the upper surface is deformed so as to follow the shape of the nose and the intimate contact with the nose is maintained to prevent entry of fine particles and the like.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the rubber band can be worn while ensuring adequate adhesion to the face with a single rubber band, and in particular, due to the contractibility of the rubber band, the peripheral surfaces on both sides are more closely attached to the face. It is a protective mask that closes the gap at the time of wearing by being deformed in the direction to be.

A preferred embodiment of the protective mask according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show a preferred example of the protective mask of the present invention. In the figure, the protective mask of the present invention has a mask main body 1 that exhibits a protective function, and an annular rubber band 2 for mounting the mask main body 1.

  A thin film filter material 3 is used as the material for the mask body 1. The filter material 3 is made of, for example, a non-woven fabric, is subjected to antiviral treatment, and has a function of blocking entry of fine particles such as pathogens such as viruses and bacteria and fine dust such as dust. The filter material 3 preferably has a function of cutting 95% or more of fine particles in the air of 0.3 μm or more. In this case, the mask body 1 is “N95 certified by NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health). Can be achieved. For this reason, for example, the filter material 3 is formed by laminating a plurality of layers, for example, a layer subjected to antiviral processing with dolomite or the like and a layer provided with a high-performance water-repellent filter material. The formed one is used. In addition, a portion that contacts the face may be a hypoallergenic material.

  The filter material 3 is provided in a shape in which the upper bases 4a and 4a of the two trapezoidal parts 4 and 4 shown in FIG. 4 are integrally connected to each other, and further, the oblique side 4b of the trapezoidal part 4 is joined to be opened. A bag-shaped mask body 1 having a portion 5 is configured. A hole 6 is provided near the approximate center of the trapezoidal part 4 on one side of the mask body 1, and an exhalation valve 7 to be described later is attached to the hole 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mask main body 1 can be folded with the upper side 4 a and the oblique side 4 b as folding portions.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, when the opening 5 is opened when the mask body 1 is mounted, a ridge line 8 is formed from both ends of the upper base 4 a of the trapezoidal portion 4 toward the opening 5. The By this ridgeline 8, on the inner surface side of the mask main body 1 at the time of opening, the upper surface portion 11, the lower surface portion 12 adjacent to the upper surface portion 11, and the left surface portion adjacent to the upper surface portion 11 and the lower surface portion 12 that face each other. 13 and a right surface portion 14, an enclosing form having a four surface portion 15 is formed.

  Possibility holding members 16 and 16 such as wire members are provided on the surface side of the left and right surface portions 13 and 14 of the mask main body 1. The flexible holding member 16 is attached in a direction crossing the hypotenuse 4b, and in this embodiment, both ends are fixed and attached in a direction substantially perpendicular to the hypotenuse 4b. The flexible holding member 16 is bent deeply when the mask body 1 is folded by the folding portions 4a and 4b to hold the folded shape of the mask body 1, and is deformed into a slightly bent state when the mask body 1 is opened. Thus, the shape of the mask body 1 when opened is maintained.

  Also, a nose piece 17 that is a wire is provided near the center of the surface of the upper surface portion 11 of the mask body 1 on the opening 5 side. The nosepiece 17 is also fixed to the mask body 1 at both ends in the same manner as the flexible holding member 16 and can be deformed when the mask body 1 is folded or opened. Further, a nose pad 18 made of sponge is pasted and fixed near the center of the back surface of the upper surface portion 11 on the opening 5 side.

  Around the both sides of the mask body 1, there are provided folded portions 20, to which one annular rubber band 2 is attached in two places. With this mounting structure, two band portions 21 and 22 for mounting on the head are configured without mounting two rubber bands 2. In addition, the length of each of the band portions 21 and 22 can be adjusted by sliding the rubber band 2 with respect to the folded portion 20. Moreover, since the folding | returning part 20 is adhering to the front end side vicinity by pressure bonding, the rubber band 2 is prevented from falling off.

  The exhalation valve 7 has a function of releasing exhalation and preventing intrusion of outside air at the time of inspiration, and includes a valve body 23 and a body 24. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the valve body 23 is formed in a thin film circular shape from an elastic material, and a mounting hole 25 is formed in the center. The body 24 includes a valve body mounting body 26 having a substantially cylindrical shape and a cap 27.

  The valve body mounting body 26 has a cylindrical portion 28, and a holding portion 29 to which the center of the valve body 23 can be attached is integrally provided inside the cylindrical portion 28 via a rib 30. Further, a valve seat 31 on which one surface side of the valve body 23 can be seated is provided at the portion of the cylindrical portion 28. Further, a flange portion 32 and an engagement piece 33 are formed to project from the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 28.

  The cap 27 has a cylindrical portion 35 whose diameter is larger than that of the cylindrical portion 28 so that the cylindrical portion 28 can be mounted on the inner peripheral side, and a holding portion 29 can be fitted at the center position of the cylindrical portion 35. A mounting hole 36 is provided. An air passage 37 is formed on the outer peripheral surface side of the cylindrical portion 35. On the other hand, a flange-shaped portion 38 having substantially the same diameter as the flange portion 32 of the valve body mounting body 26 is formed on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 35, and an engagement piece 33 can be engaged on the inner peripheral side. An engaging recess 39 is formed in an annular shape.

  The exhalation valve 7 is attached so as to sandwich the hole 6 of the mask body 1 from the front and back sides. When attaching the exhalation valve 7, first, the valve body 23 is temporarily attached to the valve body mounting body 26 so that the holding portion 29 is inserted into the mounting hole 25. In this state, the valve body mounting body 26 and the cap 27 are attached. Are integrated from the front and back sides of the mask body 1. At this time, the engagement piece 33 engages with the engagement recess 39, whereby the cap 27 and the valve body mounting body 26 are integrated with the mask body 1. Further, the holding portion 29 is fitted into the mounting hole portion 36, and the valve body 23 is assembled in a state where the central portion is held between the valve body mounting body 26 and the cap 27. As a result, the exhalation valve 7 is integrated with the mask body 1 with the filter material 3 sandwiched between the collar portion 32 and the collar portion 38, so that the collar portion 32, the collar shape portion 38 and the filter material 3 are integrated. There is no gap between them, and air can be prevented from leaking between them.

  With the above configuration, when the air is about to flow from the inside of the body 24, the exhalation valve 7 moves away from the valve seat 31 and the air flows to the outside of the body 24 through the ventilation path 37. When air is about to flow in from the outside of the body 24, the valve element 23 is a check valve that is seated on the valve seat 31 to prevent air from entering.

Next, the operation of the protective mask of the present invention in the above embodiment will be described.
When the mask main body 1 is attached to the face, if the mask main body 1 is opened, an enclosing form having a four-surface portion 15 including an upper surface portion 11, a lower surface portion 12, a left surface portion 13, and a right surface portion 14 on the inner surface side. Is made. At this time, the upper surface portion 11 and the lower surface portion 12 are opened at an appropriate angle through the upper base 4a, and the left surface portion 13 and the right surface portion 14 are opened in a state of facing each other, whereby the opening portion 5 is It will be in the state opened in substantially rectangular shape.

  When the mask body 1 is attached to the face in this state, the upper surface portion 11 is in the vicinity of the nose and the lower surface portion 12 is in the vicinity of the chin, while the left and right surface portions 13 and 14 are bent along the cheek shape. A side surface portion 40 as shown in FIG. 1 is formed, and this side surface portion 40 abuts on the vicinity of the cheek by surface contact. At this time, since the side surface portion 40 is curved into an appropriate shape according to the shape of the wearer's face, the adhesion to the face in the vicinity of the opening 5 of the mask body 1 is increased, and the adhesion in the vicinity of the cheek is particularly remarkable. improves. Moreover, even when the face shape and the face size are different, the left and right side face portions 13 and 14 are deformed so as to follow the cheek shape and bent at an appropriate position to form the side face portion 40. The contact of 40 prevents a gap from being formed between the face and the mask main body 1 and improves the fit while providing a soft wearing feeling.

  Further, since the flexible holding member 16 is provided on the left and right surface portions 13 and 14 of the mask main body 1 and the nose piece 17 is provided on the upper surface portion 11, it is possible to follow the shape of the face and nose by appropriately adjusting the bending condition. Thus, the side of the opening 5 can be brought into close contact, and this close contact state can be maintained. Further, since the nose pad 18 is provided, the adhesion to the vicinity of the nose is improved by the nose pad 18.

  In addition, since the volume inside the mask body 1 is increased by the above four surface portions 15, a large space is formed between the mask body 1 and the face after wearing, and the wearer can breathe smoothly, and the wearer is not breathing. I do not feel it.

In this case, when the wearer exhales and air is about to flow from the inside of the body 24 in the exhalation valve 7 as shown in FIG. 5, the valve body 23 is warped around the mounting hole 25. It is deformed and separated from the valve seat 31, and the air passes between the valve body 23 and the valve seat 31 as indicated by an arrow and is discharged to the outside from the air passage 37. For this reason, the worker can exhale with almost no resistance.
In addition, since the exhalation valve 7 is disposed on the lower surface portion 12, the exhalation is prevented from accumulating inside the mask body 1, and is immediately discharged.

  Further, when the wearer inhales and air is about to flow in from the outside of the body 24 in the intake valve 7 as shown in FIG. 6, the valve body 23 is deformed in a direction to be seated on the valve seat 31. Intrusion of air through the exhalation valve 7 is prevented. At this time, external air is sucked into the mask body 1 through the filter material 3 as shown by the arrow, and particulates in the air are filtered by the filter material 3 to prevent splash infection and air infection. it can. In this case, since the external air is mainly inhaled through the upper surface portion 11 and the left and right surface portions 13 and 14, the exhalation valve 7 does not block the inspiration.

  When the mask main body 1 shown in FIG. 7 is mounted, the lower band portion 21 of the rubber band 2 is placed on the back side of the neck while holding the mask main body 1 in a state where the mask main body 1 is in contact with the mounting position of the face. And the upper band portion 22 is hung behind the head, so that the mask body 1 is pressed in a state of fitting to the face shape as described above. After the mask body 1 is mounted, the wearer holds the mask body 1 with the rubber bands 21 and 22 and presses the mask body 1 lightly from the front, and exhales from between the mask body 1 and the face. It is desirable to confirm that there is no air leakage.

It is the perspective view which showed embodiment of the protective mask of this invention. It is a front view of a protective mask. FIG. 3 is a rear view of FIG. 2. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the protective mask was folded. It is an AA expanded sectional view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the inhalation state of the exhalation-valve of FIG. It is the external view which showed the mounting state of the protective mask of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mask main body 2 Rubber band 3 Filter material 7 Expiratory valve 11 Upper surface part 12 Lower surface part 13 Left surface part 14 Right surface part 15 4th surface part 16 Wire member (flexible holding member)
17 Nosepiece 20 Turn-up part 23 Valve body 24 Body 29 Holding part 31 Valve seat

Claims (6)

  A filter body for preventing infiltration of fine particles is formed into a foldable bag shape to constitute a mask body. The mask body has an upper surface portion on the inner surface side, a lower surface portion adjacent to the upper surface portion, and the upper surface when mounted. An exhalation valve that discharges exhaled air and prevents intrusion of outside air at the time of inhalation is formed. A protective mask characterized by being provided.   The protective mask according to claim 1, wherein the filter material is a material having a function of cutting 95% or more of fine particles in air of 0.3 μm or more.   The exhalation valve includes a thin circular valve body having elasticity, a substantially cylindrical body having a holding portion that holds the center of the valve body, and a valve seat on which one surface side of the valve body can be seated, When the air is about to flow from the inside of the body, the valve body is separated from the valve seat and the air flows to the outside of the body, and when the air is about to flow from the outside of the body, the valve body is The protective mask according to claim 1, wherein the protective mask is a check valve that sits on the valve seat and prevents air from entering.   4. The flexible holding member such as a wire member that holds a shape of the mask main body when folded or opened at the left and right side portions of the mask main body. 5. Protective mask.   The protective mask according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a nose piece is provided in the vicinity of the center of the upper surface on the opening side.   The protective mask according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a folded portion is provided near both sides of the mask body, and one annular rubber band is sandwiched and attached to the folded portion at two locations.

Images