US3020911A - Mask - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 13, 1962 B. B. GIRDEN 3,020,911

MASK

Filed May 24, 1960 Tull- [WWW v j! /6\ I /4 2/4 T f i 24 Z 2% Z5 i ii) 6 ATTORNEY United States Patent fiiice 3,020,911 P n d Feb 1. 196.

- Filed May 24, 1960; Ser. No. 31,413

3'Qlain1s. or. 128 141 The present invention relates to useful breathing devices and in'particular those which minimize the amount of 'or' eliminate residual remaining in such devices after the completion ofthef breathing cycle by the user. Examplesof such devices areur'iderwater, firefighting, aviator, miner, 'dust, chemically protective and other breathing systeinsj In breathing equipment one of the problems which has not heretofore been solved relates to the presence of residual air." At the end of the breathing cycle, which consists of an inhalation of presumably fresh air and an exhalation of air containing waste products, there is left in the breathing systems employed upto the present a great deal of such a'ir' containing wastes. Such air is here referred to as residual air. Aside fromthe wastes (such as CO in residual air, it contains water vapor which creates tidal yision or tidal blindness, i.e., periodically (with breathing cycles) obliterating vision by depositing a translucen't'layer over a mask lens or over the users eyeglasses.

Again, the'conventional mask, by making it necessary to keep the mouth within the mask, prevents audio communication.

It a primary object of the present invention to minimize, if not completely exclude the presence of residual air in the input branches'of a breathing system and wherever necessary to permit audio communication.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means to so minimize residual air without introducing complex or expensive devices. i

The above and other aims may be achieved in the preferred embodiment of the present invention by means of employing with a face mask or a mask covering only the eyes and( or nose, which may be used with a source of gas for breathing either under pressure or at atmospheric pressure and filtered and not filtered, a mouthpiece consisting of an arrangement adapted to be engaged by the mouth of the user, which incorporates an inlet opening to the interior of the mask to introduce air or oxygen or other gaseous mixture for breathing thereto, an in-opening check valve in the input system proximate the mouthpiece opening and in communication with the interior of said mask and an out-opening check valve similarly proximate said mouthpiece opening in the output branch of said system, said mouthpiece opening being outside said mask.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the present invention may be had by referring to the following detailed description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates preferred embodiments thereof, it being understood that the foregoing statement of the objects of the invention and the brief summary thereof is intended to generally explain the same without limiting it in any manner.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view partially in section of a mask adapted to cover the eyes and nose of the user, incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a nose mask.

FIG. 3 is a view of a valve incorporated in the mouthpiece of said mask.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the mouthpiece of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1, the same comprises a mask which may be used as a swimming mask or as a mask for land use, adapted to cover the eyes and nose of the user, consisting of a lens around which there is a metal rim '9 securing to said lens a r'earwardly extending'fiexible flange 11 adapted to corn tact the face of theuse'r in water-sealing relationship, to which maskthere is afiixed and through which mask there extends an air-input tube 12 in communication with the mask at inlet 8, said tube 12 being connected to a source of fresh air or oxygen. Said source of fresh air or oxygen may consist of a snorkel tube "which is in communication with the atmosphere, or it may be a tube which in turn is in communication with a tank of compressed oxygen or air or other breathing atmosphere through a step-down measuring valve, all of which is niot shown.

l Positioned outside the mask so as to be engageable by the mouth of the user is a mouth-engagement rnember or mouthpiece 14 described more fully below, in communica iion with a common tube 15 which in turn is in communication with a closely positioned inwardly opening checkvalve 16, which in turn is in communication with the interior of said mask. Common tube 15 is also closely proximate to and in communication with an outwardly opening exhaust check-valve 17, which in turn is in communication with output tube 13. Valve '16 is preferably placed at the lowest point in the mask when the user is in swimming position so that water withinthe mask may be sucked inward into the tube and expelled through the output tube 13. i i i Hence it will be seen that water or other undesirable liqui dfor gas which enters common tube 15 upon the expiration portion of the breathing cycle will be forced through check-valve 16 and expelled through tube 13 In the ordinary breathing cycle the user may either breathe inwardthrough his mouth, in which case air travels from'the interior of the mask through valve 16 into com m 'on tubelS, 'and then into the mouth, or may breathe through his nose, in which event the iairpasses directly from the' interior of the mask into the respiratory system of the user. Upon expiration through the users mouth, valve 16 of course remains closed and valve 17"opens,'air being forced beyond valve 17 through output tube 13. It will be seen that by the arrangement of valve 16 and 17 the residual air which remains in the underwater breathing system described is only that amount which exists in common tube 15 between valves 16 and 17. For purposes of clarity the valves have been shown as relatively widely separated. In practice the valves may be positioned within one inch of each other so that at most perhaps a cubic inch or less will remain in the breathing system. The users mouth does not enter the mask, and so long as the user employs the mask properly by not exhaling, through his nose, there will be no residual air in the mask. Extending rearwardly from flange 11 on either side are tabs 20 in which are formed slots 21 to provide means for engaging a head strap (not shown). The valves 16 and 17 may be of the type shown in FIG. 3 consisting of a rigid wheel-like frame 18 through the center of which extends a rivet 19 which secures a resilient diaphragm 20 against the spokes of frame 18. The mouth-engaging portions may be incorporated into a flexible tube (not shown) or connected to the common tube by a swivel arrangement so that the user may readily turn the said portions aside and free his mouth for audio communication. A user may be readily trained to breathe through his nose While so communicating.

'In such swivel arrangement is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, wherein it may be observed that mouth-engagement member 14 is integral with a sleeve 33 which has an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of tube 15 and is mounted inside of said tube so as to make a gas-sealing contact with the walls thereof, tube 15 having a slot 32 formed therein through which member 14 extends, said slot being of greater extent than the width of member 14 so as to permit the member to be laterally displaced without disturbing the gas seal. The upper and lower edges 31 of sleeve 33 are enlarged and enter corresponding grooves 34 in the walls of tube 15 to provide guide means for the rotation of said sleeve.

The mouthpiece when used for chemically-protective purposes, as a dust mask or by firemen, miners and others on land, may be employed with a mask which substitutes goggles (i.e. single lenses for each eye) for the single lens of the underwater form described above. When used by aviators, the eye covering may be omitted entirely and there may be employed only a nose covering with or without an integral mouthpiece.

Such a nose mask is shown in FIG. 2 comprising a rearwardly extending flange 22 of resilient material adapted to make a gas-sealing contact with the wearers face. There is integrally connected to said flange a front portion 23 in which is formed an inlet connected to a forwardly extending air-input tube 24 which may have an air-filter 25 positioned therein. As in the case of the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1, there is provided a mouth-engaging member 26 which is in communication through a common tube 27 with the interior of the nose mask through an outlet 28 in which there is positioned an inwardly opening check-valve 29. Said common tube may have across an outlet formed therein distal relative said mouth-engaging member an outwardly opening exhaust check-valve 30.

in obvious fashion the mask of FIG. 3 is employed similarly to the mask of FIG. 1 and possesses the same advantages.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial Number 839,987 (which in turn was a continuation in part of my application Serial Number 814,735) both now abandoned.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous variations may be employed without transcending the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a face mask dimensioned to enclose at least a users nostrils and having a transparent window, said mask further having a first opening defining an inlet for oxygen containing gas and a second opening,

a mouthpiece and valve housing assembly of very large cross-section and short longitudinal extent so as to impose minimum resistance to the flow of gas therethrough while containing a minimum volume, said mouthpiece having a short length and large diameter and said valve housing having a first large aperture opening into said mouthpiece, said valve housing further having a second large aperture immediately adjacent to said first large aperture and opening externally of said housing and a third large aperture in said housing immediately adjacent to said second large aperture and communicating with said opening of the mask, and check valves of maximum diameter in said second and third apertures of said housing, said check valve in said second aperture opening outwardly of said housing and said check valve in said third aperture opening inwardly of the housing to permit flow through said third aperture only in the direction from said mask into said housing and to permit flow through said second aperture only in the direction from the interior of the housing to atmosphere, whereby the user may breathe with maximum ease and rapidity by inhaling oxygen containing gas from the nostril enclosing mask and by exhaling from the mouth only through said second aperture of the valve housing, with a minimum amount of the exhalation being retained in said housing and with freedom from fogging of said transparent window.

2 The combination as in claim 1; wherein said valve housing is in the form of a short, relatively large diameter tube, and said valve housing includes a circumferentially elongated slot in the wall of said tube; and wherein said mouthpiece projects radially through said slot and is integral with a sleeve turnable in said tube to permit lateral swinging movement of said mouthpiece relative to said ,valve housing.

3. The combination as in claim 2; wherein said sleeve has external rims extending around the opposite ends thereof and said tube has annular grooves receiving said rims to provide water-tight seals between said sleeve and

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