Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62B—DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING
  • A62B18/00—Breathing masks or helmets, e.g. affording protection against chemical agents or for use at high altitudes or incorporating a pump or compressor for reducing the inhalation effort
  • A62B18/04—Gas helmets
  • A62B18/045—Gas helmets with fans for delivering air for breathing mounted in or on the helmet
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D13/00—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches
  • A41D13/05—Professional, industrial or sporting protective garments, e.g. surgeons' gowns or garments protecting against blows or punches protecting only a particular body part
  • A41D13/11—Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres
  • A41D13/1107—Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres characterised by their shape
  • A41D13/1153—Protective face masks, e.g. for surgical use, or for use in foul atmospheres characterised by their shape with a hood

Definitions

• the invention relates to respirators to be used by individuals to prevent or limit the breathing of contaminated atmospheres. More par ⁇ ticularly, the invention relates to the use of a power source to ac- tivate a blower which moves the contaminated atmosphere through a filter or filters and provides a flow of purified atmosphere for the wearer to breath as a positive pressure.
• the invention is a lightweight, low cost and low maintenance respirator that is comfortable to wear, provides higher protection because its sealing technique does not depend upon fitting to faces or heads and also makes use of any readily available AC power or, alternatively, batteries in order to make the use of the device as flexible and convenient as possible.
• the negative pressure respirators available are generally ineffective because of the difficulty of sealing to a large variety of face shapes and sizes. Generally people can find them unsuitable to wear for long l periods.
• the positive pressure devices available are generally heavy, rigid and cumbersome, generally being constructed around bulky and heavy helmets or hoods that may require trailing hoses. Such respirators are generally expensive to purchase and to maintain. ⁇ 5
• the invention claimed and disclosed herein is intended to over ⁇ come the difficulties of existing respirators and to solve problems that exist for people who are exposed to polluted atmospheres. Disclosure of Invention
• a powered filtered air respirator comprising of a non-rigid o headcover, an electric motor and fan unit, and at least one filter.
• the electric motor is connected to an alternating current source or may be powered by a battery.
• Another objective is to provide a l ghtweight, comfortable device, suitable for general use by men and. women, being flexible, light, non- rigid and portable.
• 2c i is another objective to provide a means of connecting to batteries.
• Another objective is to cover the entire head including hair, face, ears and nose so that these are also protected from dirt, dust, fibers, fumes, grit, smoke and so on. Another objective is to cover the entire head so that difficulties associated with sealing against the nose, mouth and face are not en ⁇ countered.
• Another objective is to use tne extensive power available from alternating current sources to overcome the back pressure associated 3c with filters, particularly with gas filters.
• Figure 1 shows one form of the invention. It shows a non-rigid headcover(l) completely covering the wearer's head.
• a breathing tube (2) connec ts the headcover to the filtration assembly (3).
• the electric blower (IT) is located inside the filtration as ⁇ sembly with the filter (14).
• the motor can be powered with electric power through a cord (12) and appropriate plug (13).
• Figure 2 is an alternative form of the invention in which a rigid headcover section (1) protects the user from sharp blows to the head.
• Figure 3 is an alternative form of the invention in which the filtration assembly (4) is in combination with the headcover (1). This arrangement eliminates the need for a breathing tube. Best Mode For Carrying Out the Invention
• Figure 1 shows a fo.rm of the invention comprising of a headcover (1) which completely encloses the user's head. It con ⁇ sists of a fabric top (4), visor (5), and inner liner (7).
• the fabric top (4) can be of a variety of materials depending on durability, costs and application as can the visor and inner liner.
• An elastic neck 2.0 section (6) is used to restrict the airflow leaving the headcover (4), creating a positive pressure inside. This assures that no contamina ⁇ tion can enter inside the headcover (1), where the user is breathing.
• the breathing tube (2) attaches directly to the lower rear of the headcover (1) and consists of a fabric tube (8) with an inner coil 25 expander (9).
• the inner coil expander (9) keeps the fabric tube from bending or flattening restricting the passage of filtered air to the headcover (1).
• the filtration assembly (3) is connected to the breathing tube (2).
• a motor and fan (10) draws air 3o through the filter (14), into the breathing tube (2) and inside the headcover (1).
• the motor and fan (11) is supplied with electric power through a cord (12) and appropriate plug (13).
• Various different power sources can be used being alternating or direct current and either mobile or stationary.
• the filter (14) can be replaceable or reusable and can remove par- ticulates, gases or both. It is attached to, and sealed by, a filter retainer (15) to the filtration casing (10).
• a clip (16) is used to attach the filtration assembly (3) to the user.
• Figure 2 is an alternate form of the invention.
• a fabric headcover section (3) with visor (4) is attached to the rigid headcover section (1). It is basically of the same con- figuration as seen in Figure 1.
• the breathing tube (5) attaches to the lower rear of the fabric headcover section (3), again as is seen in Figure 1.
• An electrical switch (6) can be used to continue or dis ⁇ continue the flow of power to the motor and fan (not shown).
• Solar cells (7) located on the top of the rigid headcover section (1) add electrical power to any mobile power source or act in a recharging fashion when the unit is not in operation.
• FIG 3 is another form of the invention, in which the filtration assembly (4) is in combination with the headcover (1).
• the headcover (1) consists of a fabric top (2), visor (3) and o inner liner (11).
• the motor and fan (6) draw air through the filter (9) and force it directly inside the headcover (1) eliminating the breathing tube (not shown).
• a filter retainer (10) is used to seal the filter (9) to the casing (5).
• Power for the motor and fan (6) is supplied through the use of an electrical cord (7) and appropriate plug (8).
• the widespread appl cability of the invention in industry is ob ⁇ vious. Many occupations involve the exposure or the risk of exposure to potentially harmful atmospheres.
• the invention provides unique and c useful features and benefits, such as low manufacturing cost, high pro ⁇ tection factors, high user comfort and flexibility of design to incor ⁇ porate various power sources, headcover designs and filters.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Pulmonology (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Respiratory Apparatuses And Protective Means (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=23144484

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Families Citing this family (13)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1982
  • 1982-08-26 WO PCT/US1982/001164 patent/WO1983000632A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1982-08-26 EP EP19820903007 patent/EP0086232A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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