JP7577302B2 - Mask Support - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mask support that supports the inside of a mask that covers the mouth of the human body.

Many masks that cover the area around the mouth of the human body have been provided for protection against viruses, hay fever, and the like. There are flat, pleated, three-dimensional, and other types of masks, but when wearing a mask, the area around the mouth is covered by the mask, reducing breathability and making it difficult to breathe, and with flat or pleated masks, the mask can cling to the lips, which can be uncomfortable, especially when talking.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a mask support device that can be attached to the face inside a flat mask to create space between the mask and the mouth and nose, preventing the mask from touching the lips.

Registered Utility Model Publication No. 3226969

However, the mask support device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is composed of an annular frame that fits the face and a support frame that is roughly hemispherical and protrudes outward from the annular frame, and when worn, the entire annular frame fits tightly around the mouth.

In this way, if the entire annular frame is in constant contact with the face, the wearer's face is constantly pressed down at the contact points with the annular frame while wearing the mask, which places a heavy burden on the wearer, causing sweating and causing makeup to come off over a wide area. In addition, even after the mask support is removed, marks from the annular frame remain at the contact points.

The present invention was made in consideration of these issues, and aims to provide a mask support device that can significantly reduce the burden on the face when wearing the mask.

The mask support of the present invention for solving the above problems is a mask support that is placed on the inside of a mask that covers the mouth and ensures an internal space when the mask is worn, and comprises an outer frame having an upper side, a left side, a right side and a lower side, and an inner frame that is placed on the inside of the outer frame and connects and reinforces predetermined locations of the outer frame, and the upper side, the left side, the right side and the lower side that constitute the outer frame are curved in such a way that a central portion protrudes toward the front side, and the four corners of the outer frame protrude toward the face side and are contact convex portions that come into contact with the face of a wearer, and the upper side of the outer frame the left side, the right side and the bottom side are thin strip-shaped, the outer edge is folded back toward the front, and the face side is formed into a smooth curved surface, the top side and the bottom side are curved so as to protrude further toward the front than the left side and the right side, the inner frame is a cross frame having a vertical side connecting the top side and the bottom side and a horizontal side connecting the left side and the right side, the vertical side is approximately straight and the horizontal side is curved with a middle portion protruding toward the front, and the outer edge frame and the inner frame are integrally formed by injection molding from an elastically deformable synthetic resin .

When the mask support of the present invention is worn, the contact protrusions of the outer frame come into contact with the face, reducing the contact area between the mask support and the skin and greatly reducing the burden of wearing the mask support.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mask support according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a mask support according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a mask support according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a mask support according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the mask support according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a wearing state of the mask support according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, we will explain a mask support 1 that is placed inside a sanitary mask 5 made of nonwoven fabric that covers the area around the mouth when the sanitary mask 5 is worn, and ensures an internal space for the sanitary mask 5 when worn.

The mask support 1 has a symmetrical frame structure with an outer edge frame 10 and a cross frame 30 installed inside the outer edge frame 10. The outer edge frame 10 and the cross frame 30 are integrally formed by injection molding from a synthetic resin material.

The outer edge frame 10 is generally square-shaped when viewed from the front as shown in FIG. 2, and has an upper side 11, a left side 12, a right side 13, and a lower side 14. Each side 11, 12, 13, and 14 is a narrow strip extending to a predetermined thickness. This outer edge frame 10 is worn on the face so that the wearer's mouth is positioned approximately in the center of the outer edge frame 10.

The outer edge frame 10 is curved so that the center portion of each side 11, 12, 13, 14 protrudes toward the front side (outside), with the upper side 11 curved so that its center portion protrudes toward the front side in a plan view (see Figure 3), the left side 12 and right side 13 curved so that their center portions protrude toward the front side in a side view (see Figure 5), and the lower side 14 curved so that its center portion protrudes toward the front side in a bottom view (see Figure 4).

The upper edge 11 is positioned around the nose when worn and accommodates the nose inside, so it protrudes the most out of the four edges and is curved roughly in a U-shape in plan view. The lower edge 14 is the part that comes into contact with the chin below the mouth when worn, protrudes the second most out of the four edges and is curved roughly in an arc when viewed from the bottom. The left edge 12 and right edge 13 are curved roughly in an arc when viewed from the side, and the radius of the arc is greater than that of the lower edge 14, and the protruding length is shorter than that of the lower edge 14.

In this way, the outer edge frame 10 has four sides 11, 12, 13, 14 all curved so that their center portions protrude toward the front, and the four corners (the connection portions between the sides 11, 12, 13, 14) protrude toward the face (inside) to form contact protrusions 15. When the mask support 1 is worn on the face together with the sanitary mask 5, the contact protrusions 15 at the four corners of the outer edge frame 10 primarily come into contact with the face.

The cross frame 30 connects and reinforces the outer edge frame 10 at specified locations, and has a vertical side 31 that extends vertically at the left-right center of the outer edge frame 10, and a horizontal side 35 that extends horizontally at the up-down center of the outer edge frame 10 and intersects perpendicularly with the vertical side 31. The vertical side 31 and the horizontal side 35 are strip-shaped and extend to a specified thickness.

The upper end of the vertical side 31 is connected to the center of the upper side 11, and the lower end is connected to the center of the lower side 14. The left end of the horizontal side 35 is connected to the center of the left side 12, and the right end is connected to the center of the right side 13.

The vertical side 31 is substantially straight and has a front ridge 33 that protrudes from its front surface. The front ridge 33 is formed over substantially the entire lower half of the vertical side 31, from the intersection of the cross frame 30 to the connection with the bottom side 14. The horizontal side 35 is curved in a substantially arc shape so that its central portion in the left-right direction protrudes toward the front.

The upper edge 11 of the outer edge frame 10 protrudes farther toward the front than the lower edge 14, so that the vertical edge 31 extends at an angle so that the upper end protrudes toward the front and the lower end recedes toward the face when viewed from the side when worn.

In this way, by configuring the upper side 11 and the lower side 14 to protrude further toward the front side than the left side 12 and the right side 13, and by making the vertical side 31 approximately straight and the horizontal side 35 approximately arc-shaped and convex toward the front side, the internal space surrounded by the mask support 1 is not approximately spherical but is approximately semi-cylindrical extending vertically, and a large internal space can be ensured.

The outer edge of each side 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the outer edge frame 10 is formed with an outer folded curved surface portion 20, which is a smoothly curved surface folded back on the front side of the outer edge, and a smooth R surface (curved surface) is formed on the face side (inside) of the outer edge frame 10. As a result, when the face side (inside) of the outer edge frame 10 comes into contact with the face when wearing the mask, this R surface comes into contact with the skin. In other words, the contact surface of the outer edge frame 10 has a soft feel that puts less strain on the skin, and the strain on the wearer when wearing the mask support 1 can be greatly reduced.

The arc portions of the sides 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the outer frame 10 and the vertical and horizontal sides 31 and 35 of the cross frame 30 are not of a single radius of curvature, but are arc curves in which arcs of multiple radii of curvature are combined in a connected manner, in other words, arc curves in which arcs of multiple radii are combined. As mentioned above, the vertical side 31 is generally linear, but is made up of a combination of arcs with large radii of curvature, so that it is generally linear.

In this way, by making each side 11, 12, 13, 14, 31, 35 of the frame structure of the mask support 1 a line combining arcs with multiple radii of curvature, gaps are more likely to form between each side 11, 12, 13, 14, 31, 35 of the mask support 1 that contacts the inner surface of the sanitary mask 5 and the inner surface of the sanitary mask 5 compared to a case where an arc with a single radius of curvature or a single straight line is used, and the contact area between the mask support 1 and the sanitary mask 5 is reduced, thereby preventing a decrease in the breathability of the sanitary mask 5 due to the mask support 1 contacting the inner surface of the sanitary mask 5.

The mask support 1 is made of an elastomer, which is a polymer with elasticity, and the outer frame 10 and the cross frame 30 are elastically deformed when an external force is applied through contact or the like. For example, a thermoplastic elastomer such as a styrene-based elastomer or an olefin-based elastomer can be used. Of course, as long as the mask support 1, which has a frame structure, is made of a material that allows elastic deformation, a synthetic resin material other than a thermoplastic elastomer can be used as appropriate.

In this way, by constructing the mask support 1 with a frame structure using an elastically deformable member, when the mask support 1 is placed inside the sanitary mask 5 in contact with the face, the outer edge frame 10 and the cross frame 30 deform as they come into contact with the face, so no strong force is applied to the facial skin, greatly reducing the burden on the wearer when wearing the mask.

In addition, because the mask support 1 can be deformed as needed when worn, it can be worn to fit a variety of face shapes. Even if the wearer talks while wearing the mask and the mouth becomes deformed, the mask support 1 can follow and deform to match the deformation of the face, and by always maintaining an appropriate wearing state, the burden of wearing the mask can be greatly reduced.

The surface of the mask support 1 is textured, giving it a matte finish with numerous projections and recesses. The texture can be achieved by forming fine projections and recesses on the surface of the mold when injection molding the mask support 1 using an etching process or blasting process.

In this way, the surface of the mask support 1 is matte and the contact surface of the contact protrusion 15 that comes into contact with the skin when worn is matte, so the mask support 1 feels rough when it touches the skin and the contact area is small. This prevents the mask support 1 from sticking to sweaty skin or feeling sticky, and greatly reduces the discomfort caused by wearing the mask support 1.

The thickness of each of the band-shaped sides 11, 12, 13, and 14 of the outer edge frame 10 of the mask support 1 is 1.6 mm, and the thickness of each of the band-shaped sides 31 and 35 of the cross frame 30 is 1 mm. The thickness gradually changes at the boundary between the outer edge frame 10 and the cross frame 30.

The configuration of the mask support device 1 has been described above. Next, how to use the mask support device 1 will be described (see FIG. 8). When wearing the mask support device 1 together with the sanitary mask 5 on the face, place the mask support device 1 with the front side down on the center of the sanitary mask 5 that is spread out with the inside side up, and then wear the mask support device 1 and the sanitary mask 5 together on the face.

When the mask strings 6 on both sides of the sanitary mask 5 are hung around the ears, the sanitary mask 5 is worn covering the area around the mouth, and the mask support device 1, which is pressed against the face, is housed inside the mask support device 5 and is also worn on the face. The wearer adjusts the position and posture of the mask support device 1 and the sanitary mask 5 so that the mouth is located near the center of the mask support device 1 and the entire mask support device 1 is covered by the sanitary mask 5 so that it is not visible from the outside.

At this time, the contact protrusions 15 at the four corners of the outer edge frame 10 that protrude inward on the face side of the mask support 1 are in contact with and pressed against the area around the wearer's mouth, and the outer edge frame 10 is elastically deformed so that the four corners expand. Therefore, the parts of the mask support 1 that come into contact with the inner surface of the sanitary mask 5 push the sanitary mask 5 back toward the front.

In this way, the three-dimensional mask support 1 is housed inside the sanitary mask 5, so the mask support 1 ensures an internal space inside the sanitary mask 5. This prevents the wearer from having difficulty moving their lips to speak or from having difficulty breathing due to the sanitary mask 5 coming into direct contact with the mouth.

At this time, it is mainly the contact protrusions 15 at the four corners that come into contact with the face, and the contact area is kept to a minimum, so the increase in wearing burden caused by placing the mask support 1 inside the sanitary mask 5 can be kept to a minimum. In addition, because the contact area is small and a large gap is created between the mask support 1 and the face, the breathability of the internal space of the mask support 1 can also be improved.

In addition, because the mask support 1 has a simple frame structure consisting of the outer edge frame 10 and the cross frame 30, the mask support 1 can be made lightweight, which also reduces the burden of wearing it.

In addition, a front convex rib 33 is formed on the front side of the vertical side 31 of the cross frame 30 that contacts the inner surface of the sanitary mask 5. When worn, a gap is created between the inner surface of the sanitary mask 5 and the mask support 1, reducing the contact area between the sanitary mask 5 and the mask support 1, preventing a decrease in the breathability of the sanitary mask 5.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the shape, size, and material of the members that make up the mask support can be modified as appropriate.

The outer frame is not limited to a square shape when viewed from the front, as long as it is a frame with four sides, but may be a rectangle, trapezoid, or even a rectangle with curved sides. The cross frame is also not limited to a cross shape, and other shapes such as a radial shape or Y shape can be used as appropriate, as long as the frame structure is installed inside the outer frame to reinforce the outer frame and contact the inner surface of the mask to support it.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 mask support 10 outer edge frame 11 upper edge 12 left edge 13 right edge 14 lower edge 15 contact convex portion 20 outer folded curved surface portion 30 cross frame 31 vertical edge 33 front convex stripe 35 horizontal edge 5 sanitary mask 6 mask string

Claims (2)

A mask support that is installed inside a mask that covers the mouth and ensures an internal space when the mask is worn,
an outer frame having a top edge, a left edge, a right edge, and a bottom edge;
An inner frame is installed inside the outer edge frame and connects and reinforces a predetermined location of the outer edge frame,
The upper side, the left side, the right side, and the lower side constituting the outer edge frame are curved such that the center portion protrudes toward the front side, and the four corners of the outer edge frame are contact convex portions that protrude toward the face and come into contact with the wearer's face,
The upper side, the left side, the right side and the lower side of the outer edge frame are in a narrow strip shape, the outer edge is folded back to the front side, and the face side is formed into a smooth curved surface,
The upper side and the lower side are curved so as to protrude further toward the front side than the left side and the right side,
the inner frame is a cross frame having a vertical side connecting the upper side and the lower side and a horizontal side connecting the left side and the right side, the vertical side being substantially straight and the horizontal side being curved such that a central portion of the horizontal side protrudes toward a front side,
A mask support device , wherein the outer frame and the inner frame are integrally formed by injection molding from an elastically deformable synthetic resin . The mask support device according to claim 1, characterized in that the vertical side has a front convex rib formed on the front surface of approximately the entire lower half of the vertical side to form a gap between the inner surface of the mask and the mask support device when worn.

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