Respirator including adjustable strap and method of forming same

Abstract

Various embodiments of a filtering face-piece respirator and a method of forming such respirator are disclosed. The filtering face-piece respirator includes a mask body having a filtering structure and an attachment region disposed on the mask body that includes a connected portion and an aperture disposed in the connected portion. Two or more layers of the filtering structure are connected together to form the connected portion. The filtering face-piece respirator further includes an adjustable strap having a first end and a second end, where the first end of the strap is threaded through the aperture of the attachment region such that the strap is connected to the attachment region. The aperture mechanically retains the strap.

Description

Background technique [0001] Respirators are typically worn on a person's breathing passage in at least one of two situations: (1) to prevent impurities or contaminants from entering the wearer's respiratory system; (2) to protect other persons or objects from exposure to Pathogens and other pollutants exhaled by the wearer. In the first case, the respirator is worn in an environment where the air contains particles that can be harmful to the wearer, such as in an auto body shop. In the second case, respirators are worn in environments where there is a risk of contamination to other people or things, such as in operating rooms or clean rooms. [0002] A variety of respirators have been designed for use in one or both of these situations. Some of these respirators are classified as "filtering masks" because the mask body itself functions as the filtering mechanism. Unlike the use of rubber or elastomer face masks with attachable filter cartridges (see, e.g., U.S. Patent RE39,...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, these respirators cannot be folded flat for storage and transport

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