Mask and manufacturing device thereof

Abstract

To provide a mask capable of maintaining a joined state of ear strings and having good skin touch.SOLUTION: A mask comprises: a mask body having a length along the longitudinal direction and a length along the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; an edge tape which is disposed so as to cover the end portion of the mask body in the longitudinal direction, is joined to the mask body, and is cut in a curved shape in the four corners of the mask body; an ear strap which is disposed on the outer side in the longitudinal direction of the edge tape; and a pair of upper and lower ear strap adhesion parts which extend to the end portions in the longitudinal direction of the edge tape, and join the ear strap and the edge tape together.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mask and a mask manufacturing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, disposable masks have become known in which ear straps or the like are attached to a mask body made of laminated nonwoven fabric or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-2483 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A mask is a sanitary article that covers the mouth of the wearer and is in contact with the wearer's face for a long time. In addition, the mask has elastic ear straps at the longitudinal ends, which are strongly pressed against the skin by the biasing force of the ear straps, and may cause rough skin. Although it is possible to improve the feel against the skin by using a soft material near the longitudinal ends of the mask, if the longitudinal ends are soft, it may become difficult to maintain a proper wearing state or the ear straps may come off.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a mask that can maintain the attached state of ear straps and that feels good against the skin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A mask according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a mask body having a length along a longitudinal direction and a length along a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, edge tapes arranged to cover the longitudinal ends of the mask body and joined to the mask body, and cut in a curved shape at the four corners of the mask body, ear straps arranged on the outside of the edge tape in the longitudinal direction, and a pair of upper and lower ear strap adhesive portions extending to the longitudinal ends of the edge tape and adhering the ear straps to the edge tape. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a mask can be provided that can maintain the attached state of the ear straps and that feels comfortable against the skin. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a mask according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mask according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a longitudinal end portion of the mask according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a temporary adhesive portion of a mask according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a cutter provided in a mask manufacturing apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram for manufacturing a mask according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A mask and a mask manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a mask according to an embodiment. FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the mask 1. When the mask 1 is worn by a wearer (hereinafter, abbreviated as "worn state"), the mask 1 has a left-right direction that corresponds to the left-right direction of the wearer, and a width direction that is perpendicular to the left-right direction. The width direction corresponds to the top and bottom of the wearer. The mask 1 has a length along the left-right direction and a width along the width direction that is perpendicular to the left-right direction. When the mask 1 is worn, the side facing the wearer's skin (the inner side when worn) is the skin-facing side, and the side opposite the skin-facing side (the outer side when worn) is the non-skin-facing side. Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin-facing side and the non-skin-facing side is the thickness direction. In addition, a view from the thickness direction is a plan view.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mask 1 has a mask body 2, ear straps 3, 4, edge tapes 5, 6, and a nose fitter 7. More specifically, the mask body 2 is formed in a state where several layers of sheet-like breathable material are laminated, and has a size that can cover the mouth and nose of the wearer. The ear straps 3, 4 are formed of a string-like elastic material. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the edge tapes 5, 6 are attached to both ends of the skin side and non-skin side of the mask body 2 in the left and right direction. Then, the edge tapes 5, 6 attached to the skin side of the mask body 2 and the ends of the ear straps 3, 4 are heat-welded, so that the ear straps 3, 4 form annular loops on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the welding areas 15, 16 of the edge tapes 5, 6 to which the ends of the ear straps 3, 4 are heat-welded are designed to be wider than the areas of the other edge tapes 5, 6.

[0012] The string-like elastic material constituting the ear straps 3, 4 is formed, for example, from a woven band of rubber thread and cotton, a woven net of resin filaments, elastic nonwoven fabric, etc. Both ends of such string-like material are heat-welded to the welding areas 15, 16 of the edge tapes 5, 6 on the left and right sides of the skin-facing side of the mask body 2 as shown in Fig. 2, thereby forming the ear straps 3, 4 in a loop shape on the left and right sides of the mask body 2, with one end of the material as the starting point and the other end of the material as the ending point.

[0013] The mask body 2 is made of various sheets such as breathable nonwoven fabrics, and is a laminate of multiple sheets. The multiple sheets are ultrasonically welded (ultrasonic sealed) to each other at welding parts 9U, 9D, 9L, and 9R near the top, bottom, left, and right edges in FIG. 2. Note that thermal welding using an embossing roll may be used instead of ultrasonic welding. Alternatively, various joining techniques such as sewing with sewing thread, adhesion with hot melt adhesive, heat sealing, and the like may be applied. When the sheets constituting the mask body 2 are made of a thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene, it is preferable to bond them by thermal welding.

[0014] The mask body 2 is formed with pleats 8 extending in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, four pleats are formed. The pleats 8 are maintained by preventing their deployment by the edge tapes 5, 6 at the ends on both the left and right sides. Therefore, when the mask 1 is not worn, the mask body 2 can be made flat and not bulky. On the other hand, when the mask 1 is worn, the mask body 2 is stretched in the vertical direction to deploy the pleats 8. The mask body 2 becomes a dome-shaped three-dimensional shape that bulges toward the non-skin side by spreading the pleats 8. This forms a space between the mask body 2 and the wearer's mouth, making it easier for the wearer to breathe.

[0015] The nose fitter 7 is a member fixed to the mask body 2 in an upper portion of the mask body 2 with its longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction of the mask body 2. The nose fitter 7 is fixed to the mask body 2 in a state where it is sandwiched between the sheet-like breathable materials that constitute the mask body 2. Alternatively, the nose fitter 7 may be fixed to the surface of the mask body 2. The nose fitter 7 is made of a plastically deformable material that has a strength sufficient to be deformed into an appropriate shape when pressed by the wearer's finger, and maintains its shape even when released from the pressure. By providing such a nose fitter 7 on the upper portion of the mask body 2 in Figs. 1 and 2, the wearer can close the gap between the nose and the mask body 2. can.

[0016] In the mask 1 according to this embodiment, the four corners of the mask body 2 are cut off and rounded. The ear straps 3, 4 are arranged near the four corners of the rectangular mask body 2, which tend to dig into the wearer's skin. In the mask according to this embodiment, the four corners of the mask body 2 are rounded, which prevents the mask, which is biased at the four corners by the ear straps 3, 4, from digging into the wearer's skin. This also improves the aesthetics of the entire mask 1.

[0017] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the longitudinal end of the mask according to the embodiment. In FIG. 3, the upper left corner of the non-skin-facing side of the mask is enlarged, but the structure of the end is almost the same for all four corners. Edge tapes 5 and 6 are wound around the longitudinal end of the mask body 2. By disposing the edge tapes 5 and 6 on the longitudinal end of the mask 1, it is possible to prevent the longitudinal end of the mask body 2 from directly digging into the skin surface of the wearer. In addition, the four corners of the mask body 2 are rounded, and the processing lines are curved lines C.

[0018] The edge tapes 5, 6 and the mask body 2 are joined by thermal welding at the embossed portion 12. Furthermore, the ear straps 3, 4 and the edge tapes 5, 6 are made of materials that can be welded to each other, and are welded and joined by a pair of upper and lower ear strap adhesive portions 13 provided at both ends of the width direction of the edge tapes 5, 6. The ear strap adhesive portions 13 are made of a lattice-like linear welding portion in which the vertical component is larger than the horizontal component when worn. In other words, the ear strap adhesive portions 13 have a shape in which diamond-shaped lattices made of welding lines are combined and aligned in a diagonal lattice shape.

[0019] The longitudinal end of the mask 1 where the ear strap adhesive parts 13 are arranged is easily brought into contact with the wearer's skin surface by the biasing force of the ear straps 3 and 4. The grid forming the ear strap adhesive parts 13 is not a square or rectangle parallel to the longitudinal and width directions, but is formed into a diamond shape by combining obliquely arranged welding lines in an oblique grid shape so that the vertical component is larger than the horizontal component, so that the angle at which each welding line comes into contact with the skin surface becomes shallow. In addition, since the grid is formed alternately when viewed from the width direction, the ear strap adhesive parts 13 do not bend in the width direction and do not cause a strong sense of discomfort to the wearer's skin surface.

[0020] The ear strap adhesive portion 13 extends not only near the ear straps 3 and 4 but also to both ends of the edge tapes 5 and 6 in the width direction. The ear strap adhesive portion 13 is arranged wider than the ear straps 3 and 4. The filter sheet on which the mask body 2 is laminated is charged, so that it is easy for the ear straps 3 and 4 to be misaligned in the conveying system due to static electricity. Even if the adhesion position of the ear straps 3 and 4 to the mask body 2 is not as designed, the ear straps 3 and 4 can be attached by making the range of the ear strap adhesive portion 13 sufficiently wider than the ear straps 3 and 4, and defects can be suppressed. In addition, by providing the ear strap adhesive portion 13 widely even in the part where the ear straps are not present, it is possible to prevent the ear straps from coming off and losing their function as a mask when the mask 1 is taken out of the packaging container or while being worn.

[0021] In the manufacturing process, the edge tapes 5, 6 are formed to protrude somewhat from the width direction end of the mask body 2. The ear strap adhesive parts 13 are formed on the protruding parts of the edge tapes 5, 6, and then the protruding parts are cut off, so that the formed area includes the ends of the edge tapes 5, 6. By forming them in this manner, the ear strap adhesive parts 13 are arranged up to the vertical ends of the edge tapes 5, 6 when worn. At the vertical ends when worn, a part of the edge tapes 5, 6 is solidified due to the arrangement of the ear strap adhesive parts 13, making it easy to cut with a blade, and therefore easy to round.

[0022] The ear strap adhesive portion 13 is in contact with the inner edge of the edge tapes 5 and 6 in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2. and is positioned offset so as not to come into contact with the other edge of the edge tapes 5, 6 on the outer longitudinal edge of the mask body 2. The longitudinal end of the mask body 2 comes into relatively strong contact with the skin due to the biasing force of the ear straps 3, 4, but by not providing any welding parts including the ear strap adhesive parts 13 in this portion, it is possible to improve the contact with the skin and reduce the discomfort felt by the wearer.

[0023] Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the temporary adhesive portion of the mask according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the longitudinal end of the mask body 2 before the edge tapes 5, 6 are covered and welded by the embossed portion 12. The mask body 2 has pleats 8 formed by a plurality of folds extending in the longitudinal direction. An embossed portion 14, which is a temporary adhesive portion, is disposed at the longitudinal end of the mask body 2 by thermal welding. By welding the longitudinal end by the embossed portion 14, the folds of the pleats 8 are fixed, and the pleat formation state can be maintained.

[0024] In the mask of this embodiment, edge tapes 5, 6 are placed over the longitudinal ends of the mask body 2 in this state and welded to the mask body 2 by embossed sections 12, and then ear straps 3, 4 are placed and fixed by ear strap adhesive sections 13. However, it is also possible to place the ear straps 3, 4 without placing the edge tapes 5, 6, and form the ear strap adhesive sections 13 to produce the mask 1.

[0025] In the area where the ear strap adhesive part 13 is provided, the embossed part 14 and the ear strap adhesive part 13 overlap only a small portion of each other, but the overlapping area is small, so it can be said that they do not substantially overlap. By not substantially overlapping the embossed part 14 and the ear strap adhesive part 13, it is possible to prevent the ear strap adhesive part 13 from forming a further hardened part.

[0026] The mask 1 according to this embodiment has a relatively large ear strap adhesive part 13 that has a shape that does not cause discomfort to the wearer so that the ear straps 3, 4 can be maintained in an attached state even if the attachment positions of the ear straps 3, 4 are slightly misaligned. If the ear strap adhesive part 13 and the embossed part 14 overlap, there is a risk that the solidified overlapping part will cause discomfort on the skin. For this reason, it is preferable that the ear strap adhesive part 13 and the embossed part 14 are not overlapped, or the overlapping area is minimized so that they are not overlapped substantially.

[0027] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a cutter provided in a mask manufacturing device. In the mask 1 according to this embodiment, the edge tapes 5 and 6 are wound so as to protrude from the width direction end of the mask body 2 in the production process. The ear strap adhesive parts 13 are also formed on the protruding parts of the edge tapes 5 and 6. In this state, the protruding parts formed on the four corners are cut by the cutter 17 so as to draw a curve, so that the mask 1 is rounded along the curve C, and the mask 1 whose ends do not easily dig into the skin surface can be manufactured.

[0028] The ear strap adhesive parts 13 contact the inner edge of the edge tapes 5, 6 in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2, but do not contact the outer edge of the mask body 2 in the longitudinal direction in order to maintain the feel of the mask 1 against the skin and to prevent the outer edge from digging into the wearer's skin. Therefore, the inner edge of the edge tapes 5, 6 in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2 is solidified by the ear strap adhesive parts 13, while the outer edge of the mask body 2 in the longitudinal direction is not solidified, so that the wearer does not feel uncomfortable even when the edge tapes 5, 6 are strongly pressed against the skin by the ear straps 3, 4.

[0029] In this embodiment, the cutter 17 is positioned so that the blade enters obliquely from the inner edge of the edge tapes 5, 6 in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2. The inner edge of the edge tapes 5, 6 in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2 is solidified due to the presence of the ear strap adhesive parts 13, making it easy for the blade to enter smoothly. On the other hand, the outer edge of the mask body 2 in the longitudinal direction does not have the ear strap adhesive parts 13, making it difficult for the blade to enter accurately.

[0030] The blade of the cutter 17 enters the edge tapes 5 and 6 from the inner side edge in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2. By doing so, the blade can be inserted into the solidified ear strap adhesive portion 13, so cutting can be started without error. Once the blade of the cutter 17 has entered and cut along the curve C to a certain extent at the ear strap adhesive portion 13, cutting can be continued even in areas where it is difficult to insert the blade correctly, such as the outer edge in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2. This makes it less likely that defects due to cutting failure will occur, which is preferable. In this figure, a chisel-like cutter with a bent blade is used for cutting, but the shape of the cutter is not limited to this, and it may be a punch-like cutter with a part of the blade protruding at the cutting start point.

[0031] 6 is a flow chart for manufacturing a mask according to the embodiment. First, sheets are laminated to form a mask body 2 in which a nose fitter is arranged as necessary (step S101). Pleats 8 are formed in the mask body 2, and embossed portions 14 for fixing the pleats 8 may be arranged in parallel with the width direction at the longitudinal end portions. The mask body 2 may be a three-dimensional or fish-shaped mask without pleats.

[0032] Next, edge tapes 5, 6 are wrapped around the longitudinal ends of the mask body 2 and welded to the mask body 2 by the embossed portions 12 (step S102). By wrapping the edge tapes 5, 6, the mask body 2 is reinforced and the feel of the longitudinal ends is improved. If the edge tapes 5, 6 are not provided, this step can be omitted. Next, the ear straps are placed on the edge tapes 5, 6 (step S103). If the edge tapes 5, 6 are not provided, the ear straps 3, 4 are placed on the longitudinal outer sides of the mask body 2.

[0033] Next, ear strap adhesive parts 13 are formed by combining welding lines in a diagonal diamond lattice pattern so as to abut the longitudinal inner edges of edge tapes 5, 6, and ear straps 3, 4 are fixed to mask 1 (step S104). When edge tapes 5, 6 are not provided, ear strap adhesive parts 13 are formed directly on mask body 2 to fix ear straps. In this case, too, it is preferable that ear strap adhesive parts 13 are not formed on longitudinal outer edges of mask body 2 in terms of skin contact.

[0034] Next, the blade is applied in a curved line from the inner edge of the edge tapes 5, 6 in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2 to the outer edge in the longitudinal direction at the four corners of the mask 1 (step S105). By applying the blade from the part solidified by the ear strap adhesive parts 13, accurate cutting becomes easy. If the edge tapes 5, 6 are not provided, it is preferable to apply the blade from near the inner edge in the longitudinal direction of the ear strap adhesive parts 13. Finally, the blade is applied to the outer edge in the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2 to cut the four corners of the mask 1 (step S106). By applying a rounding process to cut the four corners of the mask 1 in a curved line, it is possible to provide a mask that is aesthetically pleasing and comfortable against the skin.

[0035] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the contents of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the ear strap adhesive part 13 may be in a form in which diamond-shaped embossed welding surfaces are alternately arranged at short intervals. In this case, a diagonal lattice-shaped unwelded part is formed around the diamond-shaped embossed welding surface. In this form, the welding surface of the ear strap adhesive part 13 can be increased, so that the ear straps 3 and 4 can be more strongly fixed to the mask 1. In addition, since the welding surface is wider, cutting the four corners is easier, which is preferable.

[0036] The features included in each of the embodiments and applications disclosed above can be combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1. Mask 2. Mask body 3, 4: Ear straps 5, 6 Edge tape 7. Nose fitter 8. Pleats 9U, 9D, 9L, 9R...Welded parts 12, 14 Embossed section 13... Ear strap adhesive part 15, 16...welding area 17. Cutter C··Curve

Claims

1. A mask body having a length along a longitudinal direction and a length along a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; an edge tape arranged to cover the end portion of the mask body in the longitudinal direction and joined to the mask body, the edge tape being cut in a curved shape at each of the four corners of the mask body; An ear strap arranged on the outer side of the edge tape in the longitudinal direction; A pair of upper and lower ear strap adhesive portions extending to the longitudinal end of the edge tape and adhering the ear strap and the edge tape; Prepare a mask.

2. The ear strap adhesive portion is formed by combining welding lines in a diagonal lattice pattern, The longitudinal component of the weld line is greater than the transverse component. The mask of claim 1 .

3. The mask body has pleats formed by a plurality of folds extending in the longitudinal direction, A temporary adhesive portion for fixing the pleats is formed at the end portion of the mask body in the longitudinal direction, The temporary adhesive portion does not overlap with the ear strap adhesive portion.

3. The mask according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The ear strap adhesive portion is disposed offset so as to contact the edge of the edge tape on the side of the mask body, and is not in contact with the longitudinal end of the mask body.

3. The mask according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A mask body having a length along a longitudinal direction and a length along a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; an edge tape arranged to cover the end of the mask body in the longitudinal direction and joined to the mask body; An ear strap arranged on the outer side of the edge tape in the longitudinal direction; A pair of upper and lower ear strap adhesive portions extending to the longitudinal end of the edge tape and adhering the ear strap and the edge tape; A mask manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a mask in which the edge tape is cut in a curved shape at four corners of the mask body, comprising: The blade of a cutter for cutting the edge tape into the curved shape is configured to enter from the inside of the mask body in the longitudinal direction. Mask manufacturing equipment.

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