Mask

Abstract

There is disclosed a mask (1) which includes a filter portion (2) that is formed of an air-permeable sheet material and covers at least a nose and a mouth in wearing; a substantially annular face-contacting body (3) that is joined to the filter portion (2), and is in contact with at least a vicinity of the nose and a vicinity of the mouth on a face in wearing; and a hook string (4) to be hooked around either a head or an ear so that the filter portion (2) and the face-contacting body (3) are worn to the face. Here, a protrusion portion (8d) is arranged at least at a part of the face-contacting body (3) to be in contact with at least a vicinity of the nose on the face in wearing to the face and press the filter portion (2) to form a three-dimensional shape allowing the filter portion (2) to conform to unevenness of the face.

Description

mask

[0001] The present invention relates to a mask suitable for use in various applications, such as a dust mask or a medical mask.

[0002] Conventionally, various masks are required to prevent external harmful substances and viruses from being inhaled through the wearer's nose or mouth, and to prevent droplets contained in the wearer's exhaled breath from scattering to the outside. For this reason, it is desirable for the peripheral portion of each mask or the vicinity of the peripheral portion to fit tightly around the wearer's mouth and nose with as little gap as possible. Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known as inventions for fitting various masks tightly around the wearer's mouth and nose.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a mask that has a ring-shaped member that forms a ring inside a cup-shaped filter section, and a tab-shaped portion created by providing a cutout at the top of the ring-shaped member that can be folded back toward the face of the mask wearer.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes a mask having a configuration in which a nose piece with plastic deformability is provided along the upper edge of a mask body of a predetermined shape, and a flexible and resilient sheet-like breath-blocking material is joined to the mask body near the nose piece, and the free end portion of the breath-blocking material is folded inward to fit the face due to its resilience.

[0005] Patent Document 3 describes a mask that includes a main body portion that includes a pleated filter portion and a face-contact cloth that is pressed against the filter portion, and a holding portion that is attached to the main body portion and holds the main body portion so as to cover the lower part of the wearer's face.

[0006] JP 2005-160499 A JP 2015-181751 A JP 2016-216835 A

[0007] However, the mask described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a band-shaped flap provided above the filter portion is folded back in the direction opposite to the face of the mask wearer (outward) so that the flap abuts against the wearer's nose or upper part of the face, while the mask described in Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which a band-shaped nose piece attached to the upper part of the mask body is folded back in the direction toward the wearer's face (inward) so that the flap abuts against the wearer's nose or upper part of the face.

[0008] Furthermore, the flap in Patent Document 1 is a thin member with a small end surface area, so the contact area between the flap and the wearer's face is extremely narrow. Furthermore, due to differences in the prominence of the cheeks and nose of the wearer's face, the end surface of the flap in Patent Document 1 makes line contact with the wearer's cheeks, and the folded surface makes surface contact with the nose, making it easy for gaps to form between the face and the mask at the boundary between the line contact area and the surface contact area.

[0009] Furthermore, the mask described in Patent Document 2 has a short nose piece and a small overall nose piece area. When in use, only a strip-shaped surface of the nose piece, approximately 10 mm long, contacts the wearer's face. Furthermore, the end of the nose piece is a free, unfixed end that is easily movable, making it difficult to press the nose piece firmly against the wearer's nose. Therefore, the masks described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot be firmly pressed against the wearer's face, particularly the area that contacts the nose and the vicinity of the nose, to ensure a tight seal. This makes the contact pressure and contact state at the nose and the vicinity of the nose unstable. Therefore, the masks described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the problem of easily forming gaps between the mask and the wearer's face.

[0010] Furthermore, in Cited Document 3, there is a face cloth that is intended to fit closely to the wearer's face, but this face cloth is flat and does not fit easily to the unevenness of the wearer's face when worn, particularly the nose area, which has a large protrusion, so there is a problem that gaps are likely to form between the mask and the wearer's face in areas with large unevenness, such as the nose area.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a mask that can ensure good adhesion to the wearer's face.

[0012] In order to achieve this objective, the present invention is characterized by comprising a filter section made of a breathable sheet material that covers at least the nose and mouth when worn, a substantially annular face contact body made of an elastic material that is joined to the filter section and that comes into contact with at least the areas around the nose and mouth when worn, and a string that is looped around either the head or ears to attach the filter section and face contact body to the face, and at least a part of the face contact body is provided with a protrusion that comes into contact with at least the area around the nose when worn on the face and presses against the filter section, forming the filter section into a three-dimensional shape that conforms to the contours of the face.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the face contact body is provided with a protruding piece portion having a protruding piece shape that protrudes from above to below, and at least a portion of the protruding piece portion is bent to form a three-dimensional shape to form the protrusion portion.

[0014] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a notch is formed in the protruding piece portion in a direction that narrows the width of the protrusion, and the protruding piece portion is configured to be bent based on the notch portion to form the protrusion portion.

[0015] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the filter unit and / or the face contact body are provided with a nose clip that is formed in a band shape and is arranged along the approximately horizontal direction of the face in a position that contacts the nose when the face contact body is attached, and the band is bent into an approximately V shape to maintain the filter unit and / or the face contact body bent to fit the shape of the nose, and a pair of protrusions are provided on both sides of the nose position, and the nose clip is configured so that each of its two end portions is located above the respective positions of the pair of protrusions.

[0016] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the joining position between the upper side of the hanging string and the filter part and / or the face contact body is approximately the same in the vertical direction as the position where the nose clip is disposed.

[0017] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, an extension portion is formed on the underside of the face contact body, extending downward from the face contact body, and the underside of the hanging string is joined to the filter portion at the extension portion.

[0018] In the mask according to the present invention, at least a portion of the elastic face contact body is provided with protrusions that abut against at least the nose area of ​​the face when the mask is worn and press against the filter, forming the filter into a three-dimensional shape that conforms to the contours of the face. This allows the face contact body to elastically deform when the wearer wears the mask, causing the filter to form and maintain a three-dimensional shape that conforms to the contours of the face. Furthermore, by abutting and elastically deforming at least the nose area of ​​the face, the three-dimensional protrusions fit closely to a large area of ​​the wearer's nose, preventing gaps from forming between the mask and the contours of the nose area. This ensures a good fit to the wearer's face.

[0019] Furthermore, the mask according to the present invention is provided with a protruding piece portion having a protruding piece shape that protrudes downward from above, and at least a portion of the protruding piece portion is bent to form a three-dimensional shape, thereby enabling the three-dimensional protruding piece portion to be formed from a plate-shaped member. Therefore, the protruding piece portion can be formed from a general-purpose plate-shaped fabric or material. Furthermore, the protruding piece can be made plate-shaped to reduce the mask's bulk when not in use. This makes it possible to easily manufacture a mask that can ensure good adhesion to the wearer's face using general-purpose fabrics or materials, and also allows the mask to be reduced in bulk when not in use.

[0020] Furthermore, in the mask of the present invention, the protruding piece portion is bent based on a cutout portion formed in a direction that narrows the width of the protrusion to form a protrusion, which makes it easy to determine the bending position of the protruding piece portion and to bend it, making it easier to form the usable shape of the mask and increasing the convenience of using the mask.

[0021] Furthermore, the mask according to the present invention is provided with a nose clip that maintains the filter and / or face contact body bent to conform to the shape of the nose. Therefore, by bending the nose clip into a V-shape, the area around the mask corresponding to the wearer's nose can be easily shaped to conform to the contours of the nose and maintain that shape. This further improves the fit between the filter and face contact body and the area around the wearer's nose. Furthermore, a pair of protrusions are provided on both sides of the nose, and the nose clip is configured so that each end is positioned above the corresponding protrusion. Therefore, simply by bending the nose clip into a V-shape, the protrusions can be easily pressed against the wearer's nose and maintained in that state. Therefore, simply by bending the nose clip, the protrusions can be elastically deformed and maintained in close contact with the wearer's nose. This further improves the fit between the protrusions and the area around the wearer's nose. This makes it possible to provide a mask that ensures a good fit to the wearer's face with a simple wearing procedure.

[0022] Furthermore, in the mask according to the present invention, the joining position between the upper side of the hanging string and the filter and / or face contact body is approximately the same in the vertical direction as the position where the nose clip is disposed, so that the pulling force in the left-right direction on the upper side of the hanging string acts as a pressing force on the nose clip towards the face, further improving the fit between the protrusion and the area around the wearer's nose, thereby ensuring good fit to the wearer's face.

[0023] Furthermore, in the mask according to the present invention, the underside of the face contact body is formed with an extension section that extends downward beyond the face contact body, and the lower side of the hanging string is joined to the filter section at the extension section, so that the tensile force in the left-right direction on the underside of the hanging string acts as a pressing force on the face of the face contact body towards the face, further improving the fit between the protrusions and the areas around the wearer's nose and mouth, thereby ensuring a good fit to the wearer's face.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state of the filter section and facepiece when the mask of the embodiment is worn; Fig. 4 is a side view showing the state in which the mask of the embodiment is worn by a wearer; Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a variation of the facepiece of the present invention; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing part B in Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state in which the filter section and facepiece when the mask of the embodiment is worn by a wearer; Fig. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a variation of the facepiece of the present invention;

[0025] A mask according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0026] 1 and 2, the mask 1 of this embodiment is a so-called pleated nonwoven mask used primarily for purposes such as preventing the inhalation of particles such as hay fever and dust, and preventing the dispersion of droplets contained in the wearer's breath. However, the mask 1 of this embodiment may also be used as a nonwoven mask without pleats, or as a mask 1 used for various purposes such as preventing colds or for medical purposes.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the mask 1 of this embodiment includes a filter portion 2, a face contact body 3 that contacts the wearer's face, and a pair of left and right hanging strings 4 that are respectively fastened to the left and right ears of the wearer.

[0028] The filter portion 2 is made of a breathable sheet material, such as a nonwoven fabric, that is breathable and can prevent the passage of particles such as pollen and dust, or particles such as droplets contained in the wearer's breath. As shown in Figure 2, the filter portion 2 is generally rectangular in overall front view, but has a protrusion 6 that protrudes upward in a generally arc shape around the upper left-right center. By providing the protrusion 6, the portion of the mask 1 that corresponds to the wearer's nose contacts the nose at a position with as little protrusion as possible, preventing gaps from occurring and preventing the upper side of the mask 1 from covering the wearer's eyes, ensuring a good wearing condition.

[0029] 2, the filter unit 2 is formed to have a length in the left-right direction of approximately 155 mm, a length in the up-down direction of each of the two sides of approximately 110 mm, and a length in the up-down direction of the protruding portion 6 of approximately 10 mm. However, the dimensions are not limited to these and any size may be used as long as the size allows for good adhesion to the wearer's face during use and provides dustproofing and splashproofing functions.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 2, the filter unit 2 has a plurality of pleats extending in the left-right direction. Specifically, two upper pleats 5a, which are folded upward in a mountain-like fashion, are formed above the center of the filter unit 2 in the up-down direction, and two lower pleats 5b, which are folded downward in a mountain-like fashion, are formed below the center of the filter unit 2 in the up-down direction. The depth of the upper pleats 5a and the lower pleats 5b is, for example, approximately 7 mm. However, the depth, number of pleats, left-right length, and vertical direction of the pleats of the upper pleats 5a and the lower pleats 5b may be any value as long as they can form a three-dimensional shape that conforms to the wearer's face when worn and provide a comfortable wearing state.

[0031] 4, the filter unit 2 is laminated in, for example, four layers, stacked in the following order from outside to inside: a pre-filter 2a that adsorbs moisture and filters out large dust particles with thick fibers to improve the appearance; main filters 2b and 2c that filter out fine dust particles with thin fibers; and a water-absorbing filter 2d that mainly absorbs moisture from the wearer's breath. When the filter unit 2 has a three-layer structure, the main filters 2b and 2c have a single-layer structure consisting of only the main filter 2b. The material of the filter unit 2 is not particularly limited, as long as it is soft and bendable, can take in the wearer's inhaled air and expel exhaled air, and can function as a filter that filters the inhaled and exhaled air and removes external pollen.

[0032] The face contact body 3 is formed by punching out an elastically deformable flat plate material as shown in Figure 1. The face contact body 3 is made of a non-breathable foamed resin material, such as a foamed polyethylene sheet or a foamed polyvinyl alcohol sheet, to which nonwoven fabric or pulp is attached.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 2, the face contact unit 3 has an outer periphery that is generally pentagonal when viewed from the front, with both left and right ends generally vertical, the lower portion generally horizontal, and the upper portion having an upwardly convex mountain shape. When viewed from the front as shown in Fig. 2, the face contact unit 3 is formed, for example, with a left-right length of approximately 150 mm, both sides having a vertical length of approximately 80 mm, and the upper mountain-shaped portion having a vertical length of approximately 30 mm. However, these dimensions are not limited to these and any size may be used as long as the size provides good contact with the wearer's face during use, provides a good fit, and provides dustproof and splashproof functions.

[0034] The face contact body 3 has an annular portion 7 formed in a substantially annular shape with an opening formed in the approximate center when viewed from the front. Specifically, the annular portion 7 has side annular portions 7a, 7a with openings formed on both left and right sides, a central annular portion 7b with an opening formed in the center in the left and right direction, and a connecting portion 7c with openings formed in such a way that each side annular portion 7a and the central annular portion 7b are connected.

[0035] The side annular portions 7a, 7a are formed in a roughly fan-shaped configuration, for example, with a vertical dimension of approximately 40 mm and a horizontal dimension of approximately 20 mm, which accommodates the protuberances of the wearer's cheeks when worn, and the central annular portion 7b is formed in a roughly triangular configuration, for example, with a vertical dimension of approximately 60 mm and a lower horizontal dimension of approximately 50 mm, which accommodates the protuberances of the wearer's nose and mouth when worn.

[0036] The lower ends of the side annular portions 7a, 7a are formed to be located approximately 10 mm below the lower end of the central annular portion 7b (the hook portion 23 described later), making it difficult for the mask 1 to slip due to movement of the wearer's mouth. However, as long as each function can be appropriately performed, the dimensions of the side annular portions 7a, 7a and the central annular portion 7b formed with an opening in the center in the left-right direction are not limited to those described above and may be any size.

[0037] The peripheral edge 7d of the annular portion 7 is joined to the peripheral edge of the filter portion 2 by a fixing means such as welding or adhesive. That is, only the peripheral edge 7d of the annular portion 7 is joined to the peripheral edge of the filter portion 2, and the other portions of the face contact body 3 are not joined but are simply overlapped, so that the face contact body 3 can be separated from the filter portion 2.

[0038] The annular portion 7 of the face contact body 3 has a pair of upper pieces 8, 8 protruding from the upper side as a "projecting piece" and a "protrusion," and a pair of lower pieces 9, 9 protruding from the lower side.

[0039] The upper pieces 8 are formed in a strip shape and protrude downward. In this embodiment, the vertical length of the left-right center of the upper pieces 8 is, for example, approximately 35 mm, and the horizontal length of the lower end is, for example, approximately 30 mm, which are lengths that increase the contact area with the nose and the frictional force, making the mask less likely to slip when worn. Furthermore, a vertical slit 8a is cut out on the outer left-right side of each upper piece 8. This vertical slit 8a is, for example, approximately 10 mm long, and is provided to correspond to the bending portion when the upper pieces 8 form the protrusions 8d.

[0040] A pair of first horizontal slits 8b, 8b as "cutout portions" and a pair of second horizontal slits 8c, 8c as "cutout portions" are cut out along the left-right direction in the approximate center of the upper piece 8 in the up-down direction. The first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c, 8c are, for example, about 10 mm long and function to facilitate the formation of a protrusion 8d (described below) by bending the upper piece 8. The dimensions of the vertical slit 8a, the first horizontal slit 8b, and the second horizontal slit 8c are not limited to those described above as long as they perform their respective functions.

[0041] The lower end of the central annular portion 7b of the face contact body 3 forms a hook portion 23 for hooking the wearer's chin. A pair of lower pieces 9, 9 provided on both sides of the hook portion 23 are formed in a roughly band-like shape and protrude upward. The lower pieces 9, 9 are, for example, approximately 20 mm in the vertical direction and approximately 12 mm in the horizontal direction, and fit closely to both sides of the wearer's mouth when worn. The upper ends of the lower pieces 9, 9 face the vicinity of the lower ends of the upper pieces 8, 8.

[0042] Below the lower end of the face contact body 3, an extension 10 is formed by extending the lower side of the filter section 2 downward. This extension 10 is formed to have a vertical size of, for example, approximately 10 mm. When worn, the extension 10 fits closely to the lower part of the wearer's face, providing a good fit and preventing external particles such as pollen and dust from entering the mask and particles such as droplets contained in the wearer's breath from escaping to the outside. The dimensions of the extension 10 are not limited to the above dimensions as long as it properly performs its function.

[0043] A strip-shaped nose clip 11 is disposed in the center of the upper left-right direction (approximately horizontal direction) of the mask 1, sandwiched between the filter part 2 and the face contact body 3. This nose clip 11 is made of a highly rigid material, such as oriented polyethylene, that can maintain its shape when folded.

[0044] The nose clips 11 are formed with a longitudinal length of, for example, approximately 50 mm or less, preferably approximately 40 mm. The nose clips 11 are arranged symmetrically in the left-right center of the face contact unit 3, midway between an imaginary horizontal line connecting the upper ends of both sides of the face contact unit and the upper end of the face contact unit 3, which is the apex of the upper mountain-shaped portion; specifically, approximately 15 mm from the upper end of the face contact unit 3, with their longitudinal directions aligned with the left-right direction of the mask 1. When worn, the nose clips 11 are folded to conform to the shape of the wearer's nose, bringing the filter unit 2 and the face contact unit 3 into close contact with the wearer's nose. The dimensions of the nose clips 11 are not limited to those mentioned above, as long as they function properly.

[0045] A pair of left and right hanging cords 4 are joined to both sides of the filter part 2. The hanging cords 4 are each formed flat from an elastically stretchable rubber cord, and are formed to a length that allows the mask 1 to be worn while fitting it to the wearer's face, for example, a length of 200 mm. However, the length of the hanging cords 4 may be longer or shorter than the aforementioned length. The pair of left and right hanging cords 4 may also be formed from a known elastic material such as nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, or plastic film.

[0046] The upper end 4a of each hanging cord 4 is joined to the filter part 2 at a position approximately equal to the vertical height of the nose clip 11, and the other lower end 4b is joined to the end of the extension part 10. The position of the end 4a of the hanging cord 4 may be slightly offset from the vertical height of the nose clip 11, as long as it is a position that allows an appropriate pressing force to be applied to the nose clip 11 toward the face when worn.

[0047] Next, the method of use and the function of the mask 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0048] The mask 1 is in a flat state by folding the upper pleats 5a and the lower pleats 5b, so that the mask 1 does not take up much space when packed, making transportation and storage extremely easy.

[0049] When the mask 1 is worn on the wearer's face, the upper pieces 8 are folded outward (toward the filter section 2) at the positions of the first horizontal slits 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c. After folding, the pair of upper pieces 8 are formed as a pair of protrusions 8d that are generally triangular in side view. The protrusions 8d are formed near both ends of the nose clip 11.

[0050] In this state, the face contact part 3 of the mask 1 is placed against the wearer's face, and the nose clip 11 is bent into a roughly V-shape along the nose protrusion, with the apex at the roughly center in the left-right direction. As a result, the nose clip 11 and its surroundings on the mask 1 are positioned relative to the wearer's nose and its surroundings, as shown schematically in Fig. 5. In particular, the pair of protrusions 8d, 8d formed near both ends of the nose clip 11 are pressed toward the wearer's nose as the nose clip deforms, elastically deforming, and are fixed in close contact with both sides of the wearer's nose, as shown schematically in Fig. 6.

[0051] Here, the protrusions 8d, 8d have a three-dimensional, roughly triangular shape in side view, as shown by the imaginary lines in Figure 3. Therefore, the elastic force is greater than when the flat upper piece 8 is left as is. The resilience of the protrusions 8d, 8d when pressed against the wearer's nose is greater than when the upper piece 8 is pressed against the wearer's nose as is. Therefore, the protrusions 8d, 8d elastically deform to conform to the shape of the protruding part of the wearer's nose and fit the wearer's nose, thereby highly reliably preventing the occurrence of a gap between the mask 1 and the wearer's nose.

[0052] Furthermore, as shown schematically in Figure 5, the protrusions 8d, 8d protrude outward, thereby pushing the filter part 2 around the nose outward, thereby forming a space between the filter part 2 and the areas around the wearer's nose and mouth.

[0053] In this state, the pair of left and right strings 4 are looped around the wearer's ears. Next, the wearer holds both sides of the mask 1 in their hands and spreads them out horizontally, and also holds the upper and lower ends and spreads them out vertically to adjust the shape.

[0054] Then, the elasticity of the string 4 presses the mask 1 toward the wearer's face, and the mask 1 is worn in a state where it fits snugly around the wearer's face, as shown schematically in FIG.

[0055] Specifically, the wearer's nose and mouth are positioned inside the central annular portion 7b of the face contact body 3 of the mask 1, and the wearer's cheeks are positioned inside the side annular portions 7a, 7a. The nose is then sandwiched and fixed between the pair of protrusions 8d, 8d. The lower pieces 9, 9 elastically deform to conform to the three-dimensional shape of the area around the wearer's mouth, thereby being fixed near the mouth.

[0056] Furthermore, the tension of the string 4 acts to press the nose clip 11, located between the ends 4a of the string 4, toward the wearer's face, thereby firmly securing the filter section 2 and face contact body 3 around the nose clip 11 in a state where they fit around the wearer's face, as shown schematically in Figure 6. This allows the positioning of the area around the wearer's nose to be maintained when the mask 1 is in use. Furthermore, the tension of the string 4 acts to press the nose clip 11 toward the wearer's face, elastically deforming the protrusions 8d to fit around the wearer's nose, further firmly securing the protrusions 8d in close contact with both sides of the wearer's nose. This prevents a gap from forming between the mask 1 and the wearer's nose when the mask 1 is in use, which could allow external particles such as pollen and dust to enter the mask, or particles such as droplets contained in the wearer's breath to leak out.

[0057] 5, when the protrusions 8d are in close contact with both sides of the wearer's nose, the protrusions 8d press the filter part 2 around the wearer's nose outward. By forming a space between the wearer's nose and mouth and the filter part 2, it is possible to prevent the filter part 2 from sticking to the wearer's nose or mouth when the wearer breathes while wearing the mask. This prevents the wearer from feeling short of breath.

[0058] Furthermore, the tension of the hanging cord 4 acts as a force to press the extension 10 of the filter unit 2, located between the other ends 4b, 4b of the hanging cord 4, toward the wearer's face, so that the filter unit 2 at the lower end of the mask 1, including the extension 10, is firmly fixed in a state where it fits around the wearer's face, as shown schematically in Figure 6. This prevents a gap from forming between the bottom of the mask 1 and the wearer's chin when the mask 1 is in use, which could allow external particles such as pollen and dust to enter the mask, or particles such as droplets contained in the wearer's breath to leak out.

[0059] Furthermore, in this state, the upper pleats 5a and lower pleats 5b of the filter portion 2 of the mask 1 expand, and the filter portion 2 conforms to the contours of the wearer's face, allowing the wearer to use the mask 1 with a comfortable fit and preventing the inflow of external particles such as pollen and dust into the mask and the leakage of droplets and other particles contained in the wearer's breath to the outside.

[0060] Furthermore, after use, the wearer removes the strings 4 from the ears, unfolds the projections 8d at the positions of the first horizontal slits 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c to return the mask to its flat upper piece 8, and returns the nose clip 11 from its approximate V-shape to a flat plate, returning the upper pleats 9a and lower pleats 9a to their folded state. This allows the mask 1 to return to a flat shape that can be stored and accommodated without taking up too much space.

[0061] As described above, in this embodiment, at least a portion of the elastic face contact body 3 is provided with the protrusions 8d, 8d that abut against at least the nose area of ​​the face when the mask is worn and press against the filter 2, forming the filter 2 into a three-dimensional shape that conforms to the contours of the face. This allows the face contact body 3 to elastically deform when the wearer wears the mask 1, resulting in the filter 2 forming and maintaining a three-dimensional shape that conforms to the contours of the face. Furthermore, as the protrusions 8d, 8d abut against at least the nose area of ​​the face and elastically deform, the three-dimensional protrusions 8d, 8d fit closely to a large area of ​​the nose area of ​​the mask 1, preventing the formation of a gap between the nose area, which has large contours, and the mask 1. This ensures a good fit to the wearer's face.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper pieces 8, 8 are provided with protruding pieces projecting downward, and at least a portion of the upper pieces 8, 8 is bent to form a three-dimensional shape to form the protrusions 8d, 8d. This allows the three-dimensional protrusions 8d, 8d to be formed from the upper pieces 8, 8 made of plate-like members. Therefore, the protrusions 8d, 8d can be formed from a general-purpose plate-like fabric or material. Furthermore, the protrusions 8d, 8d can be made into the plate-like upper pieces 8, 8 to reduce the bulk of the mask 1 when not in use. This allows the mask 1 to be easily manufactured using a general-purpose fabric or material, ensuring a good fit to the wearer's face, and also allowing it to be reduced in bulk when not in use. Furthermore, by bending the upper pieces 8, 8 to form the protrusions 8d, 8d, the protrusions 8d, 8d push the filter portion 2 around the nose outward, creating a space between the filter portion 2 and the areas around the nose and mouth. This reduces the resistance to airflow when the wearer breathes, reducing the wearer's feeling of breathlessness.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, the upper piece portions 8, 8 are bent based on the first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c, 8c, which are formed in a direction that narrows the width of the protrusion, to form protrusion portions 8d, 8d, which makes it easier to determine the bending position of the upper piece portions 8, 8 and to bend them, making it easier to form the usable shape of the mask 1 and increasing the convenience of using the mask 1.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the nose clip 11 is provided to maintain the filter portion 2 and / or the face contact body 3 bent to conform to the shape of the nose. Therefore, by bending the nose clip 11 into a V-shape, the area around the wearer's nose can be easily shaped to conform to the contours of the nose and maintain that shape. This further improves the fit between the filter portion 2 and the face contact body 3 and the area around the wearer's nose. Furthermore, the pair of protrusions 8d are provided on both sides of the nose, and the nose clip 11 is configured so that each end is positioned above the corresponding protrusions 8d. Therefore, simply by bending the nose clip 11 into a V-shape, the protrusions 8d can be easily pressed against the wearer's nose and maintained in that state. Therefore, simply by bending the nose clip, the protrusions 8d are elastically deformed by pressing them against the area around the wearer's nose, maintaining the protrusions 8d in close contact with the wearer's nose. This further improves the fit between the protrusions 8d, 8d and the area around the wearer's nose. This makes it possible to provide a mask 1 that ensures good fit to the wearer's face with a simple wearing procedure. In addition, in this embodiment, the joining position of the upper end 4a of the hanging string 4 and the filter unit 2 and / or the face contact body 3 is approximately the same in the vertical direction as the position of the nose clip 11, so that the tensile force in the left-right direction of the upper end 4a of the hanging string 4 acts as a pressing force on the nose clip 11 toward the face, further improving the fit between the protrusions 8d, 8d and the area around the wearer's nose. This ensures good fit to the wearer's face.

[0065] In this embodiment, an extension 10 is formed on the underside of the face contact unit 3, extending downward below the face contact unit 3, and the other end 4b of the lower side of the hanging cord 4 is joined to the filter unit 2 at the extension 10, so that the tensile force in the left-right direction on the other end 4b of the lower side of the hanging cord 4 acts as a pressing force on the face contact unit 3 towards the face, further improving the fit between the protrusions 8d, 8d and the areas around the wearer's nose and mouth. This ensures good fit to the wearer's face.

[0066] In this embodiment, the entire upper piece 8 is configured to form the protrusion 8d, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the protrusion 8d may be formed by bending only a part of the upper piece 8, for example, only the upper end side, only the lower end side, or only the inside of the upper piece 8. Furthermore, it is not necessary for both of the pair of upper pieces 8, 8 to be formed as the protrusion 8d, 8d, and only one of the pair of upper pieces 8, 8 may be formed as the protrusion 8d.

[0067] Furthermore, although the protrusion shape of the protrusion 8d in this embodiment is generally triangular in side view, this is not limited thereto and may be any shape, such as generally V-shaped, generally U-shaped, generally W-shaped, or generally U-shaped in side view. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the protrusion 8d is formed by bending the upper piece 8 at the positions of the first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c, 8c, but this is not limited thereto and the protrusion 8d may be formed by fixing a part of the upper piece 8 to another part of the filter part 2 or to a fixing part (not shown) provided on the face contact body 3. Furthermore, the protrusion 8d is not limited to being formed by bending the upper piece 8 and may be formed in a protrusion shape in advance.

[0068] The protrusions 8d, 8d of this embodiment can also be formed by folding the upper pieces 8, 8 in the opposite direction to the above-described case. For example, the upper pieces 8, 8 are folded inward (so that the folds face the wearer's face) at the positions of the first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c, 8c. After folding, the ends (which were the lower ends before folding) are inserted into the folds of the upper pleats 9a of the filter unit 2 to fix the folded shape. In this way, the pair of upper pieces 8, 8 are formed as a pair of protrusions 8d, 8d that are generally V-shaped in side view. By inserting and fixing the ends of the upper pieces 8, 8 into the folds of the upper pleats 9a and lower pleats 9a in this way, the amount of outward bulging of the filter unit 2 due to the outward pressure of the protrusions 8d, 8d can be reduced.

[0069] Furthermore, instead of or together with the protrusion 8d of this embodiment, a protrusion (not shown) for the purpose of improving adhesion to the face when worn may be provided on one or both of the lower pieces 9, or on any part of the face contact body 3 other than the upper piece 8 or lower piece 9.

[0070] Alternatively, the lower piece 9 may be partially or entirely folded over to abut the wearer's face, thereby allowing the lower piece 9 to abut the wearer's face with strong contact pressure and high adhesion, thereby improving the fit and airtightness of the mask 1 around the chin and its vicinity. In this case, the lower piece 9 may be folded toward the wearer's face (inward) or toward the filter (outward). Similarly to the upper piece 8 of this embodiment, the lower piece 9 may be folded multiple times to form a protrusion (not shown) that abuts the wearer's face. In this case, the protrusion (not shown) may have any shape in side view, such as a substantially V-shape, a substantially triangular shape, a substantially U-shape, or a substantially U-shape. Furthermore, the lower piece 9 may be provided with a structure to facilitate folding, similar to the vertical slit 8a, first horizontal slits 8b, 8b, and second horizontal slits 8c, 8c of the upper piece 8 of this embodiment.

[0071] In addition, in this embodiment, a pair of first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and a pair of second horizontal slits 8c, 8c are provided in a portion of the upper piece 8 to facilitate folding when forming the protrusion 8d. However, any configuration other than the first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c, 8c may be provided as a configuration for facilitating folding. For example, a hinge portion or a hole may be formed in place of one or both of the first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c, 8c, or a crease may be formed in advance. Furthermore, the number of first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the pair of second horizontal slits 8c, 8c is not limited to one pair each, and may be one or three or more. Furthermore, only one of the first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c, 8c may be provided as a configuration for folding the upper piece 8.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a vertical slit 8a is provided in the upper piece 8 so that it can be bent above the side annular portion 7a to form the protrusion 88d, but it may also be configured so that the protrusion 88d is formed by bending something that does not have this vertical slit 8a.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper piece 8 as a "protruding piece" is configured to protrude downward beyond the side annular portion 7a, but the "protruding piece" does not need to protrude more than the other components in appearance, and may be of any configuration as long as it can be processed by bending or the like to form a "protrusion." For example, as shown in the conceptual diagram of the face contact body 3 in Figure 7, the "protruding piece" may be a piece 8e that forms part of the annular portion 7, and whose end appears to be on an extension of the end of an adjacent component, but is configured so that a protrusion (not shown in Figure 7) can be formed by bending the part inside the vertical slit 8a along the first horizontal slits 8b, 8b and the second horizontal slits 8c, 8c.

[0074] In addition, in this embodiment, a pair of strings 4 are attached to the left and right ears of the wearer, respectively, but this is not limited to this, and it may be one string each on the top and bottom that are wrapped around the wearer's head.

[0075] In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which two upper pleats 5a and two lower pleats 5b are formed in the vertical direction of the filter unit 2, but this is not limited thereto, and one upper pleat 5a and one lower pleat 5b may be formed, or only one set of wide mountain folds and valley folds may be formed near the center of the filter unit 2. Furthermore, a configuration in which only upper pleats 5a are formed on the upper side of the filter unit 2, or a configuration in which only lower pleats 5b are formed on the lower side of the filter unit 2, may be used. Furthermore, both the upper pleats 5a and the lower pleats 5b may be pleats that protrude upward, or both may be pleats that protrude downward. Furthermore, a configuration in which multiple upper pleats 5a protrude upward and pleats that protrude downward may be used, or a configuration in which multiple lower pleats 5b protrude upward and pleats that protrude downward may be used.

[0076] In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the filter section 2 is formed into a substantially rectangular shape and the face contact body 3 is formed into a substantially pentagonal shape, but this is not limiting and the filter section 2 may be formed into any other polygonal shape.

[0077] Furthermore, without being limited to this embodiment, any configuration is acceptable as long as, when the filter part 2 is expanded vertically, the face contact body 3 elastically deforms to follow the vertical movement, and the left and right sides of the face contact body 3 elastically deform to fit closely to the shape of the face.

[0078] The above-described embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0079] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Mask 2...Filter portion 3...Face contact body 4...Hanging cord 4a...One end 4b...Other end 7...Side portion 7a...Straight side portion 7b...Sloped side portion 8...Upper piece portion (projecting piece portion, protruding portion) 8b...First horizontal slit (cutout portion) 8c...Second horizontal slit (cutout portion) 8d...Protruding portion 8e...Piece portion (projecting piece portion) 10...Extension portion 11...Nose clip

Claims

1. A mask comprising: a filter section made of a breathable sheet material that covers at least the nose and mouth when worn; a roughly annular face contact body made of an elastic material that is joined to the filter section and that comes into contact with at least the nose and mouth areas of the face when worn; and a string that is looped around either the head or ears to attach the filter section and face contact body to the face, wherein at least a part of the face contact body is provided with protrusions that come into contact with at least the nose area of ​​the face when worn and press against the filter section, forming the filter section into a three-dimensional shape that conforms to the contours of the face.

2. The mask according to claim 1, characterized in that the face contact body is provided with a protruding piece portion that projects downward from above, and at least a portion of the protruding piece portion is bent to form a three-dimensional shape to form the protrusion portion.

3. The mask according to claim 2, characterized in that the protruding piece has a notch formed in a direction that narrows the width of the protrusion, and the protruding piece is configured to be bent based on the notch to form the protrusion.

4. A mask as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the filter section and / or the face contact body are provided with a nose clip which is formed in a band shape and is arranged along the approximate horizontal direction of the face in a position that contacts the nose when worn on the face, the band being bent into an approximate V shape to maintain the filter section and / or the face contact body bent to conform to the shape of the nose, and the protrusions are provided in pairs on both sides of the nose position, and the nose clip is configured so that each of its two end portions is located above the respective positions of the pair of protrusions.

5. The mask according to claim 4, characterized in that the joining position between the upper side of the hanging string and the filter part and / or the face contact body is approximately the same in the vertical direction as the position where the nose clip is arranged.

6. A mask as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that an extension part is formed on the underside of the face contact body, extending downward from the face contact body, and the underside of the hanging string is joined to the filter part at the extension part.