Full-Face Diving Mask with Flexible Skirt and Nose Cutout
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional snorkeling masks have limited field of view, poorly fit different face contours leading to water leakage, and restrict nasal breathing, making it difficult to equalize pressure during diving.
Innovation Solution
A full-face snorkel and diving mask with a streamlined design, featuring a fused unitary body, flexible annular skirt, and integrated snorkel coupling, allowing both nasal and mouth breathing, with a drainage valve and flexible inserts for pressure equalization and improved sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional snorkeling mask with a fixed-shape silicon frame is used, then the mask structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it does not match different face contours causing water leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the skirt flexible and adaptable to different face contours. The skirt is designed to be deformable rather than rigid, allowing it to conform to various face shapes. This dynamic adaptation ensures reliable sealing without requiring multiple fixed-size masks, resolving the contradiction between sealing performance and structural simplicity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional snorkel device with a breathing tube fitting in the mouth is used, then the device structure is simple, but the diver can only breathe through the mouth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the universality principle by designing the mask to support multiple breathing modes. The mask structure integrates both nasal and oral breathing capabilities, allowing users to breathe through either or both pathways. This multi-functional design enhances adaptability without significantly complicating the overall structure, as the nasal passage integration is achieved through the faceplate design rather than separate components.
3Ease of operation
If the lower portion of the mask is entirely enclosed behind the rigid faceplate, then the mask structure is simple and provides good sealing, but the user is unable to pinch his nose to clear his ears
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the segmentation principle by dividing the faceplate structure to create an opening in the lower portion. This segmentation allows access to the nasal passage for pressure equalization while maintaining the overall sealed environment of the mask. The opening is strategically positioned to enable nose pinching and ear clearing operations without compromising the sealing integrity of the mask's main structure.
4Area of stationary object
If conventional snorkeling masks with separate face mask and snorkel device are used, then the components are simple and easy to manufacture, but they offer a limited field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the merging principle by integrating the face mask and snorkel device into a single unified full-face mask structure. This combination eliminates the need for separate components and provides a larger overall viewing area by incorporating transparent panels that cover the entire face including the nasal and oral regions. The merged structure maintains manufacturing simplicity while significantly expanding the field of view compared to traditional separate-component designs.
Data Source
AI summary
A diving mask system is disclosed comprising a faceplate having a lateral partition on an interior surface delineating an upper and lower section, the lower section comprising a region that extends away from the upper section and includes at least one cutout section fitted with a complementary-shaped flexible insert that enables a user to grasp the nose. The faceplate further includes a flexible tubular insert defining a passageway extending through the faceplate to a lower chamber. The tubular insert has a distal end dimensioned to fit and seal onto the mouthpiece receiver tube of a conventional second stage scuba regulator permitting the mask to be scuba enabled. A quick-release clasp mechanism attached to the mask's elastic retention straps is also disclosed.