Reusable Face Mask Frame with Adjustable Straps for Tight Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing supply chains for personal protective equipment (PPE) are inadequate to rapidly increase production during exigent needs, leading to shortages and increased risks of disease transmission due to insufficient manufacturing capacity and inefficient use of available PPE, particularly in healthcare settings.
Innovation Solution
The development of a face mask device with a frame that secures a filter material and straps to create a tight fit around the nose and mouth, enhancing the seal of existing masks and allowing for rapid mass production using readily available materials, thereby improving the fit, comfort, and efficacy of face masks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If existing supply chains for PPE are used, then manufacturing capacity is maintained at normal levels, but production cannot be rapidly increased during exigent needs
Solution Approach 1:
The PPE system is divided into modular components: a reusable frame device and disposable filter materials. This segmentation allows the complex supply chain to be simplified by producing only the simple frame components at existing facilities while the filter materials can be manufactured separately and attached as needed, enabling rapid scaling without overwhelming the entire supply chain.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame device is designed to be universal and compatible with multiple types of filter materials and mask configurations. This multi-functionality allows a single frame design to serve various PPE needs, reducing the number of different components that must be manufactured and managed in the supply chain while maintaining flexibility to respond to different exigent needs.
2Speed
If traditional PPE manufacturing processes are used, then quality control is maintained, but lead times become excessively large during mass utilization
Solution Approach 1:
The frame devices are pre-manufactured and stored in advance at strategic locations before exigent needs arise. When demand surges, these pre-positioned frames can be immediately distributed and combined with filter materials, eliminating the need for time-consuming frame manufacturing during crises and significantly reducing lead times while ensuring reliable PPE availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design separates reusable frames from disposable filter materials. The durable frames can be manufactured once and used repeatedly, while the filter materials are replaced as needed. This approach allows rapid replacement of consumable components without requiring complex remanufacturing processes, thereby increasing production speed and ensuring continuous PPE availability during high-demand periods.
3Manufacturing precision
If existing mask designs are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but fit and seal quality are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The frame device incorporates locally optimized features at critical seal zones around the nose and mouth areas, where precise fitting is most important for preventing unfiltered air leakage. The frame geometry, material properties, and attachment mechanisms are specifically tailored to these high-priority regions, achieving superior seal quality without requiring complex manufacturing throughout the entire mask structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is designed with curved contours that conform to the natural geometry of the human face, particularly around the nose bridge, cheeks, and chin areas. These spherical or curved surfaces enable better contact and sealing against the facial contours, improving fit precision while maintaining simple manufacturing processes through conventional molding techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
Face mask devices, systems, and methods of use include a frame that holds a suitable filter material, including a face mask, over the user's face to form a seal and prevent unfiltered air from being inhaled through the nose or mouth of the user without first passing through the filter material. The frame is removably attached over the users face by, for example, adjustable straps. The frame may be adjustable in size to be suitable for use on user's having different facial sizes, shapes, and/or geometries.