Disposable Gas Inhalation Mask With Offset Tube Attachment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Gas inhalation masks, particularly those used in medical settings like oxygen masks, are typically made of plastic, leading to significant plastic waste and environmental burden due to their disposability, and they lack sufficient strength and flexibility.

Innovation Solution

The mask body is constructed from paper, nonwoven fabric, or fabric, with a tube attachment member that allows the tube axis to be oriented away from the face, reducing direct deformation forces and enabling 360-degree rotation, and includes features like covers and bent flow paths to prevent contamination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the mask body is formed of plastic through injection molding, then the mask body has sufficient strength and structural integrity, but the mask body becomes thick and generates large amounts of plastic waste due to disposability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemask body strengthVSAvoidplastic waste

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameter from plastic to paper/nonwoven fabric/fabric, transforming the mask body from a rigid, thick structure to a flexible, thin structure that can be disposed of without generating excessive waste

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The mask body is constructed using flexible materials such as paper, nonwoven fabric, or fabric, allowing the mask to maintain structural integrity while being thin and adaptable to the user's face, reducing material consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Loss of substance

If the mask body is formed of paper, nonwoven fabric, or fabric to reduce plastic waste, then the mask body has lower strength, but the design must compensate for this weakness

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplastic waste reductionVSAvoidmask body strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a composite structure by combining the soft mask body (paper/nonwoven fabric/fabric) with a harder tube attachment member, where each material performs its optimal function - the soft material provides comfort and the hard material provides structural support at the connection point

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The mask is divided into distinct functional parts: a soft mask body for comfort and a separate tube attachment member for structural integrity, allowing each component to be optimized independently

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Device complexity

If the tube axis directly faces toward the face of the subject, then the connection is simple, but the force from the tube directly deforms the mask body

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection simplicityVSAvoidmask body deformation resistance

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The tube attachment member acts as an intermediary between the tube and the mask body, absorbing and distributing the mechanical forces from the tube connection to prevent direct transmission of deformation forces to the soft mask body

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The tube connection is designed to extend in a direction away from the face rather than directly toward it, changing the spatial orientation to redirect forces away from the mask body structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS20260083928A1Gas inhalation mask

Publication Date: 2026.03.26 NIHON KOHDEN CORP

AI summary

A gas inhalation mask includes a mask body formed of paper, nonwoven fabric, or fabric, and a tube attachment member. The tube attachment member is attached to an attachment opening provided in the mask body. In a case where the mask body is attached to a subject, an axis of a tube does not directly face toward a face of the subject. The tube is connected to a tube connecting portion of the tube attachment member.