Respiratory Mask Harness Coupling for Secure Fit and Easy Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Respiratory masks used for patients often require difficult application and may not provide a secure, stable fit, especially for individuals with limited mobility, the elderly, or children, which can compromise ventilation efficacy.
Innovation Solution
A respiratory mask design featuring a head harness with strategically positioned strap receptacles and coupling elements that allow for easy application and removal, ensuring a secure fit by leveraging lever ratios and a locking mechanism, and optionally a hooking arrangement, to position straps outside the user's line of sight and provide ergonomic actuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional respiratory masks are used with standard strap arrangements, then the mask can be secured to the patient's face, but the application and removal become difficult especially for patients with limited mobility, the elderly, or children
Solution Approach 1:
The head harness is divided into multiple independent straps (first strap, second strap, third strap) that can be adjusted and positioned separately. Each strap connects to coupling elements at different locations, allowing independent adjustment of fit and tension zones to accommodate different patient needs and facial geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling elements are positioned to utilize three-dimensional spatial relationships on the patient's head. The first strap receptacle is located between chin and ear, the second between chin and temporal region, and the third opposite the temporal region, creating a distributed attachment pattern that leverages head geometry for both ease of application and secure fit.
2Ease of operation
If the strap receptacles are positioned for easy access, then application becomes simpler, but the mask may not provide sufficient stability and secure fit
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the head harness are optimized for different functions: the first strap receptacle between chin and ear provides easy access for application, while the distributed arrangement of all three strap receptacles across the head creates multiple stable attachment points that collectively ensure mask position stability during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling elements are pre-positioned on the mask body at specific locations designed to align with optimal points on the patient's head. This preliminary positioning ensures that when straps are routed through the receptacles, the mask is automatically oriented correctly and secured in a stable position without requiring complex adjustment during application.
3Reliability
If conventional coupling mechanisms are used, then the mask can be secured, but the risk of unintentional release increases and requires forehead support which complicates handling
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the forehead support component from conventional mask designs. Instead, security against unintentional release is achieved through the strategic positioning of coupling elements and straps that create a mechanically stable configuration distributed across the head, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining or improving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A respiratory mask for supplying a patient with respiratory gas comprises a mask body for applying to mouth and/or nose of the patient, comprising a first and a second coupling receptacle and a tube connector for attachment of a breathing tube; a head harness for fixing the mask body with respect to the patient's face and comprising a first and a second strap for tensioning around the patient's head; a first and a second coupling element for coupling the head harness to the first and second coupling receptacle. Each coupling element comprises a coupling portion for coupling the coupling element to the respective coupling receptacle and a first and second strap receptacle for fastening the first and second strap and is configured in a particular way as set forth in the claims.