Protective Apparatus with Mandible Guard and Passive Ventilation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current personal protection systems for medical practitioners, such as masks and suits, either leave large areas of the head and neck uncovered, leading to potential contamination risks, or create a bulky, noisy, and inefficiently ventilated environment that can increase infection rates and hinder communication.
Innovation Solution
A protective apparatus comprising a headpiece with a mandible guard and visor that attaches via support members, allowing for unobstructed vision and movement, and a skirt that covers the neck and upper torso without the need for a power source, using materials like Velcro and flexible polymeric materials for comfort and effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a self-contained sterile exhaust suit with helmet and fan is used, then complete coverage of head and neck is achieved, but the system becomes bulky, heavy, and noisy requiring power supply
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fan and power supply components from the protective suit system, eliminating the need for active air circulation while maintaining protective effectiveness. The suit relies on passive airflow through the visor and skirt design, removing the complex mechanical ventilation subsystem.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective suit provides its own air circulation through the design of the visor and skirt configuration, which allows natural airflow patterns to maintain protection without external power sources. The system serves itself by utilizing environmental airflow rather than requiring an integrated fan system.
2Reliability
If a self-contained sterile exhaust suit with helmet and fan is used, then complete coverage of head and neck is achieved, but the helmet becomes bulky and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heavy fan and power supply components from the helmet structure, dramatically reducing its weight. The protective helmet maintains its shielding function through passive design elements rather than active mechanical systems.
3Reliability
If a self-contained sterile exhaust suit with fan is used, then complete coverage of head and neck is achieved, but communication is severely hampered due to fan noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the fan component that generated excessive noise, eliminating the primary source of communication interference. The passive airflow design through the visor and skirt maintains protection while restoring clear communication capabilities.
4Ease of operation
If a simple non-sterile face mask with visor is used, then comfort and lightweight design are achieved, but large parts of head and neck are uncovered exposing to contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the face mask, visor, and neck skirt into an integrated protective system that provides continuous coverage from forehead to chest. This unified design maintains the comfort of close-fitting components while eliminating gaps that would compromise protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends protection from the traditional two-dimensional face mask into the third dimension by adding the neck skirt component, creating a three-dimensional protective envelope that covers the head, face, and upper torso continuously.
5Reliability
If a self-contained sterile exhaust suit with opaque fabric visor is used, then complete coverage is achieved, but peripheral vision is significantly limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties to different parts of the visor: the lower portion uses transparent material for visual access, while the upper portion uses opaque material for protection. This localized differentiation optimizes both protection and vision requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A protective apparatus for coverage of the face, neck and upper torso, comprising: a. a headpiece (10) comprising a headband (12) and a mandible guard (14), wherein the mandible guard is attached to the headband, the headpiece further comprising at least one attachment point; b. a visor (24); and c. a skirt (26); wherein the visor and the skirt are adapted so as to attach to the headpiece via the at least one attachment point.