BREATHABLE MASK

Abstract

The present invention relates to a breathable mask having a body and a snorkel being in fluid communication with an interior of the body. The interior of the body is provided to divide the mask into an eye pocket and an orinasal pocket. The total inner volume of the eye pocket and the orinasal pocket is not more than 500 ml. In the circumstance a snorkeler wears the snorkeling mask, the total of the inner volume remaining in the eye pocket and the inner volume remaining in the orinasal pocket does not exceed 400 ml. By reducing the inner volume of the mask, the snorkeler can completely or nearly breath out all the dirty air under his/her normal tidal volume of every breath, forming a temporary vacuum in the mask, and allowing the external fresh air to be ready to enter the mask actively after the snorkeler takes a next inhalation, thereby the snorkeler can have an easy and safe breath.

Claims

1. A breathable mask, comprising a body and a breathing tube which has an interior capable of being in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the body including: an eye mask, covering only eyes of a user, the eye mask having: a transparent lens portion; a lens frame, surrounding a periphery of the transparent lens portion; an eye skirt extending rearwardly from the lens frame; wherein the lens portion, the lens frame, and the eye skirt are water sealed, along an outline of the lens frame; an orinasal mask, covering nose and mouth of the user, the orinasal mask extends downward from the lens frame and the eye skirt, and is water sealed with the eye mask; wherein the orinasal mask has an upper portion forming a partition to divide the interior of the body into an eye pocket and an orinasal pocket, and wherein the eye pocket and the orinasal pocket have a total volume being substantially not greater than 500 ml.

2. The breathable mask according to claim 1, wherein the lens frame is continuously defined by an eye frame and a nose frame, the eye skirt extends backward from the eye frame, and the orinasal mask extends downward from the nose frame and is merged with the eye skirt; when the user wears the breathable mask, a rear edge of the eye skirt and a rear edge of the orinasal mask fit on face of the user so that the user's eyes, nose, and mouth are isolated from water.

3. The breathable mask according to claim 1, wherein the eye pocket has a volume substantially not greater than 350 ml.

4. The breathable mask according to claim 1, wherein the orinasal pocket has a volume substantially not greater than 200 ml.

5. The breathable mask according to claim 1, wherein the total volume of the eye pocket and the orinasal pocket is substantially not greater than 425 ml.

6. The breathable mask according to claim 5, wherein the eye pocket has a volume substantially not greater than 300 ml.

7. The breathable mask according to claim 5, wherein the orinasal pocket has a volume substantially not greater than 175 ml.

8. A breathable mask, comprising a body and a breathing tube which has an interior capable of being in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the body including: an eye mask, covering only eyes of a user, the eye mask having: a transparent lens portion; a lens frame, surrounding a periphery of the transparent lens portion; an eye skirt extending rearwardly from the lens frame; wherein the lens portion, the lens frame, and the eye skirt are water sealed, along an outline of the lens frame; an orinasal mask, covering nose and mouth of the user, the orinasal mask extends downward from the lens frame and the eye skirt, and is water sealed with the eye mask; wherein the orinasal mask has an upper portion forming a partition to divide the interior of the body into an eye pocket and an orinasal pocket, when the user wears the breathable mask, the eye pocket and the orinasal pocket has a remaining total volume which is substantially not greater than 400 ml.

9. The breathable mask according to claim 8, wherein the eye pocket has a remaining volume substantially not greater than 300 ml.

10. The breathable mask according to claim 8, wherein the orinasal pocket has a remaining volume substantially not greater than 150 ml.

11. The breathable mask according to claim 8, wherein the remaining total volume of the eye pocket and the orinasal pocket is substantially not greater than 350 ml.

12. The breathable mask according to claim 8, wherein the eye pocket has a remaining volume substantially not greater than 250 ml.

13. The breathable mask according to claim 8, wherein the remaining volume of the orinasal pocket is substantially not greater than 110 ml.

14. A breathable mask, comprising a body and a breathing tube which has an interior capable of being in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the body including: an eye mask, covering only eyes of a user, the eye mask having: a transparent lens portion; a lens frame, surrounding a periphery of the transparent lens portion; an eye skirt extending rearwardly from the lens frame; wherein the lens portion, the lens frame, and the eye skirt are water sealed, along an outline of the lens frame; an orinasal mask, covering nose and mouth of the user, the orinasal mask extends downward from the lens frame and the eye skirt, and is water sealed with the eye mask; wherein the orinasal mask has an upper portion forming a partition to divide the interior of the body into an eye pocket and an orinasal pocket, wherein: the body has a height (H) defined from a topmost end of the eye pocket to a bottommost end of the orinasal pocket, and the height (H) is measured between 115 mm and 155 mm.

15. The breathable mask according to claim 14, wherein the eye pocket has a maximum width (W) measured between 125 mm and 160 mm.

16. The breathable mask according to claim 14, wherein the height (H) of the body is measured between 120 mm and 145 mm.

17. The breathable mask according to claim 15, wherein the maximum width (W) of the eye pocket is measured between 130 mm and 145 mm.

18. A breathable mask, comprising a body and a breathing tube which has an interior capable of in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the body including: an eye mask, covering only eyes of a user, the eye mask having: a transparent lens portion; a lens frame, surrounding a periphery of the transparent lens portion; an eye skirt extending rearwardly from the lens frame; wherein the lens portion, the lens frame, and the eye skirt are water sealed, along an outline of the lens frame; an orinasal mask, covering nose and mouth of the user, the orinasal mask extends downward from the lens frame and the eye skirt, and is water sealed with the eye mask; wherein the orinasal mask has an upper portion forming a partition to divide the body into an eye pocket and an orinasal pocket, wherein: the body has a maximum depth (D) defined from the lens portion to a rear edge of the eye skirt, and the maximum depth (D) is measured between 35 mm and 65 mm.

19. The breathable mask according to claim 18, wherein the maximum depth is measured between 40 mm and 60 mm.

20. The breathable mask according to claim 18, wherein the eye pocket has a maximum width (W) which is measured between 125 mm and 160 mm, and wherein the body has a height (H) defined from a topmost end of the eye pocket to a bottommost end of the orinasal pocket, which is measured between 115 mm and 155 mm.

21. The breathable mask according to claim 19, wherein the eye pocket has a maximum width (W) which is measured between 130 mm and 145 mm, and wherein the body has a height (H) defined from a topmost end of the eye pocket to a bottommost end of the orinasal pocket, which is measured between 120 mm and 145 mm.

22. A breathable mask, comprising a body and a breathing tube which has an interior capable of in fluid communication with an interior of the body; the body including: a transparent lens portion; a lens frame, surrounding a periphery of the transparent lens portion; a water-sealing skirt, which has a partition dividing the water-sealing skirt into an eye pocket to cover a user's eyes, and an orinasal pocket to cover a user's nose and mouth; characterized in that: the transparent lens portion does not extend further downward than the partition; and the eye pocket and the orinasal pocket have a total volume which does not substantially exceed 500 ml.

23. The breathable mask according to claim 22, wherein the partition is integrally or separately formed with the water-sealing skirt.

24. The breathable mask according to claim 22, wherein the transparent lens portion, the lens frame and the water-sealing skirt are water-sealed along the periphery of the transparent lens portion.

25. The breathable mask according to claim 22, wherein the eye pocket has a volume substantially not greater than 350 ml.

26. The breathable mask according to claim 22, wherein the orinasal pocket has a volume substantially not greater than 200 ml.

27. The breathable mask according to claim 22, wherein the total volume of the eye pocket and the orinasal pocket is substantially not greater than 425 ml.

28. The breathable mask according to claim 25, wherein the eye pocket has a volume substantially not greater than 300 ml.

29. The breathable mask according to claim 25, wherein the orinasal pocket has a volume substantially not greater than 175 ml.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1A is a schematic, perspective view of a traditional full-face snorkeling mask.

[0020] FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of a user wearing a traditional full-face snorkeling mask.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the upper and lower volume divisions of a traditional full-face snorkeling mask.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the inlet and outlet air paths of FIG. 2.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a block conceptual diagram showing the negative pressure ventilation theory.

[0024] FIG. 5A is a schematic front view of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram of the rear view of FIG. 5A.

[0026] FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of a sagittal plane taken along line 5C-5C of FIG. 5A.

[0027] FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view of a coronal plane taken along the line 5D-5D of FIG. 5B, showing a schematic view of the intake and exhaust paths of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a user wearing the breathable mask of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, a breathable mask 2 basically includes a body 3, a breathing tube 4, a purge valve 5, and a fastener 6. The breathing tube 4 is arranged above the body 3 and communicates with the interior of the body 3 so that the outside air can enter the interior of the body 3 through the breathing tube 4 for the user to inhale. The breathing tube 4 can also provide a path for the user to exhale air to the outside. Of course, the function of the breathing tube 4 may provide dual or three channels for intake and exhaust, or it may only provide a single channel for inhalation, and the exhaust air is handled by another mechanism. A typical inhalation arrangement is shown by the hollow dotted line in FIG. 5D. When the user inhales, the clean air can typically run from the air intake channel 41 of the breathing tube 4, through the eye pocket 31 (i.e., the upper volume), then the check valve 32, and finally into the orinasal pocket 33 (i.e., the lower volume) for the user to inhale from his/her nostrils and mouth (not shown). Of course, this is not the only way, other methods are also possible. A typical exhaust arrangement is shown by the solid bold dashed line in FIG. 5D. When the user exhales, the dirty air containing carbon dioxide in the body 3 can travel on a typical path from both sides of the orinasal pocket 33 into the exhaust passage 34 (wherein the exhaust passage 34 is arranged along the periphery of both sides of the eye pocket 31), along all the way up to the exhaust passage 42 inside the breathing tube 4, thereby being discharged to the outside. Of course, other exhaust methods are also possible. Any position between the exhaust passage 34 and the top of the breathing tube 4 can optionally be provided with an exhaust check valve (not shown in the figures) in order to enhance the effect of splitting the intake and exhaust. Under such a limited internal volume of the body 3, there is no need to install the check valve 32 to let natural air ventilation between the eye pocket 31 and the orinasal pocket 33 which are not strictly isolation of each other, if both are freely communicated with the breathing tube 4. This way, though the intake and exhaust air are mixed, it still has an effect because having a good transient vacuum negative pressure, allowing users to breathe safely and without burden.

[0030] The purge valve 5 is located below the orinasal pocket 33, so that the orinasal pocket 33 is in an outward one-way fluid communication with the outside. Forced discharge is carried out through the purge valve 5, which also provides part of the air exhaust capacity in the general technical understanding. The fastener 6 is used to fix the body 3 of the mask 2 to the user's head, which includes a head strap (not shown) and a chin strap 62, so that the body 3 and the user's head can be in a three-point way of fastening. Of course, the fastening method is not limited to be in this manner. Any other measures that can stabilize the body 3 of the mask 2 and ensure a sufficient water seal are acceptable.

[0031] Because the main point of the present invention is how to minimize the internal volume of the body 3 of the mask 2, only the basic structural arrangement of the mask body, and the internal volume that can be achieved by this arrangement, which is indeed significantly smaller than the existing available full-face mask are described by adding some actual simulation data. Others related to the position of the intake and exhaust flow, path, and passage, as well as the setting method and position of the intake valve and exhaust valve, are not critically important. So, only one or two examples are described herein as representatives, and no detailed descriptions will be given.

[0032] Referring again to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, the structure of the body 3 further includes an eye mask 35 and a nose mask 36, in which the eye mask 35 only covers the eyes of the user, and the orinasal mask 36 covers the nose and mouth of the user. The eye mask 35 has a transparent lens portion 350, a lens frame 352, and a skirt portion 354. The lens frame 352 surrounds the periphery of the lens portion 350, and the eye skirt 354 extends backward from the lens frame 352. The lens portion 350, the lens frame 352, and the eye skirt 354 are waterproof joined together along a peripheral outline of the lens frame 352. The orinasal mask 36 extends downward from the lens frame 352 and the eye skirt 354, and is water sealed with the eye mask 35. The orinasal mask 36 has an upper portion forming a partition 361, which divides the internal structure of the body 3 into an eye pocket 31 and an orinasal pocket 33. Preferably, the lens frame 352 is continuously defined by an eye frame 356 and a nose frame 358, wherein the eye frame 356 substantially surrounds an upper edge and the two outer side edges of the lens portion 350, and the nose frame 358 substantially surrounds a lower edge of the lens portion 350. The eye skirt 354 extends backward from the eye frame 356. The orinasal mask 36 extends downward from the nose frame 358, and two sides thereof are merged with the eye skirt 354. When the user wears the breathable mask 2, the eyes can be accommodated in the eye pocket 31, the nose and mouth can be accommodated in the orinasal pocket 33, and a rear edge 355 of the eye skirt 354 and a rear edge 362 the orinasal mask 36 can be water-sealed fit onto the user's face, so that the user's eyes, nose, and mouth can be isolated from water. More preferably, the orinasal mask 36 has a soft nose mask 363, a soft mouth mask 364 and a rigid mouth frame 365. The rigid mouth frame 365 extends downward from the nose frame 358 to achieve the function of supporting the soft nose mask 363 and the mouth mask 364. In the best mode, the rigid mouth frame 365 does not cover the soft nose mask 363, while the rigid mouth frame 365 and the soft mouth mask 364 are in fluid communication, and the purge valve 5 is sandwiched therebetween, allowing the user to exhale and blow to drain the water in the orinasal mask.

[0033] The structure of the body 3 can be alternatively defined by another way that may help for understanding. Specifically, the body 3 becomes to include a transparent lens portion 350, a lens frame 352 and a water-sealing skirt 38. The lens frame 352 surrounds a periphery of the transparent lens portion 350. The water-sealing skirt 38 extends throughout the whole user's face and is equivalent to the abovementioned eye skirt 354, soft nose mask 363 and soft mouth mask 364 integrally formed. The water-sealing skirt 38 has a partition 361 which can be integrally or separately formed with the water-sealing skirt 38, in which a partition 361 divides the water-sealing skirt 38 into an eye pocket 31 to cover a user's eyes, and an orinasal pocket 33 to cover a user's nose and mouth. The transparent lens portion 350 does not extend further downward to an extent beyond the partition 361. The transparent lens portion 350, the lens frame 352 and the water-sealing skirt 38 are water-sealed along the periphery of the transparent lens portion 350.

[0034] With such a design, because the visor, that is, the transparent lens portion 350, does not completely cover the nose and mouth from the user's eyes, therefore, the orinasal mask 36 is not limited to share the outline of the body 3 with the eye mask 35. They are independent of each other instead. Therefore, the width and length of the entire body 3 can be smaller and shallower than the traditional full-face mask, that is, the breathable mask can be closer to the user's face (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 1B for comparison), the outer dimension of the entire body 3 can be reduced a lot, and the internal volume thereof can also be reduced a lot, which can naturally achieve the effect of the above-mentioned negative pressure cycle and reduce the burden of breathing. Specifically, if the user has not yet put on the mask 2, the total of the volume (EP) of the eye pocket 31 and the volume (OP) of the orinasal pocket 33 can be reduced to substantially no more than 500 ml, or even no more than 425 ml. The volume (EP) of the eye pocket 31 can be no more than 350 ml, or even no more than 300 ml, and the volume (OP) of the orinasal pocket 33 can be no more than 200 ml, or even no more than 175 ml. If the user has put on the mask 2, the total of the remaining volume (REP) of the eye pocket 31 and the remaining volume (ROP) of the orinasal pocket 33 is substantially not more than 400 ml, even not more than 350 ml. The remaining volume (REP) of the eye pocket 31 is substantially not more than 300 ml, even not more than 250 ml. The remaining volume (ROP) of the orinasal pocket 33 is substantially no more than 150 ml, and can even reach no more than 110 ml.

[0035] The following Table A having no users is a comparison list which are measured for the inner volume of the body 3 of the mask 2, i.e., the eye pocket (EP) volume and the orinasal pocket (OP) volume in one of the optimal products of the present invention, as opposed to that of the commercially available full-face snorkel masks, by using the computer-aided design of DASSAULT SYSTÈMES Software named “CATIA V5”, under the same environmental conditions; whereas Table B is another comparison list after a user (according to ISO standard adult male head) wear those masks and the remaining eye pocket volume (REP) and the remaining orinasal pocket volume (ROP) are measured. Among them, each of the volume units is “ml”.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE A Eye Orinasal pocket pocket Total (EP) (OP) volume Brand Model volume volume (EP + OP) WHQQDOC S/M 509 272 781 DECATHLON EASY BREATH 399 206 605 MARES SEA VU DRY 426 317 743 BODY GLOVE AIRE 435 279 714 CRESSI BARON 840 328 1,168 Product of this invention 229 158 387

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE B Remaining Remaining Eye Orinasal Total pocket pocket remaining (REP) (ROP) volume Brand Model volume volume (REP + ROP) WHQQDOC S/M 462 169 631 DECATHLON EASY 327 168 495 BREATH MARES SEA 391 266 631 VU DRY BODY AIRE 384 239 623 GLOVE CRESSI BARON 739 308 1,047 Product of this invention 206 83 289

[0036] The above experimental data says that the body 3 of the present invention reduces its internal volume by a lot. Even if the volume of breathing tube is included as internal volume, it is still a lot less than tidal volume of an ordinary person. Therefore, no matter how the interior of the body 3 is designed, the snorkeler can almost empty the dirty air in the mask 2 as long as he/she exhales moderately, forming a transient vacuum state. Physically, the clean air outside has been waiting to enter this negative pressure environment. As long as the user breathes naturally, the clean air from the outside can be brought into the mask body 3, thus forming an easy inhalation and exhalation cycle, keeps the users from being exhausted. And there is no danger resulting from excessive carbon dioxide content. In the design of the mask body 3, the height (H) from the topmost of the eye pocket 31 to the bottommost of the orinasal pocket 33 is measured between 115 mm and 155 mm, more preferably between 120 mm and 145 mm. The maximum width (W) of the eye pocket 31 is measured between 125 mm and 160 mm, and more preferably between 130 mm and 145 mm. The maximum depth (D) from the lens portion 350 to the rear edge 362 of the eye skirt 354 (i.e., the maximum depth of the eye pocket 31) is measured between 35 mm and 65 mm, more preferably between 40 mm and 60 mm. This mask design makes the entire lower half of the body 3, that is, the region from the lower portion of the lens frame 31 all the way downwards to the nose skirt 52 and the mouth skirt 53, obviously becomes thinner and sharpened in width, as shown in FIG. 5A. This causes the whole snorkeling mask 2 to become much smaller than the existing full-face mask 1, and it is more portable. The following Table C is the actual measurement data (unit: millimeter, mm) of the internal space of the body of various masks, which is sufficient to prove the excellent size down of the present invention.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE C Max. Max. Max. inner inner inner width height depth Brand Model (W) (H) (D) WHQQDOC S/M 155 204 77 DECATHLON EASY BREATH 147 176 70 MARES SEA VU DRY 155 203 88 BODY GLOVE AIRE 144 178 76 CRESSI BARON 155 210 89 Product of this invention 140 130 44

[0037] In addition to the above-mentioned preferred embodiment that describes the structure and operation mode of carrying out the technology of the present invention, the following mentioned some possible alternatives that are considered equivalent to the claimed invention set forth in the last paragraph of the claims:

[0038] 1. The mentioned orinasal mask protruding outward from the nose frame is not limited to be made by soft material. Rigid material is possible if equalization operation is not required.

[0039] 2. The orinasal mask and the eye skirt can be integrally formed into one piece and made of soft material like silicone.

[0040] 3. The rear edge of the eye skirt and a rear edge of the lower portion of the orinasal mask are integrally formed into a water sealing ring that can be an interface being in close contact with the user's face.