RESPIRATOR MASK

Abstract

The invention relates to a respirator mask comprising a filter material piece made of an air-permeable material and at least one securing band, wherein the air-permeable material comprises at least one layer of a non-woven fabric and the at least one securing band is designed to secure the respirator mask to the head, wherein the air-permeable material and the at least one securing band are made of the same plastic material.

Claims

1. A respirator mask, comprising a filter material piece made of an air-permeable material and at least one securing band, wherein the air-permeable material comprises at least one layer of a non-woven fabric, wherein the at least one securing band is configured to secure the respirator mask to a user's head, and wherein the air-permeable material and the at least one securing band are made of a same plastic material.

2. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the plastic material is polypropylene, a polyester, or a biodegradable plastic material.

3. The respirator mask according to claim 2, wherein the biodegradable plastic material is a polylactide (PLA), a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a polycaprolactone (PCL), a cellulose ester, polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), or polybutylene succinate (PBS).

4. The respirator mask according to any of claim 2, wherein the biodegradable plastic material is a dry-laid or wet-laid non-woven fabric or an extrusion non-woven fabric.

5. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the air-permeable material is single- or multi-layered, wherein at least one, more or all of the layers of the air-permeable material are made of a non-woven fabric.

6. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the air-permeable material comprises at least one of fine filter layer or at least one support layer, and wherein at least one of the fine filter layers or at least one of the support layers is a non-woven fabric.

7. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the non-woven fabric layers is electrostatically charged.

8. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the air-permeable material is formed in multiple layers with a layer sequence comprising: a support layer, one or two fine filter layers, and a further support layer, and wherein the support layer, the further support layer, or the one or two fine filter layers are each a non-woven fabric layer.

9. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the non-woven fabric layers is creped.

10. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the at least one securing band has a multi-layer construction, the securing band comprising a layer of a film and a layer of a non-woven fabric.

11. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the securing band comprises or is formed from a thermoplastic polymer.

12. The respirator mask according to claim 10, wherein at least one layer of the securing band is creped.

13. The respirator mask according to claim 12, wherein the creping of the creped layer is stabilised by means of an adhesive applied.

14. The respirator mask according to claim 1, comprising a bendable nosepiece, made of a same plastic material as the air-permeable material and the securing band.

15. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the respirator mask is configured as a medical face mask according to DIN EN 14683:2019+AC:2019 or as a filtering half mask according to DIN EN 149.

16. A system comprising a respirator mask according to claim 1 and a protective cover for the respirator mask, wherein the protective cover is made of a same plastic material as the air-permeable material and the securing band.

17. The respirator mask according to claim 2, wherein the polyester comprises polyethylene terephthalate.

18. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the air-permeable material comprises at least one fine filter layer or at least one support layer.

19. The respirator mask according to claim 1, wherein the air-permeable material is formed in multiple layers with a layer sequence comprising: a support layer, one or two fine filter layers, and a further support layer.

20. The respirator mask according to claim 3, wherein the cellulose ester is cellulose acetate.

Description

[0084] The present invention will be elucidated in more detail by means of the following exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures, without limiting the invention to the specific embodiments shown. In which:

[0085] FIG. 1 schematically shows a respirator mask,

[0086] FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of a filter material piece of a respirator mask,

[0087] FIG. 3 shows a schematic top view of a respirator mask,

[0088] FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the filter part of a respirator mask.

[0089] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a respirator mask 1 in the form of a half mask. The description refers to an example of a medical face mask. The respirator mask 1 shown comprises exactly one filter material piece or filter part 2. The cutting shape of the filter material piece is basically rectangular, but may also take on other shapes, in particular polygonal shapes.

[0090] Two securing bands 3 are attached to the filter material piece 2 in the example shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment straps are provided for attachment to the ears of the wearer.

[0091] For a better adaptation to the shape of the face, the respirator mask has a nosepiece 4 which is coupled to the filter material piece in a destructively or non-destructively detachable manner. This may in particular be a strip of plastic material provided with pre-breaks transverse to the longitudinal direction, similar to living hinges, to allow easy bending.

[0092] A destructive connection consists of welding, for example. The welding may either be disposed continuously along the entire length of the nosepiece or at individual discrete points. Alternatively, the nosepiece may be glued to the filter material piece. For example, a hot melt may be used for this purpose, which typically also results in a destructive connection.

[0093] Alternatively, the nosepiece is provided to the user as a separate element. In this case, the nosepiece has a self-adhesive surface that is initially covered with a protective film. After removing the protective film, the user sticks the nosepiece onto the non-woven fabric. Depending on the adhesive material used, such a nosepiece may also be reused for other respiratory protection filter parts.

[0094] In the exemplary embodiment, three folds 5 are disposed in the filter part or the air-permeable material 2.

[0095] The schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 shows the structure of a filter material piece for a respirator mask. A fine filter layer 7 is arranged between two support layers 6. The three layers may in particular be welded together along the edges, i.e. the circumference, of the filter part 2, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0096] As an alternative to the structure shown in FIG. 2, the air-permeable material of the respirator mask may also comprise fewer or more layers. For example, only one fine filter layer or only one support layer with a fine filter layer may be provided.

[0097] The filter material piece 2, the securing bands 3 and the nosepiece 4 are all made of the same plastic material, so that a homogenous respirator mask is available. In particular, PP, PET or PLA may be used.

[0098] In one embodiment, the respirator masks have one or more layers made of PET, PP or PLA filaments or PET, PP or PLA staple fibres. Regarding the individual filter layers:

[0099] Spunbonded non-woven layers made with a weight per unit area of 5 to 50 g/m.sup.2 and a titre of 1 to 15 dtex are particularly suitable as support layers 6.

[0100] One or more non-woven layers of meltblown or spun-blown material with a weight per unit area of 5 to 30 g/m.sup.2 each are used as fine filter layers 7. At least this layer/these layers is/are electrostatically charged.

[0101] The filaments or staple fibres may also consist of bicomponent materials.

[0102] Specifically, the filter material piece may consist of a three-layer air-permeable material. A meltblown non-woven fabric layer with a grammage of 20 g/m.sup.2 is arranged between two spunbonded non-woven fabric layers made of PP, PET or PLA with a grammage of 20 g/m.sup.2. The SMS thus obtained may be ultrasonically welded by a weld seam running along the edges.

[0103] The meltblown or spun-blown non-woven fabric may be electrostatically charged by adding additives and a water jet treatment (hydro charging), as described for example in WO 97/07272.

[0104] Alternatively, the meltblown or spun-blown non-woven fabric may have a grammage of 25 g/m.sup.2 and may have been electrostatically charged by means of a corona treatment.

[0105] The illustrated SMS was subjected to a Micrex micro-creping process. In other words, the entire laminate is creped. In an alternative embodiment, only individual layers may be creped. For example, the centrally located meltblown layer 7 may be creped, whereas the spunbonded support layers 6 are not creped. In this case, the support layers also serve to stabilise the creping of the meltblown, among other things. This is particularly advantageous if the material used for the meltblown layer per se does not readily hold the creping, as is the case for polypropylene, for example.

[0106] Purely by way of example, reference is made to WO 2007/079502 for creping. The resulting increase in surface area leads to a better fit of the respirator mask made from it to the shape of the wearer's head and face. It also results in a softer feel and improved moisture absorption.

[0107] FIG. 3 shows a schematic top view of an air-permeable material 8 corresponding to the filter part 2 of FIG. 1. However, in comparison with FIG. 1, FIG. 3 shows the rear of the filter part, i.e. the side facing a user.

[0108] In the example shown, a securing band 9 is arranged on opposite edges of the air-permeable material 8 and extends along the entire length of the edge. The securing bands may thus run with the air-permeable material during the production of the filter part and be cut together with the material. In the example shown, the securing band and the air-permeable material are joined by means of a welding point 10 at each of the opposite end regions of each securing band 9.

[0109] For the securing band, for example, a TPU laminate consisting of a TPU film with a thickness of 20 to 100 μm and a TPU meltblown non-woven (grammage: 20 to 80 g/m.sup.2) is used, which is welded to the filter material piece. For welding, the process disclosed in European patent applications EP 18213001.3 and EP 19180533.2 in another technical field may be used to achieve high strength.

[0110] The PP material produced according to the Vistamaxx process may have been produced by meltblown or foil casting or blown film processes and—as described for the TPU laminate—may have been laminated.

[0111] In the illustrated example according to FIG. 3, the air-permeable material is again creped as a whole. The crepe direction indicated by the hatching, i.e. the direction of the crepe folds, is vertical when the respirator mask is used as intended. In this example, the creping direction is transverse to the machine direction of the production machine, which runs from left to right in the drawing.

[0112] Preferably, the creping is done during production before the layers of the filter material piece are welded together. In this way, the creping is stabilised.

[0113] (Macroscopic) transverse folds—such as the folds 5 in FIG. 1—may be made in the filter material piece 8 parallel to the securing bands 9, transverse to the crepe folds. These folds are obtained by folding the air-permeable material so that areas of the air-permeable material lie on top of each other in the area of the folds or transverse folds in the finished, unused state of the filter material piece.

[0114] FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the filter part of a respirator mask. The filter section comprises two filter material pieces 11; only one of these is illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0115] Both filter material pieces have a hexagonal shape and fit exactly on top of each other. Thus, the filter part formed by the filter material pieces 11 welded together also has a hexagonal shape as such (in finished but unused state).

[0116] The edge on the left is disposed between two right angles, so it is bounded by two parallel edges that are perpendicular to the edge in between.

[0117] The air-permeable material of both filter material pieces is creped. The crepe direction is also indicated here by the hatching; the crepe folds run essentially horizontally, when the respirator mask made from the filter part is used as intended.

[0118] Each of the two filter material pieces 11 has a SMS structure, as explained, for example, in connection with FIG. 2. The three layers of a filter material piece have first been welded together along the edge between the two right angles, on the left side in the figure. The corresponding weld seam 12 of the filter material piece 11 shown runs parallel to the left edge.

[0119] The welding seam 13 along the remaining five edges is a welding of the two filter material pieces together. At these edges, there is no separate welding of the SMS layers of a filter material piece as such. On the side of the welding seam 12, however, the two filter material pieces are not welded together. This forms the open side of the respirator mask, which will face the wearer's face.

[0120] During manufacture thus, the three layers of SMS in the form of non-woven fabric webs are first laid loosely on top of each other and welded along one edge by means of the welding seam 12. The remaining five edges remain open, the layers therefore loose. The machine direction of the production machine is from top to bottom in the arrangement of FIG. 4, parallel to the welding seam 12. The SMS filter material web welded on one side only is then creped as a whole, wherein the creping direction, i.e. the direction of the creping folds, is transverse, i.e. essentially perpendicular to the machine direction or the welding seam 12.

[0121] Thereafter, two such creped SMS filter material webs are guided over each other in machine direction, i.e. in the direction of or parallel to the welding seam 12, so that they come to lie on top of each other. The two SMS filter material webs, i.e. the six layers of two SMS on the whole, are welded together along the welding seam 13, which forms five edges of the two filter material pieces lying on top of each other. The two filter material webs are punched along these edges, so that a filter part 11 is then obtained as shown in FIG. 4.

[0122] The resulting respirator mask is advantageously stretchable, in particular on its open side, i.e. in the area of the welding seam 12, which allows a good facial fit. In addition, due to the creping, the air permeability is high and the breathing resistance is low.