BREATHABLE MASK AND BODY THEREOF

Abstract

A breathable mask and a body thereof are provided. The body includes a main frame, a lens assembly embedded within the main frame, a waterproof skirt with a partition dividing the interior of the body into upper and lower chambers, and an exhaust passage. When a user wears the breathable mask, the partition is seated above the user's nose, with the eyes accommodated in the upper chamber, and the nose and mouth in the lower chamber. The exhaust passage communicates with the lower chamber and has a collapsible zone with an inner portion and an outer portion having an identifiable mechanism exposed to the outside so that when the user's finger presses the outer portion through the identifiable mechanism, the outer portion is suitably deformed inward and abutted against the inner portion to temporarily obstruct a fluid communication of the exhaust passage with the outside.

Claims

1. A breathable mask, comprising: a body; and a breathing tube in fluid communication with an interior of the body, the breathing tube including an intake conduit and an exhaust conduit independent of each other; wherein the body comprises: a main frame; a lens assembly embedded within the main frame; a waterproof skirt, at least partially embedded with the main frame and the lens assembly, the waterproof skirt being configured to suitably fit a face of a user, the waterproof skirt having a partition to divide the interior of the body into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, whereby when the user wears the breathable mask through a fastening device, the partition is seated above a nose of the user, eyes of the user are accommodated in the upper chamber, and the nose and a mouth of the user are accommodated in the lower chamber; an intake passage formed from the intake conduit to the lower chamber; and an exhaust passage formed from the lower chamber to the exhaust conduit; characterized in that the exhaust channel is provided with a collapsible zone which has an outer portion and an inner portion, and the outer portion has an identifiable mechanism exposed to an outside so that when a finger of the user presses the outer portion through the identifiable mechanism, the outer portion is suitably deformed inward and abutted against the rigid inner portion to temporarily obstruct a fluid communication of the exhaust passage with the outside.

2. The breathable mask of claim 1, wherein the outer portion is a soft outer portion, the inner portion is a rigid inner portion, the exhaust passage comprises an exhaust tunnel extending along an outer periphery of the lens assembly and communicating with the lower chamber, and the collapsible zone is formed on the exhaust tunnel, whereby when the finger of the user presses the soft outer portion, the soft outer portion is suitably deformed inward and abutted against the rigid inner portion to temporarily obstruct the exhaust tunnel.

3. The breathable mask of claim 2, wherein the exhaust tunnel is jointly defined by the waterproof skirt and an inner surface of the lens assembly.

4. The breathable mask of claim 3, wherein the lens assembly further comprises a stop wall provided along the outer periphery, the stop wall extends along an inner sidewall of the exhaust tunnel, the soft outer portion of the collapsible zone is defined by an outer sidewall of the exhaust tunnel, and the rigid inner portion of the collapsible zone is defined by the stop wall, whereby when the finger of the user presses the outer sidewall of the exhaust tunnel, the outer sidewall is suitably deformed inward and abutted against the stop wall to temporarily obstruct the exhaust tunnel.

5. The breathable mask of claim 4, wherein the stop wall and the inner sidewall of the exhaust tunnel are coupled with each other.

6. The breathable mask of claim 4, wherein the identifiable mechanism is a pressing device formed on an outer surface of the collapsible zone.

7. The breathable mask of claim 6, wherein the pressing device is a block.

8. The breathable mask of claim 7, wherein the block is integrally formed with the waterproof skirt.

9. A body of a breathable mask, comprising: a main frame; a lens assembly embedded within the main frame; a waterproof skirt, at least partially embedded with the main frame and the lens assembly, the waterproof skirt being configured to suitably fit a face of a user, the waterproof skirt having a partition to divide the interior of the body into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, whereby when the user wears the breathable mask through a fastening device, the partition is seated above a nose of the user, eyes of the user are accommodated in the upper chamber, and the nose and a mouth of the user are accommodated in the lower chamber; and an exhaust passage communicating with the lower chamber; characterized in that the exhaust channel is provided with a collapsible zone which has an outer portion and an inner portion, and the outer portion has an identifiable mechanism exposed to an outside so that when a finger of the user presses the outer portion through the identifiable mechanism, the outer portion is suitably deformed inward and abutted against the inner portion to temporarily obstruct a fluid communication of the exhaust passage with the outside.

10. The body of claim 9, wherein the outer portion is a soft outer portion, the inner portion is a rigid inner portion, the exhaust passage comprises an exhaust tunnel extending along an outer periphery of the lens assembly and communicating with the lower chamber, and the collapsible zone is formed on the exhaust tunnel, whereby when the finger of the user presses the soft outer portion, the soft outer portion is suitably deformed inward and abutted against the rigid inner portion to temporarily obstruct the exhaust tunnel.

11. The body of claim 10, wherein the exhaust tunnel is jointly defined by the waterproof skirt and an inner surface of the lens assembly.

12. The body of claim 11, wherein the lens assembly further comprises a stop wall provided along the outer periphery, the stop wall extends along an inner sidewall of the exhaust tunnel, the soft outer portion of the collapsible zone is defined by an outer sidewall of the exhaust tunnel, and the rigid inner portion of the collapsible zone is defined by the stop wall, whereby when the finger of the user presses the outer sidewall of the exhaust tunnel, the outer sidewall is suitably deformed inward and abutted against the stop wall to temporarily obstruct the exhaust tunnel.

13. The body of claim 12, wherein the stop wall and the inner sidewall of the exhaust tunnel are coupled with each other.

14. The body of claim 12, wherein the identifiable mechanism is a pressing device formed on an outer surface of the collapsible zone.

15. The body of claim 12, wherein the pressing device is a block.

16. The body of claim 15, wherein the block is integrally formed with the waterproof skirt.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG. 1 is a rear schematic view of the breathable mask according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a coronal cross-sectional view of the breathable mask taken along the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the structure of the interior of the breathable mask, in which the exhaust tunnel has not been obstructed.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic view analogic to FIG. 2, showing that the exhaust tunnel is temporarily obstructed by a user.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0021] It shall be appreciated that the following description of the embodiments is only to explain the contents of the present invention, but not to limit the invention as claimed. Elements not directly related to the present invention, such as the head strap that secures the mask to the user's head, are omitted from the description, and the dimensions as depicted for all elements in the drawings are just for easy understanding and do not intend to limit their actual scales. Additionally, the spatial relationship referred to as inner and outer is defined by the orientation of the user, with portions proximal to the user being termed inner and those distal from the user being termed outer. Those terms are not used to limit the direction in which elements are disposed.

[0022] An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. FIG. 1 is a rear schematic view of a breathable mask 1 according to the present invention. The breathable mask 1 includes a breathing tube 11 and a body 13. The breathing tube 11 is in fluid communication with the interior of the body 13.

[0023] With further reference to FIG. 2, this is the coronal cross-sectional view of the breathable mask 1, along the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1. The breathing tube 11 has an interior which is longitudinally partitioned into an intake conduit 112 and at least one exhaust conduit 114. The breathing tube 11 of this embodiment is illustrated by two exhaust conduits 114 formed on both sides of the intake conduit 112 with longitudinal partition, however, any variation in the number and position configuration of the exhaust conduits 114 of the breathing tube 11 shall be applicable to the present invention.

[0024] The body 13 includes a main frame 13a, a lens assembly 13b, a waterproof skirt 13c, an intake passage, an exhaust passage and a drain valve 13f. The lens assembly 13b is embedded within the main frame 13a. The waterproof skirt 13c has at least one portion (the front portion corresponding to the user's eyes) embedded with the main frame 13a and the lens assembly 13b. The waterproof skirt 13c is capable of suitably fitting on the face of a user.

[0025] The waterproof skirt 13c has a partition 13c1. The partition 13c1 is provided to divide the interior of the body 13 into an upper chamber 202 and a lower chamber 204. When the user wears the breathable mask 1 through a fastening device (which is usually an elastic head strap connecting two sides of the main frame 13a, not shown), the partition 13c1 is seated above the nose of the user so that the eyes of the user are accommodated in the upper chamber 202, the nose and mouth of the user is accommodated in the lower chamber 204.

[0026] The intake passage is formed from the intake conduit 112 to the lower chamber 204, more specifically, is formed between the lower end portion of the breathing tube 11 and the lower chamber 204. Preferably, the body 13 has two intake one-way valves 13d symmetrically provided on both outer sides of the partition 13c1, allowing the inhaled air to unidirectionally pass through the intake passage and enter the lower chamber 204. In this aspect, the intake passage is defined by the upper chamber 202 and the intake one-way valves 13d, and is in fluid communication with the lower chamber 204. The positions of the two intake one-way valves 13d are not limited, and may be provided on the partition 13c1 instead. In addition, although the intake one-way valve 13d shown in the figure are all wing-type one-way valves, the actual shapes and numbers are not limited. In other embodiments, mushroom-type or pivot-type one-way valves may also be feasible.

[0027] The exhaust passage is formed from the lower chamber 204 to the exhaust conduits 114 and is in fluid communication with the lower chamber 204. The exhaust passage mainly includes two exhaust tunnels 132, which are formed between the lower end portion of the breathing tube 11 and the lower chamber 204. Each exhaust tunnel 132 extending along the periphery of the body 13 is jointly defined by the waterproof skirt 13c and an inner surface 13b1 of the lens assembly 13b. In this embodiment, the main frame 13a does not form parts of the exhaust tunnels 132.

[0028] When the user exhales through the nose and/or mouth during normal breathing, the exhaust path can be referred to by the airflow shown in the dotted line of FIG. 2. At this time, because the drain valve 13f is kept closed due to external water pressure, the lower chamber 204 is essentially an enclosed space. Therefore, the exhaust airflow naturally proceeds through the path of least resistance, that is, the exhaled dirty air will flow upwards along the two exhaust tunnels 132, which are independently provided between the two exhaust conduits 114 and the lower chamber 204, and then will be discharged outwards through the exhaust conduits 114 provided in the breathing tube 11.

[0029] In the present invention, when the user needs to drain the accumulated water in the mask during underwater activities, the user can easily overcome the underwater pressure and discharge the accumulated water in the lower chamber 204 outward through the drain valve 13f without surfacing. In an embodiment, each exhaust tunnel 132 is further provided with a collapsible zone 132p. The collapsible zone 132p has an outer portion and an inner portion. Preferably, the outer portion is a soft outer portion P1, and the inner portion is a rigid inner portion P2. The soft outer portion P1 is provided with an identifiable mechanism 13e formed on the outer surface thereof and exposed to the outside. The identifiable mechanism 13e is a mechanism that allows the user to easily identify the position of the collapsible zone 132p by touching it with a finger.

[0030] More specifically, in this embodiment, the lens assembly 13b further includes a stop wall 13b2 provided along the outer periphery thereof. The stop wall 13b2 extends along an inner sidewall 13c2 of the exhaust tunnel 132 (i.e., a portion of the waterproof skirt 13c), the soft outer portion P1 of the collapsible zone 132p is defined by an outer sidewall 13c3 (another portion of the waterproof skirt 13c) of the exhaust tunnel 132, and the rigid inner portion P2 of the collapsible zone 132p is defined by the stop wall 13b2. In this way, when having a need to drain water during underwater activities, the user can easily find the identifiable mechanism 13e and press the soft outer portion P1, causing the soft outer portion P1 to deform and abut against the rigid inner portion P2 so as to temporarily obstruct the fluid communication between the exhaust tunnels 132 and the outside. FIG. 3 shows that the exhaust tunnels 132 are temporarily obstructed. When the user releases the soft outer portion P1, the soft outer portion P1 can return to its unpressed initial position, allowing the exhaust tunnels 132 to be returned to its open state.

[0031] When the user UR exhales heavily through the mouth, the exhaust path can be referred to by the airflow shown in the dotted lines of FIG. 3. At this point, the closed area as left for the user to exhale heavily is essentially only the lower chamber 204. In the case if the drain valve 13f is adapted to be positioned to face the direction of the airflow from the mouth, as a result, the efficiency of drainage by heavy exhalation through the mouth can be significantly improved. In this way, the design of the present invention allows the user to overcome the water pressure underwater and drain water easily without having to surface, thereby saving physical strength and increasing the enjoyment of snorkeling.

[0032] Preferably, the stop wall 13b2 and the inner sidewall 13c2 of the exhaust tunnel 132 are coupled with each other. In other words, the portion of the waterproof skirt 13c corresponding to the inner sidewall 13c2 can be coupled with the stop wall 13b2 of the lens assembly 13b through the clip 13c4 formed by the waterproof skirt 13c to increase the rigidity of the exhaust tunnel 132 to avoid collapse of the exhaust tunnel 132, and also to strengthen the fit between the waterproof skirt 13c and the lens assembly 13b.

[0033] The more detailed description of the identifiable mechanism 13e of the present invention is now provided. As shown in each figure, the identifiable mechanism 13e is presented as a pressing device. The pressing device may be a block, disposed on the outer surface of the collapsible zone 132p, and exposed to the outside to provide significant tactile identification. The design of the block can increase the operational reliability of the pressing device so that the soft outer portion P1 would be deformed and abutted against the rigid inner portion P2 as expected.

[0034] The configuration of the collapsible zone 132p and the identifiable mechanism 13e can be modified as needed for functionality, as long as the collapsible zone 132p itself maintains a soft outer portion and a rigid inner portion (i.e., the inner portion is relatively more rigid than the outer portion to act as a boundary after the outer portion is deformed). This provides a feasible solution for users to press inward and temporarily obstruct the communication between the exhaust passage and the outside. Regarding the material of the identifiable mechanism 13e, any shape of soft or rigid material is feasible. The identifiable mechanism 13e is preferably integrally formed with the waterproof skirt 13c (e.g., made of silicone rubber) to avoid the problem of detachment. However, in other embodiments, the identifiable mechanism 13e and the waterproof skirt 13c may be separate elements which can be coupled together through gluing or other adhering methods.

[0035] In an implementation, the identifiable mechanism may be a granular structure with multiple small bumps, or have any possible configurations that allow the user's fingers to easily identify the position of the collapsible zone by touch. In another implementation, the identifiable mechanism may be a movable portion that is a part of the main frame and is located outside of the soft outer portion of the collapsible zone. This allows the overall profile of the main frame and/or the breathing tube to maintain its continuity and integrity without being affected by the configuration of the collapsible zone, thereby enhancing the overall texture of the product.

[0036] In other embodiments, an additional exhaust one-way valve (not shown) can be provided at the connection between the exhaust tunnel 132 and the lower chamber 204 to further prevent the dirty air as being exhaled staying in the exhaust tunnel 132 from flowing back to the lower chamber 204.

[0037] The technical content of the present invention lies in the exhaust passage having a collapsible zone, which allows the user to temporarily obstruct the communication between the exhaust passage and the outside by pressing it with the fingers. Then, when the user's fingers are released, the exhaust passage can be restored to its open state. This technical concept can be applied to any form of full-face masks, and the disclosed figures only illustrate one type of breathable mask as an example. In other words, the structure of the main frame 13a, the lens assembly 13b (i.e., the viewing window) and the waterproof skirt 13c in the disclosed figures are only for illustration, and should not be misunderstood as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any type of mask modified based on the concept of the present invention also belongs to the scope of the present invention.

[0038] In the present invention, the lens assembly 13b is preferably a single-piece lens design, and the breathing tube is composed of a single intake conduit 112 and two exhaust conduits 114. However, in other embodiments, it is also feasible for the lens assembly to be of a separated dual-lens design (i.e., a left-right separated dual-lens design). The exhaust conduits, exhaust tunnels or exhaust passages mentioned in the above embodiments are preferably designed to be bilaterally symmetrical. However, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, some descriptions only refer to one of them, which does not limit their number.

[0039] As for the design of other parts, such as the formation of the intake and exhaust conduits (whether integrated into a single breathing tube or separated into two or more tubes), whether the lower chamber is further divided into two chambers (i.e., a nasal chamber and a mouth chamber), as well as variations in the number and shapes of lens assembly and frames and in the number and types of intake and exhaust valves, these are not of concern. The so-called breathing tube may extend directly outward from the top of the mask body, or may have its lower end portion being integrally extended from the lens assembly 13b, and then connected to the main portion of the breathing tube, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, provided that the main portion of the breathing tube and the interior of the body can perform the desired fluid communication therebetween.

[0040] Therefore, the above embodiments are used only to illustrate the implementations of the present invention and to explain the technical features of the present invention, and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent arrangements that can be easily accomplished by those skilled in the art are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention should be limited by the claims of the patent application.