US2634725A - Stretchable face mask - Google Patents

Description

April 1953 c. c. LO PRESTI 2,634,725

STRETCHABLE FACE MASK Filed March 20, 1951 HVVENTDR.

M ALMA 10mm Patented Apr. 14, 1953 STRETCHABLE FACE MASK Charles 0. Lo Presti, Astoria, N. Y., assignor to I United States Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 20, 1951, Serial No. 216,597

This invention relates to stretchable porous masks adapted to fit closely over the low portion of the face and chin and around the neck, to hold a handkerchief or filter pad over the nose and mouth of the person wearing the mask.

Various occasions may arise in which it is desirable to retain a handkerchief or filter pad over the nose and mouth, to filter the air that is being breathed or to filter the air that is being exhaled from the respiratory system.

The mask contemplated by the present invention may be worn to hold a handkerchief or filter padin place over the nose and mouth while the housewife is cleaning or dusting a room, or when one has a cold and wants to avoid exhaling germ laden air into a room where there are other personsor such mask may be used on many other occasions to maintain a handkerchief or filter pad in place over the nose and mouth.

The present mask was developed primarily for use as a piece of civil defense equipment which is small, compact and inexpensive and can easily be carried bygreat numbers of persons for protection against the effects of an atomic bomb explosion, where the mask can be used to retain a handkerchief or pad over the face to keep the wearer from inhaling radioactive dust or mist. Having this use in mind the mask is simple in construction and is'ada'pted to befolded into a verysmall and compact package. 7 It preferably made to stretch both longitudinally and transversely so thatit will fit satisfactorily the face and neck of various size persons, in order that one size mask, due to its stretch in various directions will fit various size adult persons, and make it unnecessaryto provide different sized masks for different sized persons.

The mask contemplated by the present invention is made of porous stretchable elastic fabric. It is made porous so that it will not interfere appreciably with the breathing of the person wearing the same, and it is made stretchable both longitudinally and transversely so that it will accommodate itself to the size and shape of the lower portion of the face and chin and to the neck of a large or small person wearing the same.

Such a porous, stretchable fabric may be woven or knitted or formed of net lace material, provided it has a substantial amount of stretch both longitudinally and transversely.

The mask is preferably formed from one integral piece of fabric cut to form an elongated strip that is several inches wide at the central area thereof and is more narrow towards its ends, to provide two legs extending in opposite direction 2 Claims. (01.128-146) from the central area; This central area is preferably cut .and'sewed to form a shallow pocket adapted to fit over the lower portion of the face and chin to hold a handkerchief or pad placed in the pocket over the nose and mouth of the person wearing the mask. The legs J'ust mentioned are preferably sewed together at their ends to forma closed ring comprising the central area and legs,.and adapted to encircle the neck and embrace the lower portion of the face of the person wearing the mask.

The above and other features of the present invention will be further understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating one good practical embodiment of the invention; and wherein Fig. 1 is a side view of a persons head showing the mask of the present invention being worn by such person;

Fig. 2 shows a two-way stretch fabric cut to the desired shape ready to be sewed up to form the mask contemplated by the present invention, and vFig. 3 is an inside view of the portion of the mask that fits over the lower part of the face. The material used in forming the mask contemplated by the present invention should be a porous elastic fabric having a substantial range of stretch'both longitudinally and transversely, and as above stated may be a woven, knitted or otherwise formed elastic ,fabric. Such fabric designated by It in the drawing is shown as a two-way stretch knitted fabric such as is formed in a well known manner by knitting together non-elastic and elastic or rubber threads. The elastic fabric is preferably .cut to the general shape shown in Fig.2, to thereby provide the cen-, tral area formed of the two symmetrical portions designated by I l, and each of which has extending therefrom a narrow strip forming a leg l2. The fabric H3 is preferably so out as to form the wide V notches [3 at the opposite sides of central area H of the mask, so that when the adjacent edges of these notches are sewed together by the seams l4 shown in Fig. 3, a pocket will be produced of a size and shape to fit over the lower portion of the face and chin of the wearer of the mask, and adapted to retain a handkerchief or filter pad, such as indicated by [5 in Fig. 1 of the drawing, in place over the nose and mouth. The seams M are preferably sewed with an overlappin zig-zag stitch which will not interfere appreciably with the stretch of the elastic fabric.

It is contemplated that the elongated elastic strip shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing and desig- 3 nated by I ll, will be cut from a much larger elastic sheet, and therefore the edges of such elongated strip will be raw edges. To give these edges a satisfactory finish that will prevent them from raveling they preferably are sewed with a zi zag stitch such as above mentioned. However, in order to increase the elastic properties of the mask of the present invention and to give added firmness to the longitudinal edges thereof, the very narrow strips it of elastic webbing are preferably provided along the upper and lower edges of the mask as shown and these strips 16 are sewed in place with an overlapping zig-zag stitch IT. This completes the formation of the mask contemplated by the present invention except for securing the ends of the legs l2 together at the back of the neck by any suitable seam, such as that indicated by [8 in Fig. 1.

The mask contemplated by the present inven stretch suificiently to permit the mask to be placed over the head and then over the lower portion of the face and around the neck as shown in Fig. 1. When in this position the mask should contract with suficient force to remain firmly in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 and fits a the face snugly but comfortably. The pad 15 which may be a handkerchief, or a filter pad formed of sanitary cotton or other fibers, should be large enough to fully cover the nose and mouth, and it may be simply placed in the pocket to be retained therein by the pressure the pocket exerts against the face, or it may be fastened in the pocket by suitable means, not shown.

The fabric employed in making up the mask of the present invention may be an inexpensive cotton fabric having sufficient elastic yarns interwoven or knitted therein to impart the .desired elastic properties thereto, and if the mask is formed as above described by cutting it from an integral piece of elastic fabric, the only s'eams which will be needed to give the mask the desired shape are those above described. A'mask formed in this manner will be inexpensive to make, light in weight and may be folded into a very small package to be placed in an envelope which can be readily carried in a purse or a persons pocket at all times so that it will be available in case 4 it is needed to hold a handkerchief or mask over a persons nose and mouth. Since the ends of the legs I2 are sewed together, the mask can be quickly secured in the desired position upon the face by merely stretching it enough to pass down over the head into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent is:

1. A stretchable porous mask for holding a filter pad over a persons nose and mouth, comprising a two-way stretch porous elastic fabric in the form of an elongated strip that is wide enough at its central area to cover the wearers nose and mouth and is more narrow towards its end to form two legs extending oppositely from such central area, said area having along its transverse center line an upper cut-out portion and a lower cut-out portion with these cut edges united by seams that give this portion of the mask a concave configuration so that it fits closely over the nose, lower portion of the face and chin to hold a pad over the nose and mouth, and a seam securing the legs together at their ends to form a closed ring mask adapted to encircle and embrace the lower face and neck.

2. A stretchable porous mask for holding a filter pad over a persons nose and mouth, comprising a two-way stretoh'porous elastic fabric in the form of an elongated strip that is wide enough at is central area to cover the wearers nose and mouth and is more narrow towards its ends to form two legs extending in opposite directions from such central area, said area having along its transverse center line an upper cutout portion and a lower cut-out portion'with these out edges united by seams thatgive this portion of the 'mask a concave configuration so that it fits closely over the nose and around the chin, the upper and lower longitudinal edges of said strip having a narrow piece of elastic webbing sewed thereto, and a seam securing the legs together to form a closed ring mask adapted to encircle and embrace the lower face and neck.

CHARLES 0'. L0 PRESTI.

References Cited in the .file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,458,580 Fasketti Jan. 11, .1949 2,565,124 Durborow Aug. 21, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,789 Great Britain of 1912.

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