Face masks with internal nasal prongs and methods relating thereto
View Patent ↗Systems and methods relating to a face mask are described. An exemplar face mask includes: (i) a mask body including an interior side and an exterior side; (ii) inlet ports defined on the mask body; (iii) tubes designed to convey air flow or oxygen flow; (iv) tube transition features coupled to the tubes; (v) nasal prongs coupled to one of the tube transition features and designed to advance the air flow or the oxygen flow into nostrils; (vi) terminating features disposed around and for stabilizing the nasal prongs; and (vii) wherein either the tubes pass through the inlet ports such that portions of the tubes are present on the interior side or the tube transition features pass through the inlet ports such that portions of the tube transition features are present on the exterior side. An exhaust port and an exhaust tube remove exhaled air present inside the mask body.
1 . A face mask comprising:
a mask body including an interior side and an exterior side, said interior side configured to cover a mouth and a nose of a subject;
at least two inlet ports defined on an upper portion of a front of said mask body in a region that is configured to cover nostrils of said subject, said at least two inlet ports configured to provide access between said exterior side and said interior side of said mask body;
at least two tubes configured to convey air flow and/or oxygen flow and at least a portion of each of said at least two tubes is disposed on said exterior side of said mask body;
a bridge feature disposed in an interior of said mask body that structurally integrates at least two tube transition features that extend generally parallel to one another, each of which includes a portion that is disposed on said interior side of said mask body and is configured to advance air flow and/or oxygen flow received from a respective one of said at least two tubes towards said nostrils of said subject;
at least two nasal prongs extending from a connecting portion of said bridge feature, said connection portion configured to extend generally perpendicular to said at least two tube transition features and generally parallel to a face of said subject, each of said at least two nasal prongs communicatively coupled to at least one of said tube transition features and configured to further advance said air flow and/or oxygen flow towards or into said nostrils of said subject;
at least two terminating features, each of which is disposed around one of said nasal prongs and configured to occupy or stabilize said one of said nasal prongs within a nasal cavity inside one of said nostrils of said subject;
an exhaust tube, said exhaust tube connected to an exhaust port that is disposed on said mask body at a lower portion of said mask body in a region that is configured to be near said mouth of said subject;
at least two secondary air flow ports disposed on said mask body below said at least two inlet ports and above said exhaust port, each of said at least two secondary air flow ports comprising an embedded filtration element; and
wherein said at least two tubes pass through said at least two inlet ports such that portions of said at least two tubes are present on said interior side of said mask body, or said at least two tube transition features pass through said at least two inlet ports such that portions of said at least two tube transition features are present on said exterior side of said mask body.
2 . The face mask of claim 1 , said exhaust port being configured to remove, out of said mask body, exhaled air present inside said interior of said mask body.
3 . The face mask of claim 1 , further comprising a single source tube extending to at least one Y-split that is configured for splitting air flow and/or oxygen flow inside said single source tube into said at least two tubes, and wherein said single source tube is communicatively coupled to a source of air and/or oxygen.
4 . The face mask of claim 3 , wherein said single source tube and/or said at least two tubes include smooth-bore tubing to facilitate high-flow oxygen and high-flow air delivery, and said face mask further comprising:
a circumferential clip disposed around each of said at least two tubes; and
an adjustable head strap that couples at one end to one of said circumferential clips and is configured, at another end, to be disposed behind a head of the subject to stabilize positioning of said at least two tubes around the head of the subject.
5 . The face mask of claim 4 , wherein said single source tube and/or said at least two tubes are made from a corrugated material for facilitating efficient air flow and/or oxygen flow.
6 . The face mask of claim 1 , further comprising a peripheral seal disposed around a periphery of said mask body, wherein said peripheral seal includes a gel or is an inflatable portion configured for snugly fitting said mask body around the mouth and the nose of the subject.
7 . The face mask of claim 1 , wherein each terminating feature includes a first umbrella seal and a second umbrella seal, wherein said first umbrella seal includes a first base portion having a first diameter or a first dimension and said second umbrella seal includes a second base portion having a second diameter or a second dimension corresponding to said first dimension, wherein said first base portion is closer in distance than said second base portion to said connecting portion of said bridge feature, and wherein said first base portion has a greater diameter than the second base portion or said first dimension is larger than corresponding said second dimension, wherein said first and second dimensions are each measured across the respective base portions of said first and second umbrella seals.
8 . The face mask of claim 1 , wherein said at least two tubes pass through respective ones of said at least two inlet ports such that said portions of said at least two tubes are present on said interior side of said mask body, and wherein said at least two tubes are arranged to angularly displace about respective ones of said at least two inlet ports.
9 . The face mask of claim 1 , wherein said at least two tube transition features pass through respective ones of said at least two inlet ports such that said portions of said at least two tube transition features are present on the exterior side of said mask body, and wherein said at least two tube transition features are arranged to angularly displace about respective ones of said at least two inlet ports.
10 . The face mask of claim 1 , wherein at least a front portion of said mask body is transparent to allow visibility into said interior side of said mask body and of said at least two nasal prongs for facilitating adjustment into the nostrils of the subject.
11 . The face mask of claim 1 , wherein each embedded filtration element is configured to filter out at least 95% of airborne particles passing through its associated secondary airflow port.
12 . The face mask of claim 2 , further comprising a high-efficiency particulate air (“HEPA”) filter coupled to said exhaust tube, which is connected to said exhaust port.
13 . The face mask of claim 1 , further comprising one or more mounting features for securing thereon retention straps configured to secure said mask body around the mouth and the nose of the subject.