JP7514617B2 - mask - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mask that covers at least a portion of the user's face.

Masks worn on the face are typically required to prevent viruses, bacteria, dust, and the like from entering the mouth, nose, etc. In the mask of Patent Document 1, sheets are attached along the left and right ends on the inside of the mask body. These sheets seal the gaps that form between the mask and the areas around the ears on the face, and can prevent exhaled air from leaking or air from being inhaled through such gaps.

JP 2014-30654 A

However, even with the mask in Patent Document 1, the fit between the mask and the face is still poor, and the mask does not adequately prevent the intrusion of viruses, bacteria, dust, etc., so there is room for improvement.

The present invention aims to provide a mask that adheres closely to the face.

The mask according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a mask body that covers at least a portion of the user's face, and a cloth that is disposed inside the mask body and contacts the face. When the mask body is worn on the face, the area of the cloth that overlaps with the mask body in the front-to-rear direction is smaller than the area of the mask body that overlaps with the cloth in the front-to-rear direction.

The mask according to the second aspect of the present invention is the mask according to the first aspect, in which the cloth has an opening at a position corresponding to at least one of the mouth and nose of the user, or is separated at a position corresponding to at least one of the mouth and nose of the user.

The mask according to the third aspect of the present invention is the mask according to the first or second aspect, in which the cloth overlaps the outer periphery of the mask body.

The mask according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is a mask according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which the fabric is impregnated with a beauty ingredient.

According to the above viewpoint, the cloth that comes into contact with the face is placed inside the mask body. Here, when the mask body is placed on the face, the area of the portion of the cloth that overlaps with the mask body in the front-to-back direction is smaller than the area of the portion of the mask body that overlaps with the cloth in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, compared to the mask body, the cloth does not sag, and when the mask body is placed on the face, the cloth can come into tight contact with the face. This improves the fit between the mask and the face.

FIG. 2 is a view of the mask according to the first embodiment before deployment, as seen from the inside. A view of the mask from the inside after deployment. A view of the mask from the outside before deployment. A view of the mask from the outside after deployment. Cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. Cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 2. FIG. 13 is a view of a mask according to a modified example seen from the inside.

The following describes a mask according to one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

<1. First embodiment>
1 and 2 show the mask 1 according to this embodiment as viewed from the inside, and Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show the mask 1 as viewed from the outside. The mask 1 is deployed three-dimensionally when worn on the face of a user. Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 show the mask 1 before deployment, and Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 show the mask 1 after deployment. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 2. In the following description, up and down, left and right, and front and back are defined as shown in Figs. 1 to 6, based on a state in which a user is standing and wearing the mask 1.

As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the mask 1 includes a mask body 30 and a cloth 10 that is placed inside the mask body 30 and overlaps the mask body 30. The mask body 30 is a cloth that covers at least a part of the face, and in this embodiment, it mainly covers the mouth and nose. When the mask 1 is worn on the face, the cloth 10 is sandwiched between the face and the mask body 30, comes into contact with the face, and plays a role in increasing the adhesion between the mask 1 and the face. The mask 1 also has ear hooks 40 that are connected to the mask body 30. When the mask 1 is worn on the face, the ear hooks 40 are hooked onto the left and right ears of the user, thereby maintaining a state in which the mask body 30 and the cloth 10 cover the areas around the mouth and nose on the face.

The mask body 30 is a sheet-like member, and is made of a breathable sheet material such as nonwoven fabric or woven fabric. The sheet material here can be preferably made of nonwoven fabric formed by the spunbond method, melt-blowing method, thermal bond method, spunlace method, etc., and from the viewpoint of shape retention, it is more preferable to make it of nonwoven fabric formed by the spunbond method. In addition, as the fiber material constituting the sheet material here, for example, synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester can be selected, and natural fibers such as paper, rayon, and cotton can also be selected. The mask body 30 may be a single-layer structure consisting of one sheet material, or a multi-layer structure consisting of two, three, or more sheets of sheet material stacked on top of each other. The mask body 30 can be made of, for example, an S layer (single layer of spunbond), an SS layer (two-layer structure of spunbond-spunbond), an SSS layer (three-layer structure of spunbond-spunbond-spunbond), an SMS layer (three-layer structure of spunbond-meltblown-spunbond), etc.

The cloth 10 of this embodiment is impregnated with a medicinal agent, and the medicinal agent contains a beauty component that has a beauty effect on the skin. Therefore, when the cloth 10 comes into contact with the face when the mask 1 is worn on the face, the medicinal agent containing the beauty component is applied to the face. In this embodiment, the beauty component is a moisturizing component, and the medicinal agent includes a preservative and water in addition to the moisturizing component. Examples of moisturizing components include glycerin, collagen, hyaluronic acid, ceramide, squalane, etc., but from the viewpoint of exerting a moisturizing effect by impregnating the cloth 10, glycerin and hyaluronic acid are particularly preferable. When the mask 1 is used for daytime use, the ratio of the beauty component contained in the medicinal agent is preferably 5 to 30 weight percent. Examples of preservatives include butylcarbamic acid iodide propynyl, methyl paraoxybenzoate, propyl paraoxybenzoate, phenoxyethanol, etc., but from the viewpoint of exerting resistance to mold fungi, butylcarbamic acid iodide propynyl is particularly preferable. The beauty ingredients may contain one or more elements selected from the group including whitening agents (vitamin C derivatives, hydroquinone, arbutin, etc.), astringents (citric acid, alum, ethanol, etc.), skin protectants, and skin nutrients, instead of or in addition to the moisturizing ingredients described above.

The cloth 10 is also a sheet-like member, and is made of a breathable sheet material such as a nonwoven fabric or a woven fabric. The sheet material here can also be made of a nonwoven fabric formed by a spunbond method, a meltblowing method, a thermal bond method, a spunlace method, or the like, and from the viewpoint of retaining the drug, it is more preferable to make it of a nonwoven fabric formed by a spunlace method. In addition, as the fiber material constituting the sheet material here, for example, synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester can be selected, and natural fibers such as paper, rayon, and cotton can also be selected. The cloth 10 may also be a single-layer structure consisting of one sheet material, or a multi-layer structure consisting of two, three, or more sheets of stacked material.

The mask body 30 is configured to be three-dimensionally expandable. More specifically, as shown in Figs. 3 to 5, the mask body 30 has one or more pleats 31 extending in the left-right direction. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, when the mask body 30 is pulled in the vertical direction and the pleats 31 are expanded in the vertical direction, the mask body 30 extends in the vertical direction. At this time, the central part of the mask body 30 in the left-right direction mainly expands in the vertical direction. This allows the mask body 30 to cover a wider area of the face. As shown in Fig. 5, the pleats 31 are folded before being expanded, and at this time, the mask body 30 is generally flat. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 6, after the pleats 31 are expanded, the mask body 30 expands in a dome shape. In other words, the mask body 30 not only expands in the vertical direction, but also expands forward so that its central part in the vertical direction protrudes, and is expanded three-dimensionally. In FIG. 5, the mask 1 is depicted as being relatively three-dimensional in the front-to-back direction for ease of understanding, but in reality it is more planar.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mask body 30 has an upper side L1, a lower side L2 opposite the upper side L1, a left side L3, and a right side L4 opposite the left side L3, and is generally rectangular before it is unfolded. As shown in FIG. 1, the cloth 10 also has a generally rectangular shape before it is unfolded. The cloth 10 extends vertically from the upper side L1 to the lower side L2 of the mask body 30, and extends horizontally from the left side L3 to the right side L4. Therefore, the cloth 10 overlaps the sides L1 to L4 that form the outer periphery of the mask body 30, and covers the entire mask body 30 except for the positions of the openings S1 and S2 described below.

The cloth 10 is fixed to the mask body 30 along the entire width of its outer periphery. Therefore, in this embodiment, the outer periphery of the cloth 10 substantially coincides with the outer periphery of the mask body 30 both before and after the mask 1 is unfolded. Note that line C1 shown in Figures 1 to 4 indicates the location where the cloth 10 and the mask body 30 are fixed. The method of fixing the cloth 10 and the mask body 30 can be selected as appropriate. For example, methods such as heat fusion (including ultrasonic fusion) and sewing can be used. In this embodiment, heat fusion is performed in a dashed line along line C1 shown in Figures 1 to 4.

The cloth 10 has an opening S1 at a position corresponding to the user's mouth, and an opening S2 at a position corresponding to the nose. In this embodiment, before the mask 1 is unfolded, both openings S1 and S2 are formed as slits extending in the left-right direction. Furthermore, both openings S1 and S2 are formed only near the center in the left-right direction, and do not reach the left and right sides of the cloth 10. Opening S1 is located lower than opening S2, and extends further in the left-right direction than opening S2.

As described above, the mask body 30 is deployed three-dimensionally when worn on the face. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the cloth 10 is also deployed somewhat three-dimensionally, and the center of the cloth 10 protrudes slightly forward. At this time, the cloth 10 stretches in the vertical direction in accordance with the expansion of the mask body 30, and in particular, the central part in the horizontal direction mainly stretches in the vertical direction. This allows the cloth 10 to closely contact parts of the face that have a three-dimensional structure, such as the tip of the nose and the jaw line. The cloth 10 can also closely contact parts of the face that are relatively flat, such as the areas surrounding the left and right sides and the lower part of the cheeks and mouth. As described above, the cloth 10 is fixed to the mask body 30 only along the vicinity of its outer periphery. Therefore, the cloth 10 is not pulled excessively forward in accordance with the expansion of the mask body 30. Therefore, the cloth 10 is relatively flat even after deployment compared to the mask body 30, and can closely fit the face.

Before the mask 1 is unfolded, the cloth 10 and the mask body 30 are both planar, and the area surrounded by the outer periphery of the cloth 10 substantially coincides with the area surrounded by the outer periphery of the mask body 30. However, when the mask 1 is unfolded, the mask body 30 having the pleats 31 is unfolded larger than the cloth 10 and spreads more three-dimensionally in the front-to-back direction than the cloth 10. As a result, when the mask 1 is unfolded, the area of the part of the cloth 10 that overlaps with the mask body 30 in the front-to-back direction is smaller than the area of the part of the mask body 30 that overlaps with the cloth 10 in the front-to-back direction. Therefore, when the mask 1 is unfolded, the slack of the cloth 10 is smaller than that of the mask body 30, and the cloth 10 can be in close contact with the face. Therefore, the contact area between the cloth 10 and the face is increased, and the adhesion between the mask 1 and the face is improved. Therefore, the mask 1 can efficiently prevent viruses, bacteria, dust, etc. from entering the mouth, nose, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, due to this high adhesion, the beauty ingredients impregnated in the fabric 10 can be efficiently applied to the face.

When the mask 1 is deployed, the areas of the openings S1 and S2 increase as the cloth 10 is deployed (see Figures 2 and 6). In this embodiment, the openings S1 and S2 are generally elliptical. The opening S1 can mainly accommodate the mouth of the user, and the opening S2 can mainly accommodate the nose. Therefore, when the user wears the mask 1, the cloth 10 is in close contact with the user's face, but the user can breathe easily.

The ear hook portion 40 has a pair of left and right string members 41 and 42. Both ends of the left string member 41 are fixed to the upper and lower ends of the left end of the mask body 30, respectively, and the string member 41 forms a closed loop with the left end of the mask body 30. Similarly, both ends of the right string member 42 are fixed to the upper and lower ends of the right end of the mask body 30, respectively, and the string member 42 forms a closed loop with the right end of the mask body 30. This allows the string members 41 and 42 to be hooked onto the left and right ears, respectively. The method of fixing the string members 41 and 42 to the mask body 30 is not particularly limited, but for example, methods such as heat fusion (including ultrasonic fusion) and sewing can be used.

From the viewpoint of enabling the string members 41 and 42 to be securely hooked around the ears regardless of the size of the user's face, it is preferable that the string members 41 and 42 have elasticity along their longitudinal direction. In addition, the material constituting the string members 41 and 42 is not particularly limited, but for example, polyester, etc. can be used.

A linear nose piece 50 is fixed to the mask body 30 along its upper edge L1. The nose piece 50 is made of a material that can be easily bent and plastically deformed, such as plastic resin or metal. When the user wears the mask 1, the nose piece 50 is bent along the shape of the nose, and serves to reduce the gap between the mask 1 and the nose. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in this embodiment, the mask body 30 is folded forward along the upper edge L1 and lower edge L2, and is double-layered at the upper and lower parts. The nose piece 50 is embedded between the double-layered parts at the upper part of the mask body 30. Therefore, the nose piece 50 is not visible in Figures 1 to 4, but its position is shown by a dashed line for reference. In addition, in this embodiment, the nose piece 50 is heat fused (or may be sewn) to the mask 1 so as to surround it, so that the nose piece 50 does not fall off the mask body 30 (see line C1 in Figures 1 to 4).

2. Modified Examples
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following modifications are possible. In addition, the gist of the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

<2-1>
The fabric 10 does not have to be impregnated with a cosmetic ingredient. In this case, the cosmetic effect of the cosmetic ingredient cannot be obtained, but the mask 1 is still useful in that it can effectively prevent viruses, bacteria, dust, and the like from entering the mouth, nose, etc., due to its high adhesion to the face.

<2-2>
Before the fabric 10 is unfolded, at least one of the openings S1 and S2 can be formed as a slit extending in a direction other than the left-right direction, for example, in the up-down direction. Furthermore, even before the fabric 10 is unfolded, the shape of at least one of the openings S1 and S2 can be an appropriate shape such as an ellipse, a circle, a rectangle, etc., rather than a slit shape.

<2-3>
Both or either one of the openings S1 and S2 may be omitted. Also, one opening capable of simultaneously accommodating the mouth and nose of the user may be formed in the cloth 10. In this case, for example, one slit-shaped opening extending in the vertical direction may be formed near the center of the cloth 10 in the horizontal direction before the cloth 10 is unfolded.

<2-4>
The number of pleats 31 is not particularly limited, and may be one, or the pleats 31 may be omitted from the mask body 30. Even when the pleats 31 are omitted, as long as the mask body 30 is three-dimensionally expanded in the front-to-rear direction more than the cloth 10 at least when the mask body 30 is worn, the area of the portion of the cloth 10 that overlaps with the mask body 30 in the front-to-rear direction will be smaller than the area of the portion of the mask body 30 that overlaps with the cloth 10 in the front-to-rear direction.

<2-5>
In the above embodiment, the cloth 10 is fixed to the mask body 30 along the entire width of its outer periphery, but the fixing points between the cloth 10 and the mask body 30 are not limited to this example. For example, the cloth 10 may be fixed to the mask body 30 only along the entire width of the upper and lower sides, or only along the entire width of the left and right sides.

<2-6>
In the above embodiment, the outer peripheral edge of the cloth 10 substantially coincides with the outer peripheral edge of the mask body 30, and the areas enclosed by the outer peripheral edges of the cloth 10 and the mask body 30 substantially coincide before the mask 1 is unfolded. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the mask 1 may be configured such that the area enclosed by the outer peripheral edge of the cloth 10 is smaller than the area enclosed by the outer peripheral edge of the mask body 30 before the mask 1 is unfolded, and the outer peripheral edge of the former is included in the area enclosed by the outer peripheral edge of the latter. In this case, if the mask body 30 expands three-dimensionally in the front-rear direction more than the cloth 10 when the mask body 30 is unfolded, the area of the portion of the cloth 10 overlapping with the mask body 30 in the front-rear direction will be smaller than the area of the portion of the mask body 30 overlapping with the cloth 10 in the front-rear direction.

<2-7>
The cloth 10 may be composed of two or more sheet-like members that are overlapped on different regions of the mask body 30 and separated from each other. For example, the cloth 10 may be separated into two or three sheet-like members in the vertical direction by extending at least one of the openings S1 and S2 to reach the left and right ends of the cloth 10. In this case, the gaps (openings S1 and S2) between the separated sheet-like members are positioned at positions corresponding to at least one of the mouth and nose, and expand when the cloth 10 is deployed, and at least one of the mouth and nose is accommodated in the gaps, allowing the user to breathe easily.

1 Mask 10 Cloth 30 Mask body S1 Opening S2 Opening

Claims (3)

A mask body that covers at least a portion of a user's face;
A cloth is disposed inside the mask body and contacts the face,
When the mask body is worn on the face, an area of a portion of the cloth that overlaps with the mask body in the front-to-back direction is smaller than an area of a portion of the mask body that overlaps with the cloth in the front-to-back direction,
The fabric is
A slit is provided at a position corresponding to at least one of the mouth and nose of the user, or
The mask is made up of two or more sheet-like members separated at a position corresponding to at least one of the mouth and nose of the user, and the gap between the separated sheet-like members is configured to widen when the cloth is deployed.
mask. The cloth overlaps the outer periphery of the mask body.
The mask of claim 1 . The fabric is impregnated with a cosmetic ingredient.
3. The mask according to claim 1 or 2.