JP2024111255A - mask - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of suppressing degradation of wearing feeling of a mask.

SOLUTION: A mask comprises a mask body formed of a nonwoven fabric, and a pair of ear hook parts fixed to both ends in the width direction of the mask body. A deposition part for depositing the mask body with the ear hook parts is formed in a fixing region in which the ear hook parts are fixed to the mask body. The deposition part includes a first deposition part, and a second deposition part arranged at a central side of the mask body at an interval between the first deposition part in an extension part of the ear hook parts in the fixing region.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a mask.

In recent years, disposable masks have become known that have ear straps attached to a mask body made of laminated nonwoven fabric or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2020-2483 A

Generally, ear loops, such as ear straps, that are used to secure the mask to the wearer by hanging them around the ears are joined to the mask body made of nonwoven fabric by ultrasonic welding. However, the area where the nonwoven fabric and the ear loops are joined by ultrasonic welding is harder than other areas. If the area that has become hardened by ultrasonic welding comes into direct or indirect contact with the wearer's skin, there is a problem in that the mask becomes less comfortable to wear.

The present invention aims to provide a technology that can prevent the deterioration of the comfort of wearing a mask.

To solve the above problem, the present invention forms two welded parts with a gap between them in the width direction.

In detail, the present invention relates to a mask comprising a mask body made of nonwoven fabric and a pair of ear loops fixed to both widthwise ends of the mask body, and in a fixing region for fixing the ear loops to the mask body, a welding portion is formed for welding the mask body and the ear loops, and the welding portion includes a first welding portion and a second welding portion disposed toward the center of the mask body at a distance from the first welding portion in the extension direction of the ear loops in the fixing region.

In the above mask, the ear loops may be string-shaped and have a thickness of 1.0 mm or more, and the spacing may be greater than or equal to the thickness of the ear loops.

In the above mask, the distance may be at least twice the thickness of the ear loop.

In the above mask, the ear hook portion may extend beyond the first welded portion to the widthwise end of the mask body.

In the above mask, the fixing areas may be formed at both vertical ends of the mask body, and the ear hooks may be joined to the mask body so as to form a curve that is convex toward the center of the mask body.

The mask further includes side sheets that cover the skin side of the ear hook portions in the fixed area, are positioned at both widthwise ends of the mask body, and are joined to the mask body, and the ear hook portions are joined to the skin side of the mask body, and the side sheets may extend further toward the center of the mask body than the second welded portion.

In the above mask, the ear hooks are joined to the skin side of the mask body, cover the skin side of the ear hooks in the fixed area, and the nonwoven fabric is folded back toward the center of the mask body at both ends in the width direction of the mask body, and the folded back nonwoven fabric may extend further toward the center of the mask body than the second welded portion.

The present invention makes it possible to prevent the deterioration of the comfort of wearing a mask.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a mask according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mask according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the vicinity of a fixing region of the mask according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a widthwise cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the fixing region of the mask according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a widthwise cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a fixing region of a mask according to a modified example of the embodiment.

Below, a mask according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations of the following embodiments are examples, and the present invention is not limited to the configurations of these embodiments.

Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a mask according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the mask 1 has a mask body 2, ear straps 3, 4 (an example of a "pair of ear hooks" as referred to in this application), side parts 5, 6 (an example of "both widthwise ends" as referred to in this application), and a nose fitter 7. The mask body 2 is made of a sheet-like breathable material and is large enough to cover the wearer's mouth and nose. The ear straps 3, 4 are made of a string-like elastic material, and their ends are joined at the side parts 5, 6 located on both sides of the mask body 2 to form annular loops on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2, respectively.

The mask body 2 is made of various sheets such as breathable nonwoven fabrics, and is a laminate of multiple sheets. The multiple sheets are appropriately joined to each other at the top, bottom, left, and right edges. The mask body 2 has folds that can form a pleated three-dimensional shape. The shape of such folds is maintained by the side parts 5, 6, which are joined to the left and right ends of the mask body 2 when the mask body 2 is folded into pleats. In other words, the folds are prevented from unfolding by the side parts 5, 6 at the left and right ends, and in the area near the center of the mask body 2, the folds are unfolded when the mask 1 is worn, and the pleats of the mask body 2 are unfolded to form a three-dimensional shape. When not worn, the pleats are closed, allowing the mask body 2 to be flat and not bulky.

The string-like elastic material that constitutes the ear straps 3, 4 is formed, for example, from a woven band of rubber thread and cotton, a woven net of resin filaments, elastic nonwoven fabric, etc. Both ends of such string-like material are joined to the side parts 5, 6 on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2, respectively, to form the ear straps 3, 4 in a loop shape on both the left and right sides of the mask body 2, with one end of the material as the starting point and the other end of the material as the ending point.

The nose fitter 7 is a member fixed to the mask body 2 in a state where the longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction of the mask body 2 at the upper part of the mask body 2. The nose fitter 7 may be fixed inside the laminate in a state where it is sandwiched between the sheet-like breathable materials constituting the mask body 2, or may be fixed to the surface of the mask body 2. The nose fitter 7 is a plastically deformable material that has a strength sufficient to be deformed into an appropriate shape when pressed by the wearer's finger, and maintains its shape even when released from the pressure. By providing such a nose fitter 7 at the upper part of the mask body 2, the wearer can close the gap between the nose and the mask body 2.

The above-mentioned materials constituting the mask 1 are preferably joined by ultrasonic welding, but various joining techniques, such as sewing with sewing thread, adhesion with hot melt adhesive, heat sealing, and the like, can also be applied.

Details of the mask 1 will be described below. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mask 1 according to this embodiment, viewed from the skin side. As shown in FIG. 2, the mask 1 has a rectangular shape in plan view. When the mask 1 is worn by a wearer (hereinafter abbreviated as "worn state"), the longitudinal direction of the mask body 2 is the width direction corresponding to the left-right direction of the wearer, and the short side direction of the mask body 2 is the vertical direction corresponding to the up-down direction of the wearer. In addition, when the mask 1 is worn, the side facing the wearer's skin (the inner side when worn) is the skin side, and the opposite side to the skin side (the outer side when worn) is the non-skin side. Furthermore, the direction connecting the skin side and the non-skin side is the thickness direction. In the mask 1, the width direction and the vertical direction are perpendicular to each other, and the thickness direction is perpendicular to both the width direction and the vertical direction. Note that the view from the thickness direction is the plan view.

The mask body 2 is formed by laminating multiple sheets (e.g., three sheets) of rectangular nonwoven fabric. A pair of ear straps 3, 4 are fixed to the side portions 5, 6 (both widthwise ends) of the mask body 2. The ear straps 3 are fixed to the mask body 2 by the fixing regions 10 formed at both vertical ends. Similarly, the ear straps 4 are fixed to the mask body 2 by the fixing regions 10 formed at both vertical ends. The ear straps 3, 4 are fixed to the mask body 2 by the fixing regions 10 at two locations so as to form a curve that is convex toward the center of the mask body 2. In this embodiment, the ear straps 3, 4 are joined to the skin side of the mask body 2. In addition, the mask 1 includes side sheets 8, 9 that cover the skin side of the ear straps 3, 4 in the fixing regions 10, are arranged at both widthwise ends of the mask body 2, and are joined to the mask body 2. The sides 5, 6 of the mask 1 are composed of the mask body 2 and the side sheets 8, 9. In this embodiment, the ear straps 3 and 4 are string-shaped with a substantially circular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extension direction.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the fixing area 10 formed in the upper right of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a widthwise cross-sectional view of the mask 1 when the mask 1 is cut along line AA shown in Figure 3. Note that the following description will be given using the fixing area 10 on the vertical upper side of the side 5, which fixes the ear strap 3, as an example, but the mask 1 has a similar configuration in the fixing area 10 on the vertical lower side of the ear strap 3 and in both fixing areas 10 of the ear strap 4 on the side 6.

In this embodiment, a welded portion 11 is formed in the fixed region 10 to weld the mask body 2 and the ear strap 3 by ultrasonic welding. The welded portion 11 includes a first welded portion 11A and a second welded portion 11B arranged toward the center of the mask body 2 with a gap (hereinafter referred to as "gap A") from the first welded portion 11A in the extension direction of the ear strap 3 in the fixed region 10. The first welded portion 11A is arranged closer to the end of the mask body 2 in the width direction than the second welded portion 11B. The extension direction of the ear strap 3 in the fixed region 10 coincides with the width direction (longitudinal direction) of the mask body 2. In the welded portion 11, the thickness of the ear strap 3 is almost eliminated, and the ear strap 3 and the mask body 2 are integrated.

As shown in Fig. 4, the side sheets 8 are folded at the widthwise ends of the mask body 2 and arranged to cover the skin-facing side and non-skin-facing side of the side portions 5 of the mask body 2. The ear straps 3 are sandwiched between the skin-facing side of the mask body 2 and the side sheets 8 and joined to the mask body 2 and the side sheets 8. More specifically, the mask body 2, the ear straps 3, and the skin-facing side of the side sheets 8 are ultrasonically welded by the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B of the welded portion 11. The skin-facing sides of the mask body 2 and the side sheets 8 other than the fixed region 10 and the non-skin-facing sides of the mask body 2 and the side sheets 8 are ultrasonically welded.

The first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B are ultrasonically welded to make them harder than other portions of the mask 1. However, in this embodiment, the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B are formed with a gap A, and the ear strap 3 is not ultrasonically welded to the mask body 2 over the entire fixed area 10, so that the thickness of the ear strap 3 can be maintained between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B. As a result, the non-welded portion between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B rises toward the skin side, preventing the welded portion 11 from contacting the skin. The mask 1 according to this embodiment can prevent the hardened welded portion 11 from contacting the skin, suppressing a decrease in comfort when worn.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the thickness of the ear strap 3 is restored between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B. In the width direction cross section of the mask 1, the cross section of the ear strap 3 between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B is an arc shape that is convex toward the skin side. This arc shape can include an approximately arc shape. Here, the distance A between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B is preferably equal to or greater than the thickness length of the ear strap 3 (hereinafter referred to as "thickness length B"). Note that thickness length B is the thickness of the ear strap 3 outside the fixed region 10. When the distance A and thickness length B are the same length, if the thickness length of the ear strap 3 is 1.0 mm or more, the thickness length of the ear strap 3 between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B can be secured to about 0.5 mm. In this way, by making the distance A and the thickness B the same, the thickness of the ear strap 3 between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B can be secured to be half the thickness B. The ear strap 3 between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B has a semicircular shape with a radius equal to half the thickness B. In addition, the ear strap 3 is an elastic body, so it is softer than the welded portion 11, reducing the possibility of the welded portion 11 indirectly contacting the skin via the side sheet 8.

More preferably, the distance A between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B is at least twice the thickness B. This allows the thickness length of the ear strap 3 of the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B to be at least the same length as the thickness length B, and allows the ear strap 3 of the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B to fully exert the elasticity in the thickness direction of the ear strap 3. This allows the mask 1 to fully exert the cushioning properties of the ear strap 3, thereby preventing a decrease in wearing comfort.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the ear straps 3 extend further than the first welded portion 11A to the widthwise end of the mask body 2. This allows the ear straps 3 to increase the thickness of the mask 1 even on the widthwise end side of the mask body 2 beyond the first welded portion 11A, reducing the possibility of the welded portion 11 indirectly contacting the skin via the side sheet 8.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ear straps 3 are joined to the mask body 2 so as to form a curve that is convex toward the center of the mask body 2, so that when the ear straps 3 are placed around the ears, the ear straps 3 are folded back to the outside of the mask body 2. This allows the ear straps 3 to fit between the fixed area 10 and the skin surface, and a double cushion can be formed by the ear straps 3 that have fit between the first welded portion 11A and the second welded portion 11B. As a result, the mask 1 according to this embodiment reduces the possibility that the welded portion 11 will indirectly come into contact with the skin via the side sheet 8, and suppresses a decrease in comfort when worn.

As shown in FIG. 4, the side sheets 8 are closer to the mask body 2 than the second welded portion 11B.
According to this configuration, when the mask 1 is worn, the ear straps 3 cause the side sheets 8 extending toward the center of the mask body 2 beyond the second welded portion 11B to rise toward the skin surface, filling the gap between the mask 1 and the skin surface and preventing the formation of a gap between the mask 1 and the skin surface. This improves the adhesion of the mask 1 to the skin surface.

<Modification>
Next, a mask according to a modified example of this embodiment will be described based on FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a widthwise cross-sectional view of the mask 1 similar to FIG. 4. The mask according to this modified example does not include the side sheets 8, 9, and the nonwoven fabric 12 that forms the mask body 2 and covers the skin side of the ear straps 3, 4 in the fixed region 10 is folded back toward the center of the mask body 2 at both widthwise ends of the mask body 2, and the folded back nonwoven fabric 12 extends to the center of the mask body 2 beyond the second welded portion 11B. Although not shown and described, the same is true for the side portion 6 side. In this way, the nonwoven fabric 12 that forms the mask body 2 may be folded back without providing the side sheet 8. The nonwoven fabric 12 may be a plurality of sheets that form the mask body 2, or may be one of a plurality of sheets of nonwoven fabric that form the mask body 2. According to this configuration, when the mask 1 is worn, the ear straps 3 cause the nonwoven fabric 12 extending toward the center of the mask body 2 from the second welded portion 11B to rise up on the skin side, filling the gap between the mask 1 and the skin, preventing the formation of a gap between the mask 1 and the skin. This improves the adhesion of the mask 1 to the skin.

Although the embodiment of the mask of the present invention has been described above, the contents of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiment. In the mask 1 of the above embodiment, the ear straps 3, 4 are joined to the mask body 2 so as to form a curve that is convex toward the center of the mask body 2, but this is not limited to this. For example, the ear straps 3, 4 may be joined to the mask body 2 so as to form a curve that is convex toward the outside of the mask body 2. Also, in the mask 1 of the above embodiment, the ear straps 3, 4 are joined to the skin side of the mask body 2, but the ear straps 3, 4 may be joined to the non-skin side of the mask body 2.

The above embodiments and variations can be combined with each other.

Reference Signs List 1: Mask 2: Mask body 3, 4: Ear straps 5, 6: Sides 7: Nose fitters 8, 9: Side sheets 10: Fixed area 11: Welded section 11A: First welded section 11B: Second welded section 12: Nonwoven fabric

Claims (7)

A mask comprising a mask body made of nonwoven fabric and a pair of ear loops fixed to both ends of the mask body in a width direction,
A welding portion is formed in a fixing region where the ear hooks are fixed to the mask body, and the mask body and the ear hooks are welded to each other,
The welded portion includes a first welded portion and a second welded portion arranged on the central side of the mask body at a distance from the first welded portion in the extension direction of the ear hook portion in the fixed region.
mask. The ear hook portion is string-shaped and has a thickness of 1.0 mm or more.
The interval is equal to or greater than the thickness of the ear hook portion.
The mask of claim 1 . The interval is at least twice the thickness of the ear hook portion.
The mask of claim 2. The ear hook portion extends to a width direction end of the mask body beyond the first welded portion.
A mask according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The fixing regions are formed at both longitudinal ends of the mask body,
The ear hooks are joined to the mask body so as to form a curve that is convex toward the center of the mask body.
A mask according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The mask further includes a side sheet that covers the skin side of the ear hook portion in the fixing region, is disposed at both ends of the mask body in the width direction, and is joined to the mask body;
The ear hooks are attached to the skin side of the mask body,
The side sheets extend to a center side of the mask body beyond the second welded portion.
A mask according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The ear hooks are attached to the skin side of the mask body,
The nonwoven fabric covers the skin side of the ear hook portion in the fixing region, and is folded back toward the center of the mask body at both ends in the width direction of the mask body, and the folded back nonwoven fabric extends to the center of the mask body beyond the second welded portion.
A mask according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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