The invention to which this application relates is to the provision of items of a type which can be detectable by specific detection apparatus and thereby avoid the possibility of said items, or parts of said items, from contaminating other products or proces ses and, in particular, although not neces sarily exclusively, products in the form of foodstuffs or proces ses for the manufacture of the same.

It is known that due to health and safety restrictions and requirements, many manufacturing and processing industries require personnel to wear items which are designed to prevent direct contact between the human and the product or proces s which is being made or used. This is particularly prevalent in the food stuff manufacturing industry in order to prevent human contamination of the foodstuff product during the manufacturing proces s.

While the need for this safety is well known and understood, it is often the case that the safety items themselves can become a hazard in the design and manufacturing proces s such as, for example, if the item or part thereof, is discarded or falls off, the same can enter into the foodstuff and itself become a contaminant.

There is therefore a need to be able to detect the presence of such items within food stuffs in order to prevent or at least minimise the opportunity for any foodstuff contaminated with said item becoming available to the food consumer. It is known to provide items which include metal particles so as to allow the same to be detectable by metal detection apparatus through which the products which have been manufactured pass and, if the metal particles within an item which is present in the foodstuff is detected, then the foodstuff can be removed from the manufacturing process .

While this type of detection can be effective in certain instances, it is found that, in practice, the detection apparatus is not effective in detecting metal containing items which are located in relatively dense products such as for example a block of cheese. This therefore means that it is still possible for potential contaminants to be present in a manufactured product.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a means whereby potentially contaminating items can be more accurately and reliably detected thereby minimising the opportunity for the same to be contaminated.

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided an item which has a predetermined function, and wherein the presence of at least a portion of the item is rendered detectable by x-ray detection apparatus by forming said at least portion of the item to include a material which is detectable by x-ray apparatus .

In one embodiment, the said portion is formed of a plastics material.

In one embodiment, the plastics material is any, or any combination o f, one or more polymers . Polymers that can be utilized include relatively hard, rigid materials such as polyamides, polyolefms, polycarbonates, vinyl polymers, polyethers, and copolymers thereof (for example thermoplastic elastomers).

In one embodiment, the said portion is adapted to be rendered detectable by x-ray apparatus by adding barium, barium sulphate, or a similar material, to the material from which the said portion of the item, or the item as a whole, is to be formed. Typically, the barium or equivalent is added to said material while the material is in a fluid condition and the item is then formed from the fluent material or coated in the same.

In one embodiment the material is in a liquid form or, alternatively, in a powder form.

In one embodiment, the material used to form the at least one portion also includes metal particles to a sufficient extent so as to allow the said portion to be detectable by metal detection apparatus.

In one embodiment, the density of the barium, barium sulphate or equivalent material which is added is added in a quantity which is sufficient to allow the item to be rendered detectable with regard to the particular use for which the item is to be put. For example, an item which is for use in the manufacture of relatively thin or less dense items may, in one embodiment, include les s barium or equivalent material added to it in comparison to that which would be added to an item which is to be used in the manufacture of relatively dense items as, if the said portion is to be embedded in a relatively thin item, it would be more easily detectable than if it was embedded in a more dense item. In one embodiment different grades of detectability can be indicated on or in conjunction with the item and items with the appropriate grade of detectability can be selected for the specific purpose and environment in which the item is to be used.

In one embodiment, the said item is for use in the food manufacturing industry and the apparatus for manufacturing the foodstuff, include, at at least one location along the manufacturing line, x-ray detection apparatus. This will detect whether an item or portion of said item has become lodged in product being manufactured during the manufacturing process and, if the same is detected, then that product is removed from the manufacturing process .

In one embodiment the said item is a breathing mask for use to cover the nose and/or mouth o f a user to prevent the inhalation of certain materials, said mask including a filter, and one or more straps to allow the mask to be held in position and wherein the filter and/or said one or more straps and/or attachments for said straps are detectable by x-ray detection apparatus.

In one embodiment, the said apparatus is rendered detectable by metal detection apparatus by adding metal particles to the material from which said components are formed.

Preferably each of the straps, attachment means for the straps, and filters are rendered detectable.

In one embodiment, the said item which is adapted so as to allow at least a portion of the same to be rendered detectable by x-ray, is a lens carrier, lens therefore or safety glasses and at least a portion of the same is rendered detectable by x-ray apparatus.

In an alternative embodiment, the item which is rendered detectable by X-ray detection apparatus is a glove.

In one embodiment, the barium or equivalent is added to the material from which the gloves are formed or alternatively, the barium or equivalent is added to a material which forms an external coating of the glove. In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a breathing mask for use to cover the nose and/or mouth of a user to prevent the inhalation of certain materials, said mask including a filter, and one or straps to allow the mask to be held in position and wherein at least the filter, said straps and/or attachments for said straps are rendered detectable by x- ray apparatus by including an x-ray detectable material in at least a portion thereof and/or metal detectable by metal detection apparatus by including metal particles in at least a portion thereof.

In one embodiment the metal particles and x-ray detectable material are provided in the same portion of the breathing mask.

In one embodiment there is provided a breathing wherein each of the straps, attachment means for the straps, and filters are rendered detectable.

Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein;

Figures l a — c illustrate an item in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

Figures 2a— d illustrate a second embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 3a illustrates an elevation of a protective face mask in accordance with one embodiment of the invention and Figure 3b illustrates a plan view of said mask.

Referring firstly to Figures l a- c there is illustrated an item 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention which is rendered capable of detection by x-ray apparatus. The item in this embodiment, is shown as a pair of safety goggles comprising a lens carrier portion 4 with rearwardly extending arms 10 and lenses 6. However it should be appreciated that features relating to this form of item can be applicable to the other embodiments of the item as described with reference to the Figures 2a-d and 3.

In one embodiment, the lenses 6 can be formed as an integral unit as shown and/or attached via engagement means to the lens carrier 4. The lens carrier is formed of a plastics material which is moulded and, prior to the formation of the same into a rigid component, in accordance with the invention, a barium, or equivalent x-ray detectable material, is added to the plastics material. In a further embodiment, the lens 6 can also be made of plastics material which includes barium added thereto such that, in addition to the lens carrier, the lenses themselves can also be rendered detectable by the x-ray apparatus . This therefore ensures that should the lens be detached from the lens carrier, and be placed into the items that have been manufactured then the same will also be detectable by the x-ray detection apparatus.

Referring now to Figures 2a— d there is illustrated in Figures 2a and b a first form of a further item 12 in accordance with the invention in the form of a glove. In Figures 2a and b, there is illustrated a glove which is formed of relatively thin material such as vinyl and which may also include a sleeve 14 section extending therefrom. In this case, the glove is provided typically to be sufficiently elastic so as to substantially take the form of the users hand and is formed of a single layer of material as illustrated in Figure 2b which shows a cross section along line AA. In this case, during the manufacturing of the wall of the glove, barium is added to the material used to form the glove while the material is still in a fluid state, such as in a powder or liquid state. This therefore provides sufficient density of the material so as to render the same capable of x-ray detection should the item or a portion of the same be moved into a product which is being manufactured and hence contaminate the same.

Figures 2c-d illustrate an alternative form of glove 1 6 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention and in this case, the glove comprises an inner layer of fabric 1 8 as shown in Figure 2d which shows a cros s section through the glove along line BB. The said inner layer 18 is dipped in a plastic material to from an external layer 20 as illustrated in Figure 2d and the plastics material which is used to form the external layer includes barium added thereto to a sufficient amount to allow the glove or portion thereof to be detectable by x-ray apparatus . Thus it will be appreciated that in each embodiment of the formation of a glove then the item can be detected by x-ray detection apparatus.

Referring now to Figures 3a and b there is illustrated a further embodiment of the invention in which there is provided an item in the form of a mask 22 having a cloth material portion 24 to cover the face and nose. Said mask also includes mounted therein a filter component 26 formed of plastics material and including a filter membrane therein, a nose member 28 which is typically formed of a metal detectable material and engagement means 30, in the form o f a series of straps 32 and buckles 34 for the same, which allow the mask to be held over the mouth and nose of a user. In this embodiment at least the cloth material portion is provided to be metal detectable and may also be x-ray visible.

In accordance with the invention, in this embodiment, the buckles, straps and preferably the filter components, are formed to be X-ray detectable and also possibly metal detectable by detection apparatus and, in this particular embodiment, are rendered detectable by metal and X ray detection apparatus by the addition of metal particles and barium into the plastics material from which the said components are manufactured. In the case of the straps 32, metal strands can be woven into the strap to render the same metal detectable and/or strands of material including barium can be added to, or woven into the strap.

The addition of the x-ray detectable material allows at least portion of the mask to be detectable such that if the mask or a portion thereof, becomes dislodged and becomes part of an article being manufactured in a manufacturing proces s in which the person wearing the item is involved, the dislodged item or portion will be detected as the manufactured item pas ses through an x-ray detection apparatus and thereby allows the indication of the contamination of that manufactured item and the removal of the same from the manufacturing process .

Thus, in accordance with the invention, there is provided an item which, by means of rendering the various components as described detectable, causes the item to be detectable and thereby useable in potentially hazardous environments where contamination is to be avoided.