CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] None.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

[0003] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND

[0004] A variety of escape respirators are known. The escape respirators may be used by human beings to promote breathing while they are escaping from an environmental hazard such as a fire, a chemical spill, or other event that unexpectedly degrades the breathing quality of the air. It is understood that this use scenario may involve an individual using the escape respirator that has not been trained recently or has not be trained at all in the use of the escape respirator. Additionally, the individual using the escape respirator may be under unaccustomed stress - for example the individual may fear for his or her life - and this unaccustomed stress may impair the individual's attentiveness when donning the escape respirator. An escape respirator that is improperly donned or fitted may not function properly, and the user may inhale unhealthy air.

SUMMARY

[0005] In an embodiment, a mouthbit respirator is disclosed. The mouthbit respirator comprises a facepiece sized to enclose the mouth and the nose, a mouthpiece, and a spring coupled to the mouthpiece and to the facepiece. When the mouthpiece is held in the mouth of a user, the spring pulls the facepiece against the face of the user.

[0006] In an embodiment, a strapless mouthbit respirator is disclosed. The strapless respirator comprises a facepiece to cover a mouth and a nose of a user and a springloaded mouthbit assembly. During use the springloaded mouthbit assembly provides a pull-back force to fit the facepiece to a face of the user.

[0007] In an embodiment, a method of donning a strapless mouthbit respirator is disclosed. The method comprises grasping an exterior of a facepiece of the respirator with a hand of the user, pressing the facepiece over a nose and a mouth of the user, engaging a mouthpiece of the respirator with the mouth of the user, and releasing the grasp on the exterior of the facepiece.

[0008] These and other features will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts.

[0010] FIG. 1A illustrates an exploded view of a mouthbit respirator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0011] FIG. IB illustrates an assembled view of a mouthbit respirator according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a mouthbit respirator coupled to a filter according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a mouthbit respirator coupled to an air hose according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 4 A illustrates a mouthbit respirator before donning by a human user according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 4B illustrates a mouthbit respirator after donning by a human user according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 5 illustrates a mouthpiece according to an embodiment of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments are illustrated below, the disclosed systems and methods may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not yet in existence. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

[0018] Turning now to FIG. 1A and FIG. IB, a first mouthbit respirator 10 is described. While the descriptions below may make references to use of the first mouthbit respirator 10 as an escape respirator, it will be appreciated that these teachings may be applied to other kinds of mouthbit respirators also. In an embodiment, the first mouthbit respirator 10 comprises a facepiece 12 and a springloaded mouthbit assembly 14. The springloaded mouthbit assembly 14 may be embodied in a number of forms. The springloaded mouthbit assembly 14 provides the functionality that when a user has donned the first mouthbit respirator 10 and holds the mouthbit in their mouth and/or their teeth, the springloaded mouthbit assembly 14 provides a pull-back force to fit the facepiece 12 to a face of the user. The facepiece 12 covers the mouth and the nose of the user, and the springloaded mouthbit assembly 14 promotes the user breathing through their mouth as well as their nose. It will be appreciated that being able to breath through the nose may make the user feel more comfortable and more at ease in an emergency and/or stressful situation. Additionally, breathing through the nose may be healthier than breathing exclusively through the mouth for various reasons. For example, breathing exclusively through the mouth may lead to more rapid dehydration of the user. Additionally, breathing exclusively through the mouth fails to take advantage of the natural filtration functionality of the nose.

[0019] In an embodiment, the springloaded mouthbit assembly 14 may comprise a mouthpiece 16, a helical compression spring 18 or other spring, and a spring seat 20. The mouthpiece 16 has a lip at an end opposite of a mouth bit end that is larger in diameter than an outside diameter of the spring 18 and captures the spring 18. Alternatively, the mouthpiece 16 may not feature a lip at the end opposite the mouthbit end, and the spring 18 may be stopped by mouthpiece 16 but instead be stopped by the facepiece 12 and/or by an coupling port 52 described below with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The spring seat 20 has a lip that is smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of the spring 18 and larger in diameter than the outside diameter of the shaft of the mouthpiece 16 and cages the opposite end of the spring 18. A main body of the spring seat 20 has an inside diameter larger than the outside diameter of the spring 18. The mouthpiece 16 and the spring seat 20 may have apertures, openings, or slots in their shafts that promote the free flow of air, for example to promote nose breathing by a user, which may best be seen in FIG. 4B.

[0020] The spring seat 20 mechanically connects to the facepiece 12. For example, in an embodiment, the spring seat 20 may connect to the facepiece 12 using a snap fit. In another embodiment, however, the spring seat 20 may connect to the facepiece 12 using a different connection mechanism. In an embodiment, the spring seat 20 may be adhered or glued to the facepiece 12. In an embodiment, the spring seat 20 may be riveted to the face piece 12. In an embodiment, the spring seat 20 may be thermally welded or fused to the facepiece 12. In an embodiment, the spring seat 20 may be retained by brackets to the facepiece 12.

[0021] The facepiece 12 may take a variety of forms. In an embodiment, the facepiece 12 is a half mask that covers the mouth area and the nose area and a portion of the face of the user but does not cover the eyes. Alternatively, in an embodiment, the facepiece 12 is a full mask and covers the eyes as well as the mouth area and the nose area. At least the portion of the facepiece 12 in front of the eyes of the user, in the full mask embodiment, may be transparent or translucent, promoting the user seeing through the facepiece 12. The facepiece 12 may be made of a variety of flexible materials including rubber, silicone rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, or other material. [0022] Turning now to FIG. 2, a second mouthbit respirator 10 is described. The second mouthbit respirator 10 comprises the facepiece 12 and spring-loaded mouthbit assembly 14 as described more fully above with reference to FIG. 1A and FIG. IB. The second mouthbit respirator 50 further comprises a coupling port 52 and a filter 54. The filter 54 may be a canister filter or other filter. The filter 54 may be mechanically connected to the facepiece 12 by the coupling port 52 for example by screwing into the coupling port 52, by locking into matching lugs of the coupling port 52, by securing with brackets, by securing with a snap fit, or by another mechanical connection device. The filter 54 promotes a user breathing in filtered air via the filter 54 and via the spring-loaded mouthbit assembly 14. In an embodiment, the filter 54 promotes the user exhaling out through the filter 54. In an alternative embodiment, however, a one-way valve is coupled to the second mouthbit respirator 10 that closes when the user inhales, constraining air inhaled by the user to pass through the filter 54. The one-way valve may open when the user exhales to allow exhaled air to leave the second mouthbit respirator 10.

[0023] Turning now to FIG. 3, a third mouthbit respirator 60 is described. The third mouthbit respirator 60 comprises the facepiece 12 and spring-loaded mouthbit assembly 14 as described more fully above with reference to FIG. 1A and FIG. IB. The third mouthbit respirator 60 further comprises the coupling port 52 and an air breathing hose 62. The air breathing hose 62 may be mechanically connected to the facepiece 12 by the coupling port 52 for example by screwing into the coupling port 52, by locking into matching lugs of the coupling port 52, by securing with brackets, by securing with a snap fit, or by another mechanical connection device. The air breathing hose 62 promotes a user breathing in air via the breathing hose 62 when using the spring-loaded mouthbit assembly 14. The air breathing hose 62 may receive a supply of breathable air from any source. In an embodiment, the air breathing hose 62 may receive a supply of breathable air provided by a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) device. In an embodiment, a one-way valve is coupled to the third mouthbit respirator 60 that closes when the user inhales, constraining air inhaled by the user to pass through the air breathing hose 62. The one-way valve may open when the user exhales to allow exhaled air to leave the third mouthbit respirator 60.

[0024] Turning now to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, an illustration of a utilization of the first mouthbit respirator 10 is described. In FIG. 4 A, the first mouthbit respirator 10 is shown in a relaxed, not-in-use state. A user may pick-up the first mouthbit respirator 10, for example with the left side of the first mouthbit respirator 10 filling the palm of the hand, and gently press the first mouthbit respirator 10 into the face of the user, with the spring-loaded mouthbit assembly 14 aligned with the mouth of the user. With the first mouthbit respirator 10 gently pressed into the face of the user, the user may then grasp the spring-loaded mouthbit assembly 14 with the mouth and/or with the teeth. In an embodiment, the mouthpiece 16 features a circumferential groove with which the teeth of the user may engage. While grasping the spring-loaded mouthbit assembly 14 with the mouth and/or with the teeth, the user may then remove their hand from the first mouthbit respirator 10, and the spring 18 will compress to maintain force on the facepiece 12 to hold it in sealing contact with the face of the user, as illustrated in FIG. 4B. The spring 18 maintaining force on the facepiece 12 to hold it in sealing contact with the face of the user may be referred to as spring 18 and/or the spring-loaded mouthbit assembly 14 exerting a pull-back force on the facepiece 12. It is understood that a

[0025] When the facepiece 12 is held in sealing contact with the face of the user, the user is able to breathe through either their nose or their mouth, and air is inhaled via the coupling port 52 through the filter 54 of FIG. 2 or the air breathing hose 62 of FIG. 3. Note that air may flow from the coupling port 52, out of apertures in the mouthpiece 16 and/or out of apertures in the spring seat, to the nose of the user. Likewise, air may flow from the coupling port 52, out of an end hole of the mouthpiece 16, to the mouth of the user. In an embodiment of the first mouthbit respirator 10 that features a full mask facepiece 12, the mode of operation is substantially similar to the procedure described above. [0026] The mouthbit respirators 10, 50, 60 described above may be seen to be strapless, needing no straps to maintain a seal between the facepiece 12 and the face of the user. The mouthbit respirators 10, 50, 60 are contemplated to be more user friendly and more likely to be properly employed by users in a stressful situation, for example during an escape scenario. Known respirators that employ straps to establish the seal between the facepiece 12 may depend upon skilled and controlled user actions to both place the straps correctly at the back of the head and to adjust the tension of the straps. This procedure takes time that may otherwise be usefully spent escaping a health hazard. Additionally, if a user fails to properly deploy and adjust the straps - an eventuality which is not unlikely under stressful conditions and when performing actions that the user may never have practiced - the known respirators may not protect the user from the hazardous air. Other known respirators may further involve installing a clip on the nose or placing a nose closing component of the facepiece over the nose to prevent nose breathing. This may be a further complication of the process of initially donning the respirator and provide further opportunity for a user to fail to use the respirator properly. Additionally, these kinds of nose clamps may be uncomfortable and force mouth breathing which has disadvantages as identified above.

[0027] Turning now to FIG. 5, a mouthpiece 80 is described. In an embodiment, the mouthpiece 80 may substitute for the mouthpiece 16. The mouthpiece 80 comprises an air hole 86, a first bite pad 82, and a second bite pad 84. In an embodiment, the portion of the mouthpiece 80 that is formed to be held in the mouth of a user is arc shaped.

[0028] While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted or not implemented. [0029] Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through some interface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.