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US3845768A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Form fit vertical flow diving head gear

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-02-12
•
Granted: 1974-11-05
•
Expires: 1993-02-12
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Abstract

Abstract A diving head gear includes a form fit mask assembly, a hood assembly, and a breathing block assembly. Custom fitting a mask assembly to a diver''s facial contours as defined by the forehead, temples, and lower jawbone, seals its interior from the surrounding water and allows the comfortable wearing of the mask for prolonged periods of time. Securing the mask assembly onto a wearer''s head by an elastic, custom fitted hood assembly firmly seats the mask assembly in a sealed relationship as well as providing an armor-like protective covering. Mounting a breathing block assembly on an oral compartment of the mask assembly ensures an effortless inhalation and exhalation of gas and, by its unique configuration, the breathing block assembly blocks and purges any leaked water from the breathing system. Thusly provided, the head gear is ideally adaptable to semiclosed and closed underwater breathing systems to prevent the introduction and transfer of leaked water which would eventually reach the CO2 absorption unit and inhibit its functioning. Because each head gear is individually tailored to seat on the nonfleshy, bony portions of the head and face, and only a slight force is required to seal the mask assembly''s interior and no facial pain is suffered. Thus the head gear is ideally suitable for use during saturation diving or military undersea operations where it must be worn for long periods of time. Most of the inherent advantages of the head gear are attributed to the fitting of the mask assembly and its method of construction. Molding a ductile transparent sheet over a negative mold shaped to represent a diver''s head having a builtup template conforming to the internal dimensions of the form fit mask assembly and along a surface representing the bony facial contours of the diver, as defined by his forehead, his temples, and his jawbone, ensures comfortable seating of the mask and prolonged sealing of the interior from the surrounding water.

Inventors

  • 👤 R Garrahan

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 14:15
CPC Classifications
A; A62; A62D; A62D7/00; B; B63; B63C; B63C11/00; B63C11/02; B63C11/12; B63C11/14

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim 240 words
A custom fitted head gear worn to seal its interior from an ambient medium comprising: a mask assembly having a rigid peripheral strip configured to continuously conform to the bony contours outlining the facial area and including a first curved portion adapted to conform to an area of the contours of the forehead, second and third curved portions interconnected to said first curved portion adapted to conform to areas of the contours of the regions of the temples, and a fourth curved portion interconnected to said second and third curved portions adapted to conform to an area of the outwardly facing contours of the mandible, all the curved portions are shaped having a width in excess of a plural integral multiple of the thickness of said rigid peripheral strip to present conforming areas of sufficient breadth to ensure the comfortable wearing of said face mask for to ensure the comfortable wearing of said face mask for prolonged periods of time, and a shell portion integrally extending from and reaching across said peripheral strip to define said interior and including a section permitting vision therethrough; means for allowing a selective exchange of gas to and from said interior mounted on said mask assembly; and means for elastically pulling said peripheral strip against said bony contours to seat said peripheral stip thereon, sealing said interior from said medium and ensuring said comfortable wearing of said face mask for prolonged periods of time.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 240 words
A custom fitted head gear worn to seal its interior from an ambient medium comprising: a mask assembly having a rigid peripheral strip configured to continuously conform to the bony contours outlining the facial area and including a first curved portion adapted to conform to an area of the contours of the forehead, second and third curved portions interconnected to said first curved portion adapted to conform to areas of the contours of the regions of the temples, and a fourth curved portion interconnected to said second and third curved portions adapted to conform to an area of the outwardly facing contours of the mandible, all the curved portions are shaped having a width in excess of a plural integral multiple of the thickness of said rigid peripheral strip to present conforming areas of sufficient breadth to ensure the comfortable wearing of said face mask for to ensure the comfortable wearing of said face mask for prolonged periods of time, and a shell portion integrally extending from and reaching across said peripheral strip to define said interior and including a section permitting vision therethrough; means for allowing a selective exchange of gas to and from said interior mounted on said mask assembly; and means for elastically pulling said peripheral strip against said bony contours to seat said peripheral stip thereon, sealing said interior from said medium and ensuring said comfortable wearing of said face mask for prolonged periods of time.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 68 words
A head gear according to claim 1 in which said mask assembly further includes, a lateral portion reaching between said second and third curved portions of said peripheral strip configured and adapted to conform to contours defined by the cheekbones and the outwardly facing contour of the maxillae, said lateral portion is joined to said shell portion dividing said interior into an oral compartment and a nasal-visual compartment.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 55 words
A head gear according to claim 2 in which said shell portion is adapted to snugly accommodate the cheeks and is shaped with a section bulged outwardly from the area immediately forward of the lips, defining the limits of said oral compartment, the minimal distance for enabling intelligible speech while virtually eliminating dead air space.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 62 words
A head gear according to claim 3 in which said mask assembly further includes, a resilient, nonporous liner disposed on the interior and exterior of said peripheral strip and said shell portion, except for the vision section and the inhale-exhale opening, to further ensure said sealing of said interior and to seal the mounting of the allowing means on said oral compartment.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 30 words
A head gear according to claim 4 in which said resilient, nonporous liner consists of mutually bonded layers of a latex compound thereby removably mounted on said face mask assembly.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 45 words
A head gear according to claim 4 in which said nasal-visual compartment includes a flat transparent lens plate carried forward of the eye-nose area for ensuring more distortion-free forward vision and curved side walls having a radius of curvature for ensuring wide angle peripheral vision.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 44 words
A head gear according to claim 2 in which said mask assembly further includes, a plurality of snaps mounted on said peripheral strip to ensure said sealing of said interior when mechanically cooperating with correspondingly disposed mating snaps carried on the elastic seating means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 51 words
A head gear according to claim 6 in which said transparent lens plate is goggle-shAped and said nasal-visual compartment is formed with a bulged-out nose portion enabling positioning of the goggle-shaped plate closer to the eye area to reduce the lateral water plane and entrained mass defined by said mask assembly.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US2935985A Cited
US2897817A Cited
US3026522A Cited
FR1473129A Cited
US3545436A Cited
US3680555A Cited
US3568672A Cited
US3680556A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1977-11-04 1978-05-06 1978-11-05 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1981-11-04 1982-05-06 1982-11-05 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1985-11-04 1986-05-06 1986-11-05 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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