Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3M Innovative Properties Company

David C Byram

Gerald M Brostrom

Vaughn B Grannis

Joseph G Reischel

David P Knivsland

Daniel A Japuntich

Casey L Carlson

James E Nash

David C Windorski

Perry S Dotterman

John W Bryant

James E Steffen

Craig D Oster

John V Nowicki

John F Fairchild

Ralph Duane Whaley

Steven L Henry

Su-sen Ko

Gerald W Teiken

Dayton W Hulst

Michelle A Baker

Alan G Kellett

Richard A Lees

A respirator has a harness that allows the respirator body to be conveniently disposed beneath a wearer's chin when not in use. The harness includes a substantially flat, flexible strap and an element that contains a curved elongated slot . The substantially flat, flexible strap is threaded through the curved elongated slot . The curved configuration of the slot causes the flat flexible strap to be deformed to assume the curved configuration of the slot. This deformation of the strap allows the strap to frictionally engage element , and the frictional engagement allows the respirator body to be incrementally withdrawn from the wearer's face so that it can be temporarily stored beneath the wearer's chin, and allows the respirator body to be conveniently repositioned over the nose and mouth of the wearer by simply pulling on free ends of each strap and joining a buckle behind the wearer's neck.

Convenient &ldquo;drop-down&rdquo; respirator

An improved face mask that is retained by a carriage and harness assembly, thereby allowing the face mask to drop down from the face of the wearer.

Drop-down face mask assembly

A respirator 15 has a harness 10 that allows the respirator body 20 to be conveniently disposed beneath a wearer's chin when not in use. The harness 10 includes a substantially flat, flexible strap 14 and an element 12 that contains a curved elongated slot 16. The substantially flat, flexible strap 14 is threaded through the curved elongated slot 16. The curved configuration of the slot 16 causes the flat flexible strap 14 to be deformed to assume the curved configuration of the slot. This deformation of the strap 14 allows the strap 14 to frictionally engage element 12, and the frictional engagement allows the respirator body 20 to be incrementally withdrawn from the wearer's face so that it can be temporarily stored beneath the wearer's chin, and allows the respirator body 20 to be conveniently repositioned over the nose and mouth of the wearer by simply pulling on free ends 34 of each strap 14 and joining a buckle 32 behind the wearer's neck.

Convenient 'drop-down' respirator

Full-face respirator lens

Carriage for drop-down mask assembly

Disposable hand held verifier

Full face respirator lens

Tape dispenser

Full face respirator

An insert-molded head harness for use in securing a respirator mask to the face of a wearer, wherein the head harness comprises a web having a central portion and a peripheral portion extending at least partially around the central portion, and a plurality of elastomeric fastening straps having first and second ends, the first ends being integrally bonded to the peripheral portion of the web and the second ends being adapted to be used in securing a respirator mask to the face of a wearer. The head harness can include an elastomeric flange which comprises an elastomeric resin and embeds the peripheral portion of the web. The web preferably comprises a material selected from the group consisting of woven, knitted, and non-woven materials.

Molded head harness

Convenient 'drop-down' respirator harness structure and method of use

Growing community of inventors

River Falls, WI, United States of America

David C Byram