3M Innovative Properties Company

Nicole V McCullough

Daniel A Japuntich

Nicholas R Baumann

Jane K Peterson

Christopher P Henderson

John W Bryant

Bruce E Penning

Shannon L Browne

Michael P Moulsoff

A filtering face mask that covers at least the nose and mouth of a wearer and that includes an exhalation valve. The exhalation valve opens in response to increased pressure when the wearer exhales to allow the exhaled air to be rapidly purged from the mask interior. An exhale filter element may be placed in one of several locations in the exhale flow stream to remove contaminants from the exhaled air. The face mask is beneficial in that it provides comfort to the wearer by allowing warm, moist, high-CO -content air to be rapidly evacuated from the mask interior through the valve and also protects the wearer from splash fluids and polluted air while at the same time protecting other persons or things from being exposed to contaminants in the exhale flow stream.

Face mask that has a filtered exhalation valve

A filtering face mask that covers at least the nose and mouth of a wearer and that includes an exhalation valve. The exhalation valve opens in response to increased pressure when the wearer exhales to allow the exhaled air to be rapidly purged from the mask interior. An exhale filter element is placed in one of several locations in the exhale flow stream to remove contaminants from the exhaled air. The face mask is beneficial in that it provides comfort to the wearer by allowing warm, moist, high-CO -content air to be rapidly evacuated from the mask interior through the valve and also protects the wearer from splash fluids and polluted air while at the same time protecting other persons or things from being exposed to contaminants in the exhale flow stream.

A negative pressure respirator &prime; that has an integrally-disposed filter element and that covers at least the nose and mouth of a wearer. The respirator &prime; includes an exhalation valve and an impactor element that covers the exhalation valve . The exhalation valve has a diaphragm and an orifice and opens in response to increased pressure when the wearer exhales to allow exhaled air to be rapidly purged from the mask interior. The impactor element is positioned in the exhale flow stream to remove particles and other contaminants from the exhaled air. The exhalation valve and impactor element have a ratio of Z :D of less than about . The respirator &prime; is beneficial because it provides comfort to the wearer by allowing warm, moist, high-CO -content air to be rapidly-evacuated from the mask interior through the valve and also protects the wearer from splash-fluids and from polluted air while at the same time protecting other persons or items from being exposed to particles and other contaminants exhaled by the wearer.

Respirator that includes an integral filter element, an exhalation valve, and impactor element

A shield that is configured for use with a mask to form a protective article. The mask includes (i) a central portion having a pair of opposed edges, (ii) a first portion joined to an edge of the central portion, and (iii) a second portion joined to the other edge of the central portion. At least one of the central, upper and lower portions is formed from filter media. The shield is flexible and transparent, having upper and lower edges, with the lower edge having at least one projection. It is dimensioned to cover the portion of the wearer's face not covered by the mask. The shield is adapted to be attached to the mask and moved between a first position in which the shield lower edge and the lower edge projection lies in front of the mask central portion, and a second position in which the lower edge projection engages the mask such that at least a portion of the shield lower edge lies behind the central portion.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Nicole V McCullough