The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 04, 2018
Filed:
Nov. 11, 2014
3m Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
William A. Mittelstadt, Woodbury, MN (US);
3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
A respiratorthat has a mask bodyand a harnesshas an exhalation valvethat includes a valve seatand a flexible flap. The valve seathas an orificeand has a noncircular seal surfacesurrounding the orifice. The flexible flapis secured to the valve seatat a centroid of the orifice and has a variable stiffness structure. The variable stiffness structure allows the flap to equally deflect under a given load at different distances from the centroid at the noncircular seal surface. An exhalation valve having this construction may beneficially optimize pressure drop and overall valve performance for applications where valve space may be limited.