Respiratory mask system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12434030-B2
Application number	US-202418637798-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2024
Priority date	Dec 21, 2017
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A mask assembly includes a mask interface and a headgear assembly. The mask interface includes a housing and a seal that seals around a user's nose and/or mouth in use. The headgear assembly secures the mask interface to the user's face in use. The headgear assembly can include a top strap, a rear section, and side arms. The top strap can be manually adjustable. The rear section can be temporarily expanded to allow for donning and/or doffing of the mask assembly. The side arms can be automatically adjustable.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A respiratory mask assembly, comprising:
a mask interface; and
a headgear assembly, the headgear assembly comprising:
two side straps with one of the two side straps disposed on each side of a user's face in use, each of the two side straps extending through a respective passage, each passage being formed on a respective side of the mask interface, each of the two side straps comprising a single continuous strap having an upper portion and a lower portion, each upper portion connected to an upper section of the headgear assembly, and each lower portion connected to a lower section of the headgear assembly;
two connectors with each of the two connectors housing a lock mechanism of an automatically adjusting headgear mechanism coupled to one end of a respective one of the two side straps; and
one or more filaments extending through at least a portion of each of the two side straps.

2. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 1 , wherein the upper section of the headgear assembly comprises a top strap configured to extend across a top of a user's head in use and an upper rear strap configured to extend across a back of the user's head in use.

3. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 2 , wherein the headgear assembly further comprises a storage sleeve extending along the top strap, the storage sleeve configured to receive and store at least a portion of at least one of the one or more filaments.

4. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 2 , wherein each connector is coupled to an end of the top strap and an end of the upper rear strap.

5. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 2 , wherein the upper rear strap is rigid.

6. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lower section of the headgear assembly comprises an adjustable lower rear section configured to extend along a back of a user's neck in use.

7. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 6 , wherein the adjustable lower rear section comprises one or more lower rear straps.

8. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 7 , wherein the mask interface comprises a seal that seals around a user's nose and/or mouth in use and a frame that supports the seal and the headgear assembly is configured to couple to the mask interface.

9. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the two side straps is coupled to a respective side of the mask interface.

10. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the two side straps is configured to slide within its respective passage to adjust relative lengths of the upper portion and the lower portion.

11. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 10 , wherein the headgear assembly further comprises a blocking element coupled to each of the two side straps, each blocking element being configured to limit sliding of a respective one of the two side straps within the respective passage to maintain a minimum length of the lower portion.

12. The respiratory mask-assembly of claim 11 , wherein each blocking element does not limit movement of the one or more filaments within each of the two side straps.

13. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 11 , further comprising a crimp configured to prevent the one or more filaments from sliding through the blocking element.

14. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 1 , wherein each passage is configured to allow partial insertion of a respective one of the two connectors.

15. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more filaments extend through a respective one of the two connectors and associated lock mechanism of each of the two side straps.

16. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 1 , wherein each lock mechanism comprises a directional lock.

17. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 16 , wherein each directional lock comprises a housing and one or more lock members.

18. The respiratory mask headgear assembly of claim 17 , wherein each of the one or more filaments extends through at least one directional lock and the one or more lock members of each directional lock are configured to frictionally engage a respective one of the one or more filaments.

19. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 18 , wherein the one or more lock members are configured to move from a first position to a second position in response to movement of the respective one of the one or more filaments in a first direction.

20. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 19 , wherein a frictional force between the one or more lock members and the respective one of the one or more filaments is greater in the second position than the first position.

21. The respiratory mask assembly of claim 16 , wherein each directional lock allows the headgear assembly to reduce in length with a relatively low amount of resistance and resist an increase in length of the headgear assembly with a greater amount of resistance.

Assignees

• Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd

Inventors

• Mclaren Mark Arvind
• Huddart Brett John
• Hammer Jeroen
• Slight Matthew Robert Geoff
• Kapelevich Vitaly
• Felix David Monroy

Classifications

• A62B18/084

  Means for fastening gas-masks to heads or helmets · CPC title

• A62B18/025

  Halfmasks (A62B23/02 takes precedence; surgical face masks A41D13/11) · CPC title

• A62B9/04

  Couplings; Supporting frames · CPC title

• A61M2210/0625

  Mouth · CPC title

• A61M2210/0618

  Nose · CPC title