Insulating face mask

Abstract

An insulating face mask of elastic material having a mask member that fits securely about the forehead, face, gullet and ears of a user by co-action of securing straps that extend rearward from the ear areas and join at the rear of the head at the base of the skull, and wherein said mask member and straps overall form a vee-shaped contour about each side of the user's head.

1 . A face mask comprising: 
 A mask member made of an insulating and elastic fabric which is sized and shaped to fit snugly about the forehead, face, gullet and ears of a user and having a top perimeter proximately and contoured along the juncture where the top of the forehead meets the scalp and co-linearly extending to width perimeters just past the left and right ear areas, and a height defined by the top perimeter and a bottom perimeter in the gullet area extending proximately along the intersection formed between the neck and the underside of the jaw;    Said mask member having a first aperture means formed therein to register with the eyes of the user allowing the passage of light therethrough;    Said mask member having a second aperture means formed therein positioned to register with the nostrils of the nose for passage of air therethrough;    Said mask member having a third aperture means formed therein to register with the mouth for the passage of air and sound therethrough;    Said mask member having a fourth and a fifth aperture means formed therein, one for each ear, to register with the ears for the passage of sound therethrough; and    A securing strap unitarily formed with said mask member at each left and right width perimeter of the mask member, each said strap having a top and bottom edge extending generally in-line with the respective top and bottom perimeters of the mask member to form a tapering height as the straps extend rearward about the lower hemisphere of the head and co-join in the back of the head at the base of the skull, said straps co-acting with the mask member to form a seal between the user and the mask member along the top and bottom perimeters of the mask member.    
   
   
       2 . The face mask of  claim 1  wherein the securing straps are terminally defined by distal ends that are co-joined by a set of respectively co-acting fastening means adapted to each said distal end for removeably fastening the ends thereof at the back of the head at the base of the skull.  
   
   
       3 . The face mask of  claim 1  wherein a crown member is unitarily formed with and extends upward from the top perimeter of said mask member, proportionally shaped and sized substantially to the limits of the upper crown at the superior region of the skull.  
   
   
       4 . The face mask of  claim 1  wherein said second aperture means is a diaphragm member unitarily formed with the mask member, said diaphragm member having left and right flaps open to the atmosphere in proximity to the respective left and right sides of the nose, and contoured to fit over the nose with respective left and right flap edges flaring in width along the length and beyond the tip of the nose, said flaps resting open to the atmosphere in a no-wind condition.  
   
   
       5 . A method of fabricating a face mask comprising: 
 Supplying a sheet of insulating and elastic material;    Positioning said sheet in a two-dimensional flat plane;    Supplying at least one cutting means and using the same to cut said flat sheet to form seam edges, peripheral edges and apertures of a two-dimensional and substantially symmetrical flat filet, designed to be subsequently joined along the seam edges and form a three-dimensional contoured face mask structure sized and shaped to fit snugly about the forehead, face, ears and gullet of a user having in three-dimensional structure terms,    a top perimeter proximately and contoured along the juncture where the top of the forehead meets the scalp and co-linearly extending in width just past the left and right ear areas, and a height defined by the top perimeter and a bottom perimeter in the gullet area extending proximately along the intersection formed between the neck and the underside of the jaw,    a first aperture means formed therein to register with the eyes of the user allowing the passage of light therethrough,    a second aperture means formed therein positioned to register with the nostrils of the nose for passage of air therethrough,    a third aperture means formed therein to register with the mouth for the passage of air and sound therethrough,    a fourth and a fifth aperture means formed therein, one for each ear, to register with the ears for the passage of sound therethrough, and    a securing strap unitarily formed with said mask member at each left and right width perimeter of the mask member, each said strap having a top and bottom edge extending generally in-line with the respective top and bottom perimeters of the mask member to form a tapering height as the straps extend rearward about the lower hemisphere of the head and co-join in the back of the head at the base of the skull, said straps co-acting with the mask member to form a seal between the user and the mask member along the top and bottom perimeters of the mask member;    Manipulating said cut two-dimensional filet away from the remaining portions of the sheet;    Joining the respective seam edges of the filet to form of a three-dimensional contoured face mask; and    Supplying at least one securing means and adapting same to secure said joined seam edges.    
   
   
       6 . The method of fabricating of  claim 5 , wherein said second aperture means is achieved by cutting a substantially trapezoidal flange during the cutting operations, having the narrowest aspect formed unitarily with the mask member at the juncture proximate the area corresponding to the top of the nose bridge, and flaring in width to the distal wide base edge; 
 joining the distal wide base edge to the mask member in a selectable and substantially horizontal plane between the second and third apertures to form a three-dimensional diaphragm member contoured to fit over the nose with respective left and right side edges flaring in width along the length and beyond the tip of the nose and having a left and a right flap open to the atmosphere in proximity to the respective left and right sides of the nose, said flaps resting open to the atmosphere in a no-wind condition; and    supplying and adapting a securing means to secure the diaphragm member to the mask member along the joined distal wide base edge.    
   
   
       7 . The method of fabricating of  claim 5 , wherein a crown member is achieved by during the cutting operation, cutting peripheral edges and seam edges to form two crown halves unitary with and extending upward from the top perimeter of said mask member, symmetrically shaped and proportionally sized to the limits of the flat area of the upper crown at the superior region of the skull; 
 joining the seam edges of the two crown halves to each other to form a three-dimensional crown member; and    supplying and adapting a securing means to secure the crown member halves along the joined seam edges.