Face mask accessory and method

Abstract

A face mask accessory may include a nosepiece and a clip which may be configured to removably secure a face mask there between and to fit over the nose and cheeks of a user. A flap may be provided that may flex onto the user's face when the mask accessory is placed thereon. This flexion may create a hermetic seal between a portion of the user's face above the nosepiece and a portion of the user's face below the nosepiece. The seal may promote airflow through the mask and away from the eyes providing an anti-fogging feature for user's wearing eyewear. The flap may also provide an anti-slip quality preventing the face mask from slipping and rubbing up and down on a user's face while in use. The nosepiece and the clip may be flexible so as to flex while in use to comfortably fit on a user's face.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A mask accessory comprising:
 a nosepiece having a first end, a second end, an outer surface, and an inner surface, wherein the first and the second end define a length of the nosepiece and wherein the inner surface may be configured to fit over a user's nose with the outer surface facing away from the user's face; and   a clip configured to removably secure a face mask between the clip and the nosepiece.   
     
     
         2 . The mask accessory of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one flap, wherein one edge of the flap is attached to the inner surface of the nosepiece, the flap being configured to flex against a user's face upon placement of the nosepiece on a user's face. 
     
     
         3 . The mask accessory of  claim 2 , wherein, upon flexion against the user's face, the at least one flap forms a hermetic seal between a portion of the user's face being inferior to the placement of the nosepiece on the user's face and a portion of the user's face being superior to the placement of the nosepiece. 
     
     
         4 . The mask accessory of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one flap is comprised of a slit running from an outer edge of the flap toward the edge attached to the inner surface of the nosepiece, wherein the slit acts to separate the at least one flap into two sections upon flexion of the flap against the user's face. 
     
     
         5 . The mask accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the nosepiece further comprises a nose section and two cheek sections, the nose section being curved to fit over the user's nose and the two cheek portions being configured to fit over the user's cheeks. 
     
     
         6 . The mask accessory of  claim 2 , wherein the nosepiece and the at least one flap are configured to ergonomically fit over the user's face. 
     
     
         7 . The mask accessory of  claim 1 , wherein the clip is configured to removably secure a face mask between the clip and the nosepiece through the use of magnets. 
     
     
         8 . A mask accessory comprising:
 a nosepiece having a first end and a second end that define a length of the nosepiece, the nosepiece being comprised of a flexible band, a magnetic band, and a housing, the flexible band having an outer face and an inner face, the magnetic band being secured to the outer face of the flexible band, and the housing configured to enclose the flexible band and the magnetic band; and   a clip having a first end and a second end that define a length of the clip, the clip being comprised of a frame and a magnetic band, the frame having an outer face and an inner face, the magnetic band being secured to the inner face of the frame, and the clip being configured to magnetically removably secure a face mask between the clip and the nosepiece.   
     
     
         9 . The mask accessory of  claim 8 , wherein the flexible band of the nosepiece is semi-rigid so as to allow flexion while maintaining its shape after flexion and wherein the frame of the clip is bendable so as to allow a user to alter its shape. 
     
     
         10 . The mask accessory of  claim 8 , wherein the flexible band of the nosepiece is bendable so as to allow a user to alter its shape and wherein the frame of the clip is semi-rigid so as to allow flexion while maintaining its shape after flexion. 
     
     
         11 . The mask accessory of  claim 8 , wherein the housing is comprised of an elastomer. 
     
     
         12 . The mask accessory of  claim 8 , further comprising at least one flap, wherein one edge of the flap is attached to an inner surface of the housing of the nosepiece, the flap being configured to flex against a user's face upon placement of the nosepiece on a user's face. 
     
     
         13 . The mask accessory of  claim 12 , wherein, upon flexion against the user's face, the at least one flap forms a hermetic seal between a portion of the user's face being inferior to the placement of the nosepiece on the user's face and a portion of the user's face being superior to the placement of the nosepiece. 
     
     
         14 . The mask accessory of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one flap is comprised of a slit running from an outer edge of the flap toward the edge attached to the housing, wherein the slit acts to separate the at least one flap into two sections upon flexion of the flap against the user's face. 
     
     
         15 . The mask accessory of  claim 8 , wherein the nosepiece is further comprised of at least one rigid magnet positioned proximate to the first end of the nosepiece and at least one rigid magnet positioned proximate to the second end of the nosepiece, wherein the clip is further comprised of at least one rigid magnet positioned proximate to the first end of the clip and at least one rigid magnet positioned proximate to the second end of the clip, and wherein the rigid magnets of the clip are configured to removably secure to the rigid magnets of the nosepiece. 
     
     
         16 . The mask accessory of  claim 13 , wherein the hermetic seal is further configured to prevent eyewear of a user from fogging and wherein the flap is further configured to prevent the mask from slipping on the user's face. 
     
     
         17 . A method of wearing a face mask comprising:
 removably securing a disposable face mask having elastic ear loops between a nosepiece and a clip of a face mask accessory;   placing the nosepiece over a user's nose and cheeks such that the face mask covers the user's nose and mouth;   stretching the elastic ear loops of the mask over the user's ears such that the mask accessory is removably secured on a user's face; and   pushing a flap of the nosepiece against the user's face such that the flap flexes against the user's face to prevent the face mask from slipping on the user's face while in use.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the step of removably securing a disposable face mask having elastic ear loops between a nosepiece and a clip of a face mask accessory further comprises removably securing an upper border of the face mask between the nosepiece and the clip. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  further including the step of determining whether the face mask has a nose bar and if the face mask has a nose bar, flipping the mask upside down such that the nose bar of the face mask is proximate with a chin of the user. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17  further including the step of pushing a flap of the nosepiece against the user's face such that the flap flexes against the user's face forming a hermetic seal between a portion of the user's face inferior to the placement of the nosepiece and a portion of the user's face superior to the placement of the nosepiece.