US2882895A - Open-cycle breathing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

April 21, 1959 R. GALEAZZI OPEN-CYCLE BREATHING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 26. 1956 m m 1 m a o a, m a A .m. f w w a a 4 i April 159 R. GALEAZZI 2,882,895

OPEN-CYCLE BREATHING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 26, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fiojeiza 4274 022;

ATTORNEYS April 21, 1959 R. GALEAZZI 2,832,895

7 OPEN-CYCLE BREATHING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 26, 1956 4 Sheets-Shet 3 R. GALEAZZI OPEN-CYCLE BREATHING APPARATUS April 21, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 26, 1956 United States Patent ree This invention relates to improved open-cycle breath- Iing apparatus, and particularly to open-cycle breathing .apparatus especially applicable to submarine use.

In such apparatus, it is the usual practice to employ .a fluid-tight mask, a source of breathable air and an air .inlet valve associated with the mask and operable, at

the will of the wearer, by the wearers tongue, teeth or .lips. While such usual practice offers distinct advantages, the wearer often has difliculty in learning to operate the air inlet valve inproper timed relation to supply the necessary quantities of air.

Other breathing apparatuses are known, in which the airesupplying valve is a part of the mask, and is automatically opened and closed by the movements of theglass face piece of the mask to and from the users face, in consequence of the pressure variations occurring, inside the mask itself with respect to the outside, at any inspiration and expiration of the user. In the breathing apparatuses of this type all the mask body attached to the periphery of the glass face piece is so made as to be easily and widely deformable, as for instance by being bellowsshaped, and the glass face piece may be hinged on a sta tionary frame of the mask by means of external hinges, so as to oscillate about an imaginary transverse axis extending across the plane of the glass itself.

The main disadvantage of this known form of mask is caused by the knuckled hinges by which the glass face piece is attached to the body of mask, since these hinges are liable to be blocked or damaged, and also because of the deleterious action of the sea water. Another disadvantage is due to the fact that the imaginary axis of oscillation of the glass face piece lies within the area of the glass itself, so that a portion of the latter oscillates outwardly, rather than inwardly, when the user inspires, and inwardly, rather than outwardly at his expiration; consequently, a satisfactorily wide oscillation of the glass, by virtue of the wearers breathing, is precluded.

In order to eliminate the, above described disadvantages, my invention comprises an easily and widely deformable portion of the mask body, which is attached to one portion of the periphery of the glass face piece, and is shaped like a bellows, with one or more undulations or the like. Also, a less deformable small portion of the mask body is attached to the glass periphery, at a point opposite the more deformable portion, so as to provide in said former portion an axis of oscillation of the glass face piece which lies outside the area of the face piece. Consequently, the prior art external knuckled hinges of the glass are eliminated, and an oscillating connection of the glass is obtained by means of the above described more and less flexible portions of the mask itself;

the latter serving as a hinge, without any liability to blocks or jamming. Moreover, the fulcrum of oscillation of the glass face piece is not an intermediate trans verse axis within the area of the glass, as in the known types, but is substantially a horizontal axis lying on, or

putside of the periphery of the .glass. Consequently, the

2,882,895 Patented Apr. 21, 1959 whole glass face piece moves as a unit in same direction to and from the users face, and its oscillations may be obtained in an easier, safe and wider way, by virtue of the breathing of air by the user inside the mask.

According to a preferred form of embodiment of my invention, which provides a safer automatic control of the air-supplying valve, in comparison with the already known apparatuses, the air-supplying valve, instead of being mounted on a stationary part of the mask, is carried by a relatively less flexible portion of the mask which is rigidly connected to the glass face piece, and therefore movable as a unit with it. In this preferred realization, the air-supplying valve is controlled by a rigid arm, fixed near one end to a part which moves integrally with the glass, and is arranged to operate the valve, upon inhalation and exhalation of the user. The other end of the fixed arm bears directly against a portion of the users face (for instance against his forehead or cheek), or else is attached to a stationary part of the mask, generally very near the users face and preferably to his forehead.

From the foregoing,'it will be understood that the principal object of my invention is accomplished by making one portion of the mask body, which is attached to the glass face piece, very flexible so as to be readily deformed in response to breathing pressure variations; and making the oppositely attached portion of said body less flexible, and so arranged as to serve as a hinge, about which the glass face piece oscillates as a'unit, in the one direction during inhalation and in the opposite direction during exhalation of the wearer. By virtue of this construction, the axis of oscillation of the glass face piece lies wholly outside of the area of the glass face piece, but substantially in vertical alignment with the plane thereof, whereby the entire area of the glass is effective in creating a force, proportional to the differential pressure acting on the glass, which is utilized in operating the air supply valve; and also said force is applied with a greater leverage to the operation of said valve, because the aixs of oscillation of the glass face piece lies outside its area.

In employing such improved apparatus, difliculty is encountered when the apparatus is used in connection with direct breathing means, such as the surface breathing devices commonly used with submarine breathing apparatus to allow the wearer to breathe atmospheric air rather than air from the contained supply of the apparatus. In such case, the automatic air inlet valve actuating mechanism may operate during use of the direct breathing means, so causing a waste of the contained air supply. To overcome this disadvantage, the present invention provides a manually operable lock-out means relative positions of the valve and its actuating mechanism to obtain the proper sensitivity of the automatic valve action and to compensate for affects on the mask of the particular shape and size of the wearers head.

Another difiiculty encountered in use of an apparatus of the type provided by the invention arises from the fact that, if the locations of the air inlet valve and the outlet valve for the mask are not properly related, there is a tendency for the automatic air inlet valve to operate properly when the user is in one position and'to operate improperly when the wearers position changes. Thus,

for example, if the outlet valve is disposed at a point considerably removed from the plane of the face plate of the mask, and the air inlet valve actuating mechanism is set for proper automatic operation when the wearer is in a standing position with head upright, the inlet valve may remain open, not responding to the wearers breathing, when the wearer changes his position so that his body is horizontal with head disposed downwardly. In such event, the air supply is rapidly and unnecessarily wasted. In this connection, I have discovered that automatic actuation of the air inlet valve will occur properly, responding to pressure changes within the mask as the wearer breathes, if the outlet valve is disposed substantially in the plane of the face plate of the mask at a point on the mask or immediately adjacent thereto. Advantageously, the outlet valvet is positioned at the center of the face plate. Alternatively, both the air inlet valve and the outlet valve are mounted on a single member attached to the mask at a position substantially on the vertical center line of the face plate and adjacent the periphery thereof. In both cases, the differential between the pressure within the mask and the pressure outside of the mask at the location of the outlet valve remains substantially constant regardless of changes in the wearers position.

The invention also achieves uniform operation of the inlet and outlet valves regardless of whether the wearer is turned on his right side or his left side. This is accomplished by providing two outlet valves disposed adjacent the periphery of the face plate of the mask, the outlet valves being located one on each side of the center line of the face plate. In such case, the outlet valves are advantageously each provided with a flexible silencing and atomizing hood extending laterally outwardly and rearwardly, such hoods having perforations at their outer ends.

In order that the invention can be understood in detail, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a mask and associated parts constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. la is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 1, showing the parts thereof indifferent operative position than in Fig. 1;

Figs. 2-5 are vertical sectional views, similar to Fig. 1, illustrating additional embodiments of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating outlet valve means applicable to the embodiments of the invention shown in Figs. 1-5;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the invention similar to that of Fig. 1 incorporating special outlet valve means comprising a pair of specially arranged check valves, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8, Fig. 7. I

Referring first to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the submarine breathing apparatus here shown comprises a mask,

indicated generally at 1, having a transparent face plate 2 of glass or other suitable material, the periphery of which is attached in water-tight relationship to the forward edge or rim of the main mask body 3. The mask body 3, fabricated from rubber or like sheet material, is generally annular in form and defines an air space between the wearers face and the faceplate. At its rear edge body 3 is provided with an inturned lip 4 adapted to lie in sealing relationship against the wearers forehead and the side of the wearers head, the lower portion of the rear edge of the mask being extended, without such lip, to lie flush terial in the mask body allowing movement of the forward edge of the mask body, and therefore of the face plate, toward and away from the wearers face.

Plate 2 may be secured to the forward edge of the mask in any conventional manner. In this embodiment, the periphery of the face plate is rounded and the forward edge portion of the mask is clamped between such rounded periphery and an annular metal clamping ring 6 of generally semi-circular cross-section, as shown.

At its lower portion, at a point centered with respect to the vertical axis of the face plate and located adjacent the wearers chin, the mask body 3 is provided with an open-ended, cylindrical, downwardly slanting extension 7. Mounted within extension 7 and sealed thereto in fluid-tight relation, as by the use of a suitable sealing cement or other conventional means, is a downwardly inclined pipe 8 joining a forwardly disposed, downwardly extending tubular portion 9. The tubular portion 9 is preferably provided with the usual lateral discharge valve and also serves as a collector for saliva and any water which has possibly infiltrated the mask. The tubular portion 9 terminates in a front valve 9a, preferably of the conventiona goat-beard type. Integral with the lowest part of faceplate clamping ring 6 is a rigid bracket 24, having a curved portion 24a which tightly embraces the outer'surface of the upper part of tubular extension [7, and thus serves to rigidly connect said extension and pipe "8 to face plate 6.

At the bottom of the mask, the pipe '8 is provided with a downwardly extending tubular housing 10 adapted to be sealingly' engaged by a conventional air supply conduit (not shown) to connect the mask to a source of contained air. The housing 10 extends inwardly of pipe 8, as shown, to enclose a reciprocating valve member -11. At its inward end,-the housing 10 is provided with a transversely extending wall 12 having a centrally disposed aperture 13. The valve member 10 is designed to seat in fluid-tight relationship against the wall 12 and is provided with an extension or pin 14 disposed in and of smaller diameter than the aperture 13 in wall 12. Valve member 11 is normally held in engagement with wall 12, so that the valve is normally closed, by means of a compression spring 15, one end of the spring engaging the valve member 11 directly and the other end of the spring engaging a suitable annular stop member 16 mounted in an annular slot in the inner wall of tubular housing 10.

To provide for automatic actuation of the valve member 11, and thus automatic control of the air inlet to the relatively long portion 17a extending upwardly in front of the wearers face, and bypassing the wearers nose, as well as a relatively shorter portion 17b extending downwardlyand forwardly of pivot pin 18 within pipe 8, so as to be disposed above the pin 14 on valve member 11.

The tip of shorter portion 17b of arm 17 is enlarged and provided with a threaded bore adjacent pin 14 of valve member 11. Threadably engaged in this bore is avalve-actuating pin 19 aligned with pin 14 ofthe valve member 11, the valve-actuating pin '19 being provided at its upper end with a flattened, laterally extending portion 20. Inorder to manually adjust the position of the valveactuating pin 19 relative to the pin 14 of valve-member 1 1, there is provided on the top of pipe 8 an adjusting k-nob 2 1 the s'haftof' which :is journalled in the wall of pipe 8 and having, within pipe .8, a bifurcatedportion disposed astride the flattened portion=20 of valveeactuating assesses pin 19.-"1hus','iotation"of adjusting knob 21 in either direction will causea corresponding rotation of valve actuating pin 19 and, since the valve actuating pin 19 is threadably engaged with the tip of the shorter portion 17b of the actuating arm, valve-actuating pin 19 will accordingly move toward or away from the valve member 11.

' It will be noted that the upper end of longer portion 17a of the actuating arm extends above mask body 3. At a point forwardly aligned with such upper end of longer portion 17a, face plate clamping ring 6 is provided with a bracket 22 on which is pivotally mounted a lock lever or stop member 23. Thus, member 23 may be pivoted forwardly, to an inactive position, or rearwardly to a position, shown by dotted lines, in which it is in engagement with the projecting upper end of longer portion 17a of the actuating arm.

The upper portion 3a of mask body 3, located in front of the wearers forehead, is of such configuration as to be readily and substantially deformed. Thus, upper portion 3a can, as illustrated, be provided with at least one undulation or fold, providing for a bellows-like action in this portion of the mask body. On the other hand, the lower portion 3b of the mask body comprises only a relatively small amount of flexible material capable of being deformed, a major proportion of such lower portion 3b being made rigid by its attachment to the pipe 8, the pipe 8 being fabricated from metal or other substantially rigid material.

In operation, when the wearer inhales the air contained within the mask, such inhalation causes the air pressure within the mask to decrease to a point substantially below the fluid pressure outside of the mask. This results in a movement of the face plate 2 toward the wearers face, such movement being substantially greater at the top of the mask than at the lower portion of the mask, by virtue of the greater deformability of upper portion 3a of the mask body. Thus, the transparent face plate 2 is caused to pivot, with the upper portion thereof approaching the wearers face, to the position seen in Fig. la. Such pivotal movement occurs substantially about pin 18 which is mounted in, the lower portion of arm 17. Since the upper end of the longer portion 17a of the arm is substantially fixed with respect to the wearers forehead and pin 18, the arm 17 cannot follow such motion of the face plate 2. Accordingly, the forward portion of pipe 8 tends to move upwardly, during inhalation by the wearer, while the rearward portion of pipe 8 tends to move downwardly, such movement being centered approximately on pivot 18. Because of such movement, the inlet valve is moved upwardly until the end of pin 14 of valve member 11 is brought into engagement with the valve-actuating pin 19 carried at the tip of shorter portion 17b of the arm 17. As such movement continues, valve member 11 is held stationary, biasing spring 15 is compressed, and the inlet valve is accordingly opened, to the position seen in Fig. 1a, to allow fresh air to flow into the mask. When the user exhales, the pressure within the mask again becomes equal to the pressure outside the mask and the pivotal movement of face plate 2 is accordingly reversed. Thus, the top portion of the face plate moves outwardly, returning to the position shown in Fig. 1. In consequence of such outward movement, pipe 8 is caused to move in such manner that its forward portion islowered and its rearward portion raised. Thus, pins 14 and 19 are brought out of engagement with each other and compression spring 15 is allowed to close its inlet valve.

In this manner, actuation of the inlet valve is completely automatic, responding to movement of face plate 2 which results from pressure variations caused by inhalation and exhalation by the wearer. Thus, the delivery of fresh air to the mask is accomplished in the normal ratio for the physiological need of air in accordance with the breathing of the wearer;

Manual adjustment of the inlet valve, accomplished by. means of adjusting knob'21, serves two purposes. First, this adjusting means provides a way to effect in initial' setting of the inlet valve-actuating mechanism which will be correct for the particular configuration of the'face' of the person wearing the mask. In this connection, it will be obvious that the initial position of the various parts of the mechanism will vary in accordance withthe shape of the face and head of the particular person wearing the mask. The second purpose of the adjusting mechanism is to provide a means for varying the sensitivity of the automatic valve actuation.

' It is desirable to provide the apparatus with some means, which may be constructed in any of the several known manners, allowing the wearer to directly breathe atmospheric air. Thus, in the case of a submarine breathing apparatus, any of the usual surface breathing devices may be employed. However, the use of such surface breathing device will, in the case of submarine service, cause automatically the constant opening of the air supply valve member 11. Since the surface breathing device places the interior of the mask in direct communication with the atmosphere, while the outside of the mask is subjected to the existing water pressure, face plate 2 will be displaced toward the wearers face so longassurface breathing is maintained, the interior and exterior pressures not being equalized during any portion of the breathing cycle, and thus causing a waste of air supplied from the reserve. It is for this reason that the present invention includes stop member 23, whereby the movement of the face plate toward the wearers face may be prevented. Thus, when the wearer is employing a surface breathing device or other means allowing the direct breathing of atmospheric air, stop member 23 is merely pivoted to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, locking the face plate 2 in the position shown and preventing automatic actuation of inlet valve member 11.

The illustrations in Figs. 2-5 for certain additional embodiments of the invention include a diagrammatic showing of only the parts inherently necessary for automatic control of the air supply valve in accordance with the invention. Thus, in Figs. 2-3, the mechanism for adjusting the valve-actuating means, corresponding to elements 20 and 21, Figs. 1 and la, and the stop means for locking the face plate in its forward position, and thus preventing automatic operation of the device, have not been shown. It will be obvious that such means may be employed in these embodiments in the same m'anner'as in the embodiment of Figs. 1 and la.

Referring now specifically to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the apparatus again includes a mask generally indicated at 51, to the forward edge of which is secured in fluid-tight relationship a face plate 52. Adjacent the wearers face, the mask is provided with a generally annular, rigid reinforcing element 53 in contact with, and if desired, connected to, the main mask body 53. The re-enforcing element 53' is disposed immediately forward of the wearers face, the upper portion of element 53 :being in direct engagement with the lip 54 at the rearward edge of the mask body. Thus, the element 53' is so disposed with respect to the mask body that, once the mask is applied to the face of the wearer, there will be substantially no movement of element 53' with respect to the wearers face.

Upper portion 53a of the main mask body 53 is again so constructed that the upper portion of the mask is subject to a substantial amount of deformation. Thus, upper portion 53a may be in the form of a bellows, comprising several folds, as shown. At the lower edge of face plate 52, the mask body includes a portion 53b of flexible mask material disposed between the face plate and the pipe 58, the pipe 58 being associated with the mask in the same manner as described with reference to Figs. 1 and la.

Inlet valve means similar to -that described with refer-- ence to Figs. 1 and la is associated with pipe 58 and inelildes a reciprocating inlet valve member 61, such valve member again having an upwardly extending pin 64. To provide for automatic actuation of the valve in response to pressure variations caused by breathing of the wearer, there is provided a lever 67 having at its upper end a flat portion 67a disposed in contact with the rear surface of face plate 52. An intermfidiate portion of the lever curves around portion 53b of the mask body, so that .the lever enters pipe 58 and extends within the pipe in substantial alignment therewith. The lever 67 is pivoted to pipe 58 at its lowermost end by means of a pivot pin 68, the ends of the pivot pin 68 being journalled in the wall of pipe 58 in any suitable manner. The lever 67 is so disposed as to extend in alignment with pin 64 of inlet valve member 61.

When the wearer inhales the air within the mask, face plate 52 is displaced towards the wearers face by reason of the pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the mask. Portion 53b of the mask body is made. somewhat stiffer than portion 53a. Thus, in moving toward the wearers face, the face plate 52 is shifted in its entirety and also slightly pivoted, with the upper portion of the face plate moving more than the lower portion. Such movement forces the upper end 67a of lever 67 rearwandly, so pivoting the lever downwardly against actuating pin 64 of inlet .valve member 61. Thus, when the wearer inhales, lever 67 is pivoted sufficiently to open inlet valve member 61, against the bias of spring 65, allowing a fresh supply of air to enter the mask. On the other hand, when the wearer exhales, pressure within the mask is increased until it equals the pressure outside of the mask, face plate 52 thus travelling to its forward position, as seen in Fig. 2, with the result that forces tending to pivot lever 67 downwardly are removed, so that biasing spring 65 returns inlet valve member 61 to its normal, closed position. In this connection, it will be recognized that, with lever 67 rigidly attached to pivot pin 68, the lever can rest directly on pin 64 of valve member 61, lateral displacement of the lever being prevented by the rigid connection between the lever and the pivot pin.

In this particular embodiment of the invention, it is possible to eliminate the adjusting means for the inlet valve, since provision of reinforcing element 53' and arrangement of the actuating lever in such manner that it has no engagement with the users face, or with parts lying directly thereagainst, make it unnecessary to adjust for variations caused by the particular configuration of the users face.

Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention constructed along the same general lines as that previously discussed with reference to Figs. 1 and la, but with an arrangement of the automatic valve mechanism at the top of the mask in such manner as to effect a remarkable shortening of the valve-actuating lever. In this embodiment, the invention includes a mask 101 to the forward edge of which is sealingly attached a transparent face plate 102. The main mask body 103 is generally annular in form and fabricated of rubber or other flexible material, the upper portion thereof at 103:: being provided with several folds to allow for a bellows like action. The lower portion 1039b of the mask body is of plain configuration, it being necessary only .to provide acylindrical extension 109 to which is attached a conventional goat beard type exhaust valve. In this embodiment, lower portion 1032: of the mask body is made very flexible, so that the lower portion of the face plate 102 may be easily moved toward the wearers face.

At the top of the mask, there is provided an upwardly extending pipe 108, the lower end of the pipe being received in a generally cylindrical extension of portion 103;; of the mask body 103 and thepipe being rigidly secured to face plate clamping ring 106, as by a bracket 108 At its upper end, pipe 108 .is provided with an .,ofiset nd 0 'Agaiu, wa l 12 i P o ed With n p ure ugh whi h e tends a p 114 car y a e me ber 111. An actuating fixed and rigid arm 117 is provided, having the general configuration of the letter J. The longer portion 117a of arm 117 extends upwardly within. P pe 0 and s pi ed to Pip 0 y a p' tpi at 113. Thus, arm 117 includes an upper, shorter portion 117]; and a lower substantially longer portion 117g. The substantially longer portion 117a extends through and is securely fastened inthe wall of the mask body 103. It will be noted that this lower end of arm 117 is so disposed that there can be substantially no movement thereof relative to the wearers forehead. The upper, ho por n b o he arm s i po in alignm wi c tin Pin 114 o movabl valve me be 1 .1?

In operation of this embodiment of the invention, ina a n y t e are e hau s h air f om Within th mask, so that the pressure within the mask is distinctly less than that outside of the mask. Face plate 102 is thus caused tomove toward the face of the wearer, with the lower portion of the face plate travelling a greater distance than the upper portion. Since upper portion 103a of the mask body is very flexible, face plate 102 and the rigidly attached pipe 108 are free to pivot as a unit, with the upper end of the pipe travelling outwardly and the lower portion of the face plate travelling toward the users face. Such pivotal action occurs about pivot pin 118. As a result of such movement, movable valve member 111 is forced against the upper, shorter portion 11711 of the rigid fixed arm 117, so that the valve 111 is opened against the biasing force of spring 115. The mask is thus placed in communication with the usual source of air. When the wearer exhales, the pressure within the mask is increased, causing face plate 102 to move outwardly. The pivotal motion just described is thus reversed, actuating pressure being removed from movable valve member 111, so that spring 115 closes the valve and returns the mechanism to the initial position seen in Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 shows a very simple embodiment of the inve ntion, the mask 151 again including a transparent face plate 152 secured in fluid-tight relation to the forward edge of flexible mask body 153, as by means of an annular face plate clamping ring 156. At the top of the mask, a rigid re-enforcing element 153a is secured to the mask body so as to prevent any substantial movement of the top portion of the face plate 152 toward the face of the wearer. At the bottom of the mask, however, mask body 153 includes a very flexible portion 1531). Thus, the portion 153b may include at least one fold of extra material, as illustrated, to provide increased flexibility in that portion of the mask body. The lower portion of the mask body is provided with a vertical, downwardly opening tubular extension within which is sealed a pipe 158. The lower end of the pipe 158 is adapted for connection to an air supply conduit, the upper end of pipe 153 being closed. Immediately below its upper end, pipe 158 is provided with a forwardly directed ,bore and an internal boss 160 receiving an extension or pin 164 secured to movable valve member 161. The pin 164 extends forwardly into direct contact with the rear face of transparent face plate 152. Movable valve member 161 seats directly against the internal boss 160 provided on pipe 158.

In this embodiment, when the wearer inhales, the resulting differential between the pressure-within the mask and the exterior pressure causes face plate 152 to approach the face of the wearer. Because of re-enforcernent 153a, such movementis limited to the lower portion of face plat 15 s that. th tare nlateis pi t d ou h y bout its pp e Movemen at the lower p rti n .oi th assases face plate toward the wearers face forces movable valve member 161 rearwardly, opening the valve and allowing fresh air to flow into the mask. When the wearer exhales, the pressure within the mask is increased until the face plate 152 is returned to the position shown. Such return movement causes movable valve member 161 to seat in its closed position.

In order to attain both rearward and forward movement of the valve member 161, two alternatives can be employed. On the one hand, extension or pin 164 of the valve member can be secured to the face plate 152, so that the movable valve member must necessarily travel with the face plate in either direction. On the other hand, the movable valve member may merely contact the face plate, not being secured thereto, and a biasing spring (not shown) may be provided between the inactive face of valve member 161 and the opposite wall of pipe 158.

This embodiment of the invention may be provided with any conventional outlet valve, not shown. Fig. shows an embodiment of the invention similar to that previously described with reference to Figs. 1 and 1a, except that the longer portion 217a of a valve-actuating fixed and rigid arm 217 is disposed in direct contact with the cheek of the wearer, such contact being in the area of the cheek bone. Here, mask 201 again includes face plate 202 secured in fluid-tight relation to the forward edge of mask body 203, as by means of a face plate clamping ring 206. Upper portion 203a of the mask body is again made very flexible, as by providing at least one extra fold of material to effect a bellows-like action. On the other hand, lower portion 203b of the mask body is relatively stiffer, including a downwardly directed tubular extension sealingly embracing pipe 208. Pipe 208 has a tubular extension 210 housing the inlet valve mechanism, including movable valve member 211 and biasing spring 215. Movable valve member 211 has an extension or pin 214 directed inwardly of pipe 208.

In this case, the valve actuating arm 217 includes a straight lower portion 217b extending into pipe 208 and pivoted thereto by a pivot pin 218 journalled in the walls of the pipe. The arrangement is such that lower portion 217b of the arm 217 overlies the upper end of pin 214 of valve member 211. At its upper end, the straight portion 2172) of arm 217 is rigidly connected to the upwardly extending portion 217a terminating at its upper end in a suitable contact pad to be disposed in contact with the cheek of the wearer.

In this embodiment, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. l, pipe 208 is made rigid with face plate 202 by means of a bracket 224 interconnecting the pipe and the face plate clamping ring. Thus, while theflexible upper portion 203a of the main mask body allows considerable movement of the upper portion of the face plate 202, movement of the lower end of the face plate is limited to a pivoting action with pivot pin 218 acting as the center of such movement. Accordingly, when the wearer inhales, with the result that the pressure within the mask is reduced below that outside, face plate 202 is pivoted toward the wearers face, approximately about pivot pin 218 as a center of movement. Such pivotal action forces pin 214 of valve member 211 upwardly into engagement with lower end of portion 217b of arm 217, so that the valve is forced open against the biasing action of spring 215, and fresh air is supplied to the mask. When the user exhales, the pressure within the mask is again made equal with the outside pressure, causing the base plate to pivot outwardly. Such outward pivotal motion, being about pivot pin 218 as approximate center, carries pin 214 of valve member 211 out of contact with the actuating lever and allows spring 215 to close the valve. Upper portion 217a of the valve-actuating arm 217 may consist of a single branch, engaging only one cheek of the user, or may be a dual-arm structure, with two branches disposed in the configuration of a V, so that the two branches each engage one of the users cheeks.

In this embodiment of the invention, it is desirable to,

employ the manual valve-adjusting means described hereinbefore with reference to Figs. 1 and la, and the same outlet valve mechanism mentioned with respect to those figures can be here employed.

Considering all of the embodiments shown in Figs. l-5, it will be noted that a fulcrum of oscillation is provided for the face plate of the mask by making the mask body ofa generally annular configuration, with certain portions of the mask body being relatively highly flexible, so as to provide for a considerable movement of the corresponding portion of the face plate, while other portions of the mask body are relatively less flexible, or even inflexible, so as to limit the movement of the face plate adjacent such less flexible or inflexible portions. By this procedure, the invention attains a movement of the face plate, in response to pressure variations within the mask, which is readily employable to obtain a positive actuation of the inlet valve mechanism.

I have found that there is a distinct relationship between automatic inlet valve actuating mechanisms of the type just described and the outlet valve which must be provided in such breathing apparatus. Heretofore, it has been the usual practice to provide an outlet valve positioned at some distance from the center of the face plate of the mask. When this is done, and automatic actuating means for the inlet valve is employed in accordance with the invention, difiiculty may arise because an adjustment of the inlet valve actuating mechanism made when the wearer is in one position (such as standing with head upright in the water) will not be satisfactory when the wearer is in another position (such as with the body horizontal and the head disposed downwardly). Thus, when-automatic valve-actuating mechanism described with reference to Figs. 1-5 is employed in a mask wherein the outlet valve is disposed at a substantial distance from the center of the face plate, the user may find that, if he first adjusts the outlet valve mechanism to give proper operation when he is in upright position, fresh air is then supplied to the mask continually when he is in diving position, so that there is a resultant important loss of breathable air. I have found that this disadvantage can be overcome by placing the air outlet valve as near as possible to the plane of the face plate of the mask and also as near as possible to the central portion of the face plate. When this is done, the sensitivity of the air inlet valve, adjusted for a given position of the wearer, remains substantially and important unaltered when the wearer changes positions. This result is reached because, with the outlet valve disposed either at the center of the movable face plate or immediately adjacent to said center and substantially in the plane thereof, the internal and external pressures at the outlet valve will be the same or substantially the same as the internal and external pressures at the face plate.

Considerable advantages are thus obtained, if, in the embodiments of the invention shown in Figs. l-5, an outlet valve of the type disclosed in Fig. 6'is employed. Thus, the face plate 2, of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and la, for example, is provided with a circular opening 275. Opening 275 is advantageously disposed in the center of the face plate, but may be located at any adjacent point on the face plate. Mounted in opening 275 is an outlet valve indicated generally at 276. The outlet valve comprises a cylindrical metal member 277 having on its rear face an annular, outwardly directed flange or shoulder 278. Member 277 is centrally disposed in opening 275 and the space between member 277 and the walls of opening 275 is completely filled by a tubular member 279 of rubber or the like. Thus, rubber or like material forms a fluid-tight seal between member 277 and the face plate 2. At its forward end, member 277 is provided with a second outwardly directed annular shoulder 280,

and the forward end of 279 extends about shoulder 280 and flares outwardly to provide an annular lip 281. The

movable valve element of this structure consists of a disc of rubber or the like 282 having its outer edge portion cemented at circumferentially spaced points to the annular lip 281 just mentioned. Thus, when the pressure within the mask exceeds the outside pressure, flexible disc 282 will be bulged outwardly, away from the outer end of member 277, so that air may escape between lip 281 and disc 282 in those areas where the disc is not cemented to the lip. However, when the pressure within thernask is less than the outer pressure, such pressure differential will hold the flexible disc 282 in fluid-tight seated posi tion against lip 281 and the outer end of member 277. In order to assure ease of assembly, member 277 may be fabricated in two parts adapted to be threaded together, or may be made from a relatively soft metal with inner shoulder 278 initially omitted, such shoulder being pressed to shape to complete the structure when all of the parts are assembled in the relation shown in Fig. 6.

Another particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, incorporating outlet valves specially related to the automatically actuated air inlet valve, is disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8. Here, the mask 301 includes a face plate 302 secured to the forward edge of the mask body 303, as by means of a face plate clamping ring 306. The upper portion 303a of the mask body is made very flexible, as by the provision of at least one extra fold of material. The lower portion 303.?) of the mask body is relatively less flexible, being provided with a downwardly and outwardly inclined tubular extension 307 secured to a generally cylindrical valve mounting body 308, as by a clamping ring 307'. A metal bracket 324 rigidly connects clamping ring 306 to ring 307', so that any oscillating movement of face plate 302 causes a similar movement of tubular extension 307 and valve mounting body 308. On its lower surface, body 308 is provided with a downwardly and rearwardly directed tubular projection 310 housing movable inlet valve member 311, the valve member being biased toward its seat by spring 315.

Movable valve element 311 is provided with an up: wardly extending pin 314 which passes through an aperture 313 in the wall 312 forming the valve seat, pin 314 being smaller in diameter than aperture 313. A valve-actuating fixed and rigid arm 317 comprises a lower portion 317b disposed within body 308 and pivoted thereto by pivot pin 318. The upper portion 3170 of the valve-actuating arm 317 is secured to lower portion 317k and extends upwardly through the air space defined by body 303, bypassing the wearers nose, and terminating above upper portion 30341 of the mask body at a point immediately adjacent the wearers forehead. Thus, the upper portion 3170 of the valve-actuating arm 317 extends through the valve body and is held in a position which is substantially fixed with respect to the wearers forehead. At its outermost end, lower portion 317b of the valve-actuating arm is provided with a threaded opening in which is disposed a screw 319 located immediately above the pin 314 of valve member 311. Thus, when the wearer inhales, so that the pressure within the mask is decreased below the outside pressure, face plate 302 is forced toward the wearers face, pivoting substantially about pin 318 as a center. Since movement of the valve-actuating arm 317 is substantially inhibited, such pivotal action of the face plate 302, being imparted to member 308, results in pin 314 being brought into contact with screw 319. As the pivotal motion continues, the movable valve member 311 is forced open, against the biasing action of spring 315. Accordingly, a fresh supply of air is communicated to the interior of the mask. When the wearer exhales, the pressure within the mask is restored to a value equal to the outside pressure and the face plate 302 is caused to return to its original position, as shown in Fig. 7. Such return pivotal motion withdraws pin 314 from contact with screw 319, allowing spring 315 to close the inlet valve.

In order to adjust the inlet valve-actuating mechanism,

there is provided an adjusting knob 321, the shaft of which extends through plate 327 bolted to the upper portion of body 308. The shaft of the adjusting knob includes a flattened end 325 extending into a recess 326 of corresponding shape in screw 319. Thus, rotation of knob 321 is imparted to screw 31?, so that the position of the screw relative to the movable valve member will be changed in accordance with the direction and extent of rotation of the adjusting knob.

Body 308 is provided with a pair of side openings 330, such openings communicating with lateral tubular extensions 332, Fig. 8. Fitted on each such extension is a tubular rubber or like sleeve 333, the outer end of such sleeve being flared outwardly to form a flat, annular lip 334, A rubber or like flexible, circular disc 335, forming the movable element of a check valve, has its outer edge portion cemented at spaced points to the annular lip just mentioned. Thus, when the pressure within the mask exceeds the outer pressure, fluid may escape because the check valve discs 335 are bulged outwardly, away from the ends of extensions 333 and away from those portions of lip 334 to which discs 335 are attached.

Associated with each of the outlet check valves is a silencing and atomizing hood 340, formed of rubber or other elastic sheet material. Each hood is of generally tubular form, the outer end being closed and provided with a plurality of perforations 341 to allow the escape of fluid. The opposite end of each hood is open, such open end being secured in fluid-tight relation over the tubular elements 333 of the check valves, as by clamping rings 342, as seen in Fig. 8. In addition to acting as silencing and atomizing devices, the flexible, preferably elastic hoods 340 provide means which may be used by the wearer in equalizing pressure in the Eustachian tubes with the outside pressure. To accomplish such equalization, it is necessary to cause a slight excess pressure in the cavity of the pharynx. With the present embodiment of the invention, this is done by grasping the two hoods 340 both in the same hand and collapsing their end portions so that the escape of air is prevented, and then blowing into the mask to build up an excess pressure therein. The hoods 340 being flexible and elastic, squeezing them by hand will generate enough pressure in the remaining areas of the hoods to maintain the two check valves in closed position.

Since the hoods 340 extend outwardly and rearwardly from points below the center of the face plate, the columns of air bubbles emanating from the two hoods will be located primarily at the sides of the face plate, so as not to obscure the wearers view. In this connection, it is advantageous to provide the perforations only in the end portions of the hoods 340.

In this embodiment of the invention, the outlet valves are provided in the same mounting in which the inlet valve is disposed, and such mounting is located at a point immediately below the center of the face plate. Thus, the aim of keeping the outlet valves as nearly as possible within the plane of the face plate and immediately adjacent thereto is achieved. It should also be noted that two outlet valves are employed, one on each side of the valve mounting and thus one on each side of the vertical center line of the face plate. In this manner, assurance is bad that movements of the wearer in turning from side to side will not adversely affect the interrelated operation of the automatic inlet valve and the outlet valves. As has been stated, it is advantageous to keep the outlet valves as near as possible to the plane of the face plate and as near as possible to the central portion thereof. For this reason, I find it advantageous to employ the flat, check valve type outlet valve structures seen in Figs 6 and 8, rather than the conventional goat beard valves, since the latter type of valve construction is necessarily quite long and therefore must be spaced at a greater distance from the face plate of the mask.

nix

. 7 i3 in order that the embodiment of Figs. 7 and 8 may be employed with a surface breathing device, or with other means allowing the direct breathing of atmospheric air, without such use resulting in the continual opening of the inlet valve 311, there is provided a lock leveror stop member 323 mounted at the top of face plate clamping ring 306, as by means of a pivot pin 322. Thus, the member 323 can be selectively positioned in an inactive position, as seen in Fig. 7, or in an active position in which it is in engagement with the upper portion 317a of valve-actuating arm 317, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7. In this latter position, the member 323 is effective to prevent, under normal conditions, movement of the face plate toward the face of the wearer, so precluding operation of the inlet valve in response to the wearers breathing. However, it is advantageous to make member 323 of a material, such as rubber or a synthetic plastic, having some flexibility. Then, under normal usage, the member 323 precludes movement of the base plate toward the face of'the wearer. However, when the user inhales'to an unusual extent, member 323, being flexible, will yieldor bend under the pressure applied to the face plate, allowing the face plate to move then toward the face of the user, with the result that the air inlet valve will automatically open in the manner hereinbefore described. Thus, in member 323, I have provided means capable of locking out the automatic inlet valve actuating mechanism so long as the wearer breathes in a normal fashion, such means being responsive to excessive heavy breathing to bring the automatic air inlet valve actuating mechanism again into operation. Such means assures that breathable air will be supplied to the mask at the will of the wearer, even though the lock lever may have accidentally or erroneously been moved to its active position.

- I claim:

1. In an open cycle breathing apparatus, the combination of a mask adapted to be fitted in fluid-tight relation to the head of the wearer and including a body defining an air space between the wearers face and a rigid face piece at the front of the mask, one portion of said body being more flexible than its opposite portion and thus more capable of being deformed in response to a reduction of pressure in said air space when the wearer inhales and .of returning to its original position when pressure in said air space increases as the wearer exhales, whereby said face plate oscillates, in response to said changes in pressure, about a horizontal axis below and substantially in vertical alignment with said face; an air inlet valve communicating with said air space and mounted on said opposite less flexible portion of said body and is so arranged as to oscillate as a unit with said face plate, upon inhalation and exhalation of the wearer; and automatic valveactuating mechanism operatively associated with said air inlet valve and including means operable to open said air inletvalve in response to said oscillation as the wearer inhales. 1

' 2. An apparatus constructed in accordance with claim 1 and including means foradjusting said automatic valveactuating mechanism when said mask is in place on the wearer, said means having an adjusting member located on theioutside of the mask.

3. In an open cycle breathing apparatus, the combination'of a mask adapted to be fitted in fluid-tight relation to the head of the wearer and including a forwardly disposed, transparent face plate, said mask having a body defining an air space between the wearers face and said face plate, one portion of said body being more flexible thanits opposite portion and so arranged that the whole of said face plate oscillates as a unit toward the wearers face in response to reduction of pressure in said air space as the wearer inhales and away from the wearersface when pressure in said air space increases as the wearer exhales, an air inlet valve mounted on said mask and communicating with said air space, and automatic valveactuating mechanism operatively associated with said air inlet valve a'nd'including means operable to open said air inlet valve in response to said oscillation of said face face plate toward the wearers face.

4. An apparatus constructed in accordance with claim 3 and wherein the body defining said air space is generally annular in form and of flexible material, at least one flexible portion thereof having a generally bellows-like configuration.

5. An apparatus constructed in accordance with claim 3 and wherein said air inlet valve is mounted on the mask so as to substantially follow the oscillation of said face plate as a unit as the wearer inhales and exhales, and said valve-actuating means includes an actuating member mounted on a portion of the mask which does not move with said face plate, said actutating member being aligned with said valve to open the same upon occurrence of a predetermined amount of said oscillation of the face plate toward the wearers face.

6. In an open cycle breathing apparatus, the combination of a mask adapted to be fitted in fluid-tight relation to the head of the wearer and including a forwardly disposed transparent face plate, which is peripherially attached to said mask, said mask having a body defining an air space between the wearers face and said face plate, a first portion of said body being more flexible than a second portion of said body aligned across said air space from said first portion, whereby reduction of pressure within said airspace as the wearer inhales causes said face plate to pivot about an axis outside the area of said face plate toward the wearers face while such movement of the face plate is reversed upon increase of pressure in said air space as the wearer exhales, an air inlet valve mounted on said mask in communication with said air space, and so arranged as to oscillate as a unit with said face piece; and automatic valve-actuating mechanism operatively associated with said air inlet valve and including means operated to open said 'valve in response to such pivotal movement of said face plate toward the wearers face.

7. In an open-cycle breathing apparatus, the combination of a mask adapted to be fitted in fluid-tight relation to the head 'of the wearer, said mask including a forwardly disposed transparent face plate and a. generally annular body defining an air space between the face of the wearer and said face plate, a tubular member connected to said body and communicating with said air space, a portion of said generally annular body across said air space from said tubular member being more flexible than the portion of said body adjacent said tubular member, whereby the face plate at said more flexible portion pivots toward the wearers face in response to a reduction of pressure in said air space as the wearer inhales and returns when the pressure in said air space increases as the wearer exhales; the combination of said face plate, said tubular member and the portion of said generally annular body adjacent said tubular member being so constructed and arranged that such combination pivots substantially as a unit, about an axis outside the area of said face plate, during such pressure changes within said air space; an air inlet valve mounted in said tubularmember and including a movable element exposed within said tubular member, and a valve-actuating member secured at one end to a point on said mask substantially fixed against movement, said actuating member extending into said tubular member and being disposed adjacent the movable element of said air inlet valve to contact and open said valve during such pivotal movement as the wearer inhales.

8. An apparatus constructed in accordance with claim 7 and wherein said tubular member is disposed at the bottom' of the mask, adjacent the wearers chin, the fixed end of said valve-actuating member is disposed at the top of the mask so as to be supported-by the wearers forehead, said valve a'ctuating member extends downwardly through said air space into s'ai'd'tubular'membe'r, and pivot means provided connecting said valve-actuating member to said tubular member. v

t '9. In a mask for an open-cycle breathing apparatus the combination of a transparent face plate, a generally annular mask body connected to said face plate and defining an air space between the face plate and the wearer, a portion of said body being more flexible than its opposite portion to allow said face plate to pivot about an axis outside the area of said face plate, toward and away from the wearers face in response to decrease and increase of pressure within said air space as the wearer inhales and exhales; air inlet valve means mounted on said mask and arranged to pivot as a unit with the face plate, said valve means including a movable member and communicating with said air space, and actuating means fixedly mounted on said mask and restrained against movement as said face plate pivots; said actuating means including a member disposed in the path of the movable member of said valvemeans and arranged to open said valve means when the face plate is pivoted toward the wearers face during inhalation.

10. In an open cycle breathing apparatus, the combination of a mask adapted to be fitted in fluid-tight relation to the head of the wearer and including a body defining an air space between the wearers face and the front of the mask, at least a portion of said body being flexible and capable of being deformed to allow movement of the front of the mask toward the face of the wearer in response to a reduction of pressure in said air space when thewearer inhales and to allow the front of the mask to return to its original position when pressure in said air space in.- creases as the wearer exhales, an air inlet valve mounted on said mask and communicating with said air space, automatic valve-actuating mechanism operatively associated with said air inlet valve and including means operable to open said air inlet valve in response to pivotal movernent of the front of the mask as a whole toward the wearers face as the wearer inhales; and lockout means for deactivating said automatic valve-actuating mechanism comprising a member pivotally connected to the mask at the front thereof and adjustable from an inactive position to an active position in which said member con.- tacts a fixed portion of the mask adjacent the wearers head to prevent said movement of the front of the mask toward the wearers face.

11. An apparatus constructed in accordance with claim and wherein said pivotally connected member of said lock-out means is capable of being deformed under a predetermined pressure caused by an exceptionally deep inhalation of the wearer, to allow movement of the front of the mask, and operation of said automatic valve-actuating means as a result of such movement, though said member occupies its active position. 12. In an open cycle br athing apparatus, the combination of a mask adapted to be fitted fluid-tight relation to the head of the wearer and including a forwardly dis- PQ r n pa ce pl t er ph ral tt ched to sa d mask, defining an air space between said face plate and the wearers face; one portion of said mask being more flexible than an opposite portion and arranged to allow pivatol movement of said face plate as a unit, about an axis outside said face plate, toward the wearers face in response to reduction of pressure in said air space as the wearer inhales and away from the wearers face when pressure in said air space increases as the wearer exhales; an outlet valve communicating with said air space and mounted on said face plate, an air inlet valve mounted on the mask and communicating with said space, and automatic valve actuating mechanism operatively associated with said air inlet valve and including means operable to open said air inlet valve in response/to movement of said face plate toward the wearers face.

n an p -Wa e a in rparatustm comb n i o a m dapte to b fi ed. in fluidt ar to h h ad gil s wate an mindi a body defining an air space between the wearers face and the front of the mask, at least a portion of said body being flexible and arranged to oscillate about a relatively fixed pivot outside the area of said face plate, in response to a reduction of pressure in said air space when the wearer inhales and of returning to its original position when pressure in said space increases as the wearer exhales, a rigid tubular member attached to said flexible portion of the mask at a point at the bottom of the mask adjacent the wearers chin, said tubular member communicating with said air space; an air inlet valve mounted in said tubular member to supply air to said air space, automatic valve-actuating mechanism operatively associated with said air inlet valve and including means operable to open said air inlet valve in respon e, to said oscillation as the wearer inhales, and an outlet valve communicating with said air space and mounted on said tubular member adjacent said air inlet valve,

14, In an open-cycle breathing apparatus, the combination of a mask including a transparent face plate and a generally annular body defining an air space between said face plate and the wearers face, said body having a flexible tubular portion inclosing an axis about which said face plate pivots toward and away from the wearers face in response to decrease and increase of pressure within said air space as the wearer inhales and exhales, an air inlet valve, an outlet valve; a single rigid tubular member mounting said inlet valve and outlet valve, said tubular member being attached to said flexible portion, and being r to pivot as a unit with said face plate, and automatic valve-actuating mechanism operatively associated with said air inlet valve and including means operable to open said air inlet valve in response to pivotal movement of said face plate toward the wearers face during inhalation.

15. In an open-cycle breathing apparatus, the combination of a mask adapted, to be fitted in fluid-tight relation to the head of the wearer, said mask including a transparent, forwardly disposed face plate and a generally annular body defining an air space between said face plate and the wearers face, a portion of said body at the top of the mask adjacent the wearers forehead being flexible to allow the top portion of said face plate to move toward and away from the wearers face in response to decrease and increase of pressure in said air space as the wearer inhales and exhales, said mask having a flexible tubular extension adjacent its bottom portion, a rigid, tubular member mounted in said tubular extension in communication with said air space, said rigid tubular member being disposed in substantial alignment with the vertical centerline of said face plate at a point adjacent the periph-. cry of said face plate, an air inlet valve and outlet valve means each mounted on said rigid tubular member in communication with said air space, said rigid tubular member being so connected with said face plate as to pivot substantially as a unit with said face plate, about an axis outside said face plate and in substantial vertical alignment therewith, as the top portion of the face plate moves toward and away from the wearers face, and automatic valve-actuating mechanism operatively associated with said air inlet valve and including means operable to open said air inlet valve in response to pivotal motion resulting from movement of the top of the face plate toward the wearers face during inhalation.

16. An apparatus constructed in accordance with claim 15 and'wherein said outlet valve means includes two check valves each disposed on a different side of said tubular member adjacent said inlet valve.

17. An apparatus constructed in accordance with claim 16, wherein each of said outlet check valves is provided with a flexible, generally laterally extending silencing and atomizing hood, each such hood being provided with per-1 forations at its outer end.

l r erences on f llo g page) 17. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5,115 2,005,072 Booharin June 18, 1935 333% 2,485,908 t. 25, 194

Monow 0c 9 5 1,078,875

18 FOREIGN PATENTS France Oct. 30, 1905 France Feb. 10, 1947 Switzerland Jan. 5, 1953 France May 12, 1954

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