JP7533019B2 - Mask and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mask that has a simple structure and can be manufactured efficiently.

Conventionally, masks worn over the nose and mouth have been used to protect against colds, hay fever, and other conditions. In recent years, disposable masks have become widely used, with a nonwoven mask body and elastic string-like fastening parts. Furthermore, the functionality of masks has been improving, and masks tailored to the individual's face have been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-150317 A

Disposable masks are intended to be discarded after one use and are rarely reused. This means that contaminated masks are not reused, making them hygienic. However, there is a problem that in the event of a rapid spread of an infectious disease, production cannot keep up and there is not enough supply to the market.

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a mask that can be efficiently manufactured with a simple structure, and a method for manufacturing such a mask.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides
A mask having a first nonwoven fabric and a second nonwoven fabric facing each other, the mask having an upper edge, a lower edge facing the upper edge, and a first side edge and a second side edge extending between the upper edge and the lower edge,
a first side edge seal formed along the first side edge;
a second side edge seal formed along the second side edge;
a bottom edge seal formed along the bottom edge;
A shape-retaining member extending from the first side edge portion to the second side edge portion in a direction along the upper edge portion near the upper edge portion,
The mask has a distance between the upper end of the shape-retaining member and the upper edge of 10 mm or less.

In addition, the mask of the present invention is
The first side edge seal portion and the second side edge seal portion may each have two through holes formed at positions facing each other.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:
a step of stacking the first nonwoven fabric and the second nonwoven fabric and transporting them in a predetermined transport direction;
A step of inserting and overlapping shape-retaining members between the first nonwoven fabric and the second nonwoven fabric within a predetermined distance from both ends in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
a step of joining two of the shape-retaining members to the first nonwoven fabric and the second nonwoven fabric, and forming a lower edge seal portion at a position equidistant from the arrangement positions of the two shape-retaining members so as to extend along the conveying direction;
forming a side edge seal portion extending along a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
Dividing the bottom edge seal portion into two along the conveying direction;
and separating the side edge seal portion into a first side edge seal portion and a second side edge seal portion along a direction intersecting the transport direction.

The method for producing a mask of the present invention further comprises the steps of:
forming a total of eight through holes in two rows in each of the side edge seal portions;
a step of separating the lower edge seal portion into two along the conveying direction, the lower edge seal portion being separated into two such that each of the side edge seal portions has four through holes;
The process of separating the side edge seal portion into a first side edge seal portion and a second side edge seal portion along the conveying direction may be such that the first side edge seal portion and the second side edge seal portion each have two of the through holes.

The present invention provides a mask that can be efficiently manufactured with a simple structure and a method for manufacturing the mask.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a mask according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing components constituting a mask according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the mask shown in FIG. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing a mask according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an example of how to use a mask according to the present embodiment using a string with a clip. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a modified example of the mask. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a method for manufacturing a mask according to a modified example. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of use of a modified mask using fixing strings.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a mask according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of components constituting a mask according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mask shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line A-A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to line B-B in FIG. 1. The mask of this embodiment is rectangular in shape when viewed from the front. In this embodiment, a rectangle is not only a rectangle with right-angled corners, but also a rectangle with four beveled corners that are convex outwardly in an arc shape. Therefore, the four corners of the mask may be curved in the plan view shown in FIG. 1.

<<Components>>
2, the mask 10 of this embodiment is composed of three members: a first nonwoven fabric 1 having a substantially rectangular shape, a second nonwoven fabric 2 having the same shape as the first nonwoven fabric 1, and a strip-shaped shape-retaining member 20 in a plan view. The mask of this embodiment is formed by heat-sealing (thermal fusing) the three members, the first nonwoven fabric 1, the second nonwoven fabric 2, and the shape-retaining member 20, at predetermined locations.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shape-retaining member 20, which is strip-shaped in plan view, is sandwiched between the second nonwoven fabric 2, which has the same shape as the first nonwoven fabric 1. Since the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2 have the same shape, they appear the same when viewed from either the first nonwoven fabric 1 side or the second nonwoven fabric 2 side. For this reason, a back view of the mask is omitted, but is the same as the front view shown in FIG. 1.

＜＜Each sealing part＞＞
As shown in Fig. 1, the mask 10 of this embodiment includes a first side edge seal portion 16, a second side edge seal portion 17, and a bottom edge seal portion 15. In Fig. 1, each seal portion is indicated by diagonal hatching. The first side edge seal portion 16, the second side edge seal portion 17, and the bottom edge seal portion 15 are formed by sealing and joining the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2.

The first edge seal portion 16 is formed along the first edge portion 6 to include the first edge portion 6 (left end in FIG. 1), and the second edge seal portion 17 is formed along the second edge portion 7 to include the second edge portion 7 (right end in FIG. 1). The lower edge seal portion 15 is formed along the lower edge portion 5 to include the lower edge portion 5 (lower end in FIG. 1). The seal widths of the first edge seal portion 16, the second edge seal portion 17, and the lower edge seal portion 15 can be set arbitrarily, but are preferably 5 mm or more and 15 mm or less. The seal width is the width in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the seal portion extends. The first edge seal portion 16, the second edge seal portion 17, and the lower edge seal portion 15 are all formed to the end of each edge. This makes it possible to manufacture masks efficiently, as described later.

There are no particular limitations on the size of the mask 10, but it is preferable that the width of the mask 10 (width in the left-right direction in FIG. 1), which is the distance between the first side edge 6 and the second side edge 7, is 100 mm to 200 mm, and the height of the mask 10 (length in the up-down direction in FIG. 1), which is the distance between the upper edge 4 and the lower edge 5, is 80 mm to 140 mm. Naturally, the sizes for adults and children are different.

<<Nonwoven Fabric Details>>
Nonwoven fabrics that can be joined by heat sealing can be used as the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2 that constitute the mask 10. Various nonwoven fabrics can be used as long as they are breathable and have gaps large enough to prevent the passage of droplets.

As nonwoven fabrics that can be bonded by heat sealing, for example, two-component composite spunbond nonwoven fabrics and high-density polyethylene nonwoven fabrics can be suitably used. Two-component composite spunbond nonwoven fabrics are nonwoven fabrics with a core-sheath structure in which the fiber core is polyester and the sheath is polyethylene. High-density polyethylene nonwoven fabrics are nonwoven fabrics in which ultra-fine long polyethylene fibers of 0.5 μm to 10 μm are randomly layered and bonded only by heat and pressure. As two-component composite spunbond nonwoven fabrics, for example, "Elves T0303WD0" manufactured by Unitika Ltd. can be used. As high-density polyethylene nonwoven fabrics, for example, "Tyvek 1059B" manufactured by Mitsui DuPont Co., Ltd. can be used. Although different materials may be used as the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2, it is preferable to use the same material from the viewpoint of manufacturing efficiency.

<<Shape-retaining member>>
Next, the shape-retaining member 20 will be described. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, in the mask 10 of this embodiment, a shape-retaining member 20 for facilitating fixing the mask 10 to the nose is formed along the upper edge 4 at a position close to the upper edge 4. In this embodiment, the shape-retaining member 20 has a band-like shape in a plan view. As shown in Fig. 1, the shape-retaining member 20 is provided close to the upper edge 4 in a direction along the upper edge 4, from the first side edge 6 to the second side edge 7. In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the shape-retaining member 20 is provided parallel to the upper edge 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the shape-retaining member 20 is bonded to the inner surface of the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the inner surface of the second nonwoven fabric 2. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 3(b), in the portions where the shape-retaining member 20 overlaps with the first side edge seal portion 16 and the second side edge seal portion 17, the shape-retaining member 20 is heat-welded and fixed integrally with the first side edge seal portion 16 and the second side edge seal portion 17. In FIG. 1, the entire shape-retaining member 20, including the portions where it overlaps with the first side edge seal portion 16 and the second side edge seal portion 17, is shown with the same hatching.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shape-retaining member 20 has an upper end 20a, which is the end closest to the upper edge 4, formed at a position closer to the second edge 5 by a distance La from the upper edge 4. That is, the distance La is the distance from the upper edge 4 to the upper end 20a of the shape-retaining member 20. The distance La is preferably 1 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and more preferably 2 mm or more and 8 mm or less. For example, La = 5 mm. If the distance La is too small, there is a risk that the shape-retaining member 20 will protrude from the upper edge 4 due to manufacturing errors. However, in the finished product, the distance La may be 0 mm. If the distance La is too large, there is a risk that the upper edge 4 will hang below the eyes when the shape-retaining member 20 is fixed to the nose.

Lb shown in FIG. 1 is the width of the shape-retaining member 20 that is band-shaped in plan view. That is, Lb is the width of the shape-retaining member 20 in the direction connecting the upper edge 4 and the lower edge 5, and is the distance between the upper end 20a and the lower end 20b of the shape-retaining member 20. There are no particular limitations on the width Lb of the shape-retaining member 20, but it is preferably 1 mm or more and 7 mm or less, and more preferably 2 mm or more and 6 mm or less. For example, Lb = 4 mm. If the width Lb is too small, there is a risk that the part of the nose where the shape-retaining member 20 touches will be painful when worn for a long time. Also, if the width Lb is too large, there is a risk that it will be difficult to fix the mask to the nose.

As the material for the shape-retaining member 20, which has a shape-retaining function and retains its shape once it has been deformed into a shape that corresponds to the nose, various materials can be used as long as they can exhibit a shape-retaining function to the extent that they can retain a shape that easily fits the nose. For example, a resin composition in which 0.1 to 40 parts by mass of inorganic filler is added to 100 parts by mass of high-density polyethylene resin can be used as the shape-retaining member 20. As the inorganic filler, it is preferable to select one or more from the group consisting of talc, nucleating agent, mica, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and magnesium oxide. By including the above-mentioned materials in the shape-retaining member 20, it is possible to form the shape-retaining member 20 only through the extrusion molding process without the need for a stretching process.

The material for the shape-retaining member 20 may be a resin that is compatible with the nonwoven fabrics used as the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2. Specifically, it is preferable to use an olefin-based resin such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) that is compatible with the nonwoven fabric. As the olefin-based resin, a polyethylene-based resin such as low-density polyethylene or linear low-density polyethylene, or a polypropylene-based resin is preferable. As the polypropylene-based resin, homopolypropylene, block polypropylene, random polypropylene (RPP), propylene-ethylene-butene 1 random terpolymer, etc. can be used.

<<Production method>>
Next, a method for manufacturing the mask 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a top view of a part of the manufacturing apparatus for the mask 10 according to the present embodiment. First, two continuous sheets of nonwoven fabric that will become the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2 are prepared. Then, two continuous sheets of nonwoven fabric with the same width are transported in a state in which both ends are aligned and overlapped. Later, these both ends become the upper edge 4 of the mask. In FIG. 4, the two overlapped continuous sheets of the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2 are transported from top to bottom. Then, at a predetermined position, a shape-retaining member 20 is sandwiched between the two overlapped sheets of the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2 from both ends (the left and right ends in FIG. 4). The shape-retaining member 20 is disposed at a position that is a distance La from each of both ends and transported.

As shown in FIG. 4, three heat processing sections 31a, 31b, and 32 are installed downstream (lower side in FIG. 4) from the insertion position of the shape-retaining member 20, with the flow direction from upstream to downstream as the longitudinal direction. Of these, the heat processing sections 31a and 31b perform heat processing on the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2 at the position where the shape-retaining member 20 is sandwiched, and bond the first nonwoven fabric 1, the shape-retaining member 20, and the second nonwoven fabric 2. The heat processing section 32 then performs heat processing on the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2, and bonds the inner surface of the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the inner surface of the second nonwoven fabric 2. The part heat-sealed by the heat processing section 32 will later become the lower edge seal section 15. Therefore, the heat processing section 32 forms the lower edge seal section 15 so as to extend along the conveying direction at a position equidistant from the arrangement positions of the two shape-retaining members 20.

Further downstream (lower in FIG. 4) from the thermal processing sections 31a, 31b, and 32, a thermal processing section 33 is installed, whose longitudinal direction is a direction intersecting with the conveying direction. The thermal processing section 33 performs thermal processing on the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2, and bonds the inner surface of the first nonwoven fabric 1 to the inner surface of the second nonwoven fabric 2. This forms the side edge seal section that will become the first side edge seal section 16 and the second side edge seal section 17. The side edge seal section that is the part heat-sealed by the thermal processing section 33 will later become the first side edge seal section 16 and the second side edge seal section 17.

Further downstream of the thermal processing section 33 (lower in FIG. 4), a slit processing section 34 is installed, which performs slit processing along the conveying direction. The slit processing section 34 slits the continuous sheet in which the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2 are layered along the conveying direction. The slit processing positions are equidistant from both ends of the continuous sheet (later becoming the upper edge 4). As a result, the continuous sheet in which the first nonwoven fabric 1 and the second nonwoven fabric 2 are layered is separated into two along the conveying direction. The slit processing position becomes the lower edge 5.

Although not shown in the figure, further downstream, a cutter extending in a direction intersecting the conveying direction separates the portion heat-sealed in the thermal processing section 33. The separated ends become the first side edge 6 and the second side edge 7 of each mask 10. This separates the masks 10 into individual pieces.

By manufacturing masks using the above manufacturing method, masks can be manufactured efficiently using the production resources and production procedures used to make the resin bags (pouches). Therefore, even if a sudden epidemic of infectious disease occurs and demand for masks increases dramatically, masks can be manufactured and supplied quickly.

To attach the mask according to this embodiment to the face, a fixing string such as a string with a clip is separately prepared. A string with a clip has clips attached to both ends and is commercially available. Strings with clips include those made of rubber and having elasticity, and those made of resin and having no elasticity. Figure 5 shows an example of using the mask according to this embodiment using a string with a clip.

Figure 5(a) shows an example of use suitable for fixing to the head. In the example of Figure 5(a), two clip-attached strings 40 with clips 41a, 41b on both ends are prepared. One clip 41a clamps the first side edge seal portion 16, and the other clip 41b clamps the second side edge seal portion 17. By fixing the positions near the upper edge 4 and the lower edge 5 with the two clip-attached strings 40, a mask with fixing strings as shown in Figure 5(a) is obtained. The mask can be worn by hanging the two clip-attached strings 40 on the head.

Figure 5(b) shows an example of use suitable for fixing to the ears. In the example of Figure 5(b), two clip-attached strings 40 with clips 41a, 41b on both ends are prepared. Then, one clip 41a clamps the upper edge 4 of the first side edge seal portion 16, and the other clip 41b clamps the lower edge 5 of the first side edge seal portion 16. By fixing the two clip-attached strings 40 to the first side edge seal portion 16 side and the second side edge seal portion 17 side, respectively, a mask with fixing strings as shown in Figure 5(b) is obtained. The mask can be worn by hanging the two clip-attached strings 40 on both ears.

Next, a modified mask of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a modified mask. The basic configuration of the modified mask 10A is similar to that of the mask 10 shown in FIG. 1, but it differs in that it is provided with an insertion hole 9. Therefore, the same parts as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description is omitted. In the modified mask 10A, the first side edge seal portion 16 and the second side edge seal portion 17 are each formed with two insertion holes 9 at positions facing each other. The insertion holes 9 are through holes for passing strings when the mask 10A is worn on the face.

The position of the insertion hole 9 is not particularly limited as long as it is a position that allows easy attachment of the mask 10A to the face, but it is preferable that the distance between the insertion hole 9 near the upper edge 4 and the upper edge 4 and the distance between the insertion hole 9 near the lower edge 5 and the lower edge 5 are the same or nearly the same. This is to achieve a balance between the top and bottom of the mask 10A.

A manufacturing method for the mask 10A according to the modified example will be described. Figure 7 corresponds to Figure 4, and is a top view of part of the manufacturing device for the mask 10A according to the modified example. Comparing Figure 7 with Figure 4, the difference is that Figure 7 further includes a hole forming section 35 downstream of the thermal processing section 33. The hole forming section 35 forms two rows of four insertion holes 9 per row, for a total of eight holes at once.

After the slitting process is performed by the slitting section 34, the section heat-sealed by the thermal processing section 33 is separated at a position between each of the two rows of insertion holes 9 by a cutter (not shown) extending in a direction intersecting the conveying direction further downstream. This separates the masks 10 into individual masks with insertion holes 9.

To wear the mask 10A according to the modified example on the face, a fixing string is prepared separately. The mask 10A according to the modified example has four insertion holes 9, so the string can be passed through the insertion holes 9 and tied at the tip to form a shape that does not pass through the insertion holes 9, thereby fixing the mask. The string used for the mask 10A according to the modified example may be any string, such as one made of rubber and having elasticity, or one made of resin and having no elasticity. Figure 8 shows an example of using the mask according to the modified example using the fixing string.

Figure 8(a) shows an example of use suitable for fixing to the head. In the example of Figure 8(a), two fixing strings 50, which are simple strings, are prepared. One end is then passed through the insertion hole 9 of the first side edge seal portion 16 and fixed, and the other end is passed through the insertion hole 9 of the second side edge seal portion 17 and fixed. By fixing the positions near the upper edge 4 and the lower edge 5 with the two fixing strings 50, a mask with fixing strings as shown in Figure 8(a) is obtained. The mask can be worn by hanging the two fixing strings 50 around the head.

Figure 8(b) shows an example of use suitable for fixing to the ears. In the example of Figure 8(b), two simple fixing strings 50 are prepared. One end is passed through the insertion hole 9 near the upper edge 4 of the first side edge seal portion 16 and fixed, and the other end is passed through the insertion hole 9 near the lower edge 5 of the first side edge seal portion 16 and fixed. By fixing the two fixing strings 50 to the first side edge seal portion 16 side and the second side edge seal portion 17 side, respectively, a mask with fixing strings as shown in Figure 8(b) is obtained. The mask can be worn by hanging the two fixing strings 50 on both ears.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the opposing first and second nonwoven fabrics are each configured as a single sheet, but each may be configured as multiple layers of nonwoven fabric. Even if multiple layers of nonwoven fabric are configured as multiple layers, a mask in which multiple nonwoven fabrics are integrated at the edges can be obtained by forming the first side edge seal portion, the second side edge seal portion, and the lower edge seal portion and joining the shape-retaining member.

1: First nonwoven fabric 2: Second nonwoven fabric 4: Upper edge 5: Lower edge 6: First side edge 7: Second side edge 9: Insertion hole 10, 10A: Mask 15: Lower edge seal portion 16: First side edge seal portion 17: Second side edge seal portion 20: Shape-retaining member 20a: Upper end 20b: Lower end La: Distance from upper edge 4 to upper end 20a of shape-retaining member 20 Lb: Width of shape-retaining member 20 in the direction connecting upper edge 4 and lower edge 5

Claims (2)

a step of stacking the first nonwoven fabric and the second nonwoven fabric and transporting them in a predetermined transport direction;
A step of inserting and overlapping shape-retaining members between the first nonwoven fabric and the second nonwoven fabric within a predetermined distance from both ends in a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
a step of joining two of the shape-retaining members to the first nonwoven fabric and the second nonwoven fabric, and forming a lower edge seal portion at a position equidistant from the arrangement positions of the two shape-retaining members so as to extend along the conveying direction;
forming a side edge seal portion extending along a direction intersecting the conveying direction;
Dividing the bottom edge seal portion into two along the conveying direction;
and separating the side edge seal portion into a first side edge seal portion and a second side edge seal portion along a direction intersecting the transport direction. forming a total of eight through holes in two rows in each of the side edge seal portions;
a step of separating the lower edge seal portion into two along the conveying direction, the lower edge seal portion being separated into two such that each of the side edge seal portions has four through holes;
2. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein the process of separating the side edge seal portion into a first side edge seal portion and a second side edge seal portion along the transport direction separates the first side edge seal portion and the second side edge seal portion so that each of the first side edge seal portion and the second side edge seal portion has two of the through holes.