Face mask innovation in the US

COVID-19 transmission occurs primarily from person-to-person through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, respiratory droplets are produced and may be transferred to another person when these droplets are inhaled or accidentally made its way to the uninfected person’s eyes, mouth, or nose. Because of this, the CDC released guidelines on how to slow down the spread of the coronavirus which include the use of face covering.^1 2

As the number of confirmed cases continue to rise globally – the US alone having 928,619 cases as of April 25 – the demand for medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) has also risen dramatically.³ Aside from the underinvestment in preparation for a pandemic in the past years, the US also relies on the global supply chain of medical supplies that is 85% in China.⁴ Several Asian countries wherein PPE are manufactured limited their exports, thereby affecting PPE supply in the US.⁵ Face masks, in particular, have been in shortage since the spread of COVID-19. There are only few manufacturers of face masks in the US such as Prestige Ameritech and Moldex, all of which are unable to keep up with the demand.⁶

We looked at face mask innovations in the US in the past 20 years. We have listed some notable patents and patent applications.

Patents

U.S. Patent No. 7,036,507

Filter mask

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Alpha Pro Tech (APT) manufactures several protective apparel including masks, face shields, respirators and veils.^{7 8} In a patent by APT, a filter mask for use in various medical, industrial, and domestic applications is disclosed. The mask can filter either inhaled or exhaled air while maintaining a positive facial lock on the mask’s edges.

U.S. Patent No. 6,571,797

Single strap respirator mask with head harness

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Moldex Metric is a respiratory and hearing protection manufacturer for several applications such as construction, mining, and healthcare. Their core products are manufactured in the US and are PVC-free as a greener alternative.⁹ A single strap respirator mask with head harness is disclosed in one of Moldex’s patents. The respirator mask features straps that evenly distribute pressure over a wide area to avoid ear fatigue.

U.S. Patent No. 8,091,551

Face mask with filtering closure

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Texas-based face mask company, Prestige Ameritech, is one of the local manufacturers of face masks in the US. Although their products are more expensive than those with manufacturing plants overseas, they are also currently struggling to keep up with the demands for face masks.¹⁰ A face mask with filtering closure is disclosed in Prestige Ameritech’s patent. The face mask may include a biostatic material that inhibit growth of viruses for enhanced protection.

U.S. Patent No. 7,077,139

Disposable face mask

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In 2018, O&M Halyard submitted plans for a new machine that can produce protective respirator masks at high speed to the US Department of Health and Human Services. However, the department did not proceed to execute the plan due to the lack of funding.¹¹ In one of Halyard’s patents, a disposable face mask is disclosed which includes an extension covering the wearer’s cheeks, jaw, and ears.

U.S. Patent No. 9,616,258

Dispensable face mask and method of making the same

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3M, one of the largest manufacturers of N95 face masks, is also faced with high demand since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. Despite the high demand worldwide, the company reached an agreement with the US government to produce 55.5M masks per month for US health workers.¹² An example of 3M’s face mask is disclosed in the ‘258 patent wherein the face mask is dispensable for easier storage and retrieval. The invention is also comprised of a filtering web portion which may reduce viral or bacterial contamination.

Patent applications

The following are some selected patent applications that have additional features aside from the usual filter capabilities of face masks:

US20070199567

Droplet collection devices and methods to detect and control airborne communicable diseases utilizing rfid

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US20170119991

Humidification face mask

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US20160317848

Electronic respirator mask

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US20190275359

Custom-controllable powered respirator face mask

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US20190125011

Temperature sensitive surgical face mask for identifying at risk patients and reducing viral infection

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Related articles

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Coronavirus Patent Landscape Report

References

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   2. World Health Organization, “Coronavirus,” [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus. [Accessed 4 March 2020].
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   4. K. O’Keeffe, “China’s Export Restrictions Strand Medical Goods U.S. Needs to Fight Coronavirus, State Department Says,” The Wall Street Journal, 16 April 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-export-restrictions-strand-medical-goods-u-s-needs-to-fight-coronavirus-state-department-says-11587031203. [Accessed 24 April 2020].
   5. Z. Schlanger, “Begging for Thermometers, Body Bags, and Gowns: U.S. Health Care Workers Are Dangerously Ill-Equipped to Fight COVID-19,” TIME, 20 April 2020. [Online]. Available: https://time.com/5823983/coronavirus-ppe-shortage/. [Accessed 24 April 2020].
   6. Y. Noguchi, “Not Enough Face Masks Are Made In America To Deal With Coronavirus,” NPR.org, 5 March 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/05/811387424/face-masks-not-enough-are-made-in-america-to-deal-with-coronavirus. [Accessed 8 April 2020].
   7. AlphaProTech, “About Us,” [Online]. Available: https://www.alphaprotech.com/about/about.aspx. [Accessed 21 April 2020].
   8. L. Navellier, “Alpha Pro Tech Stock Will Ride High on Protective Gear Demand,” NASDAQ, 14 April 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/alpha-pro-tech-stock-will-ride-high-on-protective-gear-demand-2020-04-14. [Accessed 21 April 2020].
   9. Moldex, “Our Company,” [Online]. Available: https://www.moldex.com/our-company/. [Accessed 21 April 2020].
   10. R. Legare, “America’s largest face mask manufacturer can’t keep up with coronavirus demand,” CBS News, 26 February 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-face-masks-prestige-ameritech-demand/. [Accessed 21 April 2020].
   11. J. Swaine, “Federal government spent millions to ramp up mask readiness, but that isn’t helping now,” The Washington Post, 4 April 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/federal-government-spent-millions-to-ramp-up-mask-readiness-but-that-isnt-helping-now/2020/04/03/d62dda5c-74fa-11ea-a9bd-9f8b593300d0_story.html. [Accessed 21 April 2020].
   12. R. Sandler, “Trump Ends Feud With Mask Maker 3M, Announces Deal For 55 Million U.S. Masks Per Month,” Forbes, 6 April 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/04/06/trump-ends-feud-with-mask-maker-3m-announces-deal-for-55-million-us-masks-per-month/#9029dd412097. [Accessed 20 April 2020].
   13. R. Ferris, “US industrial giant 3M scrambles to meet demand for face masks as coronavirus spreads,” CNBC, 30 March 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/30/3m-scrambles-to-meet-coronavirus-demand-for-face-masks.html. [Accessed 20 April 2020].
   14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Prevent Getting Sick,” 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/index.html. [Accessed 21 April 2020].