Patent attributes
The present invention is generally directed to anatomically conforming apparatuses, and the creation, design, and fitting of such apparatuses. In at least one embodiment, the present invention relates to masks that require a conformal fit to a user's face, including, but not limited to, respirator and breathing masks, oxygen masks for both civil and military pilots, ventilation masks used in hazardous environments, and the like. One or more methods for clustering facial scans to design a finite set of mass-producible masks is also described, such that each individual in a given population can be assigned at least one mask in the set of masks that is anatomically conforming to that individual's specific facial geometry. Also described are one or more methods for fitting a face mask to a specific individual based on a 3-D scan of that individual's face.
