Respirator having optically active exhalation valve

A respirator, comprising:

• a mask body;
• a harness attached to the mask body;
• and
• an exhalation valve disposed on and attached to the mask body, wherein the exhalation valve comprises a valve seat, a valve cover, and a flexible flap that is in engagement with the valve seat, wherein the flexible flap comprises a band shifting film that flashes when moving from a closed position to an open position or vice versa and the valve cover is sufficiently transparent to enable the flexible flap to be seen through a solid portion of the valve cover.

A respirator, wherein the respirator is a device that is worn by a person to provide clean air for the wearer, comprising:

• a harness;
• a mask body, wherein the mask body is an air-permeable structure that can fit at least over the nose and mouth of a person and that helps define an interior gas space separated from an exterior gas space, wherein the interior gas space is the space between the mask body and the person's face and wherein the exterior gas space is the ambient atmospheric gas space into which exhaled gas enters after passing through and beyond the mask body and/or an exhalation valve;
• and
• an exhalation valve disposed on and attached to the mask body, wherein the exhalation valve comprises:
• a valve seat, wherein the valve seat is a solid part of the exhalation valve that has an orifice for a fluid to pass through and is disposed on and attached to the mask body;
• a valve cover;
• and
• a flexible flap that is in engagement with the valve seat, the flexible flap comprising at least a specularly reflecting film that causes the flap to flash when moving from a closed position to an open position or vice versa, and wherein the valve cover is sufficiently transparent to enable the flexible flap to be seen through a solid portion of the valve cover.

A respirator, wherein the respirator is a device that is worn by a person to provide clean air for the wearer, comprising:

• a mask body, wherein the mask body is an air-permeable structure that can fit at least over the nose and mouth of a person and that helps define an interior gas space separated from an exterior gas space, wherein the interior gas space is the space between the mask body and the person's face and wherein the exterior gas space is the ambient atmospheric gas space into which exhaled gas enters after passing through and beyond the mask body and/or an exhalation valve;
• a harness attached to the mask body;
• and
• an exhalation valve disposed on and attached to the mask body, wherein the exhalation valve comprises a valve seat, a valve cover, and a flexible flap that is in engagement with the valve seat, wherein the valve seat is a solid part of the exhalation valve that has an orifice for a fluid to pass through and is disposed on and attached to the mask body, and
• wherein the flexible flap comprises a band shifting film that flashes when moving from a closed position to an open position or vice versa and the valve cover is sufficiently transparent to enable the flexible flap to be seen through a solid portion of the valve cover.