Headgear

A headgear for securing and positioning a mask suitable for the treatment of a patient suffering from sleep disordered breathing, comprising:

• a back portion having an opening;
• and
• a pair of elongated upper straps connected to the back portion on opposing sides of the back portion and extending away from the back portion, each upper strap having a loop portion positioned along an external surface of its length and a hook portion at a free end thereof for releasably attaching to the loop portion to attach the pair of upper straps to the mask;
• a pair of elongated lower straps connected to the back portion on opposing sides of the back portion and extending away from the back portion, each lower strap having a loop portion positioned along an external surface of its length and a hook portion at a free end thereof for releasably attaching to the loop portion to attach the pair of lower straps to the mask;
• and
• a transition between the back portion and the lower straps, the transition having a downwardly angled portion such that a lower edge of the lower straps is positioned lower than a lower edge of the back portion in use,
• wherein a width of the pair of upper straps and the pair of lower straps along the loop portion to which the hook portion releasably attaches is sufficiently wider than a maximum width of the hook portion such that when the hook portion is attached to the loop portion the strap shields the patient's face from contact with the hook portion, and
• wherein a width of the loop portion varies along a length of the lower straps.

A headgear for securing and positioning a mask suitable for the treatment of a patient suffering from sleep disordered breathing, comprising:

• a back portion, the back portion having a top portion and a bottom portion, the top portion arranged to engage with a crown of a patient's head, extending from a first lateral side to a second lateral side of the patient's head;
• a pair of elongated upper straps provided to the back portion on opposing sides of the back portion and extending away from the back portion, each upper strap having a loop portion positioned along an external surface of its length and a hook portion at a free end thereof for releasably attaching to the loop portion to attach the upper straps to the mask;
• and
• a pair of elongated lower straps extending away from the back portion, each lower strap having a loop portion positioned along an external surface of its length and a hook portion at a free end thereof for releasably attaching to the loop portion to attach the lower straps to the mask, the lower straps being arranged so that the back portion is raised relative to at least a portion of the lower straps in use;
• wherein each of the pair of upper straps and the pair of lower straps is formed of a composite having a first layer adapted to be positioned against the patient's head, a second, middle layer constructed from foam, and a third layer including said loop portion, and a width of each of the pair of upper straps and the pair of lower straps along the loop portion to which the hook portion releasably attaches is sufficiently wider than the hook portion such that when the hook portion is attached to the loop portion the strap tends to shield the patient's face from contact with the hook portion if the hook portion is slightly misaligned with the loop portion.

A mask assembly suitable for the treatment of sleep disordered breathing, comprising:

• a mask to provide pressurized air to a patient, said mask having upper and lower slot features on each side of the mask;
• a headgear assembly, comprising:
• a back portion, the back portion having a top portion, a bottom portion and side portions, the side portions converging towards one another as the side portions extend between the top portion and the bottom portion;
• a pair of elongated upper straps provided to the back portion on opposing sides of the back portion and extending away from the back portion, each upper strap having a loop portion positioned along an external surface of its length and a hook portion at a free end thereof for releasably attaching to the loop portion to attach the upper straps to the mask, wherein the pair of upper straps are dimensioned to extend above the patient's ears;
• and
• a pair of elongated lower straps extending away from the back portion, each lower strap having a loop portion positioned along an external surface of its length and a hook portion at a free end thereof for releasably attaching to the loop portion to attach the lower straps to the mask, the lower straps being arranged so that the back portion is raised relative to at least a portion of the lower straps in use, wherein the pair of lower straps are dimensioned to extend below the patient's ears and across the patient's cheeks,
• wherein an increased width portion of each of the pair of upper straps and the pair of lower straps along the loop portion to which the hook portion releasably attaches is wider than the hook portion,
• wherein each loop portion of each of the lower straps is configured to be retained on the mask assembly by passing through a respective slot feature and double-back on itself to attach the headgear,
• wherein each increased width portion of each lower strap that engages with its respective hook portion is adapted to engage the patient's cheeks.