Headgear for masks

A headgear system for holding a respiratory mask in a position on a face of a patient to enhance a mask seal with the patient's face, the headgear system including a plurality of straps providing a four-point arrangement for attachment with the respiratory mask, said plurality of straps comprising:

• at least one upper strap configured to extend above the patient's ear in use, the at least one upper strap including loop material and an end with hook material, for adjustable attachment to a slot of a forehead support;
• at least one lower strap configured to extend below the patient's ear in use, the at least one lower strap including loop material and an end with hook material for adjustable attachment to a headgear clip that connects with a lower part of the mask;
• and
• a rear strap portion having a rear loop configured and dimensioned to circumscribe the rear of the patient's head, the at least one upper strap and the at least one lower strap being attached to the rear strap portion via stitched joins, the rear strap portion comprising a material that is relatively inextensible compared to a relatively extensible material of the at least one upper strap,
• wherein at least one strap of said plurality of straps is constructed from a laminate having at least a first layer and a second layer, said first layer being constructed and arranged to be located on a patient-contacting side in use, and said second layer being constructed and arranged to be located on a non patient-contacting side in use, and further wherein each of said first layer and said second layer forms a part of at least one rounded lateral edge of the at least one strap when viewed in cross-section.

A headgear system for holding a respiratory mask in a position on a face of a patient to enhance a mask seal with the patient's face, the headgear system including a plurality of straps providing a four-point arrangement for attachment with the respiratory mask, said plurality of straps comprising:

• a pair of upper straps each configured to extend above the patient's ear in use, each said upper strap including an outwardly facing loop material layer and an end with hook material to adjustably engage the outwardly facing loop material layer, for length-adjustable attachment to a slot of a forehead support;
• a pair of lower straps each configured to extend below the patient's ear in use, each said lower strap including an outwardly facing loop material layer and an end with hook material to adjustably engage the outwardly facing loop material layer, for length-adjustable attachment to a headgear clip that connects with a lower part of the mask;
• and
• a rear strap portion having a rear loop configured and dimensioned to circumscribe the rear of the patient's head, each said upper strap and each said lower strap being attached to the rear strap portion via stitched joins, the rear strap portion comprising a first material with a first extensibility and each said upper or lower strap comprising a second material with a second extensibility that is different than the first extensibility of the first material,
• wherein each of said upper strap and each said lower strap is constructed from at least a patient-contacting fabric material layer and a respective said outwardly facing loop material layer, each said patient-contacting fabric material layer being constructed and arranged to engage the patient's face while in use, and further wherein mutual edges of the patient-contacting fabric material layer and said outwardly facing loop material layer form a joint positioned, as seen in cross-section, at a lateral edge of each said upper strap and each said lower strap, each said joint being spaced away from the patient's face in use while the patient-contacting fabric material layer contacts the patient's face in use.