US Patent Issued to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy on July 1 for "Filtering face mask" (Washington Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 3 -- United States Patent no. 12,343,571, issued on July 1, was assigned to The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy (Keyport, Wash.).

"Filtering face mask" was invented by Mark Sorna (Silverdale, Wash.), Jacob Yates (Poulsbo, Wash.), Nathan Schuyler (Silverdale, Wash.) and Jose Ruiz (Bremerton, Wash.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A filtration mask protects the wearer against airborne hazards. The mask is reusable and may be used in a number of configurations. The mask includes filters located to the side and beneath the line of sight of the wearer. The filters may be tailored to the use and type of environmental hazard."

The patent was ...