GB2602061A

GB2602061A - Face covering

Info

Publication number: GB2602061A
Application number: GB2019956.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sturman Richard
Original assignee: Stretchline Intellectual Properties Ltd Great Britain
Current assignee: Stretchline Intellectual Properties Ltd Great Britain
Priority date: 2020-12-17
Filing date: 2020-12-17
Publication date: 2022-06-22
Also published as: GB202019956D0

Abstract

A face covering comprising a fabric substrate which includes a covering portion 110 for a wearer’s nose and mouth, and an adhering portion 14 to sit on at least the bridge of the nose including an adhesive layer (18, figure 6) formed of a cured adhesive silicone gel; where the adhering portion is attached to the covering portion in a manner which leaves slack in the adhering portion, that is to say in use this portion is not taught. Preferably the adhering portion is attached to the main cover at a plurality of distinct points (33, figure 1) but the adhesive is continuous. Preferably the cover comprises a pleat (34, figure 1) perpendicular to the top edge of the cover, that is to say vertically, and a second pleat which continues to an anchor portion 102 under the chin; the two pleats forming a bulge 106. The covering portion may have fastening means 112 attached which are angled towards the chin relative to the horizontal. Preferably the adhesive is a polydimethylsiloxane.

Description

FACE COVERING

This invention relates to a face covering for covering a wearer's nose and mouth.

It is often desirable for a person to cover their nose and mouth with a face covering or mask, for example to help prevent the spread of germs that might otherwise spread viruses. It is often necessary for medical personnel to wear such coverings. More recently, it has also become desirable, and in some instances necessary, for the general public to cover their nose and mouth with a face covering. Indeed, while a virus such as COVID-19 is prevalent, a person may be prevented from carrying out their work or doing say-to-day tasks (e.g. travelling or shopping) without wearing a face covering.

One issue with existing face coverings is the leakage of air from the top of the covering due to the covering not fitting snuggly across the wearer's nose bridge. Such leakage of air can cause reduced visibility especially when glasses are worn.

Existing face coverings that are made from a fabric material often use a wire nose clip which can be bent to roughly follow the contour of the wearer's nose bridge. While this can be effective in achieving a snug fit over the nose bridge, the wires get distorted over time, thus losing their effectiveness, and can break or deform if machine washed.

Other existing face coverings use pattern engineering to try and sculpt the fabric of the face covering around the nose bridge area. However, such a solution cannot accommodate the very wide variation in face shape and size of the general population.

Further existing face coverings have a hard, moulded (non-fabric) edge which is sculpted around the nose bridge area. As above, this does not accommodate the wide variation in face shapes and sizes. Moreover, the hard edge can feel heavy and uncomfortable for a wearer, especially when worn for prolonged periods of time.

In addition, the fit of the aforementioned existing face coverings over the nose bridge of a wearer depends on how the wearer positions the face covering on the face and keeps it in the optimum fit position during wear.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved face covering which is comfortable to wear and accommodating to a wearers face, especially over the nose bridge area to prevent air leakage.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a face covering for covering a wearer's nose and mouth, the face covering comprising a fabric substrate, the fabric substrate including: a covering portion for covering the wearer's nose and mouth when worn, and an adhering portion configured to be positioned over at least the bridge of a wearer's nose when worn, the adhering portion including an adhesive layer on at least a portion of the fabric substrate, the adhesive layer being formed by a cured adhesive silicone gel, wherein the adhering portion is secured to the covering portion to create slack in the adhering portion relative to the covering portion when the face covering is in a relaxed state.

The silicone gel adhesive layer holds the face covering in place on the wearer's face while also creating a seal between the adhering portion and the wearer's face (i.e. across the nose bridge) to prevent air leakage. The adhering layer holding the face covering in place means that a less powerful fastener, such as head band or ear straps, is required. Powerful, i.e. tight, fasteners can often cause gaps in the face covering especially across the wearer's nose due to the fasteners having to be held tightly across the wearer's face which cause the face covering to pull away from the face. Powerful fasteners also have a tendency to cause discomfort to the wearer, especially when worn for a prolonged period of time.

The adhesive silicone gel can be pressed onto the face by the wearer, thus providing snug fit regardless of the face shape or size. The silicone gel also does not leave any residue on the face once the face covering has been removed.

Rather than relying on frictional force to attach the face covering to the face, which would be the case for other adhesives such as a silicone elastomer, the silicone gel adhesive layer uses adhesion. By incorporating a gel having the desired level of tackiness to hold the face covering in place, the use of constrictive pressure on the wearer's face is less significant. The utilisation of a silicone gel enables this to be achieved due to the cushioning effect of the gel (i.e. the gel spreads the compressive load of the fabric and helps reduce its constrictive effect). Thus, the adhering portion is comfortable to wear.

Moreover, providing the adhesive layer on a slack portion of fabric means that the adhering portion is presented to the wearer's face in a relaxed, non-tensioned state. It also means that the adhesive layer remains in a non-tensioned state even when tension is applied to the face covering e.g. to secure it to the face via head/ear fasteners. This degree of slack in the adhering portion allows the wearer to properly secure and fit the adhesive layer onto the face and for that fit to remain during wear of the face covering. In other words, the slack in the adhering portion is accommodating to the contours of the wearer's face when first applying the adhesive layer to the face and remains accommodating as the face moves during wear. Thus, gaps in the face covering at the adhering portion are less likely to occur during wear. Preferably, the adhering portion is secured to the covering portion at discrete securing points along the length of the adhering portion to create loose portions of fabric in between the securing points.

Securing the adhering portion to the covering portion at such discrete securing portions provides a way to hold the adhering portion in place relative to the covering portion while creating loose (i.e. baggy) portions of fabric; thus, creating the desired slack in the adhering portion.

The face covering may further include a stabilising fabric portion positioned between the adhesive layer of the adhering portion and the covering portion.

Providing such a stabilising fabric portion creates a barrier to reduce the imparting of stretch from the covering portion onto the adhesive layer of the adhering portion. Therefore, the slack created in the adhering portion is not compromising by tension being applied elsewhere (e.g. the covering portion) on the face covering.

The adhering portion may extend beyond the covering portion along at least a portion of the edge of the covering portion which is presented across the wearer's nose in use.

In this way, the adhering portion extends past the edge of the covering portion at the end of the face covering which would be applied across the wearer's nose. Thus, the adhering portion extends further up the wearer's nose bridge towards the eyes. This provides additional material for the wearer to interact with when positioning the face covering, in particular pressing the adhesive layer, onto the skin. Moreover, the wearer can rest their glasses on the extended portion of fabric so that the fabric provides a comfortable interface between the glasses and face.

Preferably, the covering portion includes a pleat created in the fabric substrate of the covering portion, the pleat extending substantially perpendicular to the edge of the covering portion which is presented across the wearer's nose in use.

The pleat helps to provide structure and shape to the covering portion of the face covering. By extending the pleat in a perpendicular manner (i.e. vertically down the face when the face covering is worn) a gap over the nose (especially at the nostril area) is created and optionally over the mouth (depending on the positioning and/or length of the pleat). This helps to prevent the face covering obstructing the wearer's breathing.

In an embodiment, the covering portion includes an anchor portion configured to extend under the wearer's chin when worn, the anchor portion being narrower in width to the remainder of the covering portion.

Providing such an anchor portion helps to shape the face covering down the face and around the chin. With the anchor portion being tucked under the chin, rather than resting on top of the chin, the face covering is less likely to ride down as the wearer's face moves (particularly when talking). It also provides ventilation under the chin which helps with air circulation within the face covering.

In such an embodiment, the anchor portion may include a pleat created in the fabric substrate of the covering portion.

The inclusion of a pleat in the anchor portion helps to provide structure and shape to the covering portion at the chin area. The pleat can be positioned in such a way to create a gap between the fabric structure and the face at a desired position (e.g. at or towards the mouth of a wearer) to help with comfort and/or breathing. Moreover, the pleat can be positioned to help shape the anchor portion down the face and underneath the chin of the wearer.

Moreover, the pleats (in the covering portion and the anchor portion) may be positioned relative to one another to create a bulge in the covering portion between the ends of the pleats.

Using the pleats to create such a bulge means that a gap between the covering portion and the wearer's nose and mouth is created which helps to prevent the face covering from obstructing the wearer's breathing. This gap is created by the covering portion fabric itself without the need for additional structural elements, such as metal/wire elements which can interfere with the comfort and washability of the face covering.

Optionally, the face covering further includes a fastener configured to fasten at least partially around the wearer's head, the fastener being secured to the fabric substrate at an angle directed towards the end of the fabric substrate which is presented to the wearer's chin when worn.

Providing a fastener which is angled downwards towards the chin area helps to fit and secure the face covering around the bottom of the face. This is because the fastener is pulled up from a downwards angle when fitted to the face (e.g. around the head or ears), which pulls the face covering upwards to hold it around and against the chin.

Moreover, the angle of the fastener reduces the amount of tension that is applied across the adhering portion (i.e. across the nose bridge), which helps to maintain the slack of the adhering portion. Otherwise, the slack could be lost if the fasteners impart too much tension onto the adhering portion, which could cause gaps in the seal created on the skin by the adhesive layer.

Normally, strong tension across the face, patricianly the nose, is required in a face covering because the positioning of the covering onto the face relies on the covering being held tightly across the face. Indeed, this is why in conventional face coverings the fasteners would normally be angled horizontally across the face or slightly upwards towards the ears of a wearer to help apply the desired tension across the nose bridge. However, such strong tension across the nose bridge is not required in the face covering of the invention because the adhesive layer in the form of a silicone gel provides adequate tackiness to adhere to the face without the need to apply a great deal of (or any) tension.

Preferably, the fastener is secured to the covering portion.

The fastener being secured to the covering portion helps to further alleviate tension being imparted onto the adhering portion so as to maintain the desired slack in the adhering portion.

In some embodiments, the adhering portion is folded to form first and second folded portions extending either side of the fold, the first and second folded portions being secured to one another, and the first folded portion being secured to the covering portion, wherein the second folded portion incudes the adhesive layer.

Since the first folded portion is secured to the covering portion, the first folded portion can exhibit, and essentially dilute, any tension that is imparted from the covering portion (e.g. when the wearer secures the face covering to the face via fasteners). Thus, the folded configuration helps to further reduce the imparting of tension onto the second folded portion where the adhesive layer is positioned, so as to prevent gaps being created between the adhesive layer and the face.

In such an embodiment, the stabilising fabric portion may be positioned between the first and second folded portions.

The stabilising fabric portion therefore acts as a further barrier between the first and second folded portions so as to further help prevent tension from being imparted onto the adhesive layer.

The adhesive layer may extend along the length of the adhering portion in a continuous manner.

Such an arrangement provides ease of manufacture and a reliable adhering of the silicone gel to the wearer's face.

Preferably, the adhering portion has first and second faces and the adhesive layer is on one face only.

This construction allows for only one side (face) of the fabric substrate to exhibit adhering properties and avoids the problem of the silicone gel seeping through to the other side of the fabric. One way in which this construction may be achieved is by including a barrier layer between the fabric and the silicone gel to prevent transfer of the silicone gel into the fabric. The barrier layer may be a curable silicone elastomer.

Further details of such a barrier layer and how it is applied to a fabric are outlined in patent numbers EP 1 608 505 B1 and GB 2 399 519 B, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The adhesive silicone gel preferably has a thickness in the range of 0.01 to 0.5 mm.

The adhesive silicone gel is preferably a polydimethylsiloxane.

The adhesive silicone gel in its mixed state preferably has a viscosity of about 7500 mPas.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a face covering according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows the face covering of Figure 1 from underneath; Figure 3 shows a portion of the face covering of Figure 1 close up; Figure 4 shows a face covering according to a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 shows the face covering of Figure 4 at the chin area; Figure 6 shows the face covering of Figure 4 from underneath; and Figure 7 shows the face covering of Figure 4 when worn.

A face covering 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 1 to 3. The face covering 10 includes a fabric covering portion 12 and a fabric adhering portion 14. The covering portion 10 is intended to cover the wearer's nose and mouth when the face covering 10 is worn. The adhering portion 14 is intended to be positioned over the wearer's nose bridge and along the cheeks of the wearer when worn. In other embodiments, the adhering portion 14 may be shorter such that it covers only the nose bridge or the nose bridge and only a portion of the cheeks.

The adhering portion 14 is made from a stretchable fabric, such as a knitted or woven Nylon Elastane, Polyester elastane or cotton elastane fabric preferably with over 5 % elastane content. Preferably, the stretchable fabric includes elastomeric yarns in order to provide the fabric with enhanced stretch recovery. In this embodiment, the covering portion 12 is made from a fabric that is proven to be comfortable next to the skin. The covering portion 12 can be made from a spacer fabric (3D knitted construction) with a soft surface next to the skin. A soft lining fabric may need to be added to any outer fabric that is used that is not comfortable next to the skin. The fabric used in the covering portion 12 does not necessarily need to be as stretchy as the adhering portion 14, although a degree of fabric movement especially in a vertical direction would be advantageous (as per the natural stretch in a knitted 3D spacer fabric). Other fabric constructions and fabric compositions can be used for portion 12 including those suitable for printing.

In other embodiments, the covering portion 12 may be made from the same material as the adhering portion 14 but exhibit a different (e.g. lesser) degree of stretch than the adhering portion 14. For example, the covering portion 12 may be formed (e.g. layered) or treated so that it has less stretch than the adhering portion 14.

The adhering portion 14 includes an adhesive layer 16 (as shown in Figure 2) which is formed by a cured adhesive silicone gel 18.

The silicone gel 18 extends along the entire length L of the adhering portion 14 in a continuous strip. In other embodiments, the silicone gel 18 may instead extend along only a portion of the adhering portion 14, e.g. at the central portion to be positioned over the nose bridge. In further embodiments, the silicone gel 18 may extend along the entire or part of the length L of the adhering portion 14 in discrete portions, e.g. one discrete portion over the nose bridge area and further discrete portions over each cheek area.

is The silicone gel 18 is preferably a pressure sensitive adhesive gel which remains tacky.

In other words, an adhesive which can be adhered and removed to a surface many times. Preferably, the silicone gel 18 also provides an adhesive bond which is strongly resistive to shear forces, but which is relatively weak to peel forces.

The silicone gel 18 is chosen to have the desired level of tackiness to "stick" to the face using adhesion, rather than constrictive forces. The soft nature of the silicone gel 18 also provides a cushioning effect which further helps reduce its constrictive effect to the skin.

The silicone gel 18 also permits a degree of creep when the fabric is adhered to the wearer, i.e. slight movement of fabric across skin of wearer.

After repeated wear, the stickiness of the silicone gel 18 may deteriorate particularly as it attracts dust, dead skin cells and other particles. However, the adhesive qualities of the adhesive layer can be re-generated by washing the face covering in a conventional manner. It is estimated that the face covering can be washed up to fifty times and still retain a satisfactory and workable level of adhesion. In this way, the face covering 10 is reusable, whereby lost adhesion of the adhesive layer 16 is regenerated by washing the face covering 10 in a conventional manner.

The silicone gel 18 is preferably a polydimethylsiloxane such as the gel known as Ft-IV 2K GEL TP 3841TM or "SILOPREN" gel TP 3904, as sold by GE Bayer Silicones GmbH & Co. KG. This gel is supplied in two parts which require mixing prior to use. In its mixed state this gel has a low viscosity of about 7500 MPas. This silicone gel exhibits an appropriate degree of stickiness that allows the adhesive layer to be easily peeled off the face without being too adhesive or not adhesive enough. It also does not leave any residue behind on the skin.

The thickness of the silicone gel 18 is preferably chosen to provide a desired degree of adhesion to the skin of a wearer. Generally, the adhesive power is a function of thickness, viz, the thicker the layer of silicone gel 18, the greater the adhesive power.

Typically, the thickness of the silicone gel 18 is chosen to be in the range of 0.01 to 0.5 mm, more preferably 0.2 to 0.4 mm, more preferably 0.3 to 0.33 mm.

The adhering portion 14 is folded, thus creating a fold 20. As shown more clearly in Figure 3, the fold 20 creates first and second folded portions 22a, 22b that extend either side of the fold 20. The first and second folded portions 22a, 22b each have inner surfaces 24a, 24b which face one another and outer surfaces 26a, 26b on opposing sides.

The first folded portion 22a is attached to the covering portion 12. In this embodiment, the first folded portion 22a is sandwiched between two layers 12a, 12b of the covering portion 12 and is attached along its entire length L by stitching. In other embodiments, the first folded portion 22a may be attached to the covering portion 12 by any suitable means.

The second folded portion 22b includes the adhesive layer 16 (i.e. the silicone gel 18) on its outer surface 26b (i.e. the surface which will contact the wearer's face when In this embodiment, the first and second folded portions 22a, 22b are secured to one another at three discrete securing points 28 along the length L of the adhering portion 14 (as more clearly seen in Figures 1 and 2); one securing point 28 at either end of the adhering portion 14 and one in the middle of the length L of the adhering portion 14. The securing points 28 are formed by stitching.

The securing points 28 attach the first and second folded portions 22a, 22b to one another at a point along the width W of the adhering portion 14, such that a secondary fold 30 along the length of the first folded portion 22a is created. In this way, the first folded portion 22a is folded along its length to create a secondary folded portion 32, and then secured (e.g. stitched at securing points 28) to the second folded portion 22b at a point through the secondary folded portion 32.

This means that what was the inner surface 24a of the first folded portion 22a becomes an outer surface 32a of the secondary folded portion 32 as the fabric is folded at the secondary fold 30.

The securing points 28 may also attach the first and second folded portions 22a, 22b to the covering portion 12.

In other embodiments, the first and second folded portions may be secured by fewer or more discrete securing points and/or the securing points may be formed by any suitable means, e.g. a glue. Moreover, the first folded portion may not include a secondary fold.

The securing points 28 also create loose portions 33 of fabric in the second folded portion 22b between the securing points 28, as shown in Figure 1. Thus, slack is created in the adhering portion 14 (i.e. in the second folded portion 22b of the adhering portion 14) when the face covering 10 is in a relaxed (i.e. non-stretched) state. In this embodiment, the length of the adhering portion 14 is longer than the length of the covering portion 12 if the two fabric portions were to be laid out next to one another. Thus, the second folded portion 22b of the adhering portion 14 can be secured at the discrete securing points 28 to allow the additional fabric to create the loose portions 33 in fabric.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, the second folded portion 22b of the adhering portion 14 extends beyond the covering portion 12 along the edge of the covering portion 12 which would be positioned over the nose and cheeks of the wearer (i.e. the nose end 35 of the face covering). Thus, a single ply of fabric with the adhesive layer 16 present thereon will extend further up the nose of the wearer than the edge of the covering portion 12. In use, this provides the wearer with an extra bit of fabric to "pat down" to apply pressure onto the silicone gel 18 to get it to adhere to the skin.

The covering portion 12 includes a pleat 34 extending substantially perpendicularly to the length L of the adhering portion 14. In this way, the pleat 34 is considered a vertical pleat since it would extend vertically relative to the wearer's face when the face covering 10 is worn (i.e. from the nose to the chin).

The vertical pleat 34 forms a bulge 36 (see Figures 1 and 3) in the face covering 10, which creates a space under the covering portion 12. This provides a gap between the wearer's mouth and the covering portion 12 when the face covering 10 is worn, which prevents the fabric from coming into contact with the wearer's mouth, thus making it easier to breathe.

The covering portion 12 may include further pleats or darts formed therein to create a desired shape of the covering portion 12 to help with comfort of the face covering 10 when worn. Moreover, the pleats or darts may extend substantially parallel to the length L of the adhering portion 14 such that they would be considered horizontal pleats/darts.

The pleats or darts may be formed by pinching the fabric and stitching the pinched fabric in the desired direction or may instead be formed by stitching two pieces of fabric 15 together.

A face covering 100 according to a second embodiment of the invention is shown in Figures 4 to 7. The face covering 100 of the second embodiment includes similar features to the face covering 10 of the first embodiment and like features share the same reference numerals.

The face covering 100 of the second embodiment additionally includes an anchor portion 102, as shown in Figure 5, which is configured to extend under the wearer's chin when worn (as shown more clearly in Figure 7). The anchor portion 102 is also narrower in width to the remainder of the covering portion 12. In particular, as can be seen in Figure 5, the covering portion 12 tapers from the nose end 35 to the anchor portion 102. The taper is created by the shape of the covering portion 12 fabric.

The taper is further enhanced by the presence of two vertical chin pleats 104a, 104b which are spaced from one another and extend parallel to one another at the anchor portion 102. In this embodiment, the pleats 104a, 104b extend from the edge of the anchor portion 102 (i.e. the outer edge of the covering portion 12) towards the nose end 35 of the face covering 100.

As shown in Figure 6, the pleats 104a, 104b are secured to one another on the underside of the face covering 100 at a pleat joining point 107 which is positioned towards the distal edge of the covering portion 12. This pulls in the fabric in even more to enhance the narrow shape of the anchor portion 102.

Moreover, the joined pleat fabric at the joining point 107 creates a vent gap 109 between the joining point 107 and the edge of the covering portion 12. In some embodiments, a filter material could be included in the vent gap 109.

As with the first embodiment of the invention, the face covering 100 includes a vertical pleat 34 which extends from the nose end 35 of the face covering 100. The end 106 of this vertical pleat 34 (referred to in this embodiment as the nose pleat 34) and the ends 108a, 108b of the chin pleats 104a, 104b create a bulge 110 therebetween in the covering portion 12. This time, the bulge is structured by three pleats 34, 104a, 104b which create a triangular shape (see Figures 4 and 5) by their end points 106, 108a, 108b. Thus, the bulge 110 extends in both the vertical and horizontal directions (i.e. down the wearer's nose and across the mouth).

The face covering 100 of the second embodiment additionally includes two elastic ear fasteners 112. In other embodiments, the fasteners may take any suitable form, such as a head fastener which extends all the way around the wearer's head.

The fasteners 112 are secured to the covering portion 12. Moreover, the fasteners 112 are secured (i.e. stitched, in this embodiment) to the covering portion 12 so that they are angled downwards away from the nose end 35 of the face covering 100 (i.e. towards the chin of the wearer).

In this embodiment, the fasteners 112 are each secured to the covering portion 12 at either end 114 so as to form respective loops 116 for attaching around the ear.

Moreover, as shown in Figures, a longer portion 118 of the fastener 112 is secured to the covering portion 12 at one end 114 of the fastener 112 than the other end of the fastener 112. The longer portion 118 of fastener 112 is secured at two discrete securing points 119a, 119b to the covering portion 12.

Furthermore, the face covering 100 of the second embodiment includes a stabilising fabric portion 120, as shown more clearly in Figure 6. In this embodiment, the stabilising fabric portion 120 is secured between the first and second fold portions 22a, 22b of the adhering portion 14. It is in the form of a stabilising (or stay or hem) tape and is stitched along the length of the fold 20 of the adhering portion 14.

In other embodiments, the stabilising fabric portion 120 may take any other suitable form, for example it may be in the form of stay stitching. Moreover, the stabilising fabric may instead (or in addition) be positioned at or along the join between the adhering portion 14 and the covering portion 12.

The first folded portion 22a is secured over the covering portion 12 to create a neat hem 122 along the join between the covering portion 12 and the adhering portion 14 (See Figure 4). Moreover, the second folded portion 22b extends beyond the edge of the covering portion 12 (as in the first embodiment) but in a curved manner, as shown in Figure 4.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A face covering for covering a wearer's nose and mouth, the face covering comprising a fabric substrate, the fabric substrate including: a covering portion for covering the wearer's nose and mouth when worn, and an adhering portion configured to be positioned over at least the bridge of a wearer's nose when worn, the adhering portion including an adhesive layer on at least a portion of the fabric substrate, the adhesive layer being formed by a cured adhesive silicone gel, wherein the adhering portion is secured to the covering portion to create slack in the adhering portion relative to the covering portion when the face covering is in a relaxed state.
2. A face covering according to Claim 1 wherein the adhering portion is secured to the covering portion at discrete securing points along the length of the adhering portion to create loose portions of fabric in between the securing points.
3. A face covering according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 further including a stabilising fabric portion positioned between the adhesive layer of the adhering portion and the covering portion.
4. A face covering according to any preceding claim wherein the adhering portion extends beyond the covering portion along at least a portion of the edge of the covering portion which is presented across the wearer's nose in use.
5. A face covering according to any preceding claim wherein the covering portion includes a pleat created in the fabric substrate of the covering portion, the pleat extending substantially perpendicular to the edge of the covering portion which is presented across the wearer's nose in use.
6. A face covering according to any preceding claim wherein the covering portion includes an anchor portion configured to extend under the wearer's chin when worn, the anchor portion being narrower in width to the remainder of the covering portion.
7. A face covering according to Claim 6 wherein the anchor portion includes a pleat created in the fabric substrate of the covering portion.
8. A face covering according to Claim 7 when dependent on Claim 5, wherein the pleats are positioned relative to one another to create a bulge in the covering portion between the ends of the pleats.
9. A face covering according to any preceding claim further including a fastener configured to fasten at least partially around the wearer's head, the fastener being secured to the fabric substrate at an angle directed towards the end of the fabric substrate which is presented to the wearer's chin when worn.
10. A face covering according to Claim 9, wherein the fastener is secured to the covering portion.
11. A face covering according to any preceding claim wherein the adhering portion is folded to form first and second folded portions extending either side of the fold, the first and second folded portions being secured to one another, and the first folded portion being secured to the covering portion, wherein the second folded portion incudes the adhesive layer.
12. A face covering according to Claim 11 when dependent on Claim 3, wherein the stabilising fabric portion is positioned between the first and second folded portions.
13. A face covering according to any preceding claim wherein the adhesive layer extends along the length of the adhering portion in a continuous manner.
14. A face covering according to any preceding claim wherein the adhering portion has first and second faces and the adhesive layer is on one face only.
15. A face covering according to any preceding claim wherein the adhesive silicone gel is a polydimethylsiloxane.