| CPC A62B 18/02 (2013.01) [A62B 18/006 (2013.01); A62B 18/10 (2013.01); F04D 27/004 (2013.01); G05D 7/0676 (2013.01); A62B 7/02 (2013.01); A62B 7/10 (2013.01); A62B 9/006 (2013.01); F05D 2270/335 (2013.01)] | 19 Claims |

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1. A powered air purifying respirator (PAPR), comprising:
a control module including a power source;
an ambient gas module including a first housing and a first inlet configured to receive an ambient gas;
a gas filter in fluid communication with the first inlet and configured to filter the ambient gas;
a blower configured to boost at least one of a flow rate or a pressure of the ambient gas entering and/or exiting the gas filter;
a non-ambient gas module including a second housing and a second inlet that is independent from the first inlet and configured to receive a non-ambient gas;
a first outlet configured to selectively provide a breathing gas to a user from at least one of the ambient gas or the non-ambient gas; and
a switching device configured to select between the first inlet and the second inlet as a source of the breathing gas,
wherein the gas filter, the ambient gas module, the non-ambient gas module, and the control module are configured to be joined together in an integral unit, and
wherein the respirator is modular and configured to be operable in a plurality of different assemblies including a combination ambient and non-ambient gas assembly in which the non-ambient gas module is mounted between the control module and the ambient gas module with the non-ambient gas module configured to selectively provide fluid communication between the control module and the ambient gas module, and an ambient gas-only assembly in which the non-ambient gas module is entirely removed from the integral unit and the ambient gas module is attached directly to the control module in place of the non-ambient gas module.
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