Patent Application
20180042327
This invention relates generally to fluid dispersing apparel and, more particularly, to a hard hat that has an integrated, self contained misting system.
The use and design of conventional hard hats used for protection of the head in workplace environments such as industrial or construction sites is well known. Hard hats generally aim to provide protection to a wearer from falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, rain, and electric shock and are often required by law or regulation for workers on such sites. A problem which still exists, however, arises from the use of hard hat in hot and/or humid weather because the wearing hat may make it more difficult for the user to maintain a comfortable and/or safe body temperature. Existing structural solutions to this problem, typically involving the use of integrated fans, generally only move around hot ambient air and thus may not make a substantial difference to a user. Thus, there remains a need for a hard hat having an integral misting system which would operate to cool a wearer by spraying mist on the wearer. It would be helpful if such a hard hat having an integral misting system included a reservoir allow for the storage of liquid to be misted. It would be additionally desirable for such a hard hat having a distribution system which included a pump and conduit network operative to deliver liquid in the reservoir to misting ducts.
The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a hard hat having an integral misting system adapted to allow a user to direct a liquid spray onto their neck and upper back area from the user's hard hat. The primary components in Applicant's hard hat having an integral misting system are a hat base, a reservoir, a distribution system and a misting component. When in operation, the hard hat having an integral misting system enables more effective maintenance of a safe body temperature. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by prior art structures are removed.
A hard hat having an integral misting system for directing a liquid from a stored reservoir onto a user's neck and upper back area as a cooling mist. The misting hard hat comprises a hat base having a rigid shell and suspension system, a fluid reservoir attached to the interior of the rigid shell, a misting component for dispersing liquid as a mist, and a distribution system for delivering liquid from the from the reservoir to the misting component under pressure. In one embodiment, the misting component defines a clip on housing that includes a swivel misting nozzle operative to direct mist over a range of directions, thereby provided a large coverage area for mist.
In one embodiment, the hat base may include a plurality of vents for providing ventilation to the reservoir.
It is an object of this invention to provide a hard hat having an integral misting system which operates to cool a wearer by spraying mist on the wearer.
It is another object of this invention to provide a hard hat having an integral misting system which includes a reservoir allow for the storage of liquid to be misted.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a hard hat having a distribution system which includes a pump and conduit network operative to deliver liquid in the reservoir to a misting duct.
These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art.
Referring now to the drawings and in particular
Disposed in the hat base 101 is a reservoir 110 which can be filled with water (or other liquid) for use by the distribution system and misting component 120. In the illustrated embodiment, the reservoir 110 is positioned inside the hat base 101 against the top of the interior surface of the shell 102. It is contemplated that by positioning the reservoir 110 in this position, it may be held against the shell 102 above where the vents 103 are positioned at the top of the shell 102 and above the suspension bands 104 so that the reservoir is held in a gap space and does not contact a user's head when the misting hard hat 100 is being worn. The vents 103 are positioned lower than the reservoir 110 so that most of the heat from the user's head may be ventilated out of the hat base 101.
The reservoir 110 includes a selectively sealable access sport 115 to allow fluid to be introduced and the sealed therein.
In the preferred embodiment, the reservoir 110 is attached to the hat base 101 though an adhesive or other permanent fastener. In other embodiments, the reservoir 110 may be removably attached through surface fastener, such as a fabric hook and loop fastener.
Also disposed in the hat base 101 is a distribution system which operates to transport water from the reservoir 110 and deliver it to the misting component 120. In one embodiment, the distribution system includes an electric pump 111 which is connected to the reservoir 110, a flexible conduit 112 which is connected to the pump 111 and the misting component 120 and which operates to deliver water pumped from the pump 111 to the misting component 120, an onboard, rechargeable power source 113 which supplies electricity to the pump 111, and a hose clamp 114 which removably connects the conduit 112 to the pump 111.
In one embodiment, the power source 113 defines a battery, such as a lithium ion battery. In one embodiment, the hat base 101 includes a solar panel that is connected to the power source 113 and which generates and supplies electricity to the power source 113.
In one embodiment, the misting component 120 defines a clip on housing 121 that includes a swivel misting nozzle 122, such as the Nozzle Swivel by MISTCOOLING, Inc., which operates to project fluid supplied thereto as a mist. In one embodiment, the housing 121 includes an attached clip 123 to allow it to removably attach to the hat base 101. In other embodiments, the clip may define a discrete body which selectively attaches to both the housing 121 and the hat base 101.
The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
