Patent Application
20080109927
This invention pertains to a helmet for a firefighter or for an industrial, chemical, or emergency rescue worker.
Commonly, a helmet for a firefighter or for an industrial, chemical, or emergency rescue worker has a crown and a brim, which projects forwardly from the crown and which may project in other directions from the crown. Commonly, the helmet is equipped with a pair of eye shields, one for each eye of a wearer, and each of the pair of eye shields is adapted to be manually moved between a storage position and a usage position. In the usage position, but not in the storage position, the eye shield projects downwardly so as to shield a given eye of a wearer against sparks, liquids, particles, and other objects striking the front of the eye shield.
An example of an eye shield, as described in the preceding paragraph, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,155 to Lester T. Bourke. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,155, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, each of the pair of eye shields is mounted to a helmet, beneath a brim projecting forwardly from a crown of the helmet, and each of the pair of eye shields is adapted to be manually flipped between the storage and usage positions and is stable in either of the storage and usage positions. Similar eye shields are available commercially from various sources including Morning Pride Manufacturing, L.L.C. of Dayton, Ohio.
This invention provides a helmet for a firefighter or for an industrial, chemical, or emergency rescue worker. The helmet, which has a crown and a brim projecting forwardly from the crown, is equipped with an eye shield, which is mounted to the helmet so as to be manually movable between a storage position and a usage position, and which, so mounted, in the usage position but not in the storage position, projects downwardly so as to shield at least one of the eyes of a wearer.
As provided by this invention, the eye shield is equipped with a face-conformable gasket, which is disposed along an outer edge of the eye shield and which is adapted to conform to the face of a wearer when the eye shield, so mounted, is moved into the usage position.
Preferably, the face-conformable gasket is made from an elastomeric material, such as neoprene, and has a grooved channel, into which the outer edge of the eye shield fits, and a bladder, to which the grooved channel is attached and which is adapted to conform to the face of a wearer when the eye shield, so mounted, is moved into the usage position.
If the helmet is equipped with a pair of eye shields, each of which is mounted to the helmet so as to be manually movable between a storage position and a usage position, and each of which, so mounted, in the usage position but not in the storage position, projects downwardly so as to shield an associated one of the eyes of a wearer, the pair of eye shields is equipped with a pair of face-conformable gaskets, each of which is disposed along an outer edge of an associated one of the pair of eye shields and each of which is adapted to conform to the face of a wearer when the associated one of the pair of eye shields, so mounted, is moved into the usage position.
Preferably, each face-conformable gasket is made from an elastomeric material, such as neoprene, and has a grooved channel, into which the outer edge of the associated one of the pair of eye shields fits, and a bladder, to which the grooved channel is attached and which is adapted to conform to the face of a wearer when the associated one of the pair of eye shields is moved into the usage position.
This invention also provides an eye shield, which is mountable to such a helmet, as described above, and which is equipped with a face-conformable gasket, as described above. The eye shield may be one of a pair of eye shields, each of which is mountable to such a helmet, as described above, and each of which is equipped with a face-conformable gasket, as described above.
Herein, directional terms, such as front and underside and such as forwardly and downwardly, are referenced to the vantage of a wearer standing erectly and looking forwardly.
As illustrated in
In
As provided by this invention, the helmet 10 is equipped with a pair of face-conformable gaskets 100. Each face-conformable gasket 100 is disposed along an outer edge 50 of an associated one of the pair of eye shields 40. Each face-conformable gasket 100 is adapted to conform to the face of a wearer when the associated one of the pair of eye shields 40 is moved into the usage position.
Each face-conformable gasket 100 is made from an elastomeric material, such as neoprene. Each face-conformable gasket 100 and has a grooved channel 110, into which the outer edge 50 of the associated one of the pair of eye shields 40 fits tightly but, preferably, removably. Alternatively, the outer edge 50 of the associated one of the pair of eye shields 40 may be adhesively and permanently secured in the grooved channel 110.
Each face-conformable gasket 100 has a bladder 120, which is gel-filled, gas-filled, or liquid-filled. The grooved channel 110 of each face-conformable gasket 100 is attached adhesively, via welding, or otherwise to the bladder 120 of said face-conformable gasket 100. The bladder 120 of each face-conformable gasket 100 is adapted to conform to the face of a wearer, between the nose of the wearer and an associated one of the ears of the wearer, when the associated one of the pair of eye shields 40 is moved into the usage position.
When each shield 40 is flipped into the usage position with its outer edge 50 fitted tightly into the channel of the associated one of the face-conformable gaskets 100, each face-conformable gasket 100 shields an associated one of the eyes of the wearer and an adjacent area of the face of the wearer against sparks, liquids, particles, and other objects striking said face-conformable shield 100.
