Claims
- 1. Helmet visor support apparatus, comprising:
- a visor support arm having an attachment end and a visor-holding end, pivotally attached at the attachment end to a helmet at a pivot point, for moving the visor between a raised and a lowered position;
- a positioning means attached to the helmet at the pivot point, said positioning means having at least two bores corresponding to the raised and lowered visor positions;
- a locking pin for retractably engaging either one of the bores in said positioning means, and operatively connected to lock said visor support arm in position when so engaged;
- a biasing means operatively connected to said visor support arm to normally bias the locking pin in engagement with one of the bores; and
- a manually activatable retracting means attached to said locking pin and operatively connected to release said biasing means and retract said locking pin from the one of the bores upon being manually activated thereby allowing said visor support arm to pivot, said retracting means comprising a handle mounted on said visor support arm between the two ends thereof and positioned to be activated by manual movement away from the attachment end of said visor support arm and towards the visor-holding end thereof, and a lip fixed to the visor-holding end of said visor support arm and positioning oppositely to said handle, to provide an opposing surface for gripping during manual activation.
- 2. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a hollow, generally cylindrical encasement fixed to said visor support arm and sized to closely encase said locking pin therewithin, whereby said locking pin is operatively connected to lock said visor support arm in position when said locking pin is engaged in one of the bores.
- 3. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first and a second hollow, ring-shaped slipper for keeping said locking pin aligned within said encasement, said first slipper slidably positioned around said stem of said locking pin abutting said head of said locking pin, and said second slipper slidably positioned around said stem of said locking pin abutting said inner rim, said first and second slippers having outer diameters greater than or equal to that of said spring and slightly less than that of said cylindrical encasement.
- 4. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, wherein said manually activatable retracting means further comprises a narrow tab extending from said handle and oriented to slidably fit through a slot in said visor support arm, for preventing rotation of said locking pin.
- 5. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a curved spring washer rotatably fixed to the helmet at the pivot point for providing sufficient friction for controllably moving the visor between the raised and lowered positions.
- 6. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mount fixed to the helmet to which said positioning means is rotatably mounted.
- 7. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 6, further comprising means connected to said mount for holding said positioning means at a preselected rotational position.
- 8. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, wherein said positioning means comprises a rigid piece having an arcuate surface into which the bores extend radially towards the pivot point.
- 9. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visor-holding end of said visor support arm has a groove along the edge thereof for receiving the entire side rim of the visor.
- 10. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 9, further comprising means for fixing the visor in the groove at a single location.
- 11. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an outer visor support arm for supporting an outer visor, pivotally mounted to the helmet at the pivot point.
- 12. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 11, wherein said outer visor support arm comprises a ledge for abutting said visor support arm to prevent the further downward rotation of the outer visor.
- 13. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a passive visor support arm pivotally mounted to the helmet on the opposite side thereof as the said visor support arm.
- 14. Helmet visor support apparatus, comprising:
- a visor support arm having an attachment end and a visor-holding end, pivotally attached at the attachment end to the helmet at a pivot point, for moving the visor between a raised and a lowered position;
- a positioning means rotatably attached to the helmet at the pivot point, said positioning means having at least two bores extending thereinto corresponding to the raised and lowered positions;
- a locking pin for retractably engaging either one of the bores in said poisitioning means, said locking pin comprising a head at one end thereof which has a diameter sized to engage the bores, and a stem which has a diameter smaller than that of said head;
- a hollow, generally cylindrical encasement fixed to said visor support arm and sized to closely encase said locking pin therwithin, whereby said locking pin is operatively connected to lock said visor support arm in position when said locking pin is engaged in one of the bores;
- a spring coiled around said stem and having a diameter less than or equal to the diameter of said head;
- an inner rim fixed to one end of said cylindrical encasement to urge said spring against said head of said locking pin, said inner rim being sized to provide a circular hole through which said stem slidably fits;
- a handle attached to said locking pin for retracting said locking pin from the one of the bores, thereby allowing said visor support arm to pivot;
- a narrow tab extending from said handle and oriented to slidably fit through a slot in said visor support arm, for preventing rotation of said locking pin; and
- a curved spring washer rotatably fixed to the helmet at the pivot point for providing sufficient friction for controllably moving the visor between the raised and lowered positions.
- 15. Helmet visor support apparatus, comprising:
- a visor support arm having an attachment end and a visor-holding end, pivotally attached at the attachment end to a helmet at a pivot point, for moving the visor between a raised and a lowered position;
- a positioning means attached to the helmet at the pivot point, said positioning means having at least two bores corresponding to the raised and lowered visor positions;
- a locking pin for retractably engaging either one of the bores in said positioning means, and operatively connected to lock said visor support arm in position when so engaged, said locking pin comprising a head at one end thereof which has a diameter sized to engage the bores, and a stem which has a diameter smaller than that of said head;
- a hollow, generally cylindrical encasement fixed to said visor support arm and sized to closely encase said locking pin therewithin, whereby said locking pin is operatively connected to lock said visor support arm in position when said locking pin is engaged in one of the bores;
- a biasing means operatively connected to said visor support arm to normally bias the locking pin in engagement with one of the bores, said biasing means comprising a spring coiled around said stem of said locking pin and having a diameter less than or equal to the diameter of said head, and an inner rim fixed to one end of said cylindrical encasement to urge said spring against said head of said locking pin; and
- a manually activatable retracting means attached to said locking pin and operatively connected to release said biasing means and retract said locking pin from the one of the bores upon being manually activated thereby allowing said visor support arm to pivot, said retracting means being mounted on said visor support arm between the two ends thereof and positioned to be activated by manual movement away from the attachment end of said visor support arm and towards the visor-holding end thereof.
- 16. The helmet visor support apparatus of claim 15, wherein said inner rim is sized to provide a circular hole having a diameter which is smaller than the diameter of said spring, through which said stem slides when said retracting means is activated.
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
US Referenced Citations (13)