Patent Grant
11712082
This application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a) of Indian Application No. 202011002505, filed Jan. 20, 2020, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to head protection devices, and more particularly, to ratcheting mechanism for head protection devices.
Head protection devices need to be properly secured in order to function correctly. Applicant has identified several technical challenges associated with ratcheting systems used for safety equipment. Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, many of these identified challenges have been overcome by developing solutions that are included in embodiments of the present disclosure, many examples of which are described in detail herein.
The illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure relate to ratchet mechanisms for head protection devices. In an example embodiment, a ratchet mechanism for a hard hat is provided. The ratchet mechanism includes a knob with a plurality of knob protrusions. The ratchet mechanism also includes a ratchet gear. The ratchet gear includes a plurality of teeth engagement mechanisms. Each teeth engagement mechanism includes a hooking mechanism and a tooth protrusion. Each hooking mechanism is configured to engage with one of the one or more knob protrusions. The ratchet mechanism also includes a band housing configured to allow a band to ratchetably move within the housing. The band housing includes a knob engagement protrusion and a ratchet gear aperture configured with one or more teeth surrounding the ratchet gear aperture. The teeth define a ramped surface. The ratchet gear is disposed on the knob engagement protrusion and the ratchet gear further includes one or more ratchet gear teeth configured to engage with a set of band teeth on the band, such that the rotation of the ratchet gear tightens or loosens the band during operation.
In some embodiments, each tooth protrusion is configured to engage with one of the one or more teeth of the band housing in an instance in which the ratchet gear is rotated in a specific direction, such that the rotation of the ratchet gear is restricted in an instance in which at least one tooth protrusion is engaged. In some embodiments, the ratchet gear is disposed on the knob engagement protrusion and the ratchet gear further includes one or more ratchet gear teeth configured to engage with a set of band teeth on the band, such that the rotation of the ratchet gear tightens or loosens the band during operation. In some embodiments, each of the teeth engagement mechanism defines a knob protrusion travel area defined between the hooking mechanism and a stopping protrusion. In such an embodiment, the knob protrusion is configured to move within the knob protrusion travel during operation of the ratchet mechanism. In some embodiments, the knob protrusion defines a first position within the knob protrusion travel area and a second position within the knob protrusion travel area. In such an embodiment, at the first position the knob protrusion engages with the stopping protrusion, such that the ratchet gear is rotated in a first direction, and at the second position the knob protrusion engages with the hooking protrusion travel area, such that the ratchet gear is rotated in a second direction and one or more tooth protrusions are disengaged from the one or more teeth surrounding the ratchet gear aperture.
In some embodiments, the number of knob protrusions is the same as the number of teeth engagement mechanisms. In some embodiments, the knob includes four knob protrusions spaced equally along the interior of the knob and the ratchet gear includes four teeth engagement mechanisms. In such an embodiment, each teeth engagement mechanism is configured to engage with one of the knob protrusions. In some embodiments, the knob protrusions are equally spaced from one another. In some embodiments, the knob is configured to operably couple with the knob engagement protrusion. In some embodiments, the band housing is configured to receive two ends of the band, such that the ratchet mechanism is configured to retract one or more ends of the band.
In some embodiments, the one or more teeth are configured around the ratchet gear aperture, such that the lower portion of the ramped surface of one tooth abuts a higher portion of the ramped surface of another tooth. In some embodiments, the tooth protrusion of the ratchet gear is configured to disengage with the teeth of the band housing in an instance a sufficient rotational force is provided. In some embodiments, the rotation of the ratchet gear teeth loosen or tighten the band based on the rotational direction of the ratchet gear, wherein the rotation of the ratchet gear teeth in at least one direction is restricted in an instance in which at least one tooth protrusion is engaged with the one or more teeth of the band housing.
In another example embodiment, a method of assembling a ratchet mechanism for a hard hat is provided. The method includes providing a band housing. The band housing is configured to allow a band to ratchetably move within the housing. The band housing includes a knob engagement protrusion and a ratchet gear aperture configured with one or more teeth surrounding the ratchet gear aperture. The teeth define a ramped surface. The method also includes depositing a ratchet gear within the ratchet gear aperture. The ratchet gear includes a plurality of teeth engagement mechanisms. Each teeth engagement mechanism includes a hooking mechanism and a tooth protrusion. Each hooking mechanism is configured to engage with one of one or more knob protrusions of a knob and each tooth protrusion is configured to engage with one of the one or more teeth of the band housing. The method still further includes coupling the knob to the ratchet mechanism. The knob includes a plurality of knob protrusions.
In some embodiments, each tooth protrusion is configured to engage with one of the one or more teeth of the band housing in an instance in which the ratchet gear is rotated in a specific direction, such that the rotation of the ratchet gear is restricted in an instance in which at least one tooth protrusion is engaged. In some embodiments, the ratchet gear is disposed on the knob engagement protrusion and the ratchet gear further includes one or more ratchet gear teeth configured to engage with a set of band teeth on the band, such that the rotation of the ratchet gear tightens or loosens the band during operation. In some embodiments, each of the teeth engagement mechanism defines a knob protrusion travel area defined between the hooking mechanism and a stopping protrusion. In such an embodiment, the knob protrusion is configured to move within the knob protrusion travel during operation of the ratchet mechanism. In some embodiments, the knob protrusion defines a first position within the knob protrusion travel area and a second position within the knob protrusion travel area. In such an embodiment, at the first position the knob protrusion engages with the stopping protrusion, such that the ratchet gear is rotated in a first direction, and at the second position the knob protrusion engages with the hooking protrusion travel area, such that the ratchet gear is rotated in a second direction and one or more tooth protrusions are disengaged from the one or more teeth surrounding the ratchet gear aperture.
In some embodiments, the number of knob protrusions is the same as the number of teeth engagement mechanisms. In some embodiments, the knob includes four knob protrusions spaced equally along the interior of the knob and the ratchet gear includes four teeth engagement mechanisms. In such an embodiment, each teeth engagement mechanism is configured to engage with one of the knob protrusions. In some embodiments, the knob protrusions are equally spaced from one another. In some embodiments, the knob is configured to operably couple with the knob engagement protrusion. In some embodiments, the band housing is configured to receive two ends of the band, such that the ratchet mechanism is configured to retract one or more ends of the band.
In some embodiments, the one or more teeth are configured around the ratchet gear aperture, such that the lower portion of the ramped surface of one tooth abuts a higher portion of the ramped surface of another tooth. In some embodiments, the tooth protrusion of the ratchet gear is configured to disengage with the teeth of the band housing in an instance a sufficient rotational force is provided. In some embodiments, the rotation of the ratchet gear teeth loosen or tighten the band based on the rotational direction of the ratchet gear. In such an embodiment, the rotation of the ratchet gear teeth in at least one direction is restricted in an instance in which at least one tooth protrusion is engaged with the one or more teeth of the band housing.
The above summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure encompasses many potential embodiments in addition to those here summarized, some of which will be further described below.
The description of the illustrative embodiments can be read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements. Embodiments incorporating teachings of the present disclosure are shown and described with respect to the figures presented herein, in which:
Some embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments are shown. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. The terms “or” and “optionally” are used herein in both the alternative and conjunctive sense, unless otherwise indicated. The terms “illustrative” and “exemplary” are used to be examples with no indication of quality level. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
The components illustrated in the figures represent components that may or may not be present in various example embodiments described herein such that embodiments may include fewer or more components than those shown in the figures while not departing from the scope of the disclosure.
Turning now to the drawings, the detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various example configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts with like numerals denoting like components throughout the several views. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art of the present disclosure that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details.
In many example industrial working environments, such as mining, tunneling, quarrying, ship building, construction, pharmaceutical, heavy industry engineering industry, power industry, and forestry, the risk of head injury to workers is constantly present. Often, head injuries are a result of the impact of a falling object or collision with fixed objects at the workplace. Therefore, safety helmets are often required to help ensure the safety of workers in dangerous conditions. However, current safety helmets may not fit the user correctly or consistently, in some examples, especially during emergency incidents, due to various reasons, including improper placement, unbuckling or loose buckling of chin strap, loosened headband and/or the like. Even when installed correctly on a user, current safety helmets often use ineffective ratcheting means that can loosen during operation due to mechanism failure. In some examples, such failures may be based on defects, wear and tare, and/or the like Various embodiments of the present embodiment allow for a user to easily tighten the ratcheting mechanism using a knob, while also resisting loosening during operation using one or more teeth engagement mechanisms of a specially designed ratchet gear.
In various embodiments, the knob 110 is operably coupled with the ratchet gear 140 (shown in
Referring now to
In various embodiments, the ratchet gear 140 may define one or more ratchet gear teeth 700 configured to be received by the band teeth 160 of the head band 150. In various embodiments, the head band 150 may define two ends 150A, 150B, configured to be received between the band housing (e.g., top cover 120 and bottom cover 130). As such, as the ratchet gear teeth 700 of the ratchet gear 140 rotates within the band teeth 160, the two ends 150A, 150B of the head band 150 may be configured to either enlarge or reduce the circumference of the head band 150. For example, in an instance in which the ratchet gear 140 rotates clockwise, the amount of overlap between the two ends 150A, 150B may increase causing the head band circumference to reduce (e.g., head band is tightened), while in an instance in which the ratchet gear 140 rotates counterclockwise, the overlap of the two ends 150A, 150B of the head band 150 may be reduce and therefore the head band circumference may be increased (e.g., head band is loosened).
In various embodiments, the top cover 120 may define a teeth ring 410 configured to engage with one or more tooth protrusions of the ratchet gear, as discussed with reference to
During various embodiments, the knob protrusion (e.g., knob protrusions 200A-200D) may be configured to travel between a first position and a second position along the knob protrusion travel area, such that in the embodiment shown in
In various embodiments, the ratchet mechanism 100 may be configured such that rotation direction of the knob 110 and ratchet gear 140 in which the tooth protrusions 300A-300D engages with the teeth ring 410 (e.g., the counterclockwise direction) may be the rotational direction for loosening the band. In various embodiments, the engagement of the tooth protrusions 300A-300D and the teeth ring 410A-410D may configured to be overcome with sufficient rotational force. For example, a user may be able to rotate the knob 110 in the loosening direction (e.g., counterclockwise) with sufficient force to overcome the engagement force between the tooth protrusions 300A-300D and the teeth ring 410, such that the tooth protrusions 300A-300D may disengage from the teeth ring 410 and rotate to allow the ratchet mechanism to loosen the band.
In various embodiments, the teeth engagement mechanisms 210A-210D may be equally spaced from one another. In various embodiments, the hooking mechanisms 220A-220D may be positioned such that all knob protrusions 200A-200D may engage with the respective hooking mechanism 220A-220D at approximately the same time during counterclockwise rotation. In various embodiments, the knob 110 may also be configured with a knob aperture 800 configured to engage with the knob engagement protrusion 610 of the bottom cover 130 (e.g., via a snap fit). In various embodiments, the knob 110 may be configured for a user to rotate via engagement protrusions 810.
Referring now to Block 910 of
Referring now to Block 920 of
In an example assembly condition, the knob 110 may be configured to have the knob protrusions 220A-200D may be positioned within the knob provision travel. During operation, in an instance the knob 110 is rotated in the clockwise direction, the knob protrusions 220A-220D rotate towards the stopping protrusions 230A-D until each knob protrusion 220A-220D engages each stopping protrusion and the movement of the ratchet gear 140 causes the band to tighten. At which point, one or more tooth protrusions 300A-300C may engage with the teeth ring 410, such that no unintended counterclockwise rotation may occur with a sufficient force, such that the band is not loosened accidentally during operation. As such, in an instance in which the knob 110 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction with sufficient force, each tooth protrusion 300A-300D may disengage with the teeth ring 410 to allow the band to loosen. For example, in an instance a user intends to loosen the band 150, the user may turn the knob 110 in the counterclockwise direction until the knob protrusions 200A-200D engage with the hooking mechanism 220A-220D counteracts the force of the teeth ring 410 on the tooth protrusion 300A-300D, such that the ratchet gear 140 rotates in the counterclockwise direction and the band is loosened.
It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
References within the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “embodiments”, or “one or more embodiments” are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearance of such phrases in various places within the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Further, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments, but not other embodiments.
It should be noted that, when employed in the present disclosure, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” and other derivatives from the root term “comprise” are intended to be open-ended terms that specify the presence of any stated features, elements, integers, steps, or components, and are not intended to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
While it is apparent that the illustrative embodiments herein disclosed fulfill the objectives stated above, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and other embodiments may be devised by one of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, it will be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and embodiments, which come within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202011002505 | Jan 2020 | IN | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5357654 | Hsing-Chi | Oct 1994 | A |
| 6314588 | Fang | Nov 2001 | B1 |
| 6708376 | Landry | Mar 2004 | B1 |
| 6981483 | Keip | Jan 2006 | B1 |
| 7000262 | Bielefeld | Feb 2006 | B2 |
| 7043772 | Bielefeld et al. | May 2006 | B2 |
| 7174575 | Scherer | Feb 2007 | B1 |
| 7707695 | Dubois | May 2010 | B2 |
| 20080109947 | Dubois | May 2008 | A1 |
| 20080295229 | Fang | Dec 2008 | A1 |
| 20090211385 | Fiquepron | Aug 2009 | A1 |
| 20100050325 | Wang-Lee | Mar 2010 | A1 |
| 20100095438 | Moelker | Apr 2010 | A1 |
| 20100170068 | Musal | Jul 2010 | A1 |
| 20100281604 | Grim et al. | Nov 2010 | A1 |
| 20110088148 | Chen | Apr 2011 | A1 |
| 20110289659 | Lanez | Dec 2011 | A1 |
| 20110299366 | Giacobino | Dec 2011 | A1 |
| 20130014359 | Chen | Jan 2013 | A1 |
| 20150059064 | Klotz et al. | Mar 2015 | A1 |
| 20150059065 | Klotz | Mar 2015 | A1 |
| 20150107006 | Chen | Apr 2015 | A1 |
| 20190029885 | Seo | Jan 2019 | A1 |
| 20200213708 | Wang | Jul 2020 | A1 |
| 20210219647 | Gangadhar | Jul 2021 | A1 |
| Entry |
|---|
| First Examination Report issued in Indian Application No. 202011002505 dated Nov. 11, 2021, 5 pages. |
| Notice of Amendment issued in Chinese Application No. 202110078274.2 dated Mar. 17, 2021, 1 page. |
| Extended European Search Report issued in European Application No. 21152200.8 dated Jun. 14, 2021, 7 pages. |
| EP Office Action dated May 11, 2023 for EP Application No. 21152200, 4 page(s). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210219647 A1 | Jul 2021 | US |
