Claims
- 1. A system for removably securing a face shield to a helmet, the system comprising:a base plate mounted on said helmet, said base plate having a ratchet teeth-engaging tooth and a secondary tooth engagement member; a locking ring mounted on the base plate, said locking ring having a locking handle and a locking protrusion; a shield retention member having a shield retention slot and at least one shield retention tab, said shield retention member being rotatably mounted on said helmet; a shield having a winged circular protrusion and an armed engagement member extending from said circular protrusion, and a ratchet teeth member having ratchet teeth; wherein said shield is mounted onto said helmet such that said winged circular protrusion is inserted in said shield retention slot and is retained in said shield retention slot by said shield retention tab, and said ratchet teeth are engaged with said ratchet teeth engaging indentation; and said system has a locked configuration in which said locking handle has been rotated into a locked position and in which said locking protrusion is engaged with said armed engagement member of said shield, and an unlocked configuration in which said locking handle has been rotated into an unlocked position and in which said locking protrusion is disengaged from said armed engagement member.
- 2. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 1 further comprising a bias spring engaged with said locking handle.
- 3. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 1 wherein said ratchet teeth and winged circular protrusion are integrally molded with said shield.
- 4. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 1, wherein the shield retention slot is defined by resilient walls.
- 5. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 1, wherein said face shield has a handle protrusion, said handle protrusion engaging said locking handle, said protrusion moving said locking handle as said shield is raised and lowered on said helmet.
- 6. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 5, wherein said handle protrusion on said shield comprises said ratchet teeth member.
- 7. A system for removably securing a face shield to a helmet, the system comprising:a shield retention unit mounted on said helmet, said unit having at least one tooth extending therefrom, a locking ring having a locking handle and a locking protrusion, and a shield retention slot; a shield having a shield protrusion, an armed engagement member on said shield protrusion and ratchet teeth; wherein said shield is mounted onto said helmet such that said shield protrusion is inserted in said shield retention slot, and said ratchet teeth are engaged with said at least one tooth; said mounting system has a locked configuration in which said locking handle has been rotated into a locked position and in which said locking protrusion is engaged with said armed engagement member of said shield, and an unlocked configuration in which said locking handle has been rotated into an unlocked position and in which said locking protrusion is disengaged from said armed engagement member; and the shield retention slot is defined by resilient walls, said slot comprising at least one retention protrusion.
- 8. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 7 further comprising a bias spring engaged with said locking handle.
- 9. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 7 wherein said ratchet teeth are integrally molded with said shield.
- 10. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 7, wherein said face shield has a handle protrusion, said handle protrusion engaging said locking handle, said protrusion moving said locking handle as said shield is raised and lowered on said helmet.
- 11. A face shield securing system as defined in claim 10, wherein said handle protrusion on said shield comprises said ratchet teeth.
- 12. A system for connecting a face shield to a helmet, the system comprising:a helmet having a front opening; a face shield that is adapted to be mounted to the helmet such that the face shield is adapted to be opened and closed about the front opening; said helmet having a left side surface on one side of the front opening and a right side surface on the other side of the front opening, both side surfaces of said helmet body being provided with a fixation mechanism that includes a rotation member, a first resilient plate, and a second resilient plate; said second resilient plate being installed under said first resilient plate; said fixation mechanism having a protrusion and a guide for guiding rotation of said rotation member; said second resilient plate having at an adjacent portion thereof an aperture; wherein an insertion guide portion to be corresponded to said aperture is formed in a front portion of said aperture, said first resilient plate has at a rear portion thereof a protrusion, said shield to be coupled with said fixation mechanism has, for assembly with said helmet body, at both inner end surfaces thereof a connection member to be inserted to said rotation member, and a protruded guide, and a rack-shaped control member, wherein said protruded guide and rack-shaped control member control a degree of rotation of said shield by said first and second resilient plates.
- 13. A system for connecting a face shield to a helmet according to claim 12, wherein said rotation member of said fixation mechanism has a locker which is installed to be rotatable along an outer periphery of said guide and has a handle, and a spring is arranged between an indentation of said locker and said insertion guide portion so that said locker has a resilience.
- 14. A system for connecting a face shield to a helmet according to claim 12, wherein said control member and said fixation member has a shield minimum opening control protrusion and corresponding said second resilient plate.
- 15. A shield connector system for connecting a face shield to a helmet, in which said face shield is installed to open and close a front opening of a helmet body as said shield moves up and down, said helmet having a helmet body with two side surfaces, both side surfaces of said helmet body being provided with a fixation mechanism including a rotation member, a first resilient plate having indentations and a second resilient plate which is installed under said first resilient plate, said fixation mechanism having a protrusion and a guide for guiding rotation of said rotation member, said rotation member having at an adjacent portion thereof an aperture, an insertion guide portion to be corresponded to said aperture is formed in a front portion of said aperture, said insertion guide portion having at a middle portion thereof a catching plate, said shield to be coupled with said fixation mechanism having, for assembly with said helmet body, at both inner end surfaces thereof a connection member to be inserted to said rotation member, and a protruded guide, and a rack-shaped control member, said protruded guide and rack-shaped member for controlling a degree of rotation of said shield by said first and second resilient plates, and a minimum opening control protrusion.
- 16. A shield connector system according to claim 15, wherein said rotation member of said fixation mechanism has a locker which is installed to be rotatable along outer periphery of said guide and has a long handle for an automated locking according to a rotation of said control member, and said locker has at a front portion thereof a protrusion corresponding to said catching plate so as to control a locking or a release position.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/255,105 and 08/929,386, which were filed Feb. 22, 1999 and Sep. 15, 1997, respectively, and which are both incorporated by reference herein and are now both abandoned. This application also claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 22098, which was filed on Nov. 13, 1998.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/255105 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Child |
09/439680 |
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US |
Parent |
08/929386 |
Sep 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/255105 |
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US |