Patent Application
20100212058
1. Field of the Invention
Devices and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to tilt control mechanisms for protective helmets, including welding helmets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Welders often wear welding helmets with a protective darkened window to prevent injury to the welder's face and eyes during the welding operation. Such welding helmets often have tilt mechanisms that allow the welder to tilt the protective shell portion of the welding helmet between an up position, i.e., to place the protective shell portion so that it is no longer in front of the welder's face, allowing the welder a relatively unobstructed view of a workpiece, and a down position, i.e., the protective position.
Conventional welding helmets have a problem in that conventional tilt mechanisms do not allow the welder to adjust the position of the protective shell portion of the welding helmet when tilted, i.e., the protective shell's degree of rotation, and do not sufficiently secure the shell portion when in the up position, allowing the protective shell portion to return to a down position unexpectedly. Such unexpected movement is aggravated over time as the welder tilts the welding helmet between an up position and down position with high frequency, causing wear on the components used in conventional tilt mechanisms. Thus, there is a need in the art for a welding helmet having an improved tilting mechanism.
The presently disclosed invention includes a protective helmet comprising a protective shell, and a headgear mounted to the protective shell, wherein the headgear includes a tilt mechanism, the tilt mechanism comprising a tilt arm having a spring secured to the tilt arm, the spring having a free portion disposed between a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and second portion being secured to the tilt arm and the free portion being free from the tilt arm.
The invention also comprises a tilt mechanism for use in protective helmets, the protective helmet having a protective shell and a headgear mounted to the protective shell with the tilt mechanism mounted to the headgear, the tilt mechanism comprising a tilt arm; and a spring secured to the tilt arm, wherein the spring has free portion disposed between a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and second portion being secured to the tilt arm and the free portion being free from the tilt arm.
The above and/or other aspects of the invention will be more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described below by reference to the attached figures. The described exemplary embodiments are intended to assist the understanding of the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
Although this invention is described with respect to welding helmets, the scope of the invention is not limited to welding helmets. The invention described herein can be applied to any type of protective helmet.
As can be seen in
As shown in
Spring 132 has a free portion 132a. Free portion 132a is not secured to tilt arm 133 and is able to deflect. Both end 132b and 132c of spring 132 are secured to tilt arm 133. The securing of end 132c to tilt arm 133 has not previously been performed in the prior art.
The spring 132 and ends 132b and 132c can be secured to the arm 133 by any known means. For example, the spring 132 can be molded into the arm 133. Alternatively, the spring 132 can be secured via an adhesive or mechanical means, or can be integrally formed with the arm 133.
In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, spring 132 can be made from metal or hard plastic materials.
Further, it is noted that the present invention is not intended to be limited to the configuration and appearance shown in the figures. The figures are merely intended to be exemplary. For example, in the embodiment shown, the spring 132 curves around the bottom of the arm 133 as shown, and arm 133 has an open portion positioned adjacent to the free portion 132a. However, the present invention is not so limited.
In an exemplary embodiment, spring 132 includes a detent 132d. Detent 132d is designed to cooperatively engage a protrusion on headgear 15. The protrusion is located on headgear 15 such that the protrusion engages detent 132d when welding helmet 10 is rotated to the up position. When the helmet 10 moves from a down position to an up position, the protrusion first encounters spring 13 near end 132c. Because spring 13 is fixed at both ends 132b and end 132c, the protrusion is firmly held in detent. The fixing of both end 132b and end 132c allows the welding helmet 10 to remain in the up position until a welder desires the welding helmet 10 to be placed in a down position. A welder can easily move the helmet 10 from an up position to a down position. During this operation, the force of the welder urging welding helmet 10 into a down position moves protrusion out of detent, allowing the helmet 10 to rotate into the down position. Because end 132c is fixed to tilt member 13, the tilt mechanism 13 maintains its ability to hold helmet 10 in an up position even after prolonged use. Further, additional force is required to move the helmet 10 over prior known systems thus aiding in the prevention of inadvertent moving of the helmet 10.
Tilt arm 133 can also include a tilt angle adjustment member 14. Tilt angle adjustment member 14 is configured to engage one or more tilt angle adjustment slots 135 located on the protective portion 11. A welder can move the tilt angle adjustment member 14 into any of the tilt angle adjustment slots 135, thereby changing the viewing angle and the helmet 10 down stop, i.e., the position of the helmet 10 in the down position.
Implementing various embodiments of the welding helmet 10 and its tilt mechanism 13 are well within the capabilities of those of ordinary skill in the art.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the invention is not limited to these embodiments. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
