Patent Application
20230172302
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may show and/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.
This invention relates to outdoor racing activities and more particularly to a universal pumper skirt for full-face helmets.
Recreational outdoor racing, four-wheel drive rock climbing, overlanding, mountain biking, dirt bike riding, UTVing and other activities have become quite popular. As more people become accustomed to indoor life as a primary mode of living, with air conditioning and long, dull commutes to all-day desk jobs common, these outdoor activities have become increasingly popular pastimes for many. Most of these activities involve the use of helmets because there is a risk of accident, the vehicle or bicycle flipping over or onto a driver or rider, or other risk of head injury.
As these activities have progressed, particularly group activities such as UTVs, radios have been integrated into these helmets. These radios are used for safety, for example, in communications with other drivers and with a base camp in often harsh environments where these events or activities take place and in cases of accidents can save lives. However, these radios are used for fun as well to enable individuals involved in these activities to speak to one another as they ride or drive about. For example, families participate in these activities in groups, either in the same vehicle or in multiple vehicles.
Many of these motorsports involve loud engines operating at high revolutions per minute for long periods of time, but the participants would still like to communicate with one another during the activities. A large portion of the point of such activities is to engage in fun with one's friends. However, because of safety, the loud engine and other noises, the often hot environments in which these activities take place, and the prevalence of dust and debris in the air as a result of these activities; drivers and riders have increasingly employed helmet skirts that utilize a continuous flow of air into a helmet so as to generate a positive air flow outward from the helmet and skirt.
The result is to increase airflow, ventilation, and often even air conditioning into the hot environment and usually closed helmet of a driver or rider. As a significant added bonus, dirt and debris are unable to reach the eyes, nose, mouth and hair of users of such systems. In the past, individuals riding with merely goggles or otherwise open-faced, would move about in dusty environments and end a day of riding with dust in every facial orifice. Over months or years of these activities, harmful dust can lodge in lungs or eyes or nostrils causing breathing and ocular issues. Modern drivers and riders prefer these systems to avoid the nuisance of short-term exposure and the detrimental health effects of long-term exposure to these dusty environments.
There are a few popular systems for helmet-fixed pumper skirts, as they are called. These systems in the past have required a purpose-built helmet with an associated port for the air input. The air is generated by a pump, almost always filtered, and may include an associated air conditioning compressor (either internally, or engine-mounted). One popular system is a MAC Air system by Rugged Radios. Other systems or parts of systems exist, including interlock systems for easy and safe connection and disconnection like those manufactured by Maglock. All of these systems require special-purpose full-face helmets, or modification of other's helmets, to include a port (e.g. a mounting input hole) for the air pump to connect.
These helmets or the modification systems are costly. The end result is basically a custom helmet. And, many individuals who might use such a helmet while racing or driving in an extremely dusty environment may already have several helmets (e.g. motorcycle helmets), but none are specially-made for this air input port. The net result is that a rider must purchase or modify his or her helmet for these purposes and thereby essentially ruin it for other purposes. So, for example, it would be unusual for a motorcycle rider on the streets to utilize a helmet with an air input port for UTVing as their primary street riding helmet. In addition, the additional port may undermine the overall integrity of the helmet for street accident purposes. In addition, because these ports are custom and serve only this purpose, the purpose-built helmets and accessories can be expensive. This is particularly the case because most of these helmets have integrated radios, both for actual radio broadcasts or audio and for radio communications.
All of these helmets with the ports typically employ a skirt around their base. The skirt fits over most clothing, and under any pads worn by a rider, to further keep dust from rising up from below a helmet into the face of a driver or rider. These skirts are in the form of a neck coif similar to those used by alpine skiers to keep their necks from becoming cold. The skirts provide a loose “seal” around the base of the helmet to ensure no dust enters the helmet. The skirts are usually permanently fixed to the helmet in some form or removable fixed so that they may be washed.
For example, a helmet may have an air input port integrated near the wearer's mouth that is permanently built into the helmet. Such a design is comfortable for this purpose, but the unattached hole is bothersome for use of the helmet for any other purpose. As another example, a helmet may be modified with an aftermarket air input port on its top. Again, the helmet was functional prior to this modification for purposes other than dirt riding, but now includes an otherwise unnecessary top hole were this helmet used for any other purpose.
Throughout this description, elements appearing in figures are assigned three-digit reference designators, where the most significant digit is the figure number and the two least significant digits are specific to the element. An element that is not described in conjunction with a figure may be presumed to have the same characteristics and function as a previously-described element having a reference designator with the same least significant digits.
Description of Apparatus
In response to the costs, custom helmets with electronics, and other factors, the inventors have created a universal helmet pumper skirt for use with virtually any helmet. The universal skirt moves the air input port from the helmet to the skirt itself. This ensures that any helmet may be used with the skirt. Cloth skirts are substantially less-expensive to manufacture while including the input air input port and, in general, can be virtually universal in size. Helmets come in sizes and must be fit to a user. Although some skirts may be cloth, virtually any semi-air-permeable or non-air-permeable material may be used for the skirt.
The custom skirt can accept the air through an air input port in the skirt itself. The input port itself may preferably be mounted near the base of the helmet (top of the skirt) or near the middle. In this way, the air is provided to the helmet and skirt. The same positive air pressure is introduced to the full-face helmet at the neck, rather than the head itself. Dust is still pushed outward from the helmet, air-conditioning still cools the user's head. Most importantly, the skirt may be moved from helmet to helmet, and will be usable with any helmet virtually without modification.
In some cases, the skirt may incorporate a system for ensuring that it stays in place, relative to the helmets. For example, a Velcro® edging may be used along the base of the helmet to which a counter-part Velcro® is employed along the top of the skirt. In other cases, snaps, clips, zippers, elastic, zip-ties, or other systems may be used. The counterpart portion that affixes to the helmet may use adhesive (permanent or removable) to attach the counterpart (e.g. one side of the Velcro®) to the helmet. Or, helmets may be designed in such a way so as to accept a universal attachment system (e.g. with a lip, or built-in snaps or Velcro®). In other cases, the skirt may be integrated into a helmet replacement liner such that the skirt hangs down into position. The helmet replacement liner and skirt may be removed from a helmet and re-attached to a helmet in the same manner helmet replacement liners are.
With a universal skirt, riders may purchase new helmets, or have a broader selection of potential helmets, none of which includes an air input port, while still having the benefits of the pumper helmet's dust avoidance and air conditioning. Furthermore, drivers and riders may upgrade helmets at lower cost, and more often, if there is any desire to do so. Likewise, the universal pumper skirt remains easily removable, washable, and may be reaffixed to any helmet (or to another helmet) as desired by a driver or rider.
Referring now to
The relative position of various parts of the pumper skirt 100 will be described based upon this view. For example, terms such as top, bottom, left and right are used. Thus, some descriptive terms are used in relative terms and not absolute terms.
Within this description, the term “coif” means a covering that encircles the neck of a wearer. The term “input port” means a connection fitting suitable for connecting a hose 204 (see
The coif 101 may be any length or tightness sufficient to direct air from the hose 204 into the interior of the coif 101. Although any material may be used, preferably the coif 101 is made of a flexible material. The coif 101 may be one tubular piece of material or it may be a flat piece of material that can be wrapped around the neck of a wearer and connected into a tube using fasteners, including, but not limited to, zippers, buttons, snaps, clips, or Velcro®.
In some cases, the coif 101 may be integrated with a helmet replacement liner commonly known in the art. When the helmet replacement liner is inserted into the helmet the integrated coif hangs down into position around the neck of the wearer.
Preferably, the coif is made of a cloth or cloth-integral material, but other materials may be used.
The input port 102 may be any connection fitting that connects to a hose 204 and allows air from that hose 204 to flow into the interior of the coif 101. The air flow creates positive air pressure in the coif 101 that flows up into the helmet, cooling the wearer and reducing the intrusion of dust into the helmet. Preferably, the input port 102 connects to the hose 204 using a standard size hose fitting associated with air flow units—like the MAC Air unit sold by Rugged Radios. However, any of the standard air hose connections may be used instead.
The input port 102 may be made of the same material as the coif (e.g. a molded or sewn portion of the cloth or cloth-integral material). Alternatively, the input port may be formed from a solid material such as injection molded plastic, steel, aluminum or other metal such that a counterpart hose fitting may “snap,” “twist,” “screw,” snap-in magnet, or otherwise lock into place relatively easily for riders wearing gloves and a full-face helmet who may be unable to engage in intricate or delicate joining maneuvers to link the air hose 204 to the input port 102.
The fitting on the exterior of the input port 102 may be designed to “break away” easily for the safety of the rider to thereby terminate the connection in the event that sufficient force is applied to the corresponding hose 204 while a rider is riding. In this way, the air hose cannot act to choke or to wrench a rider's head in the event of a crash or if the hose 204 snags on passing branches.
The input port 102 may be connected to the coif 101 at any location on the coif 101. Similarly, the input port 102 may be composed of virtually any material sufficient to direct air from the hose 204 into the interior of the coif 101. However, in a preferred embodiment the input port 102 is composed of a lightweight plastic or metal. Preferably, the input port 102 includes a circular, exterior input and a flattened interior flange, the flattened interior flange substantially coplanar with the interior of the coif 101. The input port 102 may be attached to the coif 101 in any method that creates a seal between the coif 101 and input port 102 sufficient to direct air from the hose 204 into the interior of the coif 101. But, the seal need not be particularly airtight as air movement is the intent of the coif 101. However, preferably, the input port 102 is attached to the coif 101 in a manner commonly used in the art, including, but not limited to, sewing, snaps, buttons, clips, Velcro® or at least one zipper.
The join 103 allow the coif 101 to be removed and reattached to the same or a different helmet. Although illustrated as Velcro® in
Referring now to
The hose 204 may be any flexible hollow connection capable of directing air flow from the air flow unit 205 to the input port 202. The air flow unit 205 may be any unit capable of producing positive air flow. The air flow unit 205 may be carried by the wearer, attached to the wearer on a belt, harness, or another device, mounted on the wearer or on a wearer's motorized vehicle. The air flow unit 205 may also include air conditioning capabilities.
The hose 204 may be abs plastic circular links joined together to form a semi-flexible hose, soft-sided rubber, any of the standard air hose materials, or any other material that forms a semi-flexible hose.
Closing Comments
Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus and procedures disclosed or claimed. Although many of the examples presented herein involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. With regard to flowcharts, additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the methods described herein. Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in other embodiments.
As used herein, “plurality” means two or more. As used herein, a “set” of items may include one or more of such items. As used herein, whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”, respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims. Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used herein, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.
This patent claims priority from provisional patent application 63/286,669, filed on Dec. 7, 2021, and titled “Universal Helmet Pumper Skirt.”
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63286669 | Dec 2021 | US |
