Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HELMET CONSTRUCTION
This invention relates generally to helmets for
use in hockey and other sports, and has to do particularly
with an adjustable helmet which incorporates a manual,
snap-action adjustment means by which to quickly and
securely change the size of the helmet.
BACKGROUND OF THXS INVENTION
~ diustable helmets are already known. As a
general rule, the conventional adjustable helmets achieve
adjustability through the utilizatlon of fastening members
which must be unscrewed to permit adjustability, and then
screwed tight to lock the parts in relative position after
adjustment.
It would be highly desirable to provide an
adjustable sports helmet in which adjustment could be
accomplished very quickly and manually in the field, so to
speak, without: requiring hand tools. For example, if a
young hockey player should borrow his brother's helmet and
then find, after he has begun playing a game, that the
helmet has been adjusted too small or too large for his
own head, it is very inconvenient for him to take the time
3~ necessary to find the appropriate tool, unscrew the
fasteners, adjust the helmet, and then screw the fasteners
tight. It would be far preferable if the player could,
while still having the helmet on his head, simply
accomplish a manual operation which would allow adjustment
35 of the helmet to a different size.
GENER~L DESCRIPTION OF THIS INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an aspect of this invention
to provide a sports helmet which is readily, manually
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adjustable, and which, lf cle~.lred, can be manually
adjusted while being worn.
More particularly, this invention provides a
helmet which includes a front shell and a rear shell which
is movable with respect to the front shell. Portions of
the two shells overlap each o~her and present mating
surfaces which can engage to retain the shells in a yiven
overlapping position, and can disengage to allow the
shells to change their relative position. Means are
provided ~or selectively (a) holding the mating surfaces
in engagement, and (b) releasing the mating surfaces to
disengage.
Another drawback o many conventional sports
helmets relates to their weight. Because of the tests
which safety organizations require sports helmets to be
put through, most manufacturers currently must utilize a
substantial thickness of material in order to have their
helmets pass the appropriate tests. Another problem
relates to ventilation. It is highly desirable,
particularly for very energetic sports like hockey, to
have vent holes in the helmet, through which air can
circulate past the player'$ head. However, to simply
provide vent holes in a standard smooth-shelled helmet
would further weaken the material t and require the
manufacturer to use an even thicker shell in order to
compensate.
Another problem with vent holes is the danger
that sharp objects, like the point of a hockey stick,
could strike the helmet at the location of one of the vent
30 holes, cause localized stress concentration sufficient to
rupture the helmet material, and thus penetrate through
the helmet and injure the player. In order to prevent
this from happening, ideally the helmet should be
constructed in such a way as to prevent objects such as
35 hockey sticks from contacting the helmet whe~e the vent
holes are located.
Accordingly, it is a further aspect of this
invention to provide a helmet which is vented, but which
provides the vents at the bottom of grooves deined by
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ribbing, so that -the upwardly projecting ribs keep sharp
objects away from the vent holes, while the ribs
themselves provide sufficient strength to compensate for
the presence of the vent holes, thus allowing a
minimization of the thickness of the material employed.
More particularly, this invention provides a helmet which
includes ribbing defining a plurality of parallel grooves.
At least some of the grooves have apertures in their
bottoms, whereby the helmet is vented while also being
rigidified by the ribbing, and the apertures are protected
by ~he ribbing.
GENERAL DE~CRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of this invention is illustrated
in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals
denote like parts throughout the several views, and in
which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a helm~t
incorporating the present invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken at the line
2-2 in Figure 1, with the adjustment lever closed;
Figure 3 is similar to Figur~ 2, with the
adjustment lever open; and
Figure 4 is a partial exploded perspective view
of the primary components of the adjustment and lock
mechanism.
3ETAILED DESCRIPTIOM OF THE DR~INGS
Attention is first directed to Figure 1, which
shows a helmet 10, which may typically be a hockey helmet.
The hockey helmet includes a front shell 12 and a rear
shell 14. The front shell 12 has a front visor portion
16, a top wall 18, and a side portion 20. The side
portion 20 terminates at a rear edge 21, which lies to the
outside of the rear shell 14. Conversely, the top wall 18
ha~ a rearward edge shown in broken lines at ~3, and which
fits just inside a top wall 25 of the rear shell 14. The
top wall 25 of the rear shell 14 effectively telescopes
over the top wall 18 of the front shell 12, to permit
longitudinal front-to-rear sliding of the one shell with
respect to the other.
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A similar overlapping or telescoping
relationship exists between the side portion 20 of the
front shell 12 and the side wall 28 of the rear shell 14.
These slide with respect to each other, with the side
portion 20 of the front shell lying to the outside of the
side wall 28 of the rear shell 14.
As can be seen in Figure 1, the top wall 18 of
the front shell 12 is ribbed to define a plurality of
parallel grooves 30, each having apertures 32 in their
bottoms. As illustrated, the apertures 32 are arranged in
parallel back-to-front rows, although this is of course
not essential. Nor is it essential to have apertures 32
in each of the grooves 30. The purpose of the apertures
32 is to provide vent holes so that the interior of the
helmet can be vented while also heing rigidified by the
ribbing lying between the grooves 30. In addition, the
apertures 32 themselves are protected by the ribbing 31.
Because of the increase in strength provided by
the ribbing 31, the actual thickness of the material of
the top wall 18 can be reduced to a minimum. On the
inside, the top wall 18 exactly follows the contours of
the ribbing 3:L, so that the thickness remains constant
throughout. Xt will be apparent from an inspection of
Figure 1 thatl since the ribs 31 rise up on either side of
any given aperture 31, that aperture will be protected
from direct impact by objects such as hockey sticks and
the like.
Similar ribbing 35 and apertures 38 are provided
in the two side walls 28 of the rear shell 14, again for
3~ the same purposes. Finally, the rear shell 14 has a
slightly indented portion 39 surrounded by a step 40 which
likewise contains apertures 42 for venting purposes.
Further vents 44 are provided in the lower forward portion
of the front shell 12.
Attention is now directed to Figure 2, in
conjunction with the other figures, in which the side wall
28 of the rear shell 14 has been partly illustrated in
section. It can be seen that the side wall 28 includes a
raised portion 46 having parallel -teeth 49 (extended in a
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plane at rlght angles to the paper in Figure 2). Also
shown in Figure 2 ls the side portion 20 of the front
shell 12. The side portion 20 has an indented region 51,
and the latter includes an inwardly displaced portion 52
which also presents parallel teeth adapted to mesh or
engage with the teeth 49 on the raised portion 46.
Looking at Figure 4, it can be seen that the
raised portion 49 is substantially rectangular, and i5
attached to the side wall 28 only at opposite edges 54 and
56. Along the other edges 58 and 59 are longitudinal
slots 60. Likewise, at either end of the portion 52 of
the indented region 51 are slots 62. A clevis 64 includes
a main portion 65 and two upstandiny flanges 67, the
lattex being adapted to pass through the slots 60 and 62.
Each of the flanges 67 has an aperture 69, and the two
apertures 69 are adapted to receive two pins 70 projecting
oppositely from a cam member 72 to which is integrally
connected a lever 74. The cam member 72 and lever 74 are
shown in section in Figures 2 and 3, and in perspective in
Figure 4.
As can clearly seen in Figure 2, the shape and
size of the cam member 72 is such that, when it is rotated
into the position shown in Figure 2, the cooperation
between the cam member 72 and the clevis 64 retains the
teeth defined on the portions 46 and 52 together so that
they cannot become disengaged~ In Figure 2, the lever 74
lies along the side portion 20 and more particularly lies
within a recess 76 which is provided in the side portion
20 for this purpose.
In Figure 3, the lever 74 has been rot.ated in a
clockwise direction, thus rotating the cam member 72 to a
position in which the teeth oE the portions 46 and 52 are
released from engagement, thus permitting the shells 12
and 14 to be shifted in the front to-back direction with
respect to each other.
The other side of the helmet is identical to
that shown in Figure l, and thus includes a Eurther
assembly structure the same as that shown in Figures 2, 3
and 4. Thus, when the wearer o~ the helmet wishes to
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adjust its size by shif-ting one shell with respect to the
other, he needs merely flip the levers 74 outwardly at the
sides of the helmet, then move the shells to the desired
relative position, then press the levers 74 back into
place within the recesses 76.
While a particular embodiment of -this invention
has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and
described hereinabove, it will be apparent to those
skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be
made therein without departing from the essence of this
invention as set forth in the appended claims.
