AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Innovation Patent Applicant(s): Colin Usher 189 Woodland St Balgowlah NSW 2093 Mob.0409829037 E. ushercoC~vbiacond.net.au InventionTitle: Earmuff Sunvisor for Hardhats The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 Earmuff Sunvisor for Hardhats FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to safety equipment, and more particularly, to a hardhat sunvisor for accommodating hearing protection in combination with the use of a common commercially available safety hardhat (it will be referred to in the rest of this specification as "hardhat"). The hardhat may be fitted with slots to accommodate integral attachment arms supporting earmuffs (also referred to as "hearing protection") or as a fixed component to the hardhat used in combination with detachable hearing protection. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Hazardous work environments are becoming increasingly common in the industry. Workers are protected from injury in such environments by utilizing safety equipment in conjunction with procedures which promote a safe work environment. The safety equipment may include protective headgear such as a safety hardhat which provides a level of protection against injury to a user's head by absorbing mechanical energy and protecting against penetration. In addition to their energy-absorption capability, a hardhats weight and weight distribution are important considerations, since increases weight and unequal weight distribution affect comfort. Work environments are also frequently noisy and require the use of hearing protection devices such as earmuffs. It is desirable that Sun/UV protection be provided to a person required to wear both hardhat and earmuffs whilst working outdoors where they are subject to UV radiation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A hardhat sunvisor accommodates a helmet having a dome portion and first and second attachment slots for arms attached to earmuffs. The brim comes in a front and rear section held together with four touch tape tabs. Two tabs on the outer diameter of the 3 cutout sections and two tabs to secure the covers for the cutout sections. The front and rear sections of the sunvisor are semi circular in shape and when joined together leave a large open oval shape that accepts the crown of the hardhat. The first and second cutouts are formed by the joining of the outer extended sections of the front and rear sunvisor sections via the touch tape tabs for accommodating the first and second attachment arms of the earmuffs, respectively. In addition, first and second flaps are provided for covering the first and second cutouts, respectively. Having the sunvisor in two sections allow, when the outer touch tape tabs are disconnected, for it to be folded in half for easy storage or transportation. The flap covers are permanently sewn to the front section of the sunvisor and are attached to the rear brim section using a sewn 6mm wide length of elastic which passes through a sewn channel in the inner section of the cutout cover with a doubled over loop touch tape tab sewn on to the end of the elastic that attaches to a 2cm long hook touch tape tab sewn onto the inner part (near the hardhat) of the rear sunvisor. The sunvisor is attached to the hardhat by the two pockets sewn onto the underside of the sunvisor. The front section has a semi circular pocket which accommodates the front peak of the hardhat. The rear section has two crossover triangular panels sewn so they the overlap each other to form an open "V" shape that fits over the rear ledge of the hardhat. These front and rear pockets are designed to effectively wedge the hard hat into the sunvisor and stop if blowing off in windy weather or being knocked of accidently. When the earmuffs are not in use i.e. been removed from the hat or rotated up to the side of the hat the cutout covers can be closed to give total sun protection. The brim also includes a downwardly extending fabric neck protector. Which is designed to protect the exposed parts of the wearers head and neck. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1. is a perspective view of a hardhat sunvisor in its two sections in accordance with the present invention.
4 Figs. 2a - 2b are left and right perspective views. respectively, of the brim assembled with a safety hardhat, Fig. 3 is a right side view of the sunvisor and hardhat. Fig. 4 is a front view of the hard hat with the earmuff sunvisor fitted. It shows how the cutout cover (4) can be lifted to cover the cutout hole with the earmuff posts passing through the cutout hole. The arrows either side of (5) indicate that it can be moved in an upward or downward direction. Fig. 5 is a view of the underside of the earmuff sunvisor showing the pocket design which secures the earmuff sunvisor to the hard hat peak and rear ledge. Fig. 6 is a view of the sunvisor being used with earmuffs still attached but not in use. It shows the earmuffs rotated to the side of the hard hat and the cutout hole covers in use. They completely cover the hole when the earmuffs are not being used. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is net limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable- of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "supported," "coupled" and "protrusions" variations thereof are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and 5 couplings. Further, 'connected" and "coupled" are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. In the description below, like reference numerals and labels are used to describe the same, similar or corresponding parts in the several views of Figs. 1-6. The word "Touchtape" is used to describe a Velcro@ style two sided tape. One side has a fluffy "loop" finish which sticks to the other side of the tape which has a stiffer "hook" finish Referring to Fig. 1 The earmuff sunvisor front panel (1) in accordance with the present invention is shown. The front panel has a semi rigid, plastic lightweight liner and is in the shape of a half circle with a wide protrusion on the outerside of the half circle. The inner side of the circle finishes shorter than the outside circumference leaving an "L" shape indent (3) which forms half of the total finished cutout. The cutout covers (4) are permanently sewn to the outer edge of this cutout. The elastic strip with the sewn on touch tape tab (5) which passes through the channel (26) in the cover and helps both to secure the two brim panels together and keep the covers in position whether the earmuffs are in position or not. The touch tape tabs allow the covers to be opened to allow the installation or removal of the earmuff posts. The rear sunvisor panel (2) has a semi rigid, plastic lightweight liner and is of a semi circular shape on its inner circumference but slightly squarer on its outer circumference (6). This squared off shape of this rear brim (6) is to help prevent the sunvisor/hardhat being dislodged when the wearer lifts his head to lookup at say "a crane movement above his normal line of sight". It has the same protrusion as the front panel which forms the rear "L" shape portion of the cutout. When the two sides of the sunvisor are joined together a semi circular or "U" shape cutout is formed which is specifically designed to accommodate the many and varied shapes and designs of earmuff support posts (7). Loop touch tape tab (8) is to connect the hook touch tape tab on the end of the elastic strap (5) that passes through the channel in cutout cover. Loop touch tape tab (9) is to connect to the touchtape loop that is sewn onto the underside of the front earmuff sunvisor panel (1) thus helping to secure the two sides of the earmuff sunvisor 6 together. When the two panels of the sunvisor are joined together by the touch tape tabs the inner circumference forms an oval shape(21) which is the approximate shape and size that fits most available hard hat domes with peak shape front protrusions. The cutouts (15) are directly opposite each other on each side of the sunvisor to accommodate the earmuff posts. At the back of the rear sunvisor panel there is a (10) drop down fabric neck protector which extends approximately 85% of the panels outer perimeter. This is designed to protect the wearer's neck and head from any sun penetration either reflected, from behind them or when the head is bent forward exposing the neck. Referring to Figs. 2a, 2b , the hardhat (11) fits into the assembled ear muff sunvisor (12). The earmuffs (13) and earmuff posts (14) are accommodated by the cutouts (15) on both sides of the sunvisor. The cutout covers (4) stops any direct sunlight penetrating through the cutout hole whether the earmuffs are occupying the cutout hole or not in use at all. The size and position of the hardhat earmuff post attachment (16) can vary. The covers (4) can also accommodate these variations. Referring to Fig. 3 a left side view and Fig. 4 is a front view of the Earmuff Sunvisor and hardhat. The earmuff sunvisor (12) is shown assembled to the hardhat (11). The hardhat (11). The hardhat has to have a front peak and a rear ledge to allow the earmuff sunvisor to be fitted properly. The sunvisor (12) is fitted to the hardhat by aligning front (18) and rear (19) sections of the hardhat (11) with the front (1) and rear (2) sections of the brim (12), respectively. The crown portion (20) of the hardhat is then inserted into the central opening (21) the sunvisor is held in position by inserting the peak protrusion and rear ledge into especially tailored sewn pockets as seen in Fig. 5 numbers (22&23).
7 These front and rear pockets effectively wedge the hardhat into the sunvisor. Earmuffs (13) for protecting against user hearing damage are attached to the hardhat via slots (16) in both sides. The earmuffs (13) may be any type of earmuffs which provide hearing protection. The earmuffs include left (24) and right (25) cups which are attached to the dome portion (20) by the left and right arms, respectively. The left (24) and right (25) cups each include structure and materials adapted for attenuating unwanted noise in order to protect a user from hearing damage. Alternatively, the left (24) and right (25) cups may include active noise protection technologies or a combination of active and passive technologies for attenuating noise. The left and right arms are fabricated from as resilient material such that when the helmet (11) is worn by a user, the left (24) and right (25) cups are urged against the user's ears to enclose the ear area. In certain circumstances the wearer may wish to click the earmuffs three or four centimeters away from their ears to enable them to hear but not remove the hardhat or sunvisor. The fitted hardhat earmuffs have a setting that allows this action to occur. The design of the cutout cover (4) with the elasticized band in the top channel (26) allows the earmuff posts (14) to move either away from, or towards the ears (17) whilst stopping any sun exposure to the wearer through the cutout holes Fig. 5 is a view of the underside of the Earmuff Sunvisor This drawing shows the way the outside protrusions of each side of the sunvisor overlap each other (27) to allow the sunvisor to be secured together via the touch tape hook & loop tabs. This touchtape connection system allows for the inner circumference of the earmuff sunvisor to be adjusted to accommodate different size hardhats or tightening if experiencing high wind conditions. It also shows the approximate configuration of the sunvisor cutouts that allow for the passage of the earmuff support posts. The pocket (23) on the front sunvisor panel is designed to accommodate the quarter moon shape (23) of the hardhat peak. It is sewn onto the underside of the front section in the same colour non reflectant fabric that is used on the 8 underside of the brim. The pocket (22) on the rear sunvisor section is made of two overlapping triangular panels. The panels have an open "V" configuration (22) that accepts the ledge/protruding ridge around the back of the hardhat. The tightness of the sunvisor can be adjusted be using the touch tape tabs (9) on the outer protrusions on each side of the sunvisor. This action will effectively securely wedge the hardhat's lower protruding extremities between the two sunvisor sections (1 & 2) keeping it secure in the most inclement weather conditions. Fig. 6 shows the Earmuff Sunvisor used with earmuffs rotated the side of hardhat One of the important functions of the earmuffs fitted to the hardhat is that they can be rotated up to the side (28) of hardhat when not required by the wearer. It is important to OH&S requirements that earmuffs do not need to be removed from the hardhat when not in use. I suggest that it will be an important OH&S requirement of the Earmuff Sunvisor that one side (27) can be opened to allow one post of the earmuffs to be rotated to the side of the hardhat and then refastened. The other side of the sunvisor can then be opened to allow rotation of the opposite post of the earmuff to the side of the hardhat then refastened. All these actions can be accomplished without removing the hardhat, earmuffs or sunvisor from the wearers head. When the Earmuffs are rotated to the side of the hardhat (28). It is extremely important that all this "head assembly" be easily accessible when again required by the wearer and not cause unnecessary delay when the earmuffs are being repositioned and put back into use. The reverse process of repositioning the earmuff posts (14) into the cutouts (15) one post at a time can be used. It should also be noted that, when the earmuffs are rotated to the side of the hardhat, because of the elastic strap passing through the top channel (26) of the cutout covers (4) they automatically completely cover the cutout (15) giving the wearer the same protection they would receive from a full standard sun brim.
9 In accordance with the present invention, the brim (12) and earmuffs (16) are worn simultaneously to provide additional protection for a user, Further; the sunvisor (12) has a symmetrical configuration to provide equal weight distribution thus enabling the sunvisor (12) to be comfortably worn by the user While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, permutations and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art. In light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations.
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