CA2852110C

CA2852110C - Protective face sheild assembly with removable shield or visor

Info

Publication number: CA2852110C
Application number: CA2852110A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Kent D. Anderson; Daniel G. Naygeboren; Stephane Gagnon
Original assignee: Unitech Services Group Inc
Current assignee: Unitech Services Group Inc
Priority date: 2013-06-27
Filing date: 2014-05-13
Publication date: 2021-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 2034-05-13
Also published as: CA2852110A1

Abstract

A protective face shield assembly with a removable shield or visor is provided. The protective face shield assembly is suitable for use with protective hoods used in toxic environments. When used with a protective hood, the inventive assembly provides the wearer with full peripheral vision due to its semi-annular or arcuate shape, while allowing for the shield or visor to be removed for separate cleaning, thereby preserving the visual clarity and structural integrity of the shield or visor.

Description

PROTECTIVE FACE SHIELD ASSEMBLY WITH REMOVABLE SHIELD OR VISOR
TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention generally relates to a protective face shield assembly with a removable shield or visor, and more particularly relates to a protective face shield assembly suitable for use with protective hoods used in toxic environments. After use, the shield or visor may be removed from the protective face shield assembly and either cleaned and reinstalled, or replaced.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Protective hoods are used in combination with, or as an integrated part of, protective smock style tops or full-body suits, the purpose of which are to shield or isolate individuals from chemical, physical, and biological hazards that may be encountered during hazardous materials operations. Some protective suit designs contain several components:
hoods, smock style tops, pants or coveralls, gloves, and boots. A protective hood may be designed to cover only the head, face, and shoulders, or it may form part of a smock style top worn with pants or coveralls, the smock style top covering the head, face, arms, and torso. A
protective hood may also form part of a protective full-body suit.

[0004] Tritium suits protect a wearer against inhalation and skin exposure of Hydrogen-3, H-3, or 3H (a.k.a. tritium) in nuclear plants. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that contains one proton and two neutrons. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure.
Tritium is produced in nature and is also industrially produced as a by-product in nuclear reactors by neutron activation of Lithium-6 as well as in heavy water-moderated reactors.
Tritium is difficult to contain; rubber, plastic, and some kinds of steel are somewhat permeable to tritium. The emitted electrons from small amounts of tritium cause phosphors to glow; hence, tritium is used to make self-illuminating devices, such as watches and exit signs. Tritium is also used in nuclear weapons.

[0005]
Some current tritium hoods are made with a TYVEK QC fabric containing a thin, ten millimeter LEXAN shield or visor which is affixed permanently to the fabric. The visor contains a ventilation opening which is closable by a flap, also made of the visor material. This flap is covered by an adhesive strip.

[0006] In the laundering of such tritium suit hoods, problems arise that make the hoods unusable and unsafe. During the laundering process the ten millimeter LEXAN
visor could become distorted and possibly cracked. Also, the visor may dislodge from the fabric.
Therefore, the tritium suit hoods are discarded rather than laundered and reused.

[0007]
One attempt by the present inventor to address this drawback was to employ a visor assembly with a tritium hood, which allowed for the visor to be press fit into the visor assembly for easy removal and replacement. This visor assembly is shown and described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2009/0100560 A1. Unfortunately, the means for attaching the visor to the hood was not sufficiently robust, the seal having a tendency to open up when the wearer moved around within the hood.

[0008] The present invention serves to address these drawbacks by providing a protective face shield assembly with removable shield or visor that is suitable for use with hoods used in toxic environments, the protective face shield assembly comprising:
an arcuate or bow-shaped frame member that defines an opening, the frame member being formed from similarly sized first and second arcuate frame members;
a shield or visor positioned within the opening defined by the arcuate frame member and between the first and second arcuate frame members, thereby forming an assembly; and means for holding the assembly in gas-tight, detachable engagement.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the first and second arcuate frame members have a plurality of coextensive hollow protrusions of varying heights that extend substantially perpendicularly there through around a perimeter of the frame member. The hollow protrusions in the first arcuate frame member have slot-shaped internal cavities, and the hollow protrusions in the second arcuate frame member have substantially circular cross-sectional shapes and terminate at an upper face into a slot-shaped opening. These hollow protrusions define mating structures that are engagably secured together in the inventive assembly.

[0010] The means for holding the above-named assembly in gas-tight, detachable engagement in this exemplary embodiment are coupling devices in the form of removable/re-usable rivets or drive pins, and a continuous gasket that extends along an inside surface of the first arcuate frame member around the opening formed by the arcuate frame member. The drive pins each have a head and a shank with an o-ring and a pair of side wings located at a distal end thereof. When the drive pins are inserted through the hollow protrusions of the first and second arcuate members and turned 90 degrees, the side wings of each drive pin engage below the upper face of the hollow protrusions of the second arcuate frame member, retaining the drive pins in place within the assembly. The coextensive hollow protrusions or mating structures are as a result engagably secured together. The resulting assembly in which the shield or visor and continuous gasket are sandwiched between the first and second arcuate frame members is thereby held together in gas-tight, detachable engagement firmly and without movement of one part relative to another.

[0011] The present invention also provides a reusable protective hood alone and as part of a reusable protective smock style top or full body suit for use in toxic environments, wherein the protective face shield assembly described above is detachably affixed to the hood, the affixed protective face shield assembly forming a gas-tight seal with the hood.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment of the reusable protective hood, the hood is a tritium hood that protects a wearer from inhalation of and skin exposure to tritium in nuclear plants.

[0013] In another exemplary embodiment of the reusable protective hood, the hood extends over the shoulders of the wearer. When in use, the hood would be supplied with air under pressure, which would cause the hood to become inflated, while breathable air is supplied to the wearer. The combination of air pressure and the feature of the hood extending over the shoulders of the wearer keep the hood in an upright position during use, allowing free movement of the wearer's head even while wearing a hard hat within the hood.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the reusable protective smock style top, the top is provided with one or more zippers to facilitate ease of donning and doffing of this garment.

[0015] The present invention further provides a method for laundering a protective hood, as described above, either alone or as part of a reusable protective smock style top or full body suit, the method comprising: removing the shield or visor from the protective face shield assembly of the protective hood; laundering the protective hood, smock style top, or full body suit; and either separately cleaning and reinstalling the shield or visor, or replacing the shield or visor.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. in addition, the materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The present disclosure may be better understood with reference to the following drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure.

[0019] Particular features of the disclosed invention are illustrated by reference to the accompanying drawings of the following exemplary embodiments of the present invention:
FIG. 1 is an exploded plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the protective face shield assembly with removable shield or visor of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 3, showing a coupling device in the form of a removable/re-usable drive pin inserted through the hollow protrusions in the first and second arcuate frame members and turned 90 degrees, thereby engaging the side wings of the drive pin below an upper face of the hollow protrusion of the second arcuate frame member, retaining the drive pin in place within the assembly.
FIG. 3 is a frontal view of an exemplary embodiment of the reusable protective smock style top of the present invention, the protective face shield assembly attached to, and forming a gas-tight seal with a hood portion of the smock style top.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The protective face shield assembly of the present invention, when used with a protective hood, provides the wearer with full peripheral vision due to its semi-annular or arcuate shape, while allowing for the shield or visor to be removed for separate cleaning, thereby preserving the visual clarity and structural integrity of the shield or visor.

[0021] Referring now to the drawings in detail, an exemplary embodiment of the protective face shield assembly with removable shield or visor of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 generally at 10. The inventive assembly comprises an arcuate frame member 12 that defines an opening 14, and a shield or visor 16 removably held within the opening 14.

[0022] The arcuate frame member 12 is formed from two similarly sized structures, a first arcuate frame member 18 and a second arcuate frame member 20. The size and shape of frame member 12 accommodates the face and field of view of the user. In this exemplary embodiment, the first and second arcuate frame members 18, 20 are substantially rectangular in overall shape having a degree of curvature ranging from greater than about 0 to less than about 90 degrees, a maximum height extending from an upper edge to a lower edge ranging from about 30 to about 36 centimeters (cm), a maximum width extending from one side edge to an opposing side edge ranging from about 45 to about 54 cm, and a thickness ranging from about 0.6 to about 1.3 cm. Opening 14 measures from about 27 to about 31 cm in total height, and from about 43 to about 51 cm in total width.

[0023] In this exemplary embodiment, the first and second arcuate frame members 18, have a plurality of co-extensive hollow protrusions 22, 24, respectively, of varying heights that extend substantially perpendicularly there through around a perimeter of the arcuate frame member. The hollow protrusions in the first arcuate frame member 18 have slot-shaped openings 26, and the hollow protrusions in the second arcuate frame member 20 have 20 substantially circular cross-sectional shapes and terminate at an upper face into a slot-shaped opening 28.

[0024] As best shown in FIG. 2, the means for holding assembly 10 in gas-tight, detachable engagement in this exemplary embodiment are coupling devices in the form of removable/re-usable rivets or drive pins 30, and a continuous gasket 32 that extends along an inside surface of the first arcuate frame member 18 around the opening 14. The drive pins 30 each have a head 34 and a shank 36 with an o-ring 38 and a pair of side wings 40a, 40b, located at a distal end of the shank 36. When the drive pin 30 is inserted through the hollow protrusions 22, 24 of the first and second arcuate frame members 18, 20 and turned 90 degrees, the side wings of each drive pin engage below the upper face of the hollow protrusions of the second arcuate frame member 20, retaining the drive pin in place within the assembly 10.
The coextensive hollow protrusions or mating structures 22, 24 are as a result engagably secured together. The resulting assembly 10 in which the shield or visor 16 and the continuous gasket 32 are sandwiched between the first and second arcuate frame members 18, 20 is thereby held together in gas-tight, detachable engagement firmly and without movement of one part relative to another.

[0025] The present inventor has found that twelve or more rivets or drive pins positioned around a perimeter of the arcuate frame member are needed to achieve a gas-tight seal. Using fewer than twelve rivets or pins results in unacceptable leakage. In a preferred embodiment, a total of twelve rivets or pins are used.

[0026] The first and second arcuate frame members 18, 20 may be made from any suitable material including, but not limited to, polymeric materials such as polycarbonate, polypropylene, and the like, as well as metal or metallic materials. In a preferred embodiment, frame members 18, 20 are made using polypropylene compounded with, for example, glass or similar additives.

[0027] Each frame member is preferably formed as a single solid piece by injection molding, computer numeric control (CNC) milling, or other suitable manufacturing method.

[0028] The shield or visor 16 used with the inventive protective face shield assembly 10 in this exemplary embodiment is flexible and has a size and shape that accommodates or fills the opening 14 formed by the first and second arcuate frame members 18, 20.
The visor 16 is provided with a plurality of holes that extend there through around a perimeter of the visor, the holes lining up with the hollow protrusions 24 of the second arcuate frame member 20, which serve as alignment guides. Due to the flexibility of the visor 16, it readily assumes the arcuate shape of the first and second arcuate frame members 18, 20. The visor 16 may also be provided with a ventilation opening in the form of, for example, a taped flap.

[0029] The shield or visor 16 is made from a flexible, transparent sheet-like material, such as polycarbonate resin (e.g., LEXAN polycarbonate resin), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or other flexible, transparent material, or combinations of materials through which objects can be readily and easily seen.

[0030] An exemplary embodiment of the reusable protective smock style top of the present invention is shown in FIG. 3 generally at 42. The protective top 42 comprises a hood portion 44, which is sealably attached to the protective face shield assembly 46, and a body portion 48.

[0031] The hood portion 44 is formed with an opening (not shown), the size and shape of which approximates the size and shape of the opening formed by the frame assembly 46.

The area surrounding the opening is provided with a plurality of holes (not shown) that are positioned to line up with the hollow protrusions of the first and second arcuate frame members.

[0032] The protective face shield assembly 46 is sealably attached to the reusable protective smock style top 42 by positioning the second arcuate frame member inside the hood portion 44 of the protective smock style top 42, inserting the hollow protrusions of the second arcuate frame member through the holes of the hood portion 44, and through the holes of the shield or visor. The first arcuate frame member is then placed on the assembled parts in mating engagement. Drive pins are inserted through the hollow protrusions of the first and second arcuate frame members and each turned 90 degrees to engage the pins.

[0033] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a pair of zippers 50a, 50b (or other suitable device) are placed at opposing sides of the front portion of the smock style top 42 to facilitate ease of donning and doffing of this garment.

[0034] The smock style top 42 may be made from any suitable material including, but not limited to, PVC, or other suitable material.

[0035] In a further exemplary embodiment, the reusable protective smock style top is a tritium protective top that protects a wearer from inhalation of and skin exposure to tritium in nuclear plants.

[0036] After being worn, the smock style top in this further exemplary embodiment is sent to a laundry where the visor is removed, and the top and visor washed and decontaminated in separate operations using different means. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the smock style top can be washed more vigorously than the visor. The visor is washed so as to remove any contaminants and to preserve the visual clarity and structural integrity thereof. The smock style top and visor are then rejoined for subsequent use.
As noted above, the visor may also be replaced instead of cleaned and reinstalled.

[0037] As also noted above, other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill from the detailed description and drawings.
By way of example, instead of drive pins, threaded screws, cam locks or other suitable fasteners could be used to hold the assembly in gas-tight, detachable engagement.

Claims

1. A protective face shield assembly with removable shield or visor that is suitable for use with hoods used in toxic environments, the protective face shield assembly comprising:
an arcuate frame member that defines an opening, the frame member being formed from similarly sized first and second arcuate frame members;
a shield or visor positioned within the opening defined by the arcuate frame member and between the first and second arcuate frame members, thereby forming an assembly; and means for holding the assembly in gas-tight detachable engagement, wherein the first and second arcuate members have a plurality of coextensive hollow protrusions of varying heights that extend substantially perpendicularly there through around a perimeter of the frame member, wherein the hollow protrusions in the first arcuate frame member have slot-shaped internal cavities, and the hollow protrusions in the second arcuate frame member have substantially circular cross-sectional shapes and terminate at an upper face into a slot-shaped opening, wherein these hollow protrusions define mating structures that are engagably secured together in the protective face shield assembly.

2. A protective face shield assembly with removable shield or visor that is suitable for use with hoods used in toxic environments, the protective face shield assembly comprising:
an arcuate frame member that defines an opening, the frame member being formed from similarly sized first and second arcuate frame members;
a shield or visor positioned within the opening defined by the arcuate frame member and between the first and second arcuate frame members, thereby forming an assembly; and means for holding the assembly in gas-tight, detachable engagement, wherein the first and second arcuate frame members have a plurality of coextensive hollow protrusions of varying heights that extend substantially perpendicularly there through around a perimeter of the frame member, wherein the means for holding the assembly in gas-tight, detachable engagement are coupling devices in the form removable/re-usable rivets or drive pins located in the hollow protrusions, and a continuous gasket that extends along Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-25 an inside surface of the first arcuate frame member around the opening defined by the arcuate frame member, wherein the drive pins each have a head and a shank with an 0-ring and a pair of side wings located at a distal end thereof, wherein when the drive pins are inserted through the hollow protrusions of the first and second arcuate members and turned 90 degrees, the side wings of each drive pin engage below an upper face of the hollow protrusions of the second arcuate frame member, retaining the drive pins in place within the assembly.

3. An assembly of a reusable protective hood for use in toxic environments and a protective face shield assembly, wherein the hood is detachably affixed to, and forms a gas-tight seal with the protective face shield assembly, wherein the hood has an opening and an area surrounding the opening, which is provided with a plurality of holes, wherein the protective face shield assembly comprises:
(i) an arcuate frame member that defines an opening, the size and shape of which approximates the size and shape of the hood opening, wherein the arcuate frame member is formed from similarly sized first and second arcuate frame members, which are positioned on either side of the hood opening, wherein a continuous gasket extends along an inside surface of the first arcuate frame member around the opening defined by the arcuate frame member, and wherein the first and second arcuate frame members have a plurality of coextensive hollow protrusions of varying heights that extend substantially perpendicularly there through around a perimeter of the frame member;
(ii) a shield or visor having a plurality of holes around its perimeter, which is positioned within the opening defined by the arcuate frame member and between the first and second arcuate frame members;
and (iii) coupling devices in the form of removable/re-usable rivets or drive pins located in the hollow protrusions, wherein the plurality of coextensive hollow protrusions extend through the holes in the hood and in the shield or visor, Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-25 wherein the rivets or drive pins located in the hollow protrusions serve to hold the hood, the shield or visor and the continuous gasket between the first and second arcuate frame members and to form a gas-tight, detachable seal between the hood and the protective face shield assembly.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the hood is a tritium hood that protects a wearer from inhalation of and skin exposure to tritium in nuclear plants.

5. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the hood extends over the shoulders of a wearer.

6. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the reusable protective hood is part of a reusable protective smock style top made up of the hood and a body portion.

7. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the reusable protective hood is part of a full body suit.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-02-25