TW201520461A - Face protector lens assembly and method of use - Google Patents

Abstract

A retainer lens of shape and dimensions configured to be releasably secured in the front opening of a face plate or helmet has a window opening configured for positioning in front of the eyes of a wearer of the face plate or helmet. An outer protective cover is configured to be secured over the window opening by means of scrap-book like frame corners located on the front surface of the retainer lens and spaced outwardly from respective corners of the window opening. The corners of the outer protective cover are releasably engaged with respective frame corners, so that the cover can be removed from the outside of the face plate as needed for replacement with a new outer protective cover, simply by removing the corners of the current outer protective cover from the respective frame corners, and then engaging a new outer protective cover into the frame corners.

Description

Face protector lens assembly and method of use

The present invention relates generally to lenses for face protectors and, in particular, to lenses for welding masks or helmets.

A welding helmet or mask is a headgear that protects the eyes, face and neck from flash burns, UV rays, sparks and heat damage when performing certain types of welding. The welding helmet is necessary for the prevention of arc eyes, and the arc eye is a corneal inflammatory painful condition. Welding helmets can also prevent retinal burns that can lead to loss of vision. Both conditions are caused by unconcentrated exposure to highly concentrated ultraviolet light emitted by the welding arc (which may also harm bare skin, similar to sunburn).

All welding helmets include a small window called a lens through which the welder observes the weld. In older helmets, the window may be made of dark glass or may be made of a pair of polarized lenses. In more modern helmet designs, transparent materials that are automatically darkened when exposed to a flash of welding arc are more common. However, any type is susceptible to damage, such as cracks, which may damage the protection against ultraviolet light. In addition to the lens shading, the helmet also has a shield around the face to protect the face from high temperature metal spark damage caused by the arc.

The high temperature metal spark generated by the arc ignites combustibles in the weld zone. Because the welding helmet includes a small window directly in front of the welder's eye and has a occluded peripheral view Or even without perimeter visibility, the welder may not be able to recognize that high temperature metal sparks create a fire in the welder's area (eg, on both sides). The occluded peripheral field of view also prevents the welder from clearly seeing the future direction of the weld line, and the welder may not see potential hazards, such as a person moving sideways toward the welder or moving into or falling into the welder's path.

To address these and other problems, the present invention is directed to a lens-in-a-lens assembly that protects the user's eyes (e.g., during welding) while also allowing peripheral visibility.

In one embodiment, a lens assembly for a face protector panel has a first retainer lens shaped and sized to be secured in a front opening of the panel and having a curvature that substantially matches the panel. a curvature; and a second lens having a smaller size that is secured behind the first lens to provide a lens configuration in the lens, wherein the second lens is configured to extend beyond the wearer's eye of the face protector and the first The lens extends around the side of the wearer's face to provide a peripheral view. The lenses may be auto-dark filter (ADF) lenses that are automatically dimmed when exposed to intense light, such as a flash of a welding arc, and one or both lenses may be selected from groups having different shades. Interchangeable lenses.

In one embodiment, the ADF holder lens has: a window opening aligned with the ADF lens; and four "scrap book frame" type corners integrally formed around the window opening in the front surface thereof, These corners are used to engage the corners of the outer protective lens or cover. This makes it easier for the user to replace the outer protective lens or cover without having to remove the cover from the inside of the welding helmet or face protector in which the lens assembly is mounted. Because the outer protective lens or cover is exposed to a welding environment where scratches and damage often occur, the cover sometimes needs Change multiple times during the day's work. By making the outer protective lens quick and easy to replace from the front of the helmet or face protector, the worker's productivity may be much higher, simply by releasing the outer protective lens from the corner of the scrapbook frame that is accessible from the outside. No disassembly is required.

In one embodiment, the second lens is releasably secured to the rear of the first lens by a retainer assembly having a rear retainer frame and a gasket between the retainer frame and the second lens And the rear retainer frame is secured to the first lens by one or more releasable fasteners. This allows the second lens to be replaced by a second lens having different properties, while the flexible gasket allows the second lens having a different depth to be secured in the assembly.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The details of the structure and operation of the present invention may be partially collected, and the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same parts, and wherein: FIG. Front view of a prior art face protector of a lens assembly (lens assembly); FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the face protector of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a face protector of FIGS. 1 and 2. Figure 4 is a top plan view of the face protector of Figures 1 to 3; Figure 5 is a rear elevational view of the face protector of Figures 1 to 4; Figure 6 is the face of Figures 1 to 5 A right side elevational view of the protector; Figure 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an ADF retainer lens for use with the face protector of Figures 1 through 6, including an outer mountable front lens Protective lens or cover; Figure 8 is a front partial and partial cross-sectional perspective view of the face protector including the modified ADF retainer lens of Figure 7; and Figure 9 is an assembled face protector of Figure 8 or Front perspective view of the helmet.

Certain embodiments disclosed herein provide a face protector having: a panel having a front opening that extends across the wearer's eye area and extends rearwardly about the side of the face toward the ear; and is secured thereto An assembly of lenses ("lens assemblies") in the lens in the front opening, the assembly having an outer protective lens or cover extending over the window of the ADF holder of the lens assembly, wherein the outer protective cover is scraping Damage or damage can be removed and replaced from the front of the face protector without requiring the wearer to remove the face protector to remove the damaged front cover of the lens assembly.

After reading this description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced in various alternative embodiments and alternative applications. However, while the various embodiments of the invention are described herein, it will be understood that Therefore, the detailed description of the various alternative embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope or breadth of the invention.

1 through 6 illustrate a prior art face protector 400 that includes a panel 401 having a front opening 402, and a lens assembly or "lens in the lens" assembly 100 mounted in the opening. 7 through 9 illustrate one embodiment of a face protector 650 having a lens assembly 600 in a modified lens.

The face protector 400 can be used in any application that requires face protection, such as: Welding applications, safety applications, commercial applications, DIY applications, grinding, splash guards, sand blasting, food preparation, stacker operations, tile cutting, wood cutting, wood harvesting, prevention of flying particle face protection, Forced high pressure flushing applications, boat trips during sports and leisure fishing, snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, hunting, paintball, law enforcement, firefighting, motor sports, sand or rail, AVT, Soft airsoft guns, spectator sports (eg, NASCAR racing, NFL/College football, NHL/University hockey), commercial activities (such as aviation, gardening), and government activities (such as military activities, lakeside patrols) and so on.

The face protector 400 protects the front of the user's head (ie, forehead, face, Eyes, cheeks, jaws, chin, mouth, nose, ears) are free of burns, UV rays, sparks, heat and/or other elemental damage associated with activities/applications. The panel 401 can be made of a thin plastic material that is injection molded. The panel 401 has a configuration that is generally similar to the configuration of a human face and includes a forehead portion 120, a cheek portion 130, a lower jaw portion 140, a mouth portion 142, a nose portion 144, an ear portion 146, a chin portion 148, and has a front The opening 402, the replaceable/interchangeable lens assembly 100 is mounted in the front opening. Thus, the face protector 400 covers and protects the user's forehead, cheeks, lower jaw, mouth, nose, ears, chin, and eyes, respectively. The lens assembly extends around at least 180 degrees to provide a peripheral view to the wearer.

The forehead portion 120 is slightly wider than the width of the user's head, curved backwards, and Extending from the area of the eyebrows to a point above the user's forehead area. Although not shown, in an alternate embodiment, the forehead portion 120 can include one or more venting segments for venting the face protector 400. On the front side or the outside of the forehead portion 120, the forehead portion 120 can include inserts and/or indicia (not illustrated) that display trademarks, logos, or other indicia associated with the application of the face protector 400. The mold used to make the panel 401 can include different mold inserts for different indicia to It is possible to use the same mold but different mold inserts to make a face protector or helmet 400 for different applications. The cheek portion 130 is bent rearward from the nose portion 144 and the mouth portion 142 of the panel 401 and protects the user's cheeks.

The mandibular portion 140 is directed from the mouth portion 142 and the cheek portion 130 of the panel 401. The back bends and protects the user's lower jaw area. The lower jaw portion 140 includes a chin portion 148 having a cup configuration for receiving a user's chin. The width of the mandibular portion 140 tapers from the top of the lower jaw portion 140 (just below the lens assembly 100) to the bottom of the chin portion 148.

The mouth portion 142 is disposed between the nose portion 144 and the lower jaw portion 140, and Protect the user's mouth. Although not shown, in an alternate embodiment, the mouth portion 142 can include venting holes in the grooves or other regions of the mouth portion 142 and/or nose portion 144. The mold used to make the panel 401 can include different inserts for different mouth and/or nose designs such that the same mold can be used but different inserts to make a face protector for different applications (eg, Face protector with and without mouth/nose vents). The front side of the nose portion 144 can be arched outwardly and the rear side of the nose portion 144 can be concave to accommodate the user's nose. Although not shown, as discussed above, in alternative embodiments, nose portion 144 can include one or more vents.

Ear portion 146 extends rearwardly from opposite ends of lens assembly 100 and is sized Decreased diminishingly as it progresses backwards and protects the entire ear of the user. Apertures 170 are disposed in the upper portion of the ear portion 146 for attaching a suitable strap assembly 410 to the connector 412, the strap assembly and the connectors being through the aperture 170 at the rear side of the ear portion 146 of the panel. Connect. The lacing assembly 410 is used to hold the face protector 400 in place on the user's head. Assembly The strap 414 of 410 can be resilient and can be adjusted to accommodate a range of different sized heads. The face protector 400 can have a general configuration or can have different sizes for different sized heads (eg, XL number, L number, M number, S number, child number).

Due to the small contour of the face of the panel 401, especially in the lower jaw portion 140 In the small outline, the face protector allows the user to more easily move the head to the left and right, because the conventional welding helmet or mask lower jaw area will hit the user's shoulder and push the helmet/mask up and/or Dropped from the user's face/head. Also, due to the rounded contour of the face protector, the air flow is superior to other welded helmets because there is no 90 degree angle that the air has to move through. For example, the face protector forehead portion 120 has a rounded profile compared to a 90 degree angle of other welded helmets. Moreover, due to the fillet spherical lens assembly 100 described in more detail below, spatters, flying objects, etc., from the lens assembly 100 of the face protector 400 and the rest of the lens assembly, the impact and stress on the face protector are compared. Small, and the scratching of the lens assembly 100 is reduced.

The lens assembly 100 protects the user's eyes from activities/applications Burns (eg, causing arc eyes, retinal burns), ultraviolet light, sparks, heat, and/or other elemental damage. Does the lens assembly 100 also maximize the user's general? Field of view and peripheral field of view, which helps the user to find fires caused by high temperature metal sparks generated by arcs in the weld zone (eg, on both sides of the user) that ignite combustibles. The lens assembly 100 in the lens can be replaced/exchanged using other lenses (eg, for different welding applications or for other different applications) and includes an Auto Dense Filter ("ADF") holder lens 200, the ADF The holder lens is mounted in the opening 402 of the face protector 400 and has an eye opening 310 in which the front cover 210, ADF lens 220, polycarbonate lens protector 230 and rear cover or rear retainer frame 240 are mounted The openings are illustrated in Figures 2, 3, 5 and 6.

The ADF holder lens 200 is partially spherical, annular, and/or cylindrical, from The user is provided with a 180 degree viewing angle and an unobstructed peripheral view. The opposite peripheral portion/temple portion 270 of the ADF holder lens 200 includes a crescent-shaped aperture 280 with a crescent-shaped aperture (not visible in the figure) or a surrounding protector in the recessed eye opening section The rim of the eye opening section 402 of 400 overlaps. The fastener can extend through the aligned aperture to connect the ADF holder lens 200 to the recessed eye opening section of the opening 402 in the face protector 400. The ADF holder lens 200 includes a central section having a rectangular opening 310 having a concave peripheral rim 320 for positioning the peripheral rim of the cover 210 prior to the lens assembly; the side of the rim 320 a slit 330; and a rearwardly extending receiving section 335 (not visible) including an upper horizontal member extending rearward, a lower horizontal member (part of which is visible in FIG. 3), and a side vertical member when the lens assembly 100 is assembled The members together form a cavitation/space cavity between the ADF lens 220 and the front cover 210. In one embodiment, the ADF holder lens 200 is a #10 shaded lens and is made of polycarbonate. In an alternate embodiment, the ADF holder lens 200 is a shaded lens that is within the range of #2 to #12 shaded lenses.

The front cover 210 protects the ADF lens 220 from impact. The front cover 210 is transparent Bright, colorless, rectangular/spherical/annular/cylindrical, made of polycarbonate and having a slightly curved configuration/shape. Although the front cover 210 is a separate component that is secured in the opening in the retainer lens in the illustrated embodiment, the front cover 210 may alternatively include a transparent or substantially transparent cover integrally formed with the retainer lens. Cover part. When disposed in the ADF holder lens 200, the front cover 210 is flush with the outer surface of the lens 200. The rearwardly extending latching projections 340 extend from opposite sides of the front cover 210 and extend through the side cutouts 330 (see FIG. 1) of the recessed openings 310 in the ADF holder lens 200.

As indicated above, the lens assembly 100 has a lens design in the lens, wherein The ADF holder lens 200 forms an external holder lens, and the ADF lens 220 forms the inner lens carried by the /ADF holder lens 200 carried within the ADF holder lens 200. A threaded insert is inserted/added to the rear side of the ADF holder lens 200 and engaged by a threaded fastener such as a grub screw 250 (Fig. 5) that is embedded through a hole in the corner of the rear cover cover 240 And threading the threaded inserts on the rear side of the ADF holder lens 200 to form the rectangular rear cover 240 of the lens assembly 100, the polycarbonate lens protector 230, and the ADF lens 220, the ADF holder lens 200, and The front cover 210 is attached/assembled together. The rectangular rear cover 240 includes a central rectangular opening 360 and has a front recessed section designed to receive/hold the polycarbonate lens protector 230 and the ADF lens 220. The rearwardly extending latching projection 340 of the front cover 210 is latched into the side cutout of the rear cover 240.

The ADF lens 220 is generally rectangular or square and has a rectangular frame portion And a portion of the rectangular lens held in the rectangular frame portion. In one version of the face protector 400, the ADF lens 220 can be approximately 4.0 inches by 4.0 inches or 4 inches by 5 inches, wherein the height dimension of the holder lens 200, the front opening 310 in the lens, and the panel are retained. The recessed opening 402 (the lens 200 is mounted in the recessed opening) has a similar size to accommodate the ADF lens 220. As with the previous embodiment, lenses 200 and 220 can have any selected initial lens shading and darkened lens shading, and lenses 200 and 220 can be of other shapes and sizes with different lens properties as desired. Replace or interchange lenses. The lens assembly 100 can include a rear gasket (not illustrated) sized to match the size of the ADF lens 220 for placement between the back cover 240 and the lens protector 230 to allow a user to select ADF lenses having different depths. Includes universal ADF lenses.

The ADF lens 220 can be normally #3 shaded and automatically dimmed to #10 shade when exposed to the flash of the welding arc, but can be interchanged with other ADF filters and shades. The outer ADF holder lens 200 can be shaded to match the darkness of the ADF lens 220, but in other embodiments, the lenses can have different shades or can be different types of ADF lenses. A rectangular polycarbonate lens protector can also be placed behind the ADF lens 220.

The lens assembly 100 protects the user's eyes from burns, ultraviolet light, sparks, heat, and the like encountered during activities or applications, and maximizes the user's peripheral field of view/overhead view. The increased peripheral field of view helps the user to find a fire or other object caused by a high temperature metal spark generated by the arc in the welded area (eg, on both sides of the user) that ignites the combustible.

Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment of a lens assembly ("lens assembly") 600 in an improved lens having an outer protective cover that can be easily removed/replaced from the outside of the face protector without the need for Remove the face protector and remove it from the inside of the face protector. 8 and 9 illustrate an embodiment of a face protector 650 that includes the panel 401 of FIGS. 1 through 6 and the lens assembly 600 of FIG. In Figures 8 and 9, a lens assembly ("lens assembly") 600 in the lens is mounted in the opening 402 of the panel 401 of Figures 1 through 6 in place of the lens assembly 100. In this embodiment, the ADF holder lens or holder lens 200 of Figures 1 through 6 is replaced by an ADF holder lens or holder lens 605, which is flat when the components are assembled as illustrated in Figures 7 and 9 A flexible outer boot or lens 610 is releasably secured to the ADF holder lens or holder lens 605. In the exploded view of Figure 8, the components are shown separated from each other. In the prior art face protector or helmet 400 of Figures 1 to 6, as with most prior art helmets or face protectors worn for protection when welding or the like, only by means of Self helmet The unit is removed inside to remove and replace the protective lens or boot 210. In the embodiment of Figures 7-9, an outer protective lens or cover 610 is provided that is secured to the retainer member 615 on the outer surface of the ADF retainer lens 605, as described in more detail below. Thus, the outer protective lens 610 can be replaced from the outside without disassembling the rest of the lens assembly. Other components of the lens assembly in the lens of this embodiment are similar or identical to those of Figures 1 through 6, and the same reference numerals are used for the same components as appropriate.

As illustrated in Figures 7-9, the ADF holder lens 605 has an appearance on its outer surface. There are four "scrapbook" frame corners 615 arranged around the lens opening or window 310. The scrapbook box corner 615 can be integrally formed on the front surface of the ADF holder lens 605 or joined to the front surface. The outer protective lens or cover 610 is a simple rectangular lens cover that is larger in size than the opening 320 and is a transparent or at least partially transparent material having a degree of flexibility to allow the corner 616 to engage the frame corner or retainer member 615. The outer protective lens or cover 610 is sized to substantially match the rectangular dimension defined by the frame corner 615. The scrapbook box corner 615 is designed for releasable engagement with a corresponding corner 616 of the outer protective lens or cover 610. This allows the user to remove the lens 610 from the outside when the lens 610 is excessively worn or scratched to ensure good visibility, and to use a new lens cover that engages in the frame corner 615 as illustrated in Figures 7-9. The lens 610 is replaced. The lens or cover 610 provides a second outer protective lens that extends over the lower front cover or first protective lens 210 and protects the lower front cover or first protective lens 210, the lower front cover or first protective lens via The fastener 305 snaps into the opening 320 of the ADF holder lens 605. In an alternate embodiment, the front cover 210 may be omitted entirely and replaced by an outer protective lens or cover 610. In another alternative embodiment, the window opening and front cover 210 may be replaced by a transparent window portion integrally formed with the ADF holder lens, wherein the replaceable outer protective lens protects the window portion from damage Bad. The other components of the assembly of Figures 7 through 9 are identical to the components of the prior art face protector of Figures 1 through 6, and the same reference numerals are used for the same components as appropriate.

Although the scrapbook frame holding the external protective lens in Figures 7 to 9 is designed Used with the face protector of Figures 1 through 6, but may provide similar scrapbooking corners around the opening in the retainer lens forming part of any prior art welding helmet or face protector, and similar A flat or curved protective lens or cover can be snapped into the corner of the scrapbook frame from the outside without the need to remove from the inside of the helmet or face protector to replace the worn front protective lens or cover. Although the opening 620, the frame defined by the frame corner 615, and the outer protective lens or cover 610 are rectangular in the illustrated embodiment, in alternative embodiments such components may be of different shapes and sizes, in the retainer The outer surface of the lens has a suitable outer retainer member disposed about the opening for snap-engagement with an edge portion of the outer protective lens cover.

Most, if not all, current welding helmets or face protectors are designed to have There is a protective lens cover that is replaced by a disassembly unit from the inside, a prior art face protector 400 described above with respect to Figures 1 through 6, and other prior art face protectors (such as the prior U.S. Patent No. This is the case with the face protectors described in 8,438,662 and 8,438,663. External protective lens covers are typically relatively quickly damaged and result in reduced visibility, and welders often need to replace such covers five or more times per day. It takes time and effort to disassemble such a lens cover from the inside, which is not easy for the user to use, and the welder has to stop the welding and spend a lot of time to replace the protective lens cover, thereby reducing productivity. The lens assembly 600 of Figures 7-9 overcomes this problem by allowing the worn or damaged outer protective lens or cover to be replaced quickly and easily, simply by having the cover detach from the scrapbook frame. And replacing the cover with a new cover that is snapped into the corner of the frame, thereby eliminating the need for the inner side Any need for disassembly.

The above figures may depict an exemplary configuration of the present invention, and this depiction is used to assist The features and functionality that may be included in the present invention are solved. The invention is not limited to the illustrated architecture or configuration, but can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, although the invention has been described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that one or more of the individual embodiments (described with the features and functionality) The various features and functionalities described may be applied to one or more of the other embodiments of the invention, either individually or in some combination, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are A portion of the described embodiments is presented. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention, particularly in any of the following claims, should not be limited by any of the above exemplary embodiments.

Terms and phrases used in this document and their changes, unless otherwise stated The body should be interpreted as open, not restrictive. As an example of the foregoing, the word "comprising" should be understood to mean "including but not limited to" or similar meaning; the term "instance" is used to provide an illustrative example of a project under discussion, rather than an exhaustive or limiting Sexual list; and terms such as "know", "traditional", "standard", "known" and similar meanings should not be construed as limiting the described items to a given time period or at a given time. A project that is available within the art and should be understood to cover conventional, conventional, conventional, or standard techniques that are available or known at any time now or in the future. Similarly, unless expressly stated otherwise, a group of items connected to the conjunction "and" should not be construed as requiring that each of the items are present in the group and should be understood as "and/or". Similarly, unless explicitly stated otherwise, a group of items connected with the conjunction "or" should not be construed as requiring a mutual exclusivity in the group, but rather as "and/or". In addition, although elements or components of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, unless explicitly stated to the singular The plural forms are within the scope of this disclosure. The existence of extensible words or phrases such as "one or more", "at least", "but not limited to" or other similar phrases should not be construed in some instances to mean that such extended phrases are absent The situation is expected or needs to be narrower.

Claims (19)

A facial protector comprising: a panel having portions configured to protect a wearer's forehead, cheeks, lower jaw, chin, mouth, ears, and nose, the panel having a front opening, the front portion The opening is configured to be positioned over a wearer's eye and extends rearwardly over a wearer's ear over opposite sides of the face; a retainer lens secured in the front opening of the panel, the retention The lens has a front surface and a rear surface; a retainer lens opening configured to align with the wearer's eye of the one of the face protectors; and a plurality of the front surface of the retainer lens a retainer member positioned about the retainer lens opening and spaced outwardly from the retainer lens opening to define a frame having a size greater than the opening; and an outer protective lens having a shape and size substantially matched by the The frame defined by the retainer member and greater than the size of the retainer lens opening; the outer protective lens having edge portions that are spaced apart from the retainer member Releasably engaged to the outer protective lens holder is fixed to the lens over the opening. The face protector of claim 1, wherein the retainer lens opening has a generally rectangular shape, and the retainer members comprise corner members spaced outwardly from respective corners of the retainer lens Defining a rectangular frame having a size larger than the opening of the holder lens, and the outer protective lens cover has a substantially rectangular shape and substantially matching the rectangular frame, the edge portions of the outer protective lens including the retainer lens The corners of the corner members are releasably engaged. A face protector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the corner members are scrapbooked The corner of the box. A facial protector according to claim 1, wherein the retainer lens comprises an automatic darkening filter (ADF) lens. The facial protector of claim 1, further comprising: a second lens having a smaller size, located behind the retainer lens and the outer protective lens to provide a lens configuration in the lens; a cover that is located behind the second lens; and a retainer assembly configured to releasably secure the second lens and the rear cover to the retainer lens to form a fixed to the panel A lens assembly in a lens in the front opening. A facial protector according to claim 5, wherein the retainer lens and the second lens are auto-dark filter (ADF) lenses, and the outer protective lens has an at least substantially transparent material. The face protector of claim 6, further comprising a set of interchangeable automatic darkening filter (ADF) second lenses having the same shape and different shades, the second lenses being selected Sexually fixed to the first lens. The face protector of claim 1, further comprising a front cover member secured in the retainer lens opening behind the outer protective lens. A face protector according to claim 8 wherein the front cover member has an at least partially transparent material. A facial protector comprising: a panel having portions configured to protect a wearer's forehead, cheeks, lower jaw, chin, mouth, ears, and nose, the panel having a front opening, the front portion The opening is configured to be positioned over a wearer's eye and toward a wearer over opposite sides of the face The lens extends rearward; a lens assembly in the lens is secured to the front opening of the panel; the lens assembly of the lens includes: a first retainer lens secured in the front opening and at least The forehead portion of the panel is substantially flush, the first lens has a shape and size that substantially matches the shape and size of the front opening; and a second lens having a smaller size that is located behind the first lens to provide a a lens configuration in the lens; a rear cover positioned behind the second lens; and a retainer assembly configured to releasably secure the second lens and the rear cover to the first lens; The holder lens has: a front surface; a rear surface; a window portion in front of the second lens having at least substantially transparent material; and a plurality of holder members on the front surface of the holder lens Positioning around the window portion and spaced outwardly from the window portion to define a frame having a size greater than the window portion; and an outer protective lens having a shape and size substantially matched by the The frame defined by the holder member is larger than the size of the window portion of the retainer lens; the outer protective lens has an edge portion releasably engaged with the spaced apart retainer members to protect the outer portion The lens is fixed above the window portion. The face protector of claim 10, wherein the first retainer lens has an opening in front of the second lens, the opening having an inwardly spaced apart from the frame defined by the retainer members A perimeter of the window and the window portion includes a separate protective cover member releasably secured to the opening behind the outer protective lens. A lens assembly for securing to an opening in a panel of a face protector, the assembly comprising: a holder lens configured to be secured in a front opening of a panel and having a curvature that substantially matches the curvature of the panel, the holder lens having an outer surface, an inner surface, and a window; a second lens of a smaller size that is secured behind the holder lens and aligned with the window to provide a lens configuration in the lens; a plurality of holder members on the outer surface of the holder lens, Positioned around the window and spaced outwardly from the window to define a frame having a size greater than the window; and an outer protective lens having a shape and size that substantially matches the frame defined by the retainer members and greater than the window The outer protective lens has an edge portion that releasably engages the spaced apart retainer members to secure the outer protective lens over the window. The lens assembly of claim 12, wherein the retainer lens and the second lens are auto-dark filter (ADF) lenses, and the outer protective lens is located in front of the second lens, at least substantially Transparent material. The lens assembly of claim 12, wherein the window has a substantially rectangular shape and the retainer members include a corner member spaced outwardly from respective corners of the window to define a dimension greater than the window a rectangular frame, and the outer protective lens has a generally rectangular shape and substantially sized to match the rectangular frame, the edge portions of the outer protective lens comprising a corner that releasably engages a respective corner member of the retainer lens. The face protector of claim 14, wherein the corner members are corners of a scrapbook box. A face protector as claimed in claim 12, wherein the window comprises the holder mirror One of the openings in the sheet and an at least substantially transparent window member secured in the opening. A method of using a face protector having an interchangeable lens assembly, the method comprising: securing a lens assembly to a front opening of a panel that is configured to be on a wearer's face Extending upwardly to protect a wearer's forehead, cheeks, lower jaw, chin, mouth, ears, and nose, while the lens assembly protects the eye and the area surrounding the eye, the lens assembly includes at least: a first lens suitable for the The front panel of the panel is open and has a small, at least substantially transparent window that is positioned to extend in front of a wearer's eye; and a retainer member on the outer surface of the first lens, the retainers a member spaced outwardly from the window and defining a frame having a dimension greater than the window; engaging spaced edge portions of an outer protective lens having at least substantially transparent material with the retainer members to over the window Extending and protecting the window; applying the assembled face protector to a wearer's head, wherein the outer protective lens is above the window and in the wearer's eye Extending the front; wearing the face protector during an activity; removing the external protection from the first lens by removing the edge portions of the outer protective lens from the retainer members after a period of activity a lens; the removed outer protective lens is replaced with the new outer protective lens by engaging a spaced apart edge portion of a new outer protective lens with the retainer member; and due to the outer protective lens outer surface The upper wear, repeating the following steps at periodic intervals as needed: removing an outer protective lens; and replacing the removed outer protective lens with a new outer protective lens. The method of claim 17, wherein the window comprises an opening in the first lens. The method of claim 18, further comprising: releasably engaging an at least partially transparent protective cover having a size smaller than the outer protective lens into the opening of the first lens, and then the outer protective lens The retainer lens is engaged to extend over the smaller one of the openings in the first lens.