US1244559A

US1244559A - Protective helmet.

Info

Publication number: US1244559A
Application number: US13389416A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence La Fayette Stocks
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1916-11-28
Filing date: 1916-11-28
Publication date: 1917-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 1934-10-30

Description

C. LA F STOCKS.

PHOTECUVE HELMET. APPLICATION FILED vuov. 2s

7 l nu E n H s m: n m P ammu- 'CL RENoE I... mclts,

-; r D STA PROTECTIVE HELMET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Oct. 30, 1917.

Application filed November 28, 1916. Serial No. 133,894.

\ To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE L. S'rooKs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Blue Ridge, in the county of Fannin and State of Georgia, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Protective Helmets, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to wearing apparel and more particularly to protective helmets, my object being to provide a helmet capable of efiectively protecting the head, face and neck against flying shell fragments and other missiles, and one capable of materially retarding bullets,- shrapnel and the like so as to reduce head, face and neck wounds as far as it is possible to do so by the employment of means to that end of the general type specified.

Generally speaking my invention aims to provide a helmet consisting of inner and outer casings resiliently spaced apart, together with means whereby to support the inner casing upon the head of the wearer and in spaced relation.

In the accompanying ing my invention,

Figure l isa vertical section through the helmet illustrating the same in position for practical use;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation with one of the front closing shutters in open position;

Fig. 4 is a detail elevation looking at the lower inner portions of the connected shutters;

Fig. 5 is a detail section of a portion of the guide for the upper edges of the shutters;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail illustrating in perspective one of the connecting springs of the inner and outer casings, and.

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through a portion of a head-band illustrating a slightly modified form as compared to that shown in the remaining figures.

Referring now to these figures, my invention provides an outer casing 10, an inner casing 11 within and in spaced relation to the outer casing, and a head-band 12 within the inner casing for holding the helmet upon the head of the wearer and maintaining the inner casing in thereto.

' The outer casing is of bell shaped condrawings illustratspaced relation struction, formed in one piece of rigid material, preferably light in weight, with a flaring lower edge 13, which as seen in Fig. 1 is intended in use to extend downwardly a sufiicient distance to protect the neck of the wearer, as Well as his head, the front of the casing 10 being cut away to form an opening exposing the eyes and lower portions of the face of the wearer, as indicated at 14: in Figs. 1 and 3.

The outer casing 10 is further provided 15 secured in horizontal position across its front portion above its front opening 14, the upper portion 16 of which guide strip, as seen in Fig. 5, is offset to receive thereon the upper inwardly bent edges 17 of laterally sliding guide shutters 18, by movement of which toward one another, the front opening of the outer casing 10 may be entirely closed. The upper portions of these shutters 18 are preferably provided with suitably covered sight which the wearer may have view with the shutters closed. In shape the shutters 18 conform, lower portion of the casing 10, their lower edges 20 being bent around the lower edge of the outer casing so that with their upper edges 17 in engagement with the guide strip 15, the shutters will be effectively displacement and their lateral held against to open and closed posisliding movement tions provided for.

On its inner face adjacent its inner free edge, and near the lower end thereof, one of the shutters 18 is provided with a rigid hook 21, the other shutter having a similarly disposed hook 22 for engagement with the hook 21 and loosely pivoted at its rear end at 23 to the respective shutter for this purpose, the movable hook 22 being controlled by a spring 24 and being extended through a bracket 25 secured to the respective shutter and into which the extremity of the hook 21 projects when the hooks are in engaged position in order to prevent their lateral shifting out of contact with one another, all as plainly seen in Fig. 4:, the movable hook also having a pin 26 forming a handle extending outwardly through an arcuate slot 27 in the respective shutter so that the movable hook may be released from the exterior.

The inner casing 11 is supported in spaced relation to the outer casing 10, and yield-;

openings 19, through so a 'with a transversely extending guide strip of course, to the curvature of the ingl connected thereto by .a plurality of U-shaped springs 28 extending in a series around its lower edge, the lower edge of the innercasing being terminated as clearly seen in Fig. 1 some distance above the lower edge of the outer casing, and the upper central portion of the inner casing 11 being connected to the outer casing by a helical spring 29.

The inner casing 11 is in forward and

rear sections

30 and 31, the latter of which is provided with slots 32 at its sides and top as seen in Fig. 2, through which adjustable clamping screws 33 of the forward section project, in order that these sections may be adjusted relatively to one another and rigidly secured in adjusted position for a purpose to be presently described and to which end the inner ends of the U-shaped springs 28, the outer ends of which are rigidly secured to the outer casing 10, are adjustably held in slots 34: around the lower edge of the inner casing 11.

The head-hand 12 is similarly in front and rear sections 35 and 36 so that by the adjustment of the

sections

30 and 31 of the inner casing 11, the sections 35 and 36 ofthe head-band 12 may be adjusted to snugly fit around the head of the wearer as seen in Fig. 1, the head-band being connected to .the inner surface of the inner casing 11 and spaced therefrom at the same time, by a plurality of connecting studs 37. As seen in Fig. l, the head-band is preferably covered with a relatively soft covering in order to prevent chafing the wearer and as seen in Fig. 7 the head-band 38 may, in addition to its inner covering 39 be connected to a reticulated inner head covering 40 to snugly embrace the head within and out of contact with the inner casing 11.

It is obvious that ahelmet constructed as described may be comfortably worn and readily assumed and removed, in addition to its protective qualities.

It is furthermore obvious that with the inner and outer casings spaced from each other and each spaced from the head of the wearer, formed of suitable tough rigid material, the progress of bullets, shrapnel, shell fragments and other fissiles will be materially and efiectively retarded and the number of head wounds in time of war greatly reduced.

It is further obvious that with a protective helmet as proposed by my invention, the

naeaeee 34 by virtue of slits 3? at the ends of the 1 slots, all as seen in Fig. 6.

The inner casing 11 may, if so desired, have side slots to receive the ends of a chin strap and the like, for holding the helmet securely in position, one of which slots appears in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

I claim 1. A protective helmet comprising inner and outer casings the former of which is adjustable with respect to the latter, resilient means connecting said casings in spaced relation, and rigid head-engaging means spaced within the inner casing and in sections carried by and adjustable with the inner casing.

2. A protective helmet comprising inner and outer casings, a rigid head-band spaced from and within and carried by the inner casing, said head-band and said inner casing being formed in sections, and means for adjustably connecting the sections of the inner casing whereby to adjust the said head-band to fit the head of the wearer.

3. A protective helmet including inner and outer casings, the inner casing of which is formed in relatively adjustable sections, springs connecting the said casings and re siliently spacing the same apart, said springs being rigidly secured to the outer casing and having adjustable engagement with the sections of the inner casing, and a rigid headband spaced from and within the inner casing and in sections carried by and adjustable with, the sections of said inner casing.

4. A protective helmet comprising inner and outer casings resiliently connected in spaced relation, the inner casing of which is sectional and adjustable and provided with an inner sectional head-band adjustable therewith, and the outer casing of which is provided with a lower flaring portion depending below the inner casing and provided with an opening at its forward portion.

- 5. A protective helmet comprising inner and outer casings resiliently connected in spaced relation, the inner casing of which is provided with an inner head-band, and the.

outer casing of which is provided with a lower flaring-portion depending below the inner casing and provided with an opening at its forward portion, and laterally sliding closures for closing the said front opening, provided with sight apertures.

CLARENCE LA FAYETTE STOCKS. Witnesses:

J. C. STANBU'RY, H. G. Srom.