US2644161A - Welder's helmet - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 1953 A. MEYER WELDER'S HELMET- Filed Feb. 15, 1952 M I I I I I I I I I I I I I n I INVENTOR AESL/E n. Msvse,

Patented July 7, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WELDERS HELMET Leslie A. Meyer, Mill Creek, Ind.

Application February15, 1952, Serial No. 271,685

V 2 Claims. (01. 2--8) This invention relates to protective hoods or helmets of the type used by welders.

It is a matter of some inconvenience to the user when a helmet of the type stated is being worn to adjust the helmet between one position in which the conventional dark window provided therein is in the line of vision, and another position in which the line of vision is not clouded by said dark window.

Accordingly, the main object of the resent invention is to provide a helmet of the character described, wherein a dark window is slidably mounted upon the helmet, said dark window being shiftable between one position in which it is in registry with a clear window incorporated in the helmet construction, and another position in which it is out of registry with said clear window and permits the user to look directly through said clear window without impairment of the visibility of the object being viewed.

Another important object is to provide a helmetconstruction, as stated, wherein the dark window is normally retained in a position out of registry with the clear window, but is readily shiftable to an operative, registering position through the medium of a linkage which is actuated by closing of the users mouth.

Yet another important object is to provide a helmet, as stated, wherein the linkage is so designed as to be readily swung out of the users mouth to permit conversation, said linkage being automatically swung back into the mouth when the user opens his mouth to a predetermined extent.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of a helmetformed in accordance. with the present invention, portions of said helmet being broken away;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the inside of the helmet, said helmet being illustrated fragmentarily;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2; v V Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the invention includes a shield which, so far as its general configuration is concerned, is of conventional appearance, said shield including side walls In, a front wall l2, and a top portion l4.

Formed in the front wall [2 is a rectangular aperture l6, adapted to provide a window opening through which the work may be viewed. A peripherally flanged, rectangular, outer window frame has been generally designated [8 and is fixedly secured to the outer surface of the front wall l2. The outer window frame I8 extends around the opening 16, and mounted in said outer window frame is a clear transparency 20. Suitable gaskets or equivalent means are employed to fixedly secure the transparency 20 within the outer window frame, so that said frame and its associated clear transparency are adapted to provide a fixed view window in the front wall l2.

A flat, rectangular main'plate 22 (Figure 2) is fixedly mounted upon the inner surface of the front wall l2, and has its opposite, vertically dis posed side edges turned inwardly toward one another to form parallel, vertical guide channels 24.

A dark window is slidably mounted in said guide channels 24 for movement into and out of registry with the fixed view window. The dark window includes'an inner window frame 26 having its respective side edges extended outwardly (Figure 4) to form guide flanges 28 slidably received within the respective guide channels.

As may be noted from Figure 4, the inner window frame 26 is recessed inwardly, so as to be provided with a back wall spaced inwardly from the main plate 22. window frame, in this connection, is formed with a rectangular opening 30 providing a sight opening for the user.

A dark transparency 32 is mounted within the inner window frame 26, and is provided with a peripheral reinforcement 34 extending fully therearound.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 4, I provide a pair of bowed springs 36, these being disposed within the inner window frame and being arranged vertically at opposite sides of the said inner frame. The medial portions of the springs 36 engage the apertured back wall of the inner window frame, while the opposite ends of said springs exert pressure against the upper and lower edges of the peripherally reinforced transparency 32, tending to retain said transparency in engagement with the main plate 22.

' Integral .or otherwise made rigid with the upper "edge ,of the inner window frame at opposite ends of said upper edge are coaxial, horizontally disposed sleeves 38 (Figure 2) receiving outwardly directed, lateral extensions 40 formed upon the lower'ends of the legs 42 of a hanger generally designated 44. The hanger 44 is of The back wall of the inner inverted U shape and has its bight portion 46 horizontally disposed and arranged transversely of the front wall I2 of the shield.

By reason of the construction so far described, it will be apparent that the hanger 44 is pivotally connected at its lower end to the dark window, so that upward movement of the bight 46 of the hanger through an arcuate path will be effective to shift the dark window upwardly within its associated guide channels 24. i

Embracing the bight 46'of the hanger medially between opposite ends of said bight is a. collar 48 Y which is rotatable relative to the bight, said collar being integral with the outer end of an arm 50 (Figures 1 and 3). The arm 50, at its inner end, is brazed, or otherwise rigidly seeurd, to"

the medial portion of a crank52disposed medially between the opposite ends of a crankshaft 54.

In carrying out the invention, I dispose the crankshaft 54 horizontally, and journal it at opposite ends in aligned bearing openings formed the outer ends of the support brackets 56. The. support brackets 55 are integral or otherwisemade rigid with the upper end of the main plate 22 at the corners of said main plate, and extend horizontally and rearwardly therefrom.

:Rigidly secured to the opposite end portions of the crankshaft 54 are crank arms 58 which, when swung upwardly or downwardly, wil be operative to rotate the crankshaft. As a. result, the crank 52 will be swung upwardly or downwardly as the case may be, thus to shift the hanger 44 and move the dark window into and outIof registry with the fixed view window.

As will be noted from Figure 1, the respective crank arms 56 are provided with longitudinal series of openings 60, any of which can receive the outwardly extended upper ends 62 of a pair of upstanding push rods 54. At their lower ends the push rods 64 are connected "to the opposite ends of a horizontally disposed'crossbar 66 extending transversely between the 'push rods, and mounted upon the crossbar is a corrugated mouthpiece B8 of elongated, cylindrical formation. i

will be readily noted, the mouthpiece 6B is adapted to be received within the mouth of a user shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, and when disposed within the mouth, seats against the lower jaw. As a result, closing of the users mouth is effective to shift the push rods upwardly, said upward movement of the push rods being translated into upward swinging movement of'the crank arms 58. The end result is thus obtained of shifting the dark window into registry with the clear view window, thus to posi= tion the dark window for welding operations.

Intermediate the oposit e ends of one of the push rods I fixedly secure to said push rod a laterally extended car 10, to which is connected the upper end of an expansion spring 12, the lower end of which is hooked in a lug 14 rigidly secured tothe main plate 2 2. The spring 12 normally urges thepush rods downwardly, and as a result will tend to. retain the dark window in a normal, inoperative position illustrated in Figure 1. I

As will be noted from Figur 1, the spring 1'2 is arranged longitudinally of th'e push rods; but is spaced away therefrom, and this arrangement has the result of swinging the push rods to the left-in Figure that is, away fromthe front wall l2, when the spring is snowe to-"contract. Ac

cordingly, I provide a stop l5'rigidly' secured to I V I i 7 '75 the main plate 22', saidsto'p beingadapted to d. limit swinging movement of its associated push rod to the left in Figure 1, that is, into the users mouth.

Fixedly mounted upon the main plate 22 at the lower end of said main plate is a vertically disposed support 16, said support being disposed medially between the guide channels 24. A horizontally arranged bit 18 is fixedly attached at one end by a screw 80, or its equivalent, to the upper end of the support 16. The other end of the bit 18 is extended upwardly, so as to hook Within the upper jaw of the user, thus to stabilize the entire helmet while said helmet is being worn.

I ,The mouthpiece 68, push rods 64, crank arms end of which is connected to the dark window,

'and the other end of which is proportioned to be received in the mouth of a user, said linkage being'mounted for up-an'd-down movement to shift the dark window into and out of registry with the clear, fixed view window. In a manner which has heretofore been made apparent, said linkage, when the users mouth is closed, will be given its upward movement to shift the dark window to an operative, registering position. On opening of the mouth, the spring 12 is permitted to exert its contracting action, and will return the linkage and dark window to the lower position thereof while holding the mouthpiece 68 in firmly seated position upon the lower jaw of the user.

Should the user desire to remove the mouthpiece from the position, in which it is illustrated in the drawing so as to permit a conversation to be held, he can readily eject the mouthpiece from his mouth, allowing it to seat upon his chin. Subsequently, when it is again desired to take the mouthpiece into the mouth, the user need only open his mouth wide, as a result of which the spring 12 tending to contract further, will pull downwardly upon the arm 10 and will bias the associated push rod 64 to the left in Figure 1, thus to automatically reinsert the mouthpiece.

It is considered to be an important characteristic of the invention that it provides a mouthcontrolled welde'rs helmet, wherein closing of the m o'utli'will instantaneously shift the dark window to an operativeposition for the performance of welding operations with opening of the mouth being similarly effective in causing instantaneous movement of the dark window to the inoperative position illustrated in Figure 1. This permits the operation to be performed at greater speed, the hands of the worker being left free and the inconvenience normally suffered through the necessity of badly moving the helmet and its conventional harness being completely absent- It is believed apparent that the inventionis not necessarily confined to the specific use vor uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carr out said principles, it being considered that the invention 'comprehends any minor changes in construction parallel, vertical guide channels mounted on the inner surface of said front wall at opposite sides of the view window; a dark window having its opposite side edges slidable in said guide channels for up-and-down sliding movement of the dark window into and out of registry with the View window; a vertically shiftable linkage connected at one end to said dark window and having its other end proportioned to be received. in the mouth of a user, said linkage being arranged for vertical movement, responsive to a closing of the mouth, to aposition effective to shift said dark window into registry with the view window, said linkage including a hanger connected to the dark window, a crankshaft rotatably mounted on the shield. a crank on said shaft operatively connected to the hanger for shifting of the hanger responsive to rotation of the shaft, a crank arm on the shaft, an upstanding push rod connected at its upper end to the crank arm for translating up-and-down movement of the push rod into rotatable movement of the shaft, and a mouthpiece on the lower end of the rod adapted to extend into the users mouth to seat against the lower jaw thereof; and a spring anchored at one end to the shield and having its other end connected to said linkage, said spring being arranged to normally urge the dark window to a position out of registry with the view window.

2. A welders helmet comprising: a shield including a front wall adapted to protect the face of a user and formed with a fixed view window; parallel, vertical guide channels mounted on the inner surface of said front wall at opposite sides of the view window; a dark window having its opposite side edges sidable in said guide channels for up-and-down sliding movement of the dark 6 window into and out of registry with the View window; a vertically shiftable linkage connected at one end tosaid dark window and having its other end proportioned to be receivedin the mouth of a user, said linkage being arranged for vertical movement, responsive to a closing of the mouth, to a position effective to shift said dark window into registry with the view window, the linkage including a generally vertical hanger connected at its lower end to the dark window, a crankshaft rotatably and horizontally mounted on the shield, a crank on said shaft operatively connected to the upper end of the hanger for shifting of the hanger responsive to rotation of the shaft, a crank arm rigid with the shaft, an upstanding push rod pivotally connected at its upper end to the crank arm for translating upand-down movement of the push rod into rotatable movement of the shaft, and a mouthpiece on the lower end of the rod adapted to extend into the users mouth to seat against the lower jaw thereof; and a spring anchored at one end to the shield and having its other end connected to said linkage, said spring being arranged to normally urge the dark window to a position out of registry with the view window.

LESLIE A. MEYER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany Feb. 7, 1928

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