US3375529A

US3375529A - Assembly for mounting face protection devices on headgear

Info

Publication number: US3375529A
Application number: US596159A
Authority: US
Inventors: Timm Walter; Albert E Sebest
Original assignee: Mine Safety Appliances Co
Current assignee: MSA Safety Inc
Priority date: 1966-11-22
Filing date: 1966-11-22
Publication date: 1968-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 1985-04-02

Description

A rfl 2, 1958 w. TIMM ETAL ASSEMBLY FOR MOU NTIN G FACE PROTECTION DEVICES ON HEADGEAR 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 Filed Nov. 22, 1966 1 VENTORS. 44 72-2 77mm, HLBEET E J8ES7T BY J KM W April 2,. 1968 TMM ETAL 3,375,52

ASSEMBLY FOR MOUNTING FACE PROTECTION DEVICES 0N HEADGEAR Filed Nov. 22, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a f f 25"? {a 16 @Q 725% yg i #45527 5.665587. BY a 15 their 9 7" rozA/e f United States Patent 3,375,529 ASSEMBLY FOR MOUNTING FACE PROTECTION DEVICES 0N HEADGEAR Walter Timm, Pittsburgh, and Albert E. Sebest, East McKeesport, Pa., assignors to Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 596,159 6 Claims. (Cl. 28)

This invention relates to improvements in assemblies for mounting face and/or eye protection devices, such as welding helmets, faceshields, goggles, and the like on protective headgear and more particularly to assemblies in which the protection device is supported by a band that surrounds the crown of a protective headgear.

There is a wide variety of shapes, sizes and designs of protective headgear and face protective devices to be used in conjunction with protective headgear. Depending on the configuration of the particular protective headgear and face protective device to be used together, different face protector mounting points in relation to the hat are required to give optimum protection. In accordance With this invention, the face protective device is mounted on a bracket that is adjustable to a plurality of fixed positions on a band encircling the headgear, thereby providing a plurality of fixed face protector mounting points in relation to the hat.

An object of this invention is to provide an assembly for supporting face protection devices such as goggles, faceshields and welding helmets that can be removably mounted on protective headgear and is adjustable to give optimum protection to the wearer. A further object is to provide such an assembly wherein the position at which the face protective device is attached is circumferentially adjustable in relation to the protective headgear.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the assembly;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the band adjustment means taken at line II-1I of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the bracket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevation of the bracket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top elevation of the bracket;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the bracket; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the band, bracket and friction joint, including a face protection device, in position on a protective headgear.

Referring to the drawings, the assembly 1 comprises a band 2 of any material that is flexible yet sufiiciently rigid to tend to retain its shape, such as rigid vinyl, having one overlapping end 3 slidably engaged with an integral channel end 4 and spring adjustment means 5 for varying the circumference of the band. Grooves 6 on the outside of the band are adapted to engage ribs 14 to allow circumferential adjustment of brackets 7. Conventional friction joint assemblies 8 supporting faceshield 23 are removably mounted on brackets 7.

Bracket 7, as shown in FIGS. 4-7, preferably molded in one piece from any material that is flexible yet sufficiently rigid to tend to retain its shape, such as rigid vinyl, has a planar wall 9 having two slots 10 that substantially divide the lower portion of the wall 9 into two side sections 11 and a center section 12. Each of the side sections has molded therewith a lug or loop 13 by which the bracket 7 is slidably attached to band 2, and a rib 14 to intermesh with the molded grooves 6 on band 2. Center section 12 extends downwardly below side sections 11 and terminates in an inwardly extending hook 15 that engages the brim 16 of a protective headgear 17, as shown in FIG. 7. A second wall 18 is substantially parallel to and spaced from the front wall and has a key slot 19 therein to receive friction joint assembly 8. lSidewalls 20 are integral with the planar and second wa ls.

.The band 2 has an overlapping end 3 slidably engaged with integral channel end 4, the channel preferably being molded with the band. Spring 5 is secured at its ends to the band adjacent to overlapping end 3 and overlapped channel end 4 by rivets 21. The spring 5 lies in opening 22 of channel end 4, the opening serving as a guide for the spring.

In operation the face protection device is assembled to the friction joint assemblies 6, the brackets 7 are positioned on the band grooves 6 by applying hand pressure on both sides of the band grooves so as to render that portion of the band a straight line or slightly concave, so the brackets can be slidably moved to the desired position. Upon relaxation of the hand pressure, the band reverts to its normal curved position and the intermeshing of the band grooves 6 and the bracket ribs 14 firmly hold the bracket in position. The assembly is then placed over the crown of the protective headgear with the bracket center portion 12 extending toward the head gear brim and prefer-ably with the .band adjustment means 5 to the rear of the headgear. Hand pressure is then applied to the top of brackets 7 forcing the band downward over the crown until hooks 15 engage the brim 16 of the protective headgear as shown in FIG. 7. Spring 5 stretches so that the band tightly engages the crown adjacent the brim of the protective headgear. The bracket position may be readjusted by removing the assembly from the protective headgear. This is done simply by applying thumb pressure to the inside of one of the hooks 15 and pushing outwardly from the brim until the hook disengages the brim. The assembly can then be lifted off the headgear, the necessary adjustments made as above and the assembly remounted on the headgear.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle and mode of practice of our invention and have described what we now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, we desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

1. An assembly for mounting a face protection device on a protective headgear comprising:

(a) a band adapted to surround the crown of a protective headgear having opposed side portions and a plurality of circumferential-1y spaced grooves on the outer surface of said side portions,

(b) a pair of opposed brackets, each of said brackets comprising:

(1) a substantially planar wall adjacent said grooved band surface,

(2) two U-shaped lugs integral with and horizontally spaced on said wall enclosing and slidably engaging said band,

(3) at least one rib integral with said wall, normally engaging said grooves and disengaging from said grooves when the band is flexed in wardly,

whereby the bracket may be circumferentially adjusted to different fixed positions on the band.

2. An assembly as recited in claim 1 in which said planar wall'has upper and lower portions, two slots extending vertically through said lower portion and dividing said lower portion into two side sections and a center section, one said lug and one said rib being integrally formed with each said side section and and inwardly extending hook integral with said center section. i i

3. An assembly as recited in claim 1 in which each of said brackets has a second wall spaced from and substantially parallel to said planar wall and means for pivotally mounting a face protective device secured to said second wall.

4. An assembly as recited in claim 3 in which said a second wall has a top opening keyhole slot adapted to a downwardly overlapping portion, spring means secured at its ends to the band adjacent said end portions and overlying said.

overlapping portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,759,188 8/1956 Maillart 2---8 XR 3,137,005 6/1964 Herbine et al 28 XR 3,214,768 11/1965 Bohner 2-10 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,345,651 11/1963 France.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

J. R. BOLER, Examiner.

Claims

1. AN ASSEMBLY FOR MOUNTING A FACE PROTECTION DEVICE ON A PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR COMPRISING: (A) A BAND ADAPTED TO SURROUND THE CROWN OF A PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR HAVING OPPOSED SIDE PORTIONS AND A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED GROOVES ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID SIDE PORTIONS, (B) A PAIR OF OPPOSED BRACKETS, EACH OF SAID BRACKETS COMPRISING: (1) A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR WALL ADJACENT SAID GROOVED BAND SURFACE, (2) TWO U-SHAPED LUGS INTEGRAL WITH AND HORIZONTALLY SPACED ON SAID WALL ENCLOSING AND SLIDABLY ENGAGING SAID BAND, (3) AT LEAST ONE RIB INTEGRAL WITH SAID WALL, NORMALLY ENGAGING SAID GROOVES AND DISENGAGING FROM SAID GROOVES WHEN THE BAND IS FLEXED INWARDLY, WHEREBY THE BRACKET MAY BE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ADJUSTED TO DIFFERENT FIXED POSITIONS ON THE BAND.