US3516092A - Head suspension for safety hat - Google Patents

Description

June 23, 1970 H. A. RASCHKE 3,516,092

HEAD SUSPENSION FOR SAFETY HAT Filed Nov 15 1967 INVENTOR.

HERBERT A. RASCHKE ATTO RN EYS United States Patent 3,516,092 HEAD SUSPENSION FOR SAFETY HAT Herbert A. Raschke, Sausalito, Calitl, assignor to E. D. Bullard Company, Sausalito, Calif. Filed Nov. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 683,194 Int. Cl. A42b 1/08 US. Cl. 2-3 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A suspension harness for a safety hat that has flexible tabs that form the sole connection between the hat and a headband that forms a part of the suspension harness. The tabs include circumferential appendages that have posts projecting therefrom; the hat shell has holes through which the posts extend. Crown straps that crisscross over the top of the wearers head are fastened in the hat shell by the posts.

This invention relates to a head suspension harness for a safety hat that includes a headband for firmly and comfortably engaging the head of the wearer. The suspension harness is readily insertable in and removable from a rigid safety hat shell.

A head suspension system according to the present invention affords a high degree of flexibility of the headband so as to permit conformity of the headband to various shaped heads. This is achieved by providing on the headband foldable tabs that constitute the means by which the headband is secured to the interior of the rigid shell.

An object of the present invention is to provide a head suspension system that has crown straps that crisscross over the top of the wearers head to maintain a space between the wearers head and the safety hat, a head encircling band for retaining the hat on the wearers head even during movement by the wearer, and fastening members that perform the dual function of fastening both the crown straps and the headband into the hat. Conflicting desiderata exists because the crown straps preferably cross one another at about 90 (to achieve such configuration, the ends of the crown straps are fixed within the hat at uniformly spaced points) whereas the headband is preferably joined to the rigid shell at points more nearly adjacent the side of the head rather than the front and rear of the hat, since a typical head is oval shaped with the long axis extending between the front and rear of the head. The present invention provides a mounting tab for the headband that is hingedly or flexibly joined to the headband and has a horizontally extending appendage thereon so that the point of joinder of the headband to the hat is effectively toward the side of the head, whereas the point of joinder of the crown straps, which points are coextensive with the end of the above-mentioned appendage, are at uniformly spaced points around the interior of the hat.

A feature and advantage of the present invention is that only four fastening members are needed to mount both the headband and the crown straps within the hat shell.

Other objects, features and advantages will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a safety hat shell having mounted therein a head suspension system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view of the portion of the present invention that is provided for fixing the head suspension system within the safety hat shell;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a portion of FIG. 2 taken from an aspect looking into the hat shell; and

FIG. 4 is a detailed view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

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Referring more particularly to the drawing, reference numeral 12 indicates a safety hat shell that is formed of any suitable rigid material, such as injection molded thermoplastic, aluminum, steel, or the like. Carried within hat 12 in a suspension system indicated generally at 14. Suspension system 14 includes a head encircling band 16 which embraces the head of the wearer to retain shell 12 in place on the wearers head and crown straps 18 which crisscross one another over the crown of the wearers head to maintain the crown in spaced relation to the interior of the shell. Integral with and extending from the upper edge 16a of headband 16 are four mounting tabs 20, 20a, 20b, and 200. Tabs 20 and 20c constitute a rear pair of tabs; tabs 20a and 20b constitute a front pair of tabs. Each tab has at the free end thereof remote from band 16 a horizontally extending appendage 22, the appendages associated with rear tabs 20 and 20c extending rearwardly and the appendages associated with front tabs 20a and 20b extending forwardly. Because the tabs and associated appendages are substantially identical, a specific description of one, for example tab 20, will sufiice.

In FIG. 2, tab 20 is partially unfolded from its normal position with respect to headband 16 for clarity of depiction. The tab is foldable with respect to band 16 because of an elongate thin portion 24 which extends across the base of the tab in linear alignment with the upper edge 16a of the headband so as to form a hingelike construction. Thin portion 24 can be formed by excising a portion of the material at the appropriate location or, in the case in which headband 16 is formed by injection molding of a thermoplastic material, by providing appropriate convexities in the die or mold used to so form the headband. FIG. 3 shows in broken lines that headband 16 can hingedly move with respect to tab 20 so that the headband will flex into conformity with the wearers head without undue pressure or discomfort to the wearer.

At the free end of each appendage 22 and spaced horizontally rearwardly from the main body of tab 20 is a post 26 having an enlargment or head 28 at the free end thereof. Hat 12 has a hole 30 therethrough that has a diameter larger than post 26 and smaller than head 28 so that when the head is forced through the hole, the tab 20 and headband 16 are retained in place within the hat. As shown in FIG. 2, enlarged head 28 is preferably formed with a converging or frusto-conical head so as to simplify insertion of head 28 through hole 30. Because hole 30 has a larger inner diameter than post 26, a certain degree of pivotable movement about the central axis of hole 30 is provided; such pivotable movement contributes further to the comfort afforded by a suspension system of the present invention.

Each crown strap 18, at the opposite ends thereof, is formed with one or more holes 32 that have a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of hole 30 in hat 12 so as to receive therethrough post 26. Thus, crown straps 18 are fixed with respect to hat 12 so that the crown of the wearers head is spaced by an appropriate distance from the inside of the hat. Because plural holes 32 are formed in the end of crown straps 18, adjustability to accommodate various shaped heads is provided.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, holes 30 and the ends of crown straps 18 are spaced more or less uniformly around the periphery of hat 12 so that the crown straps intersect one another centrally of the hat at an angle not too different from a right angle. Accordingly, the support of the hat at a safe distance above the crown of the wearers head is assured. However, the mounting of headband 16, because it is achieved through tabs 20, appendages 22, and posts 26, affords a high degree of flexibility so that the band can flex or bend into conformity with the wearers head. Therefore, a high degree of comfort is achieved as is uniform pressure around the entire periphery of the headband so as to firmly secure the hat onto the wearers head. Because of the flexibility afforded by thin portion 24, the headband can move inwardly to conform with flat areas of substantial length that frequently exist along the side of many heads.

Thus, it will be seen that the present invention provides a relatively simple headband suspension system which can be conveniently formed from injection molded thermoplastic material. In so forming the suspension system, no sacrifices in comfort, safety or firmness of mounting are made, a a consequence of which the hat is retained securely and comfortably on the wearers head. The extreme flexibility makes the suspension system usable on heads of virtually any size or shape. These characteristics are extremely important in encouraging persons in hazardous locations to wear appropriate safety gear.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a rigid safety hat, a suspension system for supporting said hat on the head of a wearer comprising a head encircling band having an inner surface and an outer surface, means for adjusting the band to embrace the wearers head so that the inner surface resides in circumscribing relationship thereto, said band having front and rear pairs of mounting tabs projecting from the upper edge thereof, said tabs being mounted for hinged movement relative said band about a generally horizontal axis coterminous with the upper edge of said band so that the tabs can be folded to an operative position in approximate. parallel confronting relation to the outer surface of said band, each said tab having a circumferentially extending appendage integral therewith at the extremity thereof remote from said band, the appendages on said rear tabs extending rearwardly therefrom and the appendages on said front tabs extending forwardly therefrom, and means on said appendages connecting said tabs to said safety hat interior and retaining the tabs in the operative position.

.2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises a post extending generally perpendicular from said appendage, an enlargement on the free end of said post, and a portion of said safety hat defining a hole having an internal diameter less than said enlargement and greater than said post.

3. The invention of claim 2 in combination with a pair of said crown straps reside between said appendages and spacing the crown of the wearers head from the interior of the safety hat, said crown straps having holes therethrough for engagement with said posts so that the ends of said crown straps reside between said appendages and said safety hat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,317,954 4/1943 Deike 23 2,822,546 2/1958 Barker 23 3,025,525 3/ 1962 Larson 2-3 3,137,859 6/1964 Zbikowski 2 3 JAMES R. BOLER, Primary Examiner

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