HEAD COVERING INCLUDING AN INNER HELMET PROVIDED WITH AUDIO EQUIPMENT
The present invention relates to a head covering provided with a mounting device, in which one or more electrical units, such as audio playback equipment, a transmitter- receiver, a radio receiver, a transponder or the like are present .
The present invention furthermore relates to an inner helmet for use in such a head covering, to a built-in kit for said head covering or for an inner helmet, and to a control unit for controlling one or more electrical units in the head covering.
Such a head covering is known from German utility model DE 200 16 247 Ul . From the said document a head covering comprising one or more electrical units is known, which units are exchangeably provided in at least one mounting device. As a result of the exchangeability of the electrical units, the same head covering can be used with varying units and be individualised whilst carrying the same advertising material. The mounting device can be in the form of a bag, which may or may not be closable, or in the form of a hook or an eye, whilst the head covering may be a hat, a (protective) helmet, a cap or the like. One drawback of the known head covering is the fact that the electrical units, which are usually fairly costly and which have a high reproduction quality, are loose and unprotected in the known mounting device. In the case of an external blow or impact, this may cause injury to the person wearing the head covering or to the person or the goods with whom (which) the wearer comes into contact, but it may also cause damage to the various electrical units that are being carried along.
The object of the present invention is to increase the wearing comfort of a head covering provided with electrical units, but it is also an object of the present invention to enhance the safety of the wearer of the head covering on the one hand and of external persons and goods on the other hand, and to limit the damage that may be caused under certain circumstances.
In order to accomplish that objective, the head covering according to the invention is characterised in that the mounting device comprises a mounting slide fitted in a recess in the head covering. The advantage of the head covering according to the invention is that the head covering has become multifunctional, since it envelopes the mounting slide, within which the usually costly electrical units are well- protected now, whilst it also protects external persons and goods from being injured by units that might come loose in the case of a blow or an impact. In addition to that, the wearer of the head covering will not experience any inconvenience caused by a relatively small additional weight of the electrical units, because they are properly secured within the mounting slide whilst they are furthermore surrounded by protective head covering material in which the recess has been formed by removing material .
If the head covering is a two-piece unit, consisting of an outer helmet and an inner helmet, the mounting device accordingly comprises a mounting slide fitted in a recess in the inner helmet.
One preferred embodiment of the head covering according to the invention is characterised in that one or more
electrical units comprise remote control means, a control portion of which forms a separate unit associated with the head covering.
It is advantageous that the separate control unit can be carried along in a person's pocket but also be mounted on a vehicle, for example, such as a bicycle, if desired, or even be combined with, for example, a speedometer, if desired, whilst suitably programming unused control elements thereof, such as touch controls.
Another preferred embodiment concerns a separate built-in kit to be sold in retail businesses, for example, which is suitable for being built into the head covering or the inner helmet, which built-in kit comprises a mounting device in the form of a mounting slide provided with one or more electrical units and, for example, mounting instructions .
The built-in kit furthermore comprises one or more electrical units to be fitted in the mounting slide, such as one or more pieces of audio equipment, for example audio reproducing equipment, a transmitter-receiver, a radio receiver, a transponder, an antenna, a power supply unit, sound reproducing means, remote control means and/or a control unit for said remote control means.
Further possible embodiments of the present invention are defined in the successive independent claims.
The present invention and its further advantages will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which like parts are indicated by the same reference numerals in the various figures. In the drawing:
Figure 1 is a rear view of a possible embodiment of the head covering according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a view, partially in section, of the head covering of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a view of a mounting slide for use in the head covering according to Figures 1 or 2.
Figures 1 and 2 show a head covering 1 which can be worn when carrying out work, for example, or when practising various sports. The illustrated head covering 1 is a one- piece unit. In those cases where the head covering is a two-piece unit consisting of an outer helmet and an inner helmet, however, the term head covering 1 is understood to mean the inner helmet. The illustrated head covering 1 has a double shell, namely an inner shell 2 and an outer shell 3. It is also possible not to use an outer shell 3. The inner shell 2 is generally made of an energy-absorbing material, such as a plastic, for example polystyrene or polyurethane, compressed cork or the like, which is used to make the inner shell 2 impact-resistant. Various recesses 4 are formed in the shell 2, which function to accommodate electrical units 5 therein. Examples of electrical units are: audio equipment, such as an amplifier, an equaliser, a (mini) cassette or CD-player, a memory chip reader, a transmitter-receiver, a radio receiver, a transponder, an antenna, a power supply unit and/or sound reproducing means, such as loudspeakers, headphones or earplugs. Electrical units 5 that are associated with each other are contained in one or more mounting slides 6. In the embodiment as shown in figures 1 and 2, the mounting slide 6 is fitted in a recess 4 formed at least on the rear side of the head covering 1. The electrical units 5 in question are fitted in the mounting slide. Preferably, the units 5 are secured therein by
means of a snap-in connection or a safety catch connection 7 - see figure 3 -which enables easy exchanging of the units 5 whilst the units 5 are nevertheless firmly anchored therein. Thus they will not come loose as a result of a blow or an impact caused by a fall in the case of an accident, for example, whilst on the other hand they will not cause any damage since the units 5 are surrounded by material from which the head covering 1 is made. Furthermore, the protective function of the head covering 1 is not adversely affected by the presence of the electrical units 5 in the mounting slide 6.
One or more antenna windings 9 of, for example, a ring antenna can be fitted in recesses in the form of slots 8, whilst a headphone and the wires extending thereto can be fitted in transverse slots 10. A separate recess 4 is formed on the side of the head covering 1 for the purpose of accommodating batteries or electrical cells. If one or more solar cells are arranged on the outer surface of the head covering 1, the separate recess 4 can be left out, if desired. The solar cells may also be combined with, for example, a rechargeable battery, so that the use of one or more electrical units does not depend on the presence of sufficient sunshine. In the illustrated embodiment, control buttons or keys Tl .. T3 are present on the rear side of the head covering 1, for example for tuning to a transmitter or for adjusting the desired sound level of the sound reproducing means, such as loudspeakers, headphones or earplugs.
In one preferred embodiment (not shown) one or more of the electrical units 5 may comprise remote control means. The control portion thereof, which is associated with the head covering 1, can be carried along as a separate unit or, for example when biking, be mounted on the bicycle, or be
combined with other appliances that are present, such as pulse rate metres or speedometers.
The various components and units that are described herein can be marketed as modular built-in kits, so that the user can build the desired combination of units into the thus individualised head covering himself or herself, or have it built into said head covering, in a safe manner with the aid of mounting instructions supplied with the kit.