ZA200905495B - Eye protection apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to eye protection apparatus which can be used together with a safety helmet.

[0002] The wearing of a safety helmet is mandatory in many situations. What is _ often disregarded though is eye protection. A practical problem, in offering eye protection, is that a full visor attached to a safety helmet is cumbersome and in many situations is not required. If a user wears goggles then these are either in the nature of spectacles i.e. safety glasses or the goggles are held on the user's head by means of a strap. The removal and storage of these types of eye shields, when a user wearing a helmet, can be bothersome.

[0003] It is to be borne in mind that an eye shield is not necessarily required to be worn at all times. It is therefore desirable for the user to have the capability of moving the eye shield, with relative ease, between an operative position and an inoperative position. A further factor is that facial structure can vary considerably from person to person. It is therefore desirable to be able to adjust the way in which an eye shield is used to avoid discomfort to a user.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide eye protection apparatus which at least partly meets one or more of the aforementioned requirements. oo

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The invention provides eye protection apparatus for use with a safety helmet which includes a head section with a front end, a rear end, first and : second opposing sides and first and second attachment formations respectively 5 .on the first and second sides, the apparatus including a first support member which is engageable with the first attachment formation, to extend towards the front end and which is formed with a first elongate slot, a second support member which is engageable with the second attachment formation, to extend towards the front end and which is formed with a second elongate slot, a first fastener which is engaged with the first slot, a second fastener which is engaged with the second slot, and an eye shield which has first and second formations respectively engageable with the first and second fasteners thereby to be positioned between the support members, and wherein the fasteners are slidable relative to the slots thereby to position the eye shield at a selected position relative to the head section.

[0006] Preferably the fasteners define an axis about which the eye shield is pivotally movable, at least to a limited extent, thereby to adjust the orientation of the eye shield relative to the head section,

[0007] Each support member may include a respective securing formation which is engageable with a clip action with the respective fastening formation, and an extension piece, in which the slot is formed, which projects from the securing formation towards the front end and downwardly, away from the head section,

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oc Page 4 and which has an elongate portion and an end portion inclined, relative to the elongate portion, towards the other support member. ) [0008] The invention also provides a support member for use to attach an eye . shield to a safety helmet which includes an integral body with first and second ends and first and second spaced apart hook formations at the first end which are resiliently deflectable to a limited extent towards each other, and wherein the ~ body includes an elongate slot which extends towards the second end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The invention is further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is a view from one side of eye protection apparatus according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows a safety helmet with the eye protection apparatus attached to it, from one side, - 15 Figure 3 is a side view of a support member included in the eye protection apparatus,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the support member,

Figure 5 is a plan view of the support member,

Figure 6 is an end view of the support member,

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. £® Page 5 - Figure 7 is a side view of the safety helmet and eye protection apparatus shown in Figure 2 worn by a user with an eye shield in a lowered position, . Figure 8 is a front view of the helmet and eye protection apparatus with the eye shield in a lowered position, and

Figures 9 and 10 are similar to Figures 7 and 8 respectively but with the eye shield in a raised position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0010] Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates, from one side, eye protection apparatus 10 according to the invention which includes an eye shield 12 and first and second support members 14 and 16 engaged with the eye shield at respective opposing ends. In Figure 1 only the support member 14 is visible.

An inspection of Figures 8 and 10 shows that the eye protection apparatus is essentially symmetrical about a central axis and that the second support member 16 is a mirror image of the member 14.

[0011] The eye shield 12 is made from an appropriate protective plastics material. It is configured with a body 20 which can be positioned in front of a user's eyes — see Figure 7, and has a central recess 22 to accommodate a user's nose.

[0012] The support member 14 is shown in various views in Figures 3 to 6. The support member has an integrally formed body 24 with an extension piece, which in use, projects forwardly and downwardly. The extension piece has a relatively ‘ P.22187/bjt large first body portion 26 and a comparatively small second body portion 28 — see Figure 5. The first body portion, viewed in plan as is shown in Figure 5, lies in a first plane and the second body portion 28 lies in a second plane which is inclined to the first plane.

[0013] The body has a first end 30 and a rounded opposed end 32. An attachment formation 34 is positioned at the first end 30. The attachment formation includes first and second outwardly extending spaced apart hook : formations 36 and 38 with an intervening strip 40. The body 14 is made from a slightly resilient material which allows the hook formations 36 and 38 to be resiliently deflected to a limited extent towards each other. The strip 40 prevents excessive movement of the formations towards each other — an occurrence which could cause the hook formations to fracture from the remainder of the body. An elongate slot 42 is formed in the body.

[0014] The second support member 16 is similar to the first support member 14 and is not described in detail. However the second support member 16, the body portion 28 is angled relative to the body portion 26 in an opposite direction to what is shown in Figure 5.

[0015] First and second fasteners 44 are engaged respectively with the slots 42 in the first and second support members. The fasteners are identical to each other. Each fastener has a short screw section 46 to which a washer 48 is mounted and with which a nut 50, which is easily actuable by a user, is threadedly engaged. The screw section is passed through a hole in an end of

P.22187/bjt the eye shield with the washer bearing on what, in use, is an inner side of the body of the eye shield. The screw section is positioned inside the corresponding slot 30 and the nut 50 is on an outer side of the body portion. - [0016] The apparatus 10 is intended to be used with a safety helmet 60 of appropriate design. Typically this type of helmet has a head section 62 with a front end 64, a rear end 66, and opposing sides 68 and 70. In this instance 2 rim 72, of fairly complex shape, surrounds the lower edge of the head section and forms a peak 74 at the front end 64. First and second attachment formations 76 and 78 respectively are formed in the sides 68 and 70. Each formation is in the nature of a narrow elongate slot 80 formed in the rim at a junction of the rim and the corresponding slide. The securing formation 34 of a support member can be engaged with the slot by urging the hook formations 36 and 38 towards each other so that the formations can enter the slot 80. They then expand, due to the natural resilience of the material from which they are made, and engage securely with the slot. Further upwards movement of the support member relative to the helmet is inhibited by means of a small shoulder 82 at a base of the formation 38 and by an angled projecting edge 84 of the body portion 26 at a junction of a base of the member 36.

[0017] The eye protection apparatus 10 is thus easily engaged with a conventional safety helmet.

[0018] The eye shield can be adjusted in two dimensions, namely in a longitudinal sense relative to the support members and angularly relative to the

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Co Ct Page 8 : support members. In each instance the fasteners 44 are slackened slightly. In the first case the fasteners are then moved longitudinally within the respective slots to a desired position. In the second case the body of the eye shield is pivoted, as required, about an axis which extends through the opposed screw sections of the fasteners. Co

[0019] it is therefore possible for a user to adjust the eye shield with ease between an operative position, as shown in Figures 7 and 8 in which the shield is positioned over a user's eyes, and an inoperative position shown in Figures 9 and 10 in which the shield is elevated and does not obstruct viewing. In each case the adjustment is such that account can be taken of the user's facial structure.

[0020] The eye protection apparatus of the invention is lightweight and is readily attached to a conventional helmet. It can be moved to an operative position by a user when required with ease and, when not required, can be moved to an inoperative position although it still remains engaged with the helmet.

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Claims (5)

000408 48 9 _ Ql CLAIMS

1. Eye protection apparatus for use with a safety helmet which includes a head section with a front end, a rear end, first and second opposing sides } and first and second attachment formations respectively on the first and second sides, the apparatus including a first support member which is engageable with the first attachment formation, to extend towards the front end and which is formed with a first elongate siot, a second support member which is engageable with the second attachment formation, to extend towards the front end and which is formed with a second elongate slot, a first fastener which is engaged with the first slot, a second fastener which is engaged with the second slot, and an eye shield which has first : and second formations respectively engageable with the first and second fasteners thereby to be positioned between the support members, and wherein the fasteners are slidable relative to the slots thereby to position the eye shield at a selected position relative to the head section.

2. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the fasteners define an axis about which the eye shield is pivotally movable, at least to a limited extent, thereby to adjust the orientation of the eye shield relative to the head section.

3. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 wherein each support member includes a respective securing formation which is engageable ‘ with a clip action with the respective fastening formation, and an extension

P.22187/bjt oo | : Page 10 piece, in which the slot is formed, which projects from the securing formation towards the front end and downwardly, away from the head section.

4. Eye protection apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the extension piece has an elongate portion and an end portion inclined, relative to the elongate portion, towards the other support member.

5. A support member for use to attach an eye shield to a safety helmet which includes an integral body with first and second ends and first and second spaced apart hook formations at the first end which are resiliently deflectable to a limited extent towards each other, and wherein the body includes an elongate slot which extends towards the second end. DATED this 6" day of AUGUST 2009 McCALLUM ol EYER & FREIMOND Patent Agents fol the Applicant

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