Safety helmet face shield

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Safety helmets such as those worn by police officers, motor- ⁵cyclists, drivers and the like, have conventionally been provided with various forms of face shields to protect the face of the helmet wearer. Mounting of such shield upon the helmet has been a problem since the shields must be capable of ,_nsustaining relatively high impacts and still remain in place. At the same time such mounting means must preferably be easily releasable so that the wearer can remove the shield, with one hand motion, rapidly when desired.

Previous systems for mounting such face shields have been ] 5 relatively complex and expensive and particularly, lack the requirement of rigid securement of the shield in place while at the same time permitting rapid one hand removal thereof.

Hence, the invention herein relates to such a type face shield and particularly to a simplified mounting system for 20 securing the shield upon a safety helmet.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Summarizing, the invention herein contemplates a face shield pivotally mounted upon a mounting band which is ²⁵formed for snap fastening to the conventional snap fasteners found on conventional safety helmets, with the shield having an integral latching tab for releasably latching the shield in vertical position before the wearer’s face and for one-handed release for swinging the shield upwardly over the top of the ³⁰helmet and out of the way. The means for securing the band to the helmet comprises forming a central opening and two spaced apart, horizontally elongated slots, each configured in such a way as to function as female snap fastener halves for interlocking with the conventional snap fasteners found on helmets and with the slot configuration providing means for fastening to any conventional helmet despite some misalignment or improper spacing of the snap fastener halves mounted upon the helmet.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, of which the attached drawings form a part.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a typical safety helmet with the face shield herein mounted in use position.

FIG. 2 is a small size, front perspective view of a safetj helmet perse.

FIG. 3 is a perspective, disassembled view of the parts niaking up the face shield.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the upper edge of the face shield and mounting band.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 5-5 of FIG. Land ⁵⁵

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in elevation, of the front helmet snap fastener secured to the band.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a typical, conventional safety helmet, such as that worn by police officers, generally designated as 10 and having the conventional forward, centrally located male snap fastener half 11 and two spaced apart side located male snap fastener halves 12. The snap fastener halves are 65 located immediately above the conventional lower edge bead 13 found on helmets.

The face shield is formed of a transversely curved, plastic panel 15 formed of a relatively stiff but slightly resilient or flexible material, such as polycarbonates or the like in a thick 70 enough gauge to maintain its stiffness. The upper edge of the panel is provided with a rearwardly extending flange 16, preferably tapering so as to be deeper at the middle of the panel and merging into the wall thickness of the panel at the opposite sides thereof. 75

Preferably, an elastic band 33 is also provided for fitting around the rear of the helmet and better stabilizing and holding the band in place.

I he elastic band, plastic band and panel are secured together by suitable fasteners 34, such as rivets of the required length which pass through holes 35 in the elastic band, 36 in the plastic band 25 and 18 in the ears of the panel.

OPERATION

In operation, the panel is pivoted upwardly and the elastic band is positioned around the rear of a helmet with the plastic band at the front of the helmet. The wearer then presses the plastic band against the helmet so as to connect with the central male snap fastener half 11 and then with the side snap fastener halves 12.

Thereafter, the face shield is lowered until the latching tab bead 23 forces the latching tab forwardly so as clear the flange 26 and permit it to enter into the channel 24 formed on the rear face of the latching tab 19.

The panel is now rigidly held in position and the two flanges, namely, flange 16 of the panel and flange 26 of the band are now arranged in face to face contact, one above the other, to prevent the passage of fluids as well as other foreign materials and moving air.

To lift the face shield up out of the way, the user simply grasps the extension 22, pulling the tab forwardly, so that it resiliently moves to clear the flange 26 out of the channel 24, at which point the shield may be raised upwardly.