Respiratory helmet.

Application filed October 19, 1908. Serial No. 458,431.

To cM whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Harry Bentz, a . citizen of the United: States, and a resident of Larchmont, in. the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Respiratory Helmets, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to .improvements in 10 respiratory helmets, and. it consists in the novel features hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of the invention is to produce a helmet in the use of which the exhaled air 15 is .purified, regenerated, dried and returned to the mask for reinhalation.

A further object of the inVention is to provide a helmet which on being properly placed on the head thereby has its valved 20 air passages opened so that the respiratory features become ready for instant use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of helmet having a transparent mask or face covering per25 mitting the wearer to have a wide range of vision.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a helmet with suitable means whereby the exhaled air is caused to pass over and 30 in’ contact with solidified fused alkali peroxid—for example sodium peroxid—and then return to the chamber of the mask for reinhalation, said sodium peroxid absorbing tile carbon dioxid and moisture from and 35 yielding oxygen to the exhaled air.

The invention, will be. fully understood from the detailed ^description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1. is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a helmet constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention,, the helmet being shown in its operative position and condition on the head of a figure; Fig.

45' 2 is. a side elevation of the helmet removed from the figure and shown with its parts in their inoperative, pr storage position; Fig. 3 is a. front elevation, partly broken away, of the Helmet with its-jjar.ts. shown in their ⁵9 inoperative position; ,Fig.^: 4 is an enlarged detacjied side elevation, partly broken away and partly in section,. pf a portion of the helmet, and illustrates mpre particularly the valved connection of the exhaling tube with 5® the tube leading to the chamber containing the chemicals for restoring the air to a condition fit for re-inhalation; Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same on the dotted line 5—5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view substantially corresponding with Fig. 4 but illustrating 60 the valye features in their closed position; Fig. 7 is an enlarged detached sectional elevation through a portion of the helmet on the dotted line 7—7 of Fig. 1, this view being presented to illustrate the cushion by 65 which the transparent mask when applied over the face is rendered air-tight, the dotted lines in Fig. 7 denoting the cushion in its compressed form, and Fig. 8 is a. detached elevation, partly broken away and partly ;n 70 section, of a casing for receiving the chemical and through which the exhaled air passes on its way to the helmet mask for re-inhalation.

In the drawings, 10 designates a mask, 75 preferably of glass or transparent material, adapted to receive the face of a person, 11 a hood secured to the mask and adapted to fit closely over the head of the person wearing the mask, and 12 a metal shield to pro- 80 tect the head of the wearer when the helmet is in use. The mask 10 is provided along its edges with a cushion 13 (Fig. 7) adapted to closely engage the sides of the face and head of the wearer so as to render the 85 mask air-tight in its fitting, and said .cushion 13 may be of any suitable material but will preferably consist, of a pneumatic .tube, as shown. The tube or cushion 13 is held by a metal strip or edge molding 14 secured 90 to the edges of the mask 10, and to this strip are secured the inner edges of the hood 11, which may be of strong textile material of yielding character, so that it may be pulled down over the head to the line of the 95 neck and become bound by its own resiliency in position on the head, thereby holding the mask 10 firmly in position. The hood 11 may be wholly or in part of rubber, but a strong textile material possessing wool will 100 afford the desired resiliency and enable the hood to firmly bind upon the head of the wearer. The shield 12 is. secured at its rear end to a metal casing 15 which is preferably cylindrical in outline and intended to ex- I⁰⁵tend across the back of the lower portion of tile meek of the wearer, as shown in Fig.

1. The casing 15 constitutes a hollow recep^ taele having a removable cap 16 at one end and containing an elongated wire cage 17 HO

868,232 bolding tlie chemical, in lump form. which I utilize for treating the air to be inhaled by the wearer of the helmet. The chemical 18 is of special character and will 5 be referred to hereafter.

To one end of the casing 15 is secured a tube 19 leading to the chamber within said casing and to the other end of the casing 15 is secured a tube 20 leading from said 10 chamber, the communication between the tubes 19, 20 and the chamber of tlie casing , always being open, so. that, when the other ; connections are established, the exhaled air may pass through the tube 19 into the casing 15 and over the chemical substance 18 and thence pass therefrom through the tube 20.and into the mask 10 for reinhalation. It is not desired that air shall enter the easing 15. except when the helmet is in use. this being for the purpose of preserving the vitality of the chemical 18 and avoiding its constant exposure’to atmospheric conditions, and to this end I provide at tlie inner ends of the tubes 19, 20, where they connect with the mask 10, apertured plates 21, 22 (Figs. 4, 5 and 6), which become placed in register by positioning the casing 15 for use, as shown in Fig. 1, and which become out of register when said casing is moved to its inoperative or storage position, shown in Fig. 2. The plates 22 are carried by enlarged portions 23 of the tubes and may be turned therewith against the plates' 21 which are stationary and form parts of metal fittings 24 secured to the edge of the mask~ and opening within the latter. In Fig. 5 I illustrate, the plates 21,.22 in register and under such condition the air passing within the metal fitting 24 may flow into and through the adjacent tube 19. In .Fig. G I illustrate the plates 21, 22 out of register and closing the inner end of the tube 19.

Within the mask 10, I provide a cup mouth-piece 25 of rubber or other pliable or yielding material adapted to fit closely over the mouth of the wearer of the helmet, and said mouth-piece 25 is formed with a transverse bar 26 carrying at its ends resilient straps 2.7 of rubber-webbing or other suitable material, whose outer ends are secured to the opposite edges of the mask. At the center of the mouth-piece 25, the latter opens into a tube 28, which extends to and embraces a nipple 29 forming a part of the metal fitting 24 adjacent to the tube 19. The user of the helmet will exhale through the mouth-piece 25 and tube 28 into the tube 19, whence the air will pass through the casing 15 and tube 20 into the mask 10 and be inhaled through the nostrils. The resilient straps 27 connected with the mouthpiece 25 yieldingly press said mouthpiece over the month of the user of the hel- i met and prevent the accidental displace- i ment of said mouth-piece. It is essential 1 , 30

18. ! that the exhaled air should not enter the j chamber of the mask 10. and lienee the I mouth-piece will he of yielding materia] and. firmly though yieldingly pressed against the mouth of the wearer by means of the straps 27.

In big. 1 I illustrate tlie helmet in its operative position, and in this condition the glass mask closely fits upon the face of the wearer, the hood 11 closely binds against | the back and sides of the head, and the shield ; 12 extends over the top of the head and upper front portion of the face, while the casing 15 extends transversely across the back of the neck or shoulders of the wearer and is in.communication through the tubes 19. 20 with the mouth-piece 25 and the chamber within the mask 10. The user of the helmet will exhale through the mouth-piece 25 and inhale through his nostrils from the general chamber formed within the mask 10.

The inoperative position of the parts of the helmet is shown in Fig. 2, in which it may be seen that the shield 10 has been, turned upwardly and to the front over the mask 10. thereby closing the passages or valves at the inner ends of the tubes 19, 20, and leaving the mask 10 protected against accidental breakage or injury and the chamber within the casing 15 closed against the entrance of air. In addition the hood 11 may, if desired, be pressed inwardly into the mask 10, thereby enabling the helmet to be stored away in compact condition. hen it is desired to again use the helmet, the head will be inserted within the hood.11 and the mask 10 drawn closely over the face and the casing 15 and shield 12 turned rearwardly to tlie position shown in Fig. 1. The hood 11 and cushion 13 enable the helmet to be applied to heads differing in size, and (he resilient straps 27 permit of the automatic adjustment of the mouth-piece 25 to faces differing in shape and development. The shield 12 will preferably be of stiff metal so as to protect the head from the effect of anything falling on it and said shield by reason of its connection with the casing 15 and the pivotal mounting of the hitter through the tubes 19, 20, becomes pivotally secured and rendered capable of being turned over the mask 10, as shown in big. 2, or over the head of the wearer, as shown in Fig. 1.

While I do not confine the helmet to the use within the casing 15 of any specific chemical 18 for regenerating the exhaled air and absorbing the moisture therefrom, I recommend, the use of lumps of solidified fused alkali peroxid—for example sodium peroxid—by reason of the marked ability this.chemical thus prepared has for absorbing carbon dioxid and moisture and yielding, in the presence of moisture, substantially pure oxygen.

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Respiratory helmets which Ijave gone into [ use and been more or .less efficient have, so i far as they are known to me, usually been provided with a tank of compressed air for ₅ inhalation and a discharge leading without the helmet for the exhaled air. The user of said, helmets is subjected to both danger and ' inconvenience, since he must not remain in the noxious location beyond the period ad40 mitted by the contents of the tank and he must observe an index dial to determine the quantity of air remaining-from time to time in the tank. In addition in the use of said helmets, the glass panes about the eyes are 45 liable to become dimmed from moisture and. thus seriously inconvenience the wearer of the helmet.

In the employment of my helmet, the exhaled air is not discharged but regenerated 20 by its passage over the fused sodium peroxid and reinhaled. The fused sodium peroxid purifies and- absorbs the moisture from the exhaled air and imparts substantially pure oxygen to the air, whereby the latter is not 25 only rendered fit for inhalation but when entering the mask 10 will not cloud the surface of the latter. I am thus enabled to use a glass mask 10 which will enable the wearer to have a wide range of vision, and 30 in addition dispense with many complications in the employment of respiratory helmets. The fused sodium peroxid is hard and in lump form and inexpensive and lasting, and it has never, so far as I am aware, 35. been made use of in a respiratory helmet.