Abstract:
An all weather hood with adjustable cuff openings around each ear to accommodate earmuffs designed to provide hearing protection. Earmuffs are put on first, then the hood is pulled on over them and the ear cuffs are adjusted snugly around each earmuff. Also acts as a liner for safety helmets with attached hearing protection earmuffs. The helmet is worn over the hood, then the earmuffs are pulled down passing through the hood ear cuff openings to be placed directly over the ears. The hood ear cuffs are then adjusted snugly around each earmuff. Provides superior hearing protection compared to liners worn under hearing protection earmuffs and provides superior weather protection compared to liners worn over hearing protection earmuffs. The hood, when combined with a safety helmet having attached hearing protection earmuffs, work together as a single unit of personal protection equipment (PPE), for simple and efficient operation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates in general to a hood/liner apparatus and method for use with hearing protection equipment, and in particular to an all weather hood/helmet liner apparatus for use with hearing protection earmuffs.  
         [0002]     People who work in environments with excessive noise must use some type of hearing protection to reduce the risk of injury to their ears. In northern climates, where such work environments occur outdoors, protection from the cold is also necessary during the winter months. Oftentimes such work environments also include overhead hazards. To ensure worker safety under such conditions, the use of Personal Protection Equipment, referred to as PPE, is necessary. Typical PPE for these people include: (1) earmuffs for hearing protection against loud noises; (2) standard cold weather hood or safety helmet liner for head and neck protection against frost bite and to retain body heat; (3) safety helmets for head protection against falling objects; (4) safety glasses for eye protection against flying objects. These four forms of PPE are often used at the same time with the goal of having complete head protection. The goal of complete head protection is not achieved however because previously mentioned PPE for (1) hearing and (2) warmth interfere with each other, thus not allowing either standard earmuffs or hoods/liners to provide their individual maximum protection.  
         [0003]     Earmuffs, by their design, must fit over the ears, and be in direct contact with and snug against the head, forming a seal around the ears, for maximum noise reduction (dB attenuation), to provide the best hearing protection. However, when used in combination with a liner, the liner is typically placed on the head first and the earmuffs are placed on the head second, causing the earmuffs to ride up on the liner, and thereby failing to form a protective seal around the ears. In scenarios where the earmuffs are placed over the liner, the earmuffs are no longer in direct contact with the head and excessive noise is not effectively blocked. The result to the wearer is poor hearing protection.  
         [0004]     Alternately, the earmuffs can be placed on the head first, and the liner can be placed over the earmuffs. The problem with this method is the liner no longer fits snugly on the wearer&#39;s head around the earmuffs, which hold the liner away from the head, forming large gaps between the liner and the head around the ears and face, allowing for significant cold air intrusion. The result to the wearer is good hearing protection but a cold head due to improper liner fit. This method is typically never used because of limitations in liners: they are not typically large enough to allow earmuffs to fit under the liner. Simply making conventional liners larger is not the solution because making the liner large enough to accommodate the earmuffs underneath would result in a liner too large to fit under a safety helmet.  
         [0005]     When working in cold weather, people put a liner on to keep their head warm and protect their skin from frostbite. The liner must fit snug to retain heat lost by the head and keep wind from blowing between the wearer&#39;s head and the liner. Liners that are constructed properly and fit the wearer properly are most effective at providing head and skin protection against frostbite and providing warmth. Properly constructed and good fitting liners are made less effective when the liner is placed on the head over the earmuffs in an effort to provide maximum hearing protection to the ears.  
         [0006]     Several patents have been given to cold weather hard hat liners, safety helmets and earmuffs. Patents have also been given to combinations of these PPE to improve how the PPE work together. PPE combinations of safety helmets and earmuffs are found, as are PPE combinations of safety helmets and liners.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,319 issued Dec. 19, 1989 to Daniels and U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,853 issued Jun. 16, 1981 to Schuessler describe all weather face and neck protectors for hard hats and safety helmets. These covers attach over the brim of a hard hat or safety helmet and seat tightly about the face and neck to seal out the elements. These covers does not accommodate hearing protection earmuffs and are not designed for use without a hard hat or safety helmet.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,009 issued Nov. 19, 1996 to Ryvin and U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,404 issued Aug. 21, 1990 to Fekete, Sr. describe cold weather hoods/helmet liners which may be worn under a safety helmet. These hoods/liners are not designed to accommodate hearing protection earmuffs, with or without a safety helmet.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,631 issued Sep. 7, 1982 to Newcomb and U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,290 issued Feb. 23, 1982 to Montesi describe devices for mounting hearing protection earmuffs on the sides of a hard hat, and U.S. Patent Des 244,491 issued May 31, 1977 to Csiki et al. describes a safety helmet with attached earmuffs for hearing protection.  
         [0010]     There is no prior art for cold weather liners with provisions to allow earmuffs to be used for maximum hearing protection while also delivering maximum warmth when both liners and earmuffs are used together, or in combination with a safety helmet. There is no prior art allowing all 3 PPE (liner, earmuffs, helmet) to be handled and managed as a single PPE.  
         [0011]     What is needed then, is a hood or helmet liner which can be used either with stand alone hearing protection earmuffs or with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs, which allows the earmuffs to seal around the ears for maximum hearing protection and while still remaining snug around the face and head for maximum cold weather protection, and when combined with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs, can be taken on and off as a single unit of PPE for simple and easy use.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a hood/liner apparatus which provides weather protection.  
         [0013]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a hood/liner apparatus which is simple and easy to use.  
         [0014]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hood/liner apparatus which accommodates for the use of hearing protection earmuffs.  
         [0015]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a hood/liner apparatus which accommodates for the use of a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs.  
         [0016]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hood/liner apparatus which provides for quick and easy use when combined with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs.  
         [0017]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a hood/liner apparatus which provides both maximum hearing protection and maximum weather protection when used with hearing protection earmuffs.  
         [0018]     It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a hood/liner apparatus which provides both maximum hearing protection and maximum weather protection when used with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs.  
         [0019]     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are realized in one embodiment of an all weather hood/liner apparatus for use with hearing protection earmuffs, comprising an all weather hood with adjustable cuff openings around each ear to accommodate earmuffs designed to provide hearing protection. When used with standalone hearing protection earmuffs, the wearer first puts on the earmuffs, then the hood is pulled on over the earmuffs and the ear cuffs are adjusted snugly around each earmuff. When used as a liner for safety helmets with attached hearing protection earmuffs, the helmet is worn over the hood/liner, then the earmuffs are pulled down passing through the hood ear cuff openings to be placed directly over the ears. The hood ear cuffs are then adjusted snugly around each earmuff. This new hood/liner apparatus provides superior hearing protection compared to liners worn under hearing protection earmuffs and provides superior weather protection compared to hoods and liners worn over hearing protection earmuffs. The hood/liner apparatus, when combined with a safety helmet having attached hearing protection earmuffs, work together as a single unit of personal protection equipment (PPE), for simple and efficient operation.  
         [0020]     This hood/liner apparatus is intended to be used in situations where PPE for hearing and warmth are needed to reduce risk of injury from excessive noise and cold weather. Typical applications are wintertime rail yard workers and construction workers.  
         [0021]     This hood/liner apparatus is designed such that it will accommodate earmuffs without reducing their effectiveness, whether the earmuffs are a standalone set or are attached to a safety helmet, and at the same time provide head and skin protection against frost bite similar to standard liners where earmuffs are not used. The hood/liner apparatus, by its design, also aids the earmuffs by adding additional force to keep the earmuffs snug to head which achieves maximum earmuff noise reduction (dB attenuation).  
         [0022]     Other objects and features of the invention will become clear upon a reading of the Detailed Description. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]     The present invention may be understood from the description of the embodiment which follows and from the accompanying drawings. The drawings are hereby expressly made a part of the specification.  
         [0024]      FIG. 1  is a front view of the hood/liner apparatus, as it would appear when worn with hearing protection earmuffs and without a safety helmet.  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the hood/liner apparatus depicted in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 3  is a rear view of the hood/liner apparatus depicted in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the hood/liner apparatus, as it would appear when worn with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs.  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the hood/liner apparatus depicted in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of the hood/liner apparatus depicted in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 7A  is a side view of the hood/liner apparatus, as it would appear when worn with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs, with the neck closure open.  
         [0031]      FIG. 7B  is a side view of the hood/liner apparatus, as it would appear when worn with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs, with the hood/liner folded halfway up the exterior of the helmet.  
         [0032]      FIG. 7C  is a side view of the hood/liner apparatus, as it would appear when worn with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs, with the hood/liner folded up over top of the helmet with the neck closure closed over top of the helmet and with the earmuffs raised above and resting on the helmet bill.  
         [0033]      FIG. 8A  is a front view of the hood/liner apparatus depicted in  FIG. 7A .  
         [0034]      FIG. 8B  is a front view of the hood/liner apparatus depicted in  FIG. 7B .  
         [0035]      FIG. 8C  is a front view of the hood/liner apparatus depicted in  FIG. 7C .  
         [0036]     The progression from  FIG. 7A  to  7 C and from  8 A to  8 C illustrates how the hood/liner apparatus integrates with a safety helmet with hearing protection earmuffs to allow the separate pieces to be handled and managed as a single piece of PPE when removed from the wearers head. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0037]     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the various drawings to depict like or similar elements of the claimed hood/liner apparatus. For the purpose of presenting a brief and clear discussion of the hood/liner apparatus, the preferred embodiment will be discussed in conjunction with use in a cold weather environment. This is for representative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting in any manner.  
         [0038]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , the preferred embodiment  10  of the hood/liner apparatus is seen from front, side and rear views, respectively, as it would appear when worn with hearing protection earmuffs  42  and without a safety helmet, and is comprised of, an all weather hood/liner shell  22 , with a neck closure  18  which is secured below the chin by a hook-loop fastener  20 , ear cuffs  12  are attached to said hood/liner shell  22  on either side of the wearer&#39;s head and positioned over the wearer&#39;s ears, the ear cuff outer opening  24  of each said ear cuff  12  forms an opening over each of the wearer&#39;s ears and within the edge of which is encased a drawstring  14  running around the perimeter of each ear cuff outer opening  24 , and by which the ear cuff outer opening  24  can be constricted in size by cinching on said drawstring  14 , which can then be locked at a desired position by spring lock  16 .  
         [0039]     As can be seen, a standalone pair of hearing protection earmuffs  42  are worn entirely underneath the hood/liner apparatus  10 , with each earmuff  42  protruding into and being surrounded by an ear cuff  12 , and with the earmuff headband  44  underneath the hood/liner shell  22  and resting snugly against the wearer&#39;s head.  
         [0040]     For use, the hearing protection earmuffs  42  would be placed on the wearer&#39;s head first, and adjusted for comfort, then the hood/liner apparatus  10  would be pulled on over top of said earmuffs  42  and earmuff headband  44 , and the ear cuffs  12  would be pulled over each earmuff  42  allowing the head/liner shell  22  to lie snug against the wearer&#39;s head without being held away from the wearer&#39;s head by the protruding earmuffs  42 . Once the hood/liner apparatus  10  is comfortably in place, with the earmuffs  42  protruding into the ear cuffs  12  and with the head/liner shell  22  snug against the wearer&#39;s head, then the ear cuff outer openings  24 , are cinched down snug around the earmuffs  42  by means of the drawstrings  14  and drawstring spring locks  16 , and finally the entire hood/liner apparatus  10  and the underlying hearing protection earmuffs  42  are made more snug by a final adjustment to the neck closure  18 , preventing cold and wind infiltration, providing for maximum weather protection and also providing for superior hearing protection over the use of hearing protection earmuffs  42  without the hood/liner apparatus  10 , as tightening down the hood/liner apparatus  10  by adjustment of neck closure  18  provides a tighter fit for the hearing protection earmuffs  42  than if used alone, providing even greater dB attenuation.  
         [0041]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4, 5  and  6 , the preferred embodiment  10  of the hood/liner apparatus is seen from front, side and rear views, respectively, as it would appear when worn with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs. As can be seen, a safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  are worn over top of the hood/liner apparatus  10 , with each earmuff  40  passing through the ear cuff outer opening  24  and extending into and being surrounded by an ear cuff  12 , allowing the earmuff  40  to rest directly against the wearer&#39;s head, sealing around the wearer&#39;s ear, while each earmuff  40  is attached to the safety helmet  50  by the earmuff attachment arm  54 .  
         [0042]     For use, the hood/liner apparatus  10  would be pulled on the wearer&#39;s head first, and the safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  would be pulled on over top of said hood/liner apparatus  10 , the earmuffs  40  would then be pulled through the ear cuff outer opening  24  and placed directly against the wearer&#39;s head over the wearer&#39;s ear, and extending into and being surrounded by an ear cuff  12 . Once the hood/liner apparatus  10  and safety helmet  50  are comfortably in place, with the earmuffs  40  extending into the ear cuffs  12  and with the head/liner shell  22  snug against the wearer&#39;s head, then the ear cuff outer openings  24 , are cinched down snug around the earmuffs  40  by means of the drawstrings  14  and drawstring spring locks  16 , and then the entire hood/liner apparatus  10  and the hearing protection earmuffs  40  are made even more snug by a final adjustment to the neck closure  18 , preventing cold and wind infiltration, providing for maximum weather protection and also providing for superior hearing protection over the use of hearing protection earmuffs  40  without the hood/liner apparatus  10 , as tightening down the hood/liner apparatus  10  provides a tighter fit for the hearing protection earmuffs  40  than if used alone, providing even greater dB attenuation.  
         [0043]     The function of the hood/liner shell  22  is to provide warmth and wind protection to the wearer, and to provide a foundation for locating the ear cuffs  12 . The liner shell  22  is made of a fabric that is durable, abrasion and wind resistant and may be lined with a fabric that is both soft and warm (high R-value), which lining fabric is then bonded together to the liner shell  22  fabric making a single shell. When constructed in this manner, the liner shell gives additional warmth and wind protection to the wearer. The hood/liner apparatus  10  neck closure  18  is located under the hood/liner  10  face opening and is typically fastened by a hook-loop fastener  20 , but could also be fastened by a button, snap or other closure device. This hood/liner shell  22  is similar to other cold weather liners, with the exception being that this hood/liner shell  22  has the attached ear cuffs  12 , providing accommodation for hearing protection earmuffs  42  and for safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40 . No other cold weather liners have provisions similar to ear cuffs  12 .  
         [0044]     The hood/liner ear cuffs  12  may be constructed of any fabric that has both good insulating properties and is slightly elastic, such as one of the various fleeces on the market. The ear cuffs  12  are sewn to the liner shell and the drawstring  14  casing is sewn in the outer ear cuff opening  24 . The ear cuff  12  drawstring  14  and spring lock  16  are similar to those found in use on sweatshirt hoods or cuffs and collars on wind breaker jackets. The draw string  14  and spring lock  16  allows the ear cuff outer opening  24  to be adjusted to allow a proper fit and seal on the earmuffs  40 ,  42 . The drawstring  14  and spring lock  16  may be replaced by an elastic band encased within the perimeter of the ear cuff outer opening  24 , providing for an automatic snug fit and weather seal, although it would not produce as snug a fit as a locked drawstring. The ear cuffs  12  may also be constructed of a more elastic fabric or a combination of fabrics to eliminate the need for a drawstring and spring lock or for elastic banding within the perimeter of the ear cuff  12 , or some combination of these or other ear cuff constriction methods may be used.  
         [0045]     The first design provision that separates the hood/liner apparatus  10  from other standard cold weather safety helmet liners is that it allows the hood/liner apparatus to be worn with hearing protection earmuffs without compromising the effectiveness of the hood/liner apparatus&#39; ability to provide head and skin protection and without compromising the earmuffs ability to provide hearing protection.  
         [0046]     The second design provision of this new hood/liner apparatus  10  accommodates the specific PPE combination of a safety helmet with attached earmuffs thus providing a method for all 3 PPE (helmet, attached earmuffs, and hood/liner apparatus) to be handled and managed as a single integrated PPE. The result to the wearer is the 3 can be placed on and removed from the head as a single unit of PPE.  
         [0047]     Design provisions that allow the hood/liner apparatus  10 , and a safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  to function and be handled as a single piece of PPE is illustrated in  FIGS. 7A, 7B  and  7 C from an side view, and in  FIGS. 8A, 8B  and  8 C from a front view.  
         [0048]      FIGS. 7A and 8A  depict the hood/liner apparatus  10 , as it would appear when worn with a safety helmet  50  and attached hearing protection earmuffs  40 , with the neck closure  18  open and without the wearer being pictured. Opening the neck closure  18  is the first step in removing the hood/liner apparatus  10 , safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  as a single piece of PPE.  
         [0049]      FIGS. 7B and 8B  depict the hood/liner apparatus  10 , as it would appear when worn with a safety helmet  50  and attached hearing protection earmuffs  40 , with the hood/liner folded halfway up the exterior of the helmet and without the wearer being pictured. Folding the bottom of the hood/liner apparatus  10  up around the outside of the safety helmet  50  is the next step in removing the hood/liner apparatus  10 , safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  as a single piece of PPE.  
         [0050]      FIGS. 7C and 8C  depict the hood/liner apparatus  10 , as it would appear when worn with a safety helmet  50  and attached hearing protection earmuffs  40 , with the hood/liner apparatus  10  folded up over top of the safety helmet  50  with the neck closure  18  closed over top of the safety helmet  50 , with the ear cuffs  12  having been slid down to the helmet mounting end of the earmuff attachment arms  54 , and with the attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  raised above and resting on the helmet bill  52 , which positioning is the final step in preparing the hood/liner apparatus  10 , safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  for removal and handling as a single piece of PPE.  
         [0051]     Referring now to  FIGS. 7A, 7B  and  7 C, and to  FIGS. 8A, 8B  and  8 C, the preferred method for using a hood/liner apparatus  10  used with a safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  as a single integrated PPE, includes: providing a hood/liner apparatus  10  for use with hearing protection earmuffs  40  which includes a neck closure  18 ; putting the hood/liner apparatus  10  on the wearer&#39;s head; providing a safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40 , which earmuffs are attached and mounted to the safety helmet  50  by attachment arms  54  and which safety helmet includes a top portion, a rim and a bill  52 ; ensuring the attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  are in the raised position resting on the bill  52 ; donning the safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  over top of the hood/liner apparatus  10 ; pulling the attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  down to the wearing position over the ears; passing the attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  through the hood/liner apparatus  10  ear cuff openings  12 ; placing the attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  directly over the ears; fitting the hood/liner ear cuffs  12  snugly around each earmuff  40 ; tightening the drawstrings  14  to constrict the ear cuff outer openings  24  to a snug fit around each earmuff  40 ; locking the drawstrings at the proper tightness with the spring locks  16 ; adjusting the hood/liner neck closure  18  for a weather tight fit; opening said hood/liner neck closure  18 ; releasing the spring lock  16  to loosen the drawstrings  14 ; widening the ear cuff outer opening  24  to release the seal against each earmuff  40 ; folding the bottom edge of the hood/liner shell  22  up over the rim of the safety helmet  50 ; sliding the hood/liner ear cuffs  12  over each earmuff  40  and along the helmet earmuff attachment arms  54  to the attachment arm end mounted on the safety helmet  50 ; folding the bottom half of the hood/liner shell  22  up around the outside of the safety helmet  50  with the bottom edge of the hood/liner shell  22  folded over top of the helmet  50 ; fastening the neck closure  18  over top of the safety helmet  50 ; raising the hearing protection earmuffs  40  to the raised position; resting the hearing protection earmuffs  40  on the helmet bill  52 ; removing the safety helmet  50  with attached hearing protection earmuffs  40  and the helmet/liner apparatus  10  as a single unit of PPE, as the helmet/liner apparatus  10  is now secured in place by the raised earmuffs  40  protruding through the ear cuff openings  24  and the neck closure  18  attached over top of the helmet  50 ; donning the new combined PPE, by reversing the previous steps until the unit is secured onto the head again; and going back to work.  
         [0052]     The method and embodiment of the present invention shown and discussed are by way of illustration and not of limitation, and a wide variety of equivalent methods and embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.