Ear protector attachment for a helmet

A device for holding an ear defender includes a housing with a space therein to accommodate a loop which forms part of a supporting member for an ear defender. The space is defined by a bottom wall, a rear wall, and a front wall, the front wall having notches to receive part of the supporting member connected to the loop. The loop is provided with two journalling parts which are arranged in line with each other and which are arranged in a groove on the inside of the front wall to thereby provide a journalling axis for the supporting member. An aperture is formed in the housing to extend through the bottom wall, and a central pin is positionable in the aperture for the purpose of affixing the device to a helmet. A lever is pivotably journalled with one end in the space for housing near the inside of the rear wall and the other end arranged to receive a transverse spring section of the loop. The spring section is arranged to press against the lever which is adapted to be moved through a dead center condition between two positions, the supporting member being thus pivotable about its journalling axis between two distinct positions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to ear defenders, and more particularly to means for 
holding an ear defender, said holder being secured to a helmet by means of 
a central pin. 
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
It is one object of this invention to provide an improved ear defender. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to this invention, there is provide a device for holding an ear 
defender, said device comprising a housing with a space therein to 
accommodate a loop forming part of a supporting member for an ear 
defender. The space is defined by a bottom wall, a rear wall and a front 
wall having notches to receive parts of the supporting member connected to 
the loop; the loop having two journalling parts arranged in line with each 
other which are arranged in a groove on the inside of the front wall to 
provide a journalling axis for the supporting member. An aperture is 
formed in the housing to extend through the bottom wall and a central pin 
is positionable in the aperture for the purpose of affixing the device to 
a helmet. A lever is pivotably journalled with one end in the space of the 
housing near the inside of the rear wall, the other end being arranged to 
receive a transverse spring section of the loop. Said spring section is 
arranged to press against the lever which is adapted to be moved through a 
dead center condition between two positions; the supporting member being 
thus pivotable about its journalling axis between two distinct positions. 
A preferred embodiment of this invention comprises an improved holder for 
protective ear defenders enabling the ear defender to press sufficiently 
hard for all normal face widths, enabling the helmet to be raised or 
lowered on the wearer's brow without the ear defenders altering position, 
enabling the ear defenders to be swung out away from the ears to a 
specific position when desired, enabling the ear defenders to be folded 
back to a rest position on the helmet without noticeably obstructing the 
rim of the helmet, and enabling the ear defenders to be snapped in against 
the helmet in this rest position to protect them from rain.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings journalling housing for a protective ear defender 
holder is designated 1, the holder being attached to a helmet in suitable 
manner. The housing has a circular bottom plate 2 and a section 3 
protruding from this section 3 and comprising a rear wall 4, bent or 
curved, with somewhat more than semicircular extent, and a front, straight 
wall 5, extending between and joining the ends of the curved wall 4. The 
curved wall 4 and the transverse wall 5 thus surround a space 6 to receive 
a loop 7, which is a part of a wire yoke 8 carrying the ear defenders of 
the hearing protection means. Two legs 9, 10 of the wire yoke extend into 
said loop 7. The journalling housing 1 is also provided with a central 
aperture 11 surrounded by a cylindrical part 12 connected with the 
transverse wall 5, the aperture 11 being arranged to receive a central pin 
13 by means of which the journalling housing 1 is pivotably journalled to 
a holder which in turn is secured to the helmet, possible via a separate 
attachment plate arranged on the helmet without any holes being made 
therein. 
The two legs 9, 10 of the wire yoke are received in notches 14, 15 in the 
transverse wall 5, these notches being open at the top and located one on 
each side of a center line A--A running through the center of the 
journalling housing and through the mid-point of the transverse wall 5. 
The loop of the wire yoke comprises a spring section 16 running transverse 
to the symmetrical dividing line of the yoke and journalling parts 17, 18 
arranged in line with each other and joining the loop 7 to the legs and 
arranged perpendicular to the center line A--A (or the symmetrical 
dividing line of the wire yoke), and two opposed arc sections 19, 20 
joining the transverse spring part 16 to the two journalling parts 17 and 
18, respectively. 
Close to the bottom plate 2 on the inside 21 facing the space 6, the 
transverse wall 5 is provided with two grooves 22 aligned with each other, 
forming the seat and journalling center for the two journalling parts 17, 
18 of the loop. The yoke is thus pivotable about an axis coinciding with 
the common center line B--B of the journalling parts, said journalling 
axis B--B thus intersecting at right angles said center line A--A of the 
journalling housing. It will be understood that the loop and the legs 9, 
10 of the yoke are in different planes which form an obtuse angle with 
each other (150.degree.-170.degree., for instance), depending on the swing 
desired or required for the ear defenders. 
A rigid lever 23 is arranged opposite the transverse wall 5 in the space 6 
in line with said center line A--A, one end of said lever being pivotably 
journalled in the curved wall 4 by means of a pin 24 extending 
substantially parallel to the journalling axis formed by the two 
journalling parts of the loop. The other end of the lever 23 is provided 
with a recess 25 open at the front, to receive the transverse spring part 
16 in free engagement. The space 6 is sufficiently deep to allow the 
engagement end of the lever 23 and the spring part 16 received thereby to 
pass a connecting line extending between the pin 16 of the lever and the 
journalling axis determined by the journalling parts of the loop 7 so that 
these journalling parts, and thus the loop, can assume two distinct 
poisitions on either side of this connecting line due to the increasing 
spring force applied on the lever 23 by the spring part 16 of the loop, 
during its passage of said connecting line. A certain spring force also 
exists when the parts assume their distinct outer positions, particularly 
the position shown in FIG. 3. Thus the arrangement possesses a dead center 
condition when being moved from the initial position to the final 
position. The legs 9, 10 of the yoke and the ear defenders carried thereby 
will thus also assume two distinct positions, i.e. a folded down position 
as shown in FIG. 2 and folded out position as shown in FIG. 3. 
The journalling housing is covered by a lid 26, the journalling housing and 
lid being pivotably journalled on a helmet 27 having an opening 28 in the 
sidewalls thereof dimensioned to releasably receive central pin 13 or a 
special attachment piece by means of the central pin 13 so that the ear 
defender can also be turned (friction connection) between a rear position 
of rest on the helmet and a front position covering and protecting the 
ear. This movement is considerably facilitated since the ear defender can 
assume an outer, out-swing position as shown in FIG. 3 in which the 
defender can pass the rim of the helmet and there is no risk of damage or 
unnecessary wear on the journalling housing or yoke since hardly any force 
need be applied for movement between the positions, as was necessary with 
previously known holders. 
The bearing housing and yoke are in practice constructed so that when 
pressed or snapped into position (FIG. 2) the ear defender abuts the head 
for all normal face widths with a pressure of around 1 kgf. The 
journalling housing is pivotable about its center (determined by the 
central pin 13) in relation to the helmet so that the helmet can be raised 
or lowered on the brow without the position of the ear defenders being 
disturbed. As each ear defender is pulled away from the ear with a force 
of about 1.5 kgf, it snaps out to the outer position permitting 
ventilation of the ear, and can then be snapped back again to its 
protective position over the ear by pressing in the ear defender with a 
force of around 0.5 kgf. When the ear defender has been folded back to the 
rear position, it should preferably be snapped in against the helmet to 
provide efficient sealing against water, protecting the inside of the ear 
defender.