Abstract:
Goggles, goggle attachment systems, and helmets are described. One such goggle attachment system includes an attachment post and a resilient goggle strap tab. The attachment post includes a post portion and a stop and the goggle strap tab includes an opening. The goggle strap tab is configured to be stretched and the opening pulled over the stop and onto to the post portion. The goggle strap tab is retained on the post portion by the stop. An example goggle includes a frame, a resilient strap attached to the frame, and a resilient goggle strap tab attached to the strap. The goggle strap tab having an opening disposed between a strap tab and a tab pull. The goggle strap tab is configured to stretch when pulled by the tab pull along a longitudinal axis and the opening being asymmetrical about an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis when stretched.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Embodiments of the invention relate generally to goggles and helmets, and more specifically, in one or more of the illustrated embodiments, to goggle attachment systems for attaching a goggle to a helmet. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Protective gear may be worn to protect the person from injury during participation in an activity. In the case of helmets and goggles, the two are often worn together to protect the wearer&#39;s head and eyes from injury. Goggles are often designed to be worn with helmets, and vice versa, due to the frequency of the two being worn together. For example, helmets may include a mechanism for clipping the goggle strap to the rear portion of a helmet so that even if the goggles are displaced, the goggle strap remains clipped to the helmet. 
     Although the mechanism can prevent the goggles from being lost, when the goggles are resting on the front of the helmet, for example, when the goggles are not in use, and the strap is clipped into the mechanism, there is a tendency for the strap to pull the goggles up over the crown and off the helmet to be left dangling from the clipped-in strap. To return the goggles to the front of the helmet or put the goggles on the wearer&#39;s face requires finding the goggles as they are hanging from the rear of the helmet. Trying to grab the goggles when they are in this position may be inconvenient and difficult given that this often occurs when the wearer of the helmet is also wearing gloves and heavy protective gear. 
     Additionally, attaching and detaching the goggles from the helmet when the strap is clipped-in may also take more effort than desirable because the clips are designed to prevent the goggles from accidentally detaching from the helmet. Detaching the goggles requires the strap to be unclipped, which may involve the wearer removing the helmet in order to view the rear portion of the helmet to unclip the strap. 
     Therefore, it may be desirable to have a goggle attachment system for a helmet that provides easy attachment and detachment of goggles, and may allow goggles to be positioned on the helmet when, for example, the goggles are not in use. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are drawings of a goggle attachment system according to an embodiment of the invention for a helmet. 
         FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  2 C, and  2 D are drawings of an attachment post according to an embodiment of the invention for a goggle attachment system for a helmet. 
         FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C are drawings of a goggle attachment system according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 4A ,  4 B, and  4 C are drawings of goggle strap tab according to an embodiment of the invention for a goggle attachment system for a helmet. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are drawings of the goggle strap tab of  FIGS. 4A and 4B  being pulled over and onto the attachment post of  FIG. 2A-2D  or  3 A- 3 C.  FIG. 5C  is a drawing of the goggle strap tab of  FIGS. 4A and 4B  being pulled over and off the attachment post of  FIG. 2A-2D  or  3 A- 3 C. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present application describes a goggle attachment system and a method of attaching goggles to a helmet. Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and the Figures provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. One skilled in the art, however, will understand that the present invention may have additional embodiments and that other embodiments of the invention may be practiced without several of the details and components described in the following description. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate a goggle attachment system for a helmet  10  according to an embodiment of the invention. Goggles  20  have a frame  22  to which resilient strap  24  is attached by strap connectors  26 . A second resilient strap  24  and strap connector  26  (both not shown) are attached to the opposite side of the frame of the goggles. The strap connectors  26  may be pivotally attached to the frame of the goggles  20 , as shown in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1A and 1B . A pivotal attachment of the strap connectors  26  to the goggles  20  has a benefit of allowing for the straps to pivot and achieve an angle relative to the frame of the goggles  20  to comfortably position the goggles  20  on a variety of face shapes and avoid strap binding. Other attachment techniques may be used as well without departing from the scope of the present invention. A strap tab  30  attached to the strap  24  is positioned on an attachment post  40  that is attached to the helmet  10 . The strap tab  30  may be attached to the strap  24  using conventional techniques. As will be described in more detail below, the strap tab  30  may be resilient so that it may be pulled onto and off the post  40  to facilitate the goggles  20  being attached to or detached from the helmet  10 . In some embodiments, another post  40  (not shown) is positioned on an opposite side of the helmet  10  to which a second strap tab  30  attached to a second strap  24  may be pulled onto and off. 
     In some embodiments, the post  40  may be positioned approximately at a center C of a general radius R of the outside surface of the helmet  10 . With the post  40  positioned at C, the goggles  20  may be rotated to various positions on the outside surface of the helmet  10 , a shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , without the straps  24  tending to pull the goggles  20  to an undesirable position on the helmet  10 , such as may be the case where the straps  24  are attached proximate a rear portion of the helmet  10 . Posts  40 , however, may be attached to the helmet  10  at different locations on the helmet  10  without departing from the scope of the invention. 
       FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  2 C, and  2 D illustrate various views of an attachment post  50  according to an embodiment, of the invention. The post  50  may be used as the post  40  in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . The post  50  has a base  54  from which a post portion  58  extends. A stop  60  is positioned on the post portion  58 . The stop  60  has a lateral dimension that is generally larger than the lateral dimension of the post portion  58 . For example, as shown in  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  2 C, and  2 D, the general diameter of the stop  60  is greater than the diameter of the post portion  58 . The stop  60  includes a hook portion  68  and a rounded pullover portion  62 . The hook portion  68  includes tapered portions that form a nose  70  and a sloped portion  72  that slopes from the post portion  58  toward the nose  70 . A reinforcement structure  64  may be formed on the stop  60  to provide additional strength to the stop  60 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  2 C, and  2 D the reinforcement structure  64  is formed from intersecting perpendicular ridges formed on the stop  60 . A ramp portion  74  extends from the post  50  to under the rounded pullover portion  62 . As will be described in more detail below, a strap tab, for example, strap tab  30  of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , may be pulled onto and over the stop  60  and onto the attachment post  50 . The stop  60  is configured to retain the strap tab on the post portion  58 . The attachment post  50  may be mounted to a helmet by the base  54 , for example, using an adhesive material. In some embodiments, the attachment post  50  may be integrated with the helmet. The attachment post  50  may be formed with a base  54  having a configuration that fits into a receiver mounted on a helmet, for example, a slot or rail in other embodiments. The attachment post  50  may also be attached to a helmet using other techniques now known or later developed without departing from the scope of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3A  illustrates a goggle attachment system for a helmet  10  according to an embodiment of the invention. Goggles  20  are attached to the helmet  10  by strap connectors  26  positioned on attachment post  50 . The attachment post  50  is slidably attached to rail  110 , which is secured to the helmet  10 , for example, by fasteners  112 . The rail  110  may allow for the post  50  to be moved along the rail, and may also provide an attachment mechanism for other devices.  FIGS. 3B and 3C  illustrate an attachment post  50  and rail  110  according to an embodiment of the invention. The attachment post  50  includes a stop  60  positioned on a post portion (not shown in  FIGS. 3A-3C ). As with the embodiment of  FIGS. 2A-2D , the stop  60  has a lateral dimension that is generally larger than the lateral dimension of the post portion, for example, the diameter of the stop  60  is greater than the diameter of the post portion. In the embodiment of  FIGS. 3B and 3C , the configuration of the stop  60  and the post portion are the same as that for the embodiment of  FIGS. 2A-2D . 
     In contrast, however, the post portion and stop  60  extend from a base  114  that fits within a channel  116 . The base  114  includes channel guides  124 ,  128  that are configured to retain the post  50  in the channel  116  and allow it to slide in the channel  116  without much lateral movement or twisting of the post. The base  114  further includes resilient clips  120 ,  122  having ridges  121 ,  123 , respectively, that may engage slots  118  to hold the attachment post  50  in place in the channel  116 . To slide the attachment post  50  in the channel  116 , the attachment post  50  may be released by lifting the resilient clips  120 ,  122  to disengage the ridges  121 ,  123  from the slots  118  so that it may be free to slide. The resilient clips  120 ,  122  can be released to allow the ridges  121 ,  123  to engage slots  118  corresponding to the new position. 
       FIGS. 4A ,  4 B, and  4 C illustrate a goggle strap tab  80  according to an embodiment of the invention. The strap tab  80  may be used as the strap tab  30  if  FIGS. 1A and 1B . The strap tab  80  is formed from a resilient material, for example, so that the strap tab  80  may be stretched by pulling and return to its unstretched shape without permanent deformation. The strap tab  80  includes a loop portion  84  through which a strap  24  may be fitted for attachment to the strap tab  80 . An opening  88  in the strap tab  80  is configured to be pulled onto an attachment post, for example, attachment post  40 , to secure the strap tab  80  thereon. A tab pull  90  is formed with a grip  92  to facilitate gripping of the tab pull  90 . As will be described in more detail below, the tab pull  90  may be gripped at the grip  92  for pulling the strap tab  80  when attaching or detaching the strap tab  80  to or from the attachment post. In some embodiments, the grip  92  is formed from alternating raised portions, for example, as shown in  FIGS. 4A-4C . In some embodiments, alternating recessed portions may be used to form the grip  92 . 
     Reinforcement ridge portion  94  is formed on the strap tab  80  to reinforce the strap tab  80  when it is pulled during attachment and detachment. Relief portion  98  may be formed in the strap tab  80 , for example, for the embodiment illustrated by  FIGS. 4A-4C , by forming an opening through the strap tab  80 . In some embodiments, the reinforcement ridge portion  94  and/or relief portions  98  are configured to influence the shape of the opening  88  when the strap tab  80  is pulled and stretched. For example, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4C , a force F is applied to the strap tab  80 , for example, by pulling on the tab pull  90 , and the resulting shape of the opening  88  is a “teardrop” with the narrower portion on the side opposite of tab pull  90  and a rounded portion proximate the tab pull  90 . 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate an embodiment where the goggle strap tab  80  of  FIGS. 4A and 4B  is being pulled over and onto the attachment post  50  of  FIG. 2A-2D  or  3 A- 3 C.  FIG. 5C  illustrates an embodiment of the invention where the goggle strap tab  80  is being pulled over and off the attachment post  50 . 
     The goggle strap tab  80  is attached to the attachment post  50  by pulling the goggle strap tab  80  over the stop  60  and onto the post portion  58  of the attachment post  50 . A portion of the opening  88  (e.g., opposite of the tab pull  90 ) is positioned with the nose  70  of the hook portion  64  partially extending therethrough and a force F is applied to the tab pull  90 . With the opening  88  held on the hook portion  68 , the force F causes the strap tab  80  to stretch ( FIG. 5A ). As the tab pull  90  is pulled further, the opening  88  is spread open by the tapered portions of the hook portion  68  so that the opening  88  may be drawn over the rounded portion of the stop  60  and the tapered portion causes the opening  88  opposite of the tab pull  90  to slide onto the post portion  58 . With the portion of opening  88  proximate the tab pull  90  drawn over the rounded portion of stop  60 , the tab pull  90  may be released to fully position the goggle strap tab  80  on the post portion  64  ( FIG. 5B ). 
     The goggle strap tab  80  is detached from the attachment post  50  by pulling the portion of the opening  88  proximate the tab pull  90  off the post portion  58  and over the rounded portion of the stop  60 . A force F is applied to the tab pull  90  to stretch the goggle strap tab  80  and cause the ramp portion  74  of the stop  60  to expand the opening  88  ( FIG. 5C ). As the force F is continued to be applied, the opening  88  expands sufficiently to come off the post portion  58  and over the stop  60 . The tab pull  90  may be released when a portion of the opening  88  pulled over the stop  60 . The opening  88  contracts due to the resiliency of the goggle strap tab  80 , which slides off the hook portion  68  of the stop  60  so that the goggle strap tab  80  is fully detached from the attachment post  50 . 
     From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.