Abstract:
The present invention relates to a device to rotate a previously unrotatable receiver used with helmets, preferably aircraft helmets.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application is continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/150,346, filed May 17, 2002, which claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/292,990, filed on May 23, 2001. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a helmet used in association with aviation, particularly military aircraft.  
       DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART  
       [0003]     Currently, most military aircrews are required to wear a helmet when in flight. Those aircrew members that require an oxygen mask, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the mask  10  is normally secured to their helmet  12  through a mask mounted assembly of straps  14  and spring loaded bayonets  18 . On each side of the helmet  12  is a receiver  20  that the bayonet  18  locks into. Locking the  20  bayonet  18  to the receiver  28  is performed through teeth components (shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,573) in the receiver  20  and spring loaded components (also shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,573) on the bayonet  18 .  
         [0004]     When a pilot is fitted for a helmet  12 , the receivers  20  are manually located on the helmet to optimize the mask  10  fit for that individual. Then holes (not shown) are drilled to affix the receiver  20  to the helmet  12  through screws (not shown). To complicate matters, each mask  10  a pilot may wear may require the receiver  20  be mounted at a different angle. In other words, the pilot may require a new helmet be fitted and drilled when a new mask is used or must have a plurality of helmets  12 , one for each particular mask  10 .  
         [0005]     This non-swiveling receiver  20  is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,573, which is an expired patent owned by the assignee of this application.  
         [0006]     The present invention solves the multiple helmet problem.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention relates to a device to rotate a previously unrotatable receiver used with helmets, preferably, in the aircraft industry. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of the prior art.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of the bottom of the present invention shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of the top of the present invention shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is an alternative embodiment of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is an alternative embodiment of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of an alternative  25  embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is an alternative embodiment of  FIG. 7 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of housing  202 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 10  is an alternative embodiment showing the  5  top view of the third level and the base of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     The present invention is an improvement over the prior non-swiveling receivers  20  because the present invention is directed to a partially to fully (if desired), as shown in  FIGS. 2-9 , rotatable and securable receiver  30 .  
         [0019]     The partially to fully rotatable and securable receiver  30 , as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , has, in one embodiment, a conventional receiver  20  mounted to a stud  32 , and a mounting plate  34 . The stud  32  has at least a body portion  36 , a neck portion  38 , and a head portion  40 . Each portion  36 ,  38 , and  40  can be of any shape so long as each portion is able to rotate a predetermined distance within the mounting plate  34 . As such, the portions  36 ,  38 , and  40  have a generally circular shape, as shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , with a smooth slide partition  39  in the body portion  36 .  
         [0020]     In particular, the body portion  36  has a diameter, excluding the slide partition, of A, the neck portion  38  has a diameter of B which is less than the diameter A, and the head portion  40  has a diameter of C, which is less than the diameter of B. Preferably, each portion  36 ,  38 , and  40  has the center of its diameter immediately above the center of the other portion and in the following order, head portion  40  over the neck portion  38  which is over the body portion  36 . That way, the stud  32  rotates smoothly within the mounting plate  34 .  
         [0021]     The mounting plate  34  has a top surface  46 , a bottom surface  48 , a neck aperture  42 , a body indentation  44  (shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ), and a rotation guide  50  (shown in  FIG. 3 ). When the mounting plate  34  receives the stud  32 , the indentation  44  positions the body portion  36  and the neck aperture  42  positions the neck portion  38 . The body portion  36 , however, has to be aligned within the body indentation  44  in such a way that the rotation guide  50  is within the slide partition  39  as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0022]     By inserting the rotation guide  50  within the slide partition  39 , the rotation of the receiver  20  is limited to a predetermined rotation. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the rotation of the receiver  20  is limited to sixty degrees. The amount of rotation is a predetermined value that can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the length of the slide partition  39 . Accordingly, the length of the slide partition  39  could allow 360°, but preferably up to 180° and most preferably up to 90°.  
         [0023]     The receiver  20  rotates the predetermined distance because the head portion  40  is connected to the receiver  20 . In the present embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the head portion  40  extends into a head aperture  60  of a bottom surface  62  of the receiver  20 . The head portion  40  can be welded, crimped, screwed, or any other conventional method to attach the head portion  40  to the bottom surface  62 .  
         [0024]     The mounting plate  34  has at least one mounting aperture  70  that allow the mounting plate  34  to be mounted to the helmet  12 . The mounting plate  34  can be mounted to the helmet  12  by any conventional method, such as at least one screw, or adhesive (not shown).  
         [0025]     As stated previously, the receiver  20  was mounted to the helmet  12  by at least one screw through at least one mounting aperture (two are shown). The mounting aperture, for this embodiment, is now called a set point aperture  80 . Each set point aperture  80  receives a set screw  82 . Once the receiver  20  is in the desired position, the user tightens each set screw  82  so the set screw  82  contacts the mounting plate  34 . At which point, the receiver  20  on the receiver  30  is secured in position and can be used by the aircrew.  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternative embodiment of the mounting plate and the stud. Instead of having a slide aperture  39 , the stud has a toothed surface  39 A along a portion of the body portion. In addition, the mounting plate  34  has a locking plunger  90  designed to contact the toothed surface  39 A. The locking plunger  90  has a shaft  91  with a spring plate  93 , a knob  92  on the exterior surface of the mounting plate  34 , and the shaft  91  extends through a plunger aperture  94  of the mounting plate. Within the plunger aperture  94  is a spring cavity  95  that contains a resilient member  96  that forces the shaft  91  and the spring plate  93  toward the toothed surface  39   a . Accordingly, when the resilient member  96  is in its relaxed state, the shaft  91  applies pressure to the toothed surface  39   a  which prevents the receiver  20  from altering its position. In contrast, when a force F (in the direction of the arrow in  FIG. 5 ) is applied to the knob  92 , the shaft  91  applies no pressure to the slide aperture  39   a  which allows the receiver  20  to rotate the predetermined distance within the toothed surface area  39   a  and still be able to be locked in position.  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  is an alternative embodiment of  FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, there is a locking lever  105  which has the shaft  91 . The distal end  102  of the shaft  91  penetrates through a plunger aperture  94  to the toothed surface  39   a . The proximal end  104  of the shaft  91  is connected to the distal part  106  of the lever  105 . The lever  105  has a fulcrum  108  that extends from the mounting plate  34  and a resilient member  96  connected to the proximal point  107  of the lever  105 . When a force G is applied to the proximal point in the direction of the arrow shown in  FIG. 6 , then the shaft  91  applies no pressure to the toothed surface  39   a  so the receiver  20  can rotate. Otherwise, if no pressure is applied to the proximal end  105  then the receiver  20  is unable to rotate.  
         [0028]      FIG. 7  illustrates another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment  30   a  has a mounting ring  130 , a wave washer  132 , a first locking gear  134  with an extension  135 , a second locking gear  136  with an extension aperture  137  and at least two mounting apertures  138   a ,  138   b , and a receiver  20 .  
         [0029]     The mounting ring  130  receives, in order, the wave washer  132 , the first locking gear  134 , and the second locking gear  136 . The mounting ring  130  is directly mounted to the helmet  12  the same way the mounting plate  34  is connected to the helmet  12 , and conventional securing mechanisms, screws, adhesives and the like, also connect the second locking gear  136  to the mounting ring  130  through the mounting apertures  138   a,b.    
         [0030]     The extension  135  extends through the extension aperture  137  and connects with the receiver  20 , like the head portion  40  connects to the receiver  20  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Thereby, when the user wants to rotate the receiver  20 , the user applies a force H to the receiver  20  which results in the first locking gear  134  disengaging from the corresponding second locking gear  136  so the receiver  20  can be rotated. And when the receiver  20  is to be in a locked position, then no pressure in the direction of H is applied to the receiver  20 .  
         [0031]     Turning to  FIG. 8 , the present invention can also be designed with a receiver  20 , a housing  202 , a resilient member  204  (like a wave washer or any other conventional resilient member like a spring), and a position device  206  (like a sprocket which is disk shaped or any other shape that can rotate within the housing  202 ) having an extension  208  and a base  220 . The extension  208  extends through an aperture  210  of the wave washer  204 , and an aperture  212  of the housing  202  so it can be connected to the receiver  20  in the same way that head portion  40  connects to the receiver  20 . The housing  212  is mounted to the helmet  12  through apertures  214   a, b , in the same way the mounting plate is connected to the helmet  12 .  
         [0032]     Turning to  FIG. 9 , the aperture  212  of the housing has at least three levels. The first level  216  has an opening of B which is greater than the lateral extension (which could be a diameter if shaped like a circle or a width if any other shape) of the extension  208 , and is located adjacent to the receiver  20 . The second level  218  has an opening C, which is greater than the opening B and the lateral extension of the base  220 . The third level  222  is positioned toward the helmet  12 , has an opening greater than the lateral extension of the base  220 , and has at least one protrusion  224 . The protrusions  224  are designed to fit within indentations  226  of the base  220 . There has to be a minimum of two indentations  226  (otherwise there is no way the receiver can be repositioned). In addition, the number of indentations is directly relational to the number of positions that the receiver can be positioned.  
         [0033]     This embodiment operates in such a manner that when a user pulls the receiver  20  away from the helmet  12  [force K], the position device  206  is raised from the third level  222  to the second level  218 . When the base  226  is within the second level  218 , the wave washer  204  is compressed, and the receiver  20  can be rotated to a desired position.  
         [0034]     The wave washer  204  pushes the base  226  into the third level  222  when the user releases the receiver  20 . When the base  226  is in the third level  222 , the receiver  20  is securely positioned.  
         [0035]     In an alternative embodiment of  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the present invention has the protrusion  224  extending from the base  220 , and a receiving cavity  225  in the housing positioned adjacent the third level  222 , as shown in  FIG. 10 .  
         [0036]     Although variations in the embodiment of the present invention may not each realize all the advantages of the invention, certain features may become more important than others in various applications of the device. The invention, accordingly, should be understood to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.