Patent Publication Number: US-7900268-B2

Title: Armored face guard

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/361,966, filed Feb. 27, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,631,365, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. Section 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/774,650, filed Feb. 21, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/656,537, filed Feb. 28, 2005. The entire contents of the above-identified applications is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to ballistic armor. More specifically, the invention is a ballistic resistant face guard and a ballistic visor according to the invention. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There is an overwhelming desire among the general population to protect combat soldiers as far as reasonably possible. Body armor has a significant role to play in protecting soldiers from bullets and shrapnel injuries. Likewise, helmets worn by soldiers help to reduce head injuries. While body armor and helmets reduce injuries to combat soldiers, such items offer very little facial protection against, for example, shrapnel, bullets, and impact injuries of the type that occur in vehicle accidents. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are often packed with ball bearings or nails designed to maim and disfigure victims. Thus, there is a need for an armored face guard that works cooperatively with a helmet to help protect a soldier&#39;s face from bullets and shrapnel. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,829, issued Oct. 19, 2004 to Crye et al., describes a military or police helmet system. The &#39;829 helmet system includes a flexible plastic liner mounted to the wearer&#39;s head by a strap assembly. A ballistic shell with a shallow front wall is fastened to the liner and an eye shield assembly is pivotally mounted to the liner for movement between a deployed position and a retracted position between the shell and the liner. The liner has a rear segment connected to a cap segment, with cutout slots which allow the liner to apply pressure to the wearer&#39;s neck. A chinstrap is slidable on two stiff side straps, which have curved segments allowing the chinstrap to move with the user&#39;s jaw. A protective face guard assembly engages with the liner and has openings covered by resilient sheets, which permit a marksman feel a rifle stock through the face guard. 
     U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002-0174480 A1, published Nov. 28, 2002 to Lombard, describes a sports helmet. The Lombard helmet includes relatively wide and deep lateral reliefs in the helmet for improved peripheral vision for a person wearing the helmet, while a face guard is formed with a series of closely spaced lateral bars there across for precluding insertion of the fingers or hand therein. The present helmet and face guard are particularly well suited for use in the game of football, but may be adapted for use in other contact sports as well. The present helmet greatly improves safety by providing a wider field of view for a player using the helmet, and the present face guard greatly reduces the opportunity for opposing players to use the face guard for restraining or tackling players, thereby greatly reducing injuries and increasing safety during play. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,215, issued Jan. 12, 1999 to Fergason et al., describes a welding helmet having high structural integrity is formed of a single sheet of composite material, such as Kevlar fabric impregnated, with a phenolic thermoset resin; a viewing port in the front of the helmet includes a welding lens is either of fixed or automatically darkening type; and curves, bends, folds and steps in the composite material and trim pieces in the viewing port area and about the peripheral rim of the helmet shell provide additional stiffening for the helmet. A method of making a welding helmet of a single sheet of composite material includes pre-forming the composite material to a shape similar to that of the finished molding helmet shape, and placing the pre-shaped composite material in a compression mold and closing the mold to mold the composite material to shape while curing the composite material by applying heat other otherwise assisting in the curing of the composite material; and mounting a welding lens in a viewing port of the welding helmet. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,510, issued Feb. 22, 2000 to Kocher, describes a “bullet deflection, fighting position body armor”. The &#39;510 patent describes a bullet defeat mechanism approach which is said to be different than conventional armor&#39;s objective of stopping bullets. The &#39;510 patent describes a method that relies on providing concave and convex channels to a ballistic plate for protecting a person in the line of fire. 
     None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A ballistic face guard ( 100 ) for providing additional protection to a wearer&#39;s face and neck. A ballistic face guard ( 100 ) in combination with a ballistic visor ( 1000 ) for providing additional protection to a wearer&#39;s face, neck, and eyes. A ballistic face guard ( 100 ) in combination with a ballistic visor ( 1000 ) and a military helmet ( 140 ) for providing protection to a wearer&#39;s face, neck, eyes and head. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a partial environmental perspective view of a ballistic face guard fitted to a soldier&#39;s helmet according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  shows a front perspective view of a ballistic face guard according to the invention. 
         FIG. 2B  shows a front perspective view of a ballistic face guard according to the invention. 
         FIG. 3A  shows an elevated rear perspective view of a ballistic face guard according to the invention. 
         FIG. 3B  shows an elevated left side perspective view of a ballistic face guard according to the invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a bottom perspective view of a ballistic face guard according to the invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows a front perspective view of a ballistic visor according to the invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows a right side perspective view of a ballistic face guard combined with a ballistic visor, both of which are shown fitted to a helmet according to the invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of the ballistic face guard, ballistic visor and helmet along with an adapter for a night vision device. 
         FIG. 8  shows a front environmental perspective view of a ballistic face guard according to the invention fitted with a night vision device. 
         FIG. 9  shows a different embodiment of the ballistic visor according to the invention. 
         FIG. 10  shows a partially cut-away perspective view of a ballistic face guard according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to ballistic armor. More specifically, the invention is directed to a ballistic resistant face guard and a ballistic visor according to the invention. The ballistic face guard of the invention is denoted generally by the numeric label “ 100 ”, and the ballistic visor of the invention is denoted generally by the numeric label “ 1000 ”. 
     The armored face guard  100  is designed to provide protection to the wearer&#39;s face from various threats, such as impact, fragmentation, small arms fire, or natural elements. Further, the armored face guard  100 , which comprises a ballistic frame member  120 , in normal use is attached to a standard helmet  140  (such as, but not limited to, a standard U.S. Marine combat soldier&#39;s helmet). The ballistic frame member  120  is lightweight as possible to reduce fatigue on the wearer&#39;s head, and to counter balance the helmet  140  as it rests on the wearer&#39;s head. It should be understood that the terms “person” and “wearer” are regarded herein as equivalent terms with the single exception of “a person of ordinary skill”. For example, the terms “wearer&#39;s nose” and “person&#39;s nose” are regarded herein as equivalent terms. 
     The armored face guard  100 , and more particularly the ballistic frame member  120 , can be constructed of various materials and orientations that will protect against shrapnel, small arms fire, spall, and various other high velocity projectiles. In addition, the armored face guard  100  provides protection against non-combat related injuries, such as those found in vehicle collisions, riot thrown debris, natural elements, convoy related airborne debris, etc. The armored face guard  100  will ultimately increase the combat effectiveness of the individual soldier/marine by significantly reducing the amount of facial trauma normally encountered in the typical combat environment. 
     The armored face guard  100  is designed to be attachable to existing combat helmets, without significant modifications to helmet design. The armored face guard  100  is designed for fast attachment and detachment to/from a helmet such as a standard issue U.S. Marine helmet. The face guard  100  of the invention can be reversibly attached to a helmet in combination with a night vision device to allow, for example, a combat soldier to complete tasks in the dark while wearing the face guard  100  attached to his/her helmet. The face guard  100  is designed for easy attachment and removal, and overall simplicity, maximizing ease of use, while being compatible with combat infantry night vision ancillary devices normally encountered within the current military environment. 
     The armored face guard  100  is designed to reduce the amount of facial trauma by extending the ballistic coverage around the face and neck by about 90%. In principle, the armored face guard  100  works, at least in part, by transferring the energy of impacts to the attached helmet system rather than if it were attached directly to the wearer&#39;s face. 
     The armored face guard  100  is designed to be compatible with current communications equipment whether mounted in the helmet, or other devices such as radio handsets, etc. It is also compatible with other helmet-mounted equipment such as night vision systems, weapon sighting systems, and MOPP gear. The armored face guard  100  can include different forms of air vents or drilled holes to maximize airflow to the user, allowing for maximum comfort while still maintaining optimum ballistic protection. The armored face guard  100  could be manufactured like the current style helmets. For example, the ballistic frame member  120  may be made from woven layers of organic polymers (such as an aramid exemplified by KEVLAR®) and non-woven scrim prepreg impregnated with a heat curable resin such as, but not limited to, phenol-formaldehyde/polyvinyl butyral based resin as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,802 (issued to Pilato). U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,802 (issued to Pilato) is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Conventional heated treatment and/or heated presses can be utilized for the bonding of the layers of woven fabric and non-woven scrim prepreg by compression molding. These methods of making ballistic armor are well known to those skilled in the art. The ballistic frame member  120  can, for example, be made from layers of resin-coated woven aramid enclosing one or more layers of substantially uncoated woven aramid in place of layers of non-woven scrim prepreg. 
     The armored face guard  100  could be mounted to the helmet in various forms. This could include, but is not limited to: (a) mounting brackets inserted inside the helmet, (b) the armored face guard  100  can be molded to fit to some aspect or shape of the helmet  140 , then fastened by some form of buckles or straps, or (c) mounting brackets attached by using the current holes drilled for the helmets existing suspension system, etc. 
     Various forms of goggles or visors (described in more detail below) could be implemented with the armored face guard  100  to further reduce the amount of trauma to the eyes and face, by forming a seal with the armored face guard  100  to keep out dust and the aforementioned ballistic threats. It could also include colored lenses for protection against threats from LASER devices, as well as sun and glare protection. 
     The armored face guard  100  may be molded of conventional infantry helmet material, such as layers or alternating layers of aramid such as KEVLAR® material produced by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or PBO fibers, or the like. The armored face guard  100  may be formed of other high performance ballistic materials such as titanium, alumina-ceramics, and high-strength composites. The exterior surface of the armored face guard  100  may also be provided with various known slippery coatings and finishes to increase the tendency of bullets and/or fragments to deflect or skim off of the exterior surface of the armored face guard  100 . For example, the armored face guard  100  can be a ballistic resistant laminate (as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,802) made by bonding alternating plies of fabric woven from glass or aramid polymers (e.g., KEVLAR® layers) and non-woven scrim prepreg impregnated with a heat curable resin. The heat curable resin may be, for example, phenol-formaldehyde/polyvinyl butyral blend. Other suitable resins include carbon-graphite resin, polyester resin (thermoset), epoxy resins, phenolic resin (thermoset), silicone resin (thermoset), polyimide resin (thermoset), polysulfone resin (thermoset) and/or resins described in Chapter 4 in the U.S. Dept. of Defense Military Handbook entitled: “Plastic Matrix Composites With Continuous Fiber Reinforcement” (MIL-HDBK-754(AR)) 19 Sep., 1991 (Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited). 
     Alternatively, the face guard  100  can be made out of three-dimensional (“3D”) woven composite material as described by Stobbe and Mohamed (48th International SAMPE Symposium, May 11-15, 2003). For example, the face guard  100  can be made out of a moldable multilayer laminated woven structure incorporating at least one 3D woven material layer (described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,149 issued Aug. 28, 2001 to Hussein et al.) in combination with a thermoplastic material. U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,149 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     In more detail and referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , which show various perspective views of the ballistic face guard  100 , which comprises ballistic frame member  120 . The ballistic face guard  100  is designed to attach to a standard issue military helmet or helmet system  140 . The face guard  100  has two-fold symmetry about mid-point vertical axis line  160  (see  FIG. 2A ) that bisects ballistic frame member  120  (and by default, face guard  100 , which comprises ballistic frame member  120 ). The ballistic frame member  120  is curved in the horizontal plane  200  in a rearward direction to fit around a wearer&#39;s face WF (see  FIG. 1 ). The ballistic frame member  120  includes a front end  180 , which in turn includes a nose section  220 . The ballistic frame member  120  includes a left rear end  240 , a right rear end  260 , top  280 , bottom  300 , exterior surface  320 , a semi-enclosed surface  340 , at least one downward sloping ledge at some point between left and rear ends  240  and  260  such as a left downward sloping ledge  360  and a right downward sloping ledge  380  to provide the wearer with substantially unobstructed downward views. The left  360  and right  380  downward sloping ledges also serve to stiffen the face guard  100 . When the ballistic face guard  100  is fitted to helmet  140 , the left  360  and right  380  downward facing slopes respectively define left and right viewing areas  143  and  147  via which the wearer can view his/her environment and surroundings. 
     It should be understood that the left and right slopes  360  and  380  are not created by tapering or otherwise thinning the top  280  of ballistic frame member  120 , but rather represent a bending in the top  280  of the ballistic frame member  120 . Thus, left and right slopes  360  and  380  define complementary internal slopes  360   a  and  380   b  (see  FIG. 4 ) such that the bottom  300  is somewhat offset with respect to the wearer&#39;s mouth (not shown). Thus, much of the semi-enclosed surface  340  is maintained at a distance away from the wearer&#39;s mouth. More specifically, the semi-enclosed surface  340  includes semi-enclosed surface  340   a  (see  FIG. 4 ) at the front end  180  of ballistic frame member  120 , which is somewhat offset from the wearer&#39;s mouth. This offset is particularly advantageous because it substantially reduces the requirement for drilling or otherwise providing ventilation holes through the front end  180  of ballistic frame member  120 , which would lower the capability of the front end  180  to resist bullets and/or fragments impacting on the front end  180 . 
     It should be understood that the terms “left” and “right” are arbitrarily chosen from the perspective of the wearer&#39;s own left and right features such as the left and right sides of their face and/or eyes, and should not be interpreted as being limiting on the present invention as claimed. 
     It should be understood that the left and right rear ends  240  and  260  are also referred to herein as “rear ends  240  and  260 ”. It should be understood that the left and right ledges  360  and  380  are also referred to herein as “side ledges  360  and  380 ”. 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the front end  180  extends upward to form a generally V-shaped nose section  220  to accommodate a wearer&#39;s nose and protect the middle of a wearer&#39;s face. The generally V-shaped nose section  220  has a front face  230 , a left nose side  400  and a right nose side  420 . The nose front face  230 , and nose sides  400  and  420  converge together to form a curved nose apex  440 . It should be understood that the left and right nose sides  400  and  420  are also referred to herein as “nose sides  400  and  420 ”. It should be understood that while the nose section  220  is shown as a generally V-shaped structure, the nose section  220  can adopt any suitable overall shape, such as an oval shape, a generally rectangular shape, a polygonal shape, etc. 
     It should be understood that the top  280  of ballistic frame member  120  may be molded such that ledges  360  and  380  and left and right nose sides  400  and  420  form a continuous ledge  430  as shown in  FIG. 3A . 
     In  FIG. 9 , the front face  230  is shown having an angled-back and outwardly curved front face  230 ′. The outwardly curved front face  230 ′ forms part of the exterior surface  320 . It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the front face  230 ′ can adopt different styles such as an angled-back substantially flat surface. Alternatively, the front face  230 ′ can extend upwards at a tangential angle. An angled-back exterior curvature  230 ′ provides further stiffening to the face guard  100  without compromising the ability of the front end  180  to resist or deflect bullets and/or fragments. If present, the combination of a curved front face  230 ′, the overall curved shape  200  in the horizontal plane of the face guard  100 , the left and right downward facing slopes  360  and  380 , and right and left nose sides  400  and  420 , all combine to add stiffness to the face guard  100 . 
     The top  280  of face guard  100  is bent inwards at least part of the way between the left rear end  240  and the left side  400  of nose section  220  to create left downward sloping edge  360 . The top  280  is bent inwards at least part of the way between the right rear end  260  and the right side  420  of nose section  220  to create right downward sloping edge  380 . These bends help stiffen the ballistic face guard  100  without detrimentally impacting on the ability of the ballistic face guard  100  to resist or deflect bullets and/or fragments (such as fragments generated by, for example, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) like those used currently in Iraq to maim or injure American troops). 
     Left and right face guard ends  240  and  260 , respectively, include left and right semi-enclosed ledges  460  and  480 . The left and right semi-enclosed ledges  460  and  480  are designed to accommodate the left  500  and right  520  bottom edges of helmet  140 . Thus, at least some of the impact energy from bullets or fragments striking the face guard  100  are transferred to the helmet  140  via left and right ledges  460  and  480  in face guard  100 . It should be understood that the left and right semi-enclosed ledges  460  and  480  are also referred to herein as “semi-enclosed ledges  460  and  480 ”. 
     At least one attachment system is used to reversibly attach the face guard  100  to a helmet  140 . The term “reversibly attach” simply means that the face guard  100 , and more particularly the ballistic frame member  120 , can be attached and released with little effort to/from the helmet  140 . It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that any suitable attachment system for reversibly attaching the face guard  100  to a helmet  140  can be used. 
     The at least one attachment system can take the form may be, for example, a buckle system  580  such as that shown in  FIG. 1 . The buckle system  580  is fitted to the left  190  and right  195  sides of the face guard  100  (see, e.g.,  FIG. 4 ). The buckle system  580  is connected to the ballistic frame member  120  by means of connector  590 . The buckle system  580  includes at least one plug member  600 . The at least one plug member  600  is inserted into a complementary at least one female socket member  620  fitted to the left  190 ′ and right  195 ′ sides of helmet  140 . The locations of the at least one plug member  600  and at least one socket member  620  can be reversed, for example, the at least one female socket member  620  can be attached to the left  190  and right  195  sides of face guard  100 , and the at least one plug member  600  attached to the left  190 ′ and right  195 ′ sides of helmet  140 . Alternatively, one female socket member  620  is fitted to either side  190 ′ and  195 ′ with a male plug  600  member attached to either side  190  and  195  of ballistic frame member  120 . 
     The terms “female socket member  620 ” and “female latch member  620 ” are regarded as equivalent terms. The terms “male plug member  600 ” and “male attachment member  600 ” are regarded as equivalent terms. It should be understood that any type of female and male latch members can be used and are expressly not limited to female socket member  620  and male plug member  600 , respectively. 
     The operation of a buckle system is well known and is described in detail, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,786 (issued to Davis). The content of U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,786 (Davis) is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     An optional central connector  640  is shown fitted to the nose apex  440  (see, e.g.,  FIG. 4 ). The optional connector  640  is be used to attach the front end  180  of the ballistic frame member  120  to the front rim  660  of the helmet  140 . Impact energy from bullets and/or fragments striking the face guard  100  is at least partially transferred to the helmet  140  via central connector  640 . Since helmet  140  is likely fitted with an internal energy absorbing inner lining, impacts to the face guard  100  are positively dissipated into the helmet  140  thus reducing bruising to the wearer&#39;s face. 
     The optional central connector  640  also serves to hold the front end  180  of the ballistic frame member  120  slightly offset with respect to the wearer&#39;s face wf. This is particularly advantageous because the left and right slopes  360  and  380  produce an internal offset wherein there is sufficient space between the wearer&#39;s mouth and the bottom  300  to allow the wearer to breath without requiring breathing holes in the front end  180  of the ballistic frame member  120 . More specifically, the optional connector  640  helps maintain an offset between the wearer&#39;s mouth and semi-enclosed surface  340   a  thereby reducing the requirement for drilling or otherwise providing ventilation holes through the front end  180  of ballistic frame member  120 , which would lower the capability of the front end  180  to resist bullets and/or fragments impacting on the front end  180 . 
     The visor  1000  can be made out of any ballistic rated material such as, but not limited to, ballistic grade polycarbonate. For example, the visor  1000  can comprise a ballistic layer of 2.5 mm thick selenite ballistic grade polycarbonate. The thickness of the ballistic layer can vary. For example, the visor  1000  can comprise a layer of 2.0 mm thick selenite ballistic grade polycarbonate. Additional layers may be added to the visor  1000 , such as an interference filter layer deposited on a layer of ballistic grade polymer as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,926 (issued to Spielberger). The entire content of U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,926 (issued to Spielberger) is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The visor  1000  might include a clear polycarbonate designed for ballistic protection while another visor  1000  may include additional dyes or additional layers for light (e.g., laser light) protection. More specifically, and as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,537 (issued to Hartley et al.), dyes may be introduced into or on the polycarbonate material (in this case, into or onto the visor  1000 ) for ultra violet radiation protection, sun light protection, visible light protection, and infrared protection, etc. The entire content of U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,537 is incorporated herein by reference. 
     In more detail, and referring to  FIG. 5 , a front perspective view of the ballistic visor  1000  according to the invention is shown. The ballistic visor  1000  comprises a left eye shield  1020 , a right eye shield  1040 , and a helmet rim cover  1060 . The bottom of the left and right eye shields  1020  and  1040  respectively define outward and downward facing left and right flanges  1080  and  1100 , respectively. A recess  1120  is located in the middle of the ballistic visor  1000 . The recess  1120  fits over nose section  220  and nose apex  440  of ballistic face guard  100 . An optional outward facing recess flange  1140  fits over the nose apex  440 . 
     Optional left and right permanent connection means  1160  and  1180 , respectively, can be used to permanently or semi-permanently keep visor  1000  attached to the ballistic face guard  100  thus allowing a soldier to quickly fit combined face guard  100  and visor  1000  to helmet  140 . The connection means  1160  and  1180  can be any suitable connection means such as screws, rivets, adhesive or glue such as any suitable hardener-resin adhesive system, etc. 
     Still referring to  FIG. 5 , the left and right flanges  1080  and  1100  are shaped and angled to fit substantially flush against the left and right downward sloping ledges  360  and  380 , respectively. The helmet rim cover  1060  is designed to fit over the front rim  660  of helmet  140 . Thus, energy from ballistic impacts on the visor  1000  is efficiently transferred to the face guard  100  and helmet system  140 . The left and right flanges  1080  and  1100  are typically, but not necessarily, integral extensions of the bottom of left and right eye shields  1020  and  1040 , respectively. 
     It should be understood that the left and right eye shields  1020  and  1040  can be manufactured to conform to optician recommended eye prescription requirements. Thus, the left and right eye shields  1020  and  1040  can offer normal sight transparent areas via which a normal sighted wearer can clearly view his/her surroundings while enjoying significant eye protection against fragment and/or bullet impacts. Alternatively, the left and right eye shields  1020  and  1040  can be individually manufactured to conform to eye lens prescription requirements determined by a competent eye optician. For example, the left eye shield  1020  can be designed for normal sight and the right eye shield  1040  manufactured to conform to a predetermined eye lens prescription. Thus, the combination of ballistic face guard  100  and visor  1000  provides high-grade protection to the wearer, regardless of their eye prescription requirements, without suffering unbearable restrictions on viewing capability. 
       FIG. 6  shows the visor  1000  fitted to ballistic face guard  100 , both of which in turn are fitted to helmet  140  thus providing the wearer with excellent combined protection against ballistic fragments to the head, eyes, face and/or neck. 
       FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of the ballistic face guard, ballistic visor and helmet along with an adapter  1200  for a night vision device. 
       FIG. 8  shows a front environmental perspective view of the ballistic face guard  100  fitted with a night vision device  1220 . In more detail, a soldier S is shown sighting a gun G on a target (not shown) using the night vision device  1220  fitted to face guard  100 . 
       FIG. 9  shows a different embodiment of ballistic visor  1000  (actually represented by alpha-numeric label “ 1000   a ”). The ballistic visor  1000   a  is similar to visor  1000  except that ballistic visor  1000   a  lacks left and right flanges  1080  and  1100  and lacks recess flange  1140 . The ballistic visor  1000   a  has helmet rim cover  1060  and recess  1120 . Energy from a ballistic fragment impacting on ballistic visor  1000   a  is transmitted to helmet  140  for the most part via helmet rim cover  1060 . 
       FIG. 10  shows a partially cut-away perspective view of the ballistic frame member  120 , with a plurality of layers  101  partially folded back. The ballistic frame member  120 , as shown, comprises a plurality of layers, which in turn comprise at least one layer of organic polymer  201 , such as, but not limited to at least one layer of aramid woven fiber such as, but not limited to, at least one layer of Kevlar (DuPont). Kevlar is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. It should be understood that the plurality of layers  101 , as shown in  FIG. 10 , are not drawn to scale. 
     The exemplary embodiments described above are meant to be illustrative, and not limiting of the scope of the invention.