Patent Publication Number: US-2003229934-A1

Title: Device for hooking the visor to a motorcyclist helmet cap

Description:
[0001] The present invention relates to a device for hooking the visor to the cap of a helmet, and in particular to a device for hooking the visor to the cap of a helmet which allows at the same time to adjust the angular position of the visor with respect to the porthole—or window—of the cap.  
       [0002] Usually, the devices for hooking the visor to the cap of a helmet comprise pins that engage in special eyelets obtained in correspondence of the side ends of the visor and that fasten, for instance by screwing, in holes or seats obtained on the cap at the sides of the porthole. Such devices are intended for ensuring the attachment of the visor to the cap, allowing at the same time the rotation of the visor with respect to the porthole. However, these devices, for simplicity reasons, do not provide any adjustment of the angular position of the visor, which causes the positioning of the visor by the user to be only approximate.  
       [0003] On the contrary, devices are known for the adjustment of the visor with respect to the cap, or devices that allow to lock the visor in different pre-defined positions when the visor is caused to rotate to intercept or free the porthole. These devices do not provide usually the possibility of disconnecting the visor from the cap, unless by using suitable tools. Some of such devices are provided with mechanisms that, once screwed on the cap, keep, by interposition of ports, the end of the visor, in order to lock it removably in the position desired by the user. Such mechanisms, generally made up by leverages, are very complex and require both hands for their activation. Therefore, the activation of the device is particularly tiresome, as, in order to lift or to lower the visor, the user must keep the motor-cycle in balance using only his legs.  
       [0004] To solve this problem, devices have been proposed for adjusting the rotation of the visor using one only hand.  
       [0005] In particular, according to the known art, these devices, fastened to the cap near the side ends of the porthole, are provided with a cylindrical body whereon the visor is rotatably assembled and a threaded pin which, by engaging in a hole obtained on the helmet cap, allows to keep the visor onto the cap according to an axis. The cylindrical body houses a pawl elastically pushed to engage into a concavity of a rack obtained in the visor. The concavities, or seats, identify different angular positions in whose correspondence the visor may be located during its rotation about the threaded pin. An example of such devices is described in the British Patent Application GB 2,024,000 (Nolan S.p.A.).  
       [0006] The connection of the visor to the helmet is therefore disjoined from the rotation adjusting device and may be realized, as mentioned above, with threaded pins that require the help of special tools for their assembly and disassembly.  
       [0007] Object of the present invention is to solve the drawbacks of the known art through a device for hooking the visor to a helmet cap allowing at the same time an easy adjustment of the angular position of the visor with respect to the porthole.  
       [0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for hooking the visor to the cap said device being extremely simple and highly reliable, and such as to allow the rotation of the visor and the locking thereof in the desired position with one only hand.  
       [0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that does not require special tools to fix or to remove the visor to or from the cap, but that, on the contrary, allows to perform such operations in any condition and with the hands only, while ensuring an extreme use safety.  
       [0010] These and still other objects are achieved by the present invention that relates to a device for removably hooking the visor to a helmet cap, of the type provided, in correspondence of each side end of the cap porthole, a guide-body for the rotation of the visor that can be engaged according to an axis in a hole of said visor, characterized in that it comprises a cursor slidingly associated to said guide-body and provided with means preventing the visor from the translation in the direction of said axis, said cursor being translatable between a position of engagement of said means holding said visor and a disengagement position, said device also comprising elastic means for pushing said cursor to said position of engagement with the visor. Thanks to this solution, the translation of the cursor suffices per se to release the visor from the cap, and therefore no tools are needed to perform such operation.  
       [0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cursor comprises a tooth elastically pushed to engage in a seat belonging to one or more seats obtained on the visor. Said one or more seats respectively define one or more stable angular positions for the visor during the rotation movement of the latter about the axis engaging with the guide-body.  
       [0012] The presence of the sliding cursor of both the aforesaid means for the axial holding, constituted, for instance, by a fork that holds the axial shifting of the visor, and the tooth that engages with seats obtained on the visor, provides the device according to the invention with the capacity of efficiently preventing the axial translation of said visor, coupled with the effect of the holding projection present on the guide-body, adjusting at the same time the angular position of the visor during the rotation.  
       [0013] The extreme simplicity of the device made up by only a few components that can be assembled in a short time, ensures also a great utilization facility and safety as well as a high reliability.  
       [0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the above position of disengagement of the holding means coincides with an end of stroke position of the cursor, in such a manner that no accidental unhooking of the visor can take place.  
       [0015] Advantageously, the elastic means suitable to push the cursor to the engagement position of the means for holding the visor comprise a helical spring interposed between the cursor and the circular body.  
       [0016] According to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the aforesaid tooth is obtained integrally with the cursor, and the elastic means that push the cursor to an engagement position with the visor also push the tooth to one or more seats obtained in the visor. 
     
    
    
     [0017] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be clearer thanks to the following description, made by way of non limiting illustration, with reference to the schematic drawings attached, wherein:  
     [0018]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a hooking device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
     [0019]FIG. 2 a ,  2   b  are schematic views of a helmet provided with the device according to the present invention, with a hooked respectively unhooked visor;  
     [0020]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cursor according to a particular aspect of the present invention; and  
     [0021]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a guide-body whereon the cursor of FIG. 3 can be slidingly associated. 
    
    
     [0022] FIGS.  1 - 4  show a preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention, to removably hook to cap  3  visor  2  of interception of a porthole, or window,  22  of a helmet  4 , i.e. a device that allows to connect or disconnect visor  2  to or from cap  3 , allowing at the same time the rotation of said visor  2  with respect to porthole  22 . The device according to the present invention comprises, for each portion of cap  3  located near the side ends of porthole  22 , a guide-body  5  tied to cap  3  whereon visor  2  rotatably engages according to an axis by means of a hole  23 . The guide-body  5  allows the rotation of visor  2  about an axis substantially orthogonal with respect to the walls of cap  3  and prevents any movement transversal to said rotation axis of said visor  2 .  
     [0023] To the guide-body  5 , provided with a contrast protrusion  18 , there is also slidingly associated a cursor  7  provided with holding means  8  of visor  2  in the direction of the above axis and translatable between a position wherein the holding means  8  engage with visor  2  to prevent it from sliding along the rotation axis, and a position wherein means  8  are disengaged from visor  2 . In the following, reference will be made to the rotation axis of visor  2 , defined by the coupling between hole  23  and the guide-body  5 , by the term “axial”, while by the expression “axial holding means of the visor” there will be intended to indicate the above defined holding means  8 .  
     [0024] Besides, the device according to the present invention comprises also elastic means  25  intended for pushing cursor  7 , and therefore the axial holding means  8 , in engagement with visor  2 .  
     [0025] More particularly, helmet  4  has, on the sides of cap  3 , near each side end of porthole  22 , a circular-plan cylindrical guide unit that by engaging in the circular hole  23  of visor  2 , acts as a pin to allow the rotation of visor  2  on porthole  5 , allowing thereby the opening and closing of visor  2  on porthole  22 . The circular guide-body comprises, in a transversal position with respect to the rotation axis, a groove  6  wherein cursor  7 , provided with axial holding means  8 , is slidingly inserted and can translate between an engagement position of the holding means  8  with visor  2 , shown on FIG. 2 a , and a disengagement position, shown on FIG. 2 b . Besides, the circular guide unit  5  has, as mentioned above, in a position diametrically opposed with respect to the axial holding means  8 , a contrast protrusion  18 . The holding means, coupled with contrast protrusion  18  allow, when cursor  7  is in engagement position, to hook visor  2  to helmet cap  3 , preventing it from sliding along the rotation axis, moving away from said cap  3 .  
     [0026] Within groove  6  of guide-body  5 , there is also present a cylindrical helical spring  25  that constitutes the elastic means suitable to push cursor  7  to the aforesaid engagement position. As will be described later on, spring  25  is located between a pin  26  of the guide-body  5  and a abutment  27  of cursor  7 .  
     [0027] In the particular realization of the device shown in the figures, the stroke of cursor  7 , defined by groove  6 , and the overall size of the holding means  8  allow to disconnect visor  2  from the guide-body  5  only when cursor  7  reaches an end-of-stroke position (disengagement position) opposed to the aforesaid engagement position of means  8  with visor  2 . In this manner, it is possible to disconnect visor  2  from cap  3  only in the position of cursor  7  shown in FIG. 2 b , so that any accidental unhooking of visor  2  from cap  3  is prevented.  
     [0028] Cursor  7  has, as a translation activating means, a protrusion  11  which, moved by hand by user, allows the shifting of said cursor towards the disengagement position of holding means  8  of visor  2 , overcoming the action of spring  25 .  
     [0029] The means of axial holding  8  of visor  2  according to the present invention, may be constituted by a protrusion of cursor  7  that extends, in a substantially orthogonal way with respect to the rotation axis, above cap  3 , for a length and at a distance from cap  3  such as to allow the housing of the surface of visor  2  adjoining hole  23  between the protrusion (i.e. the holding means  8 ) and cap  3 .  
     [0030] In the preferred embodiment, shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4, the holding means are constituted by a fork-shaped appendix  12  of cursor  7 , whose upper arm prevents, by contrast of parts, visor  2  from sliding axially when cursor  7  is in its engagement position (FIG. 2 a ). The external surface  15  of the upper arm  13  of fork  12  is, according to a particular aspect of the present invention, inclined towards the rear side of the cap, in order to allow an easy disengagement of hole  23  of guide-body  5 , when cursor  7  has reached the end-of-stroke position, shown in FIG. 2 b.    
     [0031] The lower arm  14  of fork  12  engages in an aperture  16  (FIG. 4) obtained in the guide-body  5 , in such a way that the size of said opening  16  defines the stroke width for cursor  7 . Aperture  16 , opposite to the engagement position with visor  2 , houses pin  26  that supports an end of the cylindrical helical spring  25 .  
     [0032] According to a particularly advantageous aspect of the present invention, cursor  7 , as is better shown in FIG. 3, has also a tooth  9  elastically pushed in engagement with one of seats  10  obtained on visor  2 . Seats  10 , that belong to a rack (or toothing) preferably realized along the internal profile of hole  23 , define a plurality of stable angular positions for said visor  2 , allowing the adjustment of its rotation, by serial locations, by user. In fact, as stressed by FIG. 1, tooth  9 , during the rotation of visor  2  about the engagement axis with the guide-body, alternately engages in seat  10  of the rack obtained along the internal profile of hole  23 , so as to shift within prefixed positions of the rotation for said visor  2 .  
     [0033] In the embodiment shown, tooth  9  is integrally realized with cursor  5  and protrudes from the latter, transversally to the rotation axis of visor  2 , so as to engage one of seats  10  of hole  23 , when cursor  7  is in its engagement position with visor  2  (FIG. 2 a ). As a consequence, the cylindrical helical spring  26 , by pushing cursor  7  and the holding means  8  to engage with a portion of visor  2 , pushes also tooth  9  into one of seats  10 .  
     [0034] In particular, tooth  9  is located between the arms of fork  12  (see FIG. 3), in such a way that the engagement of fork  12  with the surface of visor  2  adjoining hole  23  involves as a consequence the engagement of tooth  9  with one of seats  10 .  
     [0035] Alternatively, in order to allow particular configurations of visor  2 , but increasing the complexity of the device, it is possible to realize a tooth  9 , translation-tied to guide-body  5  disjointedly from cursor  7  and provided with own elastic pushing means.  
     [0036] Tooth  9  and seats  10  of the rack obtained along the internal perimeter of hole  23  have a complementary tapered saw tooth profile, that facilitates the rotation and the adjustment of the angular position of visor  2 . When the user of helmet  4  lifts visor  2  or lower it, causing its rotation about guide-body  5  whereon it is engaged, the tapered profile of-seats  10  helps the coming out of tooth  9  from said seats and causes the partial translation of cursor  7  towards its disengagement portion from visor  2 , without the latter being ever reached, overcoming only partly the pushing exercised by spring  25 .  
     [0037] More specifically, the rotation of visor  2  by user, about the axis defined by guide-body  5 , involves, thanks to the complementary tapered profiles of seats  10  and tooth  9 , the partial translation of cursor  7  and the holding means  8  towards the aforesaid disengagement position of cursor  7 , which however is never reached, overcoming only partly the pushing exercised by spring  25 . When, continuing the rotation of visor  2 , pin  9  is substantially in correspondence of another of seats  10  of hole  23 , spring  25  pushes tooth  9  into such subsequent seat, determining the reaching of a prefixed angular stable position of visor  2  with respect to porthole  22 .  
     [0038] The number of seats  10  obtained on the internal profile of hole  23  depends on the number of angular positions wherein it is expected, in the design step, that visor  2  will be stably located during its opening and closing movement. Obviously, the profile of eyelet  23  might be provided with one only seat  10 , for instance in correspondence of the maximum opening position of visor  2 .  
     [0039] In order to fasten still more effectively visor  2  to cap  3 , the guide-body  5  is provided with a protrusion  18  which, superposed to visor  2  when the latter is tied to guide-body  5 , contrasts any shift along the rotation axis of said visor  2 , abutting on a position opposed to fork  12  of cursor  7  and in particular, in the case of a circular-plan guide-body  5 , it extends in a position diametrically opposite with respect to the engagement position of cursor  7  with visor  2 .  
     [0040] According to a further aspect of the present invention, guide-body  5  may be provided with recesses  29 , or holes, wherein tangs or other structural coupling elements belonging to removable accessories of the helmet, such as a front or aerodynamic appendixes or a sun shading flange may be housed.  
     [0041] The great structural simplicity of the device illustrated above involves a like assembly simplicity.  
     [0042] In fact, for the assembly, a cursor  7  is first translatably tied in groove  6 , so that the lower arm  14  of fork  12  inserts into opening  26 . Possibly, groove  6  may be so shaped as to allow the snap-insertion of cursor  7 , by means, for instance, of elastically strainable portions, and to prevent cursor  7  from shifting axially.  
     [0043] Afterwards, the cylindrical helical spring  25  is located between pin  26  and the abutment surface  27  of cursor  7 .  
     [0044] Then, for each side end of helmet  4 , guide-body  5  (see FIG. 1) is coupled to a corresponding cavity shaped in cap  3  and fastened thereto by means of a partly threaded element  19  (screw or bolt) that engages in a seat, also threaded, integral with cap  3 . Element  19  may be a pin provided with a T-shaped head that inserts into an eyelet  20  of cursor  7 , allowing its transversal sliding, and into a through-hole  28  of unit  5 . Said pin  19 , that does not involve visor  2 , needs not being removed to allow visor  2  to be disconnected from cap  3 .  
     [0045] Lastly, eyelet  23  of the visor is inserted on the cylindrical guide-body  5 , causing the latter to position frontally beyond contrast protrusion  18  realized thereon; afterwards, by acting by hand on protrusion  11  of cursor  7 , the front part of hole  23  of visor  2  inserts automatically on the cylindrical guide-body  5  and, once cursor  7  is released, it is held up by means  8 , or the upper arm  13  of fork  12 .  
     [0046] As may be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such assembly requires only a few simple operations, and is therefore extremely rapid. The guide-body  5 , of circular shape, as shown in FIG. 4, is realized disjointedly from the helmet cap, but obviously it might be realized integrally with cap  3 , without falling outside the protection scope of the present invention.  
     [0047] Just in the same way, the partly threaded element  19  may be replaced by any other mechanism or element that, according to the known art, would allow to stably fasten unit  5  to cap  3 .