Patent Publication Number: US-2016242483-A1

Title: Storage attachment for safety helmets

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     FIELD 
     The present application relates to safety helmets and particularly to the inclusion of storage. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A safety helmet (a.k.a. hardhat) is a type of helmet predominantly used in workplace environments such as industrial or construction sites to protect the head from injury due to falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, rain, and electric shock. Within the helmet are suspension bands that help spread the helmet&#39;s weight and distribute the force of any impact over the top of the head in order to eliminate the build-up of force at any one point in particular. The suspension bands provide a space of approximately 30 mm (1.2 inch) between the helmet&#39;s shell and the wearer&#39;s head, so that if an object strikes the shell, the impact is less likely to be transmitted directly to the skull. Unfortunately, many wearers of safety helmets have considered the space between the helmet and their head a convenient place to store items ranging from packs of cigarettes to cell phones and even other safety items such as dust masks and earplugs. Any additional items stored within the safety helmet pose a potential risk of allowing the force of an impact to be transmitted directly to skull at a single point rather than being distributed. 
     Unfortunately, without additional storage available to them, wearers of safety helmets will likely continue to put themselves at risk by storing items inside the helmet. 
     Therefore, there continues to be a need for additional storage associated with safety helmets that does not compromise the integrity of the helmet and its internal suspension system. 
     SUMMARY 
     In order to overcome the deficiencies in the prior art, systems and methods are described herein. 
     One aspect of the claimed invention involves an apparatus for attaching storage to safety helmets that is substantially ring shaped, contains one or more storage compartments, and the apparatus is configured such that when it is placed on top of the safety helmet the apparatus produces a fit that it is one or more of either snug, interference, or a press fit. 
     Another aspect involves a method of adding storage to a safety helmet comprising inserting on to the top of the safety helmet a ring shaped device that has one or more external storage compartments and when inserted produces a fit that is one or more of either snug, interference, or a press fit. 
     These and other aspects described herein present in the claims result in features and/or can provide advantages over current technology. 
     The advantages and features described herein are a few of the many advantages and features available from representative embodiments and are presented only to assist in understanding the invention. It should be understood that they are not to be considered limitations on the invention as defined by the claims, or limitations on equivalents to the claims. For instance, some of these advantages or features are mutually exclusive or contradictory, in that they cannot be simultaneously present in a single embodiment. Similarly, some advantages are applicable to one aspect of the invention, and inapplicable to others. Thus, the elaborated features and advantages should not be considered dispositive in determining equivalence. Additional features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description, from the drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A , shows in simplified form, a representative safety helmet; 
         FIG. 1B  shows, in simplified form, an exemplary apparatus for adding external storage to a safety helmet; 
         FIG. 1C  shows, in simplified form, the apparatus inserted onto a representative safety helmet; 
         FIG. 2A  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a split in the apparatus; 
         FIG. 2B  shows, in simplified form, the split apparatus inserted onto a representative safety helmet; 
         FIG. 3A  shows, in simplified form, the inclusion of one or more helmet attachments; 
         FIG. 3B  shows, in simplified form, the split apparatus inserted onto a representative safety helmet; 
         FIG. 4A  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a light to the apparatus; 
         FIG. 4B  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a light to the apparatus and inserted onto a representative safety helmet; 
         FIG. 5A  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a light  400  to a split apparatus; 
         FIG. 5B  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a light to the split apparatus and inserted onto a representative safety helmet; and 
         FIG. 6  shows, in simplified form, the inclusion of one or more ring accessories. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The instant devices and approach provide a way to for attaching external storage to safety helmets, without compromising the internal suspension system, that comprises: a substantially ring shaped apparatus that has an interior shape that substantially conforms to the exterior shape, above a brim, of a safety helmet and an interior taper of the ring that substantially conforms to the exterior taper, above the brim, of the safety helmet such that when inserted over the safety helmet the ring forms an interference fit with the safety helmet, when inserted onto the helmet from the top, and included with the ring is one or more storage compartments. 
     A safety helmet, or hardhat, (see  FIG. 1A ) is a type of helmet predominantly used in workplace environments such as industrial or construction sites to protect the head from injury due to falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, rain, and electric shock. Within the interior of the helmet, there are suspension bands (not shown in  FIG. 1A ) that help spread the helmet&#39;s weight and distribute the force of any impact over the top of the head in order to eliminate the build-up of force at any one point in particular. The suspension bands provide a space of approximately 30 mm (1.2 inch) between the helmet&#39;s shell and the wearer&#39;s head, so that if an object strikes the shell, the impact is less likely to be transmitted directly to the skull. Unfortunately, many wearers of safety helmets have considered the space between the helmet and their head a convenient place to store items ranging from packs of cigarettes to cell phones and even other safety items such as dust masks and earplugs, which poses a potential risk of the force of an impact being transmitted directly to skull at a single point rather than being distributed. 
     In addition to the internal suspension, many safety helmets have external features as well.  FIG. 1A , shows in simplified form, a representative safety helmet  100 . The helmet  100  shown includes several features that are typical of what can be found on many safety helmets but designs may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Shown on the helmet  100  is a brim  102  that typically extends around the entire helmet and will often vary in the extent that it extends outward from the main helmet surface  104 . [Note: In helmets where there is only a partial brim, for example only in the front of the helmet, for the purposes of this document the brim is inclusive of the outer edge of the bottom of the helmet when there is no visible brim. 
     The outer surface  104  of the helmet has an external taper  105 , which typically continuously varies in angle as it rises from the brim  102  to the top of the helmet in order to produce a dome shaped. However, in some helmets the angle may be initially fixed as it rises from the brim  102 , prior to transitioning into the arched shape that produces the dome. 
     Many helmets also include a mid-line reinforcement ridge  107  to improve impact resistance, as well as one or more external bosses  108 A,  108 B, which have various functional aspects, such as for the attachment of a chin strap. 
     Having described the various features of a typical helmet  100 , what will now be described is an exemplary apparatus for adding external storage.  FIG. 1B  shows, in simplified form, an exemplary apparatus for adding external storage to a safety helmet. 
     In  FIG. 1B  we see a substantially ring shaped apparatus  110  that is configured to have an interior surface  114  that substantially conforms to that of one or more of a plurality of safety helmets. The interior surface also has an interior taper  115  that is configured to substantially conform to that of one or more of a plurality of safety helmets. The interior taper  115  may be a fixed angle or continuously vary such that it matches the exterior taper of a particular safety helmet. The point being that the combination of the interior surface  114  and the interior taper  115  of the apparatus  110  are configured to allow the apparatus to one or more of fit snuggly, produce an interference fit, or produce a press fit onto a safety helmet. 
     In order to accommodate the various external features of a particular safety helmet the apparatus is shown configured with several representative ring features: external extension  117 , internal recesses  118 A, and through cuts  118 B. Other ring features may be necessary to accommodate particular features of a particular safety helmet such as internal extensions. The point being not the particular set of ring features but that the apparatus is configured with appropriate ring features such that the combination of the interior surface  114  (inclusive of any ring features) and the interior taper  115  of the apparatus  110  are configured to allow the apparatus to one or more of fit snuggly, produce an interference fit, or produce a press fit onto a safety helmet. It should be noted that the ring features may be individually configured to provide either clearance around an external feature of the safety helmet of a fit with a particular feature that is either: snug, interference, or produce a press fit and it is the combination of the interior surface  114 , inclusive of any ring features, and the interior taper  115  of the apparatus  110  that produces the overall fit. 
     The apparatus includes one or more storage units  120 , which may include one or more of storage separators and/or a lid (or doors) and may (or may not) be sealable from the external elements. While it is anticipate that the storage will be most commonly located such then when inserted onto the safety helmet it will be located towards the back of the helmet, other configuration such as front, side, and event storage around the entire length of the helmet are also anticipated. 
     Ideally the interior surface  122  (that facing the helmet) of the one or more storage units  120  is configured such that it fits as closely as possible to the helmet in order to allow any added weight to be placed into the helmet to be as close to helmet as possible. Additionally, it is anticipated that the weight of the apparatus may be configured such that it is balanced at the center of the ring, either with or without a predetermined amount of weight to be added to the storage. 
       FIG. 1C  shows, in simplified form, the apparatus  110  inserted onto a representative safety helmet  100 . 
     Having described a representative apparatus, various configurations will now be described. 
       FIG. 2A  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a split  200  in the apparatus. The apparatus  110 A of  FIG. 2A  is represented as being identical to the apparatus  110  of  FIG. 1B , except a split  200  has been added in order to increase the flexibility of the ring in order to facilitate not only installation but in particular removal of the apparatus. [Note: while the split  200  is shown at the front of the apparatus other locations are also anticipated and by varying the location of the split  200 , such as close to or opposite the storage, various mechanical properties can be achieved. In order to create the desired fit that is one or more of either: snug, interference, or a press fit onto a safety helmet.] 
       FIG. 2B  shows, in simplified form, the split apparatus  110 A inserted onto a representative safety helmet  100 . 
       FIG. 3A  shows, in simplified form, the inclusion of one or more helmet attachments  300 ,  310 . The apparatus  110 B of  FIG. 3A  is represented as being identical to the apparatus  110  of  FIG. 1B , except one or more helmet attachments  300 ,  310  have been included in order to facilitate the apparatus remaining on the helmet. The use of one or more helmet attachments can be particularly advantageous when the apparatus is configured to provide a snug rather than an interference or press fit onto to a helmet. [Note: The use of helmet attachments is also particularly advantageous when combined with the split  200  of  FIG. 2B , in which case it is often advantageous to include a helmet attachment on each side of the split.] 
     As shown in  FIG. 3A  the rear helmet attachment  310  is anticipated to be fixed clip that the back of the helmet is inserted into and, in this particular case, the apparatus is then rotated onto the helmet using the rear helmet attachment  310  as a pivot point. Then the front helmet attachment  300  is then snapped over the brim of the helmet to lock it in place. While front  300  and rear  310  helmet attachments have been shown, side helmet attachments are also anticipated, as well as alternate configurations of the helmet attachments such as adjustable straps or stretchable straps to accommodate various brim sizes. 
     In this regard, it should be understood that the helmet attachment are representative of typical, known attachments for purposes of understanding. It is to be understood that other attachments, whether standard or proprietary can be used to the same or similar effect for again, the important aspect being the ability to secure the apparatus to the helmet and not the particular attachment utilized. 
       FIG. 3B  shows, in simplified form, the split apparatus  110 B inserted onto a representative safety helmet  100 . 
       FIG. 4A  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a light  400 . The apparatus  110 C of  FIG. 4A  is represented as being identical to the apparatus  110  of  FIG. 1B , except attachment receptacles  420  have been added such that mating light attachments  410  of the light  400  allows the light  400  to be attached. 
       FIG. 4B  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a light  400  to the apparatus  110 C and inserted onto a representative safety helmet  100 . 
     Similarly,  FIG. 5A  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a light  400  to a split apparatus  110 D. The apparatus  110 D of  FIG. 5A  is represented as being identical to the apparatus  110 A of  FIG. 2A , except attachment receptacles  520  have been added such that mating light attachments  410  of the light  400  allow the light to be attached and are designed to span the split  200 . In this way, if the light  400  is attached to the apparatus  110  D after it has been inserted onto a helmet then the light can be configured to lock the apparatus  110 D onto the helmet by producing the desired fit. In this way, the possible need for helmet attachments, as represented in  FIG. 3A , may not be necessary. 
     While the use of a light is shown in  FIG. 5A  as a means of securing a split apparatus once it has been placed upon a helmet, other mechanisms such as a buckle or hasp are also anticipated. 
     In this regard, it should be understood that the means of locking a split apparatus are representative of typical, known means of locking for purposes of understanding. It is to be understood that other means of locking, whether standard or proprietary can be used to the same or similar effect for again, the important aspect being the ability to lock the split apparatus and produce the desired fit after it has been inserted onto the helmet and not the particular locking utilized. 
       FIG. 5B  shows, in simplified form, the addition of a light  400  to the split apparatus  110 D and inserted onto a representative safety helmet  100 . 
       FIG. 6  shows, in simplified form, the inclusion of one or more ring accessories  600 ,  610 ,  620 . The apparatus  110 E of  FIG. 6  is represented as being identical to the apparatus  110  of  FIG. 1B , except one or more ring accessories  600 ,  610 ,  620  have been included in order to extend the functionality of the apparatus  110 E. For example, one or more chinstrap accessory  600  have been included to allow a chinstrap to be attached to the apparatus  110 E. One or more clip accessories  610  have been added as a convenient way for allowing items, such as a pencil or safety glasses, to be conveniently attached apparatus and still allow for the items quick removal. Additionally a hanging accessory  620  is shown as included to facilitate hanging the apparatus  110 E, either with or without the helmet  100  attached, onto a storage hook (not shown) or alternatively items could be hung from the hanging accessory  620 . As such, the safety features of the helmet can be significantly extended by providing a convenient means for storing necessary safety equipment that may or may not fit in the storage compartment  120 . For example, the storage compartment might include one or more of: ear plugs (hearing protection), face mask, first aid materials (bandages, antiseptic wipes . . . etc.) and the ring accessories would allow the attachment of safety glasses that might not otherwise fit in the storage compartment  120 . 
     Additional, safety can be achieved to any of the apparatus specified by adding reflective elements or high visibility coloring the apparatus (either in part or in whole), such as florescent yellow, orange, or even adding glow in the dark coloring. 
     By adding battery power to the apparatus additional features such as one or more lights going around the apparatus can be added. Additionally, a one-way or a two-way radio could be incorporated into the apparatus that either had a microphone and/or head phones that extended permanently over the brim to an accessible location or were retractable. Alternatively, for a radio, sound could be conducted into the helmet through external vibrations supplied by the apparatus. 
     Finally, it is worth noting that while the above has been discussed in relationship to safety helmets it is applicable to any hat that has a rigid structure, e.g. a bicycle helmet. 
     Finally, it is to be understood that various different variants of the invention, including representative embodiments and extensions have been presented to assist in understanding the invention. It should be understood that such implementations are not to be considered limitations on either the invention or equivalents except to the extent they are expressly in the claims. It should therefore be understood that, for the convenience of the reader, the above description has only focused on a representative sample of all possible embodiments, a sample that teaches the principles of the invention. The description has not attempted to exhaustively enumerate all possible permutations, combinations or variations of the invention, since others will necessarily arise out of combining aspects of different variants described herein to form new variants, through the use of particular hardware or software, or through specific types of applications in which the invention can be used. That alternate embodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of the description, or that further undescribed alternate or variant embodiments may be available for a portion of the invention, is not to be considered a disclaimer of those alternate or variant embodiments to the extent they also incorporate the minimum essential aspects of the invention, as claimed in the appended claims, or an equivalent thereof.