Patent Publication Number: US-2007113324-A1

Title: Multifunctional helmet

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a multifunctional helmet, and particularly relates to a multifunctional helmet that can be selectively ventilated and can provide illumination when required.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Conventional helmet designs for motorcycle helmets always emphasize safety, but usually overlook comfort for the wearer. Many helmets, especially full-face helmets, are poorly ventilated and can cause great discomfort to the wearer in hot weather and danger in cold or wet weather when visors fog up.  
      Some manufacturers have provided vents in helmets to improve ventilation, however, most have been proven to be ineffective or were merely added for cosmetic appearance. Some manufacturers have even mounted electrically powered fans in their helmets to circulate the air around the wearer&#39;s head; however, the hot and steamy air in the helmet cannot be completely expelled, especially in full-face helmets. Moreover, past designs for the mounting of fans have been too complicated.  
      Therefore, the invention provides a multifunctional helmet to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The main objective of the present invention is to provide a multifunctional helmet that has a ventilation system to keep the air in the helmet fresh and can provide illumination if required.  
      Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a front view of a multifunctional helmet in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged partial top view in partial section of a ventilation module of the multifunctional helmet in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is an operational enlarged partial top view in partial section of the ventilation module in  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is an operational front view of the multifunctional helmet in  FIG. 1  with the inlet cover closed;  
       FIG. 5  is a side view of another embodiment of a multifunctional helmet with a lighting module in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  is operational side view of the multifunctional helmet in  FIG. 5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a multifunctional helmet ( 1 ) is comprised of a helmet ( 1 ) and a ventilation module ( 2 ).  
      The helmet ( 1 ) has a shell ( 10 ), an inner liner ( 15 ), an opening ( 11 ), a jaw guard ( 12 ), and may have a transparent visor ( 13 ).  
      The shell ( 10 ) covers a wearer&#39;s entire head and has an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner liner ( 15 ) is composed of energy absorbing and padding material mounted on the inner surface of the shell ( 10 ) to protect the wearer&#39;s head. The jaw guard ( 12 ) is integrally formed at a front end of the shell ( 10 ) to define the opening ( 11 ) in the helmet. A cutout in the jaw guard ( 12 ) forms a mounting slot ( 14 ). The transparent visor ( 13 ) can be pivotally mounted to the shell ( 10 ) to selectively cover the opening ( 11 ).  
      The ventilation module ( 2 ) has a housing ( 20 ), a fan ( 30 ), and a switch group ( 40 ). The housing ( 20 ) is mounted in the mounting slot ( 14 ) and has a front, a back and an interior space. Flanges ( 27 ) extend from two opposite sides of the front of the housing ( 20 ). Through holes in the flanges ( 27 ) allow screws to secure the housing ( 20 ) to the shell ( 10 ). Multiple front air inlets ( 21 ) and rear air inlets ( 22 ) are respectively defined in the front and back of the housing ( 20 ), wherein the front air inlets are arranged in a circular pattern. Furthermore, an inlet cover ( 23 ) is pivotally mounted on a pintle inside the housing ( 20 ) behind the front air inlets ( 21 ). The inlet cover ( 23 ) has multiple through holes ( 231 ) corresponding to the front air inlets ( 21 ) and a tab ( 232 ) extending through an air inlet that can be used to rotate the cover ( 23 ) to open or close the front air inlet ( 21 ) manually. A battery box ( 24 ) holds a battery ( 28 ), is mounted in the housing ( 20 ) and has a cover, which can be removed to change the battery ( 28 ). The cover can be fastened to the battery box ( 24 ) by tabs or screws. The battery box ( 24 ) has negative and positive metal contacts mounted to connect with the battery ( 28 ). The fan ( 30 ) and the switch group ( 40 ) are also mounted in the housing ( 20 ). The fan ( 30 ) is securely mounted in a seat in a center of the housing ( 20 ). The switch group ( 40 ) is mounted in a front wall of the housing ( 20 ) and is electrically connected to the fan ( 30 ) and the battery ( 28 ). The switch group ( 40 ) has at least three buttons, an intake button, an exhaust button, and an off button, that respectively turns the fan on to draw air into the helmet, turns the fan on to expel air out of the helmet and turns off the fan. Diaphragm-type toggle switches are used in a preferred embodiment.  
      With further reference to  FIG. 3 , the fan ( 30 ) can be selectively activated to admit fresh air into the shell ( 10 ) or expel hot air out of the shell ( 10 ), whereby the wearer is comfortable, especially in hot weather. With reference to  FIG. 4 , in rainy weather the inlet cover ( 23 ) can be rotated to close the front air inlets ( 21 ), thus keeping water out of the helmet. In addition, as the ventilation module ( 2 ) is a separate unit, it can be detached for repair or replacement.  
      With reference to  FIG. 5 , a lighting module ( 50 ) is further mounted in the shell ( 10 ). The lighting module ( 50 ) is comprised of a light emitting element ( 51 ), a battery ( 52 ), and a switch ( 53 ) electrically connected with the light emitting element ( 51 ) and the battery ( 52 ). The light-emitting element ( 51 ) can be an LED. With reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5 , the light emitting element ( 51 ) and battery ( 52 ) are mounted between the shell ( 10 ) and the inner liner ( 15 ). The switch ( 53 ) is mounted in the shell ( 10 ) and extends out of the shell ( 10 ) to facilitate access by the wearer. The battery ( 28 ) of the ventilation module ( 2 ) can also be shared with the lighting module ( 50 ).  
      With reference to  FIG. 6 , the wearer can activate the light-emitting element ( 51 ) in the dark to illuminate a map or find something lost.  
      It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.