Patent Publication Number: US-11019868-B2

Title: Helmet brim mount with multi-axis pivot

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to flashlight apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for supporting a flashlight on a brim of a helmet or similar edge that enables orientation of the flashlight in various directions without the use of tools. 
     2. Background of the Invention 
     Mounting apparatus for supporting a lamp or flashlight on a helmet or hat are well-known in the art. Such apparatus may include a harness or headband, a holster or pocket attached to the hat or helmet, and the like. Other devices may include a clamp to secure the lamp or flashlight to the helmet or hat that requires tools to fasten the device to the helmet or hat. Typically the aforementioned apparatus lacks the capability to adjust the orientation of the lamp or light without tools or an inconvenient trial-and-error process. What is needed is a mounting device that can be installed and adjusted without the use of tools and also allows full and convenient adjustment of the orientation of the light beam in any angle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly an apparatus is disclosed for supporting a light on a helmet brim that comprises a U-shaped clamp body formed as a vise for securing to the helmet brim, wherein a flattened pivot arm having a first bushing aperture extends opposite an open end of the U-shaped clamp body; a support member having first and second ends, the first end configured with a second bushing aperture and the second end configured with a circumferential flange having a diameter to be received in an internally threaded docking well formed in a housing of the light; a binding barrel assembly disposed through the first and second bushing apertures to form a first pivot and enable the support member to pivot in a first plane through at least 180 degrees about the first pivot; and an externally threaded retainer disposed around the support member adjacent the circumferential flange to secure the support member into the docking well thereby forming a second pivot to enable the light housing to pivot 360 degrees in a second plane orthogonal to the first plane. 
     In one aspect, the U-shaped clamp body comprises a first prong of the open end of the U-shaped clamp body configured as a fixed jaw of a clamp; a second prong of the open end of the U-shaped clamp body configured with a bolt threaded there through; and a movable foot attached to a threaded end of the bolt and disposed opposite the fixed jaw, to enable securing the U-shaped clamp body on the helmet brim. 
     In another aspect, the binding barrel pivot assembly comprises a sleeve nut configured as a pivot shaft that forms the first pivot when joined with the first and second bushing apertures; first and second outside washers, one on either side of the tab extending from the support pedestal; a wear washer disposed next to either first or second outside washer; and a binding screw threaded into the sleeve nut for securing the binding barrel pivot assembly. 
     In another aspect, the binding retainer comprises a retaining ring having an external thread for mating with internal threads formed in the docking well of the housing to secure the circumferential flange of the support member in the docking well of the light housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a brim mount for a flashlight, oriented in a first position, in accordance with one embodiment of the claimed invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the brim mount of  FIG. 1 , oriented in a second position; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the brim mount of  FIG. 1 , oriented in a third position; and 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded, isometric view of the embodiment of the present invention depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In an advance in the state of the art, an articulated brim mount or mounting fixture for a helmet light that enables adjustably pivoting of the mounted light through angles of up to 210 degrees in a first plane and at least 360 degrees in a second, orthogonal plane. The brim mount mounts on the brim of a hat such as a worker&#39;s helmet. A first pivot is configured with a binding barrel design that applies sufficient friction to adjust and hold the mounted light in a set position by hand while enabling the mounted light to pivot through 210 degrees in the first plane without the use of tools. A second pivot, configured with a binding retainer design that applies sufficient friction to adjust and hold the mounted light in a set position by hand while enabling the mounted light to pivot through 360 degrees in the second plane without the use of tools. The brim mount includes a form of a clevis that is configured as a clamp or vise having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw or foot coupled to an adjustment bolt in one prong of the clamp for securing the brim mount and its attached helmet light to the brim of the helmet, again without the use of tools. The brim mount allows the user to adjust the orientation of the mounted light while the light is mounted on the helmet because of the controlled amount of friction engineered into the first and second pivots. 
     The clevis form, as is well-known, is generally a U-shaped member having first and second legs or prongs joined to a cross member forming a closed end. In the illustrated embodiment, an adjustable vise is formed by a first leg that includes a fixed jaw disposed in the open end of the U-shape near the distal end of the first leg. The fixed jaw may be one leg of the vise that includes a foot or pad as a fixed jaw. The second leg of the adjustable vise may include a bolt disposed in a threaded hole through the distal end of the second leg and aligned on an axis opposite the fixed jaw. The bolt may include a movable jaw disposed on the end of the bolt in juxtaposition relative to the fixed jaw. On installation of the brim mount, the brim is placed between the fixed and movable jaws and the bolt tightened to secure the brim mount on the brim of the helmet. The bolt may have a head formed as a knurled knob or similar handle that is easy to turn by hand. 
     The clevis form of the clamp body may also include a flattened pivot arm extending from the closed end of the clevis and away from the adjustable jaw and the brim of the helmet upon which the brim mount is installed. The distal end of the pivot arm preferably includes a first bushing aperture to form a first adjustable pivot with a binding barrel assembly that pivotably supports a cylindrical support member, enabling the support member to pivot through an angle of at least 210 degrees in a first plane. The support member includes first and second ends and a second bushing aperture at its first end for receiving a sleeve nut of the binding barrel assembly therein. The binding barrel assembly permits the rotation of the support member by hand but applies enough friction to maintain the support member at a selected angular position set by a user. The binding barrel assembly may include the sleeve nut and an adjusting screw having the same thread as the sleeve nut, an inside and an outside washer, and a wear washer. The sleeve nut and the adjusting screw may have a “Torx” or other secure configuration for aid in tightening the binding barrel assembly. The threads of the adjusting screw may be coated with a thread locking adhesive such as “Thread Locker,” a product of the LocTite® Corporation, to secure the threaded fastener from turning after the screw is turned to apply the desired amount of tension against the support pedestal. 
     The second end of the support member is preferably formed with a circumferential flange or base. The circumferential flange may preferably have a diameter approximately ⅛ inch greater (in the illustrated embodiment) than the diameter of the support member. The circumferential flange should be sized to fit within an internally threaded docking well formed in the housing of the lighting device, such as a flashlight, to be supported by the brim mount disclosed herein. After the base or circumferential flange at the second end of the support member is seated into the docking well of the light housing, a wear washer and a retaining nut (externally threaded) or “retainer” may be screwed into the docking well over the support member to secure it against the circumferential flange and the support member to the bottom of the docking well of the light housing. The nut may be tightened to provide the required friction between the second end of the support member and the bottom of the docking well to allow it to be rotated through an angle of 360 degrees in the second plane to the orientation desired by the user. In the illustrated embodiment, the second plane is preferably orthogonal to the first plane. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a brim mount  10  for a flashlight  12  (alternatively, light  12 ), oriented in a first position on the brim  14  of a helmet  22 , in accordance with an illustrated embodiment of the claimed invention.  FIG. 2  illustrates the brim mount  10  of  FIG. 1 , oriented in a second position.  FIG. 3  illustrates the brim mount  10  of  FIG. 1 , with the flashlight  12  oriented in a third position. In  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3  the brim mount  10  includes a clamp  16  to secure the brim mount  10  to the brim  14  of a hat or helmet  22 . The brim mount  10  includes a first pivot assembly  18  and a second pivot assembly  20  that also functions to support the flashlight  12  on the brim mount  10 . In  FIG. 1 , the flashlight  12  may rotate in the plane of the figure, i.e., a first plane, through an angle of at least 210° (degrees). In  FIG. 2 , the light  12  may rotate about the second pivot assembly  20  through an angle of 360° (degrees) in a second plane, i.e., substantially orthogonal to the plane of the figure. In  FIG. 3 , the light  12  is pivoted within the second plane of the figure at the first pivot assembly  18  and may rotate through an angle of 360° (degrees) in the second plane that is also substantially orthogonal to the axis of the support member  56  of the brim mount  10 . As will be described, the adjustment of the orientations depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3  may be made by hand without tools. The rotation of the flashlight  12  is indicated by the bold, curved arrows in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 . 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded, isometric view of the embodiment of the brim mount  10  depicted in  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 . The brim mount  10  includes a clamp body  30  and a support member  56  that is attached to the clamp body  30  via a first pivot assembly  18  formed of the components  48  through  66 . The clamp body  30  includes a fixed jaw  32  and a movable clamp pad  34  that may be held against a foot  36  by a clamp screw  38  that is passed through a hole  40  and threads into a thumb screw  42 . The thumb screw  42  may be rotated into and within a threaded hole  44  to allow the clamp pad  34  to be tightened or loosened against the brim  14  of a helmet or hat  22 . A thread locking adhesive  46  may be added to the threads of the clamp screw  38  to secure the foot  36  and the clamp pad  34  in the clamp body  30 . 
     The first pivot assembly  18  (See  FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 ) may include a barrel nut  48  threaded inserted through a first outside washer  50 , a pivot aperture (bushing)  52  in a pivot arm  54 , a first wear washer  58 , a second pivot aperture (or bushing)  60  in the support member  56 , a second outside washer  62 , and a pivot lock screw  64  that may be coated with a thread locking adhesive  66 . The pivot lock screw  64  coated with the thread locking adhesive  66  is inserted through the parts of the first pivot assembly  18  including the second pivot aperture  62  into the barrel nut  48  and tightened so that sufficient friction in the first pivot assembly is applied to the support member  56  to retain the adjusted position of the lighting device  12  attached to the support member  56 . The first pivot assembly  18  enables the mounted light  12  to pivot through an angle of up to 210 degrees within the first plane. This angle, in some cases, may depend on the dimensions of the light  12  that is connected to the brim mount  10 . The first wear washer  58  may be made of a relatively soft metal such as brass that is susceptible to some wear so that the first pivot assembly  18  may be adjusted to a predetermined specification by tightening the pivot lock screw  64  into the barrel nut  48 . 
     The second pivot assembly  20  (See  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 ) is provided by the support member  56  with its flange  70 , a second wear washer  72 , and a retainer  74 . The retainer  74  includes external threads  78  and may include a small hole  76  on each side of the retainer  74  to permit use of a spanner wrench for tightening the retainer  74  within a threaded opening or docking well  82  having internal threads  84  in the docking well formed in the body  24  of the mounted flashlight  12  of  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 . The threaded retainer  74  may be threaded into the threaded opening or docking well  82  and tightened so that sufficient friction in the second pivot assembly  20  is applied to support the mounted flashlight  12  in the adjusted angular position. The retainer  74  may also be secured using a thread locker adhesive  80  applied to the external threads  78  of the retainer  74  or the internal threads  84  of the threaded opening or docking well  82 . The flange  70  at the lower end of the support member  56  is adapted to fit within the threaded opening or docking well  82  formed into the body  24  of the mounted flashlight  12  to be connected to the brim  14 . The second pivot assembly  20  also enables the mounted light  12  to be pivoted through an angle of 360 degrees within the second plane to adjust the orientation of the flashlight  12 . The second wear washer  72  may be made of a relatively soft metal such as brass that is susceptible to some wear so that the second pivot assembly  20  may be adjusted to a predetermined specification by tightening the threaded retainer  74  into the threaded opening or docking well  82 . 
     Accordingly, the brim mount  10  provides an adjustable mounting fixture formed like a clevis configured as a clamp or vise having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw or foot coupled to an adjustment bolt in one prong of the clamp for securing the brim mount  10  and its attached helmet light  12  to the brim  14  of the helmet  22 , without the use of tools. In use, the first pivot  18  may be configured with a binding barrel design that applies sufficient friction to adjust and hold the mounted light  12  in a set position by hand while enabling the mounted light  12  to pivot through 210 degrees within a first plane without the use of tools. The second pivot  20 , may also be configured with a binding retainer design that applies sufficient friction to adjust and hold the mounted light  12  in a set position by hand while enabling the mounted light  12  to pivot through 360 degrees within a second plane substantially orthogonal to the first plane without the use of tools. 
     While the illustrated embodiment has been shown in one of its forms to depict the concepts of the invention, it is not thus limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the claims appended hereto. For example, while the illustrated embodiment depicts a flashlight for use with the brim mount, any other type of battery-operated lighting device that is compact and can be configured with a docking well is contemplated herein. The brim mount  10  may be constructed of a variety of metals or engineered plastics, for example. The movable clamp pad  34  may be formed of a non-skid rubber or other resilient synthetic material. The first and second wear washers may be made of alternate materials suitable for the intended purpose. The first and second wear washers may also be replaced by new components to restore full operation to the first and second pivot assemblies.