Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US4918752?dq=5343970
Timestamp: 2013-12-12 01:38:38
Document Index: 498778318

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n2', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'art 10', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'art 10', 'arts 10', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'arts 10', 'art 10', 'art 12', 'art 12', 'art 10', 'art 46', 'application No. 128', 'art 910', 'arts 912', 'art 912', 'art 922', 'application No. 128', 'art 110', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 112', 'art 110']

Patent US4918752 - Helmet with detachable front section - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Advanced Patent Search | Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA helmet, particularly an aircrew helmet, has a rear part (10) and a front part (12). The rear part (10) includes a shell shaped to extend partially over the top of the wearer's head and to each side of the head. The front part (12) is shaped to fit against the rear part (10) to complete the shell of...http://www.google.com/patents/US4918752?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US4918752 - Helmet with detachable front sectionPublication numberUS4918752 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 07/191,060Publication dateApr 24, 1990Filing dateMay 6, 1988Priority dateMay 8, 1987Fee statusLapsedAlso published asDE3865882D1, EP0290293A1, EP0290293B1Publication number07191060, 191060, US 4918752 A, US 4918752A, US-A-4918752, US4918752 A, US4918752AInventorsMichael BriggsOriginal AssigneeHelmet Limited, Moat FactoryExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (18), Referenced by (17), Classifications (12), Legal Events (7) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetHelmet with detachable front sectionUS 4918752 AAbstract A helmet, particularly an aircrew helmet, has a rear part (10) and a front part (12). The rear part (10) includes a shell shaped to extend partially over the top of the wearer's head and to each side of the head. The front part (12) is shaped to fit against the rear part (10) to complete the shell of the helmet, and is detachably connected to the rear part. The front part (12) is shaped to accommodate equipment for optical protection or enhancement, such as a visor or night vision goggles. A single helmet may have two or more interchangeable front parts with different optical equipment. The front part (12) may be connected to the rear part (10) by releasable catches (50, 54) at the top and sides of the helmet. The catch (50) at the top may allow the front part (12) to pivot upwards to enable the helmet to be donned and doffed without detaching the front part.
I claim: 1. A helmet having a single rear part and two or more interchangeable front parts, the rear part comprising a shell shaped to extend at least partially over the top of the wearer's head and to each side of the head, each of the front parts accommodating a different piece of optical equipment, each front part being shaped to fit against the rear part to complete the shell of the helmet, and means for detachably connecting each front part to the rear part.
2. A helmet as claimed in claim 1, in which each front part of the helmet is shaped to accommodate the equipment so that the equipment is at least partially enclosed by the helmet.
3. A helmet as claimed in claim 1, in which the rear part and each front part of the helmet are provided with complementary facing surfaces which engage one another when the parts are conncted together.
4. A helmet as claimed in claim 1, in which the means for connecting the front and rear parts together includes means pivotally connecting the two parts so that the front part can be pivoted upwards from the closed position to enable the helmet to be donned and doffed.
5. A helmet as claimed in claim 1, in which the optical equipment on one of the front parts of the helmet includes a visor pivoted on the front part of the helmet movable between an operative position and a retracted position in which it is accommodated in a space defined between the front part and the rear part of the helmet.
6. A helmet as claimed in claim 1, in which the helmet is an aircrew helmet and the rear part of the helmet contains communication equipment for voice communication with the wearer.
Referring to the drawings, an aircrew helmet in accordance with the invention comprises a rear part 10 and a front part 12.
The rear part 10 has an outer shell 14 which extends in use around the back and over the top of the wearer's head, and part way along each side of the head. The shell 14 is shaped so that the forward portion 16 of the shell in offset closer to the wearer's head, and part way along each shell. The forward position 16 is joined to the rear portion 18 of the shell through a forwardly facing portion 22 and to each of the side portions 20 through a forwardly facing portion 24. At their front edges, the side portions 20 are turned in to form flanges providing forwardly facing surfaces 26.
The rear part 10 also has a shock-attenuating liner 28, for example manufactured from foam plastics. A neck pad (not shown) may be provided for fit adjustment. Ear capsules 30, adapted to support a headset for voice communication with the wearer, are suspended from the inner faces of the side portion 20 of the outer shell 14. The ear capsules and associated equipment are of conventional construction and will not be described further.
The front part 12 of the helmet has an outer shell 32 with a portion 34 which in use extends over the forward portion 16 of the rear part 10 of the helmet, and side portions 36 which extend in front of the side portion 20 of the rear part 12. At its rear edges the shell 32 is turned inwards to form a flange 38 which is shaped to fit against the surfaces 22, 24 and 26 of the rear part 10.
The front and rear parts 10 and 12 are releasably held together by catches 50 and 54. Catch 50 at the top of the helmet consists of a hook 51 fixed to the rear part 10 and a rod fixed by a bracket to the front part 12. The rod engages the hook so that the front part 12 can pivot upwards, to allow the helmet to be donned and doffed, without detaching the front part 12 from the rear part 10. The front part 12 can be detached by lifting the rod 52 from the hook 51. To hold the front part 12 in the closed position, releasable catches 54 are provided at each side of the helmet. Each catch 54 consists of a head 55 fixed to the front part 12 and positioned to engage in a spring-loaded latch device 56 fixed to the rear part 10. The latch device 56 has release levers 57 operable to release the head 55. The device may be of the same form as that described U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,138 entitled "Retention and quick release mechanism", the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, other suitable catch mechanisms could be used.
Mounted on the front part 12 of the helmet is optical equipment in the form of a sun-glare visor 40. When the two parts 10 and 12 of the helmet are fitted together, the offset portion 16 of the rear part 10 and the portion 34 of the front part 12 define between them a gap 39 (FIG. 6) which provides a space to receive the rotatable sun-glare visor 40 mounted in the front part 12. The visor 40 is carried by two arms 42 which are mounted inside the shell 32, on pivot pins 44. The pivot pins 44 are on portions 35 of the shell which project rearwardly from the flange 38 and lie outside the shell 14 of the rear part 10. One of the arms 42 has a part 46 projecting outwards to provide an operating lever by means of which the visor 40 can be moved between an operative position and a retracted position in which it is housed in the space 39 between the portion 16 and 34 of the front and rear parts of the helmet. The visor could alternatively be provided with an operating mechanism as described in copending U.S. application No. 128,108 filed 3rd December 1987 entitled "Helmet and visor mechanism therefore", the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The visor 40 is thus accommodated within the detachable front part of the housing. The front part of the housing could be adapted to accommodate other optical enhancement or protection equipment, such as night vision goggles or other protective visor equipment such as laser or blast screens. The helmet could be supplied with a single rear part, and two or more interchangeable front parts, for example with one front part as shown housing a sun-glare visor and another housing night vision goggles or other equipment. For example, FIG. 9 shows a helmet with a single rear part 910 and two interchangeable front parts 912 and 922, one front part 912 housing a visor 940 (as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6) and the other front part 922 being provided with night vision goggles 950 (as in the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, described below).
The helmet can be provided with attachments to hold an oxygen mask, the attachments being fixed either to the rear part or the front part of the helmet. The attachments could, for example, be as described in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,138.
It will be appreciated that modifications could be made in the described embodiment. For example, more than one visor could be accommodated within the front part of the helmet. A sun-glare visor and a blast visor could be provided, mounted as described in the above mentioned copending patent application No. 128,108. Where a single visor is fitted, there will normally be sufficient space left within the front part of the helmet to accommodate adjacent to the shell a shock-absorbing liner to provide additional protection above that of the rear part of the helmet.
The helmet shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 has a rear part 110 and a detachable front part 112. The front part 112 is fitted with a conventional visor 113 and also has a second visor 140 accommodated within the front part 112 as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5. This visor 140 may for example be a protective screen against air blast and bird strike debris, or a visor giving protection against glare or laser light.
Also mounted on the front part 112 of the helmet is a night vision goggles attachment 150. The attachment 150 is fitted to the front part 112 by means of a bracket 152, so that the goggles 154 can be moved to a position in front of the wearer's eyes. The night vision goggles may be of conventional construction. The front part 112 and rear part 110 are detachably held together by suitable catches, as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 6.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a helmet in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear part of the helmet;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the rear part;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front part of the helmet;
FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the front part of the helmet;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the helmet, partly in section;
FIG. 7 is a front view of a helmet in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, fitted with night vision goggles; and
FIG. 8 is a side view of the helmet of FIG. 7; and
FIG. 9 shows a helmet with two interchangeable front parts.
This invention relates to helmets.
More particularly, but not exclusively the invention relates to aircrew helmets.
Pilots of military aircraft can nowadays be supplied with a range of equipment providing optical aids, such as night vision goggles, position sensing systems or helmet-mounted sights, or providing optical protection, such as tinted visors, or filters providing protection against lasers or nuclear flash. It would be advantageous for such equipment to be accommodated at least partially within the helmet. However, this gives rise to the problems that it is impossible to mount all the equipment in a single helmet, and that the helmet would have to be adapted in different ways to accommodate different equipment.
It is the object of this invention to provide a versatile helmet.
This invention consists in a helmet having a rear part and a detachable front part, the rear part comprising a shell shaped to extend to at least partially over the top of the wearer's head and to each side of the head, the front part being shaped to accommodate equipment for optical enhancement or protection, the front part being shaped to fit against the rear part to complete the shell of the helmet, and means for detachably connecting the front part to the rear part.
Preferably, the front part of the helmet is shaped to accommodate the equipment so that the equipment is at least partially enclosed by the helmet.
The front part of the helmet may be designed to accommodate a particular piece or pieces of optical equipment. The helmet may be provided with a single rear part, and two or more interchangable front parts, each accommodating a different piece of equipment and each shaped to fit against the common rear part.
The front and rear parts of the helmet may be provided with complementary facing surfaces which engage one another when the parts are connected together.
The means for connecting the front and rear parts together may include hinge means connecting the two parts so that the front part can be pivoted upwards from the closed position to enable the helmet to be donned and doffed.
The invention is particularly advantageous when applied to aircrew helmets.
The rear part of the aircrew helmet may contain the ear capsules and associated headset enabling voice communication with the wearer. Where the optical equipment mounted in the front part of the helmet requires electrical connections to other equipment or to a source of electricity, the connections may be made to the rear part of the helmet through electrical contacts incorporated in the connection means between the front and rear parts.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS3502074 *Jan 3, 1966Mar 24, 1970James H O KaneHelmet assembly and latch means thereforUS3943571 *Feb 7, 1975Mar 16, 1976Boatman Marvin CProtective helmetUS4075715 *Nov 15, 1976Feb 28, 1978Sierra Engineering Co.Helmet having anti-lift deviceUS4227520 *Jan 8, 1979Oct 14, 1980Canadian Patents & Development Ltd.Safety helmet for minersUS4587676 *Jan 6, 1984May 13, 1986Estadella Maria A SCollapsible protecting helmetUS4633532 *Sep 6, 1984Jan 6, 1987Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaHelmet deviceUS4794652 *Mar 4, 1987Jan 3, 1989Corina Piech von PlantaSafety HelmetDE8704449U1 *Mar 25, 1987May 7, 1987Roemer Gmbh, 7910 Neu-Ulm, DeTitle not availableEP0236912A1 *Mar 3, 1987Sep 16, 1987Piech von Planta, CorinaProtective helmetFR2434251A1 * Title not availableFR2532528A1 * Title not availableFR2546381A1 * Title not availableGB982720A * Title not availableGB1047237A * Title not availableGB1527842A * Title not availableGB2041724A * Title not availableGB2155762A * Title not availableGB2175490A * Title not available* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS4987608 *Sep 13, 1989Jan 29, 1991The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The ArmyMounting means for use of ground system type goggles as aviators goggleUS5245993 *Oct 31, 1991Sep 21, 1993The Boeing CompanyPilot's ensemble with integrated threat protectionUS5254852 *May 28, 1992Oct 19, 1993Night Vision General PartnershipHelmet-mounted night vision system and secondary imagerUS5367402 *Dec 14, 1992Nov 22, 1994Itt CorporationHelmet mounted night vision apparatus and method of separationUS5416315 *Jan 24, 1994May 16, 1995Night Vision General PartnershipVisor-mounted night vision visorUS5475878 *Nov 4, 1992Dec 19, 1995The United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space AdminstrationProtective helmet assemblyUS5535053 *Aug 15, 1994Jul 9, 1996Itt CorporationNight vision goggle assembly with independant monocular devicesUS5680656 *Sep 11, 1995Oct 28, 1997Gath; Ricky JamesSafety helmetUS5787513 *Nov 19, 1996Aug 4, 1998Sharmat; Samuel L.Safety helmet having means for easy removal from the head of a wearerUS6075644 *Dec 20, 1996Jun 13, 2000Night Vision General PartnershipPanoramic night vision gogglesUS6792951 *Nov 2, 2001Sep 21, 2004Evonitz, Iii Alex V.Breathable air pressurized safety helmetUS6795977May 21, 2001Sep 28, 2004Gilles BassonProtective helmet and means for connection of an accessoryUS6820285 *Dec 11, 2001Nov 23, 2004ThalesHelmet comprising retractable visors for fast day/night reconfigurationUS6973676Feb 17, 2004Dec 13, 2005Elwood Jesse Bill SimpsonProtective helmet with integral air supplyUS7225471 *Jul 23, 2004Jun 5, 2007Gentex CorporationRemovable optical assembly for a helmetUS7243378 *Dec 3, 2004Jul 17, 2007Salomon S.A.Modular helmetUS7344260 *Jun 22, 2004Mar 18, 2008The Boeing CompanyStowable laser eye protection* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification2/6.2, 2/424, 2/6.5International ClassificationA42B3/22, A42B3/32, A42B3/04Cooperative ClassificationA42B3/32, A42B3/22, A42B3/042European ClassificationA42B3/32, A42B3/22, A42B3/04B4Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionJul 7, 1998FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 19980429Apr 26, 1998LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesFeb 13, 1998REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedJan 7, 1994FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Jan 7, 1994SULPSurcharge for late paymentJul 6, 1988AS02Assignment of assignor's interestOwner name: BRIGGS, MICHAELEffective date: 19880505Owner name: HELMET LIMITED, MOAT FACTORY, WHEATHAMPSTEAD, ST.Jul 6, 1988ASAssignmentOwner name: HELMET LIMITED, MOAT FACTORY, WHEATHAMPSTEAD, ST.Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:BRIGGS, MICHAEL;REEL/FRAME:004907/0088Effective date: 19880505Owner name: HELMET LIMITED,ENGLANDFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:BRIGGS, MICHAEL;REEL/FRAME:004907/0088RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google