Abstract:
A batting helmet with an adjustable face guard includes a rigid shell for protecting the head of a wearer, with an adjustable face guard movably attached to the shell. An adjustment mechanism regulates the movement of the face guard between upper and lower limits to vary a wearer&#39;s line-of-sight through the face guard. An associated method of use is also provided

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to protective sports equipment, and more particularly to protective helmets used in baseball and softball. Specifically, the present invention relates to batting helmets having protective face guards.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Protective helmets are commonly used in various sports to provide protection to a player&#39;s head and face. In baseball, for example, players commonly wear batting helmets to provide protection against wild pitches or foul balls. Offensive players also sometimes wear helmets when running the bases to protect against balls thrown attempting to get them out.  
         [0005]     In lower-level leagues, especially those geared to younger players, protective batting helmets must also include a face guard to protect the face of the wearer against stray balls. Typically, the face guard is configured as a wire cage, and is immovably affixed to the front and sides of the helmet. The face guard provides a rigid barrier to stray balls. Spacing between bars on the wire face cage is configured to prevent balls from entering the cage and striking the player, but still allows the player to view outwardly from behind the cage.  
         [0006]     While the fixed, one-size-fits-all face cages do provide protection, they also introduce disadvantages to the wearer. Compared to a helmet without a face cage, the view through a face cage is obstructed. The fixed horizontal cross bars and fixed vertical support members of the typical face cage may be an impediment to a wearer&#39;s upward, downward, and peripheral vision. In any direction other than straight-ahead, the line-of-sight of the wearer may be obstructed. In addition, fixed face cages are configured to provide an optimal line-of-sight only for a particular sport, and only for an average wearer. For example, a face cage configured to protect against baseballs has a particular spacing between the cross-bar members of the cage to protect against incursion by a baseball, and to allow an average wearer&#39;s line-of-sight to be directed towards the pitcher. Such a configuration, however, may not be appropriate for softball, where the pitches are thrown underhand, and approach the batter from a low angle. However, with a typical face cage affixed to a helmet, the line-of sight through the face cage is fixed, and is optimal only for the average wearer wearing the helmet in a specific position on his or her head. A taller or shorter player using this fixed configuration helmet and face guard, or a wearer positioning the helmet in a slightly different position (e.g. tilted forward or rearward), will have a different viewing angle, and may thus have a have a portion of their view obstructed compared to the average-height wearer.  
         [0007]     While specific face guards can be manufactured to provide various line-of-sight configurations for specific players, this requires that each player have his own helmet and face guard. Especially for lower-level leagues, this approach requires a burdensome additional expense and requires additional equipment handling capacity. Instead, players typically share a helmet and face guard configured for the average player, even though that configuration may not be optimal for all.  
         [0008]     Thus, it can be seen that there remains a need in the art for a protective helmet having a protective face cage that is adaptable to a particular wearer.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     The present invention is directed to a batting helmet having an adjustable face guard, allowing the line-of-sight through the face guard to be adjusted by the wearer. The face guard includes an upper vision cross bar and a lower vision cross bar defining an unobstructed viewing area through the face guard. The face guard is movably attached to the helmet such that the face guard can be moved upward to move the unobstructed viewing area closer to the bill of the helmet, or downward to move the unobstructed viewing area farther away from the bill of the helmet. Thus, the wearer&#39;s line-of-sight through the unobstructed viewing area can be varied by moving the face guard with respect to the helmet.  
         [0010]     In an exemplary embodiment, the helmet comprises a rigid shell for protecting the head of the wearer, with a face guard formed as a wire cage with horizontal and vertical members covering the front opening of the rigid shell to protect the face of the wearer. An unobstructed viewing area is defined by horizontal members of the face guard positioned above and below the wearer&#39;s eyes. The face guard is pivotally attached to the rigid shell at opposite side of the helmet, allowing the face guard to be moved between an upper position in which the wearer&#39;s line-of-sight through the unobstructed viewing area is higher, and a lower position in which the wearer&#39;s line-of-sight through the unobstructed viewing area is lower. An adjustment mechanism mounted to the underside of the bill of the rigid shell attaches to the face guard to regulate and limit the pivotal movement of the face guard.  
         [0011]     Additional aspects of the invention, together with the advantages and novel features appurtenant thereto, will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be leaned from the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The present invention will be described in greater detail in the following detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, in which:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a batting helmet with adjustable face guard in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a left-side elevational view of the batting helmet of  FIG. 1  with the adjustable face guard in its upper position.  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a right-side elevational view of the helmet of  FIG. 1  with the adjustable face guard in its lower position.  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is an upward-looking perspective view of the helmet of  FIG. 1 , showing the adjustment mechanism attached to the underside of the bill of the helmet.  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a close-up view of a portion of the helmet of  FIG. 4 , showing the adjustment mechanism detail.  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the adjustment mechanism of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the adjustment mechanism of  FIG. 5   
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]     A protective batting helmet having an adjustable face guard in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is depicted in  FIGS. 1 through 7 . While the invention will be described in detail hereinbelow with reference to this exemplary embodiment, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific configuration shown in these embodiments. Rather, one skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of configurations may be implemented in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0021]     Looking first to  FIGS. 1-4 , a batting helmet with adjustable face guard in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is depicted generally by the numeral  10 . Batting helmet  10  includes a rigid shell  12  with an attached face guard  14 . As described herein below, face guard  14  is pivotably mounted to rigid shell  12  to allow the line-of-sight through the face guard to be varied.  
       Rigid Shell  
       [0022]     Rigid shell  12  includes a crown  16 , a back  18 , a front  20 , a left side  22 , and a right side  24 , defining a front opening  26  corresponding to the area of the wearer&#39;s face, and defining a bottom opening  28  for placing the shell over a wearer&#39;s head. The crown, front, back, and sides further define an inner cavity  30  which generally conforms to the shape of a wearer&#39;s head. Left and right ear covers  32   a ,  32   b  extend downwardly from the left and right sides  22 ,  24  of rigid shell  12  to cover the wearer&#39;s left and right ears, respectively. Left and right ear openings  34   a ,  34   b  through left and right ear covers  32   a ,  32   b , respectively, provide ventilation to the wearer and allow the wearer to hear while wearing the batting helmet. Ventilation apertures  36   a ,  36   b  in the upper part of left and right side portions  22 ,  24 , near crown  16 , allow air circulation into and out of the helmet to cool the wearer&#39;s head. A bill  38  extends outwardly from front portion  20  of rigid shell  12  in the area generally corresponding to a wearer&#39;s forehead. Bill  38  is oriented to extend slightly upwardly from horizontal in normal wearing position, with the upper surface  40  of bill  38  shaped slightly convex to divert precipitation to the sides of the helmet. Bill  38  extends outwardly from front portion  20  to protect a wearer&#39;s eyes from sunlight and precipitation, without unduly limiting the wearer&#39;s upward view. Snaps  42   a ,  42   b  on opposite sides of rigid shell  12 , at the lower portion of left and right ear covers  32   a ,  32   b , respectively, permit the attachment of an optional chin strap to secure the helmet to the head of a wearer.  
         [0023]     Preferably, rigid shell  12  is constructed from any rigid, impact resistant material. Most preferably, rigid shell  12  is constructed of a rigid plastic material such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or polycarbonate. Rigid shell  12  is preferably formed as a unitary piece, including bill  38 , using known processes such as molding or casting. Rigid shell  12  may be custom manufactured to accommodate head sizes from extra small (6-⅜) to extra large (7-½), or may be manufactured to an intermediate or one-size-fits-all configuration with various sizes of removable pads attached to the rigid shell  12  along the inner cavity to fit the batting helmet to a particular wearer. Any configuration of rigid shell  12  may include soft pads or padding at locations along the inner cavity  30  side to provide a snug, comfortable fit to the wearer&#39;s head as is known in the art.  
       Face Guard  
       [0024]     Looking still to  FIGS. 1-4 , face guard  14  is a wire cage extending across the front opening  26  of rigid shell  12  to protect the wearer&#39;s face from stray balls. Face guard  14  includes upper bar  44 , extending generally horizontally in an arc from the left side of rigid shell  12 , across front opening  26 , to the right side of rigid shell  12 , in the area approximately above a wearer&#39;s brow line. Upper bar  44  thus forms an outward arc-shape across front opening  26  of rigid shell  12 , corresponding generally to the outer perimeter of bill  38 . A notched portion  46  at approximately the midpoint of upper bar  44  allows attachment of upper bar  44  to an adjustment mechanism  48  (described herein below) attached to the lower surface  50  of bill  38 .  
         [0025]     In a manner similar to upper bar  44 , first, second, and third lower bars  52 ,  54 ,  56  extend generally horizontally in an outward arc from the left side of rigid shell  12 , across front opening  26 , to the right side of rigid shell  12 . First lower bar  52  extends across front opening  26  in the area corresponding generally to the nose of the wearer. Thus, upper bar  44  and first lower bar  52  define an unobstructed viewing area  58  in the area of the wearer&#39;s eyes, with upper bar  44  bounding the upper side of unobstructed viewing area  58  and first lower bar  52  bounding the lower side of unobstructed viewing area  58 . The maximum spacing between upper bar  44  and first lower bar  52  is preferably less than the diameter of a regulation softball, or approximately 3.5 inches or of a regulation baseball, or approximately 2.5 inches. Most preferably, the maximum spacing between upper bar  44  and first lower bar  52  is approximately 1.5 inches to provide protection from baseballs while still providing a large unobstructed viewing area  58 . In a manner similar to that of first lower bar  52 , second and third lower bars  54 ,  56  extend across front opening  26  in the area corresponding generally to the mouth and chin of the wearer, respectively.  
         [0026]     Opposite ends of upper bar  44 , first lower bar  52 , second lower bar  54 , and third lower bar  56  join to left rear vertical strut  60   a  and right rear vertical strut  60   b , respectively, located at the forward portion of left and right ear covers  32   a ,  32   b  respectively. Thus, upper bar  44 , first, second and third lower bars  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and left rear and right rear vertical struts  60   a ,  60   b  form a unitary cage extending in an arc shape across front opening  26  of rigid shell  12  to form a barrier to protect a wearer&#39;s face from stray balls.  
         [0027]     Additional vertical struts extend between first lower bar  52  and third lower bar  56  at the front of face guard  14  to provide additional strength to face guard  14 . Front vertical struts  62   a ,  62   b  are affixed to first, second, and third lower bars  52 ,  54 ,  56  to provide rigidity and maintain the spacing between the first, second, and third lower bars. Left and right mid vertical struts  64   a ,  64   b , located towards the left and right sides, respectively, of face guard  14 , between front vertical struts  62   a ,  62   b  and rear vertical struts  60   a ,  60   b  respectively, extend between upper bar  44  and third lower bar  56 , and affix to the upper bar and all of the lower bars, to provide rigidity to face guard  14 .  
         [0028]     Upper bar  44 , first, second, and third lower bars  52 ,  54 ,  56 , and vertical struts  60   a ,  60   b ,  62   a ,  62   b ,  64   a ,  64   b  are preferably constructed from a rigid tubular metal such as steel, aluminum, or titanium, having a diameter of approximately 3/16 inches. Most preferably, face guard  14  is constructed from solid tubular steel having a diameter of about 4.8 millimeters. As best seen in  FIG. 1 , upper bar  44  and first lower bar  52  preferably each comprise two pieces of tubular metal affixed in side-by-side relationship to provide added strength to the members. The upper and lower bars and vertical struts may be joined or affixed to each other using welding, soldering, gluing, or any other manner of adhesion know in the art. Preferably, upper bar  44 , third lower bar  56 , and left rear and right rear vertical struts  60   a ,  60   b  are formed as a continuous piece, as shown in  FIG. 1 . Other materials and configurations for face guard  14  will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and are within the scope of the present invention so long as the face guard complies with the performance requirements set forth in section 5.3 of the National Operation Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) document (ND)024-03m03, revised April 2003. For example, hollow tubular metal may be used to construct face guard  14 , or composite or polymeric materials may be used, so long as the resulting face guard complies with the stated NOSCAE standard. In addition, the horizontal and vertical members of face guard  14  may be coated with a plastic or rubber coating to protect the metal members from the elements, and to improve the appearance of the face guard.  
       Pivot Mechanism  
       [0029]     Looking to  FIGS. 1-3 , face guard  14  attaches via left and right pivot mechanisms  66   a ,  66   b  to left and right ear covers  32   a ,  32   b , respectively. Each pivot mechanism comprises a clip  68   a ,  68   b  attached around the respective rear vertical strut, and a fastener  70   a ,  70   b  extending through clip  68   a ,  68   b  and into rigid shell  12 . Clips  68   a ,  68   b  are preferably spring clips, wrapped around the rear vertical struts and having an aperture therethrough for inserting fasteners  70   a ,  70   b . Fasteners  70   a ,  70   b  are preferably threaded screws engaged with mating apertures in rigid shell  12 , or with threaded receptacles on the inner cavity  30  side of rigid shell  12 . Other clip or fastening devices know in the art may be used without deviating from the scope of the present invention, and will be apparent to those skilled in the art.  
         [0030]     With clips  68   a ,  68   b  attached to rear vertical struts  60   a ,  60   b  and fasteners  70   a ,  70   b , attaching clips  68   a ,  68   b  to rigid shell  12 , face guard  14  is pivotally attached to rigid shell  12 . Looking to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , with face guard  14  thus attached, the face guard may be pivoted between an upper position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , where upper bar  44  is positioned proximate bill  38 , and a lower position, as shown in  FIG. 3 , where upper bar  44  (and thus the entire face guard) is pivoted downwardly away from bill  38 , so that a gap  72  is defined between upper bar  44  and the lower surface  50  of bill  38 .  
         [0031]     With face guard  14  in its upper position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a wearer&#39;s line-of-sight through unobstructed viewing area  58  between upper bar  44  and first lower bar  52  is forward and upward, as depicted by sight lines x, x′. With face guard  14  in its lower position, as shown in  FIG. 3 , a wearer&#39;s line-of-sight through opening unobstructed viewing area  58  is directed forward and downward, as depicted by sight lines y, y′. Of course, intermittent positions between the upper and lower positions of face guard x will yield different lines-of-sight through unobstructed viewing area  58 .  
       Adjustment Mechanism  
       [0032]     Looking now to  FIGS. 4-7 , adjustment mechanism  48 , affixed to the lower surface  50  of bill  38 , regulates the pivotal movement of face guard  14  between its upper and lower positions.  
         [0033]     Adjustment mechanism  48  comprises a wedge bracket  74  mounted to the underside of bill  38 , a clip  76  affixed to notched portion  48  of upper bar  44 , and a pin  78  extending through clip  76  to wedge bracket  74 . As best seen in  FIGS. 5-7 , wedge bracket  74  comprises a tapered, u-channel bracket with two extending tabs  80   a ,  80   b , each having an aperture  82   a ,  82   b  for affixing the bracket to the underside of bill  38 . Wedge bracket  74  is affixed to bill  38  so that the larger end  84  is located near the forward edge of bill  38 , tapering to the smaller end  86 , located inboard on bill  38 . The hollow “u” portion of wedge bracket  74  thus forms a tapered space  88  between bill  38  and the lower surface  90  of wedge bracket  74 . An elongated receptacle slot  92  extends along the lower surface  90  of the bracket  74 , with the first end  94  of receptacle slot  92  defining a forward stop and the second end  96  of receptacle slot  92  defining a rear stop.  
         [0034]     Clip  76  is a spring clip encircling the notched portion  46  of upper bar  44 , with an aperture for pin  78  extending through the tab portion of clip  78 . Pin  78  is a screw-type threaded fastener inserted through the tab portion of clip  78  into receptacle slot  92  on wedge bracket  74 . Keeper  98  is a threaded nut configured to mate with pin  78  and retain the pin within receptacle slot  92 .  
         [0035]     As shown in  FIGS. 5-7 , wedge bracket  74  is affixed to the underside of bill  38  using screws  100   a ,  100   b  through tabs  80   a ,  80   b  into bill  38 . With wedge bracket  74  thus affixed, the surface  90  of bracket  74  forms a ramp, with receptacle slot  92  extending nearly the length of the ramp. Clip  76  encircles the notched portion  46  of upper bar  44  of face guard  14 , with pin  78  passing through apertures in the tab portion of clip  76  and into receptacle slot  92  on bracket  74 . Keeper nut  98  threads onto pin  78  on the u-channel side of wedge bracket  74 . With the adjustment mechanism  48  so configured, pin  78  and keeper  98  may be moved back and forth along receptacle  92 , the keeper traveling within u-shaped space  88  between wedge bracket  74  and bill  38 , and with the pin&#39;s movement limited by the stops  94 ,  96  presented by each end of receptacle slot  92 . With clip  76  affixed around notch portion  46  of upper bar  44 , pivoting face guard  14  as described above thus moves pin  78  within receptacle slot  92  of wedge bracket  74 . With first and second ends  94 ,  96  of receptacle slot  92  limiting the movement of pin  78 , adjustment mechanism  48  thus acts to regulate the pivotal movement of face guard  14 .  
         [0036]     Tightening keeper nut  98  against wedge bracket  74  increases the friction between the keeper and the wedge bracket, making the adjustment mechanism more resistant to movement. Keeper nut  98  can be further tightened such that it locks pin  78  in place against wedge bracket  74 , thus preventing any pivotal movement of face guard  14 . Of course, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that variations upon this embodiment may be employed without deviating from the present invention. For example, pin  78  may ride within receptacle slot  92  without the use of a keeper. In addition, wedge bracket  74  may incorporate a pin, with clip  76  incorporating a receptacle to receive the pin. Other variations of the sliding adjustment mechanism will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are anticipated by the present invention.  
       Operation  
       [0037]     In operation, face guard  14  is attached to rigid shell  12  with pivoting mechanisms  66   a ,  66   b  as described above. Adjustment mechanism  48  is attached to bill  38  as described above, with clip  76  of the adjustment mechanism affixed around notch portion  46  of upper bar  44  of face guard  14 , thus further securing face guard  14  to rigid shell  12 .  
         [0038]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , face guard  14  is rotated to an upper position so that a wearer&#39;s line-of-sight through unobstructed viewing area  58  of face guard  14  is along lines x and x′. Turning to  FIGS. 5-7 , it will be apparent that with face guard  14  moved to the upper position, pin  78  will be positioned against the rear stop  96  of receptacle slot  92  on wedge bracket  74 . Rear stop  96  thus defines the upper limit to which face guard  14  may be pivoted.  
         [0039]     Similarly, still looking to  FIGS. 5-7 , front stop  94  of receptacle slot  92  defines the lower limit to which face guard  14  may be pivoted. As shown in  FIG. 3 , with face guard  14  pivoted to its lower position, a wearer&#39;s line-of-sight through unobstructed viewing area  58  of face guard  14  is along lines y and y′.  
         [0040]     As described above, face guard  14  may be locked into the upper or lower positions, or any point in between, by tightening keeper nut  98  to increase the frictional engagement with wedge bracket  74 .  
         [0041]     As can be seen, the invention described herein provides a batting helmet and face guard that allows a wearer to adjust the line-of-sight through the unobstructed viewing area of the face guard to the wearer&#39;s preference, while simultaneously providing the protective benefits of a conventional batting helmet with a fixed face guard. Of course, other embodiments or configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and are contemplated by and within the scope of the present invention.  
         [0042]     The term “substantially” or “approximately” as used herein may be applied to modify any quantitative representation which could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. For example, the horizontal and vertical members of face guard  10  are described as being most preferably 4.8 millimeters in diameter, but may permissibly vary from that diameter if the variance does not materially alter the capability of the invention.  
         [0043]     While the present invention has been described and illustrated hereinabove with reference to various exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications could be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the exemplary embodiments described and illustrated hereinabove, except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims.