Abstract:
A motorcycle helmet including a transparent shield acceptable of a removable tinted strip taken from a dispenser to form an antiglare shield.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates generally to motorcycle helmets and more particularly to shields fixed to such helmets to provide protection from wind and flying debris.  
           [0003]    2. Relevant Prior Art  
           [0004]    Motorcycle helmets typically come from the manufacturer with a clear face shield, leaving the owner to decide how to best solve the problem of sun glare or glare from oncoming vehicle headlights, which is extremely troublesome and dangerous in the late afternoon before sunset, after dark, or early morning just before and after sunrise. Dirt bike and other off-road sports helmets generally include external visors which adequately address the problem of sun glare, but these types of visors are not practical for higher speed street motorcycles that are more exposed to higher wind velocities and wind buffeting caused by surrounding vehicles. For street motorcyclists, helmets can be equipped with tinted face shields, or an adhesive-backed, full width, darkened strip that is attached and left in place or if removed is destroyed.  
           [0005]    They all have shortcomings in regard to safety, glare protection, convenience and economy. The completely tinted shield cannot be worn after dark because of severely reduced visibility, and in fact, is banned altogether in many European countries. The user must either raise or open the tinted shield, which exposes the wearer&#39;s eyes and face to wind blast and other airborne dangers such as rain, dust, dirt, water and debris thrown from other vehicle tires, and insects, from which the shields were designed to protect, or change to a clear shield, which the rider must carry along. This often requires stopping on a roadside, possibly exposing the rider to the dangerous conditions often related to motorcycles and their riders coming into contact and impacting with much larger vehicles. In the late afternoon while the sun is low in the sky, motorcyclists are in extreme danger caused by the glare-impeded vision of other motorists, thereby making changing to a clear shield even more dangerous. Carrying the extra shield also poses a problem in that the shield is typically fairly large and relatively fragile. It must be protected from scratches which impair outward visibility, and bending which obviously could result in the shield being broken. Most modem motorcycles simply don&#39;t have proper or adequate storage space for a replacement shield. The replacement shield is often expensive and people who ride motorcycles as a means of economical transportation, often are forced to “make do” with only one shield. Shields with dark tinted top edges or removable, semi permanent, full width strips tend to reduce overall visibility by shrinking the vertical field of vision. This condition, while not as dangerous as a completely tinted shield after dark, can also pose safety problems regardless of the light conditions in regard to traffic signals not being visible without tilting the head uncomfortably back, and overhead obstructions being blocked from the rider&#39;s view, even during daylight hours.  
           [0006]    The removable, tinted or blackened full width strip mentioned earlier, despite reducing the overall field, is a good compromise, but is relatively expensive as it is destroyed upon removal since it is intended only for semi-permanent installation.  
           [0007]    Wearing sunglasses under the helmet, while being a common practice, is uncomfortable due to the fact that protective helmets to be of significant benefit must fit snugly, which presses the wearers glasses or frames into the face and sides of the head, and also poses the same dangers as the tinted shield, in that the rider must stop to put them on or take them off, resulting in one stop while the sun is low, and another stop immediately after the sun has gone down, for a total of two stops, both at the most dangerous times, visibility wise, of the rider&#39;s day. Also, they must be removed at night, which eliminates all protection from the glare of oncoming vehicle headlights.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    Objects of the Invention  
           [0009]    It is an object of this invention to provide optional antiglare protection to a shield for motorcycle helmets which does not require stopping the motorcycle to add protection or terminate protection.  
           [0010]    A further object is economical antiglare protection. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0012]    The system of this invention includes a dispenser  10  including an interior for containing  5  or more tinted strips  12  in dispensing relationship. The dispenser  10  will have an opening  14  from which a portion of the strip  12  to be used next will project. Preferably, the opening  14  will be on a top surface  16  of the dispenser  10 . In a preferred configuration the dispenser  10  will have a back side  18  opposed to the top surface  16 . The back side  18  will include an attaching means. The attaching means can be an adhesive layer that allows reasonable removal upon exhausting the dispenser&#39;s  10  supply of strips  12 . Alternatively the attaching means can be a Velcro system in which loop tape is secured to the back side  18  of the dispenser  10  and hook tape is secured to a motorcycle at a convenient location such as the surface of the gas tank or other exterior surface of the motorcycle accessible to the rider while riding to allow removal of a strip  12  as needed. To secure the dispenser  10  the loop tape is put in contact with the hook tape. When the dispenser&#39;s  10  supply of strips  12  is exhausted it is removed and replaced with a new dispenser  10 .  
         [0013]    The dispenser can be made from various materials including plastics and metals and can be painted or chromed to better blend with the motorcycle.  
         [0014]    Suitable strips  12  to be placed in the dispenser will consist of tinted strips of adhesive backed flexible plastic of generally rectangular shape being from ¾ to ¼ inches in width and from 2 to 3 inches in length and also including a small adhesive-free area at one end or both to provide a tab at one end of the strip or both to enable easy application and removal while the motorcycle is in motion and while the rider is wearing protective gloves. The thickness of the strip  12  is likely to be very thin and measurable in mils of an inch and limited to that needed to meet requirements for strength and for tinting or polarization of light. The adhesive used should be of moderate strength, with adhesive properties so as to allow the user to easily remove the strip without leaving a residue, and re-apply, or re-position the strip. Said strips  12  would be pulled, one at a time in pop-up fashion (similar to typical facial tissues) from a dispenser  10  with a necessarily stronger adhesive or attaching strength so that the strip is pulled out but the dispenser  10  remains attached to the motorcycle.  
         [0015]    It should be appreciated that the strips  12  are sized so that they can be located on the helmet shield with some choice to meet the unique needs of a rider and helmet as to eye location and the direction of the likely glare source.  
         [0016]    Methods of glare reductions by their nature reduce the amount of light passing through the strip. Darkening the strip  12  reduces light and reduces the ability to distinguish objects and hazards of the road. Strips  12  which polarize light reduce the light transmission approximately 30%.  
         [0017]    The number of strips  12  in the dispenser  10  will likely be dictated by the market place in terms of price and need. Preferably, the dispenser will have means for alerting the rider as to the number of remaining strips  12 . Methods can include numbering on the tab or color coding the tabs to indicate the remaining number or having a viewing hole in the side of the dispenser.  
         [0018]    The strips and/or dispensers could also be imprinted with logos or advertising, which may also reduce the cost to consumers and make the safety advantages of the strips available to a wider range of riders.  
         [0019]    The strips and/or dispensers could also be imprinted with logos or advertising, which may also reduce the cost to consumers and make the safety advantages of the strips available to a wider range of riders.