Patent Description:
Welding helmets or masks are headgear used when performing certain types of welding to protect the eyes, face and neck from flash burn, ultraviolet light, sparks and heat. Welding helmets are necessary to prevent arc eye, a painful condition where the cornea is inflamed. Welding helmets can also prevent retina burns, which can lead to a loss of vision. Both conditions are caused by unprotected exposure to the highly-concentrated UV rays emitted by the welding arc (which can also damage uncovered skin, similar to a sunburn).

All welding helmets include a small window, called a lens, through which the welder looks at the weld. In older helmets, the window can be made of darkly tinted glass, or perhaps a pair of polarized lenses. In more modern helmet designs, transparent material that darkens automatically when exposed to the flare of a welding arc are more common. Either type, however, is susceptible to damages such as cracks that can compromise the protection from ultraviolet rays. In addition to the lens shade, the helmet has a shroud around the face to protect it from hot metal sparks generated by the arc.

The hot metal sparks generated by the arc can ignite flammable objects in the welding area. Because the welding helmets include a small window directly in front of the welder's eyes and have obstructed peripheral vision or even no peripheral vision, a welder may not recognize that the hot metal sparks generated a fire in the area (e.g., to the sides) of the welder. The obstructed peripheral vision also prevents the welder from clearly seeing the future direction of their welding line, and they also may not see potential dangers such as people walking up to them from the side or objects moving or falling into their path.

From the United States patent application published under the publication number <CIT>a face shield featuring a lens-in-lens system and usable for protective helmets such as used for snowmobiling, motorcycle riding and the like is known. From the International Patent Application publication <CIT> a welding shield comprising a dark welding glass attached to a transparent planar panel surround said welding glass is known.

it is an object of the present invention to create a lens assembly that protects a user's eyes (e.g., during welding), while also allowing peripheral vision and to create a method of using such lens assembly.

This and other objects are achieved by the features in the characterizing part of claim <NUM>. Advantageous embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims <NUM> - <NUM>.

In one example, a lens assembly for a face plate of a face protector has a first, retainer lens of shape and dimensions configured to be secured in a front opening of the face plate and having a curvature substantially matching the curvature of the face plate, and a second lens of smaller dimensions secured behind the first lens to provide a lens-in-a-lens configuration, with the second lens configured to extend across the eyes of a wearer of the face protector and the first lens extending around the sides of the wearer's face to provide peripheral vision. The lenses may be of tinted glass or may be automatic darkening filter (ADF) lenses which darken automatically when exposed to increased light such as the flare of a welding arc, and one or both lenses may be selected from sets of interchangeable lenses having different shades.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which:.

Certain examples as disclosed herein provide for a face protector having a face plate with a front opening which extends across the eye region of a wearer and rearwardly around the sides of the face towards the ears, and a lens-in-a-lens assembly secured in the front opening.

After reading this description it will become apparent to one skilled in the art how to implement the invention in various alternative embodiments and alternative applications. However, although various embodiments of the present invention will be described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and not limitation. As such, this detailed description of various alternative embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.

With reference to <FIG>, a first embodiment of a lens-in-a-lens assembly ("lens assembly") <NUM> of a face protector <NUM> will be described. In an exemplary embodiment, the face protector <NUM> is used in a welding application; however, in an alternative embodiments, the face protector <NUM> and/or face plate <NUM> is used in other applications such as, but not limited to, safety applications, commercial applications, do-it-yourself (DIY) applications, grinding, splash guard, sand blasting, food preparation, fork lift operations, tile cutting, wood cutting, wood chopping, face protection from flying particles, forced high pressure washing applications, during boat travel in sport leisure and commercial fishing, snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, hunting, paint ball, law enforcement, fire fighting, motorcycling, dune buggy or rails, ATV, air soft, spectator sports (e.g., NASCAR car racing, NFL/college football, NHL/college hockey), commercial activities such as airline industry, landscaping, and governmental activities such as military, lake patrols, etc..

With reference to <FIG>, before describing the lens assembly <NUM>, the face protector <NUM> will be generally described. The face protector <NUM> protects the front of a user's head (i.e., forehead, face, eyes, cheeks, jaw, chin, mouth, nose, ears) from flash burn, ultraviolet light, sparks, heat, and/or other elements associated with the activity/application.

The face protector <NUM> includes a face plate <NUM> preferably made of an injection molded thin, plastic material. The face plate <NUM> has a configuration generally similar to the configuration of a human face and includes a forehead portion <NUM>, a cheek portion <NUM>, a jaw portion <NUM>, a mouth portion <NUM>, a nose portion <NUM>, ear portions <NUM>, a chin portion <NUM>, and the replaceable/interchangeable lens assembly <NUM> that cover and protect the forehead, cheeks, jaw, mouth, nose, ears, chin, and eyes, respectively, of a user.

The forehead portion <NUM> is just wider than the width of the head of the user, is curved rearwardly, and extends from the brow area to just above the forehead area of the user. Substantially all of the skull is not covered by the forehead portion <NUM> or the rest of the face protector <NUM>. Although not shown, in alternative embodiments, the forehead portion <NUM> may include one or more ventilation sections for ventilating the face protector <NUM>. On a front side <NUM> of the forehead portion <NUM>, the forehead portion <NUM> may include an insert and/or indicia <NUM> displaying a trademark, logo, or other insignia pertinent to the application of the face protector <NUM>. The mold used to make the face protector <NUM> may include different mold inserts for the different indicia so that the same mold, but different mold inserts, may be used to manufacture the face protectors <NUM> for different applications.

The cheek portion <NUM> is curved rearwardly from the nose portion <NUM> and the mouth portion <NUM> of the face plate <NUM>, and protects the cheeks of a user.

The jaw portion <NUM> is curved rearwardly from the mouth portion <NUM> and the cheek portion <NUM> of the face plate <NUM>, and protects the jaw area of a user. The jaw portion <NUM> includes the chin portion <NUM>, which has a cupped configuration for receiving the chin of a user. The jaw portion <NUM> decreasingly tapers in width from the top of the jaw portion <NUM>, just below the lens assembly <NUM>, to the bottom of the chin portion <NUM>.

The mouth portion <NUM> is disposed between the nose portion <NUM> and the jaw portion <NUM>, and protects the mouth of a user. Although not shown, in an alternative embodiment, the mouth portion <NUM> may include ventilation holes in the grooves shown or in other areas of the mouth portion <NUM> and/or nose portion <NUM>. The mold used to make the face protector <NUM> may include different inserts for the different mouth and/or nose designs so that the same mold, but different inserts, may be used to manufacture the face protectors for different applications (e.g. face protectors with and without mouth/nose ventilation holes).

The front side of the nose portion <NUM> may bow outward and the rear side <NUM> of the nose portion <NUM> may be concave to accommodate the nose of the user. Although not shown, as discussed above, the nose portion <NUM> may include one or more ventilation holes in alternative embodiments.

The ear portions <NUM> extend rearwardly from the opposite ends of the lens assembly <NUM>, and decreasingly taper in dimension progressing rearwardly, and protect the entire ears of the user. Substantially rectangular-shaped holes <NUM> are disposed in upper portions of the ear portions <NUM>. Connectors may connect to the holes <NUM> from a back/inner side of the ear portions <NUM> for connecting a strap (not shown) to the face protector <NUM> to retain the face protector <NUM> in position on the user's head. The strap may be elastic and/or adjustable for adjusting the length of the strap to accommodate different-sized heads.

The face protector <NUM> may come in a one-size-fits-all configuration or may come in different sizes for different-sized heads (e.g., XL, L, M, S, child size).

An inner/back side of the face plate <NUM> may include cushion member(s) to provide added comfort to the user when wearing the face protector <NUM>. The cushion member(s) may be affixed/connected to an inner/back side of the face plate <NUM> using an adhesive and/or fasteners. The cushion member(s) may be made of a waterproof, breathable material. The cushion member(s) may include holes therein to increase the breathability and comfort of the cushion member(s) when against the skin of the user. The cushion member(s), like the face plate <NUM>, may come in different sizes to allow the user to custom fit the face protector <NUM> for the user's specific facial dimensions.

Because of the face-forming, low profile of the face plate <NUM>, especially in the jaw portion <NUM>, the face plate <NUM> allows the user to move one's head from side to side more easily because the lower jaw area of a normal welding helmet or mask hits the users shoulders and causes the helmet/mask to push up and/or off the user's face/head. Also, because of the rounded profile of the face plate <NUM>, air flows better than other welding helmets because there is no <NUM>-degree angle that the air has to move past. For example, the forehead portion <NUM> of the face plate <NUM> has a rounded profile compared to the <NUM>-degree angles of other welding helmets. Also, because of the rounded spherical lens assembly <NUM>, which will be described in more detail below, splatter, flying objects, and the like ricochet off the lens assembly <NUM> and face plate <NUM> with less impact and stress on the face plate <NUM>, and the lens assembly <NUM> does not scratch so easily.

With reference generally to <FIG>, the lens assembly <NUM> will now be described in more detail. The lens assembly <NUM> protects the user's eyes from flash burn (e.g., causing arc eyes, retina bums), ultraviolet light, sparks, heat, and/or other elements associated with the activity/application. The lens assembly <NUM> also maximizes the user's general vision and peripheral vision, which helps the user to spot fires in the welding area (e.g., to the sides of the user) caused by hot metal sparks generated by the arc that ignite flammable objects.

The lens assembly <NUM> is replaceable/interchangeable with other lenses (e.g., for different welding applications, for different applications) and fits within an eye opening <NUM> (<FIG>) of the face plate <NUM>. The lens assembly <NUM> includes an Automatic Darkening Filter ("ADF") retainer lens <NUM>, a front cover <NUM>, an ADF lens <NUM>, a polycarbonate lens protector <NUM>, a back cover <NUM>, flat head screws <NUM>, and threaded inserts <NUM>.

The ADF retainer lens <NUM> is partially spherical, toroidal, and/or cylindrical, providing the user with <NUM> degree viewing and unobstructed peripheral vision. Opposite peripheral/temple portions <NUM> of the ADF retainer lens <NUM> include crescent-shaped holes <NUM> that overlap crescent-shaped holes <NUM> in recessed eye opening section <NUM>. Fasteners may extend through the holes <NUM>, <NUM> for connecting the ADF retainer lens <NUM> to the recessed eye opening section <NUM> of the face plate <NUM>. The ADF retainer lens <NUM> includes a central section with a rectangular opening <NUM> having front upper and lower recessed sections <NUM>, side cut-outs <NUM>, and rearwardly extending receiving section <NUM>. The rearwardly extending receiving section <NUM> includes rearwardly extending upper horizontal member, lower horizontal member, and side vertical members that together form an air/space pocket between the ADF lens <NUM> and the front cover <NUM> when the lens assembly <NUM> is assembled. In one embodiment, the ADF retainer lens <NUM> is a # <NUM> shaded lens and is made of polycarbonate. In alternative embodiments, the ADF retainer lens <NUM> is a shaded lens in the range of #<NUM>- #<NUM> shaded lens.

The front cover <NUM> protects the ADF lens <NUM> from impact. The front cover <NUM> is transparent, un-shaded, rectangular/spherical/torical/cylindrical, made of polycarbonate and has a slight curved configuration/shape. Although front cover <NUM> is a separate component secured in an opening in the retainer lens in the illustrated embodiment, it may alternatively comprise a transparent or substantially transparent cover portion formed integrally with the retainer lens. The front cover <NUM>, when disposed in the ADF retainer lens <NUM>, is flush with the outer surface of lens <NUM>. Rearward extending latch projections <NUM> extend from opposite sides <NUM> of the front cover <NUM> and extend through the side cut-outs <NUM> of the ADF retainer lens <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>).

As indicated above, the lens assembly <NUM> has a lens-in-a-lens design with the ADF retainer lens <NUM> forming an outer holder lens and the ADF lens <NUM> forming an inner lens carried within/by the ADF retainer lens <NUM>. The threaded inserts <NUM> are injected/added into a rear/back side of the ADF retainer lens <NUM>.

The ADF lens <NUM> is substantially rectangular and has a rectangular frame portion and a rectangular lens portion held in the rectangular frame portion. In the embodiment shown, the ADF lens <NUM> is a <NUM> X <NUM> (<NUM> in. X <NUM> in. ADF lens and is a shade #<NUM> normally and darkens to shade #<NUM> automatically when exposed to the flare of a welding arc. The ADF lens <NUM> is interchangeable with other <NUM> X <NUM> X <NUM> ADF filters and shades. In further embodiments, the outer ADF retainer lens <NUM> is a shade which matches the shade of the ADF lens <NUM>, but these lenses may be of different shades in other embodiments. In an alternative embodiment, the ADF lens <NUM> is a <NUM> X <NUM> (<NUM> in. X <NUM> in. ), or <NUM> X <NUM>. X <NUM> in. ADF lens, as described below in connection with the embodiment of <FIG>. In further embodiments, the ADF lens <NUM> and/or the outer ADF retainer lens <NUM> may be made of different shades and/or different types of ADF lenses.

A rectangular polycarbonate lens protector <NUM> is disposed behind the ADF lens <NUM>.

The rectangular back cover <NUM> includes a central rectangular opening <NUM> and forwardly extending upper/lower flange members <NUM>. A front of the back cover <NUM> includes a rectangular recessed section <NUM> with side cut-outs <NUM>. The recessed section <NUM> in the front of the back cover <NUM> receives/retains the polycarbonate lens protector <NUM> and the ADF lens <NUM>. The rearwardly extending latch projections <NUM> of the front cover <NUM> latch into the side cut-outs <NUM> of the back cover <NUM>. The flat head screws <NUM> are inserted through holes in the corners of the back cover <NUM> and threadably engage the threaded inserts <NUM> in the rear side of the ADF retainer lens <NUM> to connect/assemble the rectangular back cover <NUM>, the polycarbonate lens protector <NUM>, and the ADF lens <NUM>, the ADF retainer lens <NUM>, and the front cover <NUM> of the lens assembly <NUM> together.

Thus, the lens assembly <NUM> protects the user's eyes from flash burn, ultraviolet light, sparks, heat, and/or other elements associated with the activity/application, and maximizes the user's peripheral/overall vision. Increased peripheral vision helps the user to spot fires or other objects in the welding area (e.g., to the sides of the user) caused by hot metal sparks generated by the arc that ignite flammable objects.

<FIG> illustrate a second embodiment of a face protector <NUM> comprising a face plate <NUM> having a front opening <NUM>. A lens-in-a-lens assembly 100A which is similar to that of the previous embodiment but of different dimensions is mounted in front opening <NUM> in the same manner as described in the previous embodiment for lens assembly <NUM>. Parts of assembly 100A which are equivalent to corresponding parts in the previous embodiment but of different dimensions or shape are provided with the same reference numbers as in the previous embodiment, followed by the letter A, and reference is made to the above description of these parts in the first embodiment for details of their materials and functions. The lens-in-a-lens assembly 100A and the front opening <NUM> for receiving the assembly are both larger in this embodiment than the previous embodiment, offering an increased viewing area to the wearer.

The face plate <NUM> is similar in shape and made of the same material as face plate <NUM> of the previous embodiment, and like reference numbers are used for like parts as appropriate. Reference is made to the description of these parts in connection with the previous embodiment, and the parts are not described in detail in connection with this embodiment, apart from any variations from the previous embodiment. A strap assembly <NUM> with connectors <NUM> which connect to the holes <NUM> in the back side of ear portions <NUM> of the face plate is illustrated in <FIG>, and a similar strap assembly may be used to connect to the holes <NUM> in the first embodiment. Strap assembly <NUM> is used to retain face protector <NUM> in position on the user's head. The straps <NUM> of assembly <NUM> may be elastic or adjustable to accommodate a range of different size heads, as described above.

As can be seen by comparing <FIG> and <FIG>, the recessed front or eye opening <NUM> in the face plate <NUM> of this embodiment is larger than the recessed eye opening <NUM> of the first embodiment, and the ADF retainer lens 200A of the lens assembly is of shape and dimensions substantially matching those of opening <NUM> so that it is a close fit in the opening when opposite peripheral/temple portions 270A are secured to the opposite ear portions or side portions of the face plate. As in the previous embodiment, retainer lens 200A has crescent shaped holes 280A that overlap corresponding holes in the recessed eye opening section, and fasteners <NUM> extend through the overlapping holes to secure the retainer lens in the recessed opening. The retainer lens 200A is of increased height relative to the retainer lens <NUM> in the previous embodiment, so that it can accommodate a larger ADF lens 220A. As can be seen by comparing the rear end views of the face protectors <NUM> and <NUM> in <FIG> and <FIG>, respectively, the ADF lens 220A is of larger height than lens <NUM> but of substantially the same width, and may be of substantially square shape. The larger size of lenses 200A and 220A provides increased visibility to the user. The other parts of the lens assembly 100A which protect lens 220A and releasably secure the lens to retainer lens 200A are identical to those of the previous embodiment, apart from the increased dimensions of front cover <NUM> A, lens protector 230A, and the frame or back cover 240A which holds lens 200A, as well as the front opening 310A in retainer lens <NUM>, to accommodate the increased size of lens 220A. Apart from the change in dimensions, these parts are identical to the corresponding parts in the first embodiment and are therefore not described in any more detail.

The dimensions of the ADF lens 220A may be approximately <NUM> X <NUM> (<NUM> in. X <NUM> in. ) or <NUM> X <NUM>. X <NUM> in. ), with the height dimensions of retainer lens 200A, the front opening 310A in the retainer lens, and the recessed opening <NUM> in the face plate in which lens 200A is mounted similarly scaled up to accommodate the increased size of lens 220A. As in the previous embodiment, lenses 200A and 220A may be of any selected initial lens shade and darkened lens shades, and lens 200A and 220A may be replaced or interchanged with other lenses of equivalent shapes and dimensions but different lens properties, as desired.

As in the previous embodiment, the lens-in-lens assembly 100A protects a wearer's eyes while allowing peripheral vision, and one or both lenses are replaceable or interchangeable as described above in connection with the first embodiment.

Claim 1:
A lens assembly (<NUM>) for a welding mask the lens assembly configured to be secured in a front opening (<NUM>) in a face plate (<NUM>) of the welding mask, the lens assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a first lens (<NUM>) configured to be secured in the front opening (<NUM>) of the face plate and being curved, the first lens (<NUM>) having a central portion extending across the face of a wearer and side portions (<NUM>) configured to provide peripheral vision to the wearer; and
a second lens (<NUM>) of smaller dimensions secured behind the first lens (<NUM>) to provide a lens- in-a-lens configuration the second lens being adapted to extend in front of the wearer's eyes when looking forwards;
wherein the first lens is adapted to extend over at least part of the sides of the wearer's face on each side of the wearer's eyes to provide said peripheral vision to the wearer,
wherein the first lens and the second lens are both automatic darkening filter (ADF) lenses, and
the first lens has a transparent cover portion (<NUM>) in a central opening (<NUM>) of the first lens in front of the second lens to protect the second lens from impact.