Safety helmet with retractable eye shield

Claim 2

A safety helmet comprising a. a substantially rigid helmet shell adapted to receive the head of a wearer; b. first and second eye shields; c. guide means fixed on the shell and receiving the edges of both eye shields for sliding movement of each eye shield between a shielding position in front of the wearer''s eyes and a retracted position above the front part of the shell, said guide means providing arcuate paths of movement for said edges of said eye shields; d. a cover affixed to the shell and defining therewith a recess for receiving said eye shields in their retracted positions; e. a pair of housings secured to said shell and extending rearwardly from said cover on opposite sides of said shell, respectively, each of said housings having a longitudinal slot; f. two handles for manual actuation of the two eye shields respectively between their positions, said handles being respectively mounted in said housings for movement along said slots; and g. a pair of members respectively connecting said handles to said eye shields; wherein the improvement comprises h. each of said slots having opposite side edges lying in parallel spaced planes so as to provide a rectilinear path of motion for the handle mounted therein; and i. each of said members comprising a link pivotally connected at one end to one of said handles, and pivotally connected at the other end to one of said eye shields for unrestricted angular movement of the link relative to the eye shield.

Claim 3

A helmet as defined in claim 1, wherein said other end of said link overlies a surface of said last-mentioned eye shield; and further including an eyelet securing said last-mentioned link end to said last-mentioned eye shield, in such manner as to permit angular movement of the link through 360* relative to the eye shield.

Claim 4

A helmet as defined in claim 1, wherein the improvement further comprises said cover having at least two apertures along its rearward edge at either side of the fore and aft center line of the helmet, and said housings being separate from said cover, each open at one end with said open ends respectively closely communicating with said apertures in the cover.

Claim 5

A helmet as defined in claim 1, further including a. a pair of corrugated tracks respectively mounted on said elongated housings and extending along said slots of said housings respectively; b. tooth means movable mounted on each of said handles for engaging the corrugations of one of said tracks to lock the handle and the eye shield to which it is connected in any of a plurality of positions along its path of travel; c. spring means carried by each of said handles for biasing the tooth means of the handle into engagement with the track; and d. manually operable means on each of said handles for overcoming the force of the spring means to disengage the tooth means from the track and thereby to release the eye shield to which the handle is connected from any of said plurality of positions.

Claim 6

A safety helmet including: a. a shell adapted to receive the head of a wearer; b. firSt and second eye shields, one of said eye shields being colorless and the other tinted; c. guide means fixed on the shell and receiving the edges of both eye shields for sliding movement of each eye shield between an eye shielding position in front of the wearer''s eyes and a retracted position above the front part of the shell, said guide means providing arcuate paths of movement for said edges of said eye shields; d. a cover affixed to the shell and defining therewith a recess for receiving said eye shields in their retracted positions, said cover having at least two apertures along its rearward edge at either side of the fore and aft center line of the helmet; wherein the improvement comprises: e. two handles for manual actuation of the two eye shields respectively between their positions, said handles being located at the sides of the shell and respectively connected to the two eye shields so that either eye shield may be manipulated by the wearer without extending his hand or arm into his field of vision; f. a pair of elongated housings separate from said cover, each open at one end and having an elongated rectilinear slot along its top; g. means attaching said housings to the shell with said open ends closely communicating with said apertures in the cover, said housings extending rearwardly past the maximum lateral dimension of the helmet so that the slots are effective to increase the venting effect of the apertures; h. said handles being mounted in said housings and slidable along said slots; i. means extending through said apertures in the cover and the open ends of the shell and connecting said handles to their respective eye shields, said last-mentioned means comprising a pair of links, each of said links having one end pivotally connected to one of said eye shields and another end engaged by one of said handles for movement therewith, said links being pivotable relative to the eye shields to which they are respectively connected through ranges of angles at least sufficient to permit rectilinear movement of said handles along the full length of said slots in correspondence with the arcuate movement of said eye shields while said handles are maintained in continuous engagement with said links, said links being disengageable from said handles by turning of said handles relative to said housings to permit removal of said eye shields from the helmet while maintaining said cover affixed and said housings attached to said shell, said links further being pivotable, relative to the eye shields to which they are respectively connected, from said ranges of angles into positions in which they are substantially parallel to the upper edges of said eye shields; j. each of said links having a tab portion projecting beyond the pivotal connection of the link in opposed relation to the major extent of the link, for manually guiding the link into handle-engaging position in one of said housings upon insertion of the edges of the eye shield to which the link is connected into said guide means; k. said links being disposed in overlying relation to the outer surfaces of the eye shields to which they are respectively connected.

Claim 7

A safety helmet including: a. a shell adapted to receive the head of a wearer; b. firSt and second eye shields, one of said eye shields being colorless and the other tinted; c. guide means fixed on the shell and receiving the edges of both eye shields for sliding movement of each eye shield between an eye shielding position in front of the wearer''s eyes and a retracted position above the front part of the shell, said guide means providing arcuate paths of movement for said edges of said eye shields; d. a cover affixed to the shell and defining therewith a recess for receiving said eye shields in their retracted positions, said cover having at least two apertures along its rearward edge at either side of the fore and aft center line of the helmet; wherein the improvement comprises: e. two handles for manual actuation of the two eye shields respectively between their positions, said handles being located at the sides of the shell and respectively connected to the two eye shields so that either eye shield may be manipulated by the wearer without extending his hand or arm into his field of vision; f. a pair of elongated housings separate from said cover, each open at one end and having an elongated rectilinear slot along its top; g. means attaching said housings to the shell with said open ends closely communicating with said apertures in the cover, said housings extending rearwardly past the maximum lateral dimension of the helmet so that the slots are effective to increase the venting effect of the apertures; h. said handles being mounted in said housings and slidable along said slots; i. means extending through said apertures in the cover and the open ends of the shell and connecting said handles to their respective eye shields, said last-mentioned means comprising a pair of links, each of said links having one end pivotally connected to one of said eye shields and another end engaged by one of said handles for movement therewith, said links being pivotable relative to the eye shields to which they are respectively connected through ranges of angles at least sufficient to permit rectilinear movement of said handles along the full length of said slots in correspondence with the arcuate movement of said eye shields while said handles are maintained in continuous engagement with said links, said links being disengageable from said handles by turning of said handles relative to said housings to permit removal of said eye shields from the helmet while maintaining said cover affixed and said housings attached to said shell, said links further being pivotable, relative to the eye shields to which they are respectively connected, from said ranges of angles into positions in which they are substantially parallel to the upper edges of said eye shields; j. each of said links having a tab portion projecting beyond the pivotal connection of the link in opposed relation to the major extent of the link, for manually guiding the link into handle-engaging position in one of said housings upon insertion of the edges of the eye shield to which the link is connected into said guide means; k. said links being disposed in overlying relation to the outer surfaces of the eye shields to which they are respectively connected.