Helmet for use with respirator mask

Claim 1

In combination, a helmet comprising a rigid double-walled shell having right and left sides and formed therebetween with a forwardly open face cutout and therebelow with a downwardly open neck opening; means inside the shell for supporting same on the head of a wearer with the face cutout in front of the wearer's face and the neck opening around the wearer's neck; respective right and left backwardly directed anchor elements fixed on the right and left sides of the shell outside the shell, the helmet being generally symmetrical about a vertical symmetry plane between the sides and bisecting the cutout and opening; and an at least semitransparent lens pivotal on the shell between a down position in front of the upper portion of the face cutout and an up position lying above the face cutout between the walls of the shell; and a respirator comprising a mask engageable through the face cutout snugly with the face of the wearer of the helmet; respective right and left hooks engageable with the respective anchor elements and each including a front part pivoted on the mask, a rear part telescoping with the front part, a forwardly hooked part carried on the rear part and engageable behind the respective anchor element when the mask is engaged through the face cutout with the face of the helmet wearer; and respective springs connected between the rear parts and the respective front parts, the springs being tensioned to telescope the rear parts forward into the respective front parts and thereby pull the mask back into the face cutout of the helmet and against the face of the user when the hook parts are engaged over the respective anchor elements and the mask is engaged through the face cutout with the helmet wearer, the respirator being substantially only connected to the helmet by the hooks.