US5078130A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Personnel headgear enabling free breathing of ambient air or selective breathing from various sources
Assignee: Gentex Corp
•
Filing: 1988-07-14
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Granted: 1992-01-07
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Expires: 2008-07-14
Abstract
Abstract Protective headgear with a face shield which can be tilted up out of the way, and which when tilted downwardly can be placed in a standby position enabling free breathing of ambient air through a gap between a helmet and the face shield, and can be pressed back to create a seal to require breathing from a controlled source. A selector is mounted on the face shield to enable the wearer to make a quick and effective selection of breathing modes. A face seal can be mounted to the inside of the face shield to form an oro-nasal dam around the nose and mouth of the wearer to provide another seal, and a reduced plenum volume.
Inventors
- 👤 Lucien F. A. Van Oosten
- 👤 Stanley A. Bonner
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 05:19
CPC Classifications
A; A62; A62B; A62B18/00; A62B18/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
171 words
Protective headgear selectively to enable its wearer to breathe ambient air or supplied gases, comprising: a helmet comprising a shell encompassing the top, sides, and back of the wearer's head and having a forwardly-facing face opening with a periphery; an impermeable face shield with a transparent portion, said face shield having a peripheral edge engagable with the helmet adapted to close said face opening; mounting means mounting said face shield to said helmet for pivoting to a raised position above said face opening, or to one of two fully lowered positions in front of it, a rearward one of said lowered positions causing said face shield to bear against the helmet, and the forward one to leave a substantial gap between them adequate to enable the wearer to breathe ambient air through it when said face shield is in its forward lowered position, in both of said lowered positions said transparent portion being in the line of sight of the wearer, said face shield being manually movable to the said positions.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
171 words
Protective headgear selectively to enable its wearer to breathe ambient air or supplied gases, comprising: a helmet comprising a shell encompassing the top, sides, and back of the wearer's head and having a forwardly-facing face opening with a periphery; an impermeable face shield with a transparent portion, said face shield having a peripheral edge engagable with the helmet adapted to close said face opening; mounting means mounting said face shield to said helmet for pivoting to a raised position above said face opening, or to one of two fully lowered positions in front of it, a rearward one of said lowered positions causing said face shield to bear against the helmet, and the forward one to leave a substantial gap between them adequate to enable the wearer to breathe ambient air through it when said face shield is in its forward lowered position, in both of said lowered positions said transparent portion being in the line of sight of the wearer, said face shield being manually movable to the said positions.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 in which ports to said face shield receive gases to be breathed by the wearer, and to exhaust exhaled gases to and from a region inside said face seal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
67 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said ports comprise an inhalation inlet port and an exhalation outlet port to said region, each port connecting to a respective inhalation selector valve or to an exhalation selector valve, said inhalation selector valve being adapted to receive breathing gases from a plurality of inhalation sources, and said exhalation selector valve being adapted to discharge to a plurality of outlets.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 in which one of said inhalation sources is the atmosphere, and the other is a rebreathing apparatus, and in which one of said exhalation outlets is the atmosphere, and the other is return to said rebreathing apparatus.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 in which selector means is connected to both of said selector valves, said selector means being mounted centrally and externally on said face shield, and being adapted either to set both valves to close a circuit through the rebreather apparatus, or to connect both to atmosphere.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus according to claim 5 in which said selector valves are rotary valves interconnected by linkage connected to said selector means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 in which filter means is incorporated into the inhalation source.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
101 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 in which a face seal is fixed to said face shield inside the perimeter of the face shield, having a peripheral flange so disposed and arranged as to be pressed against the wearer's face and make a fully peripheral resilient and conforming gas seal above the nose, down the sides of the face, and below the mouth, said seal being made no later than when the face shield bears against the helmet, in said rearward lowered position, said face seal being spaced from the wearer's face when the face shield is in said forward lowered position.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus according to claim 8 in which ports to said face shield receive gases to be breathed by the wearer, and to exhaust exhaled gases to and from a region inside said face seal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
67 words
Apparatus according to claim 9 in which said ports comprise an inhalation inlet port and an exhalation outlet port to said region, each port connecting to a respective inhalation selector valve or to an exhalation selector valve, said inhalation selector valve being adapted to receive breathing gases from a plurality of inhalation sources, and said exhalation selector valve being adapted to discharge to a plurality of outlets.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus according to claim 10 in which one of said inhalation sources is the atmosphere, and the other is a rebreathing apparatus, and in which one of said exhalation outlets is the atmosphere, and the other is return to said rebreathing apparatus.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
51 words
Apparatus according to claim 10 in which selector means is connected to both of said selector valves, said selector means being mounted centrally and externally on said face shield, and being adapted either to set both valves to close a circuit through the rebreather apparatus, or to connect both to atmosphere.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus according to claim 12 in which said selector valves are rotary valves interconnected by linkage connected to said selector means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
15 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 in which filter means is incorporated into the inhalation source.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-01-06 | 1995-07-08 | 1996-01-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-01-06 | 1999-07-08 | 2000-01-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-01-06 | 2003-07-08 | 2004-01-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |