WO2018197498A1

WO2018197498A1 - Helmet

Info

Publication number: WO2018197498A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/060484
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Rees
Original assignee: Ruroc Ip Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: Ruroc Ip Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2017-04-29
Filing date: 2018-04-24
Publication date: 2018-11-01
Anticipated expiration: 2019-10-29
Also published as: GB201706882D0; GB2561919A

Abstract

Full-face helmet with temporarily openable face-mask A full-face helmet (10), for example for motorcycling or snowsports, is provided with a face mask (14) which is pivotally attached to the helmet shell (12) on one side, and releasably attached on the other side. The face mask (14) may be moved away from the wearer's face temporarily, for example when a motorcyclist is stopped at red lights. This combines the safety advantages of a full-face helmet with the comfort and flexibility of an open face helmet.

Description

HELMET

The present invention relates to a helmet, and in particular to a helmet having a pivotable chin protector bar / protective face mask.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Safety helmets for protecting a wearer's head are widely used during hazardous sports and other activities, for example snowsports and motorcycling. Different types of helmets are available, in particular "full face helmets" and the alternative "open face helmets".

Full-face helmets include a protective face mask which protects the wearer's chin and lower part of the face in the event of an accident. Open face helmets lack this chin protection. Full-face helmets are certainly safer in the event of an accident, but some users prefer open face helmets because of enhanced visibility, and in hot weather, better ventilation. Also, open face helmets allow a wearer to speak and be heard. This may be particularly important for snowsports, where skiers or snowboarders may ski in a group, and when they stop from time to time they will want to talk to each other.

GB2451429 discloses a helmet with an optionally-removable protective face mask, so that the helmet can be used either in a full face mode or an open face mode. However, it is not especially practical to repeatedly remove the chin bar section for short periods of time, for example for a motorcyclist stopped at red lights or a skier briefly stopping to talk to friends.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a full face helmet in which the protective face mask may be easily temporarily moved away from the wearer's face, to facilitate talking. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a full-face helmet comprising: a helmet shell for fitting closely around the top, back and sides of a wearer's head, the helmet shell including two substantially opposing side sections for fitting closely around the sides of the head; and a protective face mask, characterised in thatihe protective face mask is pivotally mounted to one of the side sections of the helmet shell, and detachably mounted to the other side section of the helmet shell. The wearer of the helmet may benefit from the safety advantages of a full face hel met. Preferably, the helmet with the face mask closed will be suitable for certification as a full face helmet. However, embodiments may be envisaged which do not offer full face protection, but where there is a face mask which at least protects the lower part of the user's face from wind and weather when in place. The protective face mask may be disconnected at its detachable mount, and pivoted away from the face, to one side, to allow the wearer to have a conversation or just to cool down and breath fresh air. The protective mask remains attached to the helmet, and when the wearer has finished talking and wants to resume skiing, motorcycling or another activity where protection is required, he can simply pivot the face mask back in front of the face and reconnect it at its detachable mount.

The pivotable mount between the face mask and the side section of the helmet shell may include a linkage which is pivotally attached to the side section of the helmet shell at a fixed pivot in a fixed position relative to the helmet shell, the linkage also being pivotally attached to the protective face mask at a moving pivot in a movable position relative to the helmet shell.

The linkage may be substantially linear. The fixed pivot may be at one end of the linkage and the moving pivot may be at the other end of the linkage. The axes of the two pivots may lie parallel to each other.

The fixed pivot of the linkage may be attached to the side section of the helmet shell via a mount. The mount may be provided as a substantially forward extension of the side section of the helmet shell, running substantially parallel to the front of the side section of the helmet shell. The forward direction should be understood to mean away from the front of the helmet, i.e. the forward direction when the helmet is worn by a person.

It will be understood that the helmet is shaped to conform closely to the shape of a wearer's head. The side sections in that respect will be approximately vertically disposed, but of course are curved. In particular the front lower part of the side section in most embodiments will be curving inwards around the front and lower sides of the face. The mount will therefore be substantially vertical, but in most embodiments tilted slightly from the vertical, with a lower part of the mount being more inward than an upper part of the mount. It may also be tilted slightly in the perpendicular direction , i.e. with a front part of the mount more inward than a rear part. Furthermore, the mount is in most embodiments substantially planar. The mount being substantially parallel to the front of the side section of the helmet shell should therefore be taken to include substantially parallel to some tangent of the front of the side section of the helmet shell. The mount is preferably provided inwards of the outer surface of the helmet shell, and it extends forward of the front of the side section of the helmet shell. Therefore, when the protective face mask is in place over the wearer's face, the mount is disposed just inside a back side portion of the protective face mask. Preferably, the mount may sit substantially parallel to a back side portion of the face mask (although, like the helmet shell, the face mask will be curved in most embodiments).

The moving pivot of the linkage may be attached to the protective face mask at a point which is behind where the fixed pivot is attached to the mount, when the protective face mask is in place over the user's face. In this way, the mount, linkage and face mask are configured substantially as a 'Z' shape when viewed from above. The advantage of this configuration is that is allows an opening motion of the face mask where the face mask moves forwards, away from the wearer's face on both sides when the face mask is first detached on the detachable side. This allows the pivot movement without parts of the face mask fouling parts of the helmet shell on opening. In particular, the protective face mask can be pivoted open as much as around 130 degrees, for example, so that it is completely out of the way for the wearer's face and field of vision when open.

Preferably, the face mask includes at least one guide member which extends substantially behind the face mask, on the pivotally connected side. A slot or track may be provided in side section of the helmet shell, the slot preferably having an opening in a front face of the side section of the helmet shell, between inner and outer surfaces of the helmet shell. The guide member of the face mask may slide within the slot during motion of the protective face mask between the closed and open positions. The guide member may have a hooked end. The guide member and slot control motion of the protective face mask relative to the helmet shell, so that the protective face mask follows a single defined path every time it is opened and closed, despite the linkage arrangement having multiple degrees of freedom. When the mask is fully open, the guide may be completely clear of the slot and may act as a wedge between the mount and the linkage, so that the face mask "snaps" into a fully-open position. This is particularly desirable in combination with torsion springs on the pivot to bias the mechanism into a closed position.

On the other side, the detachable connection may be any suitable latch for releasably engaging the detachable side of the face mask with the helmet shell. However, in a preferred embodiment, there is provided a combined pivotable and detachable connection on both sides of the protective face mask. This allows a wearer to pivot out the face mask in either direction. Either side can be detached, and the face mask will pivot with respect to the helmet on whatever side is not detached. This combined pivotable and detachable connection also provides the user with the option to use the helmet without the face mask fitted at all, as an open-face helmet. In one embodiment, the combined pivotable and detachable connection may be a pivotal connection as described above, with a mount and a linkage, in which the mount is detachable from the helmet shell. In this way, by detaching the mount from the helmet shell, the face mask, linkage, and mount can all move away from the helmet shell. Preferably, the fixed and/or moving pivots may be provided with a torsion spring in order to bias the pivot into a particular position. For example, in one embodiment torsion springs are provided so that when one side of the face mask is detached, it automatically swings out to the fully-open position. The mask can then be closed by manually pushing the mask back towards the face, against the action of the spring. Alternatively, the torsion springs may bias the mask into the closed position.

The mount may be releasably attachable to the helmet shell in the following way. The mount may include a substantially planar tongue with an aperture in the tongue. A slot may be provided in (each) side of the helmet shell for receiving the tongue, and a retaining buckle within the slot for retaining the tongue. In other words, the detachable connection may be similar to a seatbelt buckle. The connection is ideally detached by means of a lever on the outside of (each) side of the helmet shell. The lever is preferably recessed into the side of the shell. The protective face mask of the helmet can be temporarily opened to allow a wearer to breath fresh air and talk during a break in activity. The face mask can be detached at just one side and so does not fall away from the helmet. Even when stopping for a very short period of time, for example a motorcyclist stopping at red lights, it is easy to open the face mask and then very quickly close it again, for example when the lights turn green.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from in front of a helmet according to the invention, with the protective face mask closed;

Figure 2 is a perspective view from behind of the helmet of Figure 1 , with the protective face mask detached on one side and in a fully open position; Figure 3 is a perspective view from behind of a protective face mask, part of the helmet of Figure 1 , when detached from the rest of the helmet.

Figure 4 is a detailed perspective view of a combined pivotable and releasable attachment between the protective face mask and a side section of the helmet shell, with the protective face mask in a fully open position;

Figure 5 is a detailed perspective view of the attachment of Figure 4, with the protective face mask in a nearly closed position; and

Figure 6 is a detailed perspective view of the attachment of Figures 4 and 5, showing in particular torsion springs and how the mask snaps into the open position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring firstly to Figure 1 , a helmet according to the invention is indicated generally at 10. The helmet comprises an open-face helmet shell 12 and a protective face mask 14. The protective face mask 14 is attached at either side to the front of side sections of the helmet shell 12. In this configuration, where the protective face mask 14 is attached and "closed", the helmet 10 is effectively a full-face helmet.

In this embodiment, either side of the protective face mask 14 can be detached from the helmet shell 12, by operating a concealed lever 1 6 on the side of the helmet shell which the wearer wants to detach. If required, the levers 1 6 can be operated on both sides in order to fully detach the face mask 14 and use just the helmet shell 12 as an open-face helmet.

In Figure 2, the helmet is shown in a condition where the protective face mask 14 has been detached at just one side. The protective face mask 14 pivots on the side where it remains attached. In the fully open position the face mask is pivoted around 130 degrees to sit well clear of the wearer's face, as shown in Figure 2. The mask is spring-biased into the closed position, but "snaps" into the fully open position as explained below with reference to Figure 6. Positive force is required to move the mask out of the fully open position to close the mask. As shown in Figure 3, the protective face mask 14 can be removed altogether from the helmet shell (12). Figure 3 shows the detached face mask 14, and the attachment means to either side of the helmet shell (12) are clearly visible. The attachment means each comprise a substantially planar mount 16 and a linkage 18. The linkage includes a first pivot which is a fixed pivot 20 relative to the mount and a second pivot which is a moving pivot 22 relative to the mount. The linkage in this embodiment is in the form of a pair of arms. The arms may be integrally formed with parts rigidly joining the arms. In any case, the arms together act substantially as a single linkage. Torsion springs are not visible in the drawing, but are preferably provided in one or both of the pivots on each attachment means, to bias the pivots into a closed position. This ensures that the mounts 1 6 are always oriented correctly on the face mask 14 for the face mask to engage with the helmet shell.

The mounts 1 6 each include an aperture. This allows the mounts to be releasably retained by a buckle, in exactly the same way as a seat belt.

The pivoting attachment arrangement will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows the attached side of the face mask where it joins onto the helmet shell, in a condition where the face mask has only just been slightly pivoted open. Figure 5 shows the same part in the fully-open position. As seen in the picture, the configuration of the mounting 1 6, linkage 18 and face mask 14 is substantially in the shape of a 'Z'. The fixed pivot 20 allows the back edge of the face mask 14 to move away from the helmet shell 12, and the moving pivot 22 allows for the major part of the pivoting movement of the face mask 14 away from the helmet shell 12, as shown in Figure 5. Allowing the mask 14 to move away from the shell 12 slightly ensures that the major pivoting movement can occur without the back edge of the face mask fouling the front edge of the side portion of the helmet shell. This allows for a very substantial pivot into the open position, for example around 130 degrees so that the face mask moves completely out of the way of the wearer's face.

With reference now to Figure 6, torsion springs 26 are provided on pivot 20. The torsion springs 26 bias the mount 1 6 and linkage 18 into a closed position relative to the face mask, i.e. the torsion springs 26 ensure that the mount 16 is urged into a position where it is ready to engage with the helmet shell 12, when the face mask is closed against the helmet shell. However, it will also be apparent that the face mask "snaps" into the fully-open position, since the hooked end of the guide 28 forms a wedge between the mount 1 6 and the linkage 18, requiring a positive force against the spring to move the hooked end of the guide 28 out from between the mount 16 and linkage 18, so that the mask can then close, urged by the spring. Note that the side which has been detached has an identical mechanism, and the springs on the detached side will keep the mount 16 at all times in the correct ("closed") position ready to engage with the helmet shell 12 when the mask is closed. In this embodiment, the attachment means is both releasable and pivotable on both sides. In fact, the face mask 14 and helmet shell are completely symmetrical in this embodiment. This allows the wearer to pivot the face mask out to one side or the other, or even remove it completely. This allows for a very flexible helmet which can be used as a full-face or open face helmet, and when used as a full-face helmet for maximum safety, allows the wearer to quickly pivot away the face mask for comfort, for example when stopped at red traffic lights or when stopped during snowsports to talk to friends.

It will be apparent that various modifications may be made to the embodiment disclosed, which is only an example. The invention is defined in the claims.

Claims

1 . A full-face helmet comprising:

a helmet shell for fitting closely around the top, back and sides of a wearer's head, the helmet shell including two substantially opposing side sections for fitting closely around the sides of the head; and

a protective face mask,

characterised in that the protective face mask is pivotally mounted to one of the side sections of the helmet shell, and detachably mounted to the other side section of the helmet shell, for pivoting the face mask to move the detachable side substantially towards or away from the helmet shell to open or close the face mask.

2. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 1 , in which the pivotable mount between the face mask and the side section of the helmet shell includes a linkage, the linkage being connected via a first pivot to the helmet shell and via a second pivot to the face mask.

3. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 2, in which the linkage is substantially linear, with the first pivot at one end of the linkage and the second pivot at the other end of the linkage.

4. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, in which the first pivot of the linkage is attached to the helmet shell via a mount, the mount being provided as a substantially forward extension of the side section of the helmet shell.

5. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 4, in which the mount is provided inwards of the outer surface of the helmet shell, and extends forward of the front edge of the side section of the helmet shell.

6. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 5, in which the second pivot of the linkage is attached to the face mask at a point behind where the first pivot is attached to the mount, when the protective face mask is in a closed position.

7. A full-face helmet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which the face mask includes at least one guide member extending substantially behind the face mask on the pivotally connected side, the guide member running in a slot or track provided in the side section of the helmet shell.

8. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 7, in which the guide member has a hooked end.

9. A full-face helmet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, in which a combined pivotal and releasable attachment means is provided on both sides of the protective face mask, between the face mask and each side section of the helmet shell.

10. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 9, when dependent on any of claims 4 to 6, in which the mount is detachable from the helmet shell.

1 1 . A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 10, in which the mount is in the form of a tongue having engagement means for a buckle.

12. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 1 1 , in which the engagement means is an aperture in the tongue.

13. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 2, in which the first and/or second pivot is/are provided with torsion spring(s) for biasing the pivot.

14. A full-face helmet as claimed in claim 13, in which the protective face mask is biased substantially into closed position relative to the helmet shell.

15. A full-face helmet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which is a motorcycle helmet.

1 6. A full-face helmet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which is a snowsports helmet.

17. A full-face helmet as claimed in any of the preceding claims, which is a mountain biking helmet.