Apparel – Head coverings – With forced air circulator
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-31
2004-07-13
Lindsey, Rodney M. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Head coverings
With forced air circulator
C002S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06760925
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air-conditioned hardhat for use in connection with protective headgear. The air-conditioned hardhat has particular utility in connection with cooling the wearer's head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Air-conditioned hardhats are desirable for cooling the wearer's head. Workers are frequently required to wear hardhats for safety reasons regardless of ambient temperature conditions. When the ambient temperature is high, hardhats can become quite uncomfortable and excessive perspiration can result. Under extreme conditions, a risk of heatstroke exists. Air-conditioned hardhats cool the wearer's head, thereby increasing the wearer's comfort level and decreasing the wearer's perspiration.
The use of headgear is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,533 to Stein discloses headgear. However, the Stein '533 patent does not have a fan, and has further drawbacks of lacking a solar cell.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,356 to Waters discloses air-conditioned headwear having convertible power module that cools the wearer's head. However, the Waters '356 patent does not have a battery charger, and additionally does not have a coolant reservoir with an atomizer.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,774 to Guzowski discloses a ventilating helmet that moves air onto the wearer's face to deter perspiring of the wearer. However, the Guzowski '774 patent does not have a coolant reservoir with an atomizer, and cannot charge a battery.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,415 to Waters discloses an air-conditioned helmet that provides conditioned air, either cooling or heating, to the head, neck, and shoulders of the wearer. However, the Waters '415 patent does not have a solar cell, and also does not have a battery charger.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,815 to Hirsch et al. discloses a solar powered headwear fan that is a self-contained personal cooling device. However, the Hirsch et al. '815 patent does not have a coolant reservoir with an atomizer, and further lacks a battery charger.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,773 to Katz discloses a ventilated hardhat that keeps the head of a wearer cool and ventilated. However, the Katz '773 patent does not have a solar cell, and has the additional deficiency of lacking a battery charger.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 275,334 Pullin discloses a hardhat with solar-powered cooling means that has a fan attached to the top of the hardhat. However, the Pullin '334 patent does not have a battery charger, and also does not have a coolant reservoir with an atomizer.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an air-conditioned hardhat that allows cooling the wearer's head. The Stein '533 patent makes no provision for a fan. The Stein '533 patent, the Waters '415 patent, and the Katz '773 patent lack a solar cell. The Waters '356 patent, the Guzowski '774 patent, the Waters '415 patent, the Hirsch et al. '815 patent, the Katz '773 patent, and the Pullin '334 patent do not have a battery charger. The Waters '356 patent, the Guzowski '774 patent, the Hirsch et al. '815 patent, and the Pullin '334 patent do not have a coolant reservoir with an atomizer.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved air-conditioned hardhat that can be used for cooling the wearer's head. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the air-conditioned hardhat according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of cooling the wearer's head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of headgear now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved air-conditioned hardhat, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved air-conditioned hardhat which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in an air-conditioned hardhat which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a hardhat with a power supply attached to its exterior. A motor wire connects a motor to the power supply. A fan is rotatably mounted on the motor. A hollow coolant reservoir is mounted within the interior of the hardhat.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include the bottom of the coolant reservoir comprising an atomizer. The power supply may be at least one of the group consisting of fuel cells, solar cells, batteries, and rechargeable batteries. A coolant may be enclosed by the coolant reservoir. The coolant may be water or alcohol. There may be a first switch wire connecting a switch to the power supply. There may be a second switch wire connecting the switch to the motor. The switch may be a rocker on/off switch or a pushbutton on/off switch. There may be a battery charger connected by a first charger wire and a second charger wire to the solar cell. A rechargeable battery may be enclosed by the battery charger. The battery charger may have an electrical port attached to its top. A charging cord may be removably connected to the electrical port. The fan and the coolant reservoir may be made of plastic, steel, aluminum, titanium, or carbon fiber composite. The invention may comprise an improvement to a hardhat. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently current, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved air-conditioned hardhat that has all of the advantages of the prior art headgear and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved air-conditioned hardhat that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved air-conditioned hardhat
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