Apparel – Guard or protector – For wearer's head
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-21
2001-02-20
Neas, Michael A. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Guard or protector
For wearer's head
C002S425000, C002S009000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189156
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a catcher's helmet with eye shield and more particularly pertains to providing a helmet with separate front and rear portions coupled by way of a strap assembly and with a transparent eye shield over this front portion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of athletic headgear is known in the prior art. More specifically, athletic headgear heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of protecting a head of a player are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, the prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,745; U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,108; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,699. Each of the forgoing helmets include merely a mask which is connected to a rear head-encompassing portion by way of an abutting coupling.
In this respect, the catcher's helmet according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a helmet with separate front and rear portions coupled by way of a strap assembly with an associated shield.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved catcher's helmet which can be used for providing a helmet with separate front and rear portions coupled by way of a strap assembly with an associated shield. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of athletic headgear now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved catcher's helmet. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved catcher's helmet which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a rigid unitary front portion having a top extent. As shown in
FIGS. 1 through 3
, the top extent is defined by a quarter of an ellipsoid. A pair of parallel rows of linearly aligned breathing apertures are formed in the top extent between a front end and a rear end thereof. The unitary front portion further includes a pair of generally planar and square side extents. The side extents are integrally coupled to opposite sides of a rear half of a lower peripheral edge of the top extent and depend downwardly therefrom. Each side extent includes a pair of vertically oriented apertures formed therein, as shown in FIG.
2
. The side extents each have an outwardly extending lip formed along a rear edge thereof. See
FIG. 3. A
front extent of the unitary front portion has a pair of ends integrally coupled to lower front corners of the side extents. The front extent is defined by a top peripheral edge which resides in a plane extending forwardly and downwardly from the side extents. A lower peripheral edge of the front extent forms a smooth arcuate transition with that of the side extents. The front extent has a forwardly extending lip and a plurality of breathing apertures formed therein with a face opening located between the top extent, side extents and front extent. As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the rear edges of the side extents reside in a vertical plane common to that which contains a rear edge of the top extent. Next provided is a face plate including a pair of horizontally oriented upper U-shaped bars. Each of such upper U-shaped bars has ends mounted to tops of front edges of the side extents of the unitary front portion. The upper U-shaped bars are maintained in parallel relationship with each other via a front connector bar, as shown in
FIG. 1. A
plurality of additional lower U-shaped bars each have ends coupled to bottoms of the front edges of the side extents of the front portion at a common position. As such, the additional lower U-shaped bars extend therefrom at various angles between a horizontal plane and that associated with the top peripheral edge of the front extent of the unitary front portion. A pair of generally vertical side bars are coupled along opposite sides of the upper and lower U-shaped bars. Furthermore, an inverted vertically oriented U-shaped bar is mounted to the lower U-shaped bars. Also included is a rear portion having an arcuate rear face and a peripheral side wall coupled to the rear face and extended forwardly therefrom. By this structure, the rear portion defines an open bottom and a front peripheral edge which resides in a vertical plane. A strap assembly includes a plurality of horizontally oriented adjustable straps mounted between slots formed in a top extent of the unitary front portion and the rear portion. A pair of angled adjustable straps include a first angled strap having ends coupled within angle slots in the front lower corners of the side extents of the front portion. As such, the first angled strap may be wrapped about a rear neck area of a user. A second angled strap of the strap assembly has a pair of ends coupled within angled slots formed in the peripheral side wall of the rear portion. The second angled strap is slidably situated within angled slots formed in the front lower corners of the side extents. A chin holster is coupled to the second angled strap and is further situated within the helmet adjacent the front extent of the unitary front portion. A shield is positioned over the upper extent of the face opening of the mask to cover the majority of the area thereof. This position of the shield includes the area between the side extents and from the top extent to a location adjacent to but above the front extent. The shield is fabricated of a rigid transparent plastic material with vertical slots adjacent to its lateral ends for the receipt of coupling straps. The shield also includes an upward, inwardly angled joining region, the joining region being formed with a plurality of small openings to define a plurality of reception rods along the upper extent. Straps encompass the rods for joining the rods and the shield to the mask through fasteners.
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. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one 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 description 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 catcher's helmet which has all the advantages of the prior art athletic headgear and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved catcher&apo
Neas Michael A.
Spalding Sports Worldwide Inc.
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