Apparel – Guard or protector – For wearer's head
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-13
2003-05-06
Lindsey, Rodney M. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Guard or protector
For wearer's head
Reexamination Certificate
active
06557184
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for hooking a visor in an adjustable position. This visor can be used with motorcycle helmets and the like, wherein there is a special activating mechanism that maintains the visor, when it is in closed position. This activating mechanism is entirely embedded in the helmet and flush with the external surface of the helmet, to avoid discontinuities on the external surface of the helmet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently known visors for motorcycle safety helmets for motorcyclists such as “integral” helmets, are anchored on both sides of the helmet cap by means of pins integral with the cap and protruding therefrom forming a hooking system. This hooking system has the drawback of having the visor cantilevering on the cap, both when it is in closed position on the porthole-aperture and when it is lifted, i.e. in open position.
In practice, these cap-hooking systems involve some drawbacks, namely a discontinuity in the external surface of the cap, which involves alterations in the aerodynamic characteristics of the helmet, and also poor aesthetic characteristics.
In addition, the known hooking systems require the disassembly of the visor in those cases when it is necessary to adjust its position with respect to the porthole-aperture, for instance, when it is necessary to replace the usual gasket around the porthole-aperture because of wear or accidental breakdown.
These known hooking systems require the use of tools of various kind for the assembly and the disassembly of the visor from the opening mechanisms of the same.
In other cases, the disassembly of the visor is made without using tools. However, to carry out the operation, it is necessary to take off from the helmet some additional components (side plates or lids), snap mounted on the helmet cap. These components create discontinuities on the cap's external surface, which cover the side ends of the visor, under which there is the hooking of the visor to the opening mechanisms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To obviate these drawbacks and disadvantages, a mechanical device has been proposed which is able to have the visor fully embedded in and flush with the helmet cap, to eliminate the surface discontinuities of the cap and to improve its aesthetic as well as its aerodynamic characteristics.
This device also includes information relating to U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,386 incorporated herein by reference. This device begins from a closed visor starting position with a closed visor embedded in the cap. This mechanism comprises means for unlocking the visor from its closed position embedded in the cap, and for imparting in the visor a movement of side extraction and simultaneous advancing of the visor, until this comes out from the embedding. This movement allows the visor to rotate upwards until a complete opening is achieved, possibly through various intermediate step positions. Afterwards the visor is brought back by hand to a closed position, with the automatic recovery of the same in the position embedded in the cap.
In this particular case, the visor is hooked to an arched support referred to as a “table”, which in the above mentioned patent automatically shifts outside the porthole-aperture of the helmet, to allow the visor to rotate upwards.
From what has been expounded hereinabove, it is easy to understand that if the visor is hooked to the table in a stable manner, its possible replacement, for any reason whatever, involves the use of tools and long times for the correct repositioning of the visor. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to realize, by using the presence of the table making part of the above described visor movement mechanism, a visor hooking device that hooks the visor without the help of special tools or qualified personnel.
Another object of the invention is to realize a visor hooking device that allows the adjustment of the visor position with regard to the table (or like support) in a quick, safe manner and without removing the visor from the helmet.
A further object of the invention is to create a visor hooking device so designed and structured as to ensure a correct coupling of the visor against the usual gasket of the porthole-aperture, and therefore the sealing of the visor in its closed position.
These and still other objects, which will be more clearly stressed later on, are achieved by providing an adjustable hooking device of the visor of an integral helmet for motorcyclists and the like for hooking the visor to a visor moving mechanism. The visor moving mechanism comprises means both for maintaining the visor, in its closed position, embedded in and flush with the cap, and for extracting the same from the embedding and for the opening upwards rotation, as well, as visor supporting and hooking means constituted by a shaped element, substantially a table of a substantially quadrangular form, which hooking device comprises according to the present invention:
a visor having side guides, disposed on its internal face and translatably engaged with the flanks protruding from the opposite longitudinal sides of the table, as well as an opening so shaped as to house in its inside a tubular hooking element, translatably mounted within an eyelet obtained in the table;
a slide, anchored on the internal face of the table for constraining the tubular visor hooking element translatable within the eyelet disposed in the table and having an eyelet or open cavity so shaped as to house in its inside a cylindrical bush coaxially anchored in the inside of the tubular hooking element, so as to be translatable in both directions and with a limited travel, together with the hooking element;
a sheet-spring or the like, anchored to the slide integral with the table and so positioned as to close the open cavity of the slide and to exercise on the free end of the bush a pressure sufficient to maintain the hooking element entirely inserted in the visor cavity;
A screw; engaged with a threading obtained in the bush, suitable to allow, when the visor is mounted, the stable locking of the bush with the slide and therefore the table, and after a partly unscrewing of the screw, the translation in both directions of the visor hooking element and the related bush, so as to allow the adjustment of the visor position with regard to the helmet and the subsequent stable mounting of the system through the tightening of the screw.
More particularly, the sheet-spring is sized to exercise a force on the hooking system to allow the disengagement of the tubular element of the visor hooking from the visor. This unhooking occurs by means of a pressure axially exercised, towards the inside of the helmet, on the element until the latter is disengaged from the visor aperture. This movement allows the visor to be disassembled without using any tool.
In the same way, the spring acting on the locking system, constituted by the hooking element and the bush, exerts enough force to bend the locking system towards the inside of the helmet during the translation of the visor on the table. This occurs until the visor aperture faces the hooking element, allowing the hooking element to translate towards the outside of the helmet. This hooking element engages the aperture and ensuring the locking of the visor.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4124902 (1978-11-01), Seres et al.
patent: 4242757 (1981-01-01), Nava
patent: 4247960 (1981-02-01), Nava
patent: 4297747 (1981-11-01), Nava
patent: 4495657 (1985-01-01), Bay
patent: 4615052 (1986-10-01), Nava
patent: 5365615 (1994-11-01), Piszkin
patent: 5444875 (1995-08-01), Taniuchi
patent: 6253386 (2001-07-01), Gafforio
patent: 2 246 232 (1975-05-01), None
patent: WO 95/20886 (1995-08-01), None
Collard & Roe P.C.
Lindsey Rodney M.
Opticos S.r.l.
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