Apparel – Guard or protector – For wearer's head
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-17
2001-01-09
Neas, Michael A. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Guard or protector
For wearer's head
C002S416000, C002S171300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170090
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to construction safety equipment and more particularly to a hard hat that includes a molded, hard, phosphorescent plastic hat shell, a hat shell support harness, and a number of user adjustable air flow vent assemblies; the hat shell having a rim surrounding a domed shaped head cover portion having a head receiving cavity formed therein for receiving a head of a user, a number of vent cut outs formed therethrough and spaced around a bottom perimeter edge thereof adjacent to the rim; the hat shell support harness including a head crown covering harness secured to an interior surface of the head cover portion that defines the head receiving cavity and a pair of length adjustable chin straps for securing around the chin of a wearer to prevent the hard hat from being knocked off; each of the number of user adjustable air flow vent assemblies being installed within one of the number of vent cutouts of the head cover portion; each user adjustable air flow vent assembly including a front vent plate and a slidable vent closure member; each front vent plate being rigidly secured to an exterior surface of the head cover portion and having a number of spaced air flow openings formed therethrough, a vent closure adjustment knob slot formed therethrough, two L-shaped vent closure member retaining slide brackets extending from an upper edge, back surface thereof, and two L-shaped vent closure member retaining slide brackets extending from a lower edge, back surface thereof; each slidable vent closure member having a plate portion slidably entrapped in connection with the front vent plate by the four L-shaped closure member retaining brackets and having a number of spaced closure plate air flow openings spaced and numbered to correspond with the spaced air flow openings of the front vent plate, and an adjustment knob extending outwardly from the plate portion through t he vent closure adjustment knob slot; the adjustment knob being movable between a first position wherein the closure plate air flow openings are completely aligned with the sp aced airflow openings of the front vent plate and a second position wherein the closure plate air flow openings are completely out of alignment with the spaced airflow openings of the front vent plate.
BACKGROUND ART
Hard hats can protect construction workers and the like from serious injuries. Although hard hats provide effective head protection, they can often become uncomfortably warm. It would be a benefit, therefore, to have a hard hat that included a number of user adjustable air vents to allow the user to adjust the volume of air flow through the hard hat to provide a cooling effect to the head of the wearer. Because hard hats must be worn day or night, it would be a further benefit to have a hard hat that was constructed from phosphorescent plastic so that the glow from the hard hat could alert fellow workers of the position of the wearer of the hat in dark ambient light conditions.
GENERAL SUMMARY DISCUSSION OF INVENTION
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a hard hat that includes a molded, hard, phosphorescent plastic hat shell, a hat shell support harness, and a number of user adjustable air flow vent assemblies; the hat shell having a rim surrounding a domed shaped head cover portion having a head receiving cavity formed therein for receiving a head of a user, a number of vent cut outs formed therethrough and spaced around a bottom perimeter edge thereof adjacent to the rim; the hat shell support harness including a head crown covering harness secured to an interior surface of the head cover portion that defines the head receiving cavity and a pair of length adjustable chin straps for securing around the chin of a wearer to prevent the hard hat from being knocked off; each of the number of user adjustable air flow vent assemblies being installed within one of the number of vent cutouts of the head cover portion; each user adjustable air flow vent assembly including a front vent plate and a slidable vent closure member; each front vent plate being rigidly secured to an exterior surface of the head cover portion and having a number of spaced air flow openings formed therethrough, a vent closure adjustment knob slot formed therethrough, two L-shaped vent closure member retaining slide brackets extending from an upper edge, back surface thereof, and two L-shaped vent closure member retaining slide brackets extending from a lower edge, back surface thereof; each slidable vent closure member having a plate portion slidably entrapped in connection with the front vent plate by the four L-shaped closure member retaining brackets and having a number of spaced closure plate air flow openings spaced and numbered to correspond with the spaced air flow openings of the front vent plate, and an adjustment knob extending outwardly from the plate portion through the vent closure adjustment knob slot; the adjustment knob being movable between a first position wherein the closure plate air flow openings are completely aligned with the spaced airflow openings of the front vent plate and a second position wherein the closure plate air flow openings are completely out of alignment with the spaced airflow openings of the front vent plate.
Accordingly, a hard hat is provided. The hard hat includes a molded, hard, phosphorescent plastic hat shell, a hat shell support harness, and a number of user adjustable air flow vent assemblies; the hat shell having a rim surrounding a domed shaped head cover portion having a head receiving cavity formed therein for receiving a head of a user, a number of vent cut outs formed therethrough and spaced around a bottom perimeter edge thereof adjacent to the rim; the hat shell support harness including a head crown covering harness secured to an interior surface of the head cover portion that defines the head receiving cavity and a pair of length adjustable chin straps for securing around the chin of a wearer to prevent the hard hat from being knocked off; each of the number of user adjustable air flow vent assemblies being installed within one of the number of vent cutouts of the head cover portion; each user adjustable air flow vent assembly including a front vent plate and a slidable vent closure member; each front vent plate being rigidly secured to an exterior surface of the head cover portion and having a number of spaced air flow openings formed therethrough, a vent closure adjustment knob slot formed therethrough, two L-shaped vent closure member retaining slide brackets extending from an upper edge, back surface thereof, and two L-shaped vent closure member retaining slide brackets extending from a lower edge, back surface thereof; each slidable vent closure member having a plate portion slidably entrapped in connection with the front vent plate by the four L-shaped closure member retaining brackets and having a number of spaced closure plate air flow openings spaced and numbered to correspond with the spaced air flow openings of the front vent plate, and an adjustment knob extending outwardly from the plate portion through the vent closure adjustment knob slot; the adjustment knob being movable between a first position wherein the closure plate air flow openings are completely aligned with the spaced airflow openings of the front vent plate and a second position wherein the closure plate air flow openings are completely out of alignment with the spaced airflow openings of the front vent plate.
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Breaux Joseph N.
Neas Michael A.
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