Apparel – Guard or protector – For wearer's head
Patent
1993-02-02
1995-02-14
Nerbun, Peter
Apparel
Guard or protector
For wearer's head
2 9, 359630, A42B 300, A61F 904
Patent
active
053882768
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to an article of headwear such as a headset, helmet or visor of the type which is used to locate relative to the user's head equipment providing visual or visual and auditory stimuli. Visual display units (VDU's) may be mounted on the article for presenting imagery to the eyes of the wearer and earphones for presenting sound to the ears.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With headsets solely for sound there is little problem in maintaining the two earphones on opposite sides of the head. Typically this has been done by mounting the two earphones at opposite ends of a resilient arch which, in use, extends over the user's head. More recently, however, the demand has grown for a headset which will also--or exclusively--display visual imagery. In flight simulators this has taken the form of a helmet providing a transparent visor through which the user looks at a screen. Computer generated images are projected onto the visor so as to be superimposed on the view of the screen. A more recent development has been a demand for a helmet which restricts the view of the wearer exclusively to closed circuit television images. Such helmets are used in space research and are worn by personnel monitoring and controlling the activity of robots at remote locations. A yet more recent development has been the need for a similar helmet to present computer generated images to the eyes of the wearer, e.g. by means of two miniature VDU's mounted on the helmet, in the experience of "virtual reality".
Such a helmet or visor should be firmly held on the head, so that it will not be disturbed by rapid movements of the wearer or an accidental knock, but not in such a way that placing it on the head--or more importantly removing it--is at all difficult. The traditional chin-strap is unsuitable. It is unsightly and restricting and does not readily provide an easily accessible quick-release facility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore in accordance with the present invention there is provided an article of headwear adapted to be worn in an orientation such that a frontal region of the article is to the front of the head, the article comprising a generally U-shaped retaining element which is pivotable over a rear region of the article about a first axis transverse of a rear region of the article between a raised position to facilitate donning and doffing the article and a lowered position in which the retaining element will engage the back of the wearer's head, characterized in that distal portions of the retaining element are pivoted at a second axis also transverse of said rear region of the article to respective ends of a pair of links the other ends of which are pivoted to said article about said first axis whereby the retaining element is movable both about said first axis between raised and lowered positions and about said second axis between positions nearer to and further from the back of the wearer's head.
Preferably the article is formed on opposite sides with rearwardly opening recesses shaped to receive the junctions between the links and the distal portions when the retaining element is in a fully lowered position.
A central region of the retaining element may be pivoted relative to said distal portions thereof to be relatively rotatable about a third axis transverse of the rear region of the article (10). In this construction said central region is preferably bowed and padded on its inner side.
A second, arch-shaped member may be pivoted at its distal ends to the article to be rotatable relative thereto about the same first axis as the ends of the links remote from the retaining element. The assembly of the retaining element and links may be arranged in the path of the movement of the arch-shaped member from its raised to its lowered position such that lowering of the arch-shaped member tends to cause lowering of the retaining element.
In the fully lowered position of the arch-shaped member the assembly of retaining element and links may be held in the recesses by the arch-shaped me
REFERENCES:
patent: 4737972 (1988-04-01), Schoolman
patent: 5003300 (1991-03-01), Wells
patent: 5189512 (1993-02-01), Cameron et al.
Nerbun Peter
Virtuality Entertainment Limited
LandOfFree
Headwear does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Headwear, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Headwear will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-279877