Apparel – Head coverings – With forced air circulator
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-30
2001-07-24
Neas, Michael A. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Head coverings
With forced air circulator
C002S422000, C002S424000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06263513
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a helmet with a ventilating function, and a ventilating shutter device applicable to this helmet.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a helmet put on a rider of a motorcycle or the like receives a high wind pressure from the front in, for example, a high speed traveling, a wind passing around the helmet causes a negative pressure (turbulence) to occur at a lower rear portion of the helmet shell, which often leads to a phenomenon that draws the helmet rearward. This phenomenon imposes a great burden on the muscles of the neck of the rider.
To inhibit this phenomenon, there has been proposed a rear deflector (rearwardly-oriented visor) attached to a rear portion of a helmet (refer to U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,197). This rear deflector is secured to a rim of a lower rear portion of the helmet and extending upwardly and rearwardly to cover the lower rear portion of the helmet. The rear deflector allows the neck muscles of the helmet wearer to be most relaxed (mitigating the burden on the neck muscles) at each speed in a motorcycle traveling in which the wearer's head is inclined forwardly or rearwardly.
A helmet with a ventilating function is known which is provided with an outside air path on the outer periphery of the helmet for allowing outside air to be taken therein from the front and to be discharged rearward (refer to, for example, Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. HEI 1-29209). The outside air flow passing through the outside air path causes a negative pressure that sucks inside air remaining within the helmet, thereby achieving ventilation. The helmet with a ventilation function described in this publication is formed with an air outlet in a lower rear portion of the helmet shell which is in the form of a rearwardly protruding square pipe.
Though this helmet is not capable of regulating the air flow rate, there is known a helmet provided with a shutter device in, for example, an upper front portion of the helmet shell for achieving air flow regulation.
If an attempt is made to attach the conventional rear deflector to the aforementioned helmet with a ventilating function, the rear deflector is likely to interfere with the air outlet because of their overlapped location and, hence, the attempt may fail. In addition, because such a conventional helmet has the air outlet protruding from the lower rear portion of the helmet shell and does not have the rear deflector, turbulence is likely to be caused by an outside air flow along an outer surface of the helmet shell and an outgoing air flow from the air outlet. Such turbulence will work as an air resistance to the helmet.
As described above, there is known a helmet with both a ventilating function and a shutter device for regulating the air flow rate. Such a shutter device is often made small so as to avoid conspicuousness in outward appearance, resulting in a limited amount of air to be taken in the air path.
If a plurality of such shutter devices were provided on the helmet shell to increase the intake air amount, troublesome and costly assembling and mounting of each shutter device would become necessary in addition to cumbersome individual operations for these shutter devices.
In view of the foregoing, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a helmet having a ventilating function and a deflecting function that do not interfere with each other and that provide a unified appearance to avoid mar of the outward appearance of the helmet as a whole.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a helmet having a ventilating function and a deflecting function that do not interfere with each other, while allowing a rearward outgoing air flow caused by the ventilating function to be smoothly released from the helmet shell thereby preventing the occurrence of air resistance attributable to the ventilating function.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide a helmet that effectively utilizes a rearward outgoing air flow caused by the ventilating function to enhance the deflecting function of a rear deflector, thereby enhancing the fitting stability of the helmet on a rider of a running motorcycle or bicycle.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a ventilating shutter device that is applicable to a helmet having a ventilating function and a rear deflector, and that does not mar the overall outward appearance of the helmet.
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide a ventilating shutter device that is applicable to a helmet with a ventilating function, that ensures a sufficient amount of intake outside air for ventilation without marring the outward appearance of the helmet, and that can be assembled, mounted and operated easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a helmet with a ventilating function, comprising: a helmet shell having on an outer surface thereof a longitudinally extending outside air path configured to introduce outside air thereinto from a front air inlet thereof and discharge the same rearwardly from a rear air outlet thereof to form an outside air flow that sucks inside air remaining in the helmet shell by its negative pressure to achieve ventilation; a path defining body defining the outside air path; and a rear deflector for facilitating release of an air flow from a rear portion of the outer surface of the helmet shell, the path defining body and the rear deflector being unified in configuration.
With this construction, the helmet enjoys both the ventilating function and the deflecting function at the rear portion thereof and exhibits an improved and unified outward appearance, thereby attaining the first object of the present invention.
Preferably, the air outlet of the outside air path is oriented along a line tangential to the helmet shell that forms an angle of use relative to an axis of the helmet shell in use (the angle at which a helmet wearer rides a motorcycle or the like).
This feature allows an outgoing air flow from the rear air outlet to be smoothly released from the helmet shell with less likelihood of causing turbulence, resulting in a decreased air resistance. Thus, the second object of the present invention is attained.
It is recommended that the rear deflector be located immediately behind the air outlet. With this feature, an outgoing air flow from the air outlet (mixture of outside air and inside air) is deflected by the rear deflector to facilitate release of this air flow from the helmet shell, with the result that an air resistance is unlikely to be caused. In addition, since the outgoing air flow from the air outlet is led to the rear deflector, the deflecting action of the rear deflector can be fully utilized. Thus, this arrangement not only prevents an air resistance attributable to the provision of the ventilating function but also enhances the air deflecting action of the rear deflector, thereby improving the fitting stability of the helmet on the rider of a running motorcycle or the like. Hence, the aforementioned second and third objects of the invention are attained.
The path defining body may define a plurality of outside air paths parting on at least the right and left sides of the helmet shell. In this case, the rear deflector comprises a first deflecting portion located immediately behind the air outlet of each of the outside air paths, and a second deflecting portion located between the right and left outside air paths and transversely centrally of the helmet shell.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shutter device for use in a helmet with a ventilating function, comprising: a base to be fitted on a helmet shell of the helmet, the base having a plurality of vent holes configured to coincide with a plurality of through-holes aligned longitudinally of and extending through the helmet shell; and a shutter plate slidably held on the base along a path defined in a path defining body longitudinally extending
Birsch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Neas Michael A.
O.G.K. Hanbai Co., Ltd.
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