U.S. patent application number 11/051797 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-10 for hard hat sun shade.
Invention is credited to Gilbert M. Rosas.
Application Number | 20060174396 11/051797 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36778405 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060174396 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rosas; Gilbert M. |
August 10, 2006 |
Hard hat sun shade
Abstract
A sun shade for a hard hat includes a piece of flexible material
removably and adjustably attached to a hard hat that is stretched
to a substantially consistent shape by a piece of springing
material. The flexible material may be attached to the hard hat
using an elastic band, drawstring, or similar means for attaching.
When not in use, the springing material may be removed from the
flexible material and stored as a straight piece of material or
rolled and stored as a coil. Additionally, the flexible material,
such as fabric or soft plastic, may be folded and stored. The
flexible material may also include a flap that drapes over the
sides and back of the user's neck to provide enhanced protection
from direct radiant energy.
Inventors: |
Rosas; Gilbert M.; (Rio
Rico, AZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
QUARLES & BRADY STREICH LANG, LLP
ONE SOUTH CHURCH AVENUE
SUITE 1700
TUCSON
AZ
85701-1621
US
|
Family ID: |
36778405 |
Appl. No.: |
11/051797 |
Filed: |
February 4, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/175.6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/105 20130101;
A42B 3/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/175.6 |
International
Class: |
A42B 1/18 20060101
A42B001/18 |
Claims
1. A sun shade, comprising: a piece of flexible material adapted to
accept the crown of a hard hat and prevent direct radiant energy
from striking the face and neck of a user; a means for removably
and adjustably attaching the flexible material to the hard hat; a
piece of springing material adapted to be attached to the flexible
material so as to pull the flexible material radially away from the
hard hat in order to create a substantially consistently sized and
shaped brim.
2. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the piece of springing
material may be removed from the flexible material.
3. The sun shade of claim 2, wherein the flexible material may be
removed from the hard hat.
4. The sun shade of claim 3, wherein the flexible material may be
folded.
5. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the flexible material includes
a flap that drapes over the back and sides of a user's face.
6. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the means for removably and
adjustably attaching the flexible material to the hard hat includes
an elastic band.
7. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the means for removably and
adjustably attaching the flexible material to the hard hat includes
a drawstring.
8. The sun shade of claim 7, further comprising a slidable clasp
from connecting two ends of the drawstring.
9. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the piece of springing
material is attached to the flexible material along an outer edge
of the flexible material.
10. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the piece of spring material
is attached to the flexible material substantially closer to the
hard hat than an outer edge of the flexible material and thereby
produces a draping portion.
11. The sun shade of claim 10, wherein the draping portion is
adapted to protect the face of the user.
12. The sun shade of claim 10, wherein the draping portion is
adapted to protect the sides of the user's face.
13. The sun shade of claim 10, wherein the draping portion is
adapted to protect the back and sides of the user's neck.
14. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the piece of springing
material includes a metal rod.
15. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the piece of springing
material includes a flat piece of wire.
16. The sun shade of claim 1, wherein the piece of springing
material includes a thin strip of bamboo.
17. The method of preventing direct radiant energy from striking a
user's face, comprising the steps of: attaching a piece of flexible
material to an outer circumference of a hard hat; and supporting
the piece of flexible material with a piece of springing
material.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the piece of flexible material
includes a flap that drapes over the back and sides of the user's
neck.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the piece of flexible material
is fabric.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the piece of springing material
includes a flat metal wire.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention is related in general to the field of
personal protective equipment. In particular, the invention
consists of a sun shade that can be removably adjustably attached
to a construction helmet ("hard hat").
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Construction helmets, known as hard hats, are used
extensively in construction, mining, and engineering projects to
protect the head of a user. The primary purpose of these hard hats
is to prevent falling objects from physically striking the user's
head. It is expected that an object striking the hard hat will
bounce off or become redirected in a glancing blow that reduces the
force of the impact to the user. Additionally, by positioning the
outer surface of the hard hat so that is has physically separation
from the head of the user, the hard hat may act as a shock
absorber, converting some of the kinetic energy of a falling object
to potential energy that is released after the falling object has
already bounced away.
[0005] Such a hard hat is illustrated by the drawing of FIG. 1.
These hard hats 10 generally consist of a hard outer shell 12
substantially conforming to the shape of the user's head and cover
the top of the head from approximately the middle of the back of
the head, around the ears, and terminating in a peak 14 or crown
that protrudes forward creating a shelf that protects the user's
face. Additionally, these hard hats often include webbing or
padding (not shown) to separate the hard hat from the user's head,
to allow air flow around the user's head, and to more comfortably
position the hard hat.
[0006] Because wearing a hard hat inherently blocks some or all air
flow around a user's head, heat attempting to exit a user's body
through the head is trapped in the hard hat. This tends to increase
the body temperature of the user, especially if the ambient
temperature in which the user is situated is greater than what
would normally be deemed comfortable by the user. Additionally,
these hard hats are often used in partial or direct sunlight, such
as along a roadside during the middle of a sunny day. While the
hard hat may be colored or made from a selection of materials that
will reflect a large portion of the radiant heat and the webbing
may be constructed so as to increase air flow around the user's
head, the user is still exposed to radiant energy striking his face
and neck. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a device that works
in conjunction with the hard hat to block a portion of radiant
energy, especially the radiant energy of direct sunlight, that
strikes the face and neck of the user.
[0007] One approach to this problem is described in U.S. Pat. No.
6,260,204, by Oliver Morrissey. In the Morrissey patent, a flexible
protector for the back of the neck of a wearer of a hard hat is
disclosed, as shown in the illustration of FIG. 2. A drape 16
depends from a brim 18 which, in turn, rests on the peak of the
hard hat (not shown). The purpose of the drape is to protect the
back of the user's neck. However, no component is utilized to give
the brim a consistent shape. As indicated in the illustration, the
brim assumes a non-uniform and irregular shape such as may be
exhibited by an unsupported piece of fabric. In this configuration,
the brim itself would provide little and inconsistent protection
against radiant energy, especially around the front and sides of
the user's face. This problem would only increase if the brim
becomes more limp resulting from the application of moisture or
through the process of aging. Accordingly, it is desirable to have
a method of providing a consistent shape to the brim of a hard hat
sun shade so as to provide enhanced radiant protection to the
user.
[0008] Another approach to this problem is illustrated in U.S. Pat.
No. 4,316,289 by Melvin O. Hild. In the Hild patent, as illustrated
in FIG. 3, a hard hat sun shade 20 is illustrated that removably
attaches to a hard hat (not shown). The Hild device is constructed
from a sheet of plastic of a rigidity and thickness sufficient to
protect the wearer from falling particles and debris. In this
manner, the Hild sun shade provides both protection from radiant
energy and extends the perimeter of the protection which is the
primary purpose for the hard hat, namely, protection from falling
objects. However, being constructed of a thick and rigid material,
the Hild sun shade can only assume the shape in which it is
constructed. A predefined opening allows the sun shade to fit over
the top of a hard hat and rest on the crown. Accordingly, if used
with a hard hat smaller than that to which it was designed, a gap
would exist between the hard hat and the sun shade. Alternatively,
if used with a hard hat larger than intended, the sun shade will
not fit fully over the top and sides of the hard hat and will not
rest firmly on the crown of the hard hat. This will result in a
reduction of its ability to protect against both radiant energy and
falling objects. Additionally, the Hild device is bulky and stiff
and is difficult to transport and store. Accordingly, it is
desirable to have a sun shade that may be adjustably attached to a
hard hat and may be easily stored when not in use.
[0009] One approach to solving the problem of adjustable attachment
is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,250 by Randolph Black. In the
Black patent, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a sunshade 22 for a hard
hat 24 includes an elastic band 26, a vinyl disk 28 attached to the
hard hat 24 by the elastic band 26, and a fabric covering to
protect the vinyl disk (not shown). The vinyl disk used by Black
appears to be a rigid piece of material which would suffer many of
the same disadvantages of the Hild device (difficult to transport
and store, among others). If, however, the vinyl disk is taken to
be a flexible material, no provision has been made by Black to
support the vinyl disk, thus producing the same problems inherent
in the Morrissey device (namely minimal and inconsistent protection
from radiant energy around the front and sides of the user's face).
Either way, it is desirable to have a sun shade that maintains a
substantially consistent shape so as to provide enhanced protection
from radiant energy while being easy to transport and store.
[0010] Yet another hard hat sun shade is illustrated in the U.S.
design Pat. No. D379,679 by Simon J. Poole. The Poole device 30
appears to be a combination of the Morrissey sun shade (neck
protection) the Hild device (rigid disk) and the Black invention
(fabric covering). However, the Poole device still suffers from
either a lack of support for the exterior circumference of the sun
shade's brim (if the disk is not rigid), or is difficult to
transport and store (if the disk is rigid).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The invention disclosed herein is a hard hat sun shade that
utilizes a piece of flexible material to act as a shield from
direct radiant energy, a means for removably and adjustably
attaching the flexible material to a hard hat, and a means for
supporting an outer edge of the flexible material so that it
maintains a substantially consistent shape that provides enhanced
protection for the front and side of a user's face. In one
embodiment of the invention, an elastic band is secured to an inner
edge of the sun shade and placed around the outer circumference of
the hard hat, securing the sun shade to the hard hat. In another
embodiment of the invention, a draw-string is attached to the inner
edge of the sun shade. By removing any slack or play from the draw
string, the sun shade is drawn against the hard hat. To prevent the
drawstring from releasing the hard hat, the drawstring may be tied
in a knot or clasped with a sliding clamp.
[0012] A piece of deformable material that stores energy as it is
bent and that attempts to return to its original shape (the shape
it had prior to being bent) may be attached to the outer edge of
the sunshade. Such a springing material may include a stiff wire,
such as coat hanger that is not kinked, a flat wire with a degree
of springiness, a thin piece of bamboo, or other similar material
that can store potential energy while being deformed. In one
embodiment of the invention, this spring material may be placed
within a pocket placed along the outer edge of the flexible
material. It is the springing material's effort to return to its
original shape that imparts a substantially consistent shape to the
sun shade's brim. The spring material exerts force radially away
from the hard hat while the flexible material exerts an opposite
force toward the center of the hard hat. Once the springing
material has pulled the flexible material to its maximum
displacement away from the center of the hard hat, the forces
exerted by the springing material and the flexible material reach
equilibrium resulting in the substantially consistent shape.
[0013] The flexible material may be a piece of soft plastic or
fabric, so long as it is shaped so as to conform to the desired
shape and size of the sun shade's brim, once pulled by the
springing material indicated above. The primary purpose of the
flexible material is to block direct radiant energy from striking
the front, back, and sides of the user's face neck and face. To
this end, the flexible material is stretched between the means for
attaching the sun shade to the hard hat and the springing material
along the outer edge. A primary advantage of using a flexible
material in conjunction with the springing material (such as a
deformable energy storing rod) is that the springing device may be
easily removed from the sun shade, allowing the flexible material
to be folding and easily stored away. Additionally, the springing
device may either be stored as a long piece of straight material
(with little or no potential energy resulting from deformation) or
may be rolled up and stored as a coil.
[0014] In yet another embodiment of the invention, a second piece
of material is attached to the back portion of the sun shade. In
this manner, the second piece of material may drape from the brim
of the sun shade to provide enhanced protection of the back of the
user's neck.
[0015] Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will
become clear from its description in the specification that follows
and from the novel features particularly pointed out in the
appended claims. Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives
described above, this invention comprises the features hereinafter
illustrated in the drawings, fully described in the detailed
description of the preferred embodiments and particularly pointed
out in the claims. However, such drawings and description disclose
just a few of the various ways in which the invention may be
practiced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a construction helmet referred
to as a hard hat.
[0017] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a hard hat sun shade, known in
the art, that rests on the peak of a hard hat and drapes so as to
protect the neck of a wearer.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a removable hat brim, known in the
art, that includes a sheet of plastic of a rigidity and thickness
sufficient to protect the wearer from failing particles and
debris.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a drawing of a sunshade, known in the art, for use
with a hard hat including a vinyl disk and an elastic band.
[0020] FIG. 5 is an illustration of an ornamental design, known in
the art, for a brim for a hard hat.
[0021] FIG. 6a is a drawing of a hard hat sun shade according to
the invention, including a piece of flexible material, a means for
securing the flexible material to a hard hat, and a means for
supporting the piece of flexible material so as to prevent radiant
energy from striking a portion of a user that is wearing the hard
hat.
[0022] FIG. 6b is an illustration of the hard hat sun shade of FIG.
6a wherein the means for securing the flexible material to the hard
hat includes a drawstring.
[0023] FIG. 7 is an illustration of another embodiment of the
invention of FIG. 6a, wherein the shape of the flexible material
includes a flap which is allowed to drape over the back and sides
of a user's neck.
[0024] FIG. 8 is an illustration of another embodiment of the
invention of FIG. 7, wherein the springing material is placed
substantially closer to the opening for the hard than is the edge
of the flexible material, resulting in a brim accompanied by a
drape.
[0025] FIG. 9a is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the
invention, including a drape which is secured to a hard hat with a
string.
[0026] FIG. 9b is an illustration of the invention of FIG. 9a
including the flexible fabric and springing material.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] This invention is based on the idea of using a spring-like
material to pull a piece of flexible material away from the center
of a hard hat so as to create a sun shade. An outer edge of the
flexible material defines the external perimeter of the resulting
sun shade's brim and an internal edge defines an opening through
which the hard hat is inserted. The sun shade is removably and
adjustably connected to the hard hat by a drawstring or elastic
band. The sun shade's flexible material may optionally include a
flap that drapes over the sides and back of the user's neck,
providing even more protection from direct radiant energy.
[0028] Referring to the figures, wherein like numerals indicate
like elements, FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate a hard hat sun shade 100,
according to the invention, that includes a flexible piece of
material 102 sized and shaped to that desired of the resulting sun
shade's brim, an inner edge 104 defining a hold through which a
hard hat may be inserted, an outer edge 106 defining the external
perimeter of the sun shade's brim, a means for pulling the flexible
material away from the hard hat 108, and a means for securing the
flexible material to the hard hat (not shown). In these embodiments
of the invention, the flexible material 102 is simply a piece of
fabric intended to block direct radiant energy. However, the
flexible material may be soft plastic or other flexible material
that may be easily formed into the desired shape yet be folded and
stored when not in use. The inner edge 104 may simply be the edge
of the flexible piece of material 102 or may include a seam or
pocket 110 sewed onto the flexible material 102.
[0029] The means for attaching the flexible material to the hard
hat 110 may be an elastic band 112, as illustrated in the
embodiment of FIG. 6a, or a drawstring 114, as illustrated in the
embodiment of 6b. If a drawstring is used, a slidable clasp 116 may
be used to clamp the drawstring while it exerts pressure against
the hard hat, or the user may tie the ends of the drawstring
together. The elastic band 112 may be sewn directly to the flexible
material or placed within a pocket 118 (not shown). Similarly, the
drawstring 114 may be placed in a similar pocket 120 locating along
the inside edge of the flexible material 102 or simply connected to
the inner edge of the flexible material.
[0030] The means for pulling 108 the flexible material away from
the hard hat may be any material that may be bent without kinking
that attempts to return to the shape it possessed before it was
bent. For example, a wire coat hanger may be bent, without kinking,
in a manner that stores potential energy. This potential energy
will cause the deformed material to attempt to return to its
original shape, resulting in a springing device. Any material that
may be deformed while storing potential energy that may also be
attached to the flexible material may be used, such as a thin strip
of bamboo or a flat piece of wire. In another embodiment of the
invention, as illustrated by the drawing of FIG. 7, the flexible
material 102 includes a flap 118 that drapes over the sides and
back of the user's neck, providing even more protection against
direct radiant energy. In yet another embodiment of the invention,
as illustrated in FIGS. 9a and 9b, a drape 130 is secured to a hard
hat with a drawstring 132 or other similar connecting device.
[0031] Those skilled in the art of making sun shades may develop
other embodiments of the present invention. However, the terms and
expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification
are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and
there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of
excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or
portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the
invention is defined and limited only by the claims which
follow.
* * * * *