U.S. patent application number 11/326604 was filed with the patent office on 2007-06-07 for helmet having removable jaw guard.
This patent application is currently assigned to HJC Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Kwang-Ho Pyo.
Application Number | 20070124852 11/326604 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37713602 |
Filed Date | 2007-06-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070124852 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pyo; Kwang-Ho |
June 7, 2007 |
Helmet having removable jaw guard
Abstract
A helmet having a removable jaw guard is disclosed. In the
helmet having a removable jaw guard, the locking means comprises a
pair of left and right locking brackets 510 attached symmetrically
to both insides of the helmet body 1 and having locking bars 511
respectively, latches 520 on both the left and right sides engaged
with the locking bars 511 of the locking brackets 510, latch plates
530 on which the latches 520 are fitted rotatably at a
predetermined angle by a pivot 522, a return spring 540 of which
one end is connected to the upper end of the latch 520 and the
other end is connected to the latch plate 530, a connecting bar 550
in which the extending portions 551 of both ends are connected to
the ends of latches 520, and an unlock lever 570 to pull the middle
of the connecting bar 550 forward.
Inventors: |
Pyo; Kwang-Ho; (Yongin-si,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
R. Neil Sudol
714 Colorado Avenue
Connecticut
CT
06605-1601
US
|
Assignee: |
HJC Co., Ltd.
Yongin-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
37713602 |
Appl. No.: |
11/326604 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/424 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/326 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/424 |
International
Class: |
A42B 1/08 20060101
A42B001/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 6, 2005 |
KR |
2005-0117927 |
Claims
1. A helmet having a removable jaw guard which is opened and closed
by a hinge means for protecting the wearer by covering part of an
opening of a helmet body, and which has a locking means for
maintaining the locking condition, the locking means comprising: a
pair of left and right locking brackets 510 attached symmetrically
to both insides of the helmet body 1 and having locking bars 511
respectively; latches 520 on both the left and right sides engaged
with the locking bars 511 of said locking brackets 510; latch
plates 530 on which said latches 520 are fitted rotatably at a
predetermined angle by a pivot 522; a return spring 540 of which
one end is connected to the upper end of said latch 520 and the
other end is connected to said latch plate 530 so as to return
latches 520 to the original position when unlocked; a connecting
bar 550 in which the extending portions 551 of both ends are
connected to the ends of latches 520 and are arranged in arc shape
along the front inside of said jaw guard 4 in order to operate
simultaneously said latches 520 on both the left and right sides;
and an unlock lever 570 which is crossed longitudinally to pull the
middle of said connecting bar 550 forward, and of which the upper
end is connected to the inside of said jaw guard 4 by a hinge lever
560 and the lower end is extended downward to be partly exposed
below said jaw guard 4.
2. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the hook 521 of said
latch 520 rotates within a predetermined range of angle around said
pivot 522, and rotates upward in the direction of the rotation of
the jaw guard 4 during unlocking.
3. The helmet according to claim 1, wherein the hinge means
comprising hinge holes 1a formed on the side of said helmet body 1
corresponding to the shaft holes 41 formed on the left and right
extending portions 40 of said jaw guard 4, hooking protuberances 42
formed on the inside of said shaft holes 41, support holes 1b
formed in said hinge holes 1a, and a screw shaft 410 inserted into
said hinge holes 1a to maintain open condition.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a helmet having a removable
jaw guard, and more specifically to a helmet having a removable jaw
guard in which the locking mechanism of the jaw guard is improved
so that open/close operation is further facilitated and the helmet
can be taken off without damage in case of emergency.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In general, motorcycle riders must wear a safety helmet to
protect the head and the front of helmet should have a shield
installed to prevent sight obstruction and breathing difficulty due
to the wind blowing from front during driving. In such helmets,
there is such a kind of helmet of which the jaw guard can be opened
and closed.
[0005] In order to open and close the jaw guard in such a helmet,
it needs a hinge mechanism as well as a locking mechanism for
keeping it closed.
[0006] As a conventional helmet provided with such devices, there
is a patent described below for which the applicant of the present
invention filed on Dec. 24, 2003.
[0007] Namely, in the Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2005-64696
(2005. Jun. 29) titled "A helmet having a removable jaw guard," a
helmet provided with a locking mechanism was disclosed. As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2, the locking mechanism F500 includes a pair of
locking brackets F510 which are attached symmetrically to both of
the insides of the helmet body F1 and have locking slot F511;
sliders F520 on both left and right sides provided such that one
end can enter into the locking slot F511 of the locking brackets
F510; guide plates F530 attached to the inside of the jaw guard to
prevent the breaking away of the sliders F520 while guiding the
sliding of them; springs F540 connected between guide plates for
the return of the sliders F520; a connecting bar F550 arranged in
arc shape along the middle inside of the jaw guard F4 while the
both ends are connected to the ends of left and right sliders F520
so as to simultaneously operate the sliders F520 on both left and
right sides; and an unlock lever F570 which crosses lengthwise to
pull the middle portion of the connecting bar F550 to front, while
the upper end of which is connected by the hinge lever F560 to the
inside of the jaw guard F4 and the lower end of which is extended
downward so as to be partly exposed below the jaw guard F4.
[0008] But in the jaw guard of the above patent, opening is
possible after the locked slider F520 is completely off the locking
slot F511, and because the direction of the slider F520 breaking
away does not correspond to the direction of opening the jaw guard,
it has a drawback that locking is not released unless the unlock
lever F570 is operated all the way to the end.
[0009] Such a drawback has a problem that the helmet cannot be
taken off the wearer unless the helmet is broken in case of
accident.
[0010] Also, the conventional jaw guard is manufactured with a
certain amount of weight to ensure sufficient durability, so
sometimes opening cannot be maintained by the hooking mechanism
alone for control of pivot angle when it was rotated upward,
necessitating additionally a stop means at the position opened and
lifted to the maximum.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a helmet having a removable jaw guard which can be taken
off without breaking the helmet in case of emergency, by providing
it with a hinge mechanism for preventing slipping down when opened
by providing a separate auxiliary hooking jaw and rotating it
upward, and a locking mechanism for releasing more easily the
locking of the locking latch in the opening direction of the jaw
guard.
[0012] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided
a helmet having a removable jaw guard which is opened and closed by
a hinge means for protecting the wearer by covering part of an
opening of a helmet body, and which has a locking means for
maintaining the locking condition, the locking means comprising: a
pair of left and right locking brackets attached symmetrically to
both insides of the helmet body and having locking bars
respectively; latches on both the left and right sides engaged with
the locking bars of the locking brackets; latch plates on which the
latches are fitted rotatably at a predetermined angle by a pivot; a
return spring of which one end is connected to the upper end of the
latch and the other end is connected to the latch plate so as to
return latches to the original position when unlocked; a connecting
bar in which the extending portions of both ends are connected to
the ends of latches and are arranged in arc shape along the front
inside of the jaw guard in order to operate simultaneously the
latches on both the left and right sides; and an unlock lever which
is crossed longitudinally to pull the middle of the connecting bar
forward, and of which the upper end is connected to the inside of
the jaw guard by a hinge lever and the lower end is extended
downward to be partly exposed below the jaw guard.
[0013] Preferably, the hook of the latch rotates within a
predetermined range of angle around the pivot, and rotates upward
in the direction of the rotation of the jaw guard during
unlocking.
[0014] Preferably, the hinge means comprising hinge holes formed on
the side of the helmet body corresponding to the shaft holes formed
on the left and right extending portions of the jaw guard, hooking
protuberances formed on the inside of the shaft holes, support
holes formed in the hinge holes, and a screw shaft inserted into
the hinge holes 1a to maintain open condition.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Other objects and aspects of the present invention will
become apparent from the following description of embodiments with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional
removable jaw guard;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a helmet showing
the installation of the conventional removable jaw guard.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a helmet having a
removable jaw guard according to the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the main
configuration of the removable jaw guard according to the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a partially sectional view of a helmet showing the
installation of the removable jaw guard according to the present
invention;
[0021] FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing the locking of
the removable jaw guard according to the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the unlocking
of the removable jaw guard according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] Below will be described in detail a helmet having a
removable jaw guard according to the present invention with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a helmet having a
removable jaw guard according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is
an exploded perspective view showing the main configuration of the
removable jaw guard according to the present invention, FIG. 5 is a
partially sectional view of a helmet showing the installation of
the removable jaw guard according to the present invention.
[0025] First, a helmet having a removable jaw guard of the present
invention comprises a helmet body 11 provided in front with an
opening 2 for the face, a jaw guard 4 provided for protecting the
jaw of the wearer by covering part of the opening 2 of the helmet
body 1, and a shield 3 for shielding the remaining portion of the
opening 2 above the jaw guard 4.
[0026] In such a helmet, the jaw guard of the present invention has
a hinge mechanism and the locking mechanism improved.
[0027] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the locking means 500 comprises
locking brackets 510, a latch 520, latch plates 530, a connecting
bar 550 and an unlock lever 570.
[0028] Each of the locking brackets 510 attached symmetrically to
both insides of the helmet body 1 has a locking bar 511. The latch
520 attached to either inside of the jaw guard 4 is engaged with
the locking bar 511 of the locking bracket 510.
[0029] Also, a latch plate 530 is fixed on either inside of the jaw
guard 4, and the latch 520 is mounted pivotably on the latch plate
530 by the pivot 522. And, one end of the latch 520 includes the
hook 521 engaged with the locking bar 511, and to the other end is
connected a return spring 540 for providing return force. One end
of the return spring 520 that returns the latches 520 to the
original position during unlocking is connected to the upper end of
the latch 520 and the other end is connected to the latch plate
530.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting bar 550 for operating
both the left and right sides simultaneously is automatically
connected to the end of the latch 520 through an extending portion
551 of both ends. This connecting bar 550 is arranged in arc shape
along the inside of the jaw guard 4.
[0031] And the unlock lever 570 is placed so as to be crossed
longitudinally to pull the middle of the connecting bar 550
forward. The upper end of the unlock lever 570 is connected to the
inside of the jaw guard 4 by the hinge lever 560, and the lower end
thereof is extended downward to be partly exposed below the jaw
guard 4.
[0032] During unlocking operation, the latch 520 moves pivotably
upward in the rotary direction of the jaw guard 4 around the pivot
522, so that the engaging of the hook 521 and the locking bar 511
are released.
[0033] At the lower end of the latch plate 530 is formed an
inserted portion 531 to maintain the locking condition with support
force.
[0034] The locking mechanism 500 configured like this is locked
when the wearer pulls down the jaw guard 4 to wear and is unlocked
when he pulls the unlock lever 570 forward to raise the jaw guard
4. This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 and
7.
[0035] First, when the wearer pulls down the jaw guard 4 forward to
close the jaw guard 4, as shown in FIG. 6, the hooks 521 of the
latches 520 on both the left and right sides that were rotated
downward by the return spring 540 are hooked on the locking bar
511, and at the same time, the inserted portion 531 of the locking
plate 530 is inserted below it, so the locked condition is
maintained firmly.
[0036] When the jaw guard is lifted in this condition, as shown in
FIG. 7, the unlock lever 570 is pulled outward to release the
hooked condition of the latch 520.
[0037] Namely, since the unlock lever 570 being pulled has its
upper end connected by the hinge lever 560, a slight rotary force
is induced forward, and this rotary motion pulls the middle of the
connecting bar 550 connected crosswise.
[0038] When the connecting bar 550 is pulled forward, since its
both ends are connected to each of the latches 520 placed on both
the left and right sides of the jaw guard 4, as shown in FIG. 7, it
rotates the hook 521 upward.
[0039] Since the hook 521 is drawn off from the locking bar 511 of
the locking bracket 510 as the latch 520 is being lifted up like
this, the jaw guard 4 can be rotated upward by using the hinge bolt
410 of the hinge mechanism 400 as a hinge shaft.
[0040] At this time, the direction in which the hook 521 is drawn
off plays an important role for safety.
[0041] Namely, as shown in FIG. 7, since the direction in which the
hook 522 is drawn off is the same as the direction in which the jaw
guard 4 is to be opened, the jaw guard can be opened by force in
case of emergency.
[0042] Meanwhile, the jaw guard 4 of the present invention can have
the hinge means 400 maintained in open condition, as shown in FIGS.
4 and 5.
[0043] For this, the shaft holes 41 formed on the left and right
extending portions of the jaw guard 4 are matched with the hinge
holes 1a formed on the side of the helmet body 1 and connected to
the screw shaft 410, while a hook protuberance 42 is formed on the
inside of the shaft hole 41 and a support protuberance 1b is formed
in the hinge hole 1a. Therefore) when the hook protuberance 42 is
hooked over the support protuberance 1b, it becomes possible to
maintain that condition.
[0044] And when the jaw guard 4 is dropped down, the latches 520 on
both the left and right sides are returned to the original position
by the spring 540, so the hook 521 is inserted again into the
locking bar 511 of the locking bracket 510 to be locked again.
[0045] As described above in detail, the present invention is
convenient to use because the hinge structure of the jaw guard is
maintained in open condition as hook protuberance and support
protuberance, and the locking structure can be unlocked more easily
because, when the latch for locking is drawn off the hooking jaw,
the hook is to be pivoted in the opening direction of the jaw
guard.
[0046] Especially, since such a hook pivoting direction makes it
possible to take off the helmet even if the locking structure won't
function properly due to damage in an emergency, casualties can be
minimized in an accident.
[0047] Although the present invention has been described in
connection with the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the
drawings, it is only illustrative. It will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalents can
be made to the present invention. Therefore, the true technical
scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *