U.S. patent number 3,916,446 [Application Number 05/353,317] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-04 for chin cup and chin strap for protective headgear.
Invention is credited to Elwyn R. Gooding.
United States Patent |
3,916,446 |
Gooding |
November 4, 1975 |
Chin cup and chin strap for protective headgear
Abstract
This invention relates to a chin cup and strap assembly
consisting of a double knit fabric cup assembly and stretchable
nylon straps with suitable fasteners for attachment to various
occupational protective headgear. By virtue of its unique
characteristics and fabrication, the double knit chin cup will
conform to the physical shape of the chin of any wearer. The chin
cup may have an inner member of impact absorbing material best
suited for a particular application. Affixed to each end of the
chin cup are stretchable nylon fabric straps having the proper
yieldability for the use intended. The yieldability of both the
chin cup and the chin straps coact to attain the desired degree of
retention of the protective headgear to which they are attached and
thereby afford a degree of comfort and safety heretofore not
available.
Inventors: |
Gooding; Elwyn R. (Pinckney,
MI) |
Family
ID: |
23388616 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/353,317 |
Filed: |
April 23, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/421 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B
3/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A42B
3/08 (20060101); A42B 3/04 (20060101); A42B
003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;2/3R,3A,3B,3C,5,6,7,9,10,171,172,204,205,195,199,185A,332
;66/171,170 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schroeder; Werner H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Olsen and Stephenson
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A chin cup and strap assembly for a helmet comprising a cup
assembly consisting of a pair of sections of double knit fabric
positioned in face-to-face engagement and secured at the edges
thereof, said sections being stretchable in a plurality of
directions so as to be readily conformable to the chin of a wearer,
said sections being longer in one direction than in another
direction, and stretchable straps secured to said sections so as to
extend away therefrom in said longer direction.
2. A chin cup and strap assembly according to claim 1 wherein said
sections are cut so that said sections have a greater stretch in
said one direction than in said other direction.
3. A chin cup and strap assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said
straps are stretchable nylon straps folded over at each end of the
chin cup and affixed to form two straps at each end for detachably
mounting on a helmet.
4. A chin cup and strap assembly according to claim 1 further
including impact absorbing material disposed between said sections.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.
1. Field of Invention
This invention is concerned generally with improvements in athletic
equipment, protective and safety equipment and more particularly
with a chin cup and strap assembly for retaining protective
headgear.
2. Description of Prior Art
Various materials and kinds of chin cups and straps have been used
previously to hold helmets on the heads of wearers as for football,
hockey, policemen, firemen and industrial tradesmen. One such chin
strap is a narrow band of leather, others cotton web and nylon web.
Some chin cups have been made of leather and others of impregnated
fabrics and plastic with none being very adjustable to the physical
contour of the chin wearer. The primary deficiencies with previous
chin cups and straps have been their non-conforming and
non-yielding characteristics thereby rendering them uncomfortable
and in some instances harmful to the wearer such as when an upward
movement of the helmet causes an impingement of the chin strap on
the throat of the wearer.
Chin cups and chin straps, for sports, safety and other like
protective headgear, have been previously devised, such prior art
devices being generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,811.
Applicant's invention of an improved chin cup of double knit fabric
with affixed stretchable nylon straps is an improvement over such
prior art devices and alleviates the aforementioned difficulties of
the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION.
A general object of this invention is to provide a construction for
chin cups and strap assemblies, which attached to helmets such as
used by football players, hockey players, policemen, firemen,
construction workers and the like will provide an extremely high
degree of comfort and safety.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means of
incorporating an impact absorbing component within the double knit
chin cup which will afford the maximum degree of attenuation of
typical impact forces associated with a specific anticipated
use.
A further object of the subject invention is to provide a yieldable
chin strap which will coact with the associated chin cup so as to
retain the helmet on the head of the wearer and protect the chin of
the wearer.
Further objects and advantages of subject invention will be
apparent from the following description when taken in connection
with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chin cup and strap assembly as
constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention shown
as it is used with two point attachment to a helmet;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a chin cup and strap assembly as
constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention shown
as it is used with four point attachment to a helmet;
FIG. 3 is a side view partially in section of the chin strap;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a chin cup with four point attachment chin
strap;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a chin cup with two point attachment chin
strap;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a chin cup shown inside-out prior to
attachment of chin straps;
FIG. 7 is an end view of the above chin cup;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the chin cup after having been turned
right-side-out after stitching;
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the chin cup without cushioning
component as seen from the line 9--9 in FIG. 8; and
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the chin cup with a cushioning
component shown in position.
In accordance with the principles of this invention, the chin cup
is to be double knit fabric having the characteristic to stretch
further in one direction than in the other. Accordingly, the double
knit fabric is die cut so that the greatest stretch will be in the
longest dimension of the chin cup. The chin straps also stretch the
most in the same direction as the chin cup. Stretching the chin
straps when attaching them to the helmet, stretches the chin cup
around the chin of the wearer thereby causing it to conform to the
physical shape of the chin. In a preferred embodiment of the
invention, the chin cup is of double knit cotton and dacron which
is very comfortable, absorbs perspiration, can be readily washed
and remains soft and pliable after washing.
Referring to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, a football helmet 10
is shown as worn by a player 12. The helmet includes male snap
fasteners attached to the ear covering portions. A chin cup and
strap assembly, designated generally by the numeral 13, is
detachably secured to the male snap fasteners on the helmet by
means of buckles and female snap fasteners 15.
The helmet, male and female snap fasteners and buckles are of
conventional construction with the buckles 15 having slots 17
provided with teeth 18 to resist retraction of the straps.
The chin cup and strap assembly 13 includes a central double cup
14, consisting of front and back sections 22 and 23 formed of
double knit fabric, and chin straps 26 as shown in FIG. 5 or chin
straps 24 and 25 as shown in FIG. 4. The chin cup portions 22 and
23 must be die cut from a larger fabric piece to shape so that the
greatest stretch is in the direction of the largest dimension of
the elongated shape of the chin cup. These portions 22 and 23 are
then stitched together near the edges with nylon thread stitches
20. The ends 21 of the chin cup are left open until after the above
stitched together portions 22 and 23 have been turned inside-out.
Yieldable nylon straps 26 in FIG. 5 are inserted between portions
22 and 23, the ends 21 folded inward and the ends of portions 22
and 23 as well as the ends of the straps 26 are stitched together
with nylon thread stitches 19. Thus the chin straps 26 are able to
coact with the chin cup central portions 22 and 23 when inserted
through slots 17 of buckles 15 to attach the chin cup and strap
assembly 13 to the helmet body 10.
In a similar manner, chin straps 24 and 25, which are essentially a
single strap folded over so that one portion 24 is shorter than the
other portion 25, is inserted between central portions 22 and 23,
the ends 21 folded inward and stitched together with nylon thread
stitches 19.
Attenuation of varying degrees of impact forces is readily
accomplished by the insertion of impact absorbing material 28
between chin cup portions 22 and 23. The type of material such as
silastic gel, foam plastic, foam rubber etc. would be selected to
be most suited for the intended use to which the chin cup and strap
assembly would be subjected. The cushioning material 28 could be
partially preshaped if desired but would still be capable of
maximum conformiture to the physical shape of the chin of the
wearer through the coaction of the double knit portions 22 and 23
and the yieldable chin straps when attached to the helmet 10.
The structure of this chin cup and strap assembly when properly
adjusted on the buckles, with a loop in each portion of the strap
so that a double thickness of the strap passes through female snaps
and male studs to the helmet, will retain the helmet in position in
a secure manner yet permit the helmet to move upward slightly
without transmitting a severe jolt to the wearer as the initial
shock of the upward thrust is attenuated by the stretching of the
double knit fabric and nylon straps.
* * * * *