US2758307A - Face shield - Google Patents

Description

14, 1956 K. L. TREIBER 2,758,307

FACE SHIELD Filed Sept. 15, 1954 INVENTOR. K672726572 L. Faber United States Patent fO FACE SmLD Kenneth L. Treiber, Alexandria, Va. Application September 15, 1954, Serial No. 456,344

3 Claims. (Cl. 2-9) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec.266)

The invention described in the foregoing specification and claims may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The present invention provides certain improvements in transparent face shields which are designed particularly for use under severe conditions of climatic cold and precipitation, such as are encountered in arctic regions where personnel are required to perform outside duties notwithstanding existence of severe cold and other adverse weather conditions.

One of the objects of the present construction is to provide a transparent face shield which will remain transparent and free from cloudiness resulting from condensed moisture of respiration, thereby providing the wearer with unobstructed vision at all times.

A further object of the invention is to provide a transparent face shield construction which is conveniently adjustable as to the size of head harness which carries the shield so that the shield may be worn in connection with any head garment such as heavy fur hat or parka.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved readily adjustable mounting for the shield which permits the shield to be rotated upwardly through an arc of 90 degrees for a short period of time if such becomes desirable or if required for any cause.

Further objects and advantages of the present construction will become apparent as the description proceeds, and the features of novelty will be pointed out in particularity in the appended claims.

Generally speaking, the construction of the arctic face shield of the present invention has been designed principally for the use of military personnel in arctic regions, but obviously it is applicable wherever any type of personnel, military or civilian, is subjected to severe climatic conditions while performing outside duties such 'as operating bulldozers, graders, open cab trucks, or

while on troop movements or manoeuvres. The structural features of the present improved shield comprise essentially a main shield and an inner frost apron, both of which are fabricated from sheets of transparent synthetic plastic material such as the synthetic vinyl plastic designated as Plexiglass, both the shield and frost apron being built on a head harness which is adjustable circumferentially and longitudinally to any size of head, the connection between the shield and harness permitting the shield to be rotated upwardly through 90 degrees, and the adjustability of the harness enables the structure to fit over any head garment such as a heavy fur hat or parka. The main shield or frost portion of the shield assembly has a portion cut out at the bottom, allowing air to pass upwardly between the shield and frost apron, thus preventing frosting or fogging on the main shield which would restrict visibility.

These and other structural features will be referred panying drawings, in which:

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2,758,307 Patented Aug. 14, 1 s

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative form of a face helment embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the struc ture of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing details of the pivotal mounting between the shield structure and circumferential headband element of the head harness, which enables lifting of the shield from full line operative position of Fig. 2 to dotted line inoperative position of this view, Fig. 3 being taken on the line III-III of Fig. 1, looking in the direction ofthe proved face shield of the present invention comprises a transparent shield assembly including an outer main face shield 10 and an inner frost apron 12, both of which are composed of Plexiglass or Celluloid or similar transparent material, these elements being integral around their abutting edges, the front portions of the shield 10 being spaced forwardly of the apron 12 for providing an air passage 14 therebetween. Also, both the shield 10 and apron 12 are contoured generally to enclose the face of a wearer, with the apron 12 extending from below the wearers chin to above his nostrils so that his breathing is within the limits of this apron 12. A portion of the bottom of the outer main shield 10 is cut away, as indicated at 16, so as to define an open restricted air intake 18 between the bottom of the outer shield 10 and the apron 12. The outer shield 10 extends upwardly above eye-level of the wearer, and is open at its top, permitting free venting of air ascending through passage' 14. The apron 12 is open at both its bottom and its top, and, as aforesaid, the respiration of the wearer is entirely within the confines of this apron.

The outer main shield 10 is secured to and depends from, a substantially rigid foreband 20 which extends forwardly beyond the forehead of the wearer, the forehand 20 being swivelly interconnected to an adjustable headband 21 of a head harness for the shield. The headband 21 encircles completely the head and head garment of the wearer, and is adjustable lengthways. so as to -fit a particular head size of a wearer. The headband 21 is maintained against slipping or displacement by means of a longitudinally extending top strap 22 a forward end of which strap is secured permanently by rivet pins 24 to the central curved forehead portions of the band 21, the other end or rear end of the strap 22 being secured adjustably to the overlapping end portions of the band which are overlapped corresponding to the back of the wearers head, this top strap 22 extending over the head and head garment of the wearer from front to back thereof. The headband 21 and the top strap 22 are composed of any suitable material such as leather, fiber, or the like, possessing requisite flexibility so as to be adjustably accommodating to the contour of the wearers head, including his head garment.

Interconnections between this forehand 20, which has a substantially longer radius of curvature than that of the curved forehead portions of the headband 21 so as to maintain the shield assembly suitably spaced away from the wearers face, and the headband 21 are effected by similar, oppositely disposed swivel pins 25, which are permanently mounted in opposite locations in the headband 21, and which pass through a selected hole 26 of a series thereof provided correspondingly in the endporof thewearer.

example. passed through parallel arms 54 extending from the 'tions of the forehand 20, the selection of corresponding "opposite holes of the series determining the desired adjustment of the spacing of the shield 10 fronrthe face I Each of the similar swivel pins 25 is threaded for receiving a knurled lock thumb nut 28 for maintaining this selected adjustment, these pins 25, as

has been indicated, providing a pivotal or swivel mounting .for the rigid forehand 20 for enabling vertical shifting of the shield structure between operative and inoperative positions in a vertical arc of 90 degrees, as is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. Removal cf the lock nuts 28 from the pins 25 enables relocation of such pins in any opposite selected holes 26, and loosening of these llock nuts on the pins enables the aforesaid vertical movement of the forehand 2t) and shield structure betweenoperative and inoperative positions.

n; addition to the foregoing, the forehand 2 is conhected to the top strap 22 by an adjustable flexible supporting strap 30 which is fixed permanently at one end to the top strap 22 by rivet pins 32, the opposite end of the strap 30 having an elongated adjustment slot 36 therein. A pin 38 extends through the top of the shield and through the forehand 2t) centrally thereof and projects through this slot 36, the pin 38 threadedly receiving a lock nut 40. The length of slot 35 corresponds to the overall length of the series of holes 26, the shield structure being supported in desired adjusted position relative to the face of the wearer by tightening the nut 40 against the supporting strap 30, thereby interlocking this supporting strap 3i and the forehand 20 in an obvious manner.

The headband 21 is adjustable lengthways for adjusting its length to the head size of the wearer. This adjustment is effected by providing corresponding opposite end portions of the headband with elongated equal slots 42, these slots becoming in register when the opposite end portions of the headband are overlapped at the back of the wearers head, being retained in overlapping position by an approximately tJ-shaped clamp comprising a plate 44 in which is mounted permanently a clamping pin 46 which extends through the aforesaid registering slots 42 and also through an elongated adjusting slot 48 provided in the rear end of the top strap 22, this slot 48 being perpendicular to the registering slots 42 and enables adjustment of the effective length of the top strap 22, while desired adjustment of the effective length of the headband 21 for peripheral accommodation thereof to the circumferential head size of the wearer also is maintained by the projection of the pin 46 through these registering slots in the headband ends and the intersecting'slot 43 in the top strap, thereby enabling a universal adjustment of the harness to the particular head size of the wearer in conjunction with his particular head garment. The pin 46 threadedly receives a knurled lock ,nut 50, a complemented clamp plate 52 engaging the outer overlying end portion of the headband, and is engaged by the knurled lock nut So for clamping together .the. overlying ends of the headband and also the slotted end intermediate the top strap 22 and the outer overlying end of headband 21, as is indicated in Fig. 4, for The end portions of the headband 21 are restricted intake 13 and upwardly through passage 14 between the apron and mask 10, sweeping the interior of the mask. This upward movement of cold air prevents formation and accumulation of fog and frost on the mask, and maintains full visibility for the wearer through the transparency of the mask material. The

apron 12, being freely open to the outside air, provides for unobstructedly free breathing by the wearer.

It will be understood that the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are directed to an illustrative form of the improved construction embodying the improved features thereof, it being apparent, however, that various structural details of such features may be modified in conformity with particular service conditions, without departing from the inventive concept; and accordingly it will be understood that it is intended and desired to include within the scope of the invention such changes and modifications as may be required to adapt it to varying conditions and uses as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A head and face-shield assembly comprising a headband having curved front portions corresponding to the forehead of a wearer and having opposite end portions in overlapped relation for encircling the head of a wearer, the overlapped end portions having registering elongated slots and being at the back of the head of the wearer at approximately forehead level, a top strap for passing over the head of the wearer and having its forward end secured to the curved front end portions of the headband and having a slotted back end in registry with the overlapped end portions of the headband, means for adjustahly interconnecting together the overlapped slotted end portions of the headband and the slotted back end of the top strap for longitudinally adjusting the headband and the top strap to the head size of the wearer, a substantially semicircular forehand of larger radius than the curved front portions of the headband, means swivelly connecting the forehand to the headband on opposite sides of the latter, a face-shield assembly depending from the forehand and spaced forwardly from the face of the wearer, the said face-shield assembly extending from the forehand to substantially below the wearers chin, the forehand having adjusting means coacting with the swivelly connecting means for adjusting the forehand relative to the headband for adjustably varying the space between the face-shield assembly and the face of the wearer, said forehand and said face-shield being movable in unison relative to said headband and a flexible supporting strap for the forehand interconnecting the said forehand to the said top hand, the supporting strap including means for adjusting the effective length of the supporting strap commensurately with a selected adjustment of the forehand relative to the headband.

2. A face-shield assembly comprising an outer main transparent shield adapted to conform to the face of a wearer and to enclose the face, a transparent respiratory apron enclosed in the outer main shield and spaced rear- Wardly therefrom and extending from below the chin of the wearer to above the wearers nostrils, said apron being secured to said outer main transparent shield at a fixed angle thereto in abutting sealed edge relation and defining an air passage with the outer shield, said apron having its forward surface sloping at an angle towards the outer shield and bottom portions thereof for defining a restricted bottom air intake for the air passage, the apron being open to ambient air at its bottom for enabling unobstructed respiration by the wearer, the said apron also opening at its top into enlarging upper portions of the air passage between the apron and the outer shield for enabling convection air currents produced by warm exhaled air rising through the apron and air passage to draw ambient cold air through the passage from the restricted air intake for the said passage in sweeping contact with the apron outwardly thereof and with the outer shield inwardly thereof, thereby preventing condensation of moisture on the apron and shield for maintaining unobstructed vision through the shield.

3. The construction defined in claim 2 wherein the face-shield assembly is mounted on and depends from a head harness which includes U-shaped rear clamping instrumentalities comprising an inner clamping plate, side arms extending from the inner clamping plate and including loops for receiving opposite ends of the headband in overlapped relation, the ends of the headband being provided with registering elongated slots When the ends of the headbands are overlapped, a threaded clamping pin permanently mounted on the inner clamping plate for extending through the slots in the headband ends and through an intersecting slot in the rear end of the top strap, an outer clamping plate removably carried by the pin, and a thumb-actuated lock-nut th'readedly mounted References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,885,426 Flood Nov. 1, 1932 2,262,449 Bugeleisen Nov. 11, 1941 2,384,765 OReilly Sept. 11, 1945 2,544,457 Harrington Mar. 6, 1951

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