Frictionally engaged supplied air helmet face seal

Abstract

A supplied air helmet 10 that has a visor 14, and a face seal 12 that includes a frame member 16 and a sealing member 18. The frame member 116 can be secured to the visor 14 by frictional engagement. The use of frictional engagement as opposed to pegs, adhesives, and hook and look type fasteners, may reduce the number of parts, may permit face seal installation and / or removal in a less onerous manner, and may reduce the opportunity for fastener failure.

Description

BACKGROUND [0001] Supplied air helmets are regularly worn in environments where the surrounding ambient air contains contaminants. These helmets have a fluid impermeable visor that is pulled down in front of the wearer's face. The visor has a window through which the wearer can see the surrounding environment. A face seal is attached to the visor to provide a breathing zone or interior gas space that is separate from the ambient, exterior gas space. The interior gas space is located in front of the wearer's face and is defined, for the most part, by the face seal that is attached to the visor, the visor body, and the wearer's face. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,250,299, 6,016,805, 6,014,971, 4,462,399, and 4,280,491 disclose examples of supplied air helmets that use face seals. [0002] To furnish the wearer with a safe supply of air for breathing, clean air is forced into the interior gas space from a supply tank or from a powered air system that drives the ambient air through a filter. The weare...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005] The present invention differs from known supplied air helmets in that the face seal is secured to the supplied air helmet using frictional engagement rather than fasteners such as pegs, clips, and hook and loop materials. Because the present invention uses this new method of engagement, the use of separate fastening elements is avoided. Thus, less parts are needed to manufacture the final product, which can save on manufacturing costs. Further, installation and removal of the face seal may be achieved in less onerous manner. There also is less opportunity for failure over time, and the surface area onto which contaminants and dirt may accumulate is substantially less.

[0013]“face seal” means a structure that contacts a person's face and / or neck and / or other portions of the head to help separate an interior gas space of a supplied air helmet from an exterior gas space;

[0014]“filtered air” means air that has been passed through a filter material to reduce the amount of any contaminants that may have been present in the air before it was filtered;

Problems solved by technology

Because a crown support member (for supporting the helmet on the wearer's head) typically also has been secured to the helmet through the same pegs, it has been a cumbersome process to replace the face seal.

Hook and loop type fasteners also tend to “peel-off” the helmet after repeated use in response to repeated tugging on the hook and loop material.

Heat, for example, in a welding environment, also can cause the adhesive to soften, which softening may cause delamination of the fastener.

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