Skirted Helmet

Abstract

A helmet of a type adapted for covering the entire head of a wearer has a flexible skirt releasably secured to the periphery of the inside of the helmet adjacent the opening therein. For releasably attaching the skirt, one edge thereof is provided with a male strip of material of the type having the trademark name of VELCRO while the inside of the helmet is provided with a female strip of VELCRO-type material.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to headgear and more particularly relates to a skirted helmet for use in cold conditions. Protective helmets of various types are frequently worn by riders of rider-exposed vehicles. One type of helmet commonly used is a type which completely covers the head of the wearer and has an opening in the front thereof which is covered by a visor. The main opening of the helmet through which the head of the wearer passes when putting on or taking off the helmet loosely encircles the upper neck portion of the wearer of the helmet and serves to permit the passage of fresh air for breathing by the wearer. When the wearer of the helmet is riding a vehicle such as a snowmobile during cold weather conditions, cold air passes through the main opening into the helmet and heretofore it has been necessary for the helmet wearer to also wear a face mask in order to be comfortable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided an improved headgear including a helmet of the type which encloses the entire head of the wearer.

An object of the invention is to provide a one-piece headgear and more particularly to provide a headgear including a helmet, as above described, to which a skirt of coarse knit material is releasably secured.

Another object of the invention is to provide a skirted helmet wherein the skirt may be removed whether or not the helmet is being worn. For this purpose, it is an object of the invention to provide the helmet and the skirt with respective strips of material which become intertwined when they are pressed together and which can be pulled apart.

These and other objects will be apparent from the ensuing description and the appended drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the skirted helmet showing the disposition of the skirt relative to a wearer when the helmet is being worn.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the skirt removed from the helmet.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 and showing the connection between the helmet and the skirt.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, therein is shown a headgear indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10. The headgear 10 includes a helmet 12 including a protective shell 14 configured for enclosing the entire head of a wearer and including a front opening 16 which is covered by a removable visor 18. The helmet has a main, generally circular opening 20 which permits ingress and egress of the wearer's head therethrough into and out of the helmet. The opening 20 encircles the upper neck portion of a wearer of the headgear and is of such a size as to permit the free passage of air therethrough when the headgear is being worn.

Secured to the inside of the helmet 12 adjacent the opening 20 is a skirt 22. As can best be seen in FIG. 2, the skirt 22 comprises a generally rectangular piece of coarse knit material 24. The material 24 is releasably secured to the helmet through means including respective strips of material 26 and 28 fixed to the inside of the helmet 12 and fixed to a long edge of the piece of material 24. The strips of material 26 and 28 respectively consist of a pile of curly fabric material in the form of kinky strands and a plurality of closely associated rows of flexible resilient plastic loop hook members, respectively of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,718 issued on Nov. 13, 1962 to one Frederick E. Steincamp. The strips of material 26 and 28 cooperate such that when they are pressed against one another they become entangled such that when the skirt is installed the entire length of the strip 26 is engaged with the entire length of the strip 28 so as to form a continuous connection encircling the upper neck portion of the wearer of the helmet. The strips 26 and 28 may be disengaged by merely exerting a separating force on the strip 26 relative to the strip 28. It is here pointed out that some helmets have liners which are constructed of a material which is quite akin to the material 28 so that no or very little extra material need be added to these helmets in order to prepare them for receiving the skirt 22.

The headgear 10 is used as follows. Assuming that the headgear 10 is being used by an operator of a rider-exposed vehicle during cold weather, the operator will normally wear the headgear in the manner shown in FIG. 1. When used in this manner, the skirt 24 will normally rest upon the upper back and shoulders of the operator and will be covered by an outer garment such as a coat or insulated suit or the like. The coarse knit or weave of the material 24 will permit fresh air to flow therethrough so that the operator will have sufficient air for breathing, the skirt at the same time serving to block the direct entrance of air into the helmet and to channel the body heat of the operator up into the helmet. On the other hand, the air being exhaled by the operator will be prevented by the skirt from exiting directly out the bottom of the helmet and will combine with the body heat to keep the air in the helmet at a temperature which is sufficiently comfortable that the operator will not have to wear secondary headgear such as a mask or the like. If during the course of operation the temperature should rise to the point where the skirt 22 is no longer needed, the operator may remove the skirt by merely tugging it in a direction so as to pull the strip 26 away from the strip of material 28. This operation may be done whether or not the helmet is removed from the head of the operator.

An important feature of the invention is the fact that the strip of material 28 may be glued inside a conventional helmet without any further alteration of the helmet as would be required if snaps or buttons or the like were used to secure the skirt 22 in place.

Thus, it will be appreciated that a simple means has been provided for efficiently and effectively maintaining sufficient warmth within the helmet to keep the operator's head comfortable without the need for secondary headgear means such as a mask or the like.

Claims

We claim:

1. Headgear for use in cold weather, comprising: a helmet having a substantially circular opening for permitting the ingress or egress of a wearer's head therethrough, said helmet being so constructed and arranged that the opening is disposed so as to encircle the upper neck portion of a wearer of the helmet; a substantially rectangular piece of relatively coarse knit material; fastening means for releasably securing a long edge of said material to said helmet in a generally circular arrangement adjacent said opening; said fastening means including first and second strips of flexible material respectively fixed to said helmet and to said long edge of said material and said first and second strips of flexible material respectively including interengaged means defining a substantially continuous releasable connection between said helmet and coarse knit material; and said coarse knit material having a width sufficient for permitting the same to extend between the helmet and the upper back and the shoulders of a wearer of the helmet.

2. The headgear defined in claim 1 wherein one of the first and second strips of flexible material includes a multiplicity of flexible resilient plastic loop hook members and the other of the first and second strips of flexible material includes a pile of curly fabric material, the hook members being such that they become releasably engaged with the fabric material when pressed thereon.

3. Headgear for use in cold weather, comprising: a helmet having a substantially circular opening for permitting the ingress or egress of a wearer's head therethrough, said helmet being so constructed and arranged that the opening is disposed so as to encircle the upper neck portion of a wearer of the helmet; said helmet including lining means disposed adjacent said entrance and including a pile of curly fabric material extending about the periphery of the inside of the helmet; a skirt of material having a knit sufficiently coarse to permit fresh air to flow therethrough in sufficient quantities for normal breathing; said skirt having opposite first and second open ends; a strip of flexible material fixed to and encircling the outer periphery of said skirt adjacent said first open end thereof; said flexible material including a multiplicity of small projecting loops of stiff filamentary material releasably interengaged with said pile of curly fabric material so as to form a substantially continuous circular connection between said helmet and said skirt; and said skirt being dimensioned such that the second open end thereof rests upon the upper back portion of a wearer of the helmet.