SPARK PROTECTOR FOR WELDERS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to protective headgear which provides a barrier for users against sparks thrown by various operations such as for example welding, angle grinding, and the like.

Background to the Invention

It is known to provide welding masks and/or goggles to inhibit sparks from contacting the head and face of a welder or grinder. There are also various covers for those welding masks so that users are not assailed by sparks behind the head, at the neck and nape, and upper spine regions. However, these covers are heavy and do not allow a user any degree of comfort.

The present invention seeks to ameliorate one or more of the above-mentioned disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a protective headgear apparatus suitable for use with a welding mask, the headgear apparatus including: a substantially rigid shield adapted to be attached to a chassis of the welding mask, wherein, when directly or indirectly attached to the chassis, the substantially rigid shield provides a space or a chamber between a user's neck and/or ears and the substantially rigid shield to inhibit spark contact with the neck and/or ears and to promote comfort and freedom from clamminess and condensation and reduce a cramped feeling from closeness of clothing.

Preferably a cover is provided, in the form of a flexible, textile cover such as for example,

a cap, skullcap or hat. The textile may be light wool, cotton, leather, or other suitable material which may be either inherently flame-retardant or treated with a flame retardant compound.

hi one embodiment the cover is a hemisphere and adapted to receive a head of the user.

Preferably attachments means are provided to attach the shield to the chassis. The attachment means may indirectly or directly attach the shield to the chassis. In one form, the attachment means connect the shield to the cover, which in turn is attached to the chassis. The attachment means may be a Velcro button, or press-stud.

hi one embodiment, the shield is attached to the cover by a first removable attachment means, and the cover is in turn attached to the chassis by a second removable attachment means, hi one form of the invention, the first removable attachment means is a plurality of press-studs, wherein a male portion is mounted on the shield and a female portion is mounted on a rearward portion of the cover. Hook and loop fasteners are also contemplated for this first attachment means.

The second attachment means may be in the form of straps, which include fasteners to removably fasten them to the cover. The fasteners may be buckles, but are preferably hook and loop fasteners.

The straps may extend from a peripheral rim of the cover and be adapted to loop around a chassis member and fasten onto an outer surface of the cover.

The cover may include an adjustment means so as to accommodate different sized heads. A gusset or leaf or split in the cover may be provided to form the adjustment means.

Ventilation means may be provided in the shield to facilitate the comfort of the user by facilitating airflow under the shield and/or the chamber. This assists in reducing the humidity inside the chamber.

The ventilation means may be in the form of apertures or holes in the shield, which may be

hooded or otherwise filtered so as to inhibit sparks entering the chamber.

Preferably the shield is contoured to wrap around the neck to inhibit sparks as far around the neck as possible. The shield may include a single radius, or a general single-plane contour such as a band, or could be a multiple-bend surface with bends at right-angles to each other.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In order to enable a clearer understanding of the invention, drawings illustrating example embodiments are attached, and in those drawings:

Figure 1 is an isometric view from behind and from one side of a welding safety apparatus which incorporates a preferred embodiment of the present invention; the preferred embodiment being attached to a welding shield;

Figure 2 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of protective apparatus, which attaches to a welding shield (not shown);

Figure 3 is a view of Figure 1 with the welding mask and shield removed for clarity;

Figure 4 is a front elevation view of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a rear elevation view of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a plan view of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a plan view from underneath of Figure 2.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Referring to the drawings there is shown a protective headgear apparatus generally indicated at 10.

The headgear apparatus 10 includes a shield 12; an attachment means 14 for attaching, in his embodiment, the shield to a cover 16, and a second attachment means 18 for attaching the cover 16, to a chassis 20 of a welding mask 22.

The welding mask 22 includes a face plate 24 which inhibits sparks from hitting a face 26 of a user 28.

The mask 22 further incudes a chassis 30 to which the face plate 24 is attached. The chassis 30 includes chassis members 31, 32 which are adjustable to suit various head sizes.

The shield 12 is a contoured plate 13 constructed from suitable plastic 15, such as PVC, ABS, PE, or the like, and is sized to create a chamber 34 between the shield 12 and the neck 35 (indicative region only shown) of the user 28 (again, no user shown, but indicative region shown) when in use. The chamber 34 assists in reducing clamminess in the case when in use that wet clothes contact the skin of the user 28. One problem is that welding is a hot job, and heavy clothes and protective gear required, which, when wet, become uncomfortable and clammy.

The attachment means 14 is in the form of removable attachment means 37 which are either velcro buttons or a linear array of press studs 39. The press studs 39 mount on the cover 16 at a rearward rim region 17 so as to pivotally connect the shield 12 to the cover 16 and, indirectly, the chassis member 32.

The cover 16 is in the form of a skullcap 40 which is a hollow textile hemisphere 41, adjustable in shape to accommodate different sized heads 42 by adjustment means 44 which is in the form of a slit or gusset 46.

Separate detachable shields may be provided wherein each shield is attached in the region of the ears when in use, to provide respective chamber adjacent each ear. Or, the neck shield may simply extend to the ears from the neck region, to make an integral shield 12 which covers the ears and neck.

The cover 16 may simply extend to below the ears to provide flaps 95 for additional spark protection.

The second attachment means 18 is in the form of a strap 48 which has fasteners 49 attached in order to removably attach the strap 48. to the cover 16. The removable attachment means 49 are in the form of hook and loop fasteners 50.

In operation the cover 16 attaches to an underside of the chassis 30 by attaching to chassis members 31, 32 with straps 48. The user 28 dons the headgear 10 and the shield 12 hangs down to protect the back of the neck 35 of the user 28. If ear flaps or ear shields are provided, the ears are protected. A chamber 34 is formed to maintain a space between the neck 35 and the shield 12, to facilitate an airflow there between, to reduce condensation, humidity and clamminess due to the user's clothes pressing directly on the skin of the user 28. Ear shields or flaps 95 may be provided, in the former case, to maintain a chamber adjacent the ears, to inhibit sparks while inhibiting clamminess.

Finally, it is to be understood that various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be incorporated into the various constructions and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.