Sports helmet with goggle strap retainers
A sports helmet having a pair of strap retainers affixed thereto is provided for use with goggles held on a wearer's head by a strap. One strap retainer is affixed on each side of the helmet at a height above the goggle strap when the goggles are over the eyes of the wearer. The strap retainers are formed with an inner arm affixed to the side of the helmet and an outer arm spaced therefrom. When the wearer moves the goggles upward from the eyes to rest on the front rim of the helmet, the strap slides along the helmet and is entrapped in each strap retainer to prevent the goggles from sliding over the top of the helmet to an inconvenient position.
The present invention relates to the field of protective sports apparel and more particularly to helmets typically used with goggles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA helmet protects the head of the wearer from serious head injury. In sports, the use of helmets has expanded from motorcycle riders to bicycle riders to roller bladers to skiers and snow boarders. When skiing or snow boarding, goggles provide an additional form of protection, both from eye injury and from the cold air. Ski goggles are normally held in place with an elastic strap that goes around the back of the wearer's head on the outside of the helmet. The strap easily slides along the smooth helmet surface, and the goggles may slip off and be lost when raised from their protective position over the eyes of the wearer to an idle position on top of the helmet. To prevent loss of goggles, some helmets have an attaching strap anchor, such as a snap fastener or the like, at the rear to attach the goggle strap to the helmet. With the anchor holding the back of the strap, goggles placed in this idle position may slide up and over the top of the helmet, but are not lost. However, the user must reach behind the helmet and re-set the goggles when needed for skiing or snow boarding.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,989 teaches a Safety Goggles Retainer For Hard Hat. This patent provides a hook mounted on each side of a hard hat or helmet above the position of the wearer's ear. The wearer loops the goggle strap through the first hook, across the front of the helmet and through the second hook. The elasticity of the goggle strap allows the wearer to move the goggles from a position over the eyes to a position on the helmet front. This hook system lacks the simplicity of goggle movement provided by the present invention disclosed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,530 teaches a Goggle Strap Alignment And Fastening Guide For Motorcycle Type Helmet in which a pair of strap guides are affixed to either side of a helmet adjacent the ear of the wearer. The goggle strap is passed through the guides when the goggles are in position over the eyes of the wearer, thus assuring proper alignment. These guides prevent the goggle strap from moving up or down. Raising the goggles above the wearer's eyes requires stretching the goggle strap without disengaging the strap guides. This patented invention is intended to hold the goggles in operative position and substantially increases the difficulty of moving the goggles to their inoperative position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a sports helmet with a pair of goggle strap retainers allowing the goggles to be easily moved between an operative position over the eyes of the wearer to an inoperative position on the helmet above the wearer's eyes while preventing the goggles from sliding backward over the top of the helmet. A strap retainer is affixed to each side of the helmet in an orientation with the top closed and the bottom open to receive a goggle strap. The retainers are preferably affixed adjacent to the ear of the wearer at a height on the helmet slightly above the top of the goggle strap when the goggles are positioned over the wearer's eyes. When the wearer moves the goggles upward to an inoperative position on the helmet above the eyes, the goggle strap is trapped in the retainers to assure that the goggles will not slide over the top of the helmet.
The present invention is best understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which like elements are identified by similar reference numerals and wherein:
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While the description above discloses preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is contemplated that numerous variations and modifications of the invention are possible and are considered to be within the scope of the claims that follow.
Claims
1. A sports helmet having a pair of goggle strap retainers configured with an elongate first arm residing in substantially parallel relation to an exterior surface of the sports helmet, the first arm being connected to a bridge at an upper end and spaced from the exterior surface of the helmet to retain an open entry at a lower end, one of the goggle strap retainers being affixed to each side of the sports helmet at a position incrementally higher than an upper edge of a goggle strap when a pair of goggles resides over the eyes of the wearer.
2. The sports helmet described in claim 1, wherein each of the goggle strap retainers further comprises a second arm fixedly mounted to the exterior surface of the sports helmet and oriented substantially parallel to the first arm with the bridge connecting therebetween such that the goggle strap is engaged in the goggle strap retainers when the pair of goggles is moved upward from the eyes of the wearer.
3. The sports helmet described in claim 2, wherein the first arm of each of the goggle strap retainers is formed with an outwardly angled ramp portion configured to enlarge the size of the entry into which the goggle strap enters.
4. The sports helmet described in claim 1, wherein each of the goggle strap retainers further comprises a flange oriented substantially parallel to the first arm with the bridge connecting therebetween, the flange being formed with a hole for affixing the goggle strap retainers to an outer surface of the sports helmet.
5. The sports helmet described in claim 4, wherein the first arm of each of the goggle strap retainers is formed with an outwardly angled ramp portion configured to enlarge the size of the entry into which the goggle strap enters.
6. The sports helmet described in claim 2, further comprising a spring anchor extending in perpendicular relation from the inner arm and whereas the sports helmet is formed with a hole in each side thereof configured for receiving the spring anchor, the holes and the spring anchors not being round in cross sectional shape.
7. A sports helmet having a pair of goggle strap retainers configured with an elongate first arm and a second arm residing in substantially parallel relation to each other, the second arm affixed to an exterior surface of the sports helmet, the first and second arms connected to each other with a bridge at upper ends thereof and spaced from each other at lower ends thereof to retain an open entry between the lower ends, one of the goggle strap retainers being affixed to each side of the sports helmet and oriented with the entry below the bridge and incrementally higher than a goggle strap when a pair of goggles resides over the eyes of the wearer to engage the goggle strap in the goggle strap retainers when the pair of goggles is moved upward from the eyes of the wearer.
8. The sports helmet described in claim 7, wherein the first arm of each of the goggle strap retainers is formed with an outwardly angled ramp portion configured to enlarge the size of the entry into which the goggle strap enters.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 20, 2007
Publication Date: Jul 24, 2008
Inventor: Robert Scott Higgins (Tuckahoe, NJ)
Application Number: 11/655,513
International Classification: A42B 3/04 (20060101);