Visor system for a protective sport helmet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11083239-B2
Application number	US-201715816501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2017
Priority date	May 31, 2012
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A visor system for a protective sport helmet (e.g., a hockey helmet) wearable on a head of a user (e.g., a hockey player) is provided. The visor system comprises a visor for protecting at least part of a face of the user. The visor is transparent and comprises left and right connectors. The visor system also comprises left and right visor supports for supporting the visor on left and right sides of the protective sport helmet. The left and right connectors of the visor are toollessly connectable to and toollessly disconnectable from the left and right visor supports to allow the user to toollessly connect the visor to the left and right visor supports and toollessly disconnect the visor from the left and right visor supports. The visor system may be configured to define an open gap from a top edge of the visor to the outer shell when the left and right visor supports are supporting the visor on the left and right sides of the protective sport helmet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A visor system for a protective hockey helmet configured to be worn on a head of a user playing hockey, the protective hockey helmet comprising a front configured for facing a front region of the head, a back configured for facing a back region of the head, a left side configured for facing a left side region of the head, and a right side configured for facing a right side region of the head, the protective hockey helmet comprising an outer shell and inner padding disposed within the outer shell, the visor system comprising:
a) a visor configured for protecting at least part of a face of the user, the visor being transparent to allow the user to see through the visor, the visor comprising an inner surface configured for facing the user's face, an outer surface opposite the inner surface and configured for facing away from the user's face, a top edge, a bottom edge, a left connector, and a right connector;
b) a left visor support for connecting the visor on the left side of the protective hockey helmet, the left visor support being fastenable to the outer shell on the left side of the protective hockey helmet; and
c) a right visor support for connecting the visor on the right side of the protective hockey helmet, the right visor support being fastenable to the outer shell on the right side of the protective hockey helmet, the right visor support and the left visor support being separate from one another;

wherein the left connector of the visor is toollessly connectable to and toollessly disconnectable from the left visor support and the right connector of the visor is toollessly connectable to and toollessly disconnectable from the right visor support to allow the user to toollessly connect the visor to the left visor support and the right visor support and toollessly disconnect the visor from the left visor support and the right visor support;
wherein the visor system is configured to define an open gap forward of the outer shell from the top edge of the visor to the outer shell when the left visor support and the right visor support are connecting the visor on the left side of the protective hockey helmet and the right side of the protective hockey helmet; and
wherein the open gap extends uninterrupted between the left visor support and the right visor support when the left visor support and the right visor support are connecting the visor on the left side of the protective hockey helmet and the right side of the protective hockey helmet.

2. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein the open gap extends along at least a majority of the top edge of the visor.

3. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein the open gap extends along at least three-quarters of the top edge of the visor.

4. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein at least a majority of the top edge of the visor is exposed when the left visor support and the right visor support are connecting the visor on the left side of the protective hockey helmet and the right side of the protective hockey helmet.

5. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein an entirety of the top edge of the visor is exposed when the left visor support and the right visor support are connecting the visor on the left side of the protective hockey helmet and the right side of the protective hockey helmet.

6. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein at least a majority of the top edge of the visor is substantially straight when the top edge of the visor is viewed in a longitudinal direction of the protective hockey helmet and in a transversal direction of the protective hockey helmet.

7. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein an entirety of the top edge of the visor is substantially straight when the top edge of the visor is viewed in a longitudinal direction of the protective hockey helmet and in a transversal direction of the protective hockey helmet.

8. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein the left connector of the visor and the left visor support are configured to be clipped together and the right connector of the visor and the right visor support are configured to be clipped together.

9. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein the left connector of the visor and the left visor support implement a left clip for clipping the visor on the left side of the protective hockey helmet and the right connector of the visor and the right visor support implement a right clip for clipping the visor on the right side of the protective hockey helmet.

10. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein: the left visor support comprises a visor-engaging connector toollessly connectable to and toollessly disconnectable from the left connector of the visor; the right visor support comprises a visor-engaging connector toollessly connectable to and toollessly disconnectable from the right connector of the visor; a given one of the left connector of the visor and the visor-engaging connector of the left visor support is a left male connector and the other one of the left connector of the visor and the visor-engaging connector of the left visor support is a left female connector; and a given one of the right connector of the visor and the visor-engaging connector of the right visor support is a right male connector and the other one of the right connector of the visor and the visor-engaging connector of the right visor support is a right female connector.

11. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein the left connector of the visor and the left visor support implement a left actuator manually operable by the user to disconnect them from one another when the user wants to detach the visor and the right connector of the visor and the right visor support implement a right actuator manually operable by the user to disconnect them from one another when the user wants to detach the visor.

12. The visor system of claim 11 , wherein the left connector of the visor comprises the left actuator and the right connector of the visor comprises the right actuator.

13. The visor system of claim 12 , wherein each of the left actuator and the right actuator is manually operable as a push button.

14. The visor system of claim 13 , wherein the left visor support and the right visor support are configured such that a position of the visor relative to the outer shell is adjustable.

15. The visor system of claim 14 , wherein the position of the visor relative to the outer shell is adjustable in a longitudinal direction of the protective hockey helmet.

16. The visor system of claim 1 , wherein each of the left visor support and the right visor support comprises (i) a base fastenable to the outer shell and (ii) a visor-engaging connector fastenable to the base and toollessly connectable to and toollessly disconnectable from a corresponding one of the left connector of the visor and the right connector of the visor.

17. The visor system of claim 16 , wherein the base and the visor-engaging connector are configured such that a position of the visor-engaging connector relative to the base is adjustable.

18. The visor system of claim 17 , wherein the position of the visor-engaging connector relative to the base is adjustable in a longitudinal direction of the protective hockey helmet.

19. The visor system of claim 18 , wherein the visor-engaging connector comprises a slot for receiving a fastener fastening the visor-engaging connector to the base, the slot being elongated to allow adjustment of the position of the visor-engaging connector relative to the base.

20. A protective hockey helmet comprising the visor system of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Bauer Hockey Llc

Inventors

• Krick Thierry
• Rudd David
• Desrochers Charles-Antoine

Classifications

• A42B3/221 Primary

  Attaching visors to helmet shells, e.g. on motorcycle helmets · CPC title

• A42B3/22

  Visors · CPC title