US3491374A - Headgear - Google Patents

Description

E. W. FRANGOS Jan. 27, 1970 YHEADGEAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 27, 1967 INVENTOR. EVERETT W. FRANGOS ATTORNEY-S Jan. 27, 1970 E. w. FRANGOS v 3,491,374

' HEADGEAR Filed march'z'r, 1967 Y- 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 -1NVEN TOR. EVERETT W. FRANGOS ATTOR N EY.S

United States Patent O 3,491,374 HEADGEAR Everett W. Frangos, 96 Euclid Ave., Lynn, Mass. 01904 Filed Mar. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 626,128 Int. Cl. A42c /04 US. Cl. 2171.3 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A headgear is provided to which is mounted a powerdriven propeller which may be oscillated manually or automatically back and forth over the top of the head to deliver a flow of cooling air through a foraminous helmet onto the wearer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.

Field of the invention This invention is directed generally towards improvements in power cooled headgear and more particularly is directed towards improvements in headgear having motor-driven fans for circulating air over the wearer.

Description of the prior art Numerous types of power cooled hats, helmets and other types of headgear have been provided in the past. Such headgear have utilized motor-driven fans and batteries mounted to the head piece. These motors are mounted in fixed position and drive air into or exhaust air from the interior of the helmet. While the arrangement does provide a flow of cooling air over the head of the wearer, they are relatively heavy and uncomfortable to wear and, by reason of the fixed mounting of the fan, their air flow is localized to certain portions of the head.

It is an object of the present invention to provide headgear with a power-driven fan in which the power supply is apart from the headgear and the fan is adapted to move back and forth or operate in any selected position wit-h respect to a supporting head piece so that a flow of cooling air may be distributed evenly over the head of the wearer or over any selected spot. A further object of this invention is to provide a power-cooled head piece which is light in weight and one which is useful as a novelty toy or as a practical accessory for workers or others in need of a personal fan.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention features a headgear comprising a foraminous helmet and a power-driven fan mounted to the helmet for movement over the top thereof whereby a flow of cool air may be directed onto the head of the wearer from different selected directions. The fan is driven by means of an elongated flexible drive shaft connected to a battery-motor unit which may be held in the hand or carried about in the pocket, In a modification of the invention an automatic oscillating drive mechanism is provided for continuously oscillating the fan back and forth from one side of the headgear to the other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a power cooled headgear made according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the pivotal connection of the hoop and helmet,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing a modification of the invention,

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4,

3,491,374 Patented Jan. 27, 1970 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings and particularly to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the reference character 10 generally indicates a foraminous helmet typically fabricated from a relatively stiff plastic material. A large number of perforations 12 are distributed over the entire helmet. Pivotally mounted on either side of the helmet is a hoop 14 which arches above the helmet to provide clearance. The ends of the hoop connect to the lower sides of the helmet 10 by means of pivot connections 16 to be described more fully below. Mounted to the uppermost part of the loop 14 and extending erect therefrom is a post 18 supporting a propeller 20 for rotation about the post axis. The propeller 20 is drivingly connected to an elongated flexible drive shaft 22 laid along the hoop 14 and extending clear of the helmet where it connects to a motor-battery unit 24. The motor-battery unit 24 is a generally cylindrical device of a sort known in the art and comprises a housing for conventional batteries with a small motor mounted at one end. The motor is connected to the rotary element in the flexible drive shaft 22 so that operation of the unit 24 will cause the propeller 20 to rotate. Preferably, the flexible drive shaft 22 is sufliciently long so that the unit 24 may be held in the hand or placed in the wearers pocket to provide freedom of movement for the wearer without excessive Weight on his head.

The pivot connection 16 for the loop 14 is spring loaded and is best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 where it will be seen that the connection comprises a stud 26 the head of which is received in a countersinking 28 formed in the side of the helmet 10 with the shank of the stud extending outwardly. The threaded shank extends through an annular spacer 30, the lower end of the hoop 14, a pulley 32 and into a screw-cap 34 of the outside thereof. A coil spring 36 is wound about the spacer 30 and has its inner end 38 locked to the hoop 14 and the pulley 32. A threaded bushing 42 engages the shank of the stud 26 and is formed with annular collar 44 which seats in against an annular groove and shoulder 46 formed in a counter-sinking of the pulley 32. The screw cap has its inner end slightly spaced from the end of the threaded bushing and seats against an annular shoulder 48 on the pulley. A cord 50 is wrapped about the grooved periphery of the pulley 32 and its free end hangs down beside the helment. It will be understood that by the wearer pulling on the end of the cord 50 the pulley will rotate causing the hoop 14 to move to the rearward position illustrated in dotted line in FIG. 1 and by releasing the cord the spring 36 will cause the hoop, together with propeller, to return to the forward position shown in full line in FIG. 1. When the hoop with this propeller is to Y be moved back and fourth in this fashion, the screw cap is backed off slightly to permit the hoop and pulley to rotate freely. Should it be desired to lock the hoop and propeller in any one position, it is necessary only to tighten up on the screw caps.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is illustrated a modification of the invention and in this emobidment idler spinners 52 and 54 are detachably mounted to the hoop 14. Each of the detachable spinners includes a tubular shank 56 the lower end of which is formed With a socket 58 having an internal shoulder 60 adapted to cooperate with an annular groove 3 62 formed on a stud 64 fixed to the hoop 14. The lower end of the post 56 conforms to the curve of the hoop 14' and it will be understood that the spinner assemblies may be readily snapped on or off the fixed posts 64.

The FIG. 4 embodiment also includes a detachable cover 66 for the helmet which cover is a concave piece conforming to the shape of the helmet and provided with an opening in its center by which a screw cap 68 may be connected for securing the cover 66 over the helmet. The cover 66 serves to close over a large portion of the helmet openings should the wearer desire to reduce the flow of air directly against his head. The detachable spinners provides not only a novelty feature but, by means of their location behind the power-driven propeller will rotate under the action of the air flow when the powerdriven propeller is operated. Thus with the three propellers rotating, the air flow will be more Widely distributed down over the wearer.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is illustrated another modification of the invention and in this embodiment means are provided for automatically oscillating the propeller support back and forth over the helmet. In this embodiment a propeller 26" is mounted to a spinner 18" and hoop 14" and is drivingly connected through a flexible drive shaft 22" to a motor 'battery unit 24". The fixible drive shaft 22', in addition to driving the propeller 20", also drives a worm gear 70 in mesh with a pinion gear 72 rotatably mounted to the side of the helmet 10". The hoop 14" is pivoted to the helmet by means of pivot pin 74 located above the axis of the pinion gear 72. Each end 0 the hoop is slotted at 76 and engages a pin 78 carried eccentrically on the pinion gear 72. It will be understood that as the worm 70 rotates under the action of the flexible drive shaft the pinion gear 72 will be rotated which will turn the crank pin 78 riding in the slot 76 to oscillate the hoop 14 back and forth about the axis of the pin 74 on a continuous basis.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 8, there is illustrated a further modification of the invention and in this embodiment a head band 80 is employed in place of the helmet illustrated in the principal embodiment supporting a hoop and propeller assembly of the sort shown in FIG. 1. The function of the hoop and propeller assembly is the samebeing oscillated back and forth man ually by means of a pulley or the automatic drive of FIGS. 6 and 7 may be employed.

Having thus described the invention what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Headgear, comprising (a) an open work engaging member of a size and shape to be Worn on the head,

(b) a supoprt pivotally mounted to the outer surface of said member,

(c) a propeller rotatably mounted to said support about an axis generally perpendicular to the axis of said support and movable with said support to different angular positions,

(d) an elongated flexible drive shaft drivingly connected at one end to said propeller, and

(e) a motor battery unit drivingly connected to the other end of said shaft.

2. Headgear according to claim 1 including oscillating drive means operatively connecting said support and said drive shaft for automatically oscillating said support from one position to another.

3. Headgear, comprising (a) an open-work engaging member of a size and shape to be worn on the head,

(b) an arched member pivotally connected by its ends to the outer surface and opposite sides of said head engaging member,

(0) a propeller rotatably mounted to said arched memher and movable therewith,

(d) power means drivingly connected to said propeller,

(e) a pulley mounted to said arched member at one of its pivot points,

(f) a cord wound about said pulley, and

(g) spring means normally urging said arched member in one direction with respect to said head engaging member.

References Cited UNITED STATES' PATENTS 3,043,052 7/1962 Stanzel 46243 3,238,535 3/1966 Richey 2=8 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner GEORGE H. KRIZMANECH, Assistant Examiner

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