US3897597A

US3897597A - Face and head protector

Info

Publication number: US3897597A
Application number: US376453A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dale R Kasper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Cooper Canada Ltd
Priority date: 1972-05-31
Filing date: 1973-07-05
Publication date: 1975-08-05
Anticipated expiration: 1992-08-05

Abstract

A protective apparatus particularly adapted to be worn by persons engaging in physical activities such as ice hockey which present a risk of injury to the head and face, having a helmet portion generally covering the top, sides and back of the head of the wearer, and a transparent face protector portion formed of a solid, non-breakable sheet of material generally encircling the face and side regions of the wearer''s head and fixedly attached to the helmet portion by a plurality of holding means disposed in its opposite sides, to form an integral face and head protector. A face protector portion formed as above and attached by a plurality of holding means disposed in its opposite sides to the opposite side sections of a conventional helmet having top, back, forehead and side protective sections. A face protector portion having ventilating means to allow continuous circulation of air. A face protector portion having mouth and chin guard means disposed near its bottom edge. A helmet portion having air circulation means aligned with longitudinally disposed padding means to reduce heat build-up about the wearer''s head.

Description

[4 Aug. 5, 1975 1 FACE AND HEAD PROTECTOR [76] Inventor: Dale R. Kasper, 7 N. 357 Sycamore,

Medinah, [I]. 60157 [22} Filed: July 5, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 376,453

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 258,418, May 31,

1972, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 2/9 [51] Int. Cl. A411) 13/00 [58] Field of Search 2/9, 3 R, 6, 8, 173, 14 N. 2/14 W, 14 K [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,637,692 8/1927 Fitzpatrick et a1 2/3 X 2,525,389 10/1950 Zeller 2/9 2,611,897 9/1952 Adams..... 2/9 2,890,457 6/1959 Marietta 2/) 3,015,987 1/1962 Harrison 2/14 N 3,373,443 3/1968 Marietta 2/9 3,423,758 1/1969 Heacox 2/3 R 3,496,854 2/1970 Feldman et al. 2/3 R 3,665,514 5/1972 Durand 2/3 R 3,691,565 9/1972 Galonek.... 2/14 N X 3,818,510 6/1974 Romann 2/9 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 930,735 7/1963 United Kingdom 2/14 N Primary Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder Assislan! E.\'aminerPeter Nerbun Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobert E. Wagner; Robert E. Browne 1 1 ABSTRACT A protective apparatus particularly adapted to be worn by persons engaging in physical activities such as ice hockey which present a risk of injury to the head and face, having a helmet portion generally covering the top, sides and back of the head of the wearer, and a transparent face protector portion formed of a solid, non-breakable sheet of material generally encircling the face and side regions of the wearers head and fixedly attached to the helmet portion by a plurality of holding means disposed in its opposite sides, to form an integral face and head protector. A face protector portion formed as above and attached by a plurality of holding means disposed in its opposite sides to the op posite side sections of a conventional helmet having top, back, forehead and side protective sections. A face protector portion having ventilating means to allow continuous circulation of air. A face protector portion having mouth and chin guard means disposed near its bottom edge. A helmet portion having air circulation means aligned with longitudinally disposed padding means to reduce heat build-up about the wearer's head.

8 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEU AUG 19 5 SHEET PATENTEU AUG 5 3 8 97, 59 7 SHEET 2 1 FACE AND HEAD PROTECTOR This application is a continuation-in-part of US. Ser. No. 258,418, filed May 31, 1972 (now abandoned) by Dale R. Kasper, entitled FACE AND HEAD PRO- TECTOR" which is entirely incorporated herein by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a head and face protective apparatus particularly adapted to be worn in activities presenting a substantial risk of injury to these regions of the wearers body.

Various types of protective headgear have been designed for use in activities such as contact sports and industrial work which present inherent physical dangers, particularly to the face of persons engaged in these activities. Among these prior apparatus are nose and mouth guards usually attached to a conventional hockey-type helmet generally covering the top, back, forehead and upper side regions of the wearers head. Such mouth guards have been formed of high-impact opaque plastics, and are usually held immediately adjacent to the wearer's face by the helmet or by a harness arrangement.

Another type of headgear resembles the familiar baseball catchers mask and features a flush-fitting contour padded portion supporting a grid of heavy gauge wire or high-impact plastic bars forming a screen arrangement across the vunerable eye and nose portion of the face.

Still another type of protector is the flush-fitting contour goalies" mask of high-impact opaque plastic which completely covers the face except for eye, nose and mouth slits and is attached to the head by a harness of buckles and belts.

Finally, there have been attempts to reduce the vision problems of the above devices by forming the mask portion of a clear or transparent plastic. Such attempts are shown by US. Pat. No. 3,189,918 to W. R. Hiatt et al., and US. Pat. No. 2,965,902 to D. G. Louch. Hiatt teaches a transparent visor designed to protect against wind, rain and sun, which is snap fastened to the forehead portion of a motor-cycle type helmet and is pivotal upwardly with respect thereto. Louch teaches an adjustable protective headgear including a transparent shield which is adjusted and held in position by a series of straps and braces fitted tightly over the head, a chin rest placed immediately adjacent the chin of the wearer and a neck strap extending around the neck. A small nose and mouth opening is provided to enable the wearer to breathe properly.

Despite their variety, all of the presently available protectors have one or more serious disadvantages which have severely limited their effectiveness, commercial success and public acceptance.

A major disadvantage with high-impact opaque plastic contour masks is that they seriously obstruct vision in fast moving sports such as hockey where good vision is an absolute requirement. A further disadvantage is that both the opaque plastic, clear plastic and grid-type face protectors are often attached to the wearers head by straps, braces and buckles as shown in Louch. Such arrangements tend to become tangled and twisted when taken off preventing quick and easy manipulation so that the mask may be donned in a hurry. These harness arrangements also tend to slip out of position and stretch with wear and contact. thereby failing to maintain the mask in proper protective position and obstructing vision.

Not only does Louch require a complex series of straps and braces to hold it in position, but the sides and rear of the head are not adequately protected from impact. Moreover, the use of only a single holding means on each side of the head does not provide sufficiently rigid support to maintain the mask in a protective position under severe impact.

Another major disadvantage, particularly with the type of protectors shown by Hiatt and Louch and the contour masks, is the discomfort which is attendant with wearing them. Such masks become hot and extremely uncomfortable due to the great exertion usually required of the wearer. Breathing may become difficult and fogging normally occurs, reducing visibility. As can be seen, Louch must provide a passageway for proper breathing, but neither Louch or Hiatt provides for free circulation of air through the mask about the eye, nose and mouth regions.

Leading manufacturers of protective masks have found that, in their experience, the user generally discards the mask after a short time because of the heat build-up, the fogging causing reduced vision and the embarrassing, conspicuous appearance of the mask. It has also been found, unfortunately, that hockey players who had face protectors attached to conventional hockey helmets have been able to easily remove and discard the mask and still use the helmet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a face and head protective apparatus particularly adapted for use in activi ties, such as ice hockey, which present a risk of injury to the face and head of the participant and which may be worn without discomfort and without obstructing or distorting vision. This face and head protective apparatus overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by a solid transparent face protector portion formed of a sheet of non-breakable material, having a front protective area and side protective areas disposed on opposite sides of the wearers head, which is fixedly attached by a plurality of holding means disposed in its opposite side protective areas to a helmet portion having a top protective section generally covering the top of the wearers head, side protective sections covering desired areas of the sides of the wearers head, and a rear protective section generally covering the back of the wearers head. The face protector portion and the helmet protector portion are designed to integrally form the head and face protective apparatus of this invention. An adjustable chin strap is joined to the face protector portion to be placed under the chin of the wearer and adjusted to bring the helmet portion in close fit with the wearers head.

When this protective apparatus is closely fitted to the wearer's head, the front and side protective areas of the face protector portion extend downwardly from a point slightly below the edge of the top of the helmet to a point below the nose of the wearer thereby protecting the eyes, nose and cheekbones from possible injury. In a modified embodiment, particularly suited for use by hockey goalies, a mouth and chin guard extends downwardly and inwardly from the face protector portion to protect these areas of the face from upward blows.

In other modified forms of the invention, the face protector portion is fixedly attached at its opposite sides to the side protecting section or side band of a conventional hockey helmet by a plurality of holding means. In this embodiment, areas of the face protector and the forehead and side headbands of the hockey helmet will overlap and the chin strap will be attached to the helmet.

In all embodiments, the face protector portion is comfortably spaced a short distance from the eyes, nose and sides of the wearer's head to allow complete comfort in wearing the apparatus. The face protector portion may have a number of ventilation openings formed in it to provide for free circulation of air to prevent heat build-up and fogging or may achieve such ventilation by spacer ribs formed integrally with the face protector or the helmet.

The structure of the present invention also provides several other advantages over the prior art. For example, the transparent material used in this mask, unlike several prior protectors, is optically clear and allows free and unobstructed vision by the wearer and, therefore, does not inhibit or reduce the quality of his play. The transparent face protector portion is also securely fixed to the helmet portion by more than one holding means at opposite sides of the helmet, providing great stability, constant protection and proper adjustment despite severe impacts.

This invention also eliminates the complex series of straps often used to attach and position a protector or headgear thereby reducing possible misadjustment or loss of the mask during play and eliminating tangling.

Finally, this invention is designed so that either with the face protector formed integrally with the helmet portion or attached to an existing helmet the protective apparatus is not conspicuous and embarrassing. This encourages hockey players, especially young persons, to continue wearing such an apparatus.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a face and head protective apparatus providing maximum protection and safety while allowing great comfort and convenience to the wearer.

It is another object of this invention to provide an integrally formed face and head protective apparatus offering protection to face and head of the wearer.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a face and head protective apparatus which does not distort or obstruct the vision of the wearer.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a face and head protective apparatus having ventilating means to permit free circulation of air and prevent heat build-up and fogging.

It is one more object of this invention to provide a face and head protective apparatus which may be securely and quickly fitted to the head of the wearer in a protective position without the necessity of constant adjustment.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a face protector which may be rigidly attached to a conventional hockey or athletic helmet to comfortably encircle and protect the face and cheek areas from injury.

These and other important objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings illustrating preferred embodiments wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the face and head protective apparatus of this invention in which the helmet and face protector portions form an integral unit;

FIG. 2 is a slightly enlarged front elevational view of the face and head protective apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the face and head protective apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view showing a modification of the face and head protective apparatus of FIG. 1 in which the face protector portion is attached to a conventional hockey helmet;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of the face protector portion of the face and head protective apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the face protector portion of the face and head protective apparatus shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another modified form of the face protector portion of the face and head protective apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the face protector portion of the face and head protective apparatus shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a modified version of the face and head protective apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the face and head protective apparatus shown in FIG. 9; and,

FIG. II is a front elevational view of the face and head protective apparatus shown in FIG. 8 having a portion cutaway to show the interior.

Referring now to the drawings, and, more particularly to FIG. I, the face and head protective apparatus of this invention is shown generally at 10. In this embodiment, a face protector portion 26 is integrally formed with the helmet portion 12 and firmly attached thereto in such a manner that the face protector portion 26 cannot be removed and discarded without destroying the usefulness of the helmet portion 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the integrally formed protector 10 has a helmet portion 12, which includes a top section 14, and a rear section I6. The top section 14 generally covers the top of the head of the wearer and the rear section 16 generally covers the back of the wearers head. Helmet portion 12 also includes downwardly extending side sections 18 disposed on opposite sides of the top 14 of the helmet l2 and forwardly extending side sections 20 disposed on opposite sides of the rear section 16 of the helmet portion 12. Both the downwardly extending and forwardly extending

side sections

18 and 20, have a number of openings formed in them, as shown in FIG. 3, for receiving holding means such as 32 for attaching the face protector portion 26 to the helmet portion 12, as will be explained below.

The face protector portion 26 is preferably formed of a single sheet of transparent, non-breakable material which is resistant to high impact and extreme temperatures and which can be bent or molded to generally encircle the face of the wearer when it is attached to the helmet portion 12. In such a configuration, the face protector portion 26 defines a front protective area 28, which generally covers the face of the wearer, and opposite side protective areas 30, which generally cover the cheek bones and side regions of the wearers head. While the drawings show a portion of the side protective areas 30 cut out around the ears of the wearer to aid hearing, the ears may remain comfortably covered if maximum protection is desired.

In the embodiment of the face and head protective apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-3, the front protective area 28 of the face protector portion 26 includes a forehead region 36 which generally covers the area of the wearers head above and including the forehead from a point slightly below the forward or leading edge of the top section 14 of helmet portion 12. This forehead region 36 is underlaid by a band of foam padding 38 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, which extends along the top edge or boundary of the entire face protector portion 26 to include the side protective areas 30. This foam padding 38 provides a closer fit, additional comfort and added shock absorbancy.

The front protective area 28 of the helmet portion 26 extends from the upper forehead region 36 to a point below the nose of the wearer. It is preferred that the front protective area 28 extend downwardly at a forwardly extending angle as shown in FIG. 3. This slight angle provides a comfortable space between the face of the wearer and the inside surface of the face protector portion 26 while still maintaining maximum protection.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1-3, the side protective areas 30 completely protect the side regions of the wearers head, yet allow air space between the head and their inside surfaces to reduce heat build-up and increase comfort. It is clear that the face protector portion 26 could be extended downwardly to cover the mouth or chin of the wearer to also protect these areas.

The face protector portion 26 is attached to the helmet portion 12 by holding means 32 such as bolts or screws. These holding means 32 are disposed through forward and rearward portions of each side protective area 30, received into a particular opening 22 in each of

sections

18 and 20 and secured thereto so that face protector portion 26 is held by forward and rearward holding means 32 on each side. The size of the protective apparatus 10 can be varied by inserting the holding means 32 into different openings 22 disposed in various columns and/or rows of the openings 22 shown in FIG. 3 to move face protector portion 26 relative to helmet portion 12. This variability of attachment allows the face and head protective apparatus 10 to be sized in the same way as conventional helmets.

The face and head protective apparatus preferably has ventilating means formed near the top of the face portion 26 to allow air circulation between the face portion 26 and the wearers face. Such ventilating means may take many forms, as shown in the drawings. For example, a series of ventilating openings 34 may be formed in the front protective area 28 of face portion 26, as shown in FIGS. 1-3. These openings may be located near the forehead region of the helmet 36 to permit free circulation of air across the face of the wearer to prevent heat build-up and eliminate fogging of the face portion 26. FIGS. 5-8 illustrate alternative forms of ventilating means integrally formed in face protector portion 26. In FIG. 5, a lip 60 is formed along the top edge of face portion 26 and extends inwardly toward the front of helmet 14. A number of ventilating openings 62, similar to those above, are formed in this lip which also aids in maintaining a proper spaced relationship between face protector portion 26 and the face of the wearer. In FIGS. 6-8, a series of downwardly extending or longitudinal ribs 64 are formed about the interior surface of face protector portion 26. Such ribs 64 are of sufficient height to space face protector portion 26 away from the front of helmet 14 thereby forming a number of ventilating passageways 66 between them for air circulation and maintaining face protector portion 26 spaced from the face of the wearer. Suitable ventilating means may also be formed integrally with the helmet portion as shown in FIGS. 9-11 where longitudinal spacers 76 are formed about the front of helmet 72 to provide ventilating passageways 78 between them.

While optimum dimensions of such ventilating openings or passageways will, of course, vary with the age, size, exertion and other physical characteristics of the wearer, and the ambient temperature and humidity. it has been found that openings such as 34 of approximately as by inch serve quite well in most cases to eliminate fogging and reduce heat.

It can be appreciated from the front view shown in FIG. 2 that the front protective area 28 of the face protector portion 26 offers an optically clear, unobstructed and undistorted view to the wearer which allows him to participate in an activity without impeding his vision or creating a psychological handicap. The front protective area 28 of the face protector portion 26 is also extremely broad, presenting a large, continuous, relatively flat viewing surface which will not obstruct or distort the vision of the wearer through it.

In the embodiment of this invention shown in FIGS. 1-3, the entire head and face protective apparatus 10 is maintained on the wearers head by a chin strap means 39, which is adjustable to bring the top 14 and rear 16 of helmet portion 12 into close-fit engagement with the top and back of the wearers head. This close fit will also position the face protector portion 26 in a correct attitude with respect to the face and side of the head of the wearer to provide maximum protection. The strap means 39 is fixedly attached by holding means or bolts 37 to the side protective areas 30 of the face protector portion 26.

FIG. 4 illustrates generally at 40 a modified version of the head and face protector of this invention using a transparent face protective shield 50 which is essentially the same as the face protector portion 26 shown in FIGS. 1-3, but is attached to a conventional helmet, such as an ice hockey helmet 41. This conventional helmet 41 also has a top section 14 and a rear section 16 to protect the top and back regions of the wearer's head, respectively. Helmet 41, however, usually includes a forehead band or section 42, extending around the sides of the wearers head to form a side section or protective band 44, which joins with the rear 16 of the helmet 41 to form a post ear covering area 46. Since the size of helmet 41 has already been selected, the face protective shield 50 is simply attached, on opposite sides, by holding means 32 to the side sections 44 and ear covering areas 46 of the helmet so that it will be properly positioned with respect to the face of the wearer.

The face shield 50 should be positioned with respect to the helmet 41 so that a slight distance is maintained between the outside surface of the forehead section 42 of the helmet and the inside surface of the face shield 50. This positioning allows the openings 34 to provide free circulation of air around the face of the wearer. The strap means 39 in this embodiment is attached directly to the helmet 41, as shown in dotted lines. The

face shield 50 should be attached to the helmet 12 by holding means 32 which can only be removed with proper tools so that the wearer. particularly the young hockey player, will not be able to readily remove and discard the face portion 26.

in FIGS. 9-11, a modified version of the face and head protective apparatus of this invention is shown which is particularly adapted for use in protecting the chin and mouth area of the hockey player and would be suitable for use by goalies or individuals having extensive facial injuries which must be protected. This embodiment, like that shown in FIGS. 1-3 is designed so that the helmet portion 72 and face protector portion 74 are formed as an integral unit or face protective apparatus. In this embodiment, the helmet 72 contains several novel features which protect various areas of the wearer's head from injury, but which allow continuous circulation of air about the face and head of the wearer to reduce heat build-up and eliminate fogging. As in the above-described embodiments, the helmet portion 72 includes a top 80, a rear section 81 and side protective sections 82, generally covering the top, rear and sides of the wearers head, respectively. It might be noted, however, that in this version of the helmet, the coverage of these areas is more extensive because it is designed to more fully protect the wearer from any possible injury or reinjury. The rear of the helmet 81 is extended downwardly and slightly outwardly over the neck of the wearer toward the top of the spine to more fully protect this area from injury. This neck protecting section 84 preferably has padding lining its interior to aid in absorbing any impacts exerted on its outside surface.

The front section of the helmet 72 has a series of ribs or spacers 76 having the appearance of knuckles which are formed in a generally longitudinal direction and spaced about its front surface. These knuckles or spac ers 76 not only act to space the face protector portion 74 from the face of the wearer and hold it in proper relationship thereto, but also allow the passage of air through passageways 78 which they form, to eliminate fogging and reduce heat build-up in the facial region.

Helmet 72 also has a unique air circulation means constructed generally over its top and side areas and cooperating with a padding and spacing means in its interior which acts to reduce heat build-up over the entire head region of the wearer. While it is known to line helmets with padding to provide close fit and greater comfort, the present invention provides a series of par allel padding strips which extend longitudinally front to back over the head of the wearer and are fastened by gluing or other means to the interior surface of the he]- met whereby they come into contact with the wearers head. These strips 86, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, form air channels 88 between them. Openings 90 are then cut into the top and side surfaces of the helmet in positions corresponding to these air channels 88. In order to force air into these openings and through the channels, however, an upwardly extending hood or louver 92 is formed integrally with the exterior of the helmet when it is molded, facing forward so that when the wearer moves forward, air will be forced by the louver 92 through the opening 90 into the air channels 88 where it will be directed over and around the wearers head to reduce heat build-up in a simple, yet extremely efficient manner.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-11 also has a unique mouth and chin guard 94 to assure protection of the mouth and chin regions of the wearer. This mouth and chin guard 94 may be formed integrally with face protector portion 74, or separately as a grill or mesh-type construction as shown in FIGS. 9-11 and attached by fastening means 96 such as bolts or adhesives along the lower edge of face protector portion 74. This mouth and chin guard 94 extends inwardly and downwardly toward the chin of the wearer. When the helmet is correctly positioned, the lower edge of the mouth and chin guard 94 will rest on the chin of the wearer so that the face protective apparatus will be held stable. This is accomplished, for wearers of various head sizes and physical characteristics, by varying the thickness of a padding insert 98, which is placed between the lower interior edge of the mouth and chin guard 94 and the chin of the wearer. Thus, it is possible to adjust the fit of the chin guard properly. These padding inserts may be manufactured from foam type reinforced padding similar to the padding in the helmet, and attached to the interior surface of the chin guard means by corresponding snaps positioned on the padding and the chin guard, respectively, so that they snap together, or by sewing the padding to the chin guard by looped sewing.

The protective apparatus shown in FIGS. 9-ll is brought into close-fit engagement with the wearers head by means of a conventional chin strap 100 as previously described.

To further improve protection in this embodiment, the ears of the wearer may be covered, as shown, except for openings to allow for proper hearing.

Another slight difference between the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-11 and those previously described is that the face protector portion 74 is not continued backwardly and downwardly around the ears of the wearer, since the helmet protective area is much more extensive than those in the previous embodiments. in such a case, the lower set of sizing openings 22, as shown in FIG. 3, may be moved upwardly into a line generally corresponding to the upper set of openings 22 as shown in FIG. 3 to reduce the area of the face protector portion.

The helmet portion may be formed from any suitable plastic or synthetic material which is impact and temperature resistant, such as polyethylene or molded fiberglass. The helmet may be lined with a foam reinforced padding, as described above, to provide close fit and greater comfort.

The face protector portion or shield may be formed of a polycarbonate or plastic material, such as that sold under the trademark Lexan, which is resistant to high impact and extremes in temperature, but may be formed or easily molded in one piece to encircle the face and is transparent to allow clear, unobstructed and undistorted vision through it.

The holding means could be any suitable means which will act to fixedly attach the face protector portion to the helmet portion despite stresses, such as bolts or adhesives, like epoxy resins.

While this invention has been described in relation to several possible embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the structural details are capable of wide variation without departing from the principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a protective apparatus particularly adapted to be worn by persons engaging in activities, such as hockey, presenting dangers of physical injury to the head and face to protect these areas, including a helmet portion, said helmet portion having a top protective section, generally covering the top of the wearers head, a rear protective section, generally covering the back of the wearer's head. and side protective sections, generally covering the sides of the wearers head, the improvement including a transparent face protector portion forming an integral part of said protective apparatus and formed of a single sheet of non-breakable material in a generally U-shaped configuration having a generally continuous optically clear front protective area generally covering the face of the wearer and side protective areas disposed on opposite sides of the wearers head to generally cover the opposite sides of the wearers head, said front protective area extending downwardly from a forward edge of said helmet portion to generally cover the face, including at least the eyes and nose of the wearer, said face protector portion being fixedly attached to said helmet portion by a plurality of holding means disposed in the opposite side protective areas of said face protector portion in various selective positions relative to said helmet portion, as desired, said side protective areas encircling the cheeks and generally covering the side regions of the wearers head to protect these regions, said face protector portion having ventilating means, to allow air to circulate between said face protective portion and the face of the wearer and prevent fogging and heat buildup, and strap means attached to said protective apparatus, said strap means being adjustable to bring said helmet portion of said protective apparatus in close fit relationship with the top and back with the head of the wearer and to position said face protector portion comfortably over the face and cheeks of the wearer to prevent injury thereto.

2. The protective apparatus of claim 1 wherein said helmet portion includes downwardly extending sections disposed on opposite sides of said top section thereof and forwardly extending sections disposed on opposite sides of said rear section thereof, each of said downwardly extending and forwardly extending sec tions having a plurality of openings formed therein, each of said openings formed to receive said holding means therethrough to allow the face protector portion of said protective apparatus to be located and mounted as desired with respect to said helmet portion.

3. The protective apparatus of claim 1 wherein said side protective sections of said helmet portion and said side protective areas of said face protective portion have a plurality of generally corresponding openings formed in each to allow said face protector portion to be positioned relative to said helmet portion according to the size of the wearers head by insertion of said holding means through selected ones of said corresponding openings in said face protector portion and said helmet portion to mount said face protector portion on said helmet portion as desired.

4. The protective apparatus of claim 1 wherein said face protector portion has a plurality of ventilating means formed therein to allow free circulation of air between said face protector portion and the face and head of the wearer and thereby prevent fogging of the face protector portion, reduce heat buildup, and provide proper air supply to the wearer.

S. The protective apparatus of claim 4 wherein said ventilating means includes openings formed in an inwardly extending lip disposed along the upper front edge of said face protector portion.

6. The protective apparatus of claim 4 wherein said ventilating means include a series of ribs integrally formed with said face protector portion and longitudi nally disposed on the inside surface thereof to be brought into contact with said helmet portion, said ribs forming passageways between said face protector portion and said helmet portion to allow air to flow therebetween.

7. The protective apparatus of claim 1 wherein said face protector portion is maintained in comfortable, spaced relationship from the face and cheeks of the wearer by a plurality of spacer means integrally formed on said helmet portion and disposed between an upper portion of said face protector portion and said helmet portion, said spacer means being spaced about the front of said helmet portion such that air may freely flow between said face protector portion and said helmet portion and circulate between said face protector portion and the face and head of the wearer to eliminate fogging and reduce heat buildup.

8. The protective apparatus of claim 1 including a chin and mouth guard means formed of high-impact, non-breakable material which is joined to said face protector portion near a lower edge thereof and extends downwardly and inwardly from said lower edge toward the chin of the wearer, said chin and mouth guard means having removable padding means mounted thereon and along a lower edge thereof to contact the chin of said wearer to absorb the impact of forces directed toward the chin and mouth, said chin and mouth guard encircling and protecting the mouth and chin of the wearer.

I l k

Claims

1. In a protective apparatus particularly adapted to be worn by persons engaging in activities, such as hockey, presenting dangers of physical injury to the head and face to protect these areas, including a helmet portion, said helmet portion having a top protective section, generally covering the top of the wearer''s head, a rear protective section, generally covering the back of the wearer''s head, and side protective sections, generally covering the sides of the wearer''s head, the improvement including a transparent face protector portion forming an integral part of said protective apparatus and formed of a single sheet of non-breakable material in a generally Ushaped configuration having a generally continuous optically clear front protective area generally covering the face of the wearer and side protective areas disposed on opposite sides of the wearer''s head to generally cover the opposite sides of the wearer''s head, said front protective area extending downwardly from a forward edge of said helmet portion to generally cover the face, including at least the eyes and nose of the wearer, said face protector portion being fixedly attached to said helmet portion by a plurality of holding means disposed in the opposite side protective areas of said face protector portion in various selective positions relative to said helmet portion, as desired, said side protective areas encircling the cheeks and generally covering the side regions of the wearer''s head to protect these regions, said face protector portion having ventilating means, to allow air to circulate between said face protective portion and the face of the wearer and prevent fogging and heat buildup, and strap means attached to said protective apparatus, said strap means being adjustable to bring said helmet portion of said protective apparatus in close fit relationship with the top and back with the head of the wearer and to position said face protector portion comfortably over the face and cheeks of the wearer to prevent injury thereto.

2. The protective apparatus of claim 1 wherein said helmet portion includes downwardly extending sections disposed on opposite sides of said top section thereof and forwardly extending sections disposed on opposite sides of said rear section thereof, each of said downwardly extending and forwardly extending sections having a plurality of openings formed therein, each of said openings formed to receive said holding means therethrough to allow the face protector portion of said protective apparatus to be located and mounted as desired with respect to said helmet portion.

3. The protective apparatus of claim 1 wherein said side protective sections of said helmet portion and said side protective areas of said face protective portiOn have a plurality of generally corresponding openings formed in each to allow said face protector portion to be positioned relative to said helmet portion according to the size of the wearer''s head by insertion of said holding means through selected ones of said corresponding openings in said face protector portion and said helmet portion to mount said face protector portion on said helmet portion as desired.

5. The protective apparatus of claim 4 wherein said ventilating means includes openings formed in an inwardly extending lip disposed along the upper front edge of said face protector portion.

6. The protective apparatus of claim 4 wherein said ventilating means include a series of ribs integrally formed with said face protector portion and longitudinally disposed on the inside surface thereof to be brought into contact with said helmet portion, said ribs forming passageways between said face protector portion and said helmet portion to allow air to flow therebetween.