MANDIBLE GUARD ATTACHMENT SYSTEM

• US 20140075654A1
• Filed: 07/31/2012
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Galvion Ltd. (Galvion Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Revision Military Incorporated (Revision Military)
• Inventors: McGinn, Michael James, Lebel, Stphane, Bernier, Dominic Giroux
• Granted Patent: US 9,700,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/422
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/18 Face protection devices
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/326 Helmets with movable or separable chin or jaw guard

Abstract

A contact surface, such as a seating surface on a mandible guard is adjustable such that variations in helmet geometry and/or mandible geometry can be accommodated. The mandible guard may be fixedly attached to a helmet with an attachment arm, yet be configured to permit adjustment of the height of the contact surface to reduce or eliminate a gap between the helmet and a guard portion of the mandible guard. A tilt arrangement may be provided between the attachment arm and the guard portion of the mandible guard to allow a wearer to adjust a pitch angle of the guard portion relative to the attachment arm.

Claims

1. A mandible guard for a helmet, comprising:

a guard portion;

an attachment device adapted to attach the guard portion to the helmet, the attachment device including an attachment portion and an attachment arm, the attachment portion including at least two attachment points which are configured to attach to the helmet such that in an attached position, the attachment device does not pivot; and

a first contact surface adapted to contact a second contact surface of the helmet when the mandible guard is attached to the helmet;

wherein

the first contact surface is selectively adjustable relative to at least one of the guard portion and the attachment portion between a first adjustment position where the first contact surface is spaced a first distance from the attachment portion or the guard portion and a second adjustment position where the first contact surface is spaced a second, different distance from the attachment portion or guard portion.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the guard portion is attached to the attachment arm, and the guard portion is pivotable relative to the attachment arm.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the mandible guard includes an adjustment member, the first adjustment position of the first contact surface includes the adjustment member in a first position, and the second adjustment position of the first contact surface includes the adjustment member in a second position, different from the first position.

4. The apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the adjustment member is movable up and down relative to the mandible guard.

5. The apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the first contact surface comprises an upwardly-facing surface on the adjustment member.

6. The apparatus as in claim 5, wherein the first contact surface is configured to contact a downwardly-facing contact surface of a rim of the helmet when the mandible guard is attached to the helmet.

7. The apparatus as in claim 5, wherein the adjustment member comprises a threaded screw that is movable up and down via rotation of the screw.

8. The apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the upwardly-facing contact surface is the head of the screw.

9. The apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the upwardly-facing contact surface is a cover mounted to the screw.

10. The apparatus as in claim 4, wherein the adjustment member is continuously adjustable along a range of vertical positions.

11. The apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising an angle adjustment arrangement which permits adjustments to the pitch angle of the mandible guard relative to the helmet, wherein adjustments to the pitch angle with the angle adjustment arrangement do not affect the distance of the first contact surface from the second contact surface when the mandible guard is attached to the helmet.

12. The apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising a helmet.

13. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein when the first contact surface is in the first adjustment position, the first contact portion is out of contact with the second contact surface of the helmet, and when the first contact surface is in the second adjustment position, the first contact portion is in contact with the second contact surface of the helmet.

14. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the second contact surface is a rim of the helmet.

15. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the rim of the helmet includes a protective cover in a contact area where the first contact surface contacts the rim.

16. The apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the adjustment member is positioned on a first lateral side of the helmet, and further comprising a second adjustment member that is positioned on a second lateral side of the helmet, wherein the second adjustment member is adjustable to move a third contact surface such that the third contact surface is spaced a third distance from the attachment portion and is out of contact with a fourth contact surface of the helmet when the mandible guard is attached to the helmet and the second adjustment member is in a third position, and the third contact surface is spaced a fourth distance, different from the third distance, from the attachment portion and is in contact with the fourth contact surface of the helmet when the mandible guard is attached to the helmet and the adjustment member is in a fourth position.

17. A method of adjusting a position of a mandible guard relative to a helmet, comprising:

fixedly attaching a mandible guard to a helmet with an attachment device that includes an attachment portion such that the attachment portion does not pivot relative to the helmet; and

adjusting the position of a first contact surface of the mandible guard from a first adjustment position to a second adjustment position, the first contact surface being adapted to contact a second contact surface of the helmet, wherein in the first adjustment position the first contact surface is spaced a first distance from the attachment portion or the guard portion, and in the second adjustment position the first contact surface is spaced a second, different distance from the attachment portion or the guard portion.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the mandible guard is tiltable relative to the attachment device, and adjusting the position of the first contact surface of the mandible guard from the first adjustment position to the second adjustment position does not change the tilt of the mandible guard relative to the attachment device.

19. The method as in claim 17, adjusting the position of a first contact surface of the mandible guard comprises adjusting the height of an adjustment member relative to the mandible guard from a first position to a second position.

20. The method as in claim 19, further comprising:

removing the mandible guard from the helmet prior to adjusting the height of the adjustment member from the first position to the second position; and

attaching the mandible guard to the helmet after adjusting the height of the adjustment member from the first position to the second position, wherein the first contact surface contacts the second contact surface.

21. The method as in claim 20, wherein the adjustment member comprises a screw, and adjusting the height of the adjustment member comprises rotating the screw.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a helmet;

a mounting portion on the helmet to mount a mandible guard to the helmet, the mounting portion having at least two mounting points which are configured to receive an attachment device of the mandible guard such that in an attached position, the attachment device does not pivot relative to the helmet;

the helmet having a contact surface adapted to contact a corresponding contact surface on the mandible guard when the mandible guard is mounted to the helmet;

wherein

the contact surface is selectively adjustable relative to the helmet between a first adjustment position where the contact surface is spaced a first distance from the helmet and a second adjustment position where the contact surface is spaced a second, different distance from the helmet.

23. The apparatus as in claim 22, further including an adjustment member attached to the helmet, wherein the first contact surface configuration includes the adjustment member in a first position, and the second contact surface configuration includes the adjustment member in a second position.

24. The apparatus as in claim 22, further comprising a mandible guard having a guard portion and an attachment device.

25. The apparatus as in claim 22, wherein the adjustment member is movable up and down relative to the helmet.

26. The apparatus as in claim 25, wherein the adjustment member comprises a threaded screw that is movable up and down via rotation of the screw.

27. The apparatus as in claim 25, wherein the adjustment member is continuously adjustable along a range of vertical positions.

28. The apparatus as in claim 24, further comprising an tilt adjustment arrangement which permits adjustments to the pitch angle of the guard portion relative to the attachment device, wherein adjustments to the pitch angle with the angle adjustment arrangement do not affect the distance of the first contact surface from the second contact surface when the mandible guard is attached to the helmet.

29. The apparatus as in claim 22, wherein the helmet contact surface is a rim of the helmet.

30. The apparatus as in claim 22, wherein the adjustment member is positioned on a first lateral side of the helmet, and further comprising:

a second adjustment member positioned on an opposed lateral side of the helmet; and

a second mounting portion on the opposed lateral side of the helmet to mount the mandible guard on the helmet;

wherein

the helmet has a second contact surface to contact a corresponding second contact surface on the mandible guard when the mandible guard is mounted to the helmet; and

the second adjustment member is attached to the helmet to adjust a distance between the second mounting portion and the contact surface of the helmet;

the second adjustment member is adjustable between a first position where a second helmet contact surface does not contact a corresponding second contact surface of the mandible, and a second position where the second helmet contact surface is in contact with the corresponding second contact surface of the mandible; and

the adjustment member is configured such that a pitch angle of the mandible relative to the helmet is the same for both the first and second positions of the second adjustable member.

31. A mandible guard for a helmet, comprising:

a guard portion;

an attachment device adapted to attach the guard portion to the helmet, the attachment device including an attachment portion and an attachment arm;

a first contact surface adapted to contact a second contact surface of the helmet when the mandible guard is attached to the helmet;

wherein

the first contact surface is selectively adjustable relative to at least one of the guard portion and the attachment portion between a first adjustment position where the first contact surface is spaced a first distance from the attachment portion or the guard portion and a second adjustment position where the first contact surface is spaced a second, different distance from the attachment portion or guard portion; and

the guard portion is pivotably connected to the attachment arm.

32. The mandible guard as in claim 31, wherein the attachment portion includes at least two attachment points which are configured to attach to the helmet such that in an attached position, the attachment device does not pivot relative to the helmet.

33. The mandible guard as in claim 32, wherein the mandible guard includes an adjustment member, the first adjustment position of the first contact surface includes the adjustment member in a first position, and the second adjustment position of the first contact surface includes the adjustment member in a second position, different from the first position.

34. The mandible guard as in claim 33, further comprising a helmet.