PROTECTIVE GARMENT

• US 3,688,314 A
• Filed: 12/10/1969
• Issued: 09/05/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rodney S. Hill
• Original Assignee: Rodney S. Hill
• Inventors: Rodney, S. Hill
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan Franklin
• Assistant Examiner(s): George H. Krizmanich
• Application Number:
  US04/883,962
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 2/2,2.1R,2.1A,3,4,6,10 128/142.7,142.5
• US Class Current: 2/457
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/04 Gas helmets

Abstract

A protective environmental suit and helmet device having retaining means in the lower portion of the helmet and sealing means in the margin of a distensible neck portion of the suit adapted to engage over the retaining means on the helmet to provide a quick sealing of the suit to the helmet to protect the wearer from a hostile environment.

Claims

1. In a garment for protecting its wearer from the effects of a hostile environment, a body covering garment, said garment having a distensible sealing neck collar having an edge opening adapted to extend over and tightly engage a sealing edge of a protective helmet to form a seal between said neck collar and said edge, said neck collar having greater stretchability along said edge opening then below it;

a first retaining means positioned in said neck collar adapted to releasably attached a portion of it to an edge of such helmet along an off-face portion thereof; and

a second retaining means positioned in said neck collar adapted to releasably attach a portion of it to an edge of such helmet along the face covering portion thereof whereby said neck collar along its face covering portion can be dropped out of sealed engagement with such helmet.

2. The garment of claim 1 in which said distensible sealing neck collar is formed from rubber.

3. The garment of claim 1 in which said distensible sealing neck collar is formed from an impervious fabric.

4. The garment of claim 1 in which said distensible sealing neck collar has at least one elastic insert positioned in the margin of said neck collar to provide said distensibility.

5. The garment of claim 4 in which said elastic insert is gore-shaped with the pointed part of the gore in the neck collar.

6. The garment of claim 5 in which a gore is positioned on each sidE of said neck collar.

7. The garment of claim 1 in which said first and second retaining means are projections positioned in a portion of the inner surface of said neck collar adapted to engage outwardly extending mating ledges positioned in an outer surface of a lower portion of a helmet.

8. The garment of claim 1 in which said neck collar in the area of said first retaining means has fastening means adapted to engage mating fastening means on an off-face portion of a helmet to maintain that portion of said neck collar in releasable fixed engagement with such helmet.

9. The garment of claim 8 in which said fastening means on said neck collar are snap fasteners.

10. The garment of claim 8 in which the fastening means in said neck collar portion are spaced so that said neck collar along the face covering portion is distensible to make sealing contact with an edge of said helmet when the fastening means are in fastened engagement.

11. The garment of claim 8 in which said neck collar has releasable holding means thereon for securing to an off-face portion of a helmet a portion of said neck collar that sealingly engages such helmet along the face covering portion thereof.

12. The garment of claim 11 in which said holding means are straps attached to the outer periphery of the margin of said neck collar.

13. The garment of claim 12 in which said straps include snap fasteners.

14. The garment of claim 1 in which said neck collar having therein said first retaining means is substantially horizontal and said neck collar having said second retaining means therein is adapted to be angled downwardly therefrom.

15. The garment of claim 1 in which said body covering garment has ventilation means therein for sustaining the wearer in a hostile environment when said neck collar is in sealing engagement with an edge of a helmet.

16. A suit for protecting its wearer from the effects of a hostile environment, comprising:

a body covering garment having a protective helmet sealingly engaged therewith, said garment having a distensible sealing neck collar extending over and tightly engaging a sealing edge of said protective helmet, said neck collar having greater stretchability along said edge then below it;

a first collar retaining means positioned in the back and side portions of said neck collar;

a second collar retaining means positioned in the front portion of said neck collar;

said helmet having a face covering portion therein, and having a first retaining means engaging said first collar retaining means in the back and side portions of said neck collar and a second retaining means engaging said second collar retaining means in the front portion of said neck collar;

first fastening means in the side and back portion of said neck collar;

second fastening means in said side and back portions of said helmet lockingly engaging with said first fastening means to retain the side and back portion of said neck collar in sealing engagement with side and back edges of said helmet; and

securing means attached to the front portion of said neck collar having means therein for releasably attaching to said helmet to maintain the front portion of said neck collar in sealing engagement with the face covering portion of said helmet.

17. The protective suit of claim 16 in which said distensible sealing neck collar has stretchable gores providing said stretchability therein, one gore on each side of said neck collar, whereby removal of said front portion of said neck collar from engagement with the edge of said visor permits the front portion of said neck collar to drop away from said face covering portion of said helmet.

18. The protective suit of claim 16 in which said fastening means are positioned at the back and sides of the outer surface of said helmet.

19. The protective suit of claim 16 in which said face covering portion of said helmet is a visor that is movable to expose the face of the wearer when said second retaining means is released from sealing engagement with said visor.

20. The protective suit of claim 16 in which said face covering portion of said helmet is a visor which is retractable and is in sealing engagement with said helmet and said neck collar when in face covering position with said second retaining means engaging said visor along the edge of the face covering portion thereof.

21. The protective suit of claim 16 in which said neck collar has a substantially horizontal portion having therein said first collar retaining means and has a portion adapted to be angled downwardly therefrom having therein said second collar retaining means.