Clean room helmet system

• US 4,901,716 A
• Filed: 02/06/1989
• Issued: 02/20/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microtek Medical Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Stack Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Williamson, Ian M., Stackhouse, Wyman H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Aaron J.
• Application Number:
  US07/306,043
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 128/206.28, 128/863, 128/DIG. 15, 128/206.23, 128/201.28, 128/201.24, 128/201.25, 128/205.24, 128/207.12, 128/206.24, 128/205.17 , 128/201.23, 128/206.12, 2/173, 2/436, 2/15
• US Class Current: 128/201.25
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1153 with a hood
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/1209 Surgeons' gowns or dresses
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/286 with forced flow, e.g. by a fan
• CPC Class Codes: A42C 5/04 Ventilating arrangements for head coverings for helmets A42B3/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/028 Ventilation means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/15 Hook and loop type fastener

Abstract

There is described a portable and mobile clean room helmet system including a helmet having a removable face shield connected to a battery-powered filtering system for pulling air from within the helmet and exhausting filtered air to the outside environment. The removable face shield contains a plurality of unique flapper valves that allow air to enter the helmet system while at the same time preventing unfiltered air from leaving the system.

Claims

1. A clean room helmet system comprising:

a helmet having a support member adjustably sized and shaped to fit the head of the user and including an upper horizontal section and a lower horizontal section as an integral part of said helmet;

a hook and pile engaging and holding means located on the external portion of said upper horizontal section and on the external portion of said lower horizontal section;

a curved face shield having an upper peripheral portion conformable generally to the curved upper horizontal section on said helmet and a lower peripheral portion conformable generally to the curved lower horizontal section on said helmet and adapted to protect the face of the user from splashed fluids;

a hook and pile engaging and holding means located on the internal upper peripheral portion of said curved face shield and on the internal lower peripheral portion of said face shield for engaging in a mating and holding relationship with said hook and pile engaging and holding means located on said upper and lower horizontal sections of said helmet respectively;

at least one flapper valve located on said curved face shield for allowing air to enter and at the same time preventing air from being exhausted to the outside atmosphere from said helmet;

said helmet having at least one exhaust port communicating with the interior of said helmet;

motor means including an electric fan/motor and wearable power means for energizing said electric fan/motor;

filter means for trapping particulate in the air and exhausting particulate free air; and

conduit means coupled with said exhaust port on said helmet, said filter means and said motor means to establish a filtering air path for discharging particulate free air from said helmet to the outside atmosphere.

2. A clean room helmet system according to claim 1 in which said face shield is removeable.

3. A clean room helmet system according to claim 1 wherein said face shield is pivotally mounted to said helmet.

4. A clean room helmet system according to claim 1 wherein said filter element is in the form of a replaceable canister.

5. A clean room helmet system according to claim 1 which includes a pair of flapper valves one located on each side of said face shield.

6. A clean room helmet system according to claim 1 in which said flapper valve comprises a thin flexible plastic disc pivotally attached to the inside of said face shield and adapted to cover an annular opening in said face shield whereby negative pressure within the helmet allows the valve to open and positive pressure within the helmet causes the valve to close.

7. A clean room helmet system according to claim 1 which includes a pair of exhaust ports one on each side of the interior of the helmet connected together with said conduit means.

8. A clean room helmet system according to claim 1 which includes a flexible shroud fixedly attached to the periphery of said face shield and and having a length sufficient to cover the helmet and extend below the shoulders of the user.

9. A clean room helmet system according to claim 8 in which said shroud is initially folded inside out to prevent contamination of the outside area of the shroud prior to attaching the face shield to the helmet.