HELMET TRANSCEIVER ASSEMBLY FOR A FIREMEN'S HELMET ASSEMBLY OR THE LIKE

• US 3,845,389 A
• Filed: 09/26/1973
• Issued: 10/29/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dennis G. Phillips, James N. Brady
• Original Assignee: Dennis G. Phillips, James N. Brady
• Inventors: Phillips, Dennis G., Brady, James N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Psitos, Aristotelis M.
• Application Number:
  US05/400,729
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 325/16,118,361
• US Class Current: 455/90.3
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/30 Mounting radio sets or communication systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/276 for mounting on helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3866 carried on the head

Abstract

A helmet transceiver assembly for a firemen'"'"''"'"'s helmet assembly or the like which can be mounted in commercially available helmet assemblies. The helmet transceiver assembly includes a mounting structure which is adapted to be disposed within a helmet assembly between the helmet and the helmet suspension system by the structure that mounts the helmet suspension system within the helmet. The helmet transceiver assembly includes a support structure having a crown shaped portion mountable between the helmet suspension system and the helmet of a conventional helmet assembly, and fore-and-aft downwardly and outwardly extending depending portions which are adapted to be disposed in close proximity to the brim of the helmet, the downwardly and outwardly extending portions carrying controls and a microphone and a power pack for a radio receiver and transmitter mounted upon an upper central portion of the crown portion of the support structure.

Claims

1. A helmet transceiver assembly for use with a firemen'"'"''"'"'s helmet assembly or the like having a high impact resistant helmet and a helmet suspension system removably mounted within the helmet, said helmet having a crown portion and a brim which extends outwardly from the lower edge of the crown, and the helmet suspension system including a head band, head straps, and means for removably mounting the head band and head straps on spaced apart portions of the helmet;

said helmet transceiver assembly comprising;

a transceiver support including a crown portion adapted to be disposed within the crown of said helmet and downwardly and outwardly extending means adapted to be disposed under the brim of said helmet, and means on the transceiver support cooperable with the mounting means of the helmet suspension system to removably hold the crown portion of the transceiver support generally between the helmet and the helmet suspension system; and

a self-contained radio transceiver mounted upon the transceiver support, said self-contained radio transceiver including a radio receiver, radio transmitter, audio components, power pack, and controls.

2. The helmet transceiver assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the downwardly and outwardly extending means include a forward portion and a rear portion, the controls for the radio transceiver being mounted on the forward portion and the power pack being mounted on the rear portion.

3. The helmet transceiver assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the transceiver support includes means cooperable with spaced apart portions of the helmet for centering the transceiver support within the crown of said helmet.

4. The helmet transceiver assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said last mentioned means comprises a plurality of spaced apart ridges which are adapted to be disposed within a plurality of grooves formed on the interior surface of the crown of said helmet.

5. A helmet transceiver assembly for use with a firemen'"'"''"'"'s helmet assembly or the like having a high impact helmet and a helmet suspension system removably mounted within the helmet, said helmet having a crown portion provided with a plurality of spaced apart grooves which extend upwardly from a lower portion of the crown and a brim which extends outwardly from the lower edge of the crown, and the helmet suspension system including relatively resilient upwardly extending portions which are normally disposed adjacent an inner surface of the helmet to either side of the upwardly extending grooves;

said helmet transceiver assembly comprising;

a transceiver support including a crown portion having a plurality of spaced ridges extending upwardly from a lower edge of the crown portion and forward and rear downwardly and outwardly extending portions adapted to be disposed adjacent the lower surface of the brim when said transceiver support is mounted within said helmet assembly, said ridges cooperating with the grooves on said helmet to hold the transceiver support in a centered position, lower portions of the crown portion to either side of the ridges being clamped between the relatively resilient upwardly extending portions of the helmet suspension system and inner portions of the crown of said helmet to either side of said grooves, and a self-contained radio transceiver mounted upon said transceiver support and including a radio receiver, a radio transmitter, a power pack, audio components, and controls.

6. The helmet transceiver assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein the forward downwardly and outwardly extending portion has a raised peripheral edge which is adapted to contact a forward portion of said brim and a lowered intermediate portion spaced away from said brim when said transceiver support is mounted within said helmet assembly, said radio transceiver controls being mounted on said intermediate portion with portions of said controls being disposed between said intermediate portion and said brim and other portions of said controls being disposed below intermediate portion.

7. The helmet transceiver assembly set forth in claim 5 wherein the radio receiver and transmitter are mounted on a flexible printed circuit board, said printed circuit board being mounted on an upper surface of the crown portion of said transceiver support.

8. The helmet transceiver assembly set forth in claim 5 wherein the radio transceiver includes an antenna, the antenna, being mounted on the crown portion of the tranceiver support.

9. In combination with a firemen'"'"''"'"'s helmet or the like having a high impact helmet and a helmet suspension system, the helmet having a crown and a brim extending outwardly from the lower edge of the crown, the crown having a fore-and-aft extending ridge, a plurality of spaced apart interior mounting channels adjacent the brim which receive mounting portions of the helmet suspension system, and grooves extending upwardly from the mounting channels, the helmet suspension system including a head band carrying a plurality of spaced apart mounting members and a plurality of head straps, each of the mounting members having a first portion engaged within the mounting channel, a second relatively resilient upwardly extending portion which extends upwardly from the mounting channel and which overlies the groove, and a third portion which interconnects the second portion with the head band;

the combination therewith of;

a helmet transceiver assembly comprising a high impact plastic liner having a crown portion, front and rear downwardly and outwardly extending depending portions, the crown portion having spaced apart lower side edges spaced above the downwardly and outwardly extending depending portions, and a plurality of spaced apart ridges extending upwardly from the lower side edges, the ridges being disposed in the grooves in said helmet to center the liner within said helmet with the downwardly and outwardly depending portions underlying the brim of the helmet and limiting the upward movement of the liner into the helmet, portions of said liner to either side of said ridges being held in place by a clamping action between the second upwardly extending portions of the mounting members and that portion of the helmet disposed either side of the helmet grooves; and

a self-contained radio transceiver mounted upon said liner, said radio transceiver including a radio transmitter, a radio receiver, audio components, a power pack and controls.

10. The combination set forth in claim 9 wherein the radio receiver and transmitter are mounted upon the upper surface of said liner, the overall width and length of said radio Receiver and transmitter being less than the overall width and length of the fore-and-aft extending ridge on said helmet crown, and said radio receiver and transmitter extending upwardly into said fore-and-aft extending ridge.

11. The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein the distance between the lower surface of the upper portion of the crown portion of the liner and the head straps when in use are greater than one inch.

12. The combination set forth in claim 9 further characterized by the provision of an antenna mounted adjacent the outer perpheriry of the brim of said helmet.

13. A transceiver safety helmet comprising:

a high impact resistant helmet having a crown and a brim extending outwardly from the lower edge of the crown, the crown having a fore-and-aft extending ridge, a plurality of spaced apart interior mounting channels adjacent to the brim, and grooves extending upwardly from the mounting channels;

a helmet transceiver assembly including a high impact plastic liner having a crown portion mounted within the crown portion of said helmet and front and rear downwardly and outwardly extending portions, the crown portion having spaced apart lower side edges spaced above the downwardly and outwardly extending depending portions and a plurality of spaced apart ridges extending upwardly from the lower side edges, the ridges being disposed within the grooves in said helmet to center the liner within said helmet, and the downwardly and outwardly extending depending portions underlying the brim of the helmet and limiting the upward movement of the liner into the helmet, and a radio transceiver mounted upon the liner and including a radio transmitter and receiver mounted upon the upper surface of the liner and extending upwardly into the ridge of said helmet crown; and

a helmet suspension system including an adjustable head band carrying a plurality of spaced apart mounting members, each of the mounting members having a first portion removably press fitted into the mounting channel of said helmet, a second generally resilient upwardly extending portion which overlies the groove in said helmet and which engages the lower edge of said liner to either side of said ridges to clamp said liner against spaced apart inner portion of the helmet to either side of said grooves, and a third portion which interconnects the second portion with the head band.

14. The transceiver safety helmet as set forth in claim 13 further characterized by the provision of a radio transceiver cover member mounted upon an upper surface of the crown portion of said liner, said cover member being adapted to protect the components of said radio transceiver.

15. A transceiver safety helmet as set forth in claim 13 wherein the lower side edges of the high impact plastic liner are disposed above the interior mounting channels of the high impact resistant helmet.

16. A helmet transceiver assembly comprising:

a mounting member including a crown and downwardly and outwardly extending fore-and-aft portions, the crown portion of the mounting member having spaced apart lower side edges spaced above the downwardly and outwardly extending depending portions and a plurality of spaced apart ridges extending upwardly from the lower side edges, the forward portions having a raised peripheral edge and a lower intermediate portion;

a radio receiver and transmitter mounted upon the upper surface of the crown portion of the mounting member, the radio receiver and transmitter having a generally narrow configuration;

a speaker mounted upon the upper surface of said crown, said speaker being disposed forwardly of the radio receiver and transmitter and overlying a plurality of apertures within said crown;

a microphone and controls mounted on the intermediate portion of the forwardly and downwardly extending forward portion, said controls having portions disposed above and below the intermediate portions, those portions being disposed above the intermediate portion lying below the Upper edge of the peripheral portion; and

a power pack mounted below the lower surface of the rear downwardly and outwardly extending portion.

17. The helmet transceiver assembly set forth in claim 16 further characterized by the provision of an antenna array mounted upon the crown portion of the mounting member to either side of the radio receiver transmitter.

18. The helmet transceiver assembly set forth in claim 16 further characterized by the provision of a generally annular antenna mounting assembly secured to the outer end of the rear downwardly and outwardly extending portion, said generally annular antenna mounting assembly including an annular resilient structure having a C-shaped cross section and an antenna mounted within the C-shaped cross section member.