US2588553A - Welder's eyeshield - Google Patents

Description

March 11,1952 A. MGWETHY WELDER'S EYESHIELID Filed May 17, 1948 INVENTOR. ARTHUR MEWETHY ATTORNEY5 Patented Mar. 11, 1952 WELDEBS EYESHIELD Arthur McWethy, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application May 17, 1948, Serial No. 27,562

3 Claims.

This invention relates toa novel eye shield for electric welding which is worn on the head of theoperator and which maybe operated to lift the eye shield to an upper position above the eyes of the user, or returned to its operative position for the protection of'the users eyes, such lifting and return of the eye shield being effected by a downward movement of the lower jaw of an operator who has the device secured to and carried on his. head.

The device which embodies the invention is of a very practical, relatively simple and economical construction. It may be fitted to the head of a user by a simple adjustment of a strap passing around at the back of the head and by a chin strap passing underneath the chin. When the immediate eye protecting shield members, in practice, goggles, are lifted above the eyes, it is done by'a .downward movement of the chin and the parts'thus lifted are held in their upper position by a yielding catch. To lower the eye protecting members to a position directly in front of the eyes, it is also done by a downward and more rapid or stronger movement of the chin to further lift the eye protecting members, followed by a quick or sharp upward movement of the lower jaw which permits an automatic disconnection with the latching means and a lowering of 'the eye shielding parts or members of the structure, through gravity, to their operative position. The structure used is of a prac- "tical, simple and novel type, readily manufactured and assembled, with a consequent economy of'production.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of thewelders eye shield of my invention, indicatedas applied to the head of theuser and with the parts in operative position,

Fig, 2 is a similar elevation of the upper portion thereof with the immediate eye shield raised and held 'by its yielding latches in upper position, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the latching means used and an indication of the manner in which the unlatchingis performed to return theeye shield to lower operative position.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the diiferentfiguresof'the drawing.

In the construction illustrated, a band I is provided which in use is designed to pass across the forehead of the user and back to each side thereof to substantially immediately above the ears. circular formis connected at'its ends to the band i at points substantially above the ears when applied, and passes across the top of the head from one side thereof to the other. An arcshaped band 3, substantially a quadrant, is per manently secured at its upper end midway be tween the ends of the band 2 and extends downwardly to and is secured at its lower end at the front of the forehead, substantially midway between the ends of the band I. An adjustable back.

strap 4 is provided to extend around at the back of the head and connects the ends of the band i, one at least of which is slotted, asshown in Fig. 1, for the band 4 to pass therethrough and turn back over itself for connection and association with a buckle 5, for adjusting the length of the band 3. Such adjusting of a band or'strap. connection in itself is conventional and need not be further described.

The band I at each side of the head, when applied thereto, has an attachedupwardly extending relatively large ear 6, on each of which a lever arm I of the form shown is pivotally connected by a pivot 8. The parts 6 are substantially located, when the device is applied in use, above the ears of the user, and generally in a mid-position between the front and rear of the head of the user, the pivots 8 being substantially at the same positions. The arms or levers l extend downwardly from the pivots 8 and then. forwardly, one at each side of the head, and between them are mounted the immediate eye shields, substantially in the form of goggles 9, which carry suitable dangerous light' ray obstructing or absorbing lenses. The immediate eye shields or goggles 9 are adjustable on the armsorlevers l by ineans of screw and slot connections shown at l0,so that the goggles may be moved in or out for the best position in connection with the particularuser;

At the tinner end of each arm 1 a projecting dog I i is integrally formed. It is associated with a yielding spring catch I2 of the form and shape shown, which may be adjusted toward or away from the dog I i and held in proper adjustment by the adjusting screw 53, one of which is mounted at each of the sides of the band I.

A flat bar 54 located in a generally vertical position'is pivotally mounted at its upper end "at ifi'betweeneach of the pivots'8 and the "adjacent or associated dog ll. The bar I4 extends downwardly and is guided in suitable guide tongues I6, a pair of which is on each side of the band I. The bars [4 extend below the lower edges of the band. A chin strap I1 is connected to and extends be- A band 2 of an inverted generally semitween the lower ends of the two bars I4 and is adjustable as to length, using the conventional buckle shown at l 8 for adjustment purposes.

The apparatus may be fitted to the head of the user, as indicated in Fig. 1, the straps 4 and I1 being properly adjusted and the goggles 9 adjusted on the arms I, so that when the goggles are directly in front of the eyes of the user, the upper end of the spring latch I2 is substantially against the lower rounded corner edge of its associated dog II. In this position the user may do the work of electric or similar weldin and have his eyes protected against dangerous or eye damaging light rays which come from the welding arcs. By moving the lower jaw down, a pull is put upon the strap l1 which moves the bars I4 lengthwise in a downward direction in their guides 16 and turns the arms 1 and the goggles carried thereby about the pivots 8 to the position shown in Fig. 2, the dogs I l riding against and underneath the spring latches I2 which serve to hold goggles in their upper position.

With the goggles and arm 7 in the upper position in Fig. 2, lowering them to the operative position of Fig. 1 is by a downward movement of the lower jaw of the wearer, but of a greater extent to thus move the arm 1 to a position such as that indicated in dash lines in Fig. 3, wherein the dogs H are moved below the upper holding portions of the latches I2. Then the lower jaw is moved quickly upward. When this occurs, the weight of the goggles under the momentum which they atmm in freely falling until the dogs I strike against the latches I2, is sufficient to sprin said latches rearwardly and let the dogs ll pass by the latches and disengage therefrom, the goggles being stopped in operative position covering the eyes of the user. Of course, it is also possible to move the goggles downwardly by manual force applied thereto. But in any case when both hands of the wearer are engaged, there is a ready and immediate return of the goggles from upper inoperative to the lower operative position by the chin or jaw operation of the strap ll as described.

The construction described is of a simple, economical form, readily manufactured and assembled, of light weight and easily adjusted to the head of a user. A very practical, economically manufactured and useful eye shield for use in welding, either electric, acetylene or other welding where dangerous or eye damaging light rays are steadily produced, is provided by my invention.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A structure of the class described comprising, a substantially circular band adapted to encircle the head of a person, a supporting loop having its respective ends attached to said band at substantially diametrically opposite locations at the sides of the head and adapted to extend over the top of the head of the person, a pair of arms each pivotally mounted on opposite sides of said band at points close to the connections of the loop to the band, a goggle unit extending between the front end portions of said arms and a strap adapted to extend under the chin of the person and having its respective ends connected with 7 each of said arms rearwardly of their pivots and substantially in alignment with said supporting loop.

2. A structure of the class described comprising, a substantially circular band adapted to encircle the head of a person, a supporting loop having its ends attached to said band at substantially diametrically opposite locations at the sides of the head and adapted to extend over the top of the head of the person substantially centrally thereof, a pair of arms pivotally mounted at points close to the connections of the loop to the band, one at each side of the band, each of said arms having a portion extending back of the pivot, a goggle unit carried by and extending between the front end portions of said arms, generally vertical links pivotally connected, one to each of said arms, back of the pivot thereof, guide means on the band, one for each of said links through which said links slidably extend downwardly from said pivots, and a strap adapted to extend under the chin of the person having its ends connected with the lower ends of said links, said strap being substantially in alignment with said supporting loop.

3. A structure of the class described comprising, a substantially circular band adapted to encircle the head of a person, a supporting loop having its ends attached to said band at substantially diametrically opposite locations at the sides of the head and adapted to extend over the top of the head of the person substantially centrally thereof, a pair of arms pivotally mounted at points close to connections of the loop to the band, one at each side of the band, each of said arms having a portion extending back of the pivot, a goggle unit carried by and extending between the front end portions of said arms, generally vertical links pivotally connected, one to each of said arms, back of the pivot thereof, guide means on the band, one for each of said links through which said links slidably extend downwardly from said pivots, a strap adapted to extend under the chin of the person having its ends connected with the lower ends of said links, said strap being substantially in alignment with the said supporting loop, and a spring friction latch secured to the band at a side thereof and extending upwardly of the adjacent arm back of the pivotal connection of the adjacent link, said arm having a shoulder with which said latch is adapted to engage when the arms and goggle element carried thereby are elevated to upper position.

ARTHUR McWETI-IY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,079,287 Bruzaud Nov. 18, 1913 1,793,286 Johnston Feb. 17, 1931 2,187,542 Hagen Jan. 16, 1940 2,187,932 Cornell Jan.- 23,1940 2,212,014 Doyle Aug. 20, 1940 2,487,183 Rohlf Nov. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 537,469 Germany Nov. 3, 1931

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