Hard-hat flip-up safety glasses

Abstract

A system for attaching safety glasses to headwear often called a “helmet” or a “hard-hat” has multiple adjustments that fit the glasses to the individual user and that allow the user to flip the glasses back and forth between in-use and removed positions. The preferred system includes a base piece that attaches to the interior or underside of the helmet, near the wearer's face at or near the junction of the helmet's bill/brim and dome. A preferred second piece receives a portion of the glasses at its distal end, and, at its proximal end, slideably connects to the base piece. The second piece may be locked at various positions relative to the base piece, to adjust, either incrementally or continuously, the distance of the glasses from the helmet. This slidable adjustment between the base piece and second piece makes it possible to adjust the glasses in a generally vertical direction, that is, generally parallel to the plane of the lenses of the glasses when being used, as best suits the particular user. The clamping or gripping mechanism on the second piece distal end allows the glasses to pivot relative to the second piece and, hence, to the helmet. Thus, the user may pivot the glasses up from the eyes, out of his line of sight, or down in front of the eyes as close to the user's face as desired. This pivoting, then, provides some horizontal adjustment in the position of the glasses relative to the eyes and nose. Further, at least some portions of the preferred system are flexible or are flexibly connected to the helmet to absorb shock created when the helmet or safety glasses are struck.

1 . An eyewear system for protective headwear, the system comprising: 
 a headwear unit having an interior space for receiving a user's head; and    a mounting unit comprising a base member attached to said headwear and extending into said interior space of the headwear unit, and a connector member having a clamping mechanism adapted to receive eyewear, and the connector member moveably connected to the base member so that the connector member is moveable generally vertically up and down in front of the user.    
   
   
       2 . A system as in  claim 1 , wherein the connector member is moveable relative to the base member to place at least a portion of the connector member in said interior space of the headwear.  
   
   
       3 . A system as in  claim 1 , wherein said base member has a channel and the connector member slides up and down in said channel.  
   
   
       4 . A system as in  claim 1 , wherein said headwear comprises a dome that surrounds and defines said interior space, and wherein the base member is attached to said dome.  
   
   
       5 . A system as in  claim 4 , wherein said base member is attached to said dome by adhesive.  
   
   
       6 . A system as in  claim 1 , wherein said headwear comprises a bill, and said base member is attached to said bill.  
   
   
       7 . A system as in  claim 6 , wherein said base member is attached to said bill by adhesive.  
   
   
       8 . A system as in  claim 1 , wherein said headwear comprises a bill, and said base member is L-shaped and has a leg extending along and attached to said bill.  
   
   
       9 . A system as in  claim 1 , wherein said clamping mechanism comprises a slot adapted to pivotally receive the eyewear.  
   
   
       10 . A system as in  claim 4 , wherein said mounting unit comprises an adjustment mechanism that holds the connector member in any of multiple, incremental amounts of vertical extension from said dome.  
   
   
       11 . A system as in  claim 10 , wherein said adjustment mechanism comprises a protrusion extending from one of said base member and said connector member, said protrusion being removeably receiveable in a plurality of holes arranged longitudinally in the other of said base member and said connector member.  
   
   
       12 . A system as in  claim 1 , comprising a lock that fixes the connector member to the base member in any position along a continuous range of vertical extension from said base member.  
   
   
       13 . A system as in  claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the base member or the connector member is flexible so that said part absorbs shock to the headgear or the eyewear.  
   
   
       14 . A protective headgear and eyewear combination, the combination comprising: 
 headgear comprising a dome having an interior space for receiving a user's head, and a brim;    eyewear;    a holder having a base attached to the headgear at a position for placement generally in front of the user, and having a connector receiving the eyewear and slideably extending from the base to raise and lower the pair of glasses in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the eyewear;    wherein the eyewear is pivotal in the connector so that the eyewear flips upward to extend generally parallel to and close to the brim and flips downward to be generally perpendicular to the brim and close to the user's eyes and nose; and    wherein at least a portion of the holder is slidable up into the interior space of the dome.    
   
   
       15 . A combination as in  claim 14 , wherein said eyewear is a pair of safety glasses.  
   
   
       16 . A combination as in  claim 14 , wherein the base is generally L-shaped with generally perpendicular first and second legs, said second leg being attached to a bottom surface of the brim.  
   
   
       17 . A combination as in  claim 14 , wherein the base is generally L-shaped with generally perpendicular first and second legs, said first leg being attached to the interior surface of said dome.  
   
   
       18 . A combination as in  claim 14 , wherein said base comprises a channel and said connector is elongated and slides up and down in said channel to move the eyewear up and down vertically.  
   
   
       19 . A combination as in  claim 14 , comprising an adjustment system that releasably locks the connector to the base in any of multiple, incremental amounts of vertical extension from said dome.  
   
   
       20 . A combination as in  claim 14 , wherein at least part of the holder is flexible and resilient, so that said part absorbs shock to the headgear or the eyewear.