All weather hood and safety helmet liner for use with hearing protection ear muffs

Abstract

An all weather hood with adjustable cuff openings around each ear to accommodate earmuffs designed to provide hearing protection. Earmuffs are put on first, then the hood is pulled on over them and the ear cuffs are adjusted snugly around each earmuff. Also acts as a liner for safety helmets with attached hearing protection earmuffs. The helmet is worn over the hood, then the earmuffs are pulled down passing through the hood ear cuff openings to be placed directly over the ears. The hood ear cuffs are then adjusted snugly around each earmuff. Provides superior hearing protection compared to liners worn under hearing protection earmuffs and provides superior weather protection compared to liners worn over hearing protection earmuffs. The hood, when combined with a safety helmet having attached hearing protection earmuffs, work together as a single unit of personal protection equipment (PPE), for simple and efficient operation.

1 . An all weather hood and safety helmet liner apparatus for use with hearing protection earmuffs, comprising: 
 A weather protective hood/liner means, by which the wearer's head and neck have sufficient coverage with weather protective materials, that the wearer can perform necessary tasks comfortably in varying weather conditions, and which can be worn with or without a safety helmet;    A hearing protection accommodation means by which said hood/liner means allows for the use of hearing protection earmuffs which make direct contact with the head, surrounding and sealing around each ear to provide maximum hearing protection, and which accommodates both stand alone hearing protection earmuffs and safety helmets with attached hearing protection earmuffs; and    A sealing means by which said hearing protection accommodation means and said helmet/liner means may be sealed about said hearing protection earmuffs to provide maximum weather protection to said wearer while also providing maximum hearing protection.    
   
   
       2 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said hood/liner means is a hood/liner shell, comprised of fabric providing weather protection coverage for the head and neck of the wearer, with an opening about the wearer's face.  
   
   
       3 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein said hearing protection accommodation means is comprised of ear openings in said hood/liner shell which form a perimeter around each of the wearer's ears, which provide unobstructed access to each of said wearers ear's, and which openings are sized to accommodate hearing protection earmuffs worn under said hood/liner shell and which are also sized to accommodate safety helmets with attached hearing protection earmuffs worn over said hood/liner shell, and which allow said hearing protection earmuffs to make direct contact with the head, surrounding and sealing around each ear for maximum hearing protection.  
   
   
       4 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said sealing means is comprised of ear cuffs having an inner and outer edge, which are attached to said perimeter of said hood/liner shell ear openings at said ear cuff's inner edge, and which extend outwardly from said perimeter of said hood/liner shell ear openings, encompassing about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, and which ear cuffs are sized to snugly encompass the lateral height of each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, to seal around said earmuffs and while also allowing said hood/liner shell to remain snugly fitted over the rest of said wearer's head, providing maximum weather protection.  
   
   
       5 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said ear cuffs include a drawstring which is encased within the perimeter of said ear cuff outer edge, which can be pulled and tied to snugly seal said outer edge of said ear cuffs about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection.  
   
   
       6 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said ear cuffs include a drawstring which is encased within the perimeter of said ear cuff outer edge, which can be pulled to snugly seal said outer edge of said ear cuffs about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection; and 
 wherein each said ear cuff includes a spring lock through which said drawstring passes, which when compressed allows said drawstring to be pulled snug and which when released automatically locks and holds said drawstring in place, for more efficient tightening and sealing of said ear cuffs, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection.    
   
   
       7 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said ear cuffs include an elastic band encased within the perimeter of said ear cuff outer edge, which will snugly seal said outer edge of said ear cuffs about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection.  
   
   
       8 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said ear cuffs are comprised of an elastic material, which will snugly seal said ear cuffs about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection.  
   
   
       9 . A method for the use of an all weather hood and safety helmet liner apparatus for use with hearing protection earmuffs, when used with a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs, which allows all three pieces of personal protection equipment (PPE) to be managed as a single integrated PPE, for simple and efficient operation, comprising: 
 providing a hood/liner apparatus for use with hearing protection earmuffs which includes a neck closure;    putting said hood/liner apparatus on the wearer's head;    providing a safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs, which earmuffs are attached and mounted to said safety helmet by attachment arms;    ensuring said attached hearing protection earmuffs are in the raised position;    donning said safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs over top of the hood/liner apparatus;    pulling said attached hearing protection earmuffs down to the wearing position over the ears;    passing said attached hearing protection earmuffs through said hood/liner apparatus ear cuff openings;    placing said attached hearing protection earmuffs directly over the ears;    fitting the hood/liner ear cuffs snugly around each earmuff;    adjusting the hood/liner neck closure for a weather tight fit;    opening said hood/liner neck closure;    folding the bottom edge of the hood/liner shell up over the rim of said safety helmet;    sliding the hood/liner ear cuffs over the earmuffs and along the helmet earmuff attachment arms to the attachment arm end mounted on said helmet;    folding the bottom half of the hood/liner up around the outside of said helmet with the bottom edge of the hood/liner shell over top of said helmet;    fastening said neck closure over top of said helmet;    raising said hearing protection earmuffs to the raised position;    removing said safety helmet with attached hearing protection earmuffs and said helmet/liner apparatus as a single unit of PPE, as the helmet/liner apparatus is now secured in place by the raised earmuffs protruding through the ear cuff openings and the neck closure attached over top of the helmet;    donning the new combined PPE, by reversing the previous steps until the unit is secured onto the head.    
   
   
       10 . An all weather hood and safety helmet liner apparatus for use with hearing protection earmuffs, comprising: 
 An all weather hood/liner shell, comprised of fabric providing weather protection coverage for the head and neck of the wearer, with an opening about the wearer's face;    Ear openings in said hood/liner shell which form a perimeter around each of the wearer's ears, which provide unobstructed access to each of said wearers ear's, and which openings are sized to accommodate hearing protection earmuffs worn under said hood/liner shell and which are also sized to accommodate safety helmets with attached hearing protection earmuffs worn over said hood/liner shell, and which allow said hearing protection earmuffs to make direct contact with the head, surrounding and sealing around each ear for maximum hearing protection;    Ear cuffs having an inner and outer edge, which are attached to said perimeter of said hood/liner shell ear openings at said ear cuff's inner edge, and which extend outwardly from said perimeter of said ear openings, surrounding each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, and which ear cuffs are sized to snugly encompass the lateral height of each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, to seal around said earmuffs and while also allowing said hood/liner shell to remain snugly fitted over the rest of said wearer's head, providing maximum weather protection; and    A neck closure below the wearer's chin, which allows for the snug adjustment of the helmet/liner apparatus about the head, following adjustment of the ear cuffs to each hearing protection earmuff, and which further snugs the hearing protection earmuffs over the ears, providing for superior hearing protection as well as maximum weather protection to the wearer.    
   
   
       11 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said ear cuffs include a drawstring which is encased within the perimeter of said ear cuff outer edge, which can be pulled and tied to snugly seal said outer edge of said ear cuffs about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection.  
   
   
       12 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said ear cuffs include a drawstring which is encased within the perimeter of said ear cuff outer edge, which can be pulled to snugly seal said outer edge of said ear cuffs about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection; and 
 wherein each said ear cuff includes a spring lock through which said drawstring passes, which when compressed allows said drawstring to be pulled snug and which when released automatically locks and holds said drawstring in place, for more efficient tightening and sealing of said ear cuffs, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection.    
   
   
       13 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said ear cuffs include an elastic band encased within the perimeter of said ear cuff outer edge, which will snugly seal said outer edge of said ear cuffs about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection.  
   
   
       14 . The hood/liner apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein said ear cuffs are comprised of an elastic material, which will snugly seal said ear cuffs about each said hearing protection earmuff covering each of said wearer's ears, providing a greater seal against cold and wind infiltration for maximum weather protection.