Protective full face helmet

Abstract

Presented is a protective helmet ( 10 ) for use in combat and weapons training using non-lethal training ammunition. The helmet ( 10 ) has an attachment unit ( 36 ) for contact with the wearer's head, from which the other parts of the helmet ( 10 ) are supported. The other two main parts of the helmet are a helmet unit ( 12 ) which basically covers the rear half of the user's head, while the front half of the wearer's head is covered by a visor body ( 14 ) which includes a transparent face shield ( 24 ). Then the visor unit is rotated to an open position, the wearer's face is fully exposed, and when in a closed position, the wearer's face is fully visible to a trainer, and the face shield provides a field of view of greater than 180 degrees.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective helmet for protection of a wearer from projectiles, comprising:
 a helmet attachment unit for placement of said helmet on a wearer's head;   a helmet unit which is generally hemispheric in shape, and configured to cover a wearer's head generally from a sub occipital region the back of the skull to a front edge located at a region generally at a middle top of a wearer's skull, generally at least at the wearer's coronal suture on the top of the head, said helmet unit extending down the sides of a wearer's head to a position below a wearer's ears;   a visor body attached to said helmet unit and said helmet attachment unit at a pair of pivot points on each side of said helmet, with said visor body configured to rotate from a closed position to an open position, by rotating around said pivot points, and when in said open position configured to expose said wearer's full face generally from eyebrows to the ears, including the chin, with said visor body comprising a hemispherical upper rear portion shaped consistent in shape with a front region of a wearer's skull, configured to extend from about the top of the forehead to the center top of the head, at least past the middle of the wearer's head or said front edge of the helmet unit, and a transparent face shield portion attached to said visor body and extending generally from a wearer's eyebrows to below the wearer's chin and generally from a wearer's ear to his opposite ear.   
     
     
         2 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said helmet attachment unit further comprises a headband configured to encircle a wearer's head in a generally horizontal fashion, and a crown strap configured to pass over the wearer's head generally from an ear region of said headband to an opposite ear region of said headband. 
     
     
         3 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said helmet attachment unit further comprises a chin strap attached to said headband at two places, and configured to extend below a wearer's chin forming a loop, for securing said headgear to said wearer. 
     
     
         4 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said visor body includes a brow piece attached to said upper rear portion, and a left and right chin extension piece extending from said ear region of said upper rear piece to in front of a wearer chin region, with said brow piece extending forward from said upper rear portion of said visor body, with said face shield mounted on an underside and periphery of said brow piece and along the outside of said chin extension pieces. 
     
     
         5 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said helmet unit and said visor come together in a way that leaves no gaps along the side of the helmet for possible entry of projectiles. 
     
     
         6 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said visor body further comprises a chin piece for attachment at a left and right bottom edge of said visor body, for closing off a space below said wearer's chin. 
     
     
         7 . A protective helmet for protection of a wearer from projectiles, comprising:
 a helmet attachment unit for placement of said helmet on a wearer's head comprising a headband configured to encircle a wearer's head in a generally horizontal loop, and a crown strap attached to said headband and configured to pass over the wearer's head generally from an ear region of said headband to an opposite ear region of said headband, with said attachment unit further comprising a chin strap attached to said headband at two places, and configured to extend below a wearer's chin forming a loop, for securing said headgear to said wearer,   a helmet unit attached so said attachment unit and comprised of a rear cranial unit which is generally hemispheric in shape, and configured to cover a wearer's head generally from a sub occipital region the back of the skull to a point at least at the middle top of a wearer's skull, with a front edge located at a region generally at a middle top of a wearer's skull, generally at least as far forward as the wearer's coronal suture on the top of the head, said helmet unit extending down the sides of a wearer's head to a position below a wearer's ears;   said helmet unit further comprising a visor body attached to said helmet unit and said helmet attachment unit at a pair of pivot points on each side of said helmet, with said visor body configured to rotate from a closed position to an open position, by rotating around said pivot points, and when in said open position configured to expose said wearer's full face generally from eyebrows to the ears, including the chin, with said visor body comprising a hemispherical upper rear portion shaped consistent in shape with a front region of a wearer's skull, configured to extend from about the top of the forehead to the center top of the head, at least past the middle of the wearer's head or said front edge of the helmet unit;   a brow piece attached to and extending forward from said upper rear portion of said visor, and a left and right chin extension piece extending from said ear region of said upper rear piece to in front of a wearer chin region, with a transparent face shield mounted on an underside and periphery of said brow piece and along the outside of said chin extension pieces, said face shield extending generally from a top if a wearer's forehead to below the wearer's chin and generally from a wearer's ear to his opposite ear; and   said visor body further comprising chin piece for attachment at a left and right bottom edge of said visor body in a chin region, for closing off a space below said wearer's chin.   
     
     
         8 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said helmet unit and said visor join together to leave no gaps along the side of the helmet for possible entry of projectiles. 
     
     
         9 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said visor body further comprises a chin piece for attachment at a left and right bottom edge of said visor body, for closing off a space below said wearer's chin. 
     
     
         10 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said visor body extends toward the back of the wearer's head to behind an ear region. 
     
     
         11 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which visor body extends to below a wearer's chin region and covers a wearer's chin on sides and front. 
     
     
         12 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  which further comprises a chin piece which attaches to said visor body below a wearer's chin. 
     
     
         13 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said face shield is curved and extends around a wearer's face from a left ear region to a right region, and provides at least a 180 degree field of view. 
     
     
         14 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said face shield is directed directly above said wearer's head in said open position. 
     
     
         15 . The protective helmet of  claim 1  in which said helmet unit covers approximately half of said wearer's head, from a midline of the head from a line ear to ear over the top of the head, rearward to the sub-occipital region.