ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 6 -- United States Patent no. 12,376,639, issued on Aug. 5, was assigned to Gentex Corp. (Simpson, Pa.).
"Hinged attachment of headgear to a helmet" was invented by David C. Rogers (Boston), Charles H. Rogers (Halifax, Mass.), Darwin Keith-Lucas (Boston) and Duco W. Noordzij (Roslindale, Mass.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A hinge mechanism for attaching ear accessories to a helmet allows an accessory to be attached at a point outside the helmet shell utilizing, for example, a slidable mounting rail, and to reach under the edge of the helmet shell so that the accessory is supported in contact with the wearer's head. The hinge mechanism is well suited for use in connecti...