Ventilating helmet

Claim 1

In combination with a welding helmet, said helmet being formed of a thin sheet material wall member, said wall member having a front surface, said front surface including a window, said helmet including an internal chamber, said internal chamber adapted to receive a person's head with that person being able to observe through said window, the improvement comprising: an opening formed through said wall member connecting with said internal chamber, a fan blade located within said opening adapted to move air into said internal chamber, said fan blade being electrically operated, an electrical battery source mounted on said front surface of said wall member, said electrical battery source connected to operate said fan blade, said electrical battery source comprising a light sensitive cell, said cell to produce electrical energy to operate said fan blade upon sensing a satisfactory level of light energy such as from a welding arc; and said fan blade being mounted within a housing, said housing including a hollow tubular extension, said extension terminating in an access opening into said ambient, said extension being mounted on the exterior surface of said wall member, said access opening being displaced from said front surface of said wall member and located adjacent the back edges of said wall member, said light sensitive cell being mounted on said housing, whereby said housing can be readily adapted to existing helmet structures with a minimum amount of modification.