Magnetic switch for helmet mount: US Pat. No. 7,649,701

U.S. Patent No. 7,649,701, issued on January 19, 2010 to Norotos, Inc. of Santa Ana, CA, discloses a magnetically activated switch assembly for turning on and off night vision goggles on a helmet mount.

Night-vision goggles mounted on a soldier’s helmet are typically movable between in-use and stowed positions.  It can be beneficial to have the goggles turn on automatically when positioned for use and to turn off automatically when in the stowed position.  The patent discloses an on/off switch that is magnetically activated to provide this capability.

According to their website, Norotos is a small HUBZone business which designs and manufactures precision machined components, including night vision helmet mounts, resulting in innovative designs that meet the quality, user safety, durability, and ease of operation demanded by our modern military.  Besides this patent, Norotos has eleven other U.S. patents listed on the USPTO assignment database.

I have to say that I was impressed by the promotional video on the Norotos website.  Its background music used snare drums, brass, and baritone chanting to good effect, and the narration brought to mind Don LaFontaine.  I’m looking forward to the sequel which features the newly patented magnetically activated switch.