Patent Grant
12127622
This disclosure is directed to a protective helmet, such as a helmet for football and/or for other sports or activities, and, in particular, to a helmet comprising a shell portion formed from an inner shell, an outer shell, and at least one inflatable bladder positioned between the shells.
Technical Description
Helmets for football and other sports or activities comprising rigid shells formed from plastics and other composite materials and interior padded portions or liners are well known and widely used for sports and similar activities to protect a wearer's head. In recent years, designers have increasingly recognized the importance of providing helmets to protect a wearer from contacts and collisions that cause asymptomatic subconcussive injuries which, while not causing immediately identifiable symptoms, can cause progressive degenerative conditions (e.g., Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)). Helmets are also designed to protect wearers from more severe contacts and collisions that are known to cause concussions, skull fractures, traumatic brain injuries, and related head injuries having immediately identifiable symptoms. Football helmets designed to provide protection against subconcussive injuries as well as more severe head injuries are manufactured by a number of companies including Schutt Sports Manufacturing Co., Riddell Sports Group Inc., and Xenith LLC.
An exemplary football helmet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,264,841, entitled “Helmet for attenuating impact event” which discloses a helmet including a rigid layer generally conforming to the wearer's head and force absorbing and reacting portions extending from locations of the rigid layer. The force absorbing and reacting portion can comprise inner and intermediate cushioning rings configured to extend about a periphery of the skull. The cushioning rings can be formed, for example, from compressible gels or foams.
Another exemplary football helmet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,756,719, entitled “Method and apparatus for an adaptive impact absorbing helmet system,” which discloses a dual shell helmet comprising an outer shell and a second more rigid inner shell. The shells are separated by compartmentalized sealed elastomer energy absorbing cells. The cells can contain a gas or liquid agent that absorbs force energy applied to the shells.
Another exemplary football helmet including multiple rigid layers or shells is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,448,691, entitled “Football helmet with movable flexible section”. An inner shell of the helmet is a single rigid shell configured to partially enclose the wearer's head. The outer shell comprises multiple separate panels attached to different portions of the inner shell. The inner shell and the outer shell are separated by an energy absorbing layer comprising individual air or gel cells.
An exemplary liner for a helmet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,801, entitled “Football helmet having a removable inflatable liner and a method for making the same.” The inflatable liner includes multiple inflatable cells that are arranged to form a central ring, configured to be positioned over the crown of the wearer's head, and a plurality of loops extending from the central ring for protecting other portions of the wearer's skull. The inflatable liner is sized to be inserted within a conventional football helmet for providing additional impact protection for the wearer's head.
In accordance with an example of the present disclosure, an exemplary helmet comprises a shell portion, a retention assembly, and a face guard assembly. The shell portion comprises: an outer shell; an inner shell spaced apart from the outer shell, the inner shell and the outer shell defining an interior space between the inner shell and the outer shell; at least one fastener assembly extending from the outer shell to the inner shell through the interior space; and at least one inflated bladder positioned in the interior space defined by the inner shell and the outer shell. The retention assembly is connected to the inner shell for securing the helmet to a head of a wearer. The face guard assembly is connected to the outer shell and is positioned to protect at least a portion of a face of the wearer.
Another exemplary helmet comprises a shell portion and an interior padding portion. The shell portion comprises: an outer shell; an inner shell spaced apart from the outer shell, the inner shell and the outer shell defining an interior space between the inner shell and the outer shell; at least one fastener assembly extending from the outer shell to the inner shell through the interior space; and at least one inflated bladder positioned in the interior space defined by the inner shell and the outer shell. The interior padding portion is connected to and extends from an inwardly facing surface of the inner shell. The interior padding portion defines an enclosure for receiving at least a portion of a head of a wearer.
In accordance with another example of the disclosure, a football helmet comprises a shell portion, a strap, and a face mask. The shell portion comprises: an outer shell; an inner shell spaced apart from the outer shell, the inner shell and the outer shell defining an interior space; at least one fastener assembly extending from the outer shell to the inner shell through the interior space; and at least one inflated bladder positioned in the interior space defined by the inner shell and the outer shell. The strap is connected to the inner shell for securing the helmet to a head of a wearer. The face mask is connected to the outer shell and is positioned to protect at least a portion of a face of the wearer.
Further non-limiting examples are set forth in the following numbered clauses.
These and other features and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structures and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. As used in the specification and the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “lateral”, “longitudinal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosure as it is oriented in the drawing figures. However, it is to be understood that the disclosure may assume various alternative variations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting.
For the purposes of this specification, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing dimensions, physical characteristics, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any measured numerical value, however, may inherently contain certain errors resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
Also, it should be understood that any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein. For example, a range of “1 to 10” is intended to include any and all sub-ranges between and including the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 10, that is, all subranges beginning with a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and ending with a maximum value equal to or less than 10, and all subranges in between, e.g., 1 to 6.3, or 5.5 to 10, or 2.7 to 6.1.
With reference to the figures, the present disclosure is directed to a helmet 10 designed to improve wearer safety by reducing risks of concussions, skull fractures, and other traumatic brain injuries. The helmet 10 shown in
In some examples, the helmet 10 is designed to be lightweight compared to currently available helmets. For example, portions of the helmet 10 may be formed from strong and lightweight materials such as carbon fiber or titanium, rather than heavier plastic and metal materials. Given the broad surface areas of contacting collisions during contact sports, composite carbon fiber materials are believed to provide for reduced weight and increased strength for resisting compressive forces compared to other metals or plastics. Also, portions of the helmet 10 can be formed from air-filed bladders rather than foams and gels, as are used in many presently available helmet designs. Reducing the weight of the helmet 10 is expected to make the helmet 10 more comfortable compared to currently available designs.
Substantially reducing the weight of the helmet 10 also reduces kinetic energy created by movement of the wearer's head. The present inventor has recognized that reducing kinetic energy of the moving helmet reduces impact forces on the wearer's head created when the helmet 10 contacts other objects, such as other players, other helmets, the ground or ice, or sporting equipment (e.g., goal posts, goals, hockey boards, etc.). Reducing intensity of impact forces is believed to decrease occurrences of events that cause subconcussive injuries, concussions, skull fractures, and other head or brain injuries compared to currently available helmet designs.
More specifically, the “kinetic energy” of an object is the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass m from rest to a stated velocity v. Kinetic energy KE is reflected in the classical physics equation as KE=½mv2, where m is mass and v is velocity. The same amount of work or force is required to decelerate the object from its given speed to a state of rest. In Newtonian mechanics, momentum p of an object is a product of the mass m and the velocity v (e.g., p=mv). The velocity has a vector component. The momentum p of a movable object must be conserved by other forces, as shown, for example, when momentum of a pool cue ball is transferred to other rack pool balls after a collision. Common to both kinetic energy KE and momentum p is the need for equal opposing forces to be applied to the object to decelerate and/or arrest movement of the object. In the case of a human head covered by a protective device (e.g., a helmet), the one variable that can be controlled to affect both kinetic energy KE and momentum p is mass m. Since both velocity v and human head mass can be variable, the present inventor has recognized that the only component that can be manipulated is the mass m of the protective device or helmet itself. Further, the present inventor has recognized that the laws of physics indicate that collision forces transmitted to the helmeted head after collision or deceleration can be reduced by providing a lightweight helmet, such as the lightweight dual-shell helmet 10 disclosed herein.
An improved football helmet 10 including aspects of the present disclosure is shown in
As used herein, a “shell” refers to a structure formed from a substantially rigid sheet, which is molded, bent, or otherwise formed into a three-dimensional curved shape generally conforming to a size and shape of a wearer's head. For example, the curved shape may be sized to extend from approximately the wearer's forehead, over the crown of the head, and towards the occipital portion of the head near the base of the skull. The curved shape may also include portions that extend towards or over the wearer's ears.
The shells 14, 16 can be formed from different rigid materials that are capable of absorbing impact forces without breaking. Suitable shells 14, 16 can be formed, for example, from composite carbon fibers or lightweight metals, such as titanium. Portions of the shells 14, 16 may also be formed from heavier polymer materials, such as polycarbonate. The shells 14, 16 can be formed from a single molded or cast layer. Alternatively, the shells 14, 16 can be formed from multiple layers (e.g., multiple polymer or carbon fiber layers) laminated together to form a suitably strong structure.
The shell portion 12 of the helmet 10 further comprises a plurality of fastener assemblies 30 extending between the outer shell 14 to the inner shell 16. The fastener assemblies 30 can be configured to support and maintain separation between the shells 14, 16. The fastener assemblies 30 may also be configured to absorb impact forces (e.g., forces on the outer shell 14 directed radially inward toward the wearer's head), as well as various twisting or torque forces caused by movement of the shells 14, 16 relative to one another. The fastener assemblies 30 can be positioned at any convenient position on the inner and outer shells 14, 16. For example, fastener assemblies 30 can be aligned in rows, columns, or in any other convenient pattern. Also, the fastener assemblies 30 may be arranged to create different designs to contribute to the aesthetic appearance of the helmet 10. In some examples, the helmet 10 comprises about ten to about fifteen fastener assemblies 30, though the number of fastener assemblies may be more or less depending on the size of the helmet 10 and/or anticipated intensity of impact forces to which the helmet 10 will be exposed. As shown in
As shown in
The resilient member 40 extending between the inner fastener 32 and the outer fastener 36 is configured to permit the shells 14, 16 to move slightly relative to one another. When the fastener assembly 30 is an unbiased state (shown in
As shown in
In some examples, the fastener assemblies 30 further comprise annular collars 42, 44, 46, 48 positioned through or adjacent to the openings 34, 38 in the inner and outer shells 14, 16 for supporting and/or anchoring the fasteners 32, 36 to the shells 14, 16. The annular collars 42, 44, 46, 48 can comprise a body portion 43 sized to receive the fasteners 32, 36 and an annular flange portion 45 extending therefrom positioned, for example, to contact surfaces of the outer shell 14 or the inner shell 16. The annular collars 42, 44, 46, 48 can be formed from metals or rigid plastics. The annular collars 42, 44, 46, 48 can be threaded to engage corresponding threads on the fasteners. As shown in
In some examples, the fastener assemblies 30 further comprise a sleeve 54 extending around portions of the collars 42, 44, 46, 48, fasteners 32, 36, and the resilient member 40. The sleeve 54 can be configured to provide additional support for the fasteners 32, 36 and the resilient member 40 and, in particular, to absorb impact forces applied to the shells 14, 16 of the helmet 10. The sleeve 54 is generally formed from a flexible material, such as an elastomeric polymer (e.g., silicone or natural and/or synthetic rubber). In some examples, the sleeve 54 is a generally tubular structure having a length L4, in an unbiased state (shown in
With continued reference to
In some examples, as shown in
With reference to
As shown in
By fixing the retention member 60 to the inner shell 16 (rather than to another portion of the helmet 10), any forces exerted on the retention member 60 are transferred to the inner shell 16. Since the fastener assemblies 30 are flexible and resilient, some of the force applied to the inner shell 16 is absorbed and is not transferred directly to other portions of the helmet 10, such as to the outer shell 14. Accordingly, the configuration of the retention member 60 and inner shell 16 is believed to improve force absorbing characteristics of the helmet 10.
With reference again to
In some examples, the face guard 68 is connected to the outer shell 14 of the helmet 10 by fasteners, screws, brackets, and similar connectors as are known in the art. For example, as shown in
In some examples, the helmet 10 further comprises an interior padding portion 76 or liner that forms or defines an enclosure sized to receive the wearer's head. The interior padding portion 76 or liner is configured to be positioned between the inwardly facing surface 24 of the inner shell 16 and the wearer's head. In some examples, the interior padding portion 76 can be permanently fixed or attached to the inwardly facing surface 24 of the inner shell 16 by, for example, adhesives, tape, or mechanical fasteners. In other examples, the interior padding portion 76 or liner can be removably connected to the inwardly facing surface 24 of the inner shell 16 by, for example, fabric comprising a hook and loop fastening system (e.g., VELCRO®). In this way, the interior padding portion 76 or liner may be removed for cleaning and/or replaced with a different type of liner customized or specifically selected for a particular wearer.
The interior padding portion 76 is generally configured to absorb forces applied to the helmet 10 so that the applied forces are not transferred directly to the wearer's head. Also, the interior padding portion 76 can be configured to restrict movement of the wearer's head so that the head is not pressed against and/or does not contact the inwardly facing surface 24 of the inner shell 16 of the helmet 10 during impacts and collisions.
In some examples, as shown in
Inflatable cushions 78 of the interior padding portion 76 can be positioned through the interior of the helmet 10 in a variety of patterns determined based on the intended use of the helmet 10 and/or expected location and intensity of impacts to the helmet 10. For example, as shown in
In some examples, the interior padding portion 76 comprises multiple inflatable cushions 78 connected together by tubes or conduits 80, so that the multiple inflatable cushions 76 can be inflated from a single inflow port or nozzle, such as the nozzle 82 shown in
Pump systems for inflating an interior liner of football helmets are known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,661,890; 9,868,046; and 10,004,973, which are entitled “Automated helmet gas bladder maintenance system and method,” and which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, discloses a pump operated by a portable electronic device (e.g., a smart phone) that can be programmed to inflate an inflatable liner of a helmet to a predetermined preferred inflation pressure for each player. The predetermined inflation pressure may be determined during initial testing or customization of a player's helmet. Once the predetermined pressure is known for a player, the inflation level for a helmet can be periodically tested and inflated or deflated as needed.
Although the disclosure has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/105,500, filed Oct. 26, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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