Patent Application
20220361616
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The disclosure relates to protection devices and more particularly pertains to a new protection device for protecting a user from head injury. The device includes a cap that can be worn on a user's head and a flap that can be positioned to cover a back of the user's neck.
The prior art relates to protection devices including a shock absorbing helmet that is comprised of a shock absorbing foam. The prior art discloses a cushion insert that is insertable into a baseball cap for enhancing impact protection. The prior art discloses a stretchable cap that includes foam pads and which is wearable beneath a helmet for increasing head protection. The prior art also discloses a cushion that is integrated into a helmet for enhancing impact protection.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a cap that is comprised of a deformable material such that the cap can be worn beneath a helmet on a user's head. The cap is comprised of a resiliently compressible material to protect the user's head from impact injury. Additionally, the cap includes a flap that is positionable in a deployed position having the flap extending downwardly from the cap. In this way the flap can extend downwardly along the back of the user's neck. Moreover, the flap is positionable in a stored position having the flap resting against the cap.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The cap 12 includes an inner layer 16 that is comprised of a moisture wicking material to wick perspiration from the user's head 13. The inner layer 16 may comprise cotton, nylon or other type of moisture wicking textile. The cap 12 includes an outer layer 18 that is comprised of an air permeable material to facilitate air to pass therethrough thereby facilitating air exchange with the user's head 13 and ambient air. The outer layer 18 may comprise spandex or other type of air permeable textile. Additionally, the cap 12 comprises a middle layer 20 that is positioned between the inner layer 16 and the outer layer 18. The middle layer 20 comprises a plurality of interlocking cells 22 and each of the interlocking cells 22 is comprised of a resiliently compressible material. In this way the middle layer 20 can absorb impact energy from the helmet. The resiliently compressible material may comprise polyethylene foam or the like.
The cap 12 has a bottom edge 24 that is continuously arcuate such that the bottom edge 24 defines a circular opening into the cap 12. Thus, the bottom edge 24 encircles the user's head 13 when the cap 12 is worn. An elastomeric band 26 is coupled to the cap 12 and the elastomeric band 26 is aligned with the bottom edge 24 of the cap 12. In this way the elastomeric band 26 is configured to compress the bottom edge 24 around the user's head 13 to retain the cap 12 on the user's head 13.
A first mating member 28 is coupled to an outer surface of the outer layer 18 of the cap 12. The first mating member 28 is positioned between the bottom edge 24 of the cap 12 and an apex 30 of the cap 12. A second mating member 32 is coupled to an outer surface of the flap 14 and the second mating member 32 is positioned adjacent to a lower edge of the flap 14. The second mating member 32 is matable to the first mating member 28 for retaining the flap 14 in the stored position having the flap 14 resting against the cap 12. Additionally, the second mating member 32 is releasable from the first mating member 28 to facilitate the flap 14 to be positioned in the deployed position. Each of the first mating member 28 and the second mating member 32 may comprise a hook and loop fastener or the like.
In an alternative embodiment 34 as is most clearly shown in
In an alternative embodiment 44 as is most clearly shown in
In use, that cap 12 is worn beneath the helmet to enhance impact protection for the user. The flap 14 can be positioned in the deployed position to facilitate the back of the user's neck 15 to be protected. In this way the cap 12 and the flap 14 increase the level of impact protection afforded to the user while the user is wearing the helmet. Thus, the cap 12 and the flap 14 reduce the likelihood of a traumatic brain injury or a traumatic spinal injury. Additionally, the cap 12 can be worn without a helmet to facilitate impact protection during leisure activities.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
