The present invention relates to helmets and more particularly, relates to helmets to protect the head of the user when undertaking an activity posing a danger to the user's head.
The use of helmets when participating in an activity has grown enormously over the years. Originally used only in relatively violent sports such as football, their use in other activities has increased as medical science has established the dangers for head injuries in many activities. Helmets are now worn in a wide range of sporting activities such as playing hockey, skiing, skating, and the like. They are also widely used in other recreational activities such as bicycling, inline skating, skateboarding, etc.
The design of helmets has also evolved substantially and many helmets are designed for a specific activity. Original designs normally consisted simply of a hard outer shell with some inner cushioning material. This is still the basic design which is utilized for many different types of helmets.
The prime purpose of the helmet is to protect the head of the wearer should it come in contact with a hard surface. As the design of helmets has progressed, differing materials have been utilized in order to provide the maximum impact resistance. This is generally accomplished by using different density foams and the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improvements in helmet designs which can be adapted for many different purposes and/or activities. Some activities require special design considerations. Thus, for example, the popularity of renting bicycles from one station and dropping them off at another station has increased in many urban areas. One problem with this arrangement is that the bicycle riders generally are not using any helmets for protection. As it is highly inconvenient to continually carry a helmet, most people opt to not utilize any head protection. Since rental helmets are not considered desirable for health reasons, it would be desirable to provide a helmet structure which is compact and portable.
Helmets according to the present invention can be designed in many different ways. Some of the helmets will have a hard outer shell in a conventional manner while others will have a soft outer shell to enhance portability such that they can be easily carried around by the user.
Other helmets need to be designed to reduce the impact or in other words, provide for controlled deceleration of the head. Recent evidence has raised the possibility that concussions can lead to other medical problems later in life and particularly some forms of dementia. These frequently occur in high impact sports such as football and hockey.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a helmet comprising a plurality of layers, at least one of the layers comprising a plurality of beads, the beads being encased within a liner, and a second layer selected from the group consisting of a hard layer and a soft layer.
In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a helmet which comprises beads contained within a liner and an air bladder. This helmet will have a soft outer shell and is collapsible rendering it ideal for uses where the helmet is desirably portable.
In a second embodiment, there is provided a soft outer shell along with the use of beads. Again, this design is relatively collapsible and suitable for portability.
In a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a hard outer shell with an interior comprising beads and an air bladder.
In a fourth embodiment of the invention, there is provided a hard outer shell with encased beads forming the cushioning layer.
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a helmet which has a hard shell with a layer of encased beads within. However, over the hard shell, there is a further layer of beads with a soft outer shell.
In a still further embodiment, there is provided a hard outer shell with an interior honeycomb design.
A variation of the above will include a soft outer shell and a honeycomb design.
In a still further embodiment, there is provided a hard shell having an interior honeycomb design. However, exteriorly of the hard shell there is provided a honeycomb design and a soft outer shell.
In a further embodiment, there is provided a hard shell having an interior formed of encased beads and an air bladder. Exteriorly of the hard shell, there are provided both an air bladder and encased beads and a soft outer shell.
In the instance wherein the helmet uses a hard outer shell, such structures are well known in the art and many different designs are available. It suffices to say that the hard outer shell may be formed of any suitable material and may have any suitable design. The nature of the hard shell and the design will partially be dictated by the activity for which it is designed. The use of pellets or beads in some of the embodiments of the present invention will entail the use of a plurality of pieces of particulate matter which are encased in a holder or liner. The beads may be formed of many different materials and may be of a plastic material such as a polypropylene. However, other materials which can be engineered to have particular properties could also be utilized in the practice of the present invention.
The shape of the beads can be varied. Thus, circular beads or beads having an irregular configuration with a plurality of flat surfaces can be utilized in certain situations.
The overall thickness of the layer of the beads can vary and would depend on the desired protection.
In the case of the air bladder, any conventional air bladder might be utilized. Preferably, the valve arrangement is one which would permit the user to blow into the same or alternatively, to utilize an inflation device. Also, the valve arrangement is preferably one wherein air is prevented from entering the valve to the air bladder following deflation. This will permit the helmet to be collapsible and to stay in a collapsed state. One may use separate dedicated valves or alternatively a honeycomb layer comprising a closed cell configuration, the closed cell frequently having a second material therein. Honeycomb structures are known per se and many different materials could be utilized.
The present invention utilizes different elements of the helmet to reduce the forces of impact to the human head and brain. These different mechanisms can be designed to absorb, dissipate and divert forces directed to the head.
The liner used to encase the beads, as aforementioned, can be formed of many different materials. In broader terms, the liner may be made either of an expandable or relatively rigid material. The expandable material may be, for example, a knit type material. The use of different materials can control the compaction of the beads. Thus, in the case of an expandable material, the beads are forced to move and thus supply a controlled compaction. In the case of a more rigid material, one may use a denser bead structure and thereby provide a harder cushion. The horizontal and vertical walls forming the liner can be made from a variety of material which, as aforementioned, in the case of a softer material will deform more easily and expand to absorb shock.
The air bladder may be utilized with walls of varying degrees of elasticity from soft to rigid to contain air at different pressures.
As previously mentioned, one may have a combination inlet/outlet valve or alternatively, separate valves. In either case, the inflation valve or portion thereof would open to admit air and close automatically to hold the air or other gas within the bladder.
The outlet valve can open when activated manually but would close automatically when the manual pressure is released. The outlet valve may also function as a pressure safety valve to release air when pressure reaches a given point. It will open automatically and then close once the excess air pressure has been released. Naturally, a separate pressure safety valve may be provided.
As utilized herein, the word “layers” will include all layers wherein a first material will lie adjacent to a second material. The orientation of the layers can be any desired and will include both horizontal, vertical and diagonal layers.
Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments thereof, in which:
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Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2,770,713 | Mar 2012 | CA | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CA2013/000173 | 2/27/2013 | WO | 00 |