Patent Application
20050120467
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to helmets for protecting the user's head during sporting activities. In particular, the invention relates to helmets to be used for skiing, snowboarding, biking, skateboarding, roller-skating, kayaking, and other sports.
Such helmets are required in sports such as mountain biking, competitive skiing, speed skating or the so-called “aggressive” roller-skating, for example. In addition, the use of such helmets is also strongly recommended for leisure biking and skiing.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Various techniques have been used in the past to manufacture helmets of the aforementioned type. A particular one of these techniques is widely used in the manufacture of motorcycle and motorbike helmets and in the manufacture of certain ski helmets. Specifically, a rigid and relatively thin shell or cap is made by injection (PC, ABS) or by any other appropriate means (for example, by layering of various resin-impregnated layers of fabric). The shell is then fitted with comfort and/or shock-absorbing elements having an under cap of an expanded polystyrene (EPS), foams, fabrics. This technique enables helmets to be manufactured with a closely fitting contour.
Typically, such a helmet can cover the user's entire skull and also the ears, even the user's jaw. Through this technique, it is easy to mass produce single-piece shells with a maximal head coverage, at reasonable cost. Indeed, after the injection of the shell, even when the latter has full coverage, the shell remains deformable to enable removal from the mold. The disadvantage of this technique is that helmets made in this manner are rather heavy. Yet the weight of a helmet is a determining factor not only in competition but also in leisure activities where the heavier the user feels the helmet is, the less likely he/she is to wear it.
Another manufacturing technique is called “in-mold”. In this technique, most of the helmet is made in the same mold. Once the helmet is removed from the mold, it is equipped with a chin strap, and possibly with a comfort lining and other accessories. In practice, the outer skin of the shell, referred to as a “microshell”, is made independently. For example, this skin can be a polycarbonate sheet. This sheet is thermoformed so as to take the final shape of the outer surface of the helmet. This sheet is thin (generally, less than or equal to 1 millimeter). After trimming and cutting, the sheet is positioned in a mold with a polystyrene type material. The heat and the steam introduced in the mold trigger the expansion of the polystyrene until it fills up the volume of the mold and bonds with the polycarbonate sheet. Upon removal from the mold, the helmet is formed as a thick expanded polystyrene shell molded over an outer skin. Such a helmet has no flexibility and, therefore, unless expensive molds are used, this technique is only used to make light-weight helmets, the covering area of which does not include the zone covering the ears. For example, if one were to compare the covering area of a helmet to a sphere, it would be said that this technique prevents having a covering surface that cannot be contained in half a sphere. In practice, this technique is used for summer helmets having a shell that does not include parts for protecting the ears.
Another disadvantage of the so-called “in-mold” technology is that it is not possible to guarantee a precise positioning of the decorations on the helmet. The decoration is laid flat on the sheet that will be thermoformed, then placed in the mold with the polystyrene. During the thermoforming and the expansion phase of the polystyrene, it is very difficult to maintain the decoration lines intact, so that a line intended to be straight is blurred on the final helmet.
One technique used for decorating a helmet is to put a plurality of sheets in the mold, each of a different color. After the molding stage and the expansion of the polystyrene, the helmet has portions of its outer surface in different colors. This decoration technique also has its limits in terms of the quality of the finish because, in view of the imprecise positioning of the sheets in the mold, it is necessary to provide a substantial clearance (several millimeters) between the two sheets. On the finished product, the expanded polystyrene remains visible between the two colored sheets and the border between the two sheets is irregular.
An object of the invention is to provide a helmet which is manufactured without the above-mentioned disadvantages.
An additional object of the invention is also to provide a line of helmets for various uses, but which are less expensive to manufacture and develop,
A further object of the invention is to provide a helmet that can be used in the practice of various sports.
These objects are achieved by a helmet that has a hard shell made of a material such as expanded polystyrene molded over an outer skin and having a rigid arch, or relatively rigid arch, the arch having a headband applied to the shell, and both ends of which are equipped with ear-covering parts.
These objects are also achieved by the invention in that various helmets in a line of helmets have in common an identical shell to which an additional distinguishing element, namely an arch, is added.
These objects are also achieved by providing a helmet that has a shell as well as a plurality of additional elements, each provided for using the helmet in a particular sporting activity or under specific weather conditions.
Advantageously, according to the invention, the rigid shell is made with the so-called “in-mold” technology, which permits the manufacture of a relatively lighter shell than the traditional manufacturing of an injected rigid shell.
Other advantages will become apparent from the description that follows, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:
The arch can be attached to the shell by any appropriate means to provide either a permanent or a non-permanent attachment. For example, one can use glue or plastic rivets connected to inserts. The invention also encompasses an attachment that can be removed and repositioned by the user, for example by using screws connected to inserts or snap buttons so as to allow the user to wear the helmet with or without the ear-covering parts.
This last characteristic is not limiting, the invention encompassing making the device 11 in several parts which are assembled before or after the mounting on the shell. In order to address aesthetic concerns, the device can be made by means of a two-color injection molding. In order to achieve lightness and performance, the layering of glass or carbon fabric can be used rather than plastic injection.
The helmet is further equipped with au inner lining 14 which is positioned inside the shell 2 so as to be in contact with the user's head. The function of the lining is to provide comfort and retain the shell in place on the head. The lining includes foam elements, which can be covered with fabric, and it is arranged in a fixed or removable manner inside the shell, for example by means of self-gripping straps, such as hook and loop fastening devices, such as VELCRO®.
The arch/chin guard device 16 is shown separately and in perspective in
The arch/chin guard device 16 can be provided as a unitary piece, made by injection molding, for example. Alternatively, the device 16 can be made from a plurality of parts that are assembled together. In order to position the device 16, it is necessary to deform it elastically by spacing the wings apart. In the case where the material selected to make the arch/chin guard device cannot be elastically deformed enough, the invention encompasses the headband portion 12 being split into two pieces. In the case of the former, and for the purpose of providing the device 16 easily removable or interchangable, the elasticity of the arch can be used to retain the arch in the groove 4 once the user releases the device 16 as it is placed within the groove.
At the rear, the arch/chin guard device 16 can be equipped with means for retaining the strap of goggles. These means are shown in
For a helmet manufacturer, the cost to develop and manufacture a line of helmets including four helmets, corresponding to the helmets of
For a user, the purchase of a single shell such as the one shown in
In
In
The invention is not limited to the particular details of the several embodiments described hereinabove, which have been presented by way of example.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03.14352 | Dec 2003 | FR | national |
This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 03.14352, filed Dec. 8, 2003, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119.
