Patent Application
20200113266
The present invention relates to helmets and, more particularly, to a protective sports helmet that effectively absorbs, deflects, and distributes the energy of an impact.
American football, which is one of the country's favorite pastimes, is also one of the most dangerous. The sport is characterized by aggresivily high energy tackles and collisions that are conducive to a number of serious injuries, including mild to severe concussions and traumatic brain injury. With the rates of these head injuries increasing over the past 50 years, many health experts have started referring to a football-related “concussion epidemic.” At the same time, the long-term consequences of head trauma experienced by football players have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years.
In the case of American football, while many attempts have been made to improve the design and safety of the players' helmets, the number of severe brain and other injuries continues to rise with participation in the sport, and with the increasing speed and power of the athletes. The outer shell of existing helmets frequently does little to distribute and absorb the initial impact forces, and merely transfers the impact energy of collisions to the inner cushioning of the helmets. Accordingly, new and improved helmet designs are needed, in which the outer shell more effectively distribute and absorb the energy of an impact.
As can be seen, there is a need for a protective sports helmet that effectively distributes and absorbs the energy of an impact.
In one aspect of the present invention, a helmet comprises: an outer shell comprising: an exterior and an interior; a crown portion, a front portion, a left side portion, a right side portion, and a rear portion; and a plurality of bumps defined on the exterior, wherein each of the plurality of bumps is a dome shaped protrusion.
In another aspect of the present invention, a helmet comprises: an outer shell comprising: an exterior and an interior; a crown portion, a front portion, a left side portion, a right side portion, and a rear portion; and a plurality of bumps defined on the exterior, wherein each of the plurality of bumps is a dome shaped protrusion and each of the plurality of bumps define a concave recess on the interior.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Referring to
The one-piece outer shell 12 includes a crown portion 24, defining an upper region of the shell 12 and/or helmet 10. The shell 12 further includes a front portion 26, extending generally forward and downward from crown portion 24, a left side portion 28, and a right side portion 30. The left side portion 28 and the right side portion 30 extend generally downward and laterally from the crown portion 24 sufficiently to cover a respective left or right ear of a football player wearing the helmet 10. The outer shell 12 further includes a rear portion 32, extending generally rearward and downward from the crown portion.
The helmet 10 includes a plurality of bumps 34 defined on the exterior 18 of the outer shell 12. Each of the bumps 34 are a dome shaped protrusion that absorb, deflect, and distribute energy upon impact. Each of the bumps 34 may further define a dimple or a concave recess on the interior 20 of the outer shell 12. Each bump 34 may be surrounded by other adjacent bumps 34.
In certain embodiments, the plurality of bumps 34 may be evenly or unevenly dispersed about the outer shell 12. Additionally, the plurality of bumps 34 may be contiguous with one another, i.e. where one bump 34 ends another bump 34 begins. Alternatively, the plurality of bumps 34 may be spaced apart, such that a curvature of the helmet 10 is disposed in between the bumps 34. The plurality of bumps 34 may be disposed on the crown portion 24, the front portion 26, the left side portion 28, the right side portion 30, and the rear portion 32. Any desired number of bumps 34 may be disposed on the various portions of the outer shell 12, and in some cases, there may be no bumps 34 disposed in particular portions.
Each of the plurality of bumps 34 acts as an energy absorber and deflector, and distributor. Each of the plurality of bumps 34 may absorb and distribute energy when the exterior 18 of the shell 12 is impacted from a normal direction. That is, each bump 34 may redirect and absorb impact energy through the surrounding bumps 34 and each bump 34 may deflect energy due to the curvature of the dome shape. An outer shell 12 of a helmet 10 including a plurality of bumps 34 thus may absorb, deflect, and distribute more energy than a similarly configured outer shell of a helmet that does not include a plurality of bumps 34. Absorbing, deflecting, and distributing energy in the outer shell 12 may reduce forces acting on an interior surface of the helmet 10, which may better manage the deceleration to the player's head, thereby reducing concussions and other injuries.
The outer shell 12 may be manufactured utilizing known materials, such as plastics, polycarbonates, and known processes including various means of material lamination, flow molding, sheet forming, etc. and/or the like. The plurality of bumps 34 may be formed or machined in positions including, but not limited to, those shown in the Figures.
The number, position, and shape of the plurality of bumps 34 may vary, with those variations determined by the energy absorbing properties of the arrangement of bumps 34 along with material and structural considerations. Each bump 34 may be uniformed in size or alternatively may include different sizes. Each of the bumps 34 may include a diameter in the range of about 20 mm up to about 100 mm, such as about 55 mm up to about 60 mm, and a height in the range of about 1/32nd of an inch up to 1 and ½ inches, such as about ¼th of an inch up to about ⅓rd of an inch.
The outer shell 12 may include other cutouts or molded openings such as one or more hearing ports 42 disposed in the left side portion 28 and the right side portion 30 and one or more attachment points 44 for hardware. The attachment points 44 may be utilized for coupling the outer shell 12 to any or all of the facemask 14, the visor 22, and the chinstrap. In some examples, one or more bumps 34 may intersect one or more hearing ports 42 and/or one or more attachment points 44.
The present invention provides several advantages over known solutions for absorbing, deflecting, and distributing energy due to head impacts. For example, the illustrative embodiments of football helmets described herein allow for increased absorption, deflection, and distribution of energy within the outer shell 12 of the helmet 10, as compared to existing helmet designs. Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments of the football helmets 10 described herein allow the energy absorbing properties of the helmet 10 to distribute across the surface of the helmet 10. Thus, the illustrative embodiments described herein are particularly useful for reducing head and neck injuries related to football collisions.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/744,318, filed Oct. 11, 2018, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62744318 | Oct 2018 | US |
