U.S. patent application number 09/846867 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-01 for inside pad for helmet and helmet using this inside pad.
This patent application is currently assigned to SHOEI, Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Ikeda, Yoshiyuki.
Application Number | 20010034895 09/846867 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18641233 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010034895 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ikeda, Yoshiyuki |
November 1, 2001 |
Inside pad for helmet and helmet using this inside pad
Abstract
An inside pad for a helmet includes a cushion member and a
bag-like member covering the cushion member like a bag. The
bag-like member has a bag main body with an opening, through which
the cushion member can be taken out of and accommodated in the bag
main body, in its one surface, and at least one holding member made
of a thin platelike elastic material and covering the opening. The
holding member is attached to the bag main body. The inside pad for
the helmet has a simple structure and a relatively large strength.
In addition, the cushion member can be taken out of the bag-like
member of the inside pad for the helmet easily, and can be
accommodated in the bag-like member easily.
Inventors: |
Ikeda, Yoshiyuki; (Ibaraki,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JONES, DAY, REAVIS AND POGUE
35TH FLOOR
77 WEST WACKER
CHICAGO
IL
60601-1692
US
|
Assignee: |
SHOEI, Co., Ltd.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
18641233 |
Appl. No.: |
09/846867 |
Filed: |
May 1, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/414 ; 2/411;
2/412 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/127 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/414 ; 2/412;
2/411 |
International
Class: |
A42B 003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 1, 2000 |
JP |
132552/2000 |
Claims
1. An inside pad for a helmet, comprising at least one thick
platelike cushion member and a bag-like member covering said
cushion member like a bag, wherein said bag-like member has a bag
main body with an opening, through which said cushion member can be
taken out of and accommodated in said bag main body, in one surface
thereof, and at least one thin platelike holding member having
flexibility at least partly and covering said opening at least
partly, said holding member being attached to said bag main
body.
2. An inside pad according to claim 1, wherein said holding member
comprises a plurality of holding members, and said plurality of
holding members are detachably connected to each other through a
connecting mechanism.
3. An inside pad according to claim 2, wherein said connecting
mechanism comprises a recess-projection engaging mechanism with an
engaged projection and an engaging hole detachably engageable with
said engaged projection, said engaged projection being formed on
one certain holding member of said plurality of holding members,
and said engaging hole detachably engageable with said engaged
projection being formed in another holding member of said plurality
of holding members.
4. An inside pad according to claim 3, wherein said engaging hole
is a notched engaging hole.
5. An inside pad according to claim 3, wherein said engaged
projection is a male hook.
6. An inside pad according to claim 1, wherein at least one portion
of a periphery of said holding member is attached to said bag main
body at least at one portion of a periphery of said opening.
7. An inside pad according to claim 1, wherein said holding member
has a thickness of 0.3 mm to 2.5 mm.
8. An inside pad according to claim 1, wherein said holding member
has a thickness of 0.5 mm to 1.8 mm.
9. An inside pad according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said
holding members is attached to said bag main body so as to be
turnable inside out from one surface to the other surface of said
bag main body.
10. An inside pad according to claim 1, in which said holding
member comprises an inner holding member and an outer holding
member that are partly overlaid on each other.
11. An inside pad according to claim 3, wherein said engaged
projection is formed on said inner holding member, and said
engaging hole is formed in said outer holding member.
12. An inside pad according to claim 10, wherein each of said
cushion member, said bag-like member, said inner holding member and
said outer holding member has a substantially forked shape.
13. An inside pad according to claim 1, wherein said inner holding
member is attached to said bag main body such that, after
recess-projection engagement of said inner holding member and said
outer holding member through said engaged projection and said
engaging hole is released and said inner holding member is brought
outside said outer holding member, said inner holding member can be
turned inside out from one surface to the other surface of said bag
main body.
14. A helmet wherein said inside pad according to claim 1 is built
into a head protecting body so as to form at least part of an inner
surface portion of said head protecting body.
15. A helmet wherein said inside pad according to claim 3 is built
into a head protecting body so as to form at least part of an inner
surface portion of said head protecting body, and said engaged
projection and/or said engaging hole of said recess-projection
engaging mechanism detachably engages with an engaging hole and/or
an engaged projection formed on said head protecting body through
recess-projection engagement.
16. A helmet wherein said inside pad according to claim 3 is built
into a head protecting body so as to form at least part of an inner
surface portion of said head protecting body, and said engaged
projection detachably engages with a female hook formed on an
impact absorbing liner of said head protecting body, thereby
attaching said inside pad to said impact absorbing liner.
17. A helmet wherein a pair of inside pads each according to claim
1 are built into a head protecting body so as to respectively form
a left cheek blockish inside pad and a right cheek blockish inside
pad of said head protecting body.
18. A helmet according to claim 14, wherein said inside pad further
has an elongated, thin platelike flexible engaging member attached
to said bag-like member, and at least one portion of said engaging
member being inserted and supported between an outer shell and an
impact absorbing liner.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an inside pad for a helmet
which has a thick platelike cushion member and a bag-like member
covering the cushion member like a bag, and a helmet using this
inside pad.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Conventionally, as a helmet to be worn by the head of a
helmet wearer (to be referred to as a "wearer" hereinafter) such as
the rider of a motor cycle, a full-face-type helmet is known.
Usually, a pair of right and left blockish inside pads for the
cheeks are built into the inner surface portion of the cap-shaped
head protecting body of the full-face-type helmet. These blockish
inside pads for the cheeks are usually attached to the inner
surface of an impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner with an
adhesive, a tape, recess-projection engagement or the like. The
blockish inside pads for the cheeks are usually formed by
respectively accommodating thick platelike cushion members made of
urethane foam or the like in bag-like members made of a flexible
sheet material through their openings and sealing the openings by
sewing or the like.
[0003] In the above full-face-type helmet, if the thicknesses or
sizes of the cushion members of the inside pads for the cheeks are
changed in order to change the size and shape of the internal space
of the cap-shaped head protecting body, the cap-shaped head
protecting body may always be made to precisely fit on the heads of
a plurality of wears. In the conventionally known full-face-type
helmet described above, however, the cushion members cannot be
easily taken out of the bag-like members of the blockish inside
pads for the cheeks.
[0004] For this reason, blockish inside pads for the cheeks in
which the cushion members can be taken out of and put in the
bag-like members comparatively easily have also been proposed. Even
among these blockish inside pads for the cheeks, one with a simple
structure, light weight and large strength, in which the cushion
member can be taken out of and put in a bag-like member very easily
does not exist.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention is directed to correcting the
drawbacks described above of the conventional helmet very
effectively with a very simple arrangement.
[0006] It is, therefore, the main object of the present invention
to provide an inside pad for a helmet, which has a simple structure
and relatively high strength, and in which since a cushion member
can easily be taken out of and put in a bag-like member of the
inside pad of the helmet, a cushion member with substantially the
same or different shape as that of the cushion member taken out of
the bag-like member replaces it and is put in the bag-like member,
so the old cushion member can be replaced with a new one or the
size and shape of the internal space of the head protecting body of
the helmet can be changed very easily, and a helmet using this
inside pad.
[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide an
inside pad for a helmet, in which a holding member and accordingly
a bag-like member have higher strengths, and a helmet using this
inside pad.
[0008] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide an inside pad for a helmet, in which not only a bag-like
member has a high strength but also a cushion member can be taken
out of and put in the bag-like member more easily, and a helmet
using this inside pad.
[0009] It is still another object of the present invention to
provide an inside pad for a helmet, which can be attached to a head
protecting body reliably and correctly with a simplified attaching
structure, and a helmet using this inside pad.
[0010] According to the first aspect, the present invention relates
to an inside pad for a helmet, comprising at least one thick
platelike cushion member and a bag-like member covering the cushion
member like a bag, wherein the bag-like member has a bag main body
with an opening, through which the cushion member can be taken out
of and accommodated in the bag main body, in one surface thereof,
and at least one thin platelike holding member having flexibility
at least partly and covering the opening at least partly, the
holding member being attached to the bag main body. In this case,
the holding member has a thickness of preferably 0.3 mm to 2.5 mm,
and more preferably 0.5 mm to 1.8 mm.
[0011] According to the first embodiment of the first aspect, the
holding member comprises a plurality of holding members, and the
plurality of holding members are detachably connected to each other
through a connecting mechanism.
[0012] According to the second embodiment of the first aspect, the
connecting mechanism comprises a recess-projection engaging
mechanism with an engaged projection and an engaging hole
detachably engageable with the engaged projection, the engaged
projection being formed on one certain holding member of the
plurality of holding members, and the engaging hole detachably
engageable with the engaged projection being formed in another
holding member of the plurality of holding members.
[0013] According to the third embodiment of the first aspect, the
engaging hole is a notched engaging hole.
[0014] According to the fourth embodiment of the first aspect, the
engaged projection is a male hook.
[0015] According to the fifth embodiment of the first aspect, at
least one portion of a periphery of the holding member is attached
to the bag main body at least at one portion of a periphery of the
opening.
[0016] According to the sixth embodiment of the first aspect, at
least one of the holding members is attached to the bag main body
so as to be turnable inside out from one surface to the other
surface of the bag main body.
[0017] According to the seventh embodiment of the first aspect, the
holding member comprises an inner holding member and an outer
holding member that are partly overlaid on each other, the engaged
projection is formed on the inner holding member, and the engaging
hole is formed in the outer holding member.
[0018] According to the eighth embodiment of the first aspect, each
of the cushion member, the bag-like member, the inner holding
member and the outer holding member has a substantially forked
shape.
[0019] According to the ninth embodiment of the first aspect, the
inner holding member is attached to the bag main body such that,
after recess-projection engagement of the inner holding member and
said outer holding member through the engaged projection and the
engaging hole is released and the inner holding member is brought
outside the outer holding member, the inner holding member can be
turned inside out from one surface to the other surface of the bag
main body.
[0020] According to the second aspect, the present invention
relates to a helmet wherein the inside pad according to the first
aspect is built into a head protecting body so as to form at least
part of an inner surface portion of the head protecting body.
[0021] According to the third aspect, the present invention relates
to a helmet wherein the inside pad according to any one of the
second to ninth embodiments of the first aspect is built into a
head protecting body so as to form at least part of an inner
surface portion of the head protecting body, and the engaged
projection and/or the engaging hole of the recess-projection
engaging mechanism detachably engages with an engaging hole and/or
an engaged projection formed on the head protecting body through
recess-projection engagement.
[0022] According to the fourth aspect, the present invention
relates to a helmet wherein the inside pad according to any one of
the second to ninth embodiments of the first aspect is built into a
head protecting body so as to form at least part of an inner
surface portion of the head protecting body, and the engaged
projection detachably engages with a female hook formed on an
impact absorbing liner of the head protecting body, thereby
attaching the inside pad to the impact absorbing liner.
[0023] According to the fifth aspect, the present invention relates
to a helmet wherein a pair of inside pads each according to the
first aspect are built into a head protecting body so as to
respectively form a left cheek blockish inside pad and a right
cheek blockish inside pad of the head protecting body.
[0024] According to the first to fifth aspects described above, the
inside pad preferably further has an elongated, thin platelike
flexible engaging member attached to the baglike member, and at
least one portion of the engaging member being preferably inserted
and supported between an outer shell and an impact absorbing
liner.
[0025] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this
invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed
description thereof which is to be read in connection with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a helmet in one
embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a
full-face-type helmet;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a front view of a blockish inside pad for the
right cheek of the helmet shown in FIG. 1;
[0028] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the blockish inside pad for the
right cheek of FIG. 2;
[0029] FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG.
2;
[0030] FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional rear view, taken along
the center, of a left-half impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing
liner of the helmet shown in FIG. 1;
[0031] FIG. 6 is a right side view of a backing cover for the head
of the helmet shown in FIG. 1;
[0032] FIG. 7 is a front view, similar to FIG. 2, of the blockish
inside pad for the right cheek shown in FIG. 7 in which engaged
male hooks are disengaged; and
[0033] FIG. 8 is a front view, similar to FIG. 7, of the blockish
inside pad for the right cheek shown in FIG. 2 in which an inner
holding member is turned inside out from the front side to the rear
side of the cushion member.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] One embodiment in which the present invention is applied to
a full-face-type helmet will be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
[0035] (1) Description on Entire Helmet
[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, a full-face-type helmet 1 is made up of
a full-face-type head protecting cap body 2 to be worn on the head
of a helmet wearer, a shield plate 4 capable of opening/closing a
window opening 3 formed in the front surface of the head protecting
body 2 to oppose the portion (i.e., the face) between the forehead
and chin of the wearer, and a pair of right and left chin straps 8
attached to the inside of the head protecting body 2. As has been
known, the shield plate 4 is made of a transparent or translucent
hard material such as polycarbonate or another hard synthetic
resin. The shield plate 4 is pivotally attached to the head
protecting body 2 with a pair of right and left attaching screws 5.
The shield plate 4 closes the window opening 3 at the backward
pivoting position shown in FIG. 1, and opens the window opening 3
at the forward pivoting position at which the shield plate 4 has
pivoted upward from the backward pivoting position. At the
intermediate position between these positions, the shield plate 4
can partly open the window opening 3. In FIG. 1, a tap 6 is formed
on the shield plate 4. The tap 6 is held by the wearer with his
fingers when the wearer is to pivot upward and downward the shield
plate 4 forward and backward. An operating lever 7 is operated by
the wearer when the wearer is to slightly pivot upward the shield
plate 4 located at the backward pivoting position.
[0037] As is conventionally known, if necessary, the head
protecting body 2 may incorporate one or a plurality of types of
ventilator mechanisms. In FIG. 1, a pair of right and left air
supply ports 11, serving also as exhaust ports, are formed in the
chin region of the head protecting body 2 opposing the wearer's
chin. An outlet port forming member 12 forms an outlet port through
which air introduced from the air supply ports 11 flows upward
along the inner surface of the shield plate 4. An operating tap 13
operates a shutter that opens/closes the outlet port formed by the
outlet port forming member 12. A pair of right and left air supply
port opening/closing shutters 14 are formed in the front region of
the head protecting body 2 opposing the front of the head of the
wearer. A pair of right and left exhaust port opening/closing
shutters 15 are formed in the back region of the head protecting
body 2 opposing the back of the head of the wearer. A breath guard
10 is formed near the chin region of the head protecting body 2 to
be adjacent to the outlet port forming member 12.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, the head protecting body 2 is made up of
a full-face-type outer shell 16 which forms the circumferential
wall of the head protecting body 2, a lower rim member 17 having a
substantially U-shaped cross-section and fixed to the outer shell
16 throughout the lower end of the outer shell 16 with an adhesive
or the like, a rim member 19 for a window opening, which has a
substantially E-shaped cross-section and fixed to the outer shell
16 with an adhesive or the like throughout the periphery of an
window opening 18 formed in the outer shell 16 to form the window
opening 3 of the head protecting body 2, a backing member 21 for
the head, which is fixed to the outer shell 16 with an adhesive or
the like in contact with the inner surface of the outer shell 16 in
a front head region, a top head region, right and left side head
regions and a back head region respectively corresponding to the
front part, top part, right and left parts and back part of the
head of the wearer, and a backing member 25 for the chin and cheek,
which is fixed to the outer shell 16 with an adhesive or the like
in contact with the inner surface of the outer shell 16 in chin and
cheek regions respectively corresponding to the chin and cheeks of
the wearer. The outer shell 16 can be made of a composite material
formed by lining the inner surface of a strong shell body made of a
hard synthetic resin, e.g., FRP, with a flexible sheet such as an
unwoven fabric. The lower rim member 17 can be made of a soft
synthetic resin such as foamed vinyl chloride or synthetic rubber.
The rim member 19 can be made of an elastic material with high
flexibility such as synthetic rubber.
[0039] The backing member 21 is constituted by an
impact-on-the-head absorbing liner (not shown) and a breathing
backing cover 24 (see FIG. 6) for the head attached to the
impact-on-the-head absorbing liner so as to cover almost the entire
inner surface of the impact-on-the-head absorbing liner. As shown
in FIG. 1, the backing member 25 is constituted by an
impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 and a pair of left
and right blockish inside pads 27a and 27b for the cheeks which are
attached to the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 in
contact with the inner surface of the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek
absorbing liner 26 in right and left cheek regions corresponding to
the left and right cheeks of the wearer.
[0040] Each of the body portions of the impact-on-the-head
absorbing liner and the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing
liner 26 can be made of a material with appropriate rigidity and
appropriate plasticity such as polystyrene foam or another
synthetic resin. As shown in FIG. 6, the body portion of the
backing cover 24 can be made of a combination of woven fabric
portions 31 and porous unwoven fabric portions 32 formed by
laminating layers, each made of an elastic material with high
flexibility such as urethane foam or another synthetic resin, on
the surface (i.e., the outer surface) opposing the
impact-on-the-head absorbing liner or two side surfaces.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 6, a front-side engaged member 33 and
rear-side engaged member 34 are respectively attached to the front
and rear end portions of the body portion of the backing cover 24
with a sewing thread, a tape, an adhesive or the like. A front-side
engaging member and rear-side engaging member are respectively
attached to the front and rear end portions of the body portion of
the impact-on-the-head absorbing liner by fixing with rivets,
washers (not shown) or the like, or with an adhesive, a tape or the
like to almost oppose these front- and rear-side engaged members 33
and 34. A pair of left and right engaged studs 35 and 36
respectively formed on the front- and rear-side engaged members 33
and 34 on the backing cover 24 side are press-fitted in a pair of
left and right engaging apertures respectively formed in the front-
and rear-side engaging members on the impact-on-the-head absorbing
liner through projection-recess engagement, thereby detachably
attaching the backing cover 24 to the impact-on-the-head absorbing
liner. Note that the front- and rear-side engaged members 33 and 34
on the backing cover 24 side and the front- and rear-side engaging
members on the impact-on-the-head absorbing liner can be made of a
soft synthetic resin such as polyethylene. In FIG. 6, a pair of
right and left positioning inserted portions 37 are formed on the
front-side engaged member 33, which are to be inserted between the
outer shell 16 and the impact-on-the-head absorbing liner.
Appropriate numbers of ventilation openings 38, 39 and 40 are
formed in the front-side engaged member 33, rear-side engaged
member 34 and the body portion of the backing cover 24,
respectively. A slit-like gap 30 is formed between the pair of
woven fabric portions 31.
[0042] (2) Description on Blockish Inside Pad for Cheek
[0043] The pair of left and right blockish inside pads 27a and 27b
for the cheeks are symmetrical to each other. Thus, the blockish
inside pad 27b for the right cheek will be described in detail with
reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, and a detailed description on the
blockish inside pad 27a for the left cheek will be omitted.
[0044] As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the blockish inside pad 27b
for the right cheek is made up of a pad main body 41 and an elastic
and flexible, elongated thin platelike engaging member 42 attached
near the lower end of the pad main body 41 with a sewing thread, a
tape, an adhesive or the like. The pad main body 41 has a notch 43
to exclude an ear region corresponding to the right ear part of the
wearer. Hence, the pad main body 41 has an almost forked shape to
correspond to the right cheek part of the wearer and its vicinity
(excluding the right ear part). The pad main body 41 is made up of
a thick platelike cushion member 44 formed of one or a plurality of
flexible, elastic materials such as urethane foam or another
synthetic resin, and a bag-like member 45 made of a flexible sheet
material such as cloth or artificial leather and covering the
cushion member 44 almost entirely like a bag. Each of the cushion
member 44 and bag-like member 45 has an almost forked shape to
correspond to the pad main body 41. Accordingly, the cushion member
44 is accommodated in and attached to the bag-like member 45. The
engaging member 42 is also attached to the bag-like member 45.
[0045] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, that surface (i.e., the inner
surface which comes into contact with the right cheek of the
wearer) of the bag-like member 45, which is opposite to the surface
opposing the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26, is
almost entirely formed of a woven fabric portion 46. The lower
surface of the bag-like member 45 is almost entirely formed of an
artificial leather sheet portion 47 such as vinyl leather. The
lower portion of that surface of the bag-like member 45 which
opposes the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 is
formed of a porous unwoven fabric portion 48. The peripheral
surface of the notch 43 of the bag-like member 45 is almost
entirely formed of a porous unwoven fabric portion 49. The woven
fabric portion 46, artificial leather portion 47 and porous unwoven
fabric portions 48 and 49 make up a bag main body 51 of the
bag-like member 45, of which the surface opposing the
impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 is open at its
upper and central portions to form an opening 50. The woven fabric
portion 46, artificial leather portion 47 and porous unwoven fabric
portions 48 and 49 are not respectively limited to woven fabric,
porous or nonporous unwoven fabric and artificial leather, but can
be formed of an arbitrary flexible sheet material such as these
materials, a synthetic resin sheet, paper, paper laminated with a
synthetic resin, or natural leather.
[0046] The opening 50 of the bag main body 51 of the baglike member
45 is partly covered by a pair of inner and outer holding members
61 and 62 which are made of a thin platelike elastic material and
vertically overlaid on each other. As shown in FIGS. 2, 7 and 8,
each of the inner and outer holding members 61 and 62 may be formed
by integrally connecting a large number of substantially band-like
portions to form a thin platelike shape as a whole (this thin
platelike shape can have one or a plurality of apertures and/or one
or a plurality of notches). Accordingly, each of the inner and
outer holding members 61 and 62 may be obtained by punching a sheet
material made of a small-flexibility elastic material, e.g., a soft
synthetic resin such as polypropylene or polyethylene, or paper
laminated with such a soft synthetic resin, into an appropriate
shape, to have a flexibility as a whole. The thickness of this
sheet material and accordingly the thicknesses of the inner and
outer holding members 61 and 62 are preferably from 0.3 mm to 2.5
mm and more preferably from 0.5 mm to 1.8 mm generally from the
viewpoint of practicality.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 7, the inner holding member 61 is formed of
an upper portion 61a, a lower portion 61b and a connecting portion
61c which integrally connects the upper and lower portions 61a and
61b at the front end side, to form a substantially forked shape.
The inner holding member 61 is attached to part of the periphery of
the opening 50 of the bag main body 51 with a sewing thread, tape
or adhesive at those portions of the upper and lower portions 61a
and 61b and connecting portion 61c which extend along the notch 43
(i.e., at some portions of the periphery). The upper portion 61a
has a plurality of openings 63. Male portions (i.e., male hooks)
65a, 65b and 65c of round hooks serving as engaged studs or
projections are attached near the rear ends of the upper and lower
portions 61a and 61b and to the connecting portion 61c by fixing
with rivets 67 or the like, as shown in FIG. 4. Three imaginary
lines sequentially connecting the centers of the three male hooks
65a, 65b and 65c (in other words, engaging holes 66a, 66b and 66c
to be described later) form a triangle.
[0048] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the outer holding member 62 is
formed of an upper portion 62a, a lower portion 62b and a
connecting portion 62c which integrally connects the upper and
lower portions 62a and 62b at the front end side, to form a
substantially forked shape. The outer holding member 62 is attached
to the periphery of the opening 50 of the bag main body 51 with a
sewing thread, tape or adhesive at some portions (i.e., some
portions of the periphery) excluding the lower end of the upper
portion 62a, the upper end of the lower portion 62b and rear end of
the connecting portion 62c. Each of the upper and lower portions
62a and 62b has a plurality of openings 64. Notched engaging holes
66a and 66b are respectively formed around the openings 64 near the
rear ends of the upper and lower portions 62a and 62b to correspond
to the male hooks 65a and 65b, so that they are continuous to the
corresponding openings 64. A notched engaging hole 66c is formed in
the rear end side of the connecting portion 62c to correspond to
the male hook 65c. The outer surfaces (see FIG. 4) of the lower
portions of the annular male portions of the male hooks 65a, 65b
and 65c are detachably fitted and fixed in the engaging holes 66a,
66b and 66c, respectively. Therefore, the inner and outer holding
members 61 and 62 are connected to each other through detachable
recess-projection engagement of the engaged studs or projections
comprised of the annular male portions of the male hooks 65a, 65b
and 65c and the engaging holes 66a, 66b and 66c. To fit and fix the
male hooks 65a, 65b and 65c in the engaging holes 66a, 66b and 66c,
when the male hooks 65a to 65c are moved relative to the engaging
holes 66a to 66c toward substantially a direction parallel to the
surface of the inner holding member 61, the lower portions of the
annular male portions of the male hooks 65a to 65c can be pressed
into the engaging holes 66a to 66c so they are fitted and fixed
there very easily.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, the engaging member 42 has a notch 71
near its front end. The rear end of the engaging member 42 projects
backward from the pad main body 41 to form an inserted portion 72,
and the intermediate portion of the engaging member 42 has openings
73 for imparting flexibility and reducing weight. The engaging
member 42 may be made of an elastic material, e.g., a soft
synthetic resin such as polyethylene.
[0050] As the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 has a
symmetrical shape, only its left half will be described with
reference to FIG. 5.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of right and left thin platelike
support members 75 are attached to that surface (i.e., the inner
surface) of the main body of the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek
absorbing liner 26, which is opposite to the outer shell 16, by
adhesion or the like. Female portions (i.e., female hooks) 74a to
74c of the round hooks are attached to each support member 75 with
rivets or the like to correspond to the male hooks 65a, 65b and
65c, respectively. The body portion of the
impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 may be partly
covered with a flexible sheet such as porous unwoven fabric 76 and
vinyl leather 77 in advance. This body portion has an opening 78
through which the corresponding chin strap 8 is to be inserted, and
a recess 81 surrounding the opening 78 to make the corresponding
chin strap 8 extend through it. An opening 79 is formed at the
central portion of each support member 75 as well to correspond to
the corresponding opening 78 and recess 81. An engaging pin 80 is
formed on the main body portion to oppose the notch 71 of the
engaging member 42.
[0052] To attach the blockish inside pad 27b shown in FIG. 2 to the
impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 shown in FIG. 5,
the male hooks 65a, 65b and 65c of the blockish inside pad 27b may
be engaged with the female hooks 74a, 74b and 74c of the
impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 through
recess-projection engagement. At this time, the engaging member 42
of the blockish inside pad 27b is inserted between the outer shell
16 and impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 from below.
The engaging pin 80 of the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing
liner 26 is relatively fitted in the notch 71 of the engaging
member 42 from below in FIG. 5 and engaged with it through
recess-projection engagement. The inserted portion 72 of the
engaging member 42 is inserted between the outer shell 16 and
backing member 21. The chin strap 8 inserted through the opening 78
of the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek absorbing liner 26 is inserted
in the notch 43 of the blockish inside pad 27b. To remove the
blockish inside pad 27b from the impact-on-the-chin-and-cheek
absorbing liner 26, operation opposite to that for attachment
described above may be performed.
[0053] An example of the operation of taking out the cushion member
44 of the blockish inside pad 27b shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 will be
described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.
[0054] First, in the state shown in FIG. 2, following three
operations are performed in an arbitrary order.
[0055] (1) moving a portion of the inner holding member 61 near the
male hook 65c together with the male hook 65c relative to the outer
holding member 62 substantially backward by utilizing the
flexibility of the inner holding member 61, thereby extracting the
annular male portion of the male hook 65c from the engaging hole
66c,
[0056] (2) moving a portion of the inner holding member 61 near the
male hook 65b together with the male hook 65c relative to the outer
holding member 62 substantially forward by utilizing the
flexibility of the inner holding member 61, thereby extracting the
annular male portion of the male hook 65b from the engaging hole
66b, and
[0057] (3) moving a portion of the inner holding member 61 near the
male hook 65a together with the male hook 65a relative to the outer
holding member 62 obliquely (more specifically, in an oblique
direction between upward and forward) by utilizing the flexibility
of the inner holding member 61, thereby extracting the annular male
portion of the male hook 65a from the engaging hole 66a.
[0058] Then, the inner holding member 61 is brought outside the
outer holding member 62, as shown in FIG. 7. Subsequently, the
inner holding member 61 in the state shown in FIG. 7 is turned
inside out from the front side to the rear side of the cushion
member 44 and bag main body 51, so that it comes to the state shown
in FIG. 8. In the state shown in FIG. 8, the inner holding member
61 does not exist above the opening 50 but merely the outer holding
member 62 exists above the opening 50. Therefore, the cushion
member 44 can be taken out of the bag main body 51 very easily
while appropriately elastically deforming the outer holding member
62. When this cushion member 44 or another cushion member is to be
put in the bag main body 51, operation opposite to that described
above for removal may be performed.
[0059] To extract the annular male portions of the male hooks 65a,
65b and 65c respectively from the engaging holes 66a, 66b and 66c,
the inner holding member 61 must be moved relative to the outer
holding member 62 in different directions in units of combinations
of the male hooks and engaging holes, as described in the above
items (1), (2) and (3). Thus, the annular male portions of the male
hooks 65a, 65b and 65c do not substantially undesirably come off
from the respective engaging holes 66a, 66b and 66c upon
application of an impact to helmet 1.
[0060] Having described a specific preferred embodiment of this
invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be
understood that the invention is not limited to the precise
embodiment, and that various changes and modifications may be
effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from
the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended
claims.
[0061] For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention
is applied to a blockish inside pad for the cheek. Alternatively,
the present invention can also be applied to various types of
blockish inside pads other than the one for the cheek which is used
for a helmet.
[0062] In the above embodiment, two holding members 61 and 62 are
provided to one bag-like member 45. Alternatively, if necessary,
one, three, or more holding members may be provided to one bag-like
member 45.
[0063] In the above embodiment, only one cushion member 44 is
accommodated in one bag-like member 45. Alternatively, two or more
cushion members may be accommodated in the baglike member 45 in,
e.g., a multilayered manner.
[0064] In the above embodiment, the engaged studs or projection 65a
to 65c of the recess-projection engaging mechanism, with which the
plurality of holding members 61 and 62 are detachably engaged with
each other through recess-projection engagement, also serve as the
engaged studs or projections of a recess-projection engaging
mechanism with which the blockish inside pads 27a and 27b are
detachably engaged with the head protecting body 2 through
recess-projection engagement when they are to be built into the
head protecting body 2. Alternatively, the latter engaged studs or
projections may be separately formed on, e.g., the outer holding
member 62. The two types of projection-recess engaging mechanisms
are not always necessary. In this case, the latter
projection-recess engaging mechanism may be replaced with another
connecting mechanism such as a tape.
[0065] In the above embodiment, when the two holding members 61 and
62 are connected to each other through recess-projection
engagement, they are overlaid on each other such that one holding
member 61 is located inside while the other holding member 62 is
located outside. Alternatively, the two holding members 61 and 62
may be overlaid on each other such that one portion of one holding
member 61 is located inside and the remaining portion of the
holding member 61 is located outside, while one portion of the
other holding member 62 is located outside and the remaining
portion of the holding member 62 is located inside.
[0066] In the above embodiment, the plurality of holding members 61
and 62 are detachably connected to each other with the
recess-projection engaging mechanisms 65a to 65c and 74a to 74c.
Alternatively, the plurality of holding members 61 and 62 may be
detachably connected to each other with another connecting
mechanism such as a hook engaging mechanism. In various types of
recess-projection engaging mechanisms of the above embodiment, the
relationship between the engaged studs and corresponding engaging
holes may be reversed individually.
[0067] In the above embodiment, the engaging holes 66a, 66b and 66c
form notched engaging holes. Alternatively, the engaging holes 66a,
66b and 66c may form independent engaging holes such as
substantially circular holes.
[0068] In the above embodiment, each of the holding members 61 and
62 has a substantially forked shape, and has the plurality of
openings 63 and 64 for improving the elasticity and decreasing the
weight. Alternatively, the holding member 61 or 62 need not have a
forked shape, and the openings 63 and 64 can be omitted if
necessary.
[0069] In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to
the full-face-type helmet 1. Alternatively, the present invention
can also be applied to a helmet of another type, i.e., a jet- or
semijet-type helmet.
[0070] In the above embodiment, each of the inner and outer holding
members 61 and 62 is formed of an elastic sheet member such that
the entire holding member has flexibility. Alternatively, only one
(e.g., the inner holding member 61) of the inner and outer holding
members 61 and 62 may have flexibility, wile the other may not have
flexibility. The flexible holding member need not have flexibility
entirely, and a flexible portion (e.g., a portion in the vicinity
of an engaged projection or engaging hole) and a nonflexible
portion may exist in a mixed manner.
* * * * *