Head And Neck Protector

Abstract

A head projector comprises a protective skirt for use with a helmet for protecting parts of a wearer's head below the peripheral edge of the helmet, such as the temporal and occipital regions. The protective skirt comprises one or more layers of high tensile strength flexible material, such as an aramid material and a securing mechanism for enabling the skirt to be suspended from the helmet in the required position. The protective skirt may extend to a position below a person's head to cover and protect a person's neck region.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/663,197 filed on 21 Mar. 2005, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to head and neck protectors, and in particular, but not limited to, head and neck protectors for military use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Protective systems for protecting military personnel include a standard combat helmet having a hard protective shell. As a result of the degree of protection that the helmet is required to provide, the helmet can be relatively heavy, putting on stress on the neck and shoulders of the wearer and making it difficult and tiring to wear the helmet over prolonged periods of time. In the interests of reducing the weight of the helmet, some military helmets have been redesigned with a reduced lower profile, as shown in FIG. 15, so that parts of the lower head (occipital region) and sides of the head (temporal region) are left unprotected and are therefore vulnerable to injury. It would be desirable to enhance head and neck protection for military personnel without adding significantly to the weight of the helmet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a protective skirt for protecting at least one of a head and neck region of a wearer, the protective skirt comprising at least one layer of high tensile strength flexible material and securing means for enabling the skirt to be held at a position adjacent the head of a wearer.

[0005] Advantageously, this arrangement provides a relatively lightweight protective system which can be adapted to effectively extend the protection provided by a standard military helmet at the sides and/or back of the wearer's head.

[0006] In some embodiments, the protective skirt comprises a plurality of layers of high tensile strength material such as a ballistic resistant material, and the number of layers can be determined according to the level of protection required.

[0007] In some embodiments, the high tensile strength material comprises an aramid or other polymeric fibre.

[0008] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the skirt may have a similar colour to that of the outer surface of a helmet with which it is to be used.

[0009] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the skirt has a colour or pattern that substantially corresponds to one used by the military, e.g. the U.S military.

[0010] In some embodiments, the protective skirt includes at least one cover layer of material covering at least a portion of the high tensile strength material. The cover layer may be formed of a softer material than the high tensile strength material to provide a degree of comfort, and the external surface of the cover layer may include a camouflage pattern, a pattern or colour substantially corresponding to the outer surface of a helmet with which the skirt is to be used, for example one used by the military (e.g. U.S. military).

[0011] The securing means for enabling the skirt to be held at a position adjacent the head of a wearer may comprise any one or more of:

(1) an attachment means for attaching the skirt to a helmet; (2) a head cap for wearing on the head of the wearer (for example underneath a helmet); (3) a helmet cover for covering the helmet; and (4) a balaclava.

[0012] In one embodiment, the protective skirt comprises an attachment means arranged for attachment to a helmet retention system, for retaining the helmet on the head of a wearer.

[0013] In some embodiments, the securing means comprises a band for extending about at least part of the external peripheral surface of a helmet.

[0014] In some embodiments, the securing means comprises means for securing the protective skirt to an inside surface of a helmet shell. For example, the helmet may comprise one or more surface contact fasteners (or other type of fastener) on the inside thereof and the securing means may comprise at least one complementary fastener for fastening to the helmet fastener( ).

[0015] In some embodiments, the protective skirt comprises a plurality of skirt sections, each section being connected to an adjacent section. At least one or each section may comprise one or more layer(s) of high tensile strength flexible material.

[0016] In some embodiments, at least two adjacent sections of the protective skirt may overlap.

[0017] In some embodiments, at least two adjacent sections may be connected together by a plurality of spaced apart connectors or couplers, providing regions between the connectors, where the sections are disconnected from each other. In some embodiments, the connectors may comprise a flexible material to allow the different sections to move relative to each other. In other embodiments, one or more connector or coupler is adapted to allow relative movement between each section and may comprise a hinge or pivot.

[0018] Advantageously, forming the protective skirt from different sections that are flexibly connected together may assist in increasing the flexibility of the neck protector for added comfort. For example, the sections may be arranged to allow a lower section of the skirt to swing in a direction between the front and back of a user to reduce bunching of material and resistance exerted by the skirt on a user tilting his or her head back, for example, when lying on his or her front on the ground, or horizontally, in a firing position, for instance. Thus, in this embodiment, the coupling means for coupling the sections together is more flexible than the sections themselves. Furthermore, providing spaced connectors may assist in increasing the flexibility between the different skirt sections and provides a gap between the sections for ventilation and cooling.

[0019] In some embodiments, one section of the skirt comprises an upper section, and another section comprises a lower section below the upper section. In some embodiments, the lower section may be suspended from the upper section.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a balaclava comprising at least one layer of high tensile strength material positioned to cover at least a portion of a wearer's head and/or neck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Examples of embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0022] FIG. 1A shows a right-side view of an embodiment of a protective skirt attached to the inside of a helmet, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 1B shows a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

[0024] FIG. 1C shows a left-side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

[0025] FIG. 1D shows a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 1A;

[0026] FIG. 1E shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

[0027] FIG. 2A shows an embodiment of a protective skirt attached to the outside of a protective helmet according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 2B shows a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A;

[0029] FIG. 2C shows a left-side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A;

[0030] FIG. 2D shows a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 2A;

[0031] FIG. 2E shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A;

[0032] FIG. 3A shows a protective skirt and helmet cover according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] FIG. 3B shows a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A;

[0034] FIG. 3C shows a left-side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A;

[0035] FIG. 3D shows a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 3A;

[0036] FIG. 3E shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A;

[0037] FIG. 4A shows an example of a protective skirt according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] FIG. 4B shows a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A;

[0039] FIG. 4C shows a left-side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A;

[0040] FIG. 4D shows a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 4A;

[0041] FIG. 4E shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A;

[0042] FIG. 5A shows a right-side view of a protective skirt attached to a skull cap according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] FIG. 5B shows a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A;

[0044] FIG. 5C shows a left-side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A;

[0045] FIG. 5D shows a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 5A;

[0046] FIG. 5E shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5A;

[0047] FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of a helmet and protective skirt attached thereto;

[0048] FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of a helmet and a protective skirt attached thereto;

[0049] FIG. 8 shows a side view of a balaclava according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] FIG. 9 shows a plan view of a protective skirt according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view through the protective skirt shown in FIG. 9 along the line a-a;

[0052] FIGS. 11A and 112 show an example of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] FIGS. 12A and 12B show an example of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] FIGS. 13A and 13B show an example of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] FIG. 14A shows a rear and right-side perspective view of a head protector according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] FIG. 14B shows a rear view of the head protector shown in FIG. 14A;

[0057] FIG. 14C shows a front view of the head protector shown in FIG. 14A;

[0058] FIG. 14D shows a right-side view of the head protector shown in FIG. 14A;

[0059] FIG. 14E shows a left-side view of the head protector shown in FIG. 14A;

[0060] FIG. 14F shows a bottom view of the head protector shown in FIG. 14A;

[0061] FIG. 14G shows a top view of the head protector shown in FIG. 14A;

[0062] FIG. 14H shows a rear view of the head protector shown in FIG. 14A attached to a helmet;

[0063] FIG. 14I shows a side of the head protector shown in FIG. 14A attached to a helmet; and

[0064] FIG. 15 shows a side view of a skull and relative position of a protective helmet.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0065] Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1E, a protective skirt 1 comprises opposed side portions 3, 5 for covering and protecting a side of a wearer's head and a rear portion 7 for protecting and covering the back of a wearer's head. The side and head portions may extend below the head to cover and protect at least a portion of the neck of a wearer. The protective skirt comprises one or more layer(s) of high tensile strength material, for example a ballistic resistant material, such as an aramid fibre (or other polymeric) based material, examples of which include Kevlar, Dyneema, Twaron, as well as others. In this embodiment, the protective skirt is adapted to be suspended from the inside of a combat helmet 9 comprising a hard outer shell having a peripheral lower edge 11. Advantageously, the skirt may be lightweight and flexible and extends below the lower peripheral edge 11 of the helmet to protect regions of the head and/or neck that would otherwise be exposed and vulnerable to injury. In this embodiment, the skirt extends to protect the temporal region 13, the ear region 15 and the occipital region 17 at the base of the skull. The protective skirt also extends to cover at least a portion of the sides 19 and back 21 of the neck. Examples of how the protective skirt may be attached to a helmet will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 6, a helmet 9 includes a retention system for assisting in retaining the helmet on a wearer's head, and which includes a band 23 which extends at least partially around the inside lower peripheral edge of the helmet shell so as to leave a peripheral gap between the band 23 and the helmet shell. The protective skirt 1 includes a plurality of webs or straps 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 extending therefrom and which pass or loop around the peripheral band 23 to secure the skirt thereto. The free end of each attachment web 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 may include a fastener which either fastens to the peripheral band 23 or fastens to another portion of the web or to the protective skirt. The fasteners may comprise any suitable fasteners, such as snap fasteners, buttons and eyes or surface contact type fasteners such as hook and loop fasteners (e.g. Velcro). An example of this latter embodiment is shown in more detail in FIG. 9. Referring to FIG. 9, the protective skirt includes fastening webs 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 extending from the upper peripheral edge 33 of the protective skirt, and each web includes first and second complementary surface-type fasteners 35, 37 spaced from one another and which are capable of fastening to one another to form a loop therebetween for securing around the peripheral helmet band 23.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 7, another embodiment of a helmet skirt 1 comprises a plurality of fasteners 39 for fastening to complementary fasteners mounted on the inside of the helmet shell. In one example, the helmet may include one or more removable foam pads whose thickness and position can be adjusted to suit an individual wearer. The skirt may have complementary fasteners to fasten directly to the foam pad fasteners, and the foam pad fasteners may then be fastened to the other side of the skirt. The fasteners may comprise any suitable fasteners, and in one embodiment comprise surface contact-type fasteners such as hook and loop fasteners (e.g. Velcro).

[0068] FIG. 10 shows an example of a cross-section through a protective skirt (e.g. the protective skirt shown in FIG. 9), and in this embodiment, the protective skirt comprises a plurality of layers of high tensile strength material 36 and opposed cover layers 38, 40 for covering each side of the protective skirt. As for any embodiment disclosed herein, the number of layers of high tensile strength material may be varied depending on the level of protection required, and may be between 5 and 10, 11 and 20 or 21 and 40, for example. The cover layers are optional, and in another embodiment, a cover layer may be provided on any one side of the protective skirt, i.e. only on the inside or the outside thereof. The cover layer may include a camouflage pattern or a colour scheme that generally corresponds to that of the outside of the helmet.

[0069] Referring to FIGS. 2A to 2E, another embodiment of a protective skirt 101 has side portions 105, 107 and a rear portion 109, and includes a band 111 extending from the front of each side portion for securing the protective skirt 101 to the outside of a helmet shell 113. The band 111 may comprise a stretchable material so that the band automatically contracts around the helmet shell to secure to the skirt thereto. Alternatively, or in addition, the band may comprise first and second portions having fastening means such as a surface contact fastener for securing the two portions of the band together. The protective skirt may have any desired construction and may include any number of layers of protective or high tensile strength material, as required.

[0070] Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3E, a protective skirt 201 is secured to and extends downwardly from a helmet cover 215. Thus, if a helmet cover is provided, the protective skirt can be conveniently attached thereto. The helmet skirt may be integrally formed with the helmet cover, or the helmet skirt may be made separately and attached to the helmet cover by any suitable attachment means. For example, the helmet skirt 201 may be sewn onto the helmet cover or releasably attached thereto, by, for example, a releasable fastening mechanism such as a surface contact fastener.

[0071] The helmet cover may comprise a flexible material, e.g. a cloth material and may include a peripheral lower edge 217 which fits over the lower peripheral edge of a helmet shell. The lower peripheral edge 217 of the cover may be elasticized or otherwise stretchable, or otherwise adapted so that the circumference of the lower peripheral edge can be varied to tighten about the helmet.

[0072] The protective skirt has opposed side portions 205, 207 which are sized to cover the sides of a wearer's head, and a rear portion 209 for covering a lower rear part of a persons head, for example the occipital region. The skirt may comprise one or more layers of a high tensile strength material, for example an aramid or other polymeric material.

[0073] Referring to FIGS. 4A to 4E, an embodiment of a protective skirt 301 comprises a plurality of separate skirt sections, which in this embodiment include an upper section 303 and a lower section 305. Each section may include one or more layer(s) of protective material such as a high tensile strength or ballistic resistant material. As best shown in FIG. 4B, the lower section is suspended from the upper section by a plurality of spaced apart connectors 317, 319, 321 which may for example comprise lengths of webbing attached to each section. As also shown in FIG. 4B, the upper and lower sections overlap in a region 323.

[0074] Advantageously, forming the protective skirt in a plurality of sections can provide the skirt with a greater degree of flexibility for increased comfort. This may be particularly beneficial where the protective material or resulting construction of multiple layers of protective material is relatively stiff.

[0075] To assist in providing increased flexibility, the connectors connecting the skirt sections may be flexible.

[0076] Advantageously, providing disconnected regions between discrete skirt section connectors also improves flexibility and further provides venting in the gaps between the connectors for cooling and improved comfort.

[0077] In addition, arranging the skirt sections to overlap one another increases the degree of protection provided in the overlap region.

[0078] The multi-section protective skirt may be secured to a helmet or other system for supporting the protective skirt at the required position on a wearer's head by any suitable means, and in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A to 4E, the protective skirt is attached to the inside of a helmet cover 315 (similar to that shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E).

[0079] In this embodiment, the skirt includes right and left side portions 309, 311 for covering the sides of a person's head, and a rear portion 313 for covering the lower rear part of a person's head, for example to protect the occipital region.

[0080] FIGS. 5A to 5E show an embodiment of a protective skirt 401 attached to a skull cap 405. In use, the skull cap may be worn underneath a protective helmet, and the skull cap provides a convenient means of supporting the protective skirt. The protective skirt 401 may be attached to the skull cap by any suitable means, and in one embodiment, is attached such that the position of the protective skirt can be adjusted relative to the skull cap 405. For example, the attachment means may allow relative vertical movement between the skull cap and protective skirt to allow the position of the protective skirt to accommodate different neck lengths. In one embodiment, the protective skirt may comprise one or more fasteners 407, 409, 411 which may comprise webs or straps. The fasteners may allow the protective skirt to be detached from the skull cap and/or to allow the position of the protective skirt to be adjusted. In one embodiment, the fastening means may comprise one or more surface contact fasteners (e.g. hook and loop type fasteners, such as Velcro) to releasably fasten the skirt to the skull cap.

[0081] The skull cap may comprise any suitable material, such as a stretchable material (e.g. Lycra). In this embodiment, the protective skirt 401 includes right side portions 413, 415 and a rear portion 417, which in this embodiment extends to cover the occipital area. The protective skirt 401 may comprise one or more layers of high tensile strength material such as an aramid fibre based material or other polymeric material (e.g. Nylon).

[0082] FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of a head and neck protector. Referring to FIG. 8, the head and neck protector 501 is supported on a balaclava 503. The balaclava and/or protective skirt 501 may include attachment means to allow the protective skirt to be removably attached to the balaclava. In one embodiment, the balaclava may include a pocket 507 for holding the protective skirt and the pocket may comprise an opening to allow the protective skirt to be inserted and removed, as required. The pocket may conveniently be positioned on the inside of the balaclava, or on the outside thereof. The balaclava may comprise any suitable material, such as a stretchable material (e.g. Lycra-type or mesh material). The protective skirt is sized and attached to the balaclava so as to cover areas of the side of the head and/or back of the head, such as the temple and occipital areas. The protective skirt 501 may comprise one or more layers of high tensile strength or ballistic resistant material such as an aramid-based material, or other polymeric material and, as for any other embodiment disclosed herein, may comprise any number of layers of protective material, depending on the required level of protection.

[0083] Further examples of embodiments of the protective skirt are shown in FIGS. 11A to 13B.

[0084] Referring to FIGS. 11A and 11B, the head protector according to another embodiment of the invention generally shown at 501 comprises a crown or upper portion 503 for generally covering a crown portion of the head of a wearer and a lower protective portion 505. The protective portion 505 extends from and below the upper portion 503 and includes right and left side portions 507 for covering a side portion of the head of a wearer and a rear portion 509 for covering a lower rear portion of a wearer's head. The upper portion may comprise any suitable material, for example a cloth, and in this embodiment, comprises an open mesh material for reduced heat load and heat stress. The lower portion or skirt comprises one or more layers of soft high tensile strength material such as an aramid or other polymeric based material. The lower edge 511 of the lower portion may include a band of soft and/or stretchable material for improved comfort.

[0085] In this embodiment, the lower portion generally conforms to the shape of the lower side and rear portions of a wearer's head and covers for example the temporal, ear and occipital regions. The head protector may be worn conveniently underneath a protective helmet 513, which may for example comprise a military or combat helmet

[0086] FIGS. 12A and 12B show another example of a head protector in the form of a balaclava, and is similar to that shown in FIG. 8.

[0087] In this embodiment, the head protector comprises an upper or crown portion 603 comprising any suitable soft material such as a cloth, e.g. cotton, poly-cotton, polyester or a breathable material such as an open mesh type material, and any of the materials used may be lightweight. The head protector 601 further comprises a lower protective portion 605 which extends from and below the crown portion 603 and includes right and left side portions 607 for covering a temporal and ear region of a wearer, and a rear portion 609 for covering a lower rear portion of the head of a wearer, for example the occipital region. The protective lower portion 605 comprises one or more layers of high tensile strength fabric such as an aramid or other polymeric material. In one embodiment, the material forming the upper or crown portion 603 may terminate at a lower edge 611 or the material forming the crown portion may extend downwardly and overlap the protective portion 605, and may extend below the protective portion to provide a neck portion 613. The protective layers may be fastened to the crown material, for example on the outside or the inside thereof by any suitable means, such as stitching. Providing the protective portion on the outside of the crown forming material may improve comfort, for example if the crown forming material comprises a softer material and/or a mesh.

[0088] Referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, a head protector according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a protective skirt which is similar to that shown in FIGS. 2A to 2E, and like parts are designated by the same reference numerals. The main difference between the embodiment of FIGS. 13A and 13B and that shown in FIGS. 2A to 2E, is the method by which the protective skirt is attached to the helmet. In the embodiment of FIGS. 13A and 13B, the attachment means comprises a peripheral band, web strap, or belt which is adapted to extend about the entire circumference of a protective helmet 113. Otherwise the description of the embodiment of FIGS. 2A to 2E applies equally to that shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B.

[0089] As stated above, the protective skirt may comprise any number of layers of protective material and in any of the embodiments described above, the protective skirt may comprise at least five layers of material and in other embodiments may comprise six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve layers of protective material (e.g. ballistic resistant material or high tensile strength material), or more than twelve layers, for example any number of layers between twelve and fifty or more, for example. The number of layers of material may be sufficient to withstand a threat such as a standard V50 1476 FPS-17GFSP threat.

[0090] The protective skirt may extend to cover any one or more regions of the head and/or neck, as desired, depending, for example, on the degree of protection provided by any other garment worn, such as a helmet. For example, the protective skirt may be arranged to predominately protect the back of the head and/or neck and therefore may extend to cover only this region. In other embodiments, the protective skirt may extend only to cover a portion of the side of the head and/or neck.

[0091] Some embodiments of the protective skirt are made of 12 layers 840 Denier Plain Weave 2194 Kevlar K129 24.times.24.

[0092] The following table indicates outline V50 levels for embodiments of the head and/or neck protector:

TABLE-US-00001 Fragment 2 g RCC 4 g RCC 16 g RCC 17 g FSP 64 g RCC V50 velocity 1501 1702 1742 1567 1131 (Ft/sec)

[0093] Embodiments of the head and/or neck protector may provide protection against any one or more of the following threat levels: 2, 4, 16 and 64 grain RCC, and may withstand V50 or V0 limits at 0 degree obliquity.

[0094] Embodiments of the protective skirt can be made of any Kevlar denier/layer count according to the V50 protection required for 2, 4, 16, 64 g RCC fragments. The main consideration is flexibility and weight as layers are added.

[0095] FIGS. 14A to 14I show another embodiment of a head protector. The head protector 701 comprises a curved plate for covering and protecting the lower rear portion of a wearer's head, for example the occipital region, and is adapted for fastening to the rear of a protective helmet or other support structure which allows the head protector to be retained in the intended position. The protective plate has a concave inner surface 703 which generally conforms to the shape of the base of the skull, and a convex outer surface 705 defined between upper and lower peripheral edges 707, 709 and right and left side edges 711, 713.

[0096] As shown in FIGS. 14D and 14E for example, the outer and inner surface of the head protector 701 curves inwardly as the profile progresses downwardly from the upper peripheral edge 707 over the region 715 and from a lower portion thereof curves outwardly as the profile progresses to the lower edge 709 in region 717. The outwardly extending lower portion 719 facilitates sliding of the head protector over the back of the neck or clothing covering the back of the neck of a wearer when a person's chin is moved upwards and the head tilted back, for example, when a person is lying on his or her front. A plurality of apertures 721, 723, 725 are formed in the head protector at spaced positions adjacent the upper peripheral edge 707 for receiving fastening straps 731 to enable the head protector to be mounted to a helmet retention system 733 of a helmet 735, as for example shown in FIGS. 14H and 14I.

[0097] The protective plate may be formed of any suitable material and may be rigid, semi-rigid, flexible or resilient. In one embodiment, the plate comprises a composite of a number of layers of high tensile strength fabric, for example an aramid or polymeric based material, e.g. Kevlar. The aramid or polymeric material may comprise a fabric impregnated with resin which is formed or molded into the desired shape using heat and/or pressure. In other embodiments, the protective plate may be formed of a single or a plurality of layers of a plastics material such as polycarbonate or acrylic, or a ceramic material and may have an optional foam backing to reduce back deformation. In other embodiments, the protective plate may comprise a combination of a plastics material or a ceramic material, for example, directed towards the external surface thereof and one or more layers of a ballistic resistant fabric directed towards an inner face thereof, for example, and an optional foam backing layer.

[0098] The means of fastening the protective plate to a helmet may comprise any suitable fastening system and the fastening system may include a coupling mechanism which allows the protective plate to rock back and forth in a direction between the front and rear of a helmet (as indicated by the arrow 739 in FIG. 14I, for example) so that the protective plate does not impair movement of a user tilting his or her head back and forth.

[0099] Other embodiments of the present invention may include any one or more features of the head and/or neck protector disclosed herein.

[0100] Other aspects and embodiments of the present invention comprise any one or more features disclosed herein in combination with any one or more other features disclosed herein or an equivalent or variant thereof. In any aspect or embodiment of the invention, one or more features may be omitted altogether or substituted by another feature which may be an equivalent or variant thereof.

[0101] Numerous modifications and changes to the embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A protective skirt for protecting at least one of a head and neck region of a wearer, the protective skirt comprising at least one layer of high tensile strength flexible material and securing means for enabling the skirt to be held at a position adjacent the head of a wearer.

2. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of layers of high tensile strength material.

3. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 1, wherein the high tensile strength material comprises an aramid or other polymeric fibre.

4. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least one cover layer of material covering at least a portion of the high tensile strength material.

5. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 1, wherein said securing means comprises at least one of: (1) attachment means for attaching said skirt to a helmet; (2) a head cap for wearing on the head of the wearer; (3) a helmet cover for covering a helmet; and (4) a balaclava.

6. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 5, further comprising attachment means for releasably attaching the skirt to the head cap or to the helmet cover.

7. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 5, wherein said protective skirt is suspended from said head cap or helmet cover.

8. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 5, wherein said helmet comprises a retention system, and said attachment means is arranged to attach to said helmet retention system.

9. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 8, wherein said retention system comprises at least one strap or band, and said attachment means comprises a web or strap for attaching to and/or around said strap or band.

10. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 9, wherein said attachment means includes a releasable fastener.

11. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 9, wherein the strap or band of the retention system of said helmet is disposed around the lower peripheral edge of the helmet.

12. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 1, wherein the securing means comprises means for securing the protective skirt to an inside surface of a helmet shell.

13. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 12, wherein the helmet comprises one or more surface fasteners on the inside surface thereof and said attachment means comprises a complementary fastener for fastening to the helmet fasteners.

14. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 13, wherein one or more of said fasteners comprise a hook and loop type fastener.

15. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of skirt sections, each section being connected to an adjacent section.

16. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 15, wherein each section comprises one or more layers of high tensile strength flexible material.

17. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 15, wherein at least two adjacent sections overlap.

18. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 15, wherein at least two adjacent sections are connected together by a plurality of spaced connector means providing regions between the connection means where the sections are disconnected from each other.

19. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 18, wherein at least one connection means comprises a flexible web of material.

20. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 15, wherein one section of the skirt comprises an upper section and another section comprises a lower section below said upper section.

21. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 20, wherein the lower section is suspended from the upper section.

22. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 1, wherein the skirt includes a rear portion for protecting the back of the head.

23. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the skirt is sized to cover at least a side portion of the head of a wearer.

24. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 5, wherein said balaclava includes attachment means for attaching said protective skirt thereto.

25. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 24, wherein said attachment means comprises a pocket.

26. A protective skirt as claimed in claim 25, wherein said pocket is formed on the inside of said balaclava.

27. A balaclava comprising one or more layers of high tensile strength material positioned to cover at least a portion of a wearer's head and/or neck.

28. A balaclava as claimed in claim 27, wherein said layer of high tensile strength material is arranged to cover at least one of a portion of the back of the head and a portion of the side of the head.

29. A balaclava as claimed in claim 28, wherein said high tensile strength material is arranged to cover an occipital region and/or temporal region of a wearer's head.

30. A balaclava as claimed in claim 27, wherein said protective skirt comprises a plurality of layers of high tensile strength material.

31. A head protector comprising a plate having opposed upper and lower edges and opposed right and left side edges, said plate having a concave inner surface between said side edges for conforming generally to the shape of the base of the rear of a person's skull, and a convex outer surface between the opposed side edges, wherein the plate comprises a ballistic resistant structure.

32. A head protector as claimed in claim 31, further comprising a fastener for fastening the plate to a helmet.

33. A head protector as claimed in claim 32, wherein said fastener comprises a flexible or hinged fastener for enabling the head protector to move back and forth relative to a helmet.

34. A head protector as claimed in claim 31, wherein said plate comprises any one or more of a ceramic material, a plastics material, one or more layers of high tensile strength fabric, one or more layers of an aramid material, one or more layers of a polymeric material and one or more layers of a foam material.

35. A head protector as claimed in claim 31, wherein said plate is sized to cover the occipital region and said side edges extend to a position behind a person's ears.

36. A head protector as claimed in claim 31, wherein said plate includes a lower portion adjacent the lower peripheral edge which is directed outwardly relative to an upper portion of said plate.