U.S. patent application number 13/005411 was filed with the patent office on 2011-07-28 for helmet pro system.
Invention is credited to Frederick Rabie.
Application Number | 20110179557 13/005411 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44310780 |
Filed Date | 2011-07-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110179557 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rabie; Frederick |
July 28, 2011 |
HELMET PRO SYSTEM
Abstract
Helmet Liner Pro system comprises a protective helmet having at
least one inner liner for absorbing mechanical energy; and an
attachable/attached outer liner comprising shock absorbing
material. The attachable outer liner is appliable to an external
portion of the protective helmet to provide a shock absorption
system whereby a user and others are suitably protected from
external impact forces. The shape of the liner may vary depending
on whether or not it is covering the entire helmet or just specific
areas/portions.
Inventors: |
Rabie; Frederick; (N.
Potomac, MD) |
Family ID: |
44310780 |
Appl. No.: |
13/005411 |
Filed: |
January 12, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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61298956 |
Jan 28, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/411 ;
2/425 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/069 20130101;
A63B 71/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/411 ;
2/425 |
International
Class: |
A42B 3/12 20060101
A42B003/12; A63B 71/10 20060101 A63B071/10 |
Claims
1. A helmet liner system comprising: a protective helmet having at
least one inner liner for absorbing mechanical energy; and an
attachable outer liner comprising shock absorbing material; wherein
said attachable outer liner is appliable to an external portion of
said protective helmet to provide a shock absorption system whereby
a user is suitably protected from external impact forces.
2. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said shock absorbing
material comprises rubber.
3. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said shock absorbing
material comprises foam.
4. The helmet liner system claim 1 wherein said shock absorbing
material comprises plastic.
5. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said attachable outer
liner is coupleably-adhered to said protective helmet via snap
attachers.
6. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said attachable outer
liner is coupleably-adhered to said protective helmet via at least
one adhesive.
7. The helmet liner system of claim 6 wherein said adhesive
comprises epoxy.
8. The helmet liner system of claim 6 wherein said adhesive
comprises glue.
9. The helmet liner system of claim 5 wherein said attachable outer
liner is removably coupleably-adhered to said protective helmet via
hook and loop fasteners.
10. The helmet liner system of claim 9 wherein when said attachable
outer liner is coupleably-adhered to said protective helmet having
said at least one inner liner, said attachable outer liner and said
inner liner to create a redundant crush zone.
11. The helmet liner system of claim 10 wherein said redundant
crush zone is designed to absorb impact by controlled sequential
deformation.
12. The helmet liner system of claim 5 wherein said attachable
outer liner is removably replaceable.
13. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said attachable
outer liner is coupleably-adhered to said protective helmet via
heat-shrinking.
14. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said protective
helmet comprises a safety helmet.
15. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said protective
helmet comprises a hard hat.
16. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said protective
helmet comprises at least one sports helmet as used in contact
sports.
17. The helmet liner system of claim 1 wherein said attachable
outer liner forms a redundant impact layer in combination with said
at least one inner liner found on an interior portion of said
protective helmet, thereby creating a plurality of impact zones
working together to dissipate impact/shock in a series and/or
parallel deformation force-absorption configuration.
18. A helmet liner system comprising: a protective helmet having at
least one inner liner for absorbing impact energy; and a removable
coupleably-adhered via at least one adhesive outer liner comprising
shock absorbing foam; wherein said attachable outer liner is
appliable to an external portion of said protective helmet to
provide a shock absorption system whereby a user-wearer and another
individual is suitably protected from external impact forces;
wherein when said attachable outer liner is coupleably-adhered to
said protective helmet having said at least one inner liner, said
attachable outer liner and said inner liner creating a redundant
crush zone; wherein said redundant crush zone is designed to absorb
said impact energy by controlled sequential deformation using gases
and/or impact-absorption materials; and wherein said attachable
outer liner forms a redundant impact layer in combination with said
at least one inner liner found on an interior portion of said
protective helmet, thereby creating a plurality of impact zones
working together to dissipate impact/shock in a series and/or
parallel deformation force-absorption configuration.
19. The helmet liner system of claim 18 further comprising a kit
including: said protective helmet; a plurality of said attachable
outer liner(s); attachers; said adhesives such as epoxy and/or
glue; and a set of user instructions, and wherein said attachable
outer liner(s) comprise indicia.
20. A method of using a helmet liner system comprising the steps
of: mounting an attachable outer liner to a protective helmet;
inserting a head of a user into said helmet; and wearing said
helmet liner system; wherein said user is redundantly-protected
from impact forces.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is related to and claims priority
from prior provisional application Ser. No. 61/298,956, filed Jan.
28, 2010 which application is incorporated herein by reference.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0002] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright
owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of
the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise
reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates generally to the field of
helmets and more specifically relates to a protective helmet as
used to provide a shock absorption system whereby a user is
suitably protected from external impact forces.
[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0006] The following includes information that may be useful in
understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that
any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material,
to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any
publication or document that is specifically or implicitly
referenced is prior art.
[0007] A helmet is a form of protective gear typically worn on a
head portion of a user to protect the head from injuries. Further,
helmets may comprise a head covering of hard material, such as
leather, metal, or plastic, worn by football players, firefighters,
construction workers, motorcyclists, and others to protect the
fragile tissues such as the brain located inside the head.
[0008] Sports, such as football, require the players to wear safety
helmets to protect the head from injury such as temporary and
permanent brain injuries such as concussions. Although these
helmets offer adequate protection, they are also capable of causing
injury to others. The hard outer material of the helmet can
severely injure another player when it makes contact with a body
part. The material does not efficiently absorb the impact of the
hit, which can also cause injury to the player wearing the
helmet.
[0009] Therefore, a need exists for a helmet with a cushioned outer
liner to both protect others from injury when coming into contact
with the helmet along with absorb impact to protect the wearer by
controlled sequential deformation.
[0010] Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned
problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,937,888;
3,174,155; 5,724,681; 5,525,290; 5,566,399; and 6,272,692. This
prior art is representative of helmets. None of the above
inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is
seen to describe the invention as claimed.
[0011] Ideally, a helmet should operate to provide reliable safety
protection and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need
exists for a reliable helmet liner system to absorb impact by
controlled sequential deformation when a user encounters
direct/indirect contact with the head portion. The helmet, in-use
should provide a redundant crush zone via at least one attachable
outer liner and an inner liner working in combination with one
another which serve to avoid the above-mentioned problems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known
helmet art, the present invention provides a novel helmet liner
system. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be
described subsequently in greater detail is to provide a helmet
liner system designed to reduce the force impact of any object
coming in contact with the safety helmet and/or the impact of the
helmet itself against body parts. This outer liner may be attached
to the exterior of a safety helmet or hard hat and acts as a shock
absorber.
[0013] The present helmet liner system disclosed herein comprises:
a protective helmet having at least one inner liner for absorbing
mechanical energy; and an attachable outer liner comprising shock
absorbing material. The protective helmet comprises at least one
sports helmet such as those used in contact sports or non-contact
sports. The attachable outer liner is appliable to an external
portion of the protective helmet to provide shock absorption. The
shock absorbing material preferably comprises foam or other such
deformable material.
[0014] The attachable outer liner may be coupleably-adhered to the
protective helmet via at least one adhesive such as epoxy. Further,
the attachable outer liner may be coupleably-adhered to the
protective helmet having the at least one inner liner (inner
layer), with the attachable outer liner and the inner liner
preferably creating a redundant crush zone to dissipate forces
before reaching the wearer. The redundant crush zone is designed to
absorb impact by controlled sequential deformation. The attachable
outer liner may be hand-removably replaceable in certain
embodiments.
[0015] The outer liner forms a redundant impact layer in
combination with the inner liner(s) found on an interior portion of
the protective helmet, thereby creating a plurality of impact zones
working together to dissipate impact/shock in a series and/or
parallel deformation force-absorption configuration.
[0016] A kit is also embodied herein for the helmet liner system
may comprise: a protective helmet; a plurality of the attachable
outer liner(s); the adhesives such as epoxy and/or glue; and a set
of user instructions, and wherein the attachable outer liner(s)
comprise indicia. The helmet liner may be manufactured by helmet
manufacturers or may be sold in retail/wholesale stores as a
kit.
[0017] In accordance with the embodiments of the present invention
a preferred method of use is disclosed herein comprising: mounting
attachable outer liner to protective helmet; and inserting head of
user into protective helmet thereby redundantly-protecting user
from impact forces. The user-wearer then wears the helmet and is
effectively protected during use.
[0018] The present invention holds significant improvements and
serves as a helmet liner system. For purposes of summarizing the
invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the
invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that
not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance
with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the
invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves
or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein
without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or
suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed
to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in
the concluding portion of the specification. These and other
features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will
become better understood with reference to the following drawings
and detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The figures which accompany the written portion of this
specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the
present invention, helmet pro system, constructed and operative
according to the teachings of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 1 shows a helmet liner system in an `in-use` according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 2A shows a perspective view illustrating an attachable
outer liner appliable to an external portion of a protective helmet
of the helmet liner system according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0022] FIG. 2B shows another perspective view illustrating of the
attachable outer liner as appliable to an external portion of a
protective helmet of the helmet liner system according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 3A is a perspective view illustrating the attachable
outer liner having at least two-layers coupleably-adhered to the
protective helmet according to an embodiment of the present
invention of FIG. 1.
[0024] FIG. 3B is a perspective view illustrating the attachable
outer liner having up to four layers coupleably-adhered to the
protective helmet according to an embodiment of the present
invention of FIG. 1.
[0025] FIG. 3C is a perspective view illustrating a pocket for
receiving foam or gasses according to an embodiment of the present
invention of FIG. 1.
[0026] FIG. 3D is a perspective view illustrating the outer liner
fastened to the helmet according to an embodiment of the present
invention of FIG. 1.
[0027] FIG. 4. is a flowchart illustrating a method of use
according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIGS.
1-3d.
[0028] The various embodiments of the present invention will
hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings,
wherein like designations denote like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention
relate to a protective helmet device and more particularly to a
helmet liner system 100 as used to provide a shock absorption
system whereby user 160 is suitably protected from external impact
forces.
[0030] Referring now to FIGS. 1-3D showing various perspective
views of helmet liner system 100 according to various embodiments
of the present invention. Helmet liner system 100 comprises
protective helmet 110 and preferably attachable outer liner 120.
Protective helmet 110 comprises at least one inner liner for
absorbing mechanical energy. Protective helmet 110 preferably
comprises but is not limited to a safety helmet, a hard hat, or at
least one sports helmet as used in contact sports. It should be
appreciated that helmets from various industries and applications
may use the present system to increase relative safety.
[0031] Attachable outer liner 120 comprises shock absorbing
material as shown best in `in-use condition` 130 in FIG. 1.
Attachable outer liner 120 is appliable to external portion 114 of
protective helmet 110 to provide a shock absorption system whereby
user 160 is suitably protected from external impact forces.
Attachable outer liner 120 is multi-layered in certain embodiments
and preferably comprises up to four layers as shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B
& 3C. In this way the impact may be distributed and dissipated
using multiple layers/zones.
[0032] Top layer (outside layer) 140 preferably comprises plastic
film including but not limited to polyethylene, polyvinyl. Other
suitable lightweight and durable materials may be used. Top layer
140 may be manufactured using any user-preferred color, transparent
or opaque. The material on top layer 140 preferably offers
dimensional stability and good resistance to wear and may be the
most-wear resistant layer of attachable outer liner 120.
[0033] The next layer sequentially down from top layer 140 is
second layer 144 that preferably comprises a wide variety of
rubberized materials, both natural and/or synthetic. The next layer
down sequentially as shown, third layer 148 preferably comprises
shock absorbing foam material including but not limited to
polystyrene, or polymethacrylimide. Lastly, bottom layer 140 or the
layer in direct contact with protective helmet 110, forms a pocket
that will hold the inner layers (second layer 144 and/or third
layer 148). Furthermore, this pocket may hold any kind of gas or
air (layer 152) for shock absorbency as shown in FIG. 3B & 3C.
It should also be appreciated that more or less layers may be used
and will still be considered to be within the scope of the
invention and that the layers may be in different orders.
[0034] External portion 114 preferably includes top and/or side(s)
portions of protective helmet 110 providing suitable mounting
surfaces. The shape of attachable outer liner 120 may vary
depending on whether or not it is covering the entire protective
helmet 110 or just specific areas, as shown FIG. 2B.
[0035] As shown best in FIGS. 2A & 2B, attachable outer liner
120 may be coupleably-adhered to protective helmet 110 via
attachers such as snaps or buttons. Further, attachable outer liner
120 may be coupleably-adhered to protective helmet 110 via at least
one adhesive in alternate embodiments. The adhesive when used to
coupleably adhere attachable outer liner 120 to protective helmet
110 may include either epoxy or glue, however other suitable
adhesives may be used. Attachable outer liner 120 may also be
coupleably-adhered to protective helmet 110 via heat-shrinking in
yet other embodiments. It should be noted that attachable outer
liner 120 may comprise indicia such as a team name or team logo. It
should be appreciated that outer liner 120 may be snapped into
place on protective helmet 110 or alternately heat shrunk to
protective helmet 110 as illustrated in FIG. 3D. The hook portion
is designed to `grab` helmet for example when shrinking (with heat
shrink material) and also in versions using adhesive-adhering means
(wherein outer liner 120 may be stretched to fit over, thereby
putting outer liner 120 in tension). The hook(s) portion may
comprise the lower part of protective helmet 110. Outer liner 120
may comprise plastic/foam/plastic layers in certain embodiments and
just plastic in other embodiments.
[0036] Heat-shrinking versions may comprise material similar to
that used in heat shrink tubing. The material shrinks when heated
with an oven, hot air gun or similar tool such as a soldering iron
or other). This processes causes the heat shrink material to
contract thereby providing a snug fit that is adhered to the
surface of outer liner 120. Heat shrink versions of outer liner 120
may be larger than adhesively coupled versions so that when heat
shrink version is heat shrunk it shrinks to conform to protective
helmet 110. Heat-shrinking material may comprise plastic that
further acts as an impact-absorbing means.
[0037] Additionally, attachable outer liner 120 may be removably
coupleably-adhered to protective helmet 110 via hook and loop
fasteners for convenience of the user-wearer and so that it is
readily attachable to other protective helmets 110. Hook and loop
fasteners may include but are not limited to Velcro.RTM.. When
using hook and loop fasteners or attachers to removably
coupleably-adhere attachable outer liner 120 to protective helmet
110, attachable outer liner 120 is preferably hand-removably
replaceable or just removably replaceable.
[0038] When attachable outer liner 120 is coupleably-adhered to
protective helmet 110 having at least one inner liner, attachable
outer liner 120 and the inner liner create a redundant crush zone.
This redundant crush zone is designed to absorb impact by
controlled sequential deformation. Further, attachable outer liner
120 forms a redundant impact layer in combination with the at least
one inner liner found on an interior portion of protective helmet
110, thereby creating a plurality of impact zones working together
to dissipate impact/shock in a series and/or parallel deformation
force-absorption configuration (both for wearer-user and
individuals coming into contact with protective helmet 110).
[0039] Helmet liner system 100 according to an embodiment of the
present invention of FIGS. 1-3D may comprise a kit. The kit may
comprise the following parts: protective helmet 110; a plurality of
the attachable outer liner(s) 120; fasteners; the adhesives such as
epoxy and/or glue; and a set of user instructions, and wherein
attachable outer liner(s) 120 comprise indicia.
[0040] Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated
that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as
design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost,
structural requirements, available materials, technological
advances, etc., other kit contents or arrangements such as, for
example, including more or less components, customized parts,
different color combinations, parts may be sold separately such as
at least logo, fasteners, etc., may be sufficient.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 4. showing a flowchart 450
illustrating method of use 400 according to an embodiment of the
present invention of FIGS. 1-3. A method of using helmet liner
system 100 preferably comprising the steps of: step one 401
mounting attachable outer liner 120 to protective helmet 110; and
step two 402 inserting head 166 of user 160 into protective helmet
110 thereby redundantly-protecting user 160 from impact forces.
Other optional steps may include wearing protective helmet 110
wherein user 160 is redundantly-protected from impact forces. User
160 may switch attachable outer liner 120 and other.
[0042] It should be noted that the steps described in the method of
use can be carried out in many different orders according to user
preference. Upon reading this specification, it should be
appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such
issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing
preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials,
technological advances, etc., other methods of use arrangements
such as, for example, different orders within above-mentioned list,
elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding
certain maintenance steps, etc., may be sufficient.
[0043] The embodiments of the invention described herein are
exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements
can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent
results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit
and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing
abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the
public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and
practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal
terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory
inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of
the application.
* * * * *