U.S. patent application number 12/829269 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-05 for triple locking, bi-hemispheric safety helmet.
Invention is credited to JAY GREWALL.
Application Number | 20120000011 12/829269 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45398570 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120000011 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
GREWALL; JAY |
January 5, 2012 |
TRIPLE LOCKING, BI-HEMISPHERIC SAFETY HELMET
Abstract
A safety helmet designed to protect the head of
motorcyclists/bicyclists, athletes, soldiers, law enforcement,
and/or heavy machinery operators due to impact/trauma and to
provide emergency removal after an accident. The safety helmet
comprises a shell defined by a right portion and a left portion, an
outer surface and inner surface, and a front section and rear
section. An opening at the front section allows the user to see
outside of the shell, and a face shield, attached at opposing sides
of the opening by a hinge, covers a substantial portion of the
user's face. A plurality of securing mechanisms extends between the
right portion and the left portion and holds the right portion and
left portions in a separable manner. A resilient protective layer
includes a top surface and a bottom surface for contacting with the
inner surface of the shell and to fit over the head of the
passenger.
Inventors: |
GREWALL; JAY; (Corona,
CA) |
Family ID: |
45398570 |
Appl. No.: |
12/829269 |
Filed: |
July 1, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/421 ;
2/424 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/328 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/421 ;
2/424 |
International
Class: |
A42B 3/08 20060101
A42B003/08; A42B 3/18 20060101 A42B003/18 |
Claims
1. A safety helmet for protecting a head of a user and providing
emergency removal, comprising: a shell defining a right portion and
a left portion, an outer surface and an inner surface, and a front
section and a rear section thereof; an opening at the front section
allowing the user to see outside of the shell; a face shield
detachably attached at opposing sides of the opening; a resilient
protective layer having a top surface and a bottom surface; a
plurality of securing mechanisms extending between the right
portion and the left portion for joining the right portion and left
portion; and a fastener for securing the safety helmet to the head
of the user; whereby the safety helmet can be dismantled into right
and left portions thereby providing a simple method of removal and
preventing further movement of the head after an accident.
2. The safety helmet of claim 1, wherein the shell is rigid in
nature.
3. The safety helmet of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the
resilient protective layer contacts with the inner surface of the
shell and the bottom surface of the resilient protective layer
constructed and arranged to fit over the head of the user.
4. The safety helmet of claim 1, wherein the plurality of securing
mechanisms are latch-like locks.
5. The safety helmet of claim 4, wherein there are at least 3
latch-like locks.
6. The safety helmet of claim 4, wherein the latch-like locks
contain a release mechanism to prevent accidental unlocking.
7. The safety helmet of claim 6, wherein the release mechanism
comprises a plurality of clips to release the latch like locks.
8. The safety helmet of claim 1, wherein the face shield is
attached at the sides of the opening by a hinge.
9. The safety helmet of claim 8, wherein the hinge contains a
clipping mechanism to facilitate the removal of the face
shield.
10. The safety helmet of claim 1, wherein the fastener is located
on the inner surface of the shell.
11. The safety helmet of claim 10, wherein the fastener is a chin
strap.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] Not Applicable
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM
[0003] Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL
[0004] Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain
material that 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 file or records, but otherwise reserves
all copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
[0005] The present invention relates in general to safety helmets,
and more particularly to a triple locking, bi-hemispheric safety
helmet which provides a simple method of removal of the safety
helmet from the head of a victim after an accident.
[0006] Motorcycles are inherently more dangerous than cars. Per km
traveled, the number of deaths on motorcycles is about 14 times the
number in cars. Motorcycles often have excessive performance
capabilities, including rapid acceleration and high top speed. They
are less stable than cars in emergency braking and less visible.
Motorcyclists are more prone to crash injuries than car drivers
because motorcycles are not enclosed, leaving the rider vulnerable
to contact with the hard road surface. Therefore, wearing a helmet
is important, as helmets are the principal countermeasure for
reducing crash-related head injuries, the leading cause of death
among unhelmeted riders.
[0007] The Michigan State Police claim that "Helmets decrease the
severity of injury, the likelihood of death, and the overall cost
of medical care. They are designed to cushion and protect riders'
heads from the impact of a crash. Just like safety belts in cars,
helmets can't provide total protection against head injury or
death, but they do reduce the incidence of both." (Cited from
http://wmoon.wordpress.com)
[0008] When a victim has endured an accident, there is a high
likelihood of sever neck and brain trauma. One primary concern of
motorcycle riders is that of the removal of the safety helmet and
not knowing if the victim has sustained this injury. The current
method of removal the direct pulling-off of the helmet. This
extreme measure results in additional disturbance to a potentially
already damaged neck/brain, causing paralysis or even death to the
victim.
[0009] There are several helmets designed to prevent traumatic
brain injuries, during a crash. Conventional head gear requires a
saw like device to cut the helmet off the head, or the helmet is
simply pulled off the head. One such device is described in U.S.
Pat. No. 6,138,283 to Kress on Oct. 31, 2000. The device is a
multiple-piece removable helmet which can be disassembled on the
wearer's head so that, in the event of a medical emergency, the
front portion can be removed to afford access to the face of the
wearer for administration of first aid and to facilitate the
diagnosis of the extent of the injury. A neck brace can also be
attached and the injured can be lifted out of the back portion of
the helmet. The apparatus for attaching the removable halves
includes, in various embodiments, screws, adjustable tension
cables, buckles, and spring fingers on one half engaging in
indentations in the other with the fingers being secured in place
by screws.
[0010] A number of other safety helmets are known in the art which
can be pulled off the head without using a tool. An example of such
devices includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,096,513 issued to Kress which
describes a protective helmet with an emergency removal feature.
The protective helmet is a multi-piece helmet for protecting the
head region of a wearer and providing emergency removal wherein the
helmet shell is provided in separate front and rear portions along
a seam. A securing mechanism extends between the helmet portions
and holds them together in a releaseable manner. The securing
mechanism is positioned on the interior surfaces of the helmet
shell and finger access ports are provided in the helmet to allow
finger access to the securing mechanism from the exterior surfaces
of the helmet. This enables the securing mechanism to be finger
manipulated to release the securing mechanism and completely
separate the front helmet shell portion from the rear helmet shell
portion without the requirement of a tool.
[0011] Another prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,564 issued to
Sheridan on Jul. 16, 2002, discloses a two piece helmet with
optional airbag that is split along a vertical axis between the
sides of the helmet to ease removal in the event of an injury. A
series of aligned orifices in the helmet portions are joined by a
removable cable. The cable ends are attached to each other to
secure the helmet portions or to each of the helmet portions. The
cable is accessed through removable panels that may also be used to
tension the cable. Alternate means for joining the helmet portions
include a series of lateral exterior latches opened by the cable.
The helmet liner has two overlapping portions to minimize noise and
improve weather sealing. An optional inflatable air bag is fitted
to a lower perimeter of the helmet. A proximity sensing system
inflates the airbag when the vehicle is in motion and the helmet is
displaced a certain distance from the vehicle.
[0012] Most of the devices have significant disadvantages. One of
the above devices requires the use of a tool to gain access to the
latching mechanisms. So, the people attending the injured person
must always carry the required tool with them. This further
complicates and extends the time for effecting helmet separation
and removal as the tool must first be retrieved, if available.
Moreover, due to the relative complexity of the assembly of some of
the above devices, it is time-consuming to dismantle the entire
helmet from the head of a victim after an accident. Some other
devices require insertion of the finger through the finger access
ports provided in the helmet shell to manipulate the securing means
positioned on the interior surfaces of the helmet shell. This can
perplex would-be rescuers and extend the time for effecting helmet
separation and removal.
[0013] It is therefore, an object of the present invention to
provide a simple, safe apparatus for preventing injury to the head
of a motorcycle passenger due to impact/trauma. Another object of
the invention is to provide an apparatus that can be dismantled
from the head of a victim after an accident thereby providing a
simple method of removal and preventing further movement of the
head and neck. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a
safety helmet having two hemisphere parts fastened at the center
with latch-like locks and a removable face shield fastened to the
sides of the helmet. Other objects of the present invention will
become better understood with reference to the appended Summary,
Description and Claims.
SUMMARY
[0014] The present invention is a safety helmet designed to protect
a head of motorcycle/bicycle users, sports athletes, military
troops, law enforcement, and/or heavy machinery operators due to
impact/trauma and to provide emergency removal after an accident.
The safety helmet comprises a shell defined by a right portion and
a left portion, an outer surface and an inner surface, and a front
portion and a rear portion. An opening at the front portion allows
the passenger to see outside of the shell and a face shield is
attached at opposing sides of the opening by a hinge to cover a
substantial portion of the face of the passenger. The face shield
can be detached by disengaging a clipping mechanism in the hinge. A
plurality of securing mechanisms extends between the right portion
and the left portion, and aligns the right portion with the left
portion, and holds them together in a separable manner. The
plurality of securing mechanisms may consist of latch-like locks
and the locks may be three or more in number. A release mechanism
included in the latch-like locks, which are unlatched using a
plurality of clips on the release mechanism, prevents accidental
unlocking.
[0015] Applications/uses for the present invention include (but are
not limited to) the following:
[0016] Motorcycle helmets
[0017] Bicycle helmets
[0018] Racing automobile helmets
[0019] Airplane pilot helmets
[0020] Helicopter pilot helmets
[0021] Heavy machinery operator helmets
[0022] Law enforcement helmets (IE: S.W.A.T, riot gear, etc)
[0023] Sports helmets (IE: football, hockey, boxing, lacrosse,
skiing, etc.)
[0024] A resilient protective layer lines the inner surface of the
shell and includes a top surface and a bottom surface for
contacting with the inner surface of the shell and to fit over the
head of the passenger respectively. The safety helmet can be
secured to the head of the passenger by a fastener. The fastener
may be a chin strap located on the inner surface of the shell so as
to allow the passenger to position the chin strap under his/her
jaw.
[0025] The safety helmet can be dismantled by unlocking the
plurality of securing mechanisms. When the plurality of clips
disengages, the plurality of securing mechanisms is released and
pulled back. Similarly, the face shield can be removed by
unclipping the hinge. When the plurality of securing mechanisms
have been unfastened and the face shield has been unclipped, the
entire safety helmet can be dismantled from the head of a victim
after an accident, thereby providing a simple method of removal and
preventing further movement of the head and neck.
[0026] Although particular embodiments of the present invention
have been described in the foregoing description, it is to be
understood that the present invention is not to be limited to just
the embodiments disclosed, but that they are capable of numerous
rearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing
from the description herein.
DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1 is a front view of the present invention,
illustrating a safety helmet with a face shield in a closed
position.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a front view of the present invention,
illustrating the safety helmet with a face shield in an open
position.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a side view of the present invention shown in FIG.
2.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the present invention,
illustrating the safety helmet dismantled into right and left
portions and the face shield in the open position.
[0031] FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the present invention,
illustrating the safety helmet in the dismantled position without
the face shield and a plurality of securing mechanisms partially
locked.
[0032] FIG. 6 is a front view of the present invention,
illustrating the safety helmet dismantled into right and left
portions keeping the plurality of securing mechanisms partially
locked.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0033] 10 . . . Safety helmet of the present invention [0034] 12 .
. . A shell [0035] 14 . . . Right portion [0036] 16 . . . Left
portion [0037] 18 . . . An outer surface [0038] 20 . . . A front
section [0039] 22 . . . An opening at the front section [0040] 24 .
. . A face shield [0041] 26, 28 . . . Opposing sides of the opening
[0042] 30 . . . A hinge [0043] 32 . . . A plurality of securing
mechanisms [0044] 34 . . . An inner surface [0045] 36 . . . A
resilient protective layer [0046] 38 . . . A fastener
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0047] Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a
safety helmet 10 of the present invention to protect a head of a
motorcycle passenger due to impact/trauma and to provide emergency
removal after an accident are generally indicated in FIGS. 1
through 6. Referring to FIG. 1, the safety helmet 10 comprises a
shell 12 defined by a right portion 14 and a left portion 16, an
outer surface 18 and an inner surface (not shown), and a front
section 20 and a rear section (not shown). An opening at the front
section 22 allows the passenger to see outside of the shell 12. A
face shield 24 is detachably attached at opposing sides 26, 28 of
the opening 22 by a hinge 30. A plurality of securing mechanisms 32
extends between the right portion 14 and the left portion 16.
[0048] The plurality of securing mechanisms 32 aligns the right
portion 14 to the left portion 16 and holds the right portion 14
and the left portion 16 in a separable manner. As the right portion
14 and the left portion 16 can be separated, the safety helmet 10
provides a simple method of removal and prevents further movement
of the head of the passenger after an accident. The plurality of
securing mechanisms 32 may consist of latch-like locks and the
locks may be three or more in number. A release mechanism (not
shown) included in the latch-like locks prevents accidental
unlocking. The latch like locks can be unlatched using a plurality
of clips on the release mechanism (not shown).
[0049] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the safety helmet 10 of the present
invention wherein the face shield 24 is in an open position. The
face shield 24 can be detached by disengaging a clipping mechanism
in the hinge 30. A resilient protective layer 36 lines the inner
surface 34 of the shell 12 and includes a top surface (not shown)
and a bottom surface (not shown) for contacting with the inner
surface of the shell 12 and to fit over the head of the passenger
respectively. The safety helmet 10 can be secured to the head of
the passenger by a fastener 38. The fastener 38 may be a chin strap
located on the inner surface (not shown) of the shell 12 so as to
allow the passenger to position the chin strap under his/her
jaw.
[0050] FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate the safety helmet 10 of the
present invention wherein the safety helmet 10 can be dismantled by
unlocking the plurality of securing mechanisms 32. When the
plurality of clips disengages, the plurality of securing mechanisms
32 is released and pulled back. Similarly the face shield 24 can be
removed by unclipping the hinge 30. When the plurality of securing
mechanisms 32 have been unfastened and the face shield 24 has been
unclipped, the entire safety helmet 10 can be dismantled from the
head of a victim after an accident thereby providing a simple
method of removal and preventing further movement of the head and
neck.
[0051] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have
been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions
may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present
invention has been described by way of illustration and not
limitation.
* * * * *
References