U.S. patent application number 14/633103 was filed with the patent office on 2015-06-18 for helmet protective skin.
The applicant listed for this patent is Jorge L. Franco, Averill Henry. Invention is credited to Jorge L. Franco, Averill Henry.
Application Number | 20150164169 14/633103 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46876044 |
Filed Date | 2015-06-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150164169 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Franco; Jorge L. ; et
al. |
June 18, 2015 |
Helmet Protective Skin
Abstract
A replaceable helmet protective skin, which is adapted for
covering an outer surface of a helmet, includes a skin body
configured to attach and detach while in use fittingly cover the
outer surface of the helmet as if part of the outer surface thereof
in an edge-to-edge manner, wherein the skin body is formed a
receiving cavity therewithin for fittingly receiving the helmet to
cover the outer surface thereof. At least one adjustable fastener
is preferably provided along an elongated opening of the skin body,
so that the size of the receiving cavity of the skin body is able
to be increased via opening the adjustable fastener for
conveniently attaching and detaching when covering or removing the
replaceable helmet protective skin. The adjustable fastener is able
to be adjustably closed for securely fitting the skin body on the
outer surface of the helmet.
Inventors: |
Franco; Jorge L.; (San
Maria, CA) ; Henry; Averill; (San Maria, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Franco; Jorge L.
Henry; Averill |
San Maria
San Maria |
CA
CA |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
46876044 |
Appl. No.: |
14/633103 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13065536 |
Mar 23, 2011 |
8978165 |
|
|
14633103 |
|
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|
61340823 |
Mar 22, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/244 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/003 20130101;
A42B 3/0406 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A42B 3/04 20060101
A42B003/04 |
Claims
1. A helmet protective skin for a helmet, comprising: a skin body
configured for detachably and fittingly covering an outer surface
of said helmet, wherein said skin body has a receiving cavity for
fitting said helmet therein at a position that a peripheral edge of
said skin body is aligned with a peripheral edge of said helmet so
as to form a replaceable outfit of said helmet and to protect said
outer surface of said helmet.
2. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 1, wherein said
skin body further has an opening formed at a rear portion of said
skin body and extended from said peripheral edge thereof to form an
edge notch thereat, wherein said helmet protective skin further
comprises an adjustable fastener, wherein said adjustable fastener
comprises a first connecting element provided at an outer side of
said skin body along a bottom peripheral edge of said skin body and
is located at one side edge of said opening, and a second
connecting element outwardly extended from an opposed side edge of
said opening to form an elongated strap to detachably fasten with
said first connecting member so as to close said opening and
tightly align said peripheral edge of said skin body with a
finishing rim of said peripheral edge of said helmet, wherein said
peripheral edge of said skin body is capable of being received
within a gap defined between said helmet and said finishing rim as
if integrally formed at said outer surface of said helmet.
3. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 1, wherein said
peripheral edge of said skin body is an elastic edge for applying
an elastic force along said peripheral edge of said helmet so as to
retain said skin body in position, wherein said helmet protective
skin further comprises a fastener provided along an inner side of
said peripheral edge of said skin body to affix along said
peripheral edge of said helmet to retain said peripheral edge of
said skin body on said helmet.
4. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 2, wherein said
peripheral edge of said skin body is an elastic edge for applying
an elastic force along said peripheral edge of said helmet so as to
retain said skin body in position, wherein said helmet protective
skin further comprises a fastener provided along an inner side of
said peripheral edge of said skin body to affix along said
peripheral edge of said helmet to retain said peripheral edge of
said skin body aligning with said finishing rim of said helmet.
5. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 3, wherein said
fastener is a double-sided tape.
6. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 4, wherein said
fastener is a double-sided tape.
7. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 1, wherein said
skin body further has one or more through holes provided at a
position when said skin body covers at said outer surface of said
helmet, said through holes are aligned with air vents of said
helmet for enabling air flow entering into said air vents through
said through holes of said skin body.
8. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 3, wherein said
skin body further has one or more through holes provided at a
position when said skin body covers at said outer surface of said
helmet, said through holes are aligned with air vents of said
helmet for enabling air flow entering into said air vents through
said through holes of said skin body.
9. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 6, wherein said
skin body further has one or more through holes provided at a
position when said skin body covers at said outer surface of said
helmet, said through holes are aligned with air vents of said
helmet for enabling air flow entering into said air vents through
said through holes of said skin body.
10. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 1, wherein said
skin body further has a reflective portion provided at a
predetermined location for maximizing a night visibility while said
helmet is worn.
11. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 3, wherein said
skin body further has a reflective portion provided at a
predetermined location for maximizing a night visibility while said
helmet is worn.
12. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 5, wherein said
skin body further has a reflective portion provided at a
predetermined location for maximizing a night visibility while said
helmet is worn.
13. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 9, wherein said
skin body further has a reflective portion provided at a
predetermined location for maximizing a night visibility while said
helmet is worn.
14. A helmet protective skin for a helmet having a front opening,
comprising: a skin body configured for detachably and fittingly
covering an outer surface of said helmet, wherein said skin body
has a receiving cavity for fitting said helmet therein; and means
for detachably affixing a front portion of said skin body at a side
of said front opening of said helmet respectively.
15. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 14, wherein
said means comprises at least a fastener provided along an inner
side of a front portion of said skin body.
16. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 15, further
comprising an adjustable fastener provided at said edge notch of
said skin body to close said opening at said rear portion of said
skin body and to tightly align said peripheral edge of said skin
body with a rear finishing rim of said peripheral edge of said
helmet, wherein said peripheral edge of said skin body is aligned
with said front and rear finishing rims of said helmet to form a
gap that said peripheral edge of said skin body is received within
said gap as if integrally formed at said outer surface of said
helmet.
17. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 15, wherein
said fastener is a double-sided tape for detachably affixing at
said said of a said front opening of said helmet.
18. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 16, wherein
said adjustable fastener comprises a first connecting element
provided at an outer side of said skin body along a bottom
peripheral edge of said skin body and is located at one side edge
of said opening, and a second connecting element outwardly extended
from an opposed side edge of said opening to form an elongated
strap to detachably fasten with said first connecting member so as
to close said opening and tightly align said peripheral edge of
said skin body with said finishing rim of said peripheral edge of
said helmet.
19. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 14, wherein
said skin body has a peripheral edge arranged for aligning with a
peripheral edge of said helmet when said helmet received in said
receiving cavity, wherein said peripheral edge of said skin body is
an elastic edge for applying an elastic force along said peripheral
edge of said helmet so as to retain said skin body in position.
20. The helmet protective skin, as recited in claim 14, wherein
said skin body further has a reflective portion to form a
continuous circular pattern a predetermined location for maximizing
a night visibility while said helmet is worn.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This is a Continuation application that claims benefit of
priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 to a non-provisional
application, application Ser. No. 13/065,536, filed Mar. 23, 2011,
which is a non-provisional application of a provisional
application, application No. 61/340,823, filed Mar. 22, 2010.
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a helmet protective skin,
and more particular to a replaceable protective skin cover for the
helmet, which is able to enhance the aesthetic outer appearance of
the helmet and provide further protection thereof.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Arts
[0005] The helmet is invented mainly for the protection of the head
portion of human beings from injuries as one of the personal
protective equipments. During the intense or high risk activities,
such as combat, riding motorcycles or bicycles, snowboarding, and a
variety of other sports, the helmet is normally required for
minimizing the injuries to the head and face. The helmet commonly
has an inner layer, an absorption layer, and an outer ridged layer
made of plastic, resin, or metal etc. for maximizing the protection
thereof.
[0006] In order to provide a variety of styles of the helmet,
varieties of colors, design patterns or personalized graphics are
printed on the outer surface layer of helmets. Therefore, a helmet
wearer has a diversity of choices to select from when purchasing a
helmet according to their personal taste or activities. For
instance, the helmet wearer may want to purchase a helmet having
the same color scheme as his or her racing car.
[0007] For personal or team identification purposes, the name
and/or team logo may be printed on the helmet. Commercial
corporations, groups, or companies may also print their company
name or product name on the helmet, so that when the wearer, such
as a person that is a fan of a well known athlete, can wear a
helmet with the athletes number, team logo, or image. Helmet
protective skins can also provide a canvas for such advertisement
features.
[0008] Moreover, minor incidental scratches on the outer surface of
the helmet without damaging the actual structure of the helmet may
occur during-intense activities or by merely transporting the
helmet. Personalized graphics previously described can be applied
to the outer shell of helmets by airbrushing, which can cost from
$250.00 to $350.00 USD. Helmet protective skins can be used to
prevent unsightly scratches or can be used in lieu of airbrushing
by placing the personalized graphic on the helmet protective skin.
For meticulous persons, helmet protective skins will cover up
unsightly scratches and dings on the helmets outer surface that may
not amount to structural damage, requiring the wearer to buy
another expensive helmet in order to have a newly looking
helmet.
[0009] The helmet wearers may also have more than one helmet for
the same purpose or activity for a variety of appearances and
styles to satisfy their aesthetic feeling. In order to completely
change the appearance of the helmet, the wearer would have to
purchase another helmet with different graphics thereon. Thus, the
wearer will need more storage space and thus spend a lot more money
for their personal protective equipment.
[0010] Although there are some stickers provided to decorate and
personalize the helmet, the stickers having a flat attaching
surface is hard to perfectly and securely attach them on the
helmet. The stickers being attached on the helmet while being worn
on the head of wearer in the outdoor environment tend to peel off
easily from the peripheral edge thereof. After stickers detach from
the helmet, the sticker can not be reused and often leave unsightly
adhesive and grime on the outer surface of the helmet.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin for a helmet, which is
configured to detachably and fittingly cover an outer surface of a
helmet to form as part of the outer layer thereof, so as to protect
the helmet. In other words, the replaceable helmet protective skin
forms an outfit of the helmet.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin for a helmet, which is a sport
tech helmet protective skin configured to be attached and detached
as a cover over the outer surface of a helmet to form an innovative
and technologically advanced helmet.
[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, which has a shape and size
approximately matching the outer surface of the helmet, so that the
helmet protective skin is able to cover the outer surface of the
helmet in an edge-to-edge manner.
[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, which has a variety of
patterns, colors, and styles for providing a variety of selections,
so that a wearer of the helmet is able to selectively and simply
replace the helmet protective skins with a different graphic
thereon, such as a logo or name of a sport team, for the purposes
of identification, advertisement, or enhancing the aesthetic
feelings of the wearer.
[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, wherein the adjustable fastener
enables the helmet protective skin to be easily opened in order to
be detached and re-attached to the helmet.
[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, wherein the replaceable helmet
protective skin preferably made of elastic material is able to
perfectly and elastically conform to the size and shape of the
helmet.
[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, which is able to be easily
removed for washing or replacing it with another bearing different
graphics according to the preference of the wearer.
[0018] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, wherein the replaceable helmet
protective skin is made of a reusable material, such as rubber,
fabric, Nylon, Lycra, Plastic, and/or combinations thereof.
[0019] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, wherein the replaceable helmet
protective skin is made of breathable material while having a
waterproof function, such as the fabric material of neoprene, and
breathable over air-vents to allow air flow between an inner cavity
of the helmet and the outer environment while protecting the
helmet.
[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, wherein the helmet protective
skin offers waterproof protection, resistance to ultraviolet light,
and grease and/or oil resistant.
[0021] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, wherein an insulation layer
integrally formed with the helmet protective skin is further
provided to prevent excessive heat, so as to protect the helmet and
aid in comfort.
[0022] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, wherein a reflective material
is provided at crucial areas thereof to maximize night visibility
while in use, so as to enhance the safety of the wearer.
[0023] Another object of the present invention is to provide a
replaceable helmet protective skin, wherein the helmet protective
skin is able to incorporate with most of the existing types of
helmets. For instances, motor-sports; and other sports requiring
helmets such as football or hockey players, jet skiing, kayaking,
snowmobiles, rock climbing and bicycling or helmets used in
military combat or by Law Enforcement Officers.
[0024] Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objectives,
the present invention provides a replaceable helmet protective skin
for covering an outer surface of a helmet.
[0025] The replaceable helmet skin comprises a skin body configured
to detachably and fittingly attach to the outer surface of the
helmet as if part of the outer surface thereof in an edge-to-edge
manner, wherein the skin body has a receiving cavity therewithin
for fittingly receiving the helmet, so as to cover the outer
surface thereof
[0026] At least one adjustable fastener is preferably provided
along an elongated opening of the skin body, so that the size of
the receiving cavity of the skin body is able to be increased via
opening the adjustable fastener for conveniently attaching and
detaching the replaceable helmet protective skin. The adjustable
fastener is then closed for a secure fit over the outer surface of
the helmet.
[0027] These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a helmet protective skin
according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
illustrating the helmet protective skin incorporating with a
helmet.
[0029] FIG. 2 is a 3-dimentional exploded view of the helmet
protective skin according to the above preferred embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative mode of the adjustable
fastener of the helmet protective skin according to the above
preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a helmet
protective skin according to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention is illustrated, wherein the replaceable helmet protective
skin 10 comprises a skin body 12, which is configured for
detachably and fittingly covering an outer surface 42 of a helmet
40 for being worn on a head of a wearer.
[0032] Accordingly, the skin body 12 has a shape and size
approximately matching the shape and size of the outer surface 42
of the helmet 40 for attaching the skin body 12 thereon in an
edge-to-edge manner, so that the skin body 12 of the replaceable
skin 10 is able to detachably and replaceably cover as part of the
outer surface 42 of the helmet 40.
[0033] More specifically, the skin body 12 having the similar shape
and size of the helmet 40 is detachably covering the outer surface
42 thereof to align a peripheral edge of the skin body 12 with the
peripheral edge of the helmet 40. As shown in FIG. 1, the
peripheral edge of the skin body 12 is preferably aligning with one
or more finishing rim 44 provided at each of peripheral edges of
the helmet 40 and to form a gap 46 between the helmet and the
finishing rims 44, so that the peripheral edge of the skin body 12
is able to be received within the gap 46 as if integrally formed at
the outer surface 42 of the helmet 40. Preferably, the peripheral
edge of the skin body 12 can be an elastic edge to alignedly fit
along the peripheral edge of the helmet 40 by means of elastic
force to retain the skin body 12 in position.
[0034] A frontal lobe ring attachment (not shown in the Figures) of
the finishing rim 44 may be further provided at an underside of the
upper front facial opening of a full-face type helmet. One or more
quarter ring attachments may be further provided at a portion of
the underside of facial opening of a quarter type helmet thereat,
so that the helmet protective skin is able to be attached and
detached from the outer surface of the helmet via the quarter ring
attachment and/or the frontal lobe ring attachment.
[0035] Alternatively, a plurality of elastic clips, preferably
having a U-shape, are spacedly provided along the peripheral edge
of the skin body 12 to detachably affix along the peripheral edge
of the helmet 40 so as to retain the skin body 12 in position.
[0036] Preferably, a fastener 50 is provided along the inner side
of the peripheral edge of the skin body 12 to affix along the
peripheral edge of the helmet 40 to retain the peripheral edge of
the skin body 12 aligning with the finishing rim 44 of the helmet
40. Accordingly, the fastener 50 is preferably a double-sided tape
defining an outer adhering side affixing to the inner side of the
skin body 12 and an inner adhering side affixing to the outer side
of the helmet 40. Preferably, two fasteners 50 are detachably
affixed to the finishing rim 44 of the helmet 40 at the upper and
lower sides of the front facial opening thereof respectively.
[0037] As best shown in FIG. 2, the skin body 12 has a receiving
cavity 14 therewithin for receiving the helmet 40 to detachably
cover the outer surface 42 thereof via the skin body 12, so as to
fittingly coupling the skin body 12 thereon. At least one elongated
opening 16 is further provided at the skin body 12, preferably
extended at a rear portion thereof to extend to the peripheral edge
of the skin body 12, so as to form an edge notch thereat, so that
the opening 16 is able to be opened to increase a space of the
receiving cavity 14 of the skin body 12, so as to detachably and
conveniently couple the skin cover 12 with the outer surface 42 of
the helmet 40.
[0038] Still referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, in order to
securely and adjustably covering the helmet protective skin 10 on
the outer surface 42 of the helmet 40, at least one adjustable
fastener 18 is preferably provided at the elongated opening 16 to
adjust the size of the opening 16 and to open and close the opening
16, so as to securely and fittingly attach the skin body 12 at the
helmet 40. In other words, the adjustable fastener 18 preferably
has at least a first connecting element 20 and a second connecting
element 22 for detachable fastening with the first connecting
element 20, wherein the first and second connecting elements 20, 22
of the adjustable fastener 18 are provided along two elongated
edges of the elongated opening 16 for detachable fastening with
each other to securely close the elongated opening 16, in such a
manner that after the helmet 40 is being received by the receiving
cavity 14 of the skin body 12 to incorporate the skin body 12 with
the helmet 40, the elongated opening 16 is able to be closed via
the adjustable fastener 18 to securely and fittingly couple the
skin body 12 with the helmet 40.
[0039] As will be readily appreciated by one skilled in the art,
the adjustable fastener 18 can be any types of fastener for
securely closing the elongated opening 16 to fittingly and
detachable coupling the skin body 12 at the outer surface 42 of the
helmet 40. For examples, the adjustable fastener 18 may be a hook
and loop type fastener of the first and second connecting elements
20, 22 provided at each of the elongated edges of the opening 16,
so that the adjustable fastener 18 is able to be closed and opened
for increasing the receiving cavity space to attach or detach the
skin body 12 covering the outer surface 42 of the helmet 40 and
closed for securely and fittingly coupling the skin body 12
therewith. The adjustable fastener 18 may also be magnetic
elements, hooks and slots, glue, grommets, snaps, buttons, zippers,
or the likes.
[0040] It is worth to mention that the adjustable fastener 18 may
be able to be fastened to selectively adjust a diameter or space of
the receiving cavity 14 of the skin body 12. For instance, the
first connecting element 20 may be wider than the second connecting
element 22, such that second connecting element 22 is able to
selectively and partially fasten with the first connecting element
20 in order to adjust the size of the receiving cavity 14 of the
skin body 12 to better fit the helmet protective skin 10 to the
helmet 40. Another first or second fastener 20, 22 may further
provided at a position adjacent to the elongated opening 16 to
spacedly form next the original first or second fastener 20, 22
along the elongated opening 16, in such a manner that the
adjustable fastener 18 can also adjustably fasten the elongated
opening 16 to fittingly secure the replaceable helmet protective
skin 10 at the outer surface 42 of the helmet 40. Therefore, the
skin body 12 being able to replaceable and detachably covering the
helmet 40 is able for incorporating with most of the helmets in the
existing market.
[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative mode of the adjustable
fastener 18', wherein the adjustable fastener 18' comprises a first
connecting element 20' and a second connecting element 22' for
detachable fastening with the first connecting element 20'. The
first connecting element 20' is provided at the outer side of the
skin body 12 along the bottom peripheral edge of the skin body 12
and is located at one side edge of the elongated opening 16. The
second connecting element 22' is outwardly extended from the
opposed side edge of the elongated opening 16 to form an elongated
strap to detachably fasten with the first connecting element 20'.
Therefore, after the helmet 40 is received within the receiving
cavity 14 of the skin body 12, the second connecting element 22' is
adapted to be pulled to tightly align the peripheral edge of the
skin body 12 with the finishing rim 44 of the helmet 40 and to
fasten with the first connecting element 20' so as to close the
elongated opening 16 for securely and fittingly coupling the skin
body 12 with the helmet 40.
[0042] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the helmet 40 may further has one
or more air vents 48 extended through a shell body of the helmet 40
to enhance the air circulation between an inner cavity for
receiving the head of the wearer and outer environment of the shell
body of the helmet 40. The skin body 12 further has one or more
through holes 24 provided at a position aligning with the air vents
48 of the helmet 40, so that the through hole 24 is able to
maximize the air flow of the helmet 40, so as to enhance the
comfortableness of the wearer. It is appreciated that the through
holes 24 may also formed at a position aligning with one or more
add-on devices protruded out of the outer surface 42 of the helmet
40, such as Chatterbox and Audiovox communication device, for
accommodating add-on devices thereof.
[0043] Accordingly, the skin body 12 having a diversity of colors
may further has one or more graphic portions 26 thereat, wherein
the graphic portions 26 may be printed or integrally formed with
the material of the skin body 12, such as stitching or sewing. The
graphic portions 26 may be any design patterns, personal name or
number, team logos, or commercial products, so that the replaceable
helmet protective skin 10 is able to provide the functionalities of
identification, fashion, and/or advertisement.
[0044] As mentioned above, the skin body 12 of the replaceable
helmet protective skin 10 is preferably made of an elastic
material, so that the replaceable helmet protective skin 10 is able
to better fit to the outer surface 42 of the helmet 40 to give a
more decent aesthetic feeling for the wearer. The skin body 12 may
also made of a reusable material and/or washable materials, such as
such as rubber, fabric, Nylon, Lycra, Plastic, leather, vinyl,
neoprene, and/or the combinations thereof. Therefore, the skin body
12 not only can be easily removed for replacing with different
patterns or graphics thereof according to the preference of the
wearer, but also can be removed for washing and reusing the helmet
protective skin 10.
[0045] It is worth to mention that, with the replaceable helmet
protective skin 10, the wearer is able to keep changing the
appearances of his/her helmet without purchasing numerous expensive
helmets 40, so as to minimize the store space for helmet equipment
while satisfying the fashionable purpose of the helmet.
[0046] It is appreciated that the replaceable helmet protective
skin 10 also provide the protection of the outer surface 42 of the
helmet, so that while wearing or transporting the helmet 40, the
skin body 12 is able to prevent the scratches formed thereat.
Therefore, it may not be necessary for the wearer using an extra
helmet bag to protect the helmet while carrying the helmet from one
place to another, so as to eliminate the need for additional helmet
accessories.
[0047] Accordingly, with the replaceable helmet protective skin 10
attachable and detachable covering 40, the wearer of the helmet 40
is able to have different styles of helmets 40, change the
identification or commercial signs thereon, and wash the
replaceable helmet protective skin 10 to keep the helmet 40 looking
new without changing the undamaged structure of the helmet 40
itself, so as to protect the helmet 40. Therefore, the replaceable
helmet protective skin 10 also eliminates the desire to replace the
helmet for the reasons other than a loss of structural
integrity.
[0048] As mentioned above, the skin body 12 of the replaceable
helmet protective skin 10 is preferably made of a material having
the elasticity, waterproof, anti-UV, breathable, and/or insulation
functions to enhance the protective function of the skin body 12.
Therefore, one or more different materials may be combined to form
the replaceable helmet protective skin 10 according to a targeted
function or features thereof for variety of different uses of the
replaceable helmet protective skin 10. The neoprene material, which
has multiple functions of waterproof, elastic, soft, insulated, and
breathable at the same time, is perfect for making the replaceable
helmet protective skin 10.
[0049] The neoprene material is a kind of synthetic rubber and
fabric like material, which is designed to act flexibly, durably,
and to resist breakdown by water. The elasticity and flexibility
features of the neoprene material makes the neoprene perfect for
making the replaceable helmet protective skin 10 for fittingly
covering the outer surface 42 of the helmet 40. Some of the
neoprene with a predetermined thickness also provides the
shock-protection feature, so that it is also well suited for being
used as padding in external outer surface 42 of the helmet 40.
Therefore, the replaceable helmet protective skin 10 not only can
protect the helmet 40, but also provide further protection to the
head of the wearer by further absorbing the shocking force.
[0050] The neoprene material also well known of its unique
molecular structure that air and water are insulated therein, so
that the replaceable helmet protective skin 10 made of the neoprene
material is impervious to water and cold-resistant, so as to
further protect the helmet from being damaged via the extreme
weather.
[0051] Although most waterproof or rubber like materials commonly
has the issue of being un-breathable making it a disadvantage, the
neoprene made skin body 12 of the replaceable helmet protective
skin 10 provides both of the waterproof and breathability functions
at the same time, so that the skin body 12 is able to prevent the
water impervious through the skin body 12 while being able to
dissipate the excessive heat through the breathable neoprene
material.
[0052] An anti-UV material and/or an insulation layer may be
further integrally formed with the skin body 12 for protecting the
helmet being structurally damaged by the sun light or heat while
the wearer is wearing the helmet in the outdoor space.
[0053] A reflective member or reflective material may further
provide the skin body 12 at a predetermined position to form a
reflective portion 28, in such a manner that the skin body 12 is
able to maximize the night visibility while using the helmet 40, so
as to enhance the protection of the wearer. For instance, the
reflective material may be provided at a bottom peripheral edge of
the skin body 12 to form a continuous circular pattern of the
reflective portion 28 thereon, so that the reflective portion 28 is
able to be seen from multiple angles, so as to enhance the safety
of the wearer. It is appreciated that the reflective portion 28 may
be located on any other area of the skin body 12 according to
variety of needs and designs.
[0054] Accordingly, the skin body 12 preferably made of neoprene is
reusable, washable, breathable, durable, flexible, and is able to
protect the helmet to minimize the damage from the weather or other
conditions. The replaceable helmet protective skin 10 may be made
of any other materials attachable and detachable while in use,
fittingly covering the outer surface 42 of the helmet 40, so as to
economically provide a diversity of looks of the helmet 40.
[0055] One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment
of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described
above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting.
[0056] It will thus be seen that the objects of the present
invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. The
embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of
illustrating the functional and structural principles of the
present invention and is subject to change without departure from
such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all
modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the
following claims.
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