Protective Helmet

Abstract

A helmet includes a backpiece and a crownpiece, the former of which extends from the vicinity of the wearer's temples rearwardly around the back of his head, while the latter has a foreportion extending across the wearer's forehead and a pair of protective bands extending rearwardly from the foreportion over the wearer's skull. The foreportion at its lateral ends merges into a pair of rearwardly extending wings which overlie the portions of the back piece located at the wearer's temples. The bands merge into a common connecting segment which overlies the rearmost portion of the backpiece. Both the connecting segment and the wings are adjustably connected to the respective portions of the backpiece over which they are disposed. Padding is attached to the inwardly presented surfaces of the backpiece and crownpiece.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to protective equipment and more particularly to helmets.

Insofar as sporting activities are concerned ice hockey ranks as one of the more hazardous, and this may be attributed to a number of related factors. For example, the ice surface on which ice hockey is played is hard and is difficult to maintain an upright position on if one's balance or footing is disturbed. Moreover, the game involves considerable body contact in the form of checking which on occasion can cause a player to loose his footing and fall to the ice. The checking can also send a player at high speeds into the sideboards surrounding the rink. Furthermore the puck is propelled at high speeds across the rink by sticks which are often swung with considerable force in close proximity to other players. The cranium is a particularly vulnerable portion of the body and when struck in the proper place and with sufficient force, the body's nervous system can be permanently injured. Since the cranium and likewise the nervous system are susceptible to injury during falls to the ice and crashes into the sideboards or by high-speed pucks or the sticks which propel them, it is indeed important to protect the cranium during the course of a hockey match.

Heretofore, helmets have been devised for protecting the skulls of hockey players, and some of these helmets are adjustable to accommodate varying head sizes. However, the range of adjustment on such helmets is quite limited and thus the elements fit only a few head sizes properly. Moreover, many helmets of current manufacture are cumbersome and become uncomfortable after a short time in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a protective helmet which may be adjusted to fit a wide range of head sizes. Another object is to provide a helmet of the type stated which comfortably fits the user's head. A further object is to provide a helmet which is light in weight and affords ample ventilation to the scalp for dissipating perspiration generated during vigorous activity. An additional object is to provide a protective helmet which can withstand forces of extremely large magnitude. Still another object is to provide a helmet of the type stated which is ideally suited for use by ice hockey players. These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in a helmet including a backpiece and crownpiece. The former extends from the vicinity of the wearer's temples backwardly around the back of the wearer's head, while the latter has a foreportion extending across the wearer's forehead and upper protective means extending from the foreportion generally over the wearer's skull. The crownpiece is attached to the backpiece at the lateral ends of the foreportion and at the rear end of the upper protective means. The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of the specification and wherein like numerals and letters refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a helmet constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the helmet;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the helmet;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the helmet;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the helmet; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified helmet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, 2 designates a protective helmet which is designed primarily for use by those who participate in ice hockey matches. Broadly speaking, the helmet 2 includes a crownpiece 4 and a backpiece 6 which are formed from a relatively rigid material having a limited amount of flexibility. Both have padded interior surfaces. When connected together the backpiece 6 and crownpiece 4 form a skull cavity which fits the user's head and more particularly his cranium. The means for attaching the crownpiece 4 to the backpiece permits adjustment of one relative to the other so that both the depth of and the the length of the skull cavity can be altered.

More specifically, the backpiece 6 is preferably molded from polyethylene plastic having a thickness of approximately one-eighth inch. The backpiece 6 extends (FIGS. 1, 3 and 6) from the wearer's temples backwardly around the entire back of his head. It has a generally horizontal upper margin 10 which is located below the top or crown of the wearer's cranium, and a lower margin 12 which along the back of the wearer's head is also horizontal and is located above the upper end of the wearer's neck. Along the sides of the backpiece 6 the lower margins 12 curve upwardly and then downwardly again in the provision of ear cutouts 14. Forwardly from the cutouts 14 the backpiece 6 has temple sections 16 which extend downwardly along the wearer's temples and terminate close to the upper ends of the cheek bones.

Near the forward ends of its upper margin 10, the backpiece 6 is provided with a plurality of closely spaced apertures 18 (FIGS. 5 and 6) which extend downwardly and rearwardly through the temple sections 16 in lines oblique to the horizontal upper margin 10. The rearmost aperture 18 in each line is disposed generally above and slightly forwardly from the center of the ear cutout 14 on the corresponding side of the backpiece 6, while the forwardmost aperture 18 is located adjacent to the upper margin 10 at the point where that margin turns downwardly to form the corresponding temple section 16. Similarly, at the very center of the backpiece 6, that is at its rearmost portion thereof, another line of spaced apertures 20 (FIGS. 2, 5 and 6) extends vertically between the horizontal upper margin 10 and the horizontal segment of the lower margin 12.

The inside face of the portion of the backpiece 6 located above the horizontal segment of the lower margin 12, which is the portion extending across the back of the head, has several strips of padding 22 (FIGS. 5 and 6) attached to it. The strips of padding 22 extend vertically and the two center strips are spaced apart at the apertures 20 so that the entire line of apertures 20 is exposed between them. Beyond the strips of padding 22 triangularly shaped side pads 24 are attached to the innerface of the backpiece 6. The forward margins of each side pad 24 follow the rear margin of the adjacent ear cutout 14, and where the margin of that cutout 14 turns forwardly and downwardly the forward margin of the pad 24 continues upwardly along the rear side of the adjacent line of apertures 18. The inner faces of the temple section 16 also have temple pads 26 secured to them and the upper margins of those pads 26 are located below the lines of apertures 18. Consequently, the apertures 18 on each side of the backpiece 6 are exposed between the pads 24 and 26.

The padding 22 and the pads 24 and 26 are preferably formed from a foamed vinyl composition such as polyvinyl chloride and are attached to the inner face of the backpiece 6 by a suitable adhesive.

The crownpiece 4 similarly is approximately one-eighth inch thick and preferably molded from polyethylene plastic. It includes a foreportion 30 which extends across and shields the wearer'forehead. Beyond the forehead the foreportion 30 merges into a pair of rearwardly extending wings 32 (FIGS. 1, 4 and 6) which extend across the forward end of the backpiece 6, overlying the upper end of the temple sections 16 thereon. Each wing 32 is secured to the backpiece 6 it overlies by a bolt 34 which extends through one of the apertures 18. As will be noted hereinafter the particular aperture 18 selected depends on the size of the user's head. Each bolt 34 threads into a nut 36 positioned against the inner face of the temple section 16 on backpiece 6.

In addition to the foreportion 30 the crownpiece 4 includes upper protective means in the form of a pair of rearwardly extending bands 38 (FIG. 4 which extend across the wearer's cranium from the foreportion 30 to the center or rear of the backpiece 6. In particular, the bands 38 at their forward ends merge into the foreportion 30 and in effect form an integral rearward continuation thereof. As the bands 38 extend rearwardly they converge and at the rear of the skull they merge into a common connecting segment 40 (FIG. 3) which extends downwardly across the rearwardly presented face of the back piece 6. The connecting segment 40 is attached to the backpiece 6 above the horizontal portion of the lower margin 12 thereon by means of a bolt 42 which extends through that segment and into one of the vertically spaced apertures 20 in the backpiece 6. Again the particular aperture 20 selected depends on the size of the wearer's head. The bolt 42 threads into a nut 44 positioned behind the selected aperture 20 and against the inwardly presented face of the backpiece 6. The bands 38 are reinforced by longitudinally extending ribs 46 formed integral thereto.

The inner face of the foreportion 30 has a series of vertically extending pads 48 (FIG. 5) attached to it, likewise the inner or downwardly presented surfaces on the bands 38 have pads 50 secured to them, and those pads terminate prior to the connecting segment 40. The pads 48 and 50 are also preferably formed from a foamed vinyl composition and are adhesively secured to the crownpiece 4.

Thus, the strips of padding 22, the side pads 24, and the temple pads 26 on the backpiece 6, and the pads 48 on the crownpiece 4 form a row of padding which completely surrounds and absorbs blows directed against the side of the wearer's head, whereas the pads 50 on the crownpiece 4 extend over and absorb blows directed against the top of the head.

The helmet 2 is held in place by a chin strap 52 (shown only in FIG. 1) which includes two segments each of which is Y-shaped. Each segment is furthermore attached to one side of the backpiece 6 adjacent to each end of the ear cutout 14 therein.

The helmet 2 fits a wide range of head sizes and is adjusted to the proper size by a trial or error procedure. In particular, the helmet 2 is shipped in assembled form with the bolts 34 extending through corresponding apertures 18 in the two oblique lines of apertures 18, and with the bolt 42 positioned in one of the apertures 20. If the skull cavity in helmet 2 is too small, it may be enlarged by placing the bolts 34 in apertures 18 located further forwardly and the bolt 42 in a higher aperture 20. Conversely, to decrease the size of the cavity 8 and make the helmet 2 suitable for smaller head sizes the bolts 34 should be placed in apertures 18 located further to the rear in the backpiece 6 and the bolt 42 should be inserted in a lower aperture 20.

It is possible to provide a modified helmet 60 (FIG. 7) which is very similar to the helmet 2. The helmet 60 includes a crownpiece 62 and a backpiece 64, the latter of which is practically identical to the backpiece 6. However, the crownpiece 4, while having a foreportion 66 and bands 68 extending rearwardly therefrom to a common connecting segment 70, has wings 72 formed by convex and concave margins which intersect at a point instead of generally parallel margins which intersect at an arc as is true of the wings 32 on the helmet 2. Moreover, the lower margin of the foreportion 66 extends across the forehead in an upwardly directed arch and not horizontally across it as does the lower margin on the foreportion 30. The inwardly presented surfaces of the crownpiece 62 and backpiece 64 have padding attached to them.

In the helmet 60 the wings 72 have the shape of the distinctive Michigan-type wing. The helmet 60 is otherwise the same as the helmet 62 and serves the same purpose.

The helmets 2 and 60 because of the wide range of adjustment provided need only be manufactured and warehoused in a single size. They are furthermore light in weight and each is easy to put on and remove. The void between the various pads is thin and likewise the spaces between and to the side of the bands 38 and 68 afford considerable ventilation. Thus, the helmets 2 and 60 are ideally suited for use by ice hockey players.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

I claim:

1. A helmet comprising a backpiece shaped to extend from the vicinity of the wearer's temples backwardly around the back of his head, and crownpiece having a foreportion shaped to extend across the wearer's forehead to opposite lateral ends and upper protective means extending from the foreportion over the top of the wearer's skull to a rear end, the foreportion at its lateral ends merging into rearwardly extending wings which extend along the sides of the backpiece positioned in the vicinity of the wearer'temples, the upper protective means comprising a pair of bands which are permanently attached to the foreportion and extend rearwardly therefrom over the wearer's head and a connecting segment into which the bands merge adjacent to the backpiece, the connecting segment overlying the rearmost portion of the backpiece, first means attaching the crownpiece to the backpiece and comprising a plurality of apertures generally arranged one in front of the other in the portion of the backpiece located in the vicinity of the wearer's temples and bolts extending through the wings into selected apertures so that the crownpiece is attached to the backpiece at the wings and the size of the helmet is dependent on the apertures selected, and second means attaching the crownpiece to the backpiece at the rear end of the upper protective means and comprising a plurality of vertically spaced apertures in the rear portion of the backpiece and a bolt extending through the connecting segment of the upper protective means into a selected aperture in the series of vertically spaced apertures so that the size of the helmet is further dependent on which of the vertically spaced apertures is selected.

2. A helmet comprising a backpiece shaped to extend from the vicinity of the wearer's temples backwardly around the back of his head, a crownpiece having a foreportion shaped to extend across the wearer's forehead to opposite lateral ends and upper protective means extending from the foreportion over the top of the wearer's skull to a rear end, the foreportion of the crownpiece at its lateral ends merging into rearwardly extending wings which extend along the side of the backpiece in the vicinity of the wearer's temples, the upper protective means comprising at least two bands which are permanently attached to the foreportion and extend rearwardly therefrom generally over the wearer's head, and a connecting segment into which the bands merge at the backpiece, the wings and connecting segment overlying the backpiece, first means adjustably attaching the crownpiece to the backpiece at the wings, and second means adjustably attaching the crownpiece to the backpiece at the connecting segment of the upper protective means.

3. A helmet according to claim 2 wherein backpiece has cutouts at its sides for the wearer's ears; and wherein the wings overlie the backpiece generally above the cutouts.

4. A helmet comprising a backpiece shaped to extend from the vicinity of the wearer's temples backwardly around the back of his head, and a crownpiece having a foreportion shaped to extend across the wearer'forehead to opposite lateral ends and upper protective means extending from the foreportion over the top of the wearer'skull to a rear end, the foreportion of the crownpiece at its lateral ends merging into rearwardly extending wings which extend along the sides of the backpiece positioned in the vicinity of the wearer's temples, first means attaching the crownpiece to the backpiece at the wings and comprising a plurality of apertures generally arranged one in front of the other in the portion of the backpiece located in the vicinity of the wearer's temples and bolts extending through the wings into selected apertures so that the size of the helmet is dependent on the apertures selected, the apertures through which the bolts for the wings extend being arranged in rows extending downwardly from the front of the backpiece generally in a line oblique to the horizontal, and second means attaching the crownpiece to the backpiece at the rear end of the upper protective means.

5. A helmet comprising a backpiece shaped to extend from the vicinity of the wearer's temples rearwardly around the back of his head, the backpiece having an upper margin located along the sides and back of the user's head whereby the backpiece does not cover the top of the head; a crownpiece including a foreportion shaped to extend across the wearer's forehead, rearwardly extending wings at the lateral ends of the foreportion, the wings overlapping the portions of the backpiece located in the vicinity of the wearer's temples, and at least one band connected to the foreportion and extending rearwardly therefrom over the top of the wearer's head and overlapping the rearmost portion of the backpiece at its rear end, the band being substantially rigid so as to protect the top of the head and having side margins spaced from the upper margins of the backpieces so that exposed voids exist between the sides of the backpiece and the band for ventilating the helmet; first connecting means securing the wings to the sides of the backpiece in the vicinity of the user's temples and enabling the foreportion of the crownpiece to be extended from or withdrawn toward the backpiece so as to vary the circumferential size of the helmet; second connecting means securing the rear end of the band to the rearmost portion of the backpiece and enabling the band to be elevated or depressed relative to the backpiece so as to vary the depth of the helmet; and padding attached to the crownpiece and backpiece and positioned along the inwardly presented surfaces thereof including along the inwardly presented surface of the band.

6. A helmet according to claim 5 wherein said first connecting means comprises a plurality of apertures generally arranged one in front of the other in the portion of the backpiece located in the vicinity of the wearer's temples and bolts extending through the wings into selected apertures, so that the size of the helmet is dependent on the apertures selected.

7. A helmet according to claim 6 wherein said second means comprises a plurality of vertically spaced apertures in the rear portion of the backpiece and a bolt extending through the rear end of of the upper protective means into a selected aperture in the series of vertically spaced apertures so that the size of the helmet is further dependent on which of the vertically spaced apertures is selected.