Adjustable helmet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11730227-B2
Application number	US-201816764453-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2018
Priority date	Nov 21, 2017
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

A helmet for protecting a head of a user, in which the helmet is adjustable to adjust how it fits on the user's head, including by adjusting dimensions of the helmet independently from one another (e.g., adjusting the helmet longitudinally and laterally in independent ways) and/or having a self-adjusting padded interface with the user's head to better fit on the user's head (e.g., depending on a shape and/or a size of the user's head).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A helmet for protecting a head of a user, the helmet comprising:
a) an outer shell comprising a plurality of shell members movable relative to one another;
b) an inner padding disposed within the outer shell; and
c) an adjustment system configured to adjust a fit of the helmet on the user's head, wherein the adjustment system is operable to move respective ones of the shell members relative to one another to adjust the fit of the helmet on the user's head, the adjustment system comprising:
a longitudinal adjustment subsystem configured to adjust a longitudinal dimension of the outer shell in a longitudinal direction of the helmet; and
a lateral adjustment subsystem configured to move respective ones of the shell members relative to one another to adjust a lateral dimension of the outer shell in a lateral direction of the helmet;

the longitudinal adjustment subsystem and the lateral adjustment subsystem being operable independently from one another to adjust the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of the outer shell independently from one another over at least part of a range of adjustability of the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and at least part of a range of adjustability of the lateral dimension of the outer shell.

2. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein: the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell is at least primarily adjustable by operating the longitudinal adjustment subsystem; and the lateral dimension of the outer shell is at least primarily adjustable by operating the lateral adjustment subsystem.

3. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein: the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell is at least primarily adjustable by operating the longitudinal adjustment subsystem; and the lateral dimension of the outer shell is at least primarily adjustable by operating the lateral adjustment subsystem.

4. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein the inner padding comprises a plurality of pads mounted to the shell members and movable relative to one another when the shell members move relative to one another.

5. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of the outer shell are adjustable independently from one another over at least 20% of the range of adjustability of the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell.

6. The helmet of claim 5 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of the outer shell are adjustable independently from one another over at least 20% of the range of adjustability of the lateral dimension of the outer shell.

7. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of the outer shell are adjustable independently from one another over at least 40% of the range of adjustability of the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell.

8. The helmet of claim 7 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of the outer shell are adjustable independently from one another over at least 40% of the range of adjustability of the lateral dimension of the outer shell.

9. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of the outer shell are adjustable independently from one another over at least 20% of the range of adjustability of the lateral dimension of the outer shell.

10. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of the outer shell are adjustable independently from one another over at least 40% of the range of adjustability of the lateral dimension of the outer shell.

11. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein operation of the longitudinal adjustment subsystem and the lateral adjustment subsystem causes the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of the outer shell to be adjusted simultaneously and dependently on one another over at least part of the range of adjustability of the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and at least part of the range of adjustability of the lateral dimension of the outer shell.

12. The helmet of claim 11 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of helmet are adjustable simultaneously and dependently on one another over no more than 20% of the range of adjustability of the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell.

13. The helmet of claim 12 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of helmet are adjustable simultaneously and dependently on one another over no more than 20% of the range of adjustability of the lateral dimension of the outer shell.

14. The helmet of claim 11 , wherein the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell and the lateral dimension of helmet are adjustable simultaneously and dependently on one another over no more than 20% of the range of adjustability of the lateral dimension of the outer shell.

15. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment system comprises a plurality of actuators manually operable independently from one another to adjust the fit of the helmet on the user's head, wherein each actuator of the plurality of actuators is part of either the lateral adjustment subsystem or the longitudinal adjustment subsystem.

16. The helmet of claim 15 , wherein a first one of the actuators is disposed in an upper portion of the helmet and a second one of the actuators is disposed in a lower portion of the helmet.

17. The helmet of claim 16 , wherein: the first one of the actuators is a central one of the actuators disposed in a central region of the upper portion of the helmet; and the second one of the actuators is a lateral one of the actuators disposed in a lateral region of the lower portion of the helmet.

18. The helmet of claim 17 , wherein: the central one of the actuators is operable to adjust the lateral dimension of the outer shell such that the lateral dimension of the outer shell is at least primarily adjustable by operating the central one of the actuators; and the lateral one of the actuators is operable to adjust the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell such that the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell is at least primarily adjustable by operating the lateral one of the actuators.

19. The helmet of claim 16 , wherein a third one of the actuators is disposed in the lower portion of the helmet and spaced from the second one of the actuators.

20. The helmet of claim 19 , wherein: the first one of the actuators is a central one of the actuators disposed in a central region of the upper portion of the helmet; the second one of the actuators is a first lateral one of the actuators disposed in a first lateral region of the lower portion of the helmet; and the third one of the actuators is a second lateral one of the actuators disposed in a second lateral region of the lower portion of the helmet opposite to the first lateral region of the lower portion of the helmet.

21. The helmet of claim 20 , wherein: the central one of the actuators is operable to adjust the lateral dimension of the outer shell such that the lateral dimension of the outer shell is at least primarily adjustable by operating the central one of the actuators; and the first lateral one of the actuators and the second lateral one of the actuators are operable to adjust the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell such that the longitudinal dimension of the outer shell is at least primarily adjustable by

Assignees

• Bauer Hockey Ltd
• Bauer Hockey Llc

Inventors

• Durocher Jacques
• Genereux Marie-Claude
• Martin Hugo
• Desrochers Charles-Antoine

Classifications

• A42B3/324 Primary

  Adjustable helmets · CPC title

• A42B3/06

  Impact-absorbing shells, e.g. of crash helmets · CPC title