Helmet with integrated shoulder pad

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11758965-B2
Application number	US-202016859377-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2020
Priority date	Jan 25, 2017
Publication date	Sep 19, 2023
Grant date	Sep 19, 2023

Abstract

A helmet body includes an outer shell having an inner surface, an outer surface, and an outer shell lower edge extending between the inner surface and the outer surface, the outer shell further comprising at least two shoulder pad recesses positioned at a lower edge of the outer shell on a respective left and right sides of the helmet; and an energy management liner adjacent to the inner surface of the outer shell and comprising at least two shoulder pads formed of a foamed energy management material, each of the at least two shoulder pads received into one of the at least two shoulder pad recesses on the respective left or right side of the helmet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A helmet comprising:
an outer shell comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, and an outer shell lower edge extending between the inner surface and the outer surface, the outer shell further comprising at least two shoulder pad recesses positioned at a lower edge of the outer shell on respective left and right sides of the helmet; and
an energy management liner adjacent to the inner surface of the outer shell and comprising at least two shoulder pads formed of a foamed energy management material and integral with a portion of the energy management liner, each of the at least two shoulder pads received into one of the at least two shoulder pad recesses on the respective left or right side of the helmet, each shoulder pad configured to alleviate the impact of the helmet to a wearer's shoulder and extending from inside of the outer shell to across at least a majority of a width of the lower edge of the outer shell, and each shoulder pad extends further downward from the outer shell beyond the outer shell lower edge.

2. The helmet of claim 1 , wherein the energy management liner comprises: a first portion formed of a first material;
at least one anchor formed of a third material harder than the first material extending from within the first portion; and
a second portion formed of a second material co-molded to the first portion around the at least one anchor.

3. The helmet of claim 2 , further comprising one or more cheek pad magnets mounted to the first portion of the energy management liner.

4. The helmet of claim 3 , wherein the energy management liner comprises:
the first portion formed of expanded polystyrene (EPS); and
the second portion formed of expanded polypropylene (EPP).

5. The helmet of claim 4 , wherein each of the at least two shoulder pads is part of the second portion of the energy management liner and are also formed of EPP.

6. The helmet of claim 5 , wherein the second portion of the energy management liner extends into a chinbar of the helmet body.

7. A helmet comprising:
an outer shell comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, and an outer shell lower edge extending between the inner surface and the outer surface, wherein a portion of the outer shell lower edge indents upward to form at least two shoulder pad recesses positioned at a respective left and right sides of the helmet; and
an energy management liner adjacent to the inner surface of the outer shell and comprising at least two shoulder pads formed of a foamed energy management material and integral with a portion of the energy management liner, each of the at least two shoulder pads configured to alleviate the impact of the helmet to a wearer's shoulder and received into one of the at least two shoulder pad recesses on the respective left or right side of the helmet, each shoulder pad extending from inside of the outer shell to across a portion of a width of the lower edge of the outer shell.

8. The helmet of claim 7 , wherein each shoulder pad comprises a length in a range of 2 to 7 inches and a height in a range of 0.2 to 2 inches.

9. The helmet of claim 7 , wherein the energy management liner comprises expanded polypropylene (EPP).

10. The helmet of claim 9 , wherein each of the at least two shoulder pads is formed of EPP and is part of the energy management liner.

11. The helmet of claim 7 , further comprising one or more cheek pad magnets mounted to a first portion of the energy management liner.

12. The helmet of claim 11 , wherein a second portion of the energy management liner extends into a chinbar of the helmet body.

13. A helmet comprising:
an outer shell comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, and an outer shell lower edge extending between the inner surface and the outer surface, wherein a portion of the outer shell lower edge indents upward to form at least two shoulder pad recesses positioned at a respective left and right sides of the helmet; and
an energy management liner adjacent to the inner surface of the outer shell and comprising at least two shoulder pad assemblies formed of a foamed energy management material and integral with a portion of the energy management liner, each of the at least two shoulder pad assemblies comprising shoulder pads configured to alleviate the impact of the helmet to a wearer's shoulder and received into one of the at least two shoulder pad recesses on the respective left or right side of the helmet, each shoulder pad extending from inside of the outer shell to across a portion of a width of the lower edge of the outer shell, and each shoulder pad extends further downward from the outer shell beyond the outer shell lower edge.

14. The helmet of claim 13 , wherein each shoulder pad comprises a length in a range of 2 to 7 inches and a height in a range of 0.2 to 2 inches.

15. The helmet of claim 13 , wherein the shoulder pad assemblies comprise expanded polypropylene (EPP).

16. The helmet of claim 15 , wherein each of the at least two shoulder pads is part of the shoulder pad assemblies and are also formed of EPP.

17. The helmet of claim 13 , wherein a portion of the energy management liner extends into a chinbar of the helmet body.

Assignees

• Bell Sports Inc

Inventors

• Whitesell Scott S
• Allen Scott R
• Pietrzak Christopher T
• Bischofberger Allen
• Valencia Julio

Classifications

• A42B3/04 Primary

  Parts, details or accessories of helmets · CPC title

• A42B3/0473 Primary

  Neck restraints · CPC title

• A42B3/105 Primary

  with additional protection for the neck (protective garments for neck or shoulder area A41D13/0512) · CPC title

• A42B3/125

  with a padded structure, e.g. foam · CPC title

• A42B3/128

  with zones of different density · CPC title