Attachment system for a helmet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9844238-B2
Application number	US-201414477052-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2014
Priority date	Sep 4, 2014
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

An attachment system for a helmet, the system having a buckle and a stud. The stud has an engaging portion and the buckle extends along a longitudinal axis and has first and second slots for receiving an adjustable strap and a rim defining a housing having an opening for receiving the engaging portion, the housing opening extending in a direction that is transversal to the longitudinal axis of the buckle. The rim is configured to allow sliding engagement with the engaging portion in a direction that is transversal to the longitudinal axis of the buckle between a first position wherein a section of the rim retains the engaging portion in the rim housing for locking the buckle into the stud and a second position wherein the engaging portion is no longer retained in the rim housing for releasing the buckle from the stud.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. In combination:
a helmet;
a stud connected to a part of the helmet and comprising an engaging portion; and
a buckle comprising first and second slots for receiving a strap, an axis of the buckle extending from the first slot to the second slot, a length of the strap being adjustable relative to the buckle, the buckle comprising a rim defining a housing having an opening for receiving the engaging portion of the stud, the opening of the housing extending transversally to the axis of the buckle, the rim being configured to allow sliding engagement with the engaging portion of the stud transversally to the axis of the buckle between a first position wherein a section of the rim retains the engaging portion of the stud in the housing for locking the buckle onto the stud and a second position wherein the engaging portion of the stud is no longer retained in the housing for releasing the buckle from the stud, wherein the section is configured to elastically deform for allowing sliding movement of the buckle between the first and second positions.

2. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the engaging portion of the stud comprises a head and a groove located below the head, the head having a head diameter and a head thickness and the groove having a groove diameter and a groove thickness.

3. The combination of claim 2 , wherein the section comprises first and second restricting points being spaced apart of a distance taken along the axis of the buckle, the distance being slightly smaller than the groove diameter such that the head is retained in the housing in the first position.

4. The combination of claim 3 , wherein the housing has a housing diameter being slightly bigger than the groove diameter and slightly smaller than the head diameter such that the head is retained in the housing in the first position.

5. The combination of claim 4 , wherein the housing has a housing thickness that is slightly smaller than the groove thickness such that the head is retained in the housing in the first position.

6. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the rim comprises a first material having a first rigidity and the stud comprises a second material having a second rigidity, the first rigidity being less than the second rigidity.

7. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the buckle extends along its axis from a first end portion to a second end portion with a body portion therebetween, the first slot being adjacent the first end portion, the second slot being adjacent the second end portion, and the rim being provided on the body portion.

8. The combination of claim 7 , wherein the buckle has a top side and a bottom side opposite to the top side, the top and bottom sides being generally parallel to the axis of the buckle, wherein the opening of the housing is on the bottom side, and wherein the top side has an indicator portion for illustrating a movement direction of the buckle.

9. The combination of claim 8 , wherein the indicator portion has an arrow showing movement direction of the buckle from the first position to the second position.

10. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the strap remains attached to a remainder of the helmet when the buckle is disengaged from the stud.

11. The combination of claim 1 , wherein the axis of the buckle is a longitudinal axis of the buckle.

12. In combination:
a helmet;
a stud connected to a part of the helmet and comprising an engaging portion; and
a buckle comprising first and second slots for receiving a strap, an axis of the buckle extending from the first slot to the second slot, a length of the strap being adjustable relative to the buckle, the buckle comprising a rim defining a housing having an opening for receiving the engaging portion of the stud, the opening of the housing transversally to the axis of the buckle, the rim comprising a first material having a first rigidity and the engaging portion of the stud comprising a second material having a second rigidity, the first rigidity being less than the second rigidity, the rim being configured to allow sliding engagement with the engaging portion transversally to the axis of the buckle between a first position wherein a section of the rim retains the engaging portion of the stud in the housing for locking the buckle onto the stud and a second position wherein the engaging portion of the stud is no longer retained in the housing for releasing the buckle from the stud, wherein the section is configured to elastically deform for allowing sliding movement of the buckle between the first and second positions.

13. The combination of claim 12 , wherein the axis of the buckle is a longitudinal axis of the buckle.

14. In combination:
a helmet;
a stud connected to a part of the helmet and comprising an engaging portion having a head and a groove located below the head, the head having a head diameter and a head thickness and the groove having a groove diameter and a groove thickness; and
a buckle comprising first and second slots for receiving a strap, an axis of the buckle extending from the first slot to the second slot, a length of the strap being adjustable relative to the buckle, the buckle comprising a rim defining a housing having an opening for receiving the engaging portion of the stud, the opening of the housing extending transversally to the axis of the buckle, the rim comprising a biasing section with first and second restricting points being spaced apart of a distance taken along the axis of the buckle, the rim being configured to allow sliding engagement with the engaging portion of the stud transversally to the axis of the buckle between first and second positions, wherein, in the first position, the distance between the first and second restricting points is slightly smaller than the groove diameter such that the engaging portion of the stud is retained in the housing for locking the buckle onto the stud, and in the second position, the engaging portion of the stud is no longer retained in the housing for releasing the buckle from the stud.

15. The combination of claim 14 , wherein the axis of the buckle is a longitudinal axis of the buckle.

16. A helmet for receiving a head of a wearer, the helmet comprising:
a) an outer shell;
b) padding disposed on an inner side of the outer shell for providing impact absorption; and
c) an attachment system comprising a buckle and a buckle-retaining projection, the buckle being retainable onto the buckle-retaining projection without urging the buckle onto the buckle-retaining projection along a direction of projection of the buckle-retaining projection, the buckle being configured to slideably engage the buckle-retaining projection transversally to the direction of projection of the buckle-retaining projection to retain the buckle onto the buckle-retaining projection, the buckle having a section that is configured to elastically deform when the buckle-retaining projection is urged against it transversally to the direction of projection of the buckle-retaining projection.

17. The helmet of claim 16 , wherein the buckle is configured to slideably disengage the buckle-retaining projection transversally to the direction of projection of the buckle-retaining projection to release the buckle from the buckle-retaining projection.

18. The helmet of claim 17 , wherein the strap remains attached to a remainder of the helmet when the buckle is disengaged from the buckle-retaining projection.

19. The helmet of claim 16 , wherein the buckle-retaining projection comprises a stud.

20. T

Assignees

• Bauer Hockey Corp
• Bauer Hockey Llc

Inventors

• Lemoine Glen
• Desrochers Charles-Antoine
• Rudd David

Classifications

• A44B11/2596

  the movement being transverse to the longitudinal direction of the strap or chain · CPC title

• A44B11/26

  with push-button fastenings {(A44B11/2507 takes precedence; press-button fasteners A44B17/00)} · CPC title

• A44B17/0023

  Press-button fasteners in which the elastic retaining action is obtained by the own elasticity of the material constituting the fastener · CPC title

• A42B3/08 Primary

  Chin straps or similar retention devices · CPC title