Patent ID: 9572390
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: A42B,A63B

Claim:
1. A football helmet comprising: a shell having an inner surface, an outer surface, an opening adapted to be over a face area of a wearer, a crown area and wherein said shell is constructed of epoxy resin having a fiber reinforcement and adapted to receive an athlete's head therein and wherein said fiber reinforcement in the crown area is lower than the fiber reinforcement in areas outside the crown area of said shell; an energy absorbing layer situated adjacent and in contact with the inner surface of said shell and extending over the crown area of said shell, said energy absorbing layer including a thin resilient membrane having an array of pockets therein, said pockets protruding above said membrane and wherein a viscoelastic polymer material is contained within said pockets; a liner consisting of a liner outer surface conforming with the inner surface of said shell and said energy absorbing layer adjacent the inner surface of said shell and a liner inner surface closely conforming to the head of the wearer, said liner disposed within said shell such that said energy absorbing layer is situated between said liner and said shell in the crown area of said shell, said liner conforming to and in contact with said energy absorbing layer and said inner surface of said shell, said liner having a substantially uniform thickness and fabricated from expanded polypropylene, said liner having an inner periphery located about a lower portion of said liner inner surface, and wherein said liner has a compressive strength corresponding to the density of the expanded polypropylene used to fabricate said liner; a face mask attached to said shell over the face area of said shell; a plurality of fitment pads situated about and attached to the inner periphery of said liner for sizing said liner to the head of the wearer; and wherein said viscoelastic material contained in said pockets of said energy absorbing layer has a higher compressive strength than the compressive strength of said liner.