Patent ID: 8640267
Filing Date: 2014-02-04
Classification: A42B

Abstract:
1. A protective helmet comprising: a continuous protective cushioning shell layer formed from a cushioning foam material and having an inner surface, said continuous protective cushioning shell layer being an outermost or next-to-outermost layer of the protective helmet; a cushioning spacer layer coupled to said inner surface of said continuous protective cushioning shell layer, said cushioning spacer layer including a cushioning structure that only partially covers said inner surface of said shell and defining gaps in or between the cushioning structure, wherein at least one of said cushioning structure and said gaps is non-uniform in at least one of size and shape; a hard inner structure having an outer surface and an inner surface, said outer surface attached to said cushioning spacer layer, said hard inner structure being harder than said continuous protective cushioning shell layer and said cushioning spacer layer; and an innermost cushioning pad layer attached to said inner surface of said hard inner structure, wherein impact energy applied to said continuous shell is forced through a tortuous path in said cushioning spacer layer.