Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a low-profile batting helmet. The low-profile helmet includes a gradually-sloped front portion for covering and protecting the front portion of a user&#39;s head. The gradual slope of the front portion permits the helmet to conform closely to the users&#39; head, providing more contact between the helmet and the wearer&#39;s head than occurs with a conventional helmet. The close conformity of the helmet to the user&#39;s head provide a snug fit to secure the helmet to the head and increased comfort to the wearer. In addition, the gradual slope of the front portion presents a decreased vertical surface component (compared to conventional helmets) such that a strike from a stray ball is more easily deflected compared to a strike to a conventional helmet.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    None. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0004]    The present invention relates to protective sports equipment, and more particularly to protective helmets used in baseball and softball. Specifically, the present invention relates to protective batting helmets. 
         [0005]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0006]    Protective helmets are commonly used in various sports to provide protection to a player&#39;s head and face. In baseball, for example, players commonly wear batting helmets to provide protection against wild pitches or foul balls. Offensive players also sometimes wear helmets when running the bases to protect against balls thrown in the playing field. In lower-level leagues, especially those geared to younger players, protective batting helmets are often required to protect against stray pitches and throws. 
         [0007]    Typical batting helmets include a rigid outer shell, with padding affixed to the inside of the helmet to provide a more comfortable fit to the wearer. Because helmets are rarely custom-manufactured for a particular wearer, manufacturers attempt to make batting helmets adaptable to a large number of potential users. A typical batting helmet is shaped in a generally symmetrical pattern (as viewed from front-to-rear and from side-to-side) having relatively steep front and rear outer surfaces. So long as the helmet fits over the head and is reasonably snug such that it will not fall off, the helmet will provide protection. While a batting helmet of this configuration does provide general protection to a user, it does not generally provide a comfortable, secure fit, nor does it provide any enhanced deflection features to protect the user. 
         [0008]    Thus, it can be seen that there remains a need in the art for a protective batting helmet that provides a better fit to a user and that further provides enhanced protection to the user. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The present invention is directed to a low-profile batting helmet. The low-profile helmet includes a gradually-sloped front portion for covering and protecting the front portion of a user&#39;s head. The gradual slope of the front portion permits the helmet to conform closely to the users&#39; head, providing more contact between the padding along the inner surface of the helmet and the wearer&#39;s head than occurs with a conventional helmet. The close conformity of the helmet to the user&#39;s head provides a snug fit to secure the helmet to the head and increased comfort to the wearer. In addition, the gradual slope of the front portion presents a decreased vertical surface component (compared to conventional helmets) such that a strike from a stray ball is more easily deflected compared to a strike to a conventional helmet. 
         [0010]    In an exemplary embodiment, the helmet comprises a rigid shell for protecting the head of the wearer, with the front portion of the helmet having a low-profile, gradual slope. Padding on the interior surface of the helmet contacts the wearer&#39;s head, with the padding on the interior of the gradually-sloped front portion of the helmet thus conforming closely to the wearer&#39;s head to provide a snug, comfortable fit. The low-profile, gradually-sloped front portion ensures that a greater percentage of the interior of the helmet is in contact with the wearer&#39;s head and reduces any gaps between the helmet and the head as compared to conventional batting helmets. The low-profile of the front portion of the helmet further provides a non-vertical surface to deflect any stray pitches and reduce the impact transferred to the wearer when the helmet is struck by a stray ball. 
         [0011]    Additional aspects of the invention, together with the advantages and novel features appurtenant thereto, will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The present invention will be described in greater detail in the following detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a right-side elevational view of a prior-art batting helmet. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a right-side elevational view of a low-profile batting helmet in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a view of the prior-art helmet of  FIG. 1  with included dimensional and reference markings. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a view of the low-profile helmet of  FIG. 2  with included dimensional and reference markings. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the prior art helmet of  FIG. 1  shown in use on a wearer&#39;s head. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the low-profile helmet of  FIG. 2  shown in use on a wearer&#39;s head. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the low-profile batting helmet of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a front elevational view of the low-profile helmet of  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    A low-profile, protective batting helmet in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is depicted in  FIGS. 2 ,  4 , and  6 - 8 . While the invention will be described in detail hereinbelow with reference to this exemplary embodiment, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific configuration shown in these embodiments. Rather, one skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of configurations may be implemented in accordance with the present invention. 
         [0022]    Looking first to  FIGS. 2 and 8 , a low-profile batting helmet in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is depicted generally by the numeral  10 . Batting helmet  10  includes a rigid shell  12  with a bill  14  extending outwardly from the front of the helmet. Rigid shell  12  includes a front portion  16 , a rear portion  18 , and left and right side portions  20   a ,  20   b , which in combination define a bottom opening  22  for placing the shell over a wearer&#39;s head. The front, back, and side portions together define an inner cavity  24  which generally conforms to the shape of a wearer&#39;s head. Left and right ear covers  26   a ,  26   b  extend downwardly from the left and right side portions  20   a ,  20   b  to cover the wearer&#39;s left and right ears, respectively. Left and right ear openings  28   a ,  28   b  through left and right ear covers  26   a ,  26   b , respectively, provide ventilation to the wearer and allow the wearer to hear while wearing the batting helmet. Ventilation openings  30   a ,  30   b  in the upper part of the left and right side portions allow air circulation into and out of the helmet to cool the wearer&#39;s head. Bill  14  extends outwardly from front portion  16  of the rigid shell in the area generally corresponding to a wearer&#39;s forehead, to protect a wearer&#39;s eyes from sunlight and precipitation without unduly limiting the wearer&#39;s upward view, Bill  14  is slightly convex shaped to divert precipitation to the sides of the bill. As indicated by line z′ in  FIG. 2 , the slope of front portion  16  at its point of intersection with bill  14  is substantially less steep than the nearly vertical slope of the front portion of the prior-art helmet depicted in  FIG. 1  as indicated by line z in that figure. 
         [0023]    Preferably, rigid shell  12  is constructed from any rigid, impact resistant material. Most preferably, rigid shell  12  is constructed of a rigid plastic material such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) or polycarbonate. Rigid shell  12  is preferably formed as a unitary piece, including bill  14 , using known processes such as molding or casting. Rigid shell  12  may be custom manufactured to accommodate head sizes from extra small (6⅜) to extra large (7½), or may be manufactured to an intermediate size. As will be described in more detail herein below, helmet  10  may also include padding affixed along the inner surface of shell  12  to provide a resilient, comfortable surface against a wearer&#39;s head. 
         [0024]    The gradual-slope and low-profile of the helmet of the present invention will now be described in part by comparison to a conventional steep-slope, high-profile helmet of the prior art. 
         [0025]    Looking first to  FIGS. 1 and 2  a prior-art helmet and an exemplary embodiment of a low-profile helmet, respectively, are depicted in approximately their correct orientation when in use (i.e., placed on the head of a standing wearer), with the bottom edge of the bill of the helmet positioned substantially horizontal, or parallel with the ground. While comparisons between the helmets as described herein will be made with reference to the depicted orientation, it will be apparent that those comparisons will relatively apply to other orientations of the helmets so long as the helmets are each oriented in the same manner. For example, while the slope of the front portion of the prior art helmet may be described as “vertical”, and the slope of the front portion of the low-profile helmet may be described as “20 degrees from vertical”, that 20 degree difference between the two will exist regardless of whether the actual orientation of the helmets is “vertical”. 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , extending upwardly from the point of intersection with the bill, the slope of the front portion of the rigid shell of the prior art helmet is substantially vertical, as depicted by line z. By contrast, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , extending upwardly from the point of intersection with bill  14 , the slope of front portion  16  of a low-profile helmet in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is approximately 20 degrees from vertical, as depicted by line z′. 
         [0027]    As can be seen, the non-vertical surface of front portion  16  of the helmet of  FIG. 2  will tend to deflect any balls striking the surface such that a stray ball striking the helmet will glance off of the helmet, diverting the impact of the ball. In comparison, the substantially vertical front portion of the prior art helmet shown in  FIG. 1  will not deflect a striking ball, but will transfer essentially the entire force of the impact through the helmet towards the wearer. As can also be seen, the same gradual slope exists up the entirety of the front portion  16  of the helmet of  FIG. 2  such that a ball striking any portion of the low-profile front portion will tend to be deflected away from the helmet and any impact from the ball may be more evenly distributed throughout the front of the helmet. 
         [0028]    As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, by deflecting a striking ball, the gradually-sloped, low-profile of the front portion of the helmet of  FIG. 2  will also deflect a portion of the force from that striking ball upwardly, away from the wearer&#39;s forehead, and will likewise tend to deflect the striking ball away from the helmet and its wearer. As depicted in the diagram of  FIG. 2 , a force from a ball (depicted as line F′) striking the gradually-sloped, low-profile front portion  16  of helmet  10  (having a slope of approximately 20 degrees from vertical as depicted by line z′), will disperse into x and y components (i.e., horizontal and vertical components, as depicted by lines Fx′ and Fy′) such that a portion of the original force F′ is deflected upwardly (Fy′) and only a remaining portion (Fx′) is transferred toward the wearer&#39;s forehead. As is known in the art, the dispersion of the force is generally proportional to the angle of the surface, with a vertical surface transferring almost the entire force along the x (horizontal) axis, while a 45 degree sloped surface will essentially disperse the force equally into x (horizontal) and y (vertical) components. And, as discussed above, the gradual slope of front portion  16  continues along the entirety of the front portion, from the intersection of the front portion  16  with bill  14  to the apex of the helmet, thus the deflective ability and force dispersion effect occurs in a similar manner along the entirety of the front portion. 
         [0029]    By comparison, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the substantially vertical slope of the front portion of a prior-art helmet will transfer essentially all of the force of a striking ball (depicted as line F) into an x component (depicted by line Fx) with substantially none of the force being dispersed into a y component. Thus, essentially all of the force F of a striking ball is transferred towards the wearer&#39;s forehead. It should be apparent that the depiction of incoming and dispersed force lines are not intended to be vector diagrams of the forces and their distribution upon impact, but are simply illustrative of the dispersion of the impact force into x and y, or horizontal and vertical, components. 
         [0030]    As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the same analysis can be applied to strikes to the helmet originating from any angle, and to various orientations of the helmet as described previously. Of course, the above descriptions are approximations of the dispersion of force as numerous other factors and components of the helmet must be taken into account in calculating the force transferred to the wearer. 
         [0031]    Looking now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the gradually-sloped, low-profile helmet of the present invention will be described with respect to an exemplary embodiment of the invention and by comparison to a conventional helmet of the prior art. 
         [0032]    Turning first to  FIG. 4 , the helmet of  FIG. 2  is depicted in conjunction with several reference lines and points. Beginning at the junction of the front portion  16  of the helmet with the bill  14  (the junction identified as point f′) line x′ extends rearwardly, substantially horizontally, to its intersection with rear portion  18  of the helmet (the intersection point identified as r′). A vertical line y′ extends perpendicularly thorough the midpoint of line x′, with the intersection of the two being the origin, identified as o′, and the point of intersection of line y′ the top of the helmet identified as point t′. A line extending diagonally across the front portion of the helmet between top and front points t′ and f′ is identified as v f ′ and a line extending across the rear portion of the helmet between top and rear points t′ and r′ is identified as v r ′. 
         [0033]    Using these identified points and lines as a reference, it can be seen that helmet  10  has a length (depicted by line l′) as measured between front and rear points f′ and r′, and a height (depicted by line h′) as measured between origin point o′ and top point t′. It can further be seen that the distance between front and top points f′ and t′, as measured along the surface of rigid shell  12 , is the surface length of the front portion of the helmet (identified by line d f ); that the distance between rear and top points r′ and t′, measured along the surface of rigid shell  12  is the surface length of the rear portion of the helmet (identified by line d r ); and that the distance between front and rear points f′ and r′, measured along the surface of rigid shell  12 , is the total surface length of the helmet (identified by line d t′ ), such that the total surface length (d 1 ′) is equal to the sum of the length of the front surface d f ′ and the length of the rear surface (d r ′). Finally, as shown by the diagonally shaded areas in  FIG. 2 , the area of the front portion of the helmet falling outside of diagonal line v f ′ is identified as a f ′, with the area of the rear portion of the helmet falling outside of diagonal line v r ′ identified as a r ′. As will be apparent, looking to  FIG. 3 , reference identifiers corresponding to those just described with respect to  FIG. 4  are depicted in conjunction with a prior art helmet. 
         [0034]    Looking to  FIGS. 4 and 8 , it will be understood that the reference lines and points identified above lie in the plane defined by the centerline of the width of the helmet, such that line y′ as just described lies along that centerline as depicted in  FIG. 8 , with points f′ and t′ positioned as shown. It will thus be apparent that point t′ defines a top center-point of the helmet corresponding generally to the apex of the helmet where the front, rear, left and right portions of the helmet converge, that point o′ defines an origin or midpoint of the helmet, and that line y′ defines a center-line of the helmet to which reference can be made. The centerline can be further defined as the intersection of the plane extending lengthwise through the center of the helmet and the plane extending widthwise through the center of the helmet. 
         [0035]    It will be further apparent that point f′ defines a front center point of the helmet and that point r′ defines a rear center point. Thus, for example, referring back to  FIG. 2 , the slope of the front portion  16  of the low-profile helmet, as indicated by line z′, is approximately 20 degrees from parallel with the centerline of the helmet. Preferably, the slope of front portion  16  is not parallel the centerline of the helmet, but has a slope in the range of about 5 degrees to about 35 degrees from parallel with the centerline. Most preferably, front portion  16  has a slope in the range of about 10 degrees to about 30 degrees from parallel with the centerline. In a most preferred embodiment, front portion  16  has a slope of about 20 degrees from parallel with the centerline. 
         [0036]    Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the slope of the front portion of the prior art helmet is substantially parallel with the centerline of the helmet. As is also apparent, any number of corresponding pairs of front and rear points f′, r′ can be defined by any number of lines (i.e., line x′) extending perpendicular to the centerline in the lengthwise plane as described above. Thus, looking to  FIG. 4 , shifting line x′ upwardly would create corresponding front f′ and rear r′ intersection points. The analysis and comparison of the slopes of the front and rear portions of the helmet as described herein would remain the same, and does not rely on the horizontal reference line x′ necessarily intersecting at the point where the front portion  16  of the rigid shell meets the bill  14 . 
         [0037]    Looking to  FIG. 3 , it can be seen that in the prior art helmet, having similarly sloped front and rear portions, that the distance d f  along the front portion of the prior art helmet is substantially equal to the distance d r  along the rear portion of the helmet. Turning to  FIG. 4 , it can be seen that in the exemplary embodiment of the low-profile helmet of the present invention that the distance d f ′ along the front portion of the prior art helmet is substantially less than the distance d r ′ along the rear portion of the helmet. Preferably, distance d f ′ is less than d r ′, most preferably distance d f ′ ranges from about seventy percent to about ninety-five percent of distance d r ′. 
         [0038]    Looking again to  FIG. 3 , it can be seen that in the prior art helmet, the area a f  of the front portion of the helmet lying outside of line v f  (extending between front center point f and top center point t) is approximately equal to the area a r  of the rear portion of the helmet lying outside of line v r  (extending between rear center point r and top center point t). This illustrates the nearly symmetrical slope of the front and rear portions of the prior art helmet. Turning to  FIG. 4 , it can be seen that in an exemplary embodiment of the low-profile helmet of the present invention, the area a f ′ of the front portion of the helmet lying outside of line v f ′ (extending between front center point f′ and top center point t′) is substantially less than the area a r ′ of the rear portion of the helmet lying outside of line v r ′ (extending between rear center point r′ and top center point t′). This illustrates the effect of the low-profile aspect of the helmet of the present invention. Preferably, area a f ′ is less than area a r ′, and ranges from about seventy percent to about ninety-percent of area a r ′ . Most preferably, area a f ′ is about eighty percent or less of area a r ′. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, while the front and rear areas are depicted as cross sectional areas, the same analysis applies to the corresponding surface areas of the front and rear portions of the helmet. That is, the surface area of the front portion falling outside of the plane defined by line v f ′ is less than the surface area of the rear portion falling outside of the plane defined by line v r ′. 
         [0039]    Looking now to  FIGS. 5 through 7 , an exemplary embodiment of the low-profile helmet of the present invention will be described along with a comparison of the exemplary embodiment to a prior art helmet. 
         [0040]    Turning first to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , cross-sectional views of an exemplary embodiment of the low-profile helmet of the present invention are depicted. As seen in  FIG. 6 , in use, helmet  10  is placed on the head of a wearer  40 , with the front portion  16  of the helmet covering and protecting the front portion of the wearer&#39;s head, the rear portion  18  of the helmet covering and protecting the rear portion of the wearer&#39;s head, and the bill  14  extending outwardly in the area of the wearer&#39;s forehead. With the bottom edge of bill  14  substantially horizontal (with reference to a standing wearer, in normal batting position) helmet  10  is oriented essentially as previously described with respect to  FIG. 2 . Helmet  10  includes padding  32  affixed along the inner surface of rigid shell  12  such that the innermost surface  34  of the padding contacts the wearer&#39;s head to provide a snug, comfortable fit of the helmet to the head. Padding  32  may be any resilient, compressible, or semi-compressible material known in the art, such as foam or foam rubber. While padding  32  is depicted as a continuous piece of substantially uniform thickness, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that padding  32  may comprises multiple pieces arranged within rigid shell  12 , and that the thickness of the padding may be varied to provide different fits to different wearer&#39;s. These and other variations are within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0041]    Looking still to  FIG. 6 , it can be seen that the low-profile of front portion  16  of helmet  10  conforms that portion of the helmet (and thus, the attached padding  32 ) very closely to the head of the wearer  40  such that there is a minimal gap  42   b  between the padding  32  and the head of the wearer. As described previously, the close conformity of the helmet and padding to the head of the wearer provides a more secure and comfortable fit to the wearer. By contrast, looking to the prior art helmet of  FIG. 5  in use with a wearer, the steep slope of the front portion of the helmet leaves a large gap between the helmet/padding and the head of the wearer such that the helmet does not conform closely to the wearer&#39;s head. 
         [0042]    Preferably, the low-profile front portion  16  conforms closely to the wearer&#39;s head such that at least about fifty-percent of the surface area (i.e., innermost surface  34 ) of the padding  32  in that front portion contacts the wearer&#39;s head in normal use. Preferably, the percentage of surface area (i.e., innermost surface  34 ) of padding  32  in front portion  16  that contacts the wearer&#39;s head in normal use ranges from about fifty percent to about ninety percent, and most preferably is greater than about seventy-five percent. As described previously, padding  32  may be provided in multiple pieces, rather than a continuous piece as depicted in the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 6 and 7 . 
         [0043]    As can be seen, the invention described herein provides a low-profile batting helmet that provides a secure, comfortable fit, and further provides enhanced deflection capability and protection to the wearer. Of course, other embodiments or configurations will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and are contemplated by and within the scope of the present invention. 
         [0044]    The term “substantially” or “approximately” as used herein may be applied to modify any quantitative representation which could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. For example, the slope of front portion  16  is described as being approximately 20 degrees from parallel with the centerline of the helmet, but may permissibly vary from that orientation if the variance does not materially alter the capability of the invention. 
         [0045]    While the present invention has been described and illustrated hereinabove with reference to various exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications could be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the exemplary embodiments described and illustrated hereinabove, except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims.