Patent Publication Number: US-11382369-B2

Title: Helmet and shoulder pad assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to helmet devices and more particularly pertains to a new helmet device for protecting a user from a concussion injury. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to helmet devices including a helmet and shoulder pad assembly that includes a helmet that is rotatably and pivotably coupled to a pair of shoulder pads. The prior art discloses a shock absorbing device that is coupled between a helmet and a pair of shoulder pads for absorbing impact energy. The prior art also discloses a helmet that includes a restraint harness for limiting motion of the helmet on a user. The prior art also discloses a helmet that is coupled to a body harness for transferring impact energy on the helmet into the body harness. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a pair of shoulder pads that is wearable on a user&#39;s shoulders during athletic activity. A helmet is hingedly coupled to the shoulder pads and the helmet is positionable in a closed position to cover the user&#39;s head. The helmet is coupled to the shoulder pads when the helmet is positioned in the closed position thereby facilitating the helmet to transfer impact energy into the shoulder pads. In this way the helmet inhibits the user from suffering a concussion injury. The helmet is positionable in an open position to expose the user&#39;s head. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a helmet and shoulder pad assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a back view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a left side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 4  thereof, a new helmet device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 4 , the helmet and shoulder pad assembly  10  generally comprises a pair of shoulder pads  12  that is wearable on a user&#39;s shoulders  14  during athletic activity to protect the user&#39;s shoulders  14  from impact energy. The pair of shoulder pads  12  has a front side  16  defining a chest plate  18  and the pair of shoulder pads  12  has a back side  20  defining a back plate  22 . Additionally, the shoulder pads  12  have a neck opening  24  positioned at an intersection between the front side  16  and the back side  20  to receive the user&#39;s neck  26  having the chest plate  18  covering the user&#39;s chest  28  and having the back plate  22  covering the user&#39;s upper back  29 . 
     The shoulder pads  12  include a pair of shoulder cups  30  that is each movably coupled to a junction  31  between the chest plate  18  and the back plate  22 . Each of the shoulder cups  30  extends laterally away from a respective one of a first lateral side  32  and a second lateral side  34  of the junction  31  between the chest plate  18  and the back plate  22 . In this way each of the shoulder cups  30  rests on top of a respective one of the user&#39;s shoulders  14 . The shoulder pads  12  may be structured in the conventional manner of existing football shoulder pads  12 . 
     A front engagement  36  is coupled to an outer surface  38  of the chest plate  18  and the front engagement  36  is centrally positioned on the chest plate  18 . The front engagement  36  is spaced downwardly from the neck opening  24 . The front engagement  36  may include a release mechanism  40  that can be manipulated by the user. A back engagement  42  is coupled to an outer surface  38  of the back plate  22  and the back engagement  42  is spaced centrally positioned in the back plate  22 . The back engagement  42  is spaced downwardly from the neck opening  24  and the back engagement  42  may include a release mechanism  44  that can be manipulated by the user. 
     A helmet  46  is provided and the helmet  46  is hingedly coupled to the shoulder pads  12 . The helmet  46  is positionable in a closed position to cover the user&#39;s head  48 . Additionally, the helmet  46  is coupled to the shoulder pads  12  when the helmet  46  is positioned in the closed position thereby facilitating the helmet  46  to transfer impact energy into the shoulder pads  12 . In this way the helmet  46  inhibits the user from suffering a concussion injury. The helmet  46  is positionable in an open position to expose the user&#39;s head  48 . 
     The helmet  46  may have structural features that are common to football helmets approved for use in the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The helmet  46  has a forward side  50 , a rear side  52  and a lower edge  54 , and the forward side  50  has an opening  55  extending into an interior of the helmet  46  expose the user&#39;s face  56  thereby facilitating the user to see when the helmet  46  covers the user&#39;s head  48 . The forward side  50  has a peninsula  57  extending downwardly therefrom. The peninsula  57  engages the front engagement  36  when the helmet  46  is positioned in the closed position for retaining the helmet  46  in the closed position. 
     A hinge  58  is hingedly coupled to the helmet  46  and the hinge  58  releasably engages the shoulder pads  12  for hingedly retaining the helmet  46  on the shoulder pads  12 . The hinge  58  has an upper end  60  and a lower end  62 , and the upper end  60  is hingedly coupled to the lower edge  54  of the helmet  46  at a point that is located on the rear side  52  of the helmet  46 . The lower end  62  releasably engages the back engagement  42  thereby facilitating the helmet  46  to be removed from the shoulder pads  12 . Each of the back engagement  42  and the front engagement  36  attach the helmet  46  to the shoulder pads  12  thereby facilitating impact energy absorbed by the helmet  46  to be transferred into the shoulder pads  12 . A cage  64  is coupled to the helmet  46  and the cage  64  covers the user&#39;s face  56  when the helmet  46  is worn for protecting the user&#39;s face  56  from impact. The cage  64  is positioned on the forward side  50  of the helmet  46  and the cage  64  covers the opening  55  in the forward side  50 . 
     In use, the shoulder pads  12  are worn on the user in the conventional manner of wearing shoulder pads  12 . The helmet  46  is placed on the user&#39;s head  48  such that each of the hinge  58  and the peninsula  57  engages the respective back engagement  42  and the front engagement  36 . In this way the helmet  46  is attached to the shoulder pads  12  for transferring impact energy absorbed by the helmet  46  into the shoulder pads  12 . The peninsula  57  is releasable from the front engagement  36  to facilitate the helmet  46  to be hinged into the open position without disconnecting the hinge  58  from the back engagement  42 . In this way the helmet  46  can be positioned between the closed position and the open position without uncoupling the hinge  58  from the back engagement  42 . 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.