Patent Publication Number: US-2022225722-A1

Title: Helmet with shock absorbing inserts

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/989,695, filed Aug. 10, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/965,703 filed Aug. 13, 2013, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,736,373 on Aug. 11, 2020. These applications and patent are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety, for any purpose. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Helmets are used in many outdoor activities to protect the wearer from head injuries that may occur during the activity. For example, helmets worn during cycling sports protect the rider&#39;s head in the event of a fall or crash, as well as from equipment (e.g., bike) that may strike the wearer in the head. 
     Consumers measure the desirability of a helmet based on various criteria. For example, helmets should provide good protection to the head in the event of an impact, but should also be relatively light in weight and provide sufficient ventilation when worn. Helmets should also be affordable and have a design that facilitates manufacturability. Additionally, a helmet should be esthetically pleasing. 
     Often, these various criteria compete with one another. For example, a helmet that is light in weight and provides adequate ventilation is generally less impact resistant than one that has a heavier design. That is, a helmet can be designed with a harder shell material that is generally heavier than other lighter shell materials resulting in a helmet that provides greater protection but is not as light as desirable. A helmet may be designed to have less ventilation cavities to improve coverage of the head in the event of an impact, but this results in a helmet having less ventilation than is desirable. Additionally, a helmet providing good head protection and is light in weight may be complicated to manufacture and can be expensive. 
     Therefore, there is a need for alternative helmet designs that can balance various competing factors that are used in measuring the desirability of a helmet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the front, top, and left side of a helmet according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the left side and the inside of the helmet of  FIG. 1  including shock absorbing inserts according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  includes isometric views of the shock absorbing inserts of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a left to right vertical cross-sectional view of the helmet of  FIG. 1  including a cross-section of a front shock absorbing insert. 
         FIG. 5  is a front to back vertical cross-sectional view of the helmet of  FIG. 1  including a cross-section of the front shock absorbing insert, and a cross-section of a cavity for a rear shock absorbing insert. 
         FIGS. 6A-D  are cross sectional views of shock absorbing insert shapes according to various embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to a helmet formed having a shell, a shock absorbing liner formed from a first shock absorbing material (e.g., expanded polystyrene (EPS) material, expanded polypropylene (EPP) material, or another suitable shock absorbing material). The shock absorbing liner includes one or more cavities (e.g., openings, recesses, etc.) having a shape to receive a shock absorbing insert formed from a second shock absorbing material (e.g., a honeycomb material). The shape of the insert relative to a shape of a cavity (or cavity) in the first shock absorbing material is such that the insert must be deformed (e.g., compressed) in order to be removed from the cavity in the first shock absorbing material. Many of the specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are presented in the following description and in  FIGS. 1-6A -D to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the present invention may have additional embodiments, or that the present invention may be practiced without several of the details described in the following description. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a helmet  100  according to an embodiment of the invention. The helmet  100  includes a shell  110  having vents  109  to provide ventilation to the head of a wearer. Viewed from inside the helmet  100 , the shell  110  generally forms a bowl shape. Visible through the vents  109  of the shell  110  are inserts  122  and  124  constructed of a second shock absorbing material  120 . As will be described further, in some embodiments the second shock absorbing material  120  may be a honeycomb material. A honeycomb material may be used to provide impact absorption and have tubes with open longitudinal ends that allow air to freely flow through the tubes in the shell  110  to the head of the wearer. For example, the honeycomb material includes tubes arranged in a closely packed array. In some embodiments, a visor (not shown) may be optionally included with the helmet  100 . The visor may be attached to a front of the shell  110 , or alternatively, integrally formed with a front of the shell  110 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the helmet  100  depicted in  FIG. 1  from another view. As explained above, the shell generally forms a bowl shape, and the shock absorbing liner  130  lines at least a portion of the interior of the shell  110 . The shock absorbing liner  130  may include cavities into which inserts  122  and  124  are inserted. The cavities may be shaped to hold inserts  122  and  124  made of the second shock absorbing material  120 . Note that an insert  126  is removed to show a cavity (e.g., an opening, a recess, etc.)  170  of the shock absorbing liner  130  in which the insert  126  may be inserted. Together, the shock absorbing liner  130  and the installed inserts  122 ,  124 , and  126  generally form a bowl shape having a concave portion that is configured to receive a wearer&#39;s head. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates two views of an insert  126  according to an embodiment of the invention. The shock absorbing liner  126  may be placed in the cavity  170  of  FIG. 2 . As explained, the insert  126  may be constructed of a second shock absorbing material  120 . In some embodiments, the second shock absorbing material  120  may be a porous shock absorbing material. For example, the second shock absorbing material  120  of the insert  126  may include a honeycomb material that includes an array of energy absorbing cells. In addition to providing impact absorption, each of the cells may include a tube, which may allow air to pass through, providing ventilation to the head of the wearer of the helmet  100  of  FIG. 1  or  FIG. 2 . The insert  126  may have a shape relative to a shape of the cavity  170  of  FIG. 2  where removing the insert  126  from the cavity  170  requires manually deforming (e.g., compressing) the insert  126 . Examples of shapes of the insert  126  relative to a shape of the cavity  170  are described further with reference to  FIGS. 6A-D . The tubes may be hollow structures having any regular or irregular geometry. The honeycomb structure of the insert  126  may provide improved shock absorbing protection as compared with the material of the shock absorbing liner  130 , for example, EPS material or the EPP material, or other materials. It will be appreciated that inserts  122  and  124  of  FIG. 2  may be formed from a similar material as the insert  126  of  FIG. 3 . Additionally, the inserts  122  and  124  may have a shape relative to a shape of each of their respective cavity in the shock absorbing liner  130  of  FIG. 2  that requires compressing the inserts  122  and  124  to be removed from their respective cavity. For example, an insert may have a curved shape corresponding to a curved interior surface of a respective cavity in the shock absorbing liner in which the insert is inserted. 
     The shock absorbing liner  130  may be formed to have an inner surface that is configured to receive the wearer&#39;s head with one or more cavities, such as the cavity  170 . The cavity  170  may extend all of the way through the shock absorbing liner  130 . In some embodiments, one or more cavities may not extend all of the way through the shock absorbing liner  130 . The shock absorbing liner  130  may be attached (e.g., bonded) to an inner surface of the shell  110 . The shock absorbing liner  130  may be seamless, aside from the seam formed with the inserts  122 ,  124 , and  126 . For example, the shock absorbing liner  130  may not be interrupted by joints or seams that may compromise the shock absorbing capabilities and/or the structural integrity of the shock absorbing liner  130  during impact of the helmet  100 . That is, forming the shock absorbing liner  130  to have an inner surface that is seamless may result in greater structural strength than an inner surface that includes seams between different portions of the shock absorbing liner  130 . Although a seamed shock absorbing liner  130  may be less desirable than one having a seamless inner surface, such a construction is within the scope of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  depicts the cavity  170  in the shock absorbing liner  130  without the insert  124  installed. The depth and shape of the cavity  170  may be based on, for example, a desired level of shock absorbing protection, the shock absorbing characteristics of the first and second shock absorbing materials, and the size of the inner concave portion for receiving a wearer&#39;s head. Generally, a shape of the inserts  122 ,  124 ,  126  relative to a shape of the respective cavity  170  is such that the insert  122 ,  124 , or  126  is required to be manually deformed (e.g., compressed) in order to be removed from the cavity  170 . The inserts  122 ,  124 , and  126  may be retained in the respective cavity  170  based on an expansion pressure of the sides of the insert  122 ,  124 , and  126  against the sides of the respective cavity  170 . In other embodiments, the insert  122 ,  124 ,  126  may be keyed to the cavity  170  in such a way that prevents removal of the insert  122 ,  124 , and  126  from the cavity  170  without manually deforming the insert  122 ,  124 , and  126 . Thus, the inserts  122 ,  124 , and  126  may be retained in the cavity  170  without being bonded or using an adhesive material. In some embodiments, the insert  122 ,  124 , and  126  may have a thickness less than or equal to a thickness of the shock absorbing liner  130 . 
     The shell  110  may be formed from polycarbonate (PC), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The shell  110  may be formed from materials suitable for use in an in-mold manufacturing process. The shock absorbing liner  130  may be formed from various materials, for example, EPS material, EPP material, or other suitable shock absorbing materials. In some embodiments, the shell  110  and shock absorbing liner  130  components may be formed using in-mold technology. For example, the shell  110  may be formed by injection molding techniques, or from a PC flat sheet which is first thermally formed and then installed in the final EPS mold to heat bond with the final foam shape. As known, the shells may be insert molded. The shell  110  may be formed from other materials and/or using other manufacturing techniques as well. Thus the present invention is not limited to the particular materials previously described or made using an in-mold process. 
     As previously described, the second shock absorbing material  120  of the inserts  122 ,  124 , and  126  may be a honeycomb material. The honeycomb material may have tubes that allow air to freely flow through to the head of the wearer. The honeycomb material may include an array of energy absorbing cells. Each of the cells may include a tube. In an embodiment, the tubes may be oriented along a thickness of the insert. In some embodiments, a tube of the insert may be generally oriented along a longitudinal axis that is normal to an adjacent point on the inner surface of the shell  110 . For example, the longitudinal axis of a tube of a cell may be arranged at an angle of between 0° and  450  to a line normal to the adjacent point on the inner surface of the outer shell  110 . The tubes may be a hollow structure having any regular or irregular geometry. In some embodiments, the tubes have a circular cylindrical structure or circular conical structure. As depicted in  FIG. 1 , at least a portion of one or more of the inserts  122 ,  124 , and  126  may align with a vent  109  in the shell  110  to provide ventilation. Thus, a vent  109  of the shell  110  overlaps (e.g., aligns) with a portion of the cavity  170  of the shock absorbing liner  130 . The vent  109  aligned with the insert  122 ,  124 , or  126  is configured to allow air to flow through the vent  109  and the insert  122 ,  124 , and  126  to the head of a wearer. 
     Helmet straps (not shown) may be attached to the shell  110  and/or the shock absorbing liner  130 , and used to secure the helmet to a wearer&#39;s head. In some embodiments, the helmet straps are attached to helmet strap loops, which may be attached to the shock absorbing liner  130 , for example, by having a portion embedded in the shock absorbing liner  130 . Other attachment techniques may be used as well, for example, adhesive or other bonding techniques. 
     It will be appreciated that while  FIG. 2  depicts three inserts  122 ,  124 , and  126  in the first shock absorbing material, it would be recognized that the helmet may include more or less than three inserts. Further, the total area of the inserts may cover more than 50% of the inner surface that receives the wearer&#39;s head, and, in some embodiments, more than 90%. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a vertical cross section of the helmet  100  of  FIG. 1 , including a cross section the insert  122  having the second shock absorbing material  120 . The insert  122  is shown inserted having the second shock absorbing material  120 . The cavity  170  is shown without the insert  126  installed. As previously described, a shape of the inserts  122 ,  124 ,  126  relative to a shape of the respective cavity  170  is such that the inserts  122 ,  124 , or  126  are required to be manually deformed in order to be removed from the respective cavity  170 . The cavity in which the insert  122  is inserted is configured such that the distance along the curved side  450  between the sidewalls  414  of the cavity is greater than the distance along the curved side  460  between the sidewalls  414 . Forming the cavity in the shock absorbing liner  130  in his manner causes the insert  122  to be retained in the cavity, and removal of the insert  122  may require deforming the insert  122 . As a result of the cavity in the shock absorbing liner  130  being configured to cause a distance along the curved side  450  from point  410  to point  430  that is greater than a distance along the curved side  460  from point  420  to point  440 , the insert  122  may be retained in the cavity without bonding or use of an adhesive material. 
     The insert  122  may be removed from the cavity, for example, by deforming the insert to cause the curved side  450  to fit through the opening between points  420  and  440 . The cavity may be configured to have an interior angle  418  formed by sidewall  414  relative to an interior surface  424  of the cavity to provide a distance between sidewalls  414  along the curved side  450  to be longer than a distance between sidewalls  414  along the curved side  460 . In some embodiments, the interior angle  418  is 90 degrees or less. In some embodiments, the interior angle  418  is acute. Other configurations of cavities may be used in the alternative, or in combination to retain the insert  122  in the respective cavity without bonding or use of adhesive material. Examples of other configurations of cavities will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 6A-D . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a front to back vertical cross section of the helmet  100  of  FIG. 1 , including a cross section of the insert  122 , and a cross section of the cavity  170  configured to receive the insert  126 . Similar to the description with reference to  FIG. 4 , the cavity  170  may configured to have a front to back distance along the curved side  550  to be greater than the front to back distance along the curved side  560 . The cavity may be further configured to have an interior angle  518  formed by sidewall  514  relative to an interior surface  524  of the cavity to provide a front to back distance along the curved side  550  to be greater than a front to back distance along the curved side  560 . In some embodiments, the interior angle  518  is 90 degrees or less. In some embodiments, the interior angle  518  is acute. Thus, the insert  122  (and the corresponding cavity in the shock absorbing liner  130 ) having the distance across the curved side  550  from point  510  to point  530  that is greater than the corresponding distance across the curved side  560  from point  520  to point  540 . The insert  122  may be removed from the cavity by deforming the insert  122  to cause the curved side  550  to fit through the opening between points  520  and  540 . Other configurations for cavities will be described with reference to  FIGS. 6A-D . 
       FIGS. 6A-D  depicts embodiments of cross sections of cavities that are configured to retain a shock absorbing insert.  FIG. 6A  illustrates an embodiment including a curved shape with straight sidewalls  601 .  FIG. 6B  illustrates an embodiment includes a curved shape with recesses in the sidewalls that receive a corresponding protrusion formed in the shock absorbing insert.  FIG. 6C  illustrates an embodiment including a flat rectangular shape with a semicircular recess at each sidewall that receives a corresponding semicircular portion formed in the shock absorbing insert.  FIG. 6D  illustrates an embodiment including a flat rectangular shape with straight sidewalls and a lip configured to retain the shock absorbing insert. The cavities and corresponding shock absorbing inserts of  FIGS. 6A-6B  may be used in addition, or in the alternative, to the cavities and correspondence shock absorbing inserts previously discussed. 
     The embodiment depicted in  FIG. 6A  is similar to the cross sections of insert  122  in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The cavity in the first shock absorbing material  130  is such that the distance across the curved side  652  of the insert  620  is greater than the corresponding distance across the curved side  650  of the insert  620 . 
     The embodiment  602  depicted in  FIG. 6B  includes protrusions (e.g., or keys)  660  around at least a portion of an edge (e.g., sidewall) of the insert  622  to retain the insert in the cavity of the first shock absorbing material  130 . The protrusions  660  may be keyed to a recess in the shock absorbing liner  130 . Thus, in order to remove the insert  622  from the cavity of the first shock absorbing material  130 , the insert  622  may have to be compressed to release the protrusions  660  from the respective recesses in the shock absorbing liner  130 . The protrusions  660  may have rounded or square corners. While the protrusions are located in the center of an edge of the insert  622 , they may be placed off-center. Further, a size of the protrusions  660  may protrude further out from the edge of the insert  622  than depicted, and the recesses may be deeper into the shock absorbing liner  130  than depicted. Additionally, it will be recognized that the insert  622  may include more than one protrusion on each edge. The insert  622  may have similar curved side as those depicted in  FIG. 6A , relative distance and angles of sides of the insert  622  may be the same as those described with reference to  FIGS. 4, 5, and 6A . In other embodiments, the distance across the curved side  653  may be equal to or less than the corresponding distance across the curved side  651 . In other embodiments, sides  651  and  653  may be straight and have equal distances. 
     The embodiment  603  depicted in  FIG. 6C  includes the insert  624  with rounded edges (e.g., sidewalls)  670  to retain the insert in the cavity of the first shock absorbing material  130 . A recess may be formed in the shock absorbing liner  130  that matches a shape of the rounded edges  670 . Thus, in order to remove the insert  624  from the cavity of the first shock absorbing material  130 , the insert  624  may have to be compressed to release the rounded edges  670  from the respective recesses in the shock absorbing material  130 . The rounded edges  670  may form a semicircular shape or a semi-ovular shape. The insert  624  may have straight sides, where a distance across of side  672  is equal to a corresponding distance across side  674 . In other embodiments, the sides  672  and  674  may be curved as described with reference to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , where the distance across side  674  is greater than the corresponding distance across side  672 . 
     The embodiment  604  depicted in  FIG. 6D  includes tabs  680  formed in the first shock absorbing material (or affixed to the first shock absorbing material) that protrude laterally across the cavity and are configured to retain the insert  626  in the cavity of the first shock absorbing material  130 . Thus, in order to remove the insert  626  from the cavity of the first shock absorbing material  130 , the insert  624  may have to be compressed to bypass the tabs  680  from the respective from the cavity of the  130 . Each of the tabs  680  may extend under the insert  626  by an equal amount. The insert  626  may have straight sides, where a distance across side  686  is equal to a corresponding distance across side  688 . In other embodiments, the sides  686  and  688  may be curved as described with reference to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , where the distance across side  688  is greater than the corresponding distance across side  686 . 
     The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples of, the invention are described in the foregoing for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will realize. Moreover, the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead the scope of the invention is to be determined entirely by the following claims.