Patent Publication Number: US-2012036620-A1

Title: Helmet padding systems

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/401,510 filed on Aug. 16, 2010, and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/462,375, filed on Feb. 2, 2011, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclose relates generally to helmets and, more particularly, to padding systems for use with helmets. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Helmets are generally composed of a relatively thin, hard shell and an impact absorbing liner or suspension system. In some known helmets, the impact absorbing liner is a foam body having a relatively uniform thickness and a shape that conforms to the inner surface of the helmet. Such helmets and liners may fit loosely on a person&#39;s head. A loose fit can reduce the level of protection provided by the helmet and can also compromise the stability of the helmet during head and/or body movements. In some cases, if the liner is formed to provide a tighter fit on a person&#39;s head, the stability and the protection provided by the helmet may be improved somewhat, but the degree of comfort provided by the helmet may be degraded significantly. An uncomfortable helmet poses further danger because a person wearing the helmet is more likely to remove the helmet, thereby leaving their head completely unprotected. 
     Other known helmets employ a plurality of separately positionable pads having various thicknesses. These pads may be attached to the inner surface of the helmet in locations likely to receive an impact. For example, pads may be located at the top, front, back and sides of the helmet. With these helmets, the fit of the helmet can be adjusted using pads of different thicknesses to provide an acceptable degree of protection and comfort for the individual wearing the helmet. However, in practice, because the pads are separate, they may be easily removed and may not be properly repositioned or may not be returned to the helmet and, thus, enable safety of the helmet to be easily compromised. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts a back side or helmet-side view of an example helmet padding system. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a front side or head-side view of the example helmet padding system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  depicts the example padding system of  FIGS. 1 and 2  installed in a helmet. 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  depict cross-sectional views of the example padding system of  FIGS. 1 and 2  installed in the helmet of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIGS. 6 and 7  depict another example helmet padding system. 
         FIG. 8  depicts the example padding system of  FIGS. 6 and 7  installed in a helmet. 
         FIG. 9  depicts another example helmet padding system. 
         FIG. 10  depicts the example substantially unitary base portion of the example helmet padding system of  FIG. 9   
         FIGS. 11A and 11B  depict the manner in which the pads of  FIG. 9  are slidably coupled to the arms of the base portion. 
         FIGS. 12 and 13  depict another example helmet padding system. 
         FIG. 14  depicts the example padding system of  FIGS. 12 and 13  having a moisture-wicking fabric cover and positioned for installation in a helmet. 
         FIG. 15  shows the example padding system of  FIGS. 12 and 13  installed in the helmet of  FIG. 14 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The example helmet padding systems described herein provide improved safety, fit and comfort characteristics in comparison to many conventional helmet liners, pads and/or suspension systems. In general, example helmet padding systems described herein may be made of one or more impact attenuating or absorbing materials that have been arranged and configured to increase an amount of impact absorbing material in contact with inner surfaces of various helmets while at the same time improving comfort, fit and load distribution (i.e., the distribution of weight) of the helmets on the heads of persons wearing the helmets in comparison to many conventional liners, pads and/or suspension systems. 
     Further, prior to installation in helmets, the example helmet padding systems described herein may be configured to have a substantially flat profile or geometry to facilitate shipping or transport of the padding systems. For example, shipping a quantity of padding systems or storage of a helmet padding system in a backpack or other container or location is more efficient as a result of such a flat, uninstalled profile or geometry. Additionally, some known helmet padding systems that are formed to have a substantially non-flat profile or geometry (e.g., a shape that corresponds to the three-dimensional shape of an inner surface of a helmet) are more difficult to ship or transport in quantity and more difficult to store due to their susceptibility to permanent deformation (e.g., crushing or flattening). Once deformed, these known helmet padding systems may be very difficult, if not impossible, to install in a helmet, may no longer provide a comfortable fit and/or may be compromised such that they no longer provide a sufficient degree of impact protection. Thus, the substantially flat uninstalled profile or geometry of the example helmet padding systems described herein also advantageously eliminate or minimize such deformation issues and the related performance degradation associated with these known helmet padding systems. 
     The example helmet padding systems described herein may be implemented as composite structures in which different materials of the structures are shaped and arranged in different layers and/or locations to provide a desired level of impact absorption or attenuation and comfort for a particular type of helmet or application. For example, an example helmet padding system may have a pad body composed of an impact absorbing material and including a substantially unitary base portion having a central portion and a plurality of separate, flexible arms extending radially from the central portion. Such a structure enables the pad body to assume a substantially flat profile (with the arms extending outward and generally parallel to each other and the central portion) when not installed in a helmet. Also, this structure can be easily installed in a helmet by pushing the central portion toward the top portion of the inner surface of the helmet and conforming (bending, curving) the flexible arms to fit the curved inner surface of the helmet. 
     To increase the amount of impact absorbing material in contact with the inner surface of a helmet without compromising fit or comfort for the person wearing the helmet, the example helmet padding systems described herein include a plurality of first raised portions, such as spacers, inserts and/or integrally formed features, distributed on a first side of the pad body that is to face the inner surface of a helmet. The first raised portions extend beyond (i.e., are raised or project relative to) a surface of the first side so that when the padding system (and the pad body) is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by a person, the first raised portions fill spaces that would otherwise exist between the padding system and the curved inner surface of the helmet. In other words, without the first raised portions, certain regions of the padding system would otherwise exhibit a gap or space between the inner surface of the helmet and the padding system. Such gaps may adversely affect the ability of the padding system and helmet to absorb or attenuate impacts (such as blunt force impacts), particularly in the areas of the helmet corresponding to the gaps or spaces. Specifically, these gaps or spaces may significantly reduce the time for which the impact absorbing material of the padding system is able to absorb the energy of an impact to the helmet. Thus, because the total energy imparted to a helmet during an impact may be largely independent of the presence and/or size of any such gaps or spaces, the reduction of impact absorption time may result in greater peak accelerations or forces being transferred to the absorbing material and, as a result, the head of the person wearing the helmet. Accordingly, the example helmet padding systems described herein may distribute the first raised portions on the pad body to fill such spaces or gaps, particularly in areas or regions of the helmet that are likely to receive an impact. In this manner, the example padding systems can achieve a significant reduction in the peak forces or accelerations to which the person wearing the helmet is subjected and, therefore, greatly improve the ability of a helmet to protect the person wearing the helmet. 
     The first raised portions may extend the same or different distances beyond the surface of the first side, may have the same or different geometries, shapes or sizes, and/or may be made of the same or different materials to suit the needs of a particular application. For example, the extension distances of each of the first raised portions may be selected to optimize fit of a helmet on the head of a person while minimizing or eliminating any gaps or spaces between the helmet padding system and the inner surface of a helmet while the helmet is being worn by a person. Similarly, the geometries, shapes or sizes of the first raised portions and/or the materials of which the first raised portions are made may be selected to optimize fit, comfort and protection provided by the helmet padding system. 
     To further improve comfort, fit, load distribution and safety of a helmet, the example helmet padding systems described herein may also include a second plurality of raised portions (such as spacers, inserts and/or integrally formed features) on a second side of the pad body or base portion. The second raised portions may extend beyond a surface of the second side to engage the head of a person wearing the helmet and suspend the helmet on the head of the person. 
     The second raised portions may be configured and distributed on the second side to distribute (e.g., balance) the weight of the helmet on the head of a person wearing the helmet and to stabilize the helmet on the person&#39;s head, particularly in response to expected patterns of movement by the person in the environment in which the helmet is to be used. For example, in certain military and/or law enforcement applications, such expected movements may include running, jumping, crawling, rolling, rapid head and/or upper body movements, etc. More specifically, in some examples, the second raised portions may be located to engage the topmost portion of the person&#39;s head as well as the front (e.g., upper forehead), the back and the sides of the person&#39;s head. 
     The second raised portions may be made to have the same material, geometry, and/or dimensions, or may be made of different materials having different geometries and/or dimensions selected to perform different functions based on the locations of the second raised portions relative to the head of a person wearing a helmet including the padding system. For example, the second raised portions may be composed of a material and extend sufficiently beyond the surface of the second side to firmly grip the person&#39;s head to stabilize the helmet. Alternatively or additionally, the second raised portions may be composed of a material that is deformable in response to contact with the person&#39;s head to enable the second raised portions to deform or move in a manner that maintains firm contact with the person&#39;s head without compromising comfort. Additionally or alternatively, the second raised portions may be composed of and/or covered with a material that can wick moisture away from the head of the person and/or may be composed of a material that is impact absorbing or attenuating. 
     The second raised portions are also sized or dimensioned to form spaces or gaps between the head of the person wearing the helmet and the inner surface of the padding system. In other words, the second raised portions may also function to suspend the helmet on the head of the person. Such suspension of the helmet facilitates ventilation via the gaps or spaces and, thus, greatly improves comfort for the person wearing the helmet. Additionally, these gaps or spaces between the person&#39;s head and the padding system may function to prevent the direct transmission of (i.e., direct paths for the transmission of) kinetic energy imparted via an impact to the helmet to the person&#39;s head, thereby further enhancing safety of the helmet. For example, with helmets having a ballistic shell (i.e., a shell design to stop projectiles such as bullet slugs), the impact of a slug may nevertheless result in significant deformation of the helmet shell such that the inner surface of the helmet shell is forced inward toward the head of the person wearing the helmet (e.g., backface deformation). Such rapid deformation of the helmet shell may convey a significant amount of kinetic energy to portions of the padding system in contact with the deformed portion of the helmet shell. The gaps or spaces formed by the second raised portions between the head of the person and the padding system may prevent the kinetic energy imparted to the helmet shell by an impact such as a bullet slug and any of the padding system in contact with the helmet shell from being conveyed directly to those portions of the person&#39;s head adjacent to the gaps or spaces. 
     The example padding systems described herein may also employ additional slots, grooves or channels in the pad body to further enhance ventilation and, thus, comfort. Additionally, the example padding systems may include a moisture-wicking or other fabric that covers at least part of or which may fully encapsulate the pad body to improve comfort for the person wearing a helmet employing one of the padding systems. 
     As noted above, the example padding systems may be composite structures involving multiple types of material and/or multiple layers of materials having multiple shapes or geometries to perform different respective functions associated with safety, fit and/or comfort in accordance with the locations on the padding system. Thus, in some examples, the base portion of the pad body and the first raised portions, spacers or inserts distributed on the first side of the pad body (i.e., the side to face the inner surface of a helmet) may be made of a highly impact attenuating or absorbing material. Further, the first raised portions may be disk shaped, cylindrically shaped or any other geometry to maximize conformance or engagement between the raised portions with the inner surface of the helmet. The second raised portions on the second side of the pad body (i.e., the side to face the head of a person wearing the helmet) may likewise be made of an impact absorbing material and/or may be made more compliant and/or of a material that provides comfort when engaged with the head of a person. These second raised portions may also be disk shaped, cylindrically shaped or any other geometry to maximize conformance or engagement with the person&#39;s head, thereby maximizing comfort and stability of the helmet. 
     Still further, while the example padding systems described herein may include multiple materials, layers, portions, etc., the example padding systems may be constructed in a manner that results in the substantial integration of two or more of the components or features of the padding systems. For example, various features may be formed from a unitary piece of material (e.g., via a heat forming and/or pressing process) and/or one or more features or components may be fixed to one another in a manner that results in substantial integration or a substantially unitary body. As used herein such substantial integration means formed from a unitary piece of material (e.g., via a molding process, a heat forming or pressing process, a mechanical shaping process, etc.) or joining components via a thermal process (e.g., heat fusing), a mechanical fastener or fasteners (e.g., sewing, stitching, etc.), a chemical process (e.g., adhesives), etc. In some example implementations, the raised portions may be substantially integrated with the pad body or a base portion of the pad body. In one particular implementation, the raised portions may be disk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped portions that are disposed in recesses in the pad body or base portion and joined thereto via a heat fusing process or any other process or apparatus that substantially integrates the disk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped portions with the pad body or base portion. 
     The examples described in more detail below in connection with the figures are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Rather, these examples are provided to facilitate an understanding of the invention. Further, the examples depicted in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and, thus, are not to be construed as limiting the invention to any particular proportions or dimensions. 
       FIG. 1  depicts a back-side or helmet-side view of an example helmet padding system  100  described herein and  FIG. 2  depicts a front-side or head-side view of the example helmet padding system  100  of  FIG. 1 . As used herein the term “helmet side” refers to a portion, surface or side of a structure that is to face an inner surface of a helmet. Conversely, the term “head side” refers to a portion, surface or side of a structure that generally faces the head of a person. Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the example helmet padding system  100  includes a pad body  102  having a substantially unitary base portion  104 . The base portion  104  has a first side or helmet side  106  that is to face an inner surface of a helmet when the padding system  100  is installed in the helmet. A second side or head side  108  of the base portion  104  opposite the helmet side  106  is to face the head of a person when a helmet having the padding system  100  is worn by the person. 
     In this example, the pad body  102  or base portion  104  includes a plurality of arms  112   a - d  extending radially away from a central portion  114  of the pad body  102 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the central portion  114  and the arms  112   a - d  are shaped to substantially cover the inner surface of a helmet when the padding system  100  is installed in the helmet. In this particular example, there are four arms, where the arms  112   a  and  112   c , which lie along a first longitudinal axis  116 , are to be curved upward (in the orientation of  FIG. 1 ) when the padding system  100  is installed in a helmet so that these arms  112   a  and  112   c  are to be positioned adjacent the front and back sides of the head of a person wearing the helmet. The remaining two arms  112   b  and  112   d  lie along another longitudinal axis  118 , which is perpendicular to the first axis  116 , so that when the padding system  100  is installed in a helmet, these arms  112   b  and  112   d  are positioned adjacent the right and left sides of the person&#39;s head. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , prior to being installed in a helmet, the pad body  102  has a substantially flat profile. Such a flat profile facilitates efficient shipping and/or storage of the padding system  100  and minimizes or prevents deformation or damage to the padding system  100  that could otherwise compromise the functionality or performance of the padding system  100 . To provide this flat non-installed profile or geometry, the arms  112   a - d  are flexible and remain separate from each other, thereby enabling independent movement and/or positioning of the arms during the installation of the padding system  100  in a helmet. Further, the geometries of the pad body  102  and, particularly, the arms  112   a - d , are selected so that the padding system substantially covers the inner surface of a helmet when the padding system  100  is installed and, thus, conformed to the inner surface of the helmet. More specifically, each of the arms  112   a - d  is tapered to narrow toward the central portion  114 , thereby complementing the tapered profile of the inner surface of a helmet. 
     Turning in more detail to  FIG. 1 , the helmet side  106  includes a first plurality of inserts or raised portions  110   a - m  distributed over the base portion  104  or pad body  102 . These first raised portions  110   a - m  extend beyond a first surface  120  of the helmet side  106  to fill spaces between the inner surface of the helmet and the pad body  102  when the padding system  100  is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by a person. In particular, the first raised portions  110   a - m  are located such that they correspond to regions of the helmet where, without the raised portions  110   a - m , a space or gap would otherwise exist between the padding system  100  and the inner surface of the helmet. As noted above, such gaps or spaces can significantly degrade the ability of a helmet to attenuate or reduce the peak forces to which a person&#39;s head may be subjected when they are wearing the helmet and the helmet is impacted. Further, one or more of the raised portions  110   a - m  may also correspond to regions of the helmet that are likely to receive an impact (e.g., a blunt force impact). In the example of  FIG. 1 , at least some of the raised portions  110   a - m  are located on the arms  112   a - d  and at least some of the raised portions  110   a - m  are located along the longitudinal axis  116  of the arms  112   a  and  112   c.    
     The number of raised portions  110   a - m  used and/or the locations of the raised portions  110   a - m  used can be varied to suit the needs of a particular application. Further, the distances by which the raised portions  110   a - m  extend or project beyond the surface  120  may the same or different as needed to fill any gaps or spaces that would otherwise exist without the raised portions  110   a - m . Still further, the raised portions  110   a - m  may be disposed in respective recesses (one of which is shown at reference number  122 ) of the pad body  102 . In the example of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the raised portions  110   a - m  are generally disk shaped or cylindrically shaped. However, any other shape or geometry may be used instead to achieve similar or identical results. 
     Now turning in more detail to  FIG. 2 , the head side  108  includes a second plurality of inserts or raised portions  124   a - m  distributed on the base portion  104  or the pad body  102 . At least some of these raised portions  124   a - m  extend beyond a surface  126  of the head side  108  to engage the head of a person when a helmet including the padding system  100  is worn by the person. More specifically, the locations of these raised portions  124   a - m  and/or the distance(s) by which they extend or project beyond the surface  126  may be selected to form spaces between the pad body  102  and the head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person. As described in more detail in connection with  FIGS. 4 and 5  below, the spaces formed by the raised portions  124   a - m  facilitate ventilation when the helmet is worn by the person. Further, the locations of the raised portions  124   a - m , in addition to facilitating ventilation to certain areas within a helmet, also function to control a distribution of a weight of the helmet on the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person. Additionally, the raised portions  124   a - m  are made of a material or materials that are deformable to facilitate engagement with the head of a person when a helmet including the padding system  100  is worn by the person. Specifically, the raised portions  124   a - m  may be easily displaced or deformed to conform to the contours of the person&#39;s head, thereby maximizing the surface area of the raised portions  124   a - m  engaged with the person&#39;s head. The raised portions  124   a - m  may extend or project different distances beyond the surface  126  to enable the pad body  102  to contact the various contours of the head of a person wearing a helmet with the padding system  100  installed to maintain a sufficiently tight but comfortable fit as well as a stable fit that evenly distributes the weight of the helmet on the person&#39;s head. 
     The head side  108  of the pad body  102  may also include a plurality of channels or grooves, some of which are indicated with reference numbers  128 - 136 , that further facilitate ventilation. These channels  128 - 136  also increase the flexibility of the pad body  102  to allow the pad body  102  to be more easily conformed to the curved inner surface of a helmet. 
     Optionally, the head side  108  of the pad body  102  may include one or more surfaces that have been covered with a material that increases the comfort of a person wearing a helmet with the padding system  100 . For example, relatively soft, low density foam may be placed in certain locations on the pad body  102  corresponding to the top of a person&#39;s head and their forehead. In  FIG. 2 , reference numbers  138 - 148  correspond to example areas or regions of the head side  108  that may include such a comfort material. However, more, fewer and/or different regions of the head side  108  could include such a material or materials. 
     One or more materials may be used to the form the example, padding system  100  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In general, the materials used for the base portion  104 , the raised portions  110   a - m ,  124   a - m  and, more generally, the pad body  102 , are impact absorbing or attenuating materials and/or comfort providing materials. These materials include, but are not limited to foam-based materials, vinyl-based materials, urethane-based materials, polystyrene-based materials, elastomeric materials and/or polypropylene-based materials. More specifically, example known materials include EVA foam, vinyl nitrile, urethane foam, expanded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene, silicone elastomer, memory foam, urethane gel, thermoplastic elastomer, urethane elastomer, etc. 
     The materials used to form the pad body  102  may be varied among the regions of the pad body  102  to optimize the overall performance of the padding system  100 . For example, the base portion  104  and the raised portions  110   a - m  may be formed using a relatively high-density impact absorbing material, whereas the raised portions  124   a - m  may be formed using a somewhat softer, lower density material to absorb impact while providing a comfortable engagement with the head of a person. Further, some of the raised portions  110   a - m  may be made of one material, while other ones of the raised portions  110   a - m  are made of one or more other different materials. However, generally, the material(s) used to form the raised portions  110   a - m  provide an impact absorbing or attenuating characteristic. Similarly, the raised portions  124   a - m  may be made of the same material or multiple, different materials as needed to achieve a desired purpose and/or to satisfy the needs of a particular application. However, generally, at least some of the raised portions  124   a - m  may be made from a material or materials that absorb moisture, grip the head of a person and/or provide a relatively high degree of comfort and helmet stability. Further, the base portion  104  may be made of a material or materials that are different from or the same as the materials used for the raised portions  110   a - m ,  124   a - m.    
     In addition to enabling the example padding system  100  to be formed as a composite structure including a variety of impact-absorbing materials that have been specifically selected based on the location of the material relative to the inner surface of a helmet and/or the head of a person wearing the helmet, the example padding system  100  can be formed using multiple separate component pieces and/or layers that are joined to form a substantially unitary structure. In the example of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the base portion  104  includes multiple layers  150  and  152  of impact absorbing material. The raised portions  110   a - m ,  124   a - m , which may be disk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped portions, spacers or inserts, may be mounted in respective recesses in the base portion  104  or the pad body  102 . Thus, these raised portions  110   a - m ,  124   a - m  form yet another layer of material that may be different than the underlying or surrounding layers. Although the raised portions  110   a - m ,  124   a - m  are depicted as disk shaped or cylindrically shaped any other shape(s) may be used. 
     The various layers and/or components of the example padding system  100  may be made substantially unitary using, for example, a heat forming or thermal fusing process, one or more adhesives, one or more mechanical fasteners (e.g., sewing), and/or any other apparatus or process that fixes the components and/or layers together into a substantially unitary body. Alternatively, the raised portions  110   a - m ,  124   a - m  and the base portion  104  may be integrally formed from a single piece of material using a thermal forming or molding process that results in a pad body  102  that has regions of varying thickness where the relatively thicker regions of the pad body  102  correspond to raised portions. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the example padding system  100  can include a cover  154  that encapsulates or at least partially covers the pad body  102 . The cover  154  may be made of a moisture-wicking fabric or other material that increases the comfort of the padding system  100  by enabling wicking of moisture from the head of a person wearing a helmet including the padding system  100 . 
     Thus, it can be readily appreciated from the foregoing that the example padding system  100  provides a substantial degree of construction flexibility to enable optimization of fit, comfort, and safety for a variety of different types of helmets and applications. Within a given helmet, the padding system  100  can be further optimized based on the location or region of the inner surface of the helmet and the corresponding location or region of the head of the person wearing the helmet. Such optimization of the performance of the example padding system  100  within a given helmet design can be achieved by varying materials and/or dimensions of the raised portions  110   a - m ,  124   a - m , the base portion  104  and, more generally, of the pad body  102  on a location-by-location basis (i.e., the various locations of the helmet and a person&#39;s head). 
       FIG. 3  depicts the example padding system  100  installed in a helmet  300 . As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the example padding system  100 , when conformed to the inner surface of the helmet  300 , substantially covers the inner surface of the helmet  300 . While not shown, the padding system  100  may be attached to the inner surface of the helmet  300  using hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro), adhesive(s), or any other suitable fastening technique(s). 
       FIGS. 4 and 5  depict cross-sectional views of the example padding system  100  installed in the helmet  300 .  FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrates the manner in which the raised portions  110   a - m  on the helmet side  106  of the padding system  100  eliminate or fill gaps or spaces that would otherwise exist between an inner surface  400  of the helmet  300  and the padding system  100 .  FIGS. 4 and 5  also shows how the raised portions  124   a - m  on the head side  108  of the padding system  100  engage the head of a person to provide ventilation gaps  402 - 406 , distribute the weight of the helmet  300  and stabilize the helmet  300  relative to the head of the person wearing the helmet  300 . Further, the raised portions  124   a - m  also function to suspend the helmet  300  on the person&#39;s head, thereby preventing the direct transfer of kinetic energy between at least one area of the inner surface of the helmet  300  and the person&#39;s head. For example, if a projectile such as a bullet slug impacts the helmet  300  in an area corresponding to arrow  500  in  FIG. 5 , the kinetic energy transferred to the helmet by the projectile may cause backface deformation of the helmet at the impact site. However, because there is no direct path from the site of the impact to the person&#39;s head, the kinetic energy transferred to the helmet  300  is distributed over a larger area of the helmet and padding system  100  before reaching the person&#39;s head. As a result, the peak forces, accelerations, etc. to which any given area of the person&#39;s head is subjected are substantially reduced or minimized. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  depict another example helmet padding system  600 .  FIG. 6  shows a helmet side  602  of a pad body  604 . The pad body  604  includes a base portion  605 , and the helmet side  602  includes a plurality of arms  606 - 610  and a central portion  612 . Additionally, the helmet side  602  of the pad body  604  includes a plurality of spacers, inserts or raised portions  614   a - d  that extend or project beyond a surface  616  of the base portion  605  or the pad body  604 . As with the raised portions  110   a - m  of the example padding system  100 , the raised portions  614   a - d  are sized and located to fill spaces or gaps that would otherwise exist between the padding system  600  and the inner surface of a helmet when the padding system  600  is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by a person. 
       FIG. 7  shows a head side  618  of the pad body  604 . The head side  618  includes a plurality of raised portions, some of which have been indicated at reference numbers  620 - 624 . These raised portions  620 - 624  function to stabilize a helmet including the padding system  600  on a person&#39;s head, distribute the weight of the helmet and to facilitate ventilation via slots, gaps or grooves, some of which are indicated at reference numbers  626 - 632 . The materials and construction or fabrication of the example padding system  600  may be similar or identical to those employed in connection with the padding system  100  described above and, thus, are not described further. 
       FIG. 8  depicts the example padding system  600  installed in a helmet  800 . As with the padding system  100  described above, the padding system  600  may be attached to an inner surface of the helmet  800  using hook and loop fasteners, or any other fastening technique(s). 
       FIG. 9  depicts another example helmet padding system  900 . The example padding system  900  includes a pad body  902  having a substantially unitary base portion  904 . The base portion  904  includes a plurality of arms  906 - 912  that extend radially from a central portion  914 . The arms  906 - 912  include respective elongated slots or openings  916 - 922  which receive respective pads  924 - 930  that are slidably coupled or engaged to the base portion  904  via the slots  916 - 922 . 
     The manner in which the pads  924 - 930  are coupled to the base portion  904  is illustrated in connection with the leftmost pad (i.e., pad  924 ) in  FIG. 9 . Specifically, a guide pin or block  932  is attached to a helmet side  934  of the pad  924 . This guide pin or block  932  passes through the slot  916  and a cap  936  is attached to the guide pin or block  932  to prevent the pad  934  from being separated from the base portion  904 . However, the guide pin or block  932  is dimensioned to enable the guide pin or block  932  to slide within the slot  916 , thereby enabling the pad  924  to be moved or adjusted as needed to fit a particular helmet and/or head of a person. 
     A head side  938  of the example padding system  900  as depicted in  FIG. 9  includes a plurality of raised portions, some of which are indicated at reference numbers  940 - 942 . These raised portions  940 - 942  function in manners similar or identical to the head-side raised portions described above in connection with the example padding system  100 . Likewise, the pads  924 - 930  may also include slots or grooves, some of which are indicated at references numbers  944 - 948 , that function to further facilitate ventilation. The materials and/or construction of the example padding system  900  may be similar to those used in connection with the example padding system  100  described above and, thus, are not described further. 
       FIG. 10  depicts the example substantially unitary base portion  904  of the example padding system  900  of  FIG. 9 .  FIGS. 11A and 11B  depict the manner in which the pads  924 - 930  are slidably coupled to the arms  906 - 912  of the base portion  904 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 11A and 11B , the cap  936  may also include hook and loop material  1100  to facilitate attachment of the padding system  900  to the inner surface of a helmet. 
       FIGS. 12 and 13  depict another example helmet padding system  1200 . A head side  1202  of the example padding system  1200  is shown in  FIG. 12  and a helmet side  1300  of the example padding system  1200  is shown in  FIG. 13 . The example padding system  1200  includes a substantially unitary pad body  1204  having a plurality of arms  1206  and  1208  extending from a central portion  1210 . The head side  1202  includes a plurality of raised portions  1212 - 1234  separated by channels or grooves, some of which are indicated at reference numbers  1236 - 1240 . The raised portions  1212 - 1234 , in addition to providing impact attenuation and/or absorption, are configured to stabilize and distribute the weight of a helmet on a person&#39;s head. 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the helmet side  1300  of the padding system  1200  includes a plurality of raised portions  1302 - 1314  that are positioned and dimensioned to fill gaps that would otherwise exist between an inner surface of a helmet and the padding system  1200 . The example padding system  1200  may be composed of materials similar or identical to those discussed above in connection with the other example padding systems. Likewise, the example padding system  1200  may be constructed or fabricated using techniques similar or identical to those used in connection with the other example helmet padding systems described above. 
       FIG. 14  depicts the example padding system  1200  having a moisture-wicking fabric cover  1400  and positioned for installation in a helmet  1402 .  FIG. 15  shows the example padding system  1200  installed in the helmet  1402 . 
     Although certain apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. To the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.