Patent Publication Number: US-11375764-B2

Title: Shock absorptive helmet—facemask interconnect

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/824,197, “Shock Absorptive Face Mask”, filed on Jul. 26, 2018. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The devices described herein are directed to helmets, and more specifically to mounting mechanisms for attaching facemasks to the helmet. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Worldwide, contact sports are popular among the populations, drawing millions of participants and hundreds of millions of speculators. In the United States, American football is revered. In Canada and northern USA, hockey is a passion. Camogie, hurling, cricket, lacrosse and baseball also have contact elements. But as full contact sports became more popular, the force of the impact between players became greater. And the number of injuries from contact increased. Players responded to the injuries by using pads, helmets and other gear to reduce the number and severity of the injuries. 
     In recent years, there has been a focus on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a neurodegenerative disease found in people who have had multiple head injuries. It is most commonly found in those who have participated in contact sports on a regular basis. 
     Sport helmets first started as leather caps in the late 1800s, and extended into hardened leather. 1917 marked the first time helmets were raised above the head in an attempt to direct blows away from the top of the head. Ear flaps also had their downfall during this period as they had little ventilation and made it difficult for players to hear. The 1920s marked the first time that helmets were widely used in the sport of football. These helmets were made of leather and had some padding on the inside, but the padding was insufficient and provided little protection. In addition, they lacked facemasks. As a result, injuries were very common. Early helmets also absorbed a lot of heat, making them very uncomfortable to wear. 
     In 1939, the Riddell Company of Chicago, Ill. started manufacturing plastic helmets because it felt that plastic helmets would be safer than those made of leather. Plastic was found to be more effective because it held its shape when full collision contact occurred on a play. These helmets were also much more comfortable and had more padding to cushion the head in an impact. Included with the plastic helmet came plastic facemasks, which allowed the helmet to protect the entire head. By the mid-1940s, helmets were required in the National Football League (“NFL”). They were still made of leather, but with improved manufacturing techniques had assumed their more familiar spherical shape. The NFL initially allowed either plastic or leather helmets, but in 1948 the league outlawed the plastic helmet, considering the hard-plastic material to be an injury risk. The NFL repealed this rule in 1949, and by 1950, the plastic helmet had become universal in that league. 
     By the 1950s, the introduction of polymers ended the leather helmet era. The last leather helmet manufacturer, MacGregor, ceased production of leather helmets in the mid-1960s. The NFL also recommended facemasks for players in 1955, reducing the number of broken noses and teeth. 
     Since the 1950s, helmets have moved into other sports, such as catcher&#39;s masks and batter helmets in baseball, hockey, camogie, hurling, cricket, and lacrosse. Helmet technology is also used in motorcycle helmets, police riot gear, firemen&#39;s helmets, and military gear. 
     In addition, the technology used for helmets has been further refined, with enhanced shapes and materials on the helmet itself. The facemasks initially started as plastic bars that evolved into steel with rubber or plastic coatings. Facemasks were traditionally held onto the helmet with snaps or connectors. Some helmets permanently riveted the facemask to the helmet. Some recent developments used springs to connect the mask with the helmet. 
     However, these attachment schemes transfer significant amount of force from the facemask to the player&#39;s helmet, resulting in either neck injuries from the rapid movement of the players head in a collision, or head/brain injuries as the force is absorbed by the head. The spring connection starts to address this problem, but suffers from the abilities of a spring to absorb all of the force. A better attachment scheme between the helmet and the facemask is required to reduce the force transmitted from the facemask to the helmet. 
     With the recent focus on CTE injuries, there is a strong need to find better materials and structures for helmets to reduce the number and severity of injuries in contact sports. 
     The present invention, eliminates the issues articulated above as well as other issues with the currently known products. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A system for attaching a helmet to a facemask is described herein. The system is made up of a upper attachment and a lower attachments. The upper attachment is made up of a polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet in the shape of a right circular hollow cylinder, placed tightly within a hole in the mask, a screw inserted in the grommet and through a hole in the helmet; and a nut connected to the screw. The lower attachment is made up of a polymer urethane visco-elastic structure in a shape of a rectangular cuboid, the structure resting against the mask; a screw inserted in the structure and through another hole in the helmet; and a nut connected to the screw. 
     In some embodiments, the structure has a slit removed from one side. In other embodiments, the structure has a round hole removed from the side with the slit. A spring could be inserted in the round hole. The system could also have a second upper attachment, identical to the first, located on the other side. It could also have a second lower attachment on the other side of the mask and helmet, identical to the first. 
     An apparatus to connect a facemask to a helmet made up of a polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet in the shape of a right circular hollow cylinder, placed tightly within a hole in the mask, a screw inserted in the grommet and through a hole in the helmet; and a nut connected to the screw. 
     The screw could attach the mask to the helmet near the top of the mask. The helmet could be an American football helmet, a hockey helmet, a lacrosse helmet, a baseball helmet or a motorcycle helmet. 
     An apparatus to connect a facemask to a helmet, that is made up of a polymer urethane visco-elastic structure in a shape of a rectangular cuboid, the structure resting against the mask, a screw inserted in the grommet and through a hole in the helmet, and a nut connected to the screw. 
     In one embodiment the mask rests against the structure near the bottom of the mask. The helmet could be an American football helmet, a hockey helmet, a lacrosse helmet, a baseball helmet or a motorcycle helmet. The structure could have a slit removed from one side and could have a round hole removed from the side with the slit. A spring could be inserted in the round hole. 
     A apparatus for attaching a helmet to a facemask is described here. The apparatus is made up of a polymer urethane visco-elastic structure in a U shape on each of two sides where the two sides are parallel, the structure resting against the facemask and against the helmet. A first screw is inserted in the structure and through a first hole in the helmet, with a first nut connected to the first screw. A second screw is inserted in the structure and through a first loop in the facemask with a second nut connected to the second screw. 
     In some embodiments, the structure has a slot removed from a side perpendicular to the U shape, inside of the U shape. The structure could have a spring inserted in the slot. The spring could be a flat spring. The first screw and the second screw could be inserted through a loop in the spring. 
     In some embodiments, the apparatus could also include a polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet in a shape of a right circular hollow cylinder, placed tightly within the first hole in the helmet, where the first screw is inserted in the grommet and through a hole in the helmet, held in place with the first nut. 
     In some embodiments, the apparatus could be a polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet in a shape of a right circular hollow cylinder, placed tightly within the first loop in the facemask, where the second screw is inserted in the grommet and through the first loop in the facemask, held in place with the second nut. 
     The first and/or second nut could be a T-nut. 
     A method of connecting a facemask to a helmet is also described herein. The method is made up of the steps of (1) inserting a first screw through a polymer urethane visco-elastic structure and through a hole in the helmet, there the structure is in a U shape on each side, and where the two sides are parallel, the structure resting against the helmet, (2) connecting a first nut to the first screw, thereby holding the structure to the helmet, (3) inserting a second screw through the structure and through a loop in the facemask, and (4) connecting a second nut to the second screw, thereby holding the structure to the facemask. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
       In the accompanying drawings, reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; emphasis has instead been placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Of the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is an image of a football helmet with the shock absorption facemask attachment. 
         FIG. 2  is a drawing of the facemask attachment. 
         FIG. 3  is a drawing of a facemask with the attachment points. 
         FIG. 4  is an image of a football helmet with an alternative shock absorption facemask attachment. 
         FIG. 5A  is a drawing of the alternative lower shock absorption attachment. 
         FIG. 5B  is a view of the top of the lower shock absorption attachment device. 
         FIG. 5C  is an end on view of the lower shock absorption attachment device. 
         FIG. 6A  is a drawing of the alternative upper shock absorption attachment. 
         FIG. 6B  is a cut away view of the alternative upper shock absorption attachment. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a football helmet with a third embodiment shock absorption facemask attachment. 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of a football helmet with the third embodiment shock absorption facemask attachment. 
         FIG. 9  is a close up side view of the third embodiment shock absorption attachment. 
         FIG. 10A  is a prospective view of the third embodiment of the left shock absorption attachment apparatus. 
         FIG. 10B  is a prospective view of the third embodiment of the left shock absorption attachment apparatus. 
         FIG. 11  is a prospective view of the third embodiment of the left shock absorption attachment apparatus in transparent form showing the internal structure. 
         FIG. 12  is a prospective view of a facemask showing where the third embodiment of the attachment apparatus connects to the mask, 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect of the invention provides an attachment mechanism between a helmet and a facemask that provides for the absorption of impact forces so as to minimize injury to user of the helmet. There are many types of helmets, and the inventions described herein could be used on any of these, and other helmets. In the following embodiment, the description focuses on an American football helmet as an example, but the inventions could also be used on helmets for hockey, camogie, hurling, cricket, lacrosse and baseball, as well as other sports. The inventions could also be used on motorcycle, motocross, bicycle, ATV, snowmobile, automobile race, aviation, military, police, fire and other helmets. 
     Adhesive Embodiment 
     As an example, see the American football helmet in  FIG. 1 . The helmet  101  is made of a hard plastic (ABS, polycarbonate, etc.) shell with thick padding on the inside. Other embodiments have the helmet made of leather, metals, or other materials. The helmet  101  has as facemask  102 . The facemask  102  is made of polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, metal, or other materials. The facemask  102  is attached to the helmet  101  with four mask attachments  103   a ,  103   b  (only two attachments are shown in the drawing, the other two are on the opposite side of the helmet  101 ). The four mask attachments  103   a ,  103   b  are connected to the facemask  102  either as part of the molding of the facemask, welded to the mask, or attached to the facemask with rivets or screws. The attachments could be attached to the exterior or interior of the helmet. In another embodiment, the some of the attachments could be inside of the helmet while other are mounted to the outside. The four mask attachments  103   a ,  103   b  slide into the four bearing rails  104   a ,  104   b  and are held in place with a ball bearing. At the end of the four bearing rails  104   a ,  104   b  opposite the facemask  102 , the bearing rails  104   a ,  104   b  are mechanically connected to a spring  105   a ,  105   b . The springs  105   a ,  105   b  are then connected to a polymer urethane visco-elastic material such as Sobathane  106   a ,  106   b . The Sobathane material  106   a ,  106   b  is glued to the side of the helmet  101 . While four attachments are shown in this embodiment, the number of attachments could be varied without deviating from this invention. 
     Looking to  FIG. 2 , the attachment mechanism, in one embodiment, uses a polymer urethane visco-elastic material  206 ,  106   a ,  106   b  such as Sorbathane to absorb the impact. Sobathane is described in a series of patents awarded to Dr. Maurice Hiles, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,101,704, 4,346,205, 4,476,258, and 4,808,469, each of these patents incorporated herein by reference. In other embodiments, the Sorbathane could be replaced with Silicone, Neoprene, Norsorex, Rubber, Deflex, Gel-mec, Microsorb, Memory foam, Acoustic foam, or other similar material. 
     In another embodiment, a compression spring (helical, conical, or volute)  205 ,  105   a ,  105   b  is used to absorb the shock of an impact on the facemask. In other embodiments, an extension spring or a torsion spring could be used. 
     In another embodiment, a ball lock mechanism on a telescoping rail could be used to absorb the shock of the impact on the facemask. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,771A by Elverton Row and Charles Moore for a description of a telescoping mechanism with a ball lock mechanism, said patent incorporated herein by reference. 
     In still another embodiment, any combination of the ball lock mechanism  202 ,  203 ,  204 , the spring  205  and the polymer urethane visco-elastic material  206  (or other shock absorptive material) could be used. 
     In the preferred embodiment, as seen in  FIG. 2 , the facemask  102  is attached to the facemask attachment  203 . The facemask attachment  203  slides in a tube or rail  202 , and is locked into place with a ball bearing  204 . The attachment  203  and the tube or rail  202  are made of steel, rugged plastic, aluminum, or similar rugged material. The ball bearing is typically made of steel, although any other suitable material could be used (hard plastic, aluminum, etc.). In some embodiments, the ball bearing is supported with a spring that pushes the bearing into a slot in the attachment, similar to the ball locking mechanism in a socket set. In other embodiments, the bearing (or the tube or rail) deforms to allow movement of the attachment  203  and the tube or rail  202  when sufficient force is applied. 
     The tube or rail  202  is mechanically attached to a spring  205 . The attachment could be through welding, screws, rivets, or similar. In the preferred embodiment, the spring  205  is made of steel, stainless steel, bronze, copper or other material. In some embodiments, the spring  205  is enclosed in soft plastic, cloth, hard plastic, or similar material. 
     The spring  205  is mechanically attached to the polymer urethane visco-elastic material  206  (Sorbathane or other shock absorptive material). This mechanical attachment could be with an adhesive such as a solvent based one-part polyurethane adhesive (such as Lord Corporation 7650) or a two-part polyurethane adhesive (Lord Corporation 7542A/B). Alternatively, Neoprene-based adhesives or cyanoacrylates (Crazy Glues or Super Glues) could be used. In some embodiments, the end of the spring  205  is bent into a “T” or an “L”, with the top or bottom of the “T” or “L” molded into the polymer urethane visco-elastic material  206  in order to spread the force over a wider section of the polymer urethane visco-elastic material. 
     The polymer urethane visco-elastic material  206  is attached to the helmet  101  with an adhesive, such as a one- or two-part polyurethane, a Neoprene or a cyanoacrylate adhesive. In some embodiments, the surface of the helmet  101  could include molded posts or holes to provide additional mechanical support for the polymer urethane visco-elastic material to hold onto the helmet. The polymer urethane visco-elastic material will absorb the majority of the initial impact. 
     In  FIG. 3  a front view of the facemask  102  is shown. The four connecting spots  301 ,  301 ,  303 ,  304  are seen at the corners of the mask  102 . Each of the four connecting spots  301 ,  302 ,  303 ,  304  have attachment mechanisms, the attachment mechanisms combining polymer urethane visco-elastic material with springs and the telescoping ball lock mechanism to provide maximum impact absorption. 
     Grommet and Block Embodiment 
       FIG. 4  is a drawing of an alternative embodiment for mounting a mask  401  on a helmet  101 . In this embodiment, the top attachment  403  is a single point screw attachment inside of polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet that allows the mask to hinge upwards if necessary yet offers shock absorption. The details of this attachment are seen in  FIGS. 6A-6B  below. The bottom attachment is a block of polymer urethane visco-elastic material  402  that may contain a spring. This is detailed in  FIGS. 5A-5C . 
     In this figure, notice that the mask  401  has a loop for connecting with the top attachment  403 . 
       FIG. 5A  shows the lower attachment in further detail. The lower attachment  402  includes a spring  502 , a screw  505 , and a polymer urethane visco-elastic structure  503 . The mask  401 , in this embodiment, has a J shaped wire structure  504  that surrounds the front, bottom, and some of the back of the bottom attachment  402 . The front part of the J shaped structure  504  has a nub  501  for keeping the bottom attachment  402  and the spring  502  in place. The spring  502  is inside of a polymer urethane visco-elastic structure  503 . The structure  503  continues backward beyond the screw  505 . The structure  503  includes a hole so that the screw  505  can go through the structure  503 . Screw  505  could include a washer between the screw  505  and the structure  503 . A washer could be placed in between the structure  503  and the helmet  101 . On the inside of the helmet, a nut and perhaps a washer are used to secure the lower attachment  402  to the helmet  101 . The nut could be a T-nut so that there is additional threads for the screw to hold, and so that the screw-nut combination has a smooth exterior as it goes through the structure  503 . The structure  503  is roughly rectangular when viewed from the side. In another embodiment, the screw  505  could be replace with a rivet or a snap mechanism. 
     The polymer urethane visco-elastic structure  503  from a top view can be seen in  FIG. 5B . The shape of the structure  503  is rectangular cuboid with a rectangular slit  506  in the side. The structure  503  has a hole for the screw  505  towards the rear. 
       FIG. 5C  shows a view of the structure  503  from the front. From this view, the structure  503  is almost square. The slit  506  can be seen going across the structure. In addition, a round hole  507  for holding the spring  502 . The slit  506  and the hole  507  extend about 40% of the way from the front of the structure  503  backwards. 
     In each of  FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C  have geographic shapes described above. Each of these shapes are approximate and can be rounded or modified without detracting from the invention herein. 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  show the top attachment mechanism  403 . This top attachment mechanism  403  uses a polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet  607  to soften the impact on the mask  401  while allowing the mask  401  to swing upwards if necessary. 
       FIG. 6A  shows the side view of the top attachment mechanism  403 . The mask  401  has a loop  606 . Loop  606  surrounds the polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet  607 . The grommet  607  and the loop  606  are held to the helmet  101  with a screw  601 . The screw  601  could have a large head or could have a washer  602  beneath it. 
       FIG. 6B  shows a cross section of the top attachment mechanism  403 . The screw  601  runs through an optional washer  602 , the grommet  607  inside of the loop  606 , a second optional washer  604 , the wall of the helmet  101 , a third optional washer  604  and the nut  605 . The nut  605  could be a T-nut so that there is additional threads for the screw  601  to hold, and so that the screw-nut combination has a smooth exterior as it goes through the grommet  607 . The grommet  607  is a right circular hollow cylinder shape, where the hollow in the cylinder is sized for the screw  601 . In another embodiment, the screw  601  could be replace with a rivet or a snap mechanism. 
     Optionally, the grommet  607  is an “I” shaped structure, broader at the top and bottom, where the broader areas replace the washers. The grommet  607  could go through both the loop  606  and the helmet  101  in one embodiment, or the grommet  607  could go through only the loop  606  in another embodiment. 
     U-Spring Embodiment 
     A third embodiment is seen in  FIGS. 7-12 . In this embodiment, as seen in  FIG. 7 , a U shaped polymer urethane visco-elastic attachment apparatus  703  is attached to the helmet  701  with a helmet screw  705 . The other side of the U shaped apparatus  703  is attached to the mask  702  with the mask screw  704 . The mask screw  704  and the helmet screw  705  could be made of steel, rugged plastic, aluminum, or similar rugged material. The mask screw  704  and the helmet screw  705  could be a self-taping screw, a screw with a nut, a screw with a T-nut, a rivet, a snapping mechanism, or similar in other embodiments. In some embodiments, the screw head  704 ,  705  has ridges to allow tightening without tools. The screw head  704 ,  705  could also allow the use of a flat head screwdriver, a Philips screwdriver, an Allen wrench, a star bit for a screwdriver, or similar. In some embodiments the screw head  704 ,  705  and nut end are covered by a cap made of rubber, plastic, polymer urethane visco-elastic, or similar material. 
       FIG. 8  is a front view of the mask with the U shaped polymer urethane visco-elastic attachment apparatus  703   a ,  703   b  seen from the front. The left side of the helmet  701  has the left U shaped apparatus  703   a  held to the left side of the mask  702  with the left mask screw  704   a . The right side of the helmet  701  has the left U shaped apparatus  703   b  held to the right side of the mask  702  with the right mask screw  704   b.    
       FIG. 9  is a close up of the U shaped polymer urethane visco-elastic attachment apparatus  703 , showing the helmet screw  705  and the mask screw  704 , holding the mask  702  on the helmet  701 . 
     In  FIGS. 10 a   , the U shaped polymer urethane visco-elastic attachment apparatus  703  is shown configured for the left side of the mask/helmet. The U shaped apparatus is  703  is symmetrical in some embodiments, and can be switched between sides by flipping the direction of the screws  704 ,  705 . In the shown embodiment, the mask screw  704  screws into threads in the mask  702 . In other embodiments, a T-nut is used to hold the mask  702  to the mask screw  704 . The helmet screw  705  runs through the U shaped apparatus  703  and through a grommet  1001 . The grommet  1001  is held to the U shaped apparatus  703  with the helmet screw  705  and a T-nut  1002 . The grommet  1001  could be made of polymer urethane visco-elastic material similar to the polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet  607  in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . The grommet  1001  could also be made of rubber, plastic, or other shock absorption materials. 
     In  FIGS. 10A and 10B  the shape of the U shaped polymer urethane visco-elastic apparatus  703  can be seen. The width of the U shaped apparatus  703  has a slot about 33-50% wide in the center of the top of the U. This slot is about 60-75% deep, and a spring  1003  can be seen in the slot. 
     The spring  1003  is a flat spring made of spring steel or similar material, and it is in a semi-circular shape with the ends rolled around the helmet screw  705  and the mask screw  704 . 
       FIG. 10B  shows the U shaped apparatus  703  configured for the right side of the helmet. 
       FIG. 11  shows the U shaped apparatus  703  transparent, so that the spring  1003  can be seen inside of the polymer urethane visco-elastic material. The location of the helmet screw  705  and the mask screw  704  relative to the spring  1003  can be seen in this drawing. 
       FIG. 12  shows the mask  702  with the two loops  1201   a ,  1201   b  for receiving the mask screw  704 . In some embodiments, the loops  1201   a ,  1201   b  are threaded so that the mask screw  704  can tap into the loops  1201   a ,  1201   b . In other embodiments, the loops  1201   a ,  1201   b  are not threaded, and a T-nut is used to connect to the mask screw  704 , holding the U shaped apparatus  703  to the mask  704 . In still another embodiment, a polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet similar to the polymer urethane visco-elastic grommet  607  in  FIGS. 6A and 6B  could be used in conjunction with a T-nut. 
     The foregoing devices and operations, including their implementation, will be familiar to, and understood by, those having ordinary skill in the art. 
     The above description of the embodiments, alternative embodiments, and specific examples, are given by way of illustration and should not be viewed as limiting. Further, many changes and modifications within the scope of the present embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes such changes and modifications.