Patent Publication Number: US-2018050506-A1

Title: Method for applying patches to helmet covers

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to protective helmets. More specifically, the present invention relates to the applying or affixing patches to covers for protective helmets. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As is known, protective helmets are utilized in a variety of activities in order to protect the wearer from head trauma injuries. For example, protective helmets are commonly used by persons engaged in bicycle and motorcycle riding, skiing, snowboarding, auto racing, football, hockey, and other activities in which there is a reasonably high likelihood of head trauma injuries if the head is not protect. 
     Although such helmets are designed to protect the wearer&#39;s head in case of an impact, it is not uncommon for such helmets to be decorated on their exterior surfaces in order to have a pleasing appearance or to allow the wearer to be readily identified at a distance. Therefore, although protective helmets are designed to absorb the force of an impact in the event of a crash, most owners of protective helmets do not expect to be involved in such crashes during the normal course of their activities, and therefore they generally desire to keep the helmets in an attractive, unblemished condition. 
     Maintaining the protective helmets in an unblemished condition is made difficult by the fact that the helmets tend to be bulky and may not be easily stored during periods of non-use, including transport to and from the activity where the helmet may be required, and during breaks in the activity (during which most wearers do not wish to hold the helmet with their heads). It has therefore been found that the decorative exterior surface of the helmet will generally become marred and damaged over time due to coming into contact with other objects during such storage and transport. Such damage can also have an effect upon the impact absorption performance of the helmet. Most manufacturers of protective helmets caution that a helmet should not be worn if its surface has been damaged, as the structural integrity of the helmet may have been compromised. Helmet covers have been developed and are currently used to protect helmets from damage. 
     Known covers for protective helmets, while adequate to protect the helmets from wear and tear, suffer from a number of shortcomings. For example, currently known helmet covers include those made from leather or vinyl, often with a faux-fur or wool lining. These covers are nearly as heavy and as bulky as the helmet they cover and present a storage problem when not in use. Further, these covers are difficult to clean and dry, such that they retain moisture and readily mildew once they become wet. 
     Nylon helmet covers are not as heavy and/or bulky as their leather and vinyl counterparts, but instead tend to bag around the helmet such that they are readily snagged and torn. Further, covers made of lycra blends can also be torn or damaged. 
     There is therefore a need for systems, methods, or devices that will allow for applying or affixing patches to damaged covers for protective helmets. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. Rather than specifically identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention, its purpose, inter alia, is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. 
     In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a template made of plywood or similar material is inserted into a cover for a protective helmet so that the cover is stretched and once the template is inserted the assembled combination of the cover and the template resembles the shape of a disk. The disk-shaped assembly is placed on top of the bottom plate of a heat press. A layer with a decal or sticker is placed on top of the disk-shaped assembly. A heat press cover sheet is then placed on top of the disk-shaped assembly so that it also becomes into contact with the top plate of the heat press when the heat press is closed. The heat press may be set to a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit and it can be set in a closed position for about 30 seconds in order to transfer sufficient heat so that the decal or sticker is applied or affixed to the cover surface. 
     The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the invention. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed and the present invention is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by reference to the following figures, in which identical reference numerals in different figures indicate identical elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a cover for a helmet which has been damaged; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary clamp heat press for use in the method disclosed; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates one aspect of the method for applying or affixing decals or stickers to a helmet cover in accordance with one implementation; and 
         FIG. 4  illustrates another aspect of the method for applying or affixing decals or stickers to a helmet cover in accordance with one implementation. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description and the appended drawings describe and illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention solely for the purpose of enabling one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to make and use the invention. As such, the detailed description and illustration of these embodiments are purely exemplary in nature and are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention, or its protection, in any manner. It should also be understood that the drawings are not to scale and in certain instances details have been omitted, which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention, such as conventional details of fabrication and assembly. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a cover  10  for a helmet which has been damaged  12 . In one implementation, the cover may be made from lycra, a lycra blend, or spandex. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary clamp heat press  20  for use in the method disclosed. In one implementation, the heat press may require an air compressor (not illustrated). 
     When the upper plate of the press  20  is pulled down, it stops as the upper plate becomes in close proximity to the bottom plate. When the two plates become in close proximity, the heat press  20  injects air from the air compressor. The injected air creates pressure that pushes the bottom plate up to clamp the two plates together. After a desired time cycle is completed (about 30 seconds in accordance with one implementation), the top plate is then opened up. In one implementation, the press  20  may be a clamp press manufactured by HIX Corporation, for example, model N-880. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates one aspect of the method for applying or affixing decals or stickers  40  to a helmet cover  10  in accordance with one implementation. A template  30  made of plywood or similar material is inserted into the cover  10  for a protective helmet so that the cover  10  is stretched and once the template is inserted the assembled combination of the cover and the template resembles the shape of a disk. The template  30  may be of different shapes, depending on how far the cover  10  can stretch. Heat is then applied to the disk-shaped assembly  11  to affix the stickers or decals  40  as described with reference to  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates another aspect of the method for applying or affixing decals or stickers  40  to a helmet cover  10  in accordance with one implementation. The disk-shaped assembly  11  is placed on top of the bottom plate of a heat press  20 . A layer with a decal or sticker  40  is placed on top of the disk-shaped assembly. A heat press cover sheet  50  is then placed on top of the disk-shaped assembly  11  so that it also becomes into contact with the top plate of the heat press  20  when the heat press is closed. The cover sheet  50  may be made out of felt and may be circular in shape. The heat press  20  may be set to a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit and it can be set in a closed position for about 30 seconds in order to transfer sufficient heat so that the decal or sticker  40  is applied or affixed to the surface of the cover  10 . A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that as little as 10 seconds of heat application may suffice and that the temperature range can vary depending on the material used for the patches. 
       FIG. 4  also illustrates the final product  13  which is the cover  10  with the stickers or decals  40  attached thereto after the template  30  has been removed from inside the cover  10 . The stickers or decals may serve as patches to cover sections  11  of the helmet cover  10  that have been damaged. In an alternative implementation, the stickers or decals may be applied for decorative purposes and they may incorporate or may be used to attach rhinestones, LED lights, reflective material, leather patches, etc. In another implementation, the stickers or decals may be applied to helmet covers made out of leather, linen, polyester, cotton, jean material, and others. In yet another implementation, 3D paint may be applied to the patch before being applied to the cover. As an alternative to the use of the heat press, water transfer printing films or techniques may be used. 
     It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. While the dimensions, types of materials and coatings described herein are intended to illustrate aspects of the invention, they are by no means limiting and are exemplary embodiments. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. Further, the limitations of the following claims are not written in means-plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase “means for” followed by a statement of function void of further structure. 
     This written description uses examples to disclose the various embodiments of the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments of the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the various embodiments of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if the examples have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if the examples include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.