Patent ID: 7316451

Claim:
A side impact protector for bracing a head and neck of a wearer, the side impact protector comprising a harness mount plate configured to lie along a back of a wearer including a shoulder harness having a first strap, a second strap, a third strap positioned to lie lower than the first and second straps, and a head cradle height-adjustment mechanism configured to receive a portion of a head cradle, a brace coupled to the head cradle height-adjustment mechanism and configured to provide means for inhibiting movement of the head and neck of a wearer in response to sudden lateral forces being applied to a torso of the wearer, and including a head cradle including a U-shaped frame formed to include a convex portion providing a rear surface and a concave portion arranged to face toward the head of a wearer and a cradle support coupled to the head cradle and mounted for up-and-down movement of the head cradle between a lowest position located a first distance from the harness mount plate and a highest position located a greater second distance from the harness mount plate.