Patent ID: 7766386

Claim:
An energy absorber device comprising: a hollow body having a plurality of stepped segments, each stepped segment being connected to an adjacent stepped segment by an intermediate portion, the stepped segments being of all the same general shape and being aligned with each other along a common axis, one of the stepped segments forming a base segment at one end of the device and another of the stepped segments forming a top at the opposing end of the device, the stepped segments being of decreased width proceeding from the base segment to the top segment, the base segment further having a height X and the other stepped segments having a height of about 2X, whereby, when said body is folded into itself by reversal of the stepped segments of smaller width generally telescopically into an adjacent stepped segment of larger width, a plateau of constant stress is produced during folding until a final peak of stress is produced by folding all of the stepped segments concentrically into the base segment, the base segment further having a width defined over its entire height X that is greater than the widths of all the other stepped segments.