Patent ID: 7774866

Claim:
An impact energy management method for protecting a body from damage due to impacts imparted thereto, the method comprising the steps of: placing a protective structure that includes at least one fluid-containing, compressible cell over at least a portion of the body to be protected, the protective structure being capable of reducing forces of an impact that are transferred to the body through the protective structure; providing the protective structure with a first impact-absorbing mechanism that resists yielding in response to an initial phase of the impact and that yields to the impact after the initial phase of the impact, and providing the protective structure with a second impact-absorbing mechanism that attenuates the forces of the impact after its initial phase such that the forces that are transferred to the body remain substantially constant throughout the remainder of the impact, the second impact-absorbing mechanism being provided by providing a cell with at least one orifice which vents fluid from inside the cell after the initial phase of the impact.