Patent ID: 8777191

Claim:
An energy absorbing and transmitting material comprising a framework of interconnected units comprising: a plurality of units, each unit having a base and a protrusion extending from the base along an axis, the protrusion being tapered towards the uppermost portion of the protrusion, and a plurality of connecting members, each connecting member connecting one unit to an adjacent unit, each connecting member extending substantially perpendicular to the axes, the base extending below the connecting members and the protrusion extending above the connecting members, wherein the framework is comprised of a single elastic material throughout, and wherein, when a force is applied to the protrusions of one or more units offset from the axes at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees, each of those units tilts towards an adjacent unit, and wherein each of the bases is shaped to facilitate tilting or deflection of the corresponding unit against an underlying surface contacting the bases, and wherein the uppermost portion of each protrusion is unconstrained to permit complete deflection of the units under a sufficient load so that each completely defected unit rests on another unit, on a connecting member, or on the underlying surface.