Patent ID: 7861326

Claim:
A device to protect the neck and the base of the skull of a person while allowing unimpeded motion of the person's head, either side to side or front-to-back, the device comprising: a) a free-hanging first impact-resistant and physical shock resistant pliable substrate whereby said substrate encircles an extended portion of the back of the person's neck and wherein said substrate hangs downwardly from under any head covering of the person to approximately the person's first thoracic vertebra where it ends in a free-hanging, unfastened depending end, forming a zone of unbroken neurological protection along the back of the neck; b) a reversibly deformable second substrate is juxtaposed in proximity to said first substrate and wherein said second substrate is adapted to contact the wearer at multiple and distinct locations thereby distributing force of any impact to the first substrate between the multiple and distinct contact locations; the second substrate including a means for regulating fluid flow through the second substrate; and c) straps extending from said first substrate and comprising means allowing closure of the straps around a ventral region of the neck wherein the closure of the straps results in the juxtaposition of a region planar substrate overlying the person's trachea, wherein the planar substrate is attached to one of said straps.