GB2567411A

GB2567411A - A folding helmet

Info

Publication number: GB2567411A
Application number: GB1713075.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Howard Rawcliffe Nicholas
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-08-15
Filing date: 2017-08-15
Publication date: 2019-04-17
Anticipated expiration: 2037-08-15
Also published as: GB201713075D0; GB2567411B

Abstract

A foldable solid shell bicycle helmet which comprises separate elements 1, 2 that connect together via mating surfaces 5 and may be connected by temporary 3 and/or flexible 4 fixings and interlocking means 6, forming an independently solid helmet when secured. The individual helmet parts may also be replaceable. Either one or both of the fixing means 3, 4 may be incorporated into the wearer’s chin safety straps. When the fixings are unsecured the smaller helmet element 1 can be nested in the void of the larger element 2. The fixings may include one or more flexible hinge elements 4 to allow the helmet elements 1, 2 to rotate around each other as a convenient folding system, significantly reducing the volume of the helmet, making it more convenient to stow or carry when not being worn. The solid wearable form of the helmet ensures there is no compromise in safety.

Description

A Folding Helmet

BACKGROUND

Protective helmets have become increasingly sophisticated in their design and are tailored to specific safety requirements for a variety of uses.

In many cases the helmet is only used for a short period of time and requires the user to carry or store the helmet when it is not being used.

For most safety requirements where helmets are used for sport and protection in hazardous areas, helmets take the form of a solid shell. This means the helmets tend to be cumbersome, large objects with a large cavity inside for the head. Helmets designed for sports such as cycling are often made with foamed plastic shells (such as expanded polystyrene or polypropylene) and have relatively thick walls making them even larger objects.

The cumbersome nature of helmets is of particular annoyance to cyclists who use their bicycles to commute or generally travel from one place to another, requiring the cyclists to store or carry their helmets when not riding which deters some riders from wearing a helmet at all. It logically follows that a helmet that takes up less volumetric space is more convenient to use.

A cyclist with a conveniently foldable helmet is therefore likely to carry their helmet more often and wear it more regularly.

Helmets made of separate constituent pieces are not novel as shown in the patent of L.J. Crincic in 1967 ( US3353188 ). In this case the multiple, separate parts are independently assembled to create the helmet shell. The helmet invention in said patent does not have a convenient mechanism to deploy the separate parts into an arrangement for use as a protective, wearable helmet. Also, in this design, the mating surfaces overlap on the outside surface of the helmet. It is a more recent development that expanded foam plastic materials are used to create helmet shells giving the helmet a much thicker wall thickness.

Folding helmets have been shown to be popular amongst cyclists with helmets such as the Closca (TM) Helmet (US Pat. 20Ί 5237947) having recently emerged on the market. Many existing folding helmet designs are made of separate, hinged parts that do not securely lock together to create a full, independently solid shell. Some of the folding helmet designs require the wearer’s head to be inside the helmet to ensure the helmet retains its protective shape. This seems very unintuitive way to create a protective helmet. The Closca Helmet has component parts are simply pushed telescopically inside one another by hand to change the helmet from wearable to stowable form. In offering a simple folding mechanism, this design has shortcomings in the level of safety provided by the helmet because the helmet does not form a complete, independently solid shell. The force of any impact is not distributed throughout the whole helmet shell but is taken independently by whichever element of the shell is impacted, delivering this impact to a smaller area of the wearer’s head.

The testing standards for cycling helmets (which in the EU is ΕΝΊ078) are devised only to ensure the helmet design protects from traumatic brain injuries. The tests ensure that helmet designs decelerate the head form at an acceptable rate on impact. There are no standard safety tests for localised impact forces on the head through the helmet for cycle helmets.

The structure of a solid shell helmet transfers impact loadings through the whole helmet shell and spreads the impact load across a wider area of the helmet lining which, in turn, reduces the impact pressure on the wearer’s head.

Consequently, a design of folding helmet that creates a solid shell in its wearable form offers a greater level of protection because the force of any impact is spread throughout the shell, cushioning the head over a wider area inside the helmet.

THE INVENTION

In order to solve the problem of creating a convenient, folding helmet that has the level of protection offered by a solid shell, the following invention has been devised.

This invention comprises a helmet shell that is constituted from two or more vertically stacking multiple elements. These parts create the form of a solid helmet shell when positioned with their mating surfaces together. An independent, solid shell is formed when the multiple helmet shell elements are secured together. Ideally the elements are secured together with temporary fixings so it is convenient to fold the helmet when not being worn.

One or more of the fixings that secures the multiple elements of the shell may be a flexible hinge element. In conjunction with the flexible element, a secondary fixing is used to secure the mating surfaces together, ensuring the parts retain the structure of a solid shell in its wearable form. When the secondary fixing is opened the helmet shell elements can be rotated around each other such that the smaller helmet shell elements fold inside their respective larger helmet shell elements to fit in the folded position.

This provides a convenient folding mechanism for the user.

There may also be interlocking forms on the mating surfaces to help locate and secure the structure of the helmet shell. The fixing mechanisms may also be incorporated into the interlocking parts on the mating surface.

The mating surfaces and interlocking elements may be located within the wall thickness of the helmet.

The helmet shell may have holes for ventilation or styling. The holes in the helmet shell may cross the otherwise mating surfaces of the shell parts to create multiple mating surfaces rather than one complete circumferential mating surface.

The flexible hinge element may in its simplest form be a fabric, tape, film, textile or string. This flexible hinge element holds the mating parts firmly in place when they are fitted together to wear as a helmet. This flexible hinge also allows the parts to rotate beyond a single axis translation from the interlocked, solid shell position to the stowed position.

The flexible hinge element may also be made from of a combination of individual hinges to allow for the same folding movement all the way round from the protective shell position to the stowed position.

The flexible hinge element may be removable so that individual parts of the helmet shell can be replaced.

Fixing elements may in their simplest form be a hook and loop fastening e.g. Velcro TM.

The mating surfaces of the parts do not need to be in parallel planes for this invention to work. The stacked, mating parts do not need to be in a strictly vertical arrangement.

The interlocking parts of the mating surfaces may be incorporated into the helmet shell or the helmet liner or both.

The chinstrap of the helmet may be integrated with the flexible hinge element or the secondary locking element in such a way that the chinstrap does not fit the wearer when the helmet is not secured in the solid shell position.

Magnets may be used to help locate and orientate the mating surfaces.

The secondary fixing may also be used to hold the helmet parts in the stowed position.

Many of the folding helmets designed recently have been aimed at the cycling market but the folding concept defined in this patent could be applied to many types of helmets. For example: protective helmets for sports, construction work, extreme sports, rock climbing, water sports and military headgear.

The invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a helmet shell with two shell elements in its wearable orientation with the secondary fixing 3 closed. The smaller helmet shell element 1 is on top of the larger helmet shell element 2. In this figure the secondary fixing 3 is represented as a hook and look type fabric fixing.

Figure 2 shows the helmet shell elements 1 & 2 with the secondary fixing 3 open and the shell parts partially rotated about the flexible hinge element 4. The mating surfaces 5 can be seen with interlocking elements 6.

Figure 3 shows the smaller helmet shell element 1 fully rotated around into the stowed position inside the void of the larger helmet shell element 2.

Claims

1. A helmet consisting of separate elements which when assembled connects together via mating surfaces and which may be disassembled by separating the constituent elements.

2. A helmet according to claim 1 in which when assembled the separate elements are secured together by temporary fixings.

3. a helmet according to claim 1 in which the separate elements incorporate interlocking means.

4. a helmet according to claim 1 wherein separate elements are associated with each other by flexible connection means.

5. A helmet according to claim 4 wherein the flexible connection means permits elements to rotate from the assembled helmet position to a disassembled, folded orientation where the smaller helmet element or elements nest in the void of the larger helmet element or elements.

6. A helmet according to claim 5 incorporating a further fastening means which is used to secure the helmet in the assembled position.

7. A helmet according to claim 6 in which the same further fastening means can be used to secure the helmet in the disassembled position.

8. A helmet according to claim 6 in which a further fastening means can be used to secure the helmet in the disassembled position.

9. A helmet as in any preceding claim in which the helmet elements are replaceable.

10. A helmet as in any preceding claim which in the assembled position provides a solid, protective shell.

11. A helmet as in any preceding claim which in the assembled position provides a resilient, protective shell.

12. A helmet as claimed in any preceding claim with a chin-strap where the chin strap is integrated with the flexible connection means.

13. A helmet as claimed in any preceding claim with a chin-strap where the chin strap is integrated with the further fasting means.

14. A helmet as claimed in any preceding claim with a chin-strap where the chin strap is integrated with the flexible connection means and further fasting means as a single integrated securing means.