Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A42—HEADWEAR
  • A42B—HATS; HEAD COVERINGS
  • A42B3/00—Helmets; Helmet covers ; Other protective head coverings
  • A42B3/32—Collapsible helmets; Helmets made of separable parts ; Helmets with movable parts, e.g. adjustable
  • A42B3/326—Helmets with movable or separable chin or jaw guard
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A42—HEADWEAR
  • A42B—HATS; HEAD COVERINGS
  • A42B3/00—Helmets; Helmet covers ; Other protective head coverings
  • A42B3/04—Parts, details or accessories of helmets
  • A42B3/08—Chin straps or similar retention devices
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A42—HEADWEAR
  • A42B—HATS; HEAD COVERINGS
  • A42B3/00—Helmets; Helmet covers ; Other protective head coverings
  • A42B3/04—Parts, details or accessories of helmets
  • A42B3/18—Face protection devices
  • A42B3/20—Face guards, e.g. for ice hockey
  • A42B3/205—Chin protectors

Definitions

• Protective headgear and helmets are used in a wide variety of sports, athletics, competitions, and activities. Some endeavors require more protection than others, especially activities involving high speeds in obstacle-filled environments, like downhill racing or off-road motorized vehicles. Many participants of such activities wear full-face helmets, meaning the helmet has a chin bar.
• chin bars Upon impact, chin bars will flex to absorb and redirect energy, protecting the wearer.
• the impact forces are mainly born by the couplings attaching the chin bar to the outside of the helmet, thus requiring the couplings to be robust, and often numerous. This can make the manufacture of such helmets more complicated and more expensive.
• the chin bar is designed to be removable by the wearer, each of those numerous, robust couplings may require additional mechanisms to be releasable.
• conventional helmets rely on a number of discrete coupling points to bear the impact force, some types impacts are absorbed better than others; many conventional helmets have limited resistance to impacts that are not head-on.
• a helmet includes an outer shell and a chin bar collar.
• the outer shell includes an interior surface adjacent a lower edge of the outer shell and defines an interior space within a volume defined by the outer shell.
• the outer shell also includes an open front portion.
• the chin bar collar includes a chin guard and a collar segment integral with the chin guard. The combination of the chin guard and the collar segment forms a continuous loop.
• the collar segment is coupled to the interior surface of the outer shell and has a majority of the collar segment within the interior space of the outer shell and a majority of the chin guard outside the interior space of the outer shell.
• the outer shell may include at least two coupling points on the interior surface of the outer shell, at least one of the coupling points on each side of the open front portion of the helmet.
• the chin bar collar may be coupled to the outer shell at the at least two coupling points.
• the helmet may also include at least one bracket coupled to the interior surface of the outer shell, the chin bar collar mated with the helmet between the interior surface and the at least one bracket.
• the chin bar collar may comprise a ledge at each of two interfaces of the chin guard and the collar segment, each ledge mated with a leading edge of the outer shell proximate the open front of the helmet.
• the interior surface of the outer shell may comprise at least one of an upper lip and a lower lip, the chin bar collar seated against the at least one of the upper lip and the lower lip.
• the collar segment may be seated in a recess in the interior surface of the outer shell shaped complementary to the collar segment.
• the helmet may further comprise at least one inner shell contained within the interior space of the outer shell. A majority of the collar segment may be positioned between the interior surface of the outer shell and the inner shell.
• the collar segment may be seated in a recess in at least one of the inner shell and the interior surface of the outer shell, and the recess may be shaped complementary to the collar segment.
• the collar segment may be releasably coupled to the outer shell.
• a helmet includes an outer shell and a chin bar collar.
• the outer shell comprises an interior surface defining an interior space within the outer shell, and an open front portion.
• the chin bar collar includes a chin guard and a collar segment forming an annulus.
• the collar segment is secured to the interior surface of the outer shell at at least one coupling point on each side of the open front portion of the helmet and at least one other location on the outer shell proximate a rear portion of the outer shell.
• a majority of the collar segment is positioned within the interior space of the outer shell and a majority of the chin guard is positioned outside the interior space of the outer shell.
• noun, term, or phrase is intended to be further characterized, specified, or narrowed in some way, then such noun, term, or phrase will expressly include additional adjectives, descriptive terms, or other modifiers in accordance with the normal precepts of English grammar. Absent the use of such adjectives, descriptive terms, or modifiers, it is the intent that such nouns, terms, or phrases be given their plain, and ordinary English meaning to those skilled in the applicable arts as set forth above.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a helmet with a chin bar collar
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a helmet with a chin bar collar
• FIG. 3 is a cross section view of a helmet with a chin bar collar.
• FIGs. 1 through 3 depict non-limiting embodiments of a helmet 100 having a chin bar collar 102 and an outer shell 104.
• the chin bar collar 102 includes a chin guard 108 and a collar segment 110 forming an annular chin bar collar 102.
• the outer shell 104 has an interior surface 106, an open front portion 112 (for a wearer's face), and a lower edge 116.
• the outer shell 104 also has two leading edges 124.
• a leading edge 124 of the outer shell 104 refers to at least a portion of an edge of the outer shell 104 that is also part of the boundary of the open front portion 112.
• the leading edges 124 are also proximate the lower edge 116 of the outer shell 104.
• the outer shell 104 also has a rear portion 300.
• a rear portion 300 of an outer shell 104 refers to a portion within the half of the outer shell 104 which includes at least a part of the lower edge 116 and is opposite the half of the outer shell 104 which contains the open front portion 112 in its entirety.
• the rear portion 300 of an outer shell 104 may be thought of as the portion of the outer shell 104 proximate the base of a wearer's skull.
• the chin bar collar 102 comprises a collar segment 110 and a chin guard 108, which together form a closed loop, or annulus.
• the chin bar collar 102 may be formed as a single piece, while in other embodiments the chin bar collar 102 may be assembled from multiple pieces.
• the chin bar collar 102 is coupled to the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104. More specifically, a majority 200 of the collar segment 110 is within an interior space 114 of the outer shell 104, while a majority of the chin guard 108 is outside the interior space 114.
• an interior space 114 refers to a volume defined by the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104 and edges of the outer shell 104, such as the lower edge 116.
• a helmet such as helmet 100 of FIGs. 1-3, is a form of protective gear designed to protect the head from injury. Some activities require more protection than others, especially activities involving high speeds, such as downhill racing or riding motorized vehicles. Helmets designed for such activities often have chin bars to protect the wearer's face.
• Conventional helmets with chin bars employ half or full loop chin bars which are attached to the outside of the helmet. Upon impact, chin bars will flex to absorb and redirect energy, protecting the wearer. In conventional helmets, the impact forces are mainly born by the couplings attaching the chin bar to the outside of the helmet.
• a looped chin bar such as chin bar collar 102
• placing a looped chin bar, such as chin bar collar 102, inside the outer shell 104 of a helmet 100 distributes impact forces across the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104, rather than across a handful of attachment points on the outside of a conventional helmet.
• the outer shell 104 provides support along the majority of the collar segment 110.
• the added support provided by the outer shell 104 to a chin bar collar 102 coupled to the interior surface 106 may allow the helmet 100 to better withstand impacts from the side than conventional helmets with half loop chin bars.
• the chin bar collar 102 has a ledge 122 at each of the two interfaces, or intersections, of the chin guard 108 and the collar segment 1 10, according to various embodiments.
• These ledges are shaped such that they are mated with the leading edges 124 of the outer shell 104 when the chin bar collar 102 is coupled to the outer shell 104.
• the ledges may be only partially mated with the leading edges 124, or only mated along portions of the leading edges.
• a ledge 122 may be a continuous thickening of the chin guard 108 such that the exterior surface of the chin guard 108 is flush with the exterior surface of the outer shell 104.
• a ledge 122 may be a protrusion in the exterior surface of the chin guard 108 that is mated with a leading edge 124.
• the ledges 122 may help to direct impact forces into the leading edges 124 of the outer shell 104.
• the chin bar collar 102 is coupled to the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104 at a plurality of coupling points 118.
• a helmet 100 may have one, two, three, or more coupling points 118.
• a coupling point 118 may include a fastener that couples the chin bar collar 102 at a specific location on the interior surface 106. Examples of such coupling points 118 include, but are not limited to, mated protrusions, buckles, moldings, snap fit couplings, and holes paired with fasteners such as screws, pins, rivets, bolts, and the like.
• a coupling point 118 may refer to a range of the collar segment 110 that is coupled to the interior surface 106 along the entire length, rather than at a discrete point.
• One example is the use of an adhesive along a range of the collar segment 110.
• Another example is a non-limiting embodiment of an upper lip 126 and a lower lip 128 which have captured the collar segment 1 10 along a range. The upper lip 126 and lower lip 128 will be discussed further with respect to FIG. 3.
• a coupling point 118 may be releasable, allowing a user to remove the chin bar collar 102 from the helmet 100 when it is not needed, increasing ventilation and decreasing helmet weight.
• a coupling may require the use of a tool, like a wrench, to decouple.
• a releasable coupling point may be actuated without tools. Examples include, but are not limited to, magnets, buckles, clips, biased latches, and snaps.
• Chin bars in conventional helmets are often attached to the outer shell at numerous locations, as those attachment points must bear impact forces exerted on the chin bar.
• a chin bar collar 102 coupled to the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104 of a helmet 100 is bolstered by the outer shell 104, as previously discussed, reducing the needed number and/or strength of coupling points 118. Reducing the number of coupling points 118 is advantageous, as it may simplify the manufacturing of the helmet 100. Furthermore, in embodiments where the chin bar collar 102 is releasably coupled to the interior surface 106, fewer coupling points 118 may mean easier operation.
• FIGs. 1 and 2 show non-limiting examples of a helmet 100 having two coupling points 118 proximate the open front portion 112, and a third coupling point 118 at the rear portion 300 of the outer shell 104.
• all coupling points 118 may be of the same type.
• the coupling points 118 may be of various types.
• the coupling point 118 at the rear portion 300 comprises an optional fastener coupling the collar segment 1 10 to the interior surface 106.
• the two coupling points 1 18 near the open front portion 112 each comprise a bracket 120.
• the coupling point 118 at the rear portion 300 may merely be
• a bracket 120 secures (e.g. limits the movement of or supports) at least one surface of the collar segment 110 of a chin bar collar 102 to the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104.
• the bracket 120 itself is coupled to the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104.
• a bracket 120 secures the top edge and interior surface (i.e. surface of the chin bar collar 102 that faces the wearer) of the collar segment 110.
• a bracket 120 may secure the bottom edge and interior surface of a collar segment 110.
• a bracket 120 may secure all surfaces of a collar segment 110 that are not facing the interior surface 106 of an outer shell 104.
• a bracket 120 may be mated with the collar segment 110, which may provide greater stability. In other embodiments, a bracket 120 may be proximate to, but not mated with, the collar segment 110, which may facilitate manufacturing. Furthermore, as shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, a bracket 120 may comprise a fastener, such as a pin or a screw, to further secure the collar segment 110, according to some, but not all, embodiments.
• the brackets 120 are coupled to the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104.
• a bracket 120 may be formed as a part of the outer shell 104.
• an outer shell 104 and one or more brackets 120 may be created together as a single piece of material through injection molding, or other techniques known in the art.
• a bracket 120 may be coupled to the outer shell 104 after creation, whether directly attached to the interior surface 106, or coupled through some other material or object.
• the interior surface 106 of the outer shell 104 of a helmet 100 may be shaped to further secure the collar segment 1 10 of the chin bar collar 102.
• some embodiments including the non-limiting examples shown in FIGs. 1 through 3, may include an upper lip 126 and a lower lip 128.
• the collar segment 110 is seated against these lips, the upper edge of the collar segment 110 seated against the upper lip 126 and the lower edge seated against the lower lip 128.
• the lips may be proximate to, but not seated against, the collar segment 110.
• the inner surface 106 may have only one lip.
• a lip secures an edge of the collar segment 110 without constraining or overlapping with other surfaces of the collar segment 1 10.
• a lip may wrap around the collar segment 110 to some degree, beyond the edge it secures, to secure the interior surface of the collar segment 110.
• the portion of a lip that wraps around to the interior surface of the collar segment 110 may be sized and shaped such that the chin bar collar 102 may be
• Helmets are often constructed with more than one shell or layer.
• some helmets have a hard outer shell made of a durable material that wears well, and a softer inner shell made of energy absorbing materials.
• the non-limiting embodiments of a helmet 100 with a chin bar collar 102 shown in FIGs. 1 and 2 only depict an outer shell 104. It should be clear that these embodiments, and others discussed herein, may be adapted for use with one or more additional shells inside the outer shell 104, such that the chin bar collar 102 rests between the outer shell 104 and one or more interior shells. See, for example, FIG. 3.
• FIG. 3 shows a cross section view of the non-limiting embodiment of FIG. 2, cut on plane A.
• FIG. 3 includes an inner shell 400, not shown in FIG. 2.
• the collar segment 1 10 is between the outer shell 104 and the inner shell 400, and is also seated against an upper lip 126 and a lower lip 128.
• an outer shell 104 may also be implemented with an inner shell 400, according to various embodiments.
• the inner shell 400 may comprise a lower lip 128 against which the collar segment 110 is seated.
• an inner shell 400 and/or the interior surface 106 of an outer shell may be recessed, such that the collar segment 110 may be seated within. See, for example, the non-limiting example shown in FIG. 3, where the inner shell 400 has a recess 402 in which the collar segment 110 is seated. In some embodiments, only one shell is recessed. In other embodiments, shells on both sides of the collar segment 110 are recessed.
• the helmets described herein may include any shells, layers, energy management material, and the like known in the art for helmets.
• the chin bar collar may comprise any materials known in the art for chin bars.
• the chin bar collar 102 may be formed as a single piece of material.
• the chin bar collar 102 may include additional parts for use in conjunction with coupling points 118 and the like.
• the coupling points 118, brackets 120, and lips may comprise any materials known in the art for helmets and helmet fasteners.

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• Helmets And Other Head Coverings (AREA)

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Citations (4)

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• 2016
  • 2016-10-21 US US15/331,053 patent/US20170112227A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2016-10-24 CN CN201680061909.5A patent/CN108135306A/zh active Pending
  • 2016-10-24 WO PCT/US2016/058496 patent/WO2017070685A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2016-10-24 EP EP16858447.2A patent/EP3364801B1/en active Active
  • 2016-10-24 AU AU2016342442A patent/AU2016342442A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2016-10-24 CA CA3001708A patent/CA3001708A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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