Protective sports helmet
View Patent ↗The present invention is directed to a protective sports helmet including a helmet shell, a face guard and an internal padding assembly positioned within the helmet shell. The internal padding assembly includes a brow pad having first and second peripheral connection portions. The internal padding assembly also includes first and second jaw pads, each having an upper connection portion that mates with the first and second connection portions, respectively, of the brow pad. The internal padding assembly also includes a crown assembly with pad elements that include an internal separation layer that partitions the element into a first inflatable section and a section un-inflatable section. The connection portion of the jaw pads also mates with frontal pad elements of the crown assembly. The internal padding assembly further includes an occipital pad assembly that engages the helmet wearer's head below the occipital bone.
1. A protective sports helmet comprising:
a helmet shell; and
an internal padding assembly positioned within the helmet shell, the internal padding assembly including:
a molded, unitary brow pad adapted to be positioned adjacent a brow of a wearer of the helmet, the brow pad having opposed peripheral connection portions, wherein the brow pad extends continuously, without interruption, along an inner surface of the helmet shell and between the opposed peripheral connection portions, and wherein the brow pad has a substantially uniform thickness that exceeds a thickness of the helmet shell;
a jaw pad having a connection portion that interconnects with one of the opposed peripheral connection portions of the brow pad, wherein the connection portion of the jaw pad has a first connection segment that extends rearward and upward from a lower edge of the brow pad, and a second connection segment that extends forward and upward from the first connection segment; and
an occipital pad assembly positioned along a lower rear edge of the helmet shell.
2. The protective sports helmet of claim 1 , wherein the jaw pad interconnects with one of the opposed peripheral connection portions of the brow pad above a front edge of the helmet shell.
3. The protective sports helmet of claim 1 , wherein the internal padding assembly further includes a crown pad assembly having a plurality of pad elements, wherein each pad element is partitioned by an internal separation layer to form an un-inflatable first chamber and an inflatable second chamber.
4. The protective sports helmet of claim 1 , wherein the interconnection between the brow pad and the jaw pad is configured to provide continuous padding engagement from a jaw region of the wearer to a forehead of the wearer.
5. The protective sports helmet of claim 1 , wherein one of the opposed peripheral connection portions of the brow pad is located along a lower peripheral portion of the brow pad.
6. The protective sports helmet of claim 5 , wherein one of the opposed peripheral connection portions of the brow pad has a first connection segment that extends rearward and upward from the lower edge of the brow pad, and a second connection segment that extends forward and upward from the first connection segment.
7. The protective sports helmet of claim 1 , wherein the occipital pad assembly has a pair of intermediate pad elements adapted to engage the head of a wearer of the helmet below the head's occipital bone.
8. The protective sports helmet of claim 1 , wherein the brow pad resides individually within a partial liner whereby an upper extent of the brow pad directly contacts the inner surface of the helmet shell.
9. The protective sports helmet of claim 1 , wherein the brow pad extends along a front edge of the helmet shell and wherein the peripheral connection portions are positioned beyond a lateral edge of the helmet shell that depends downward from the front edge of the helmet shell.
10. The protective sports helmet of claim 1 , wherein the brow pad comprises a 25% compression deflection of 8-15 pounds per square inch, pursuant to ASTM D-1056 standard.
11. A protective sports helmet comprising:
a helmet shell;
a face guard removably connected to a front portion of the helmet shell;
an internal padding assembly positioned within the helmet shell, the internal padding assembly including the following distinct components:
a molded, unitary brow pad adapted to be positioned adjacent a brow of a wearer of the helmet, the brow pad having a first peripheral connection portion and a second peripheral connection portion, wherein the first and second peripheral connection portions are in an opposed positional relationship, wherein the brow pad has a substantially uniform thickness between the first and second peripheral portions, and wherein the brow pad extends continuously, without interruption, along an inner surface of the helmet shell and between the opposed peripheral connection portions;
a first jaw pad having an upper connection portion that interconnects with the first peripheral connection portion of the brow pad; and
a second jaw pad having an upper connection portion that interconnects with the second peripheral connection portion of the brow pad,
wherein the first and second peripheral connection portions of the brow pad are located along a lower peripheral portion of the brow pad, each of the peripheral connection portions having both a first connection segment that extends rearward and upward from a lower edge of the brow pad and a second connection segment that extends forward and upward from the first connection segment.
12. The protective sports helmet of claim 11 , wherein the interconnection between the brow pad and both of the first and second jaw pads provides a face frame pad assembly that is adapted to engage a frontal head portion of a head of a wearer of the helmet, wherein the frontal head portion includes the wearer's forehead and the side regions depending downward therefrom to both sides of the wearer's jaw.
13. The protective sports helmet of claim 12 , wherein due to the interconnection between the brow pad and both of the first and second jaw pads, the face frame pad assembly is configured to provide continuous padding engagement for the front head portion.
14. The protective sports helmet of claim 11 , wherein the first jaw pad interconnects with the first peripheral connection portion of the brow pad above a front edge of the helmet shell.
15. The protective sports helmet of claim 11 , wherein the first and second connection segments define a recess.
16. The protective sports helmet of claim 15 , wherein the upper connection portion of the jaw pads has both a first connection segment that extends rearward and upward from the lower edge of the brow pad, and a second connection segment that extends forward and upward from the first connection segment, wherein the first and second connection segments define a projection that is received by the recess.
17. The protective sports helmet of claim 11 , the internal padding assembly further including an occipital pad assembly, wherein the occipital pad assembly has a pair of intermediate pad elements and a pair of peripheral pad elements, wherein the intermediate pad elements are adapted to engage the head of a wearer of the helmet below the head's occipital bone.
18. The protective sports helmet of claim 11 , wherein the brow pad resides individually within a partial liner whereby an upper extent of the brow pad directly contacts the inner surface of the helmet shell.
19. The protective sports helmet of claim 11 , wherein the brow pad extends along a front edge of the helmet shell and wherein the peripheral connection portions are positioned beyond a lateral edge of the helmet shell that depends downward from the front edge of the helmet shell.
20. The protective sports helmet of claim 11 , wherein the brow pad comprises a 25% compression deflection of 8-15 pounds per square inch, pursuant to ASTM D-1056 standard.
21. A protective sports helmet comprising:
a helmet shell;
an internal padding assembly positioned within the helmet shell, the internal padding assembly including:
a unitary brow pad adapted to be positioned adjacent a brow of a wearer of the helmet, a lower peripheral portion of the brow pad having a first peripheral connection portion and a second peripheral connection portion, wherein the first and second peripheral connection portions are in an opposed positional relationship, and wherein the brow pad extends continuously along an inner surface of the helmet shell and between the opposed peripheral connection portions;
a first jaw pad having an upper connection portion that interconnects with the first connection portion of the brow pad; and
a second jaw pad having an upper connection portion that interconnects with the second connection portion of the brow pad;
wherein each of the first and second connection portions of the brow pad has both a first brow pad connection segment that extends rearward and upward from a lower edge of the brow pad and a second brow pad connection segment that extends forward and upward from the first brow pad connection segment, wherein the first and second brow pad connection segments define a recess;
wherein the upper connection portion of each of the first and second jaw pads has both a first jaw pad connection segment that extends rearward and upward from a lower edge of the brow pad, and a second jaw pad connection segment that extends forward and upward from the first connection segment, wherein the first and second jaw pad connection segments define a projection that is received by the recess.
22. The protective sports helmet of claim 21 , wherein the brow pad resides individually within a partial liner whereby an upper extent of the brow pad directly contacts the inner surface of the helmet shell.
23. The protective sports helmet of claim 21 , wherein the interconnection between the brow pad and both of the first and second jaw pads provides a face frame pad assembly that is adapted to engage a frontal head portion of a head of a wearer of the helmet, wherein the frontal head portion includes the wearer's forehead and the side regions depending downward there from to both sides of the wearer's jaw.
24. The protective sports helmet of claim 23 , wherein due to the interconnection between the brow pad and both of the first and second jaw pads, the face frame pad assembly is configured to provide continuous padding engagement for the front head portion.
25. The protective sports helmet of claim 21 , wherein the first jaw pad interconnects with the first peripheral connection portion of the brow pad above a front edge of the helmet shell.