Helmet with shell having raised central channel and ear holes with abutting slopped banks
View Patent ↗A football helmet has a shell with a top portion having a raised central channel at least at one of a front area and a top area of the top portion of the shell, with a plurality of elongated vent openings on each side of the channel, the vent openings being spaced from each other on each side of the channel, from front to back, along the helmet shell, the sides of the helmet having earholes and sloped banks abutting the earholes in a wedge configuration.
1. A football helmet with earhole grips, comprising:
a shell configured to fit about a head of a wearer of the helmet, the shell comprising:
an inner side of the shell and an outer side of the shell;
a top portion and a bottom portion, the top and bottom portions being areas of a unitary shell;
the top portion having a front area positioned for protecting a wearer's forehead comprising a front edge, the top portion also comprising a top area positioned for protecting a top of a wearer's head;
a bottom portion adjoining the top portion, the bottom portion of the shell comprising a rear portion positioned to cover the back of a wearer's head and two side portions positioned to cover the sides of a wearer's head including the ears, the bottom portion containing a pair of earholes on respective opposite side portions, each earhole positioned to be near a wearer's ears;
a faceguard comprising a faceguard assembly formed in a substantially closed loop, wherein a top portion of the faceguard assembly overlies the front area of the shell, the faceguard projecting away from the side portions of the shell and positioned to protect a wearer's face;
a plurality of attachment means attaching the faceguard assembly to the front area and the side portions of the shell;
a means for attaching a chin strap and a chin pad to the shell so that the chin pad can be positioned at a user's chin;
wherein each earhole comprises an opening in the shell and exactly five earhole edges surrounding and defining the opening in the shell on the sides of the opening; and
each side portion has exactly three sloped banks descending from the surface of the shell to meet the earhole opening.
2. A football helmet according to claim 1 , the football helmet further comprising a generally U-shaped clamping mechanism fixing the faceguard to the front area shell, the clamping mechanism comprising a bottom groove at a bottom of a U-shape for engaging the faceguard, the U-shaped clamping mechanism comprising at least two opposing arms extending away from the bottom of the U-shape, the U-shaped clamping mechanism comprising at least one aperture through each opposing arm, the apertures being positioned on the arms so that the apertures on opposite arms can be axially aligned;
wherein the faceguard assembly is fixed to the raised central channel of the shell by a plurality of screw mechanisms, each screw mechanism passing through axially aligned apertures on two opposite arms of a U-shape clamping mechanism, and also passing through an aperture through the raised central channel at the front area of the shell, wherein each screw mechanism comprises a nut at the inner side of the shell, the nut being positioned at the depression in the inner side of the shell;
wherein a portion of the central channel is at the front area of the shell, and wherein the at least one clamping mechanism is fixed to the shell at the central channel in the front area.
3. The football helmet of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of elongated vent openings on each side of the raised central channel, the vent openings being spaced from each other on each side of the channel and being elongated, from front to back, along the helmet shell.
4. The football helmet of claim 2 , comprising four apertures through U-shaped clamping mechanism arms, and comprising two apertures through the raised central channel at the front area of the shell;
wherein each of two screws is positioned axially through two apertures through clamping mechanism arms and through one aperture in the raised central channel at the front area of the shell, and wherein each of the two screws is also engaged to a nut at the inner side of the shell; and
wherein each nut is in the depression in the inner side of the shell in a space between the shell and protective padding in the shell.
5. The football helmet of claim 1 , further comprising protective padding on the inner side of the shell, the padding being positioned so as not to block the earhole.
6. The football helmet of claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion of the shell defines a first side edge that is integral with a first end of the front edge of the top portion; and a second side edge of the bottom portion that is integral with a second end of the front edge on the top portion,
wherein the front edge, first side edge, and second side edge define a segment of a circumference of the shell, and
wherein the earholes on respective side portions of the bottom portion are each positioned rearwardly of the respective first and second side edges.
7. The football helmet of claim 1 , wherein in each side portion exactly two of the exactly three sloped banks extend past each earhole.
8. The football helmet of claim 1 , wherein in each side portion exactly two of the sloped banks extend past each earhole toward the rear portion.
9. The football helmet of claim 1 , wherein each of said sloped banks abuts one earhole edge.
10. The football helmet of claim 1 , wherein in each side portion exactly two earhole edges are not abutted by a sloped bank.