Football helmet with impact attenuation system
View Patent ↗A protective football helmet is provided having a one-piece molded shell with an impact attenuation system. This system includes an impact attenuation member formed in an extent of the front shell portion by removing material from the front portion. The impact attenuation member is purposely engineered to change how the front portion responds to an impact force applied substantially normal to the front portion as compared to how other portions of the shell respond to that impact force. In one version, the impact attenuation member is a cantilevered segment formed in the front portion of the shell.
1. A football helmet to be worn by a player while playing football, the helmet comprising:
a one-piece shell including:
a crown portion defining an upper region of the shell;
a front portion extending generally forwardly and downwardly from the crown portion;
left and right side portions extending generally downwardly and laterally from the crown portion, each of the left and right side portions having an ear flap configured to overlie an ear of the player wearing the helmet;
a rear portion extending generally rearwardly and downwardly from the crown portion; and,
an impact attenuation member formed in an extent of the front portion by removing material from the front portion, the impact attenuation member having a base and a free end extending downward from the base and terminating above a lower frontal edge of the shell, wherein the impact attenuation member changes how the front portion responds to an impact force applied substantially normal to the front portion as compared to how the left and right side portions respond to said impact force.
2. The football helmet of claim 1 , wherein the impact attenuation member is a cantilevered segment in the front portion of the shell.
3. The football helmet of claim 2 , wherein a periphery of the cantilevered segment is defined by a continuous gap formed in the front portion of the shell.
4. The football helmet of claim 3 , wherein the base is a living hinge to facilitate elastic deformation of the cantilevered segment when impact forces are applied to the front portion of the shell.
5. The football helmet of claim 3 , wherein the cantilevered segment and the continuous gap have a U-shaped configuration.
6. The football helmet of claim 2 , wherein the cantilevered segment is elastically displaced inward toward the helmet wearer when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
7. The football helmet of claim 2 , further comprising a front pad secured to an inner surface of the helmet and extending across a majority of the front portion of the shell and underlying the cantilevered segment, wherein said impact force applied to the front portion causes the cantilevered segment to elastically deform and compress a first portion of the front pad while a second portion of the front pad remains substantially uncompressed.
8. The football helmet of claim 7 , wherein the front pad includes an internal pad component and an overmolded external pad component.
9. The football helmet of claim 2 , wherein the front portion of the shell includes a pair of front vent openings, and wherein the cantilevered segment is positioned between the front vent openings.
10. The football helmet of claim 1 , wherein the front portion of the shell includes a lower frontal shell region that is positioned between the impact attenuation member and the lower frontal edge of the shell, and
wherein the lower frontal shell region is not displaced inward when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
11. The football helmet of claim 10 , wherein the free end of the impact attenuation member is displaced inward of the lower frontal shell region when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
12. The football helmet of claim 1 , wherein the front portion of the shell includes a lower frontal shell region and the impact attenuation member is a cantilevered segment, and wherein the lower frontal shell region is positioned between the cantilevered segment and the lower frontal edge of the shell, and
wherein the lower frontal shell region is not displaced inward when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
13. The football helmet of claim 12 , wherein the free end of the cantilevered segment is displaced inward of the lower frontal shell region when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
14. The football helmet of claim 1 , further comprising a protective face guard coupled to the shell.
15. A protective sports helmet wearable by a player while playing a contact team sport, the helmet comprising:
a one-piece shell including:
a crown portion defining an upper region of the shell;
a front portion extending generally forwardly and downwardly from the crown portion;
left and right side portions extending generally downwardly and laterally from the crown portion, each of the left and right side portions having an ear flap configured to overlie an ear of the player wearing the helmet;
a rear portion extending generally rearwardly and downwardly from the crown portion; and,
an impact attenuation member formed in an extent of the front portion by removing material from the front portion, the impact attenuation member having a base and a free end extending downward from the base and terminating above a lower frontal edge of the shell, wherein the impact attenuation member changes how the front portion responds to an impact force applied substantially normal to the front portion as compared to how the left and right side portions respond to said impact force.
16. The helmet of claim 15 , wherein the impact attenuation member is a cantilevered segment in the front portion of the shell.
17. The helmet of claim 16 , wherein a periphery of the cantilevered segment is defined by a continuous gap formed in the front portion of the shell.
18. The helmet of claim 17 , wherein the base is a living hinge to facilitate elastic deformation of the cantilevered segment when impact forces are applied to the front portion of the shell.
19. The helmet of claim 17 , wherein the cantilevered segment and the continuous gap have a U-shaped configuration.
20. The helmet of claim 16 , wherein the cantilevered segment is elastically displaced inward toward the helmet wearer when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
21. The helmet of claim 16 , further comprising a front pad secured to an inner surface of the helmet and extending across a majority of the front portion of the shell and underlying the cantilevered segment, wherein said impact force applied to the front portion causes the cantilevered segment to elastically deform and compress a first portion of the front pad while a second portion of the front pad remains substantially uncompressed.
22. The helmet of claim 21 , wherein the front pad includes an internal pad component and an overmolded external pad component.
23. The helmet of claim 16 , wherein the front portion of the shell includes a pair of front vent openings, and wherein the cantilevered segment is positioned between the front vent openings.
24. The helmet of claim 15 , wherein the front portion of the shell includes a lower frontal shell region that is positioned between the impact attenuation member and the lower frontal edge of the shell, and
wherein the lower frontal shell region resists inward displacement when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
25. The helmet of claim 24 , wherein the free end of the impact attenuation member is displaced inward of the lower frontal shell region when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
26. The helmet of claim 15 , wherein the front portion of the shell includes a lower frontal shell region and the impact attenuation member is a cantilevered segment, and wherein the lower frontal shell region is positioned between the cantilevered segment and the lower frontal edge, and
wherein the lower frontal shell region resists inward displacement when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
27. The helmet of claim 26 , wherein the free end of the cantilevered segment is displaced inward of the lower frontal shell region when said impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
28. The helmet of claim 15 , further comprising a protective face guard coupled to the shell.
29. A football helmet wearable by a player while playing football, the helmet comprising:
a one-piece shell including:
a crown portion defining an upper region of the shell;
a front portion extending generally forwardly and downwardly from the crown portion;
left and right side portions extending generally downwardly and laterally from the crown portion, each of the left and right side portions having an ear flap configured to overlie an ear of the player wearing the helmet;
a rear portion extending generally rearwardly and downwardly from the crown portion; and,
a cantilevered segment formed in the front portion of the shell, the cantilevered segment including a base and a free end, wherein the base functions as a living hinge to facilitate elastic deformation of the cantilevered segment when impact forces are applied to the front portion of the shell, wherein the free end extends downward from the base and terminates above a lower frontal edge of the shell, and
wherein the cantilevered segment is elastically displaced inward toward the helmet wearer when a substantially on-center impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
30. The helmet of claim 29 , wherein a periphery of the cantilevered segment is defined by a continuous gap formed in the front portion of the shell.
31. The helmet of claim 30 , wherein the cantilevered segment and the continuous gap have a U-shaped configuration.
32. The helmet of claim 30 , further comprising a front pad secured to an inner surface of the helmet and extending across a majority of the front portion of the shell and underlying the cantilevered segment, wherein the front pad includes a boss that is substantially received by the gap.
33. The helmet of claim 29 , further comprising a front pad secured to an inner surface of the helmet and extending across a majority of the front portion of the shell and underlying the cantilevered segment, wherein a significant impact force applied to the front portion causes the cantilevered segment to elastically deform and compress a first portion of the front pad while a second portion of the front pad remains substantially uncompressed.
34. The helmet of claim 33 , wherein the front pad includes an internal pad component and an overmolded external pad component.
35. The helmet of claim 29 , wherein the front portion of the shell includes a lower frontal shell extent, and wherein the lower frontal shell region is positioned between the cantilevered segment and the lower frontal edge, and
wherein the lower frontal shell region resists inward displacement when the substantially on-center impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
36. The helmet of claim 35 , wherein the free end of the cantilevered segment is positioned above the lower frontal shell extent, and
wherein the free end of the cantilevered segment is displaced inward of the lower frontal shell region when the substantially on-center impact force is applied to the front portion of the shell.
37. The helmet of claim 29 , further comprising a protective face guard coupled to the shell.