HELMET PADDING SYSTEM
Helmet padding systems are disclosed. One helmet padding system includes a baseball cap and a spacing pad. The baseball cap has a body portion and a brim portion. The cap includes a pair of side portions extending downward from the cap body below a point at which the brim portion meets the body portion. The spacing pad is positioned within the baseball cap, and includes a layer of elastomeric material.
1 . A helmet padding system comprising:
a baseball cap having a body portion and a brim portion, the cap comprising a pair of side portions extending downward from the cap body below a point at which the brim portion meets the body portion; and
a spacing pad positioned within the baseball cap, the spacing pad including a layer of elastomeric material.
2 . The helmet padding system of claim 1 , wherein the side portions are sized to cover at least 50% of a user's ear when the helmet padding system is worn by the user.
3 . The helmet padding system of claim 1 , further comprising a rear portion extending downward from the cap body, the rear portion forming a continuous extended portion with the pair of side portions.
4 . The helmet padding system of claim 3 , wherein the rear portion extends downward from the cap body a same distance as the pair of side portions.
5 . The helmet padding system of claim 3 , wherein the rear portion extends downward from the cap body a shorter distance than the pair of side portions.
6 . The helmet padding system of claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of side portions includes an opening therein.
7 . The helmet padding system of claim 6 , wherein the openings are positioned over a user's ear when the helmet padding system is worn by the user.
8 . The helmet padding system of claim 1 , wherein the spacing pad comprises a central portion and a plurality of extending portions projecting outward from the central portion
9 . The helmet padding system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of extending portions includes at least a first extending portion extending to a position forward of a user's ear and a second extending portion extending to a position rearward of the user's ear when the helmet padding system is worn by the user, thereby defining a gap over the user's ear.
10 . The helmet padding system of claim 8 , wherein each extending portion has an end portion with a greater width than a portion of the respective extending portion coupled to the central portion
11 . The helmet padding system of claim 8 , wherein the body portion of the baseball cap includes a cutout in a rearward area, and wherein an extending portion of the spacing pad extending toward the rearward area is shorter than the remaining extending portions of the spacing pad.
12 . The helmet padding system of claim 1 , wherein the spacing pad consists of a single layer of the elastomeric material.
13 . The helmet padding system of claim 1 , wherein the spacing pad comprises a plurality of layers of elastomeric material.
14 . The helmet padding system of claim 13 , wherein the spacing pad further comprises a layer of high tensile strength fibrous material between two layers of elastomeric material.
15 . The helmet padding system of claim 1 , further comprising a rigid frame coupled to the baseball cap, the rigid frame comprising a plurality of rigid members defining a space in an area of a user's ear when the helmet padding system is worn by the user.
16 . The helmet padding system of claim 1 , further comprising a rigid liner extending around a peripheral edge of the body portion of the baseball cap.
17 . The helmet padding system of claim 16 , wherein the baseball cap comprises a pocket extending around the peripheral edge of the body portion, and the rigid liner is positioned within the pocket.