Decorative Removable Helmet Cover

Abstract

The invention comprises a decorative removable helmet cover that covers a helmet snugly. The cover can be made of one or multiple sections. On the cover is displayed logos or patterns that make the wearing of helmets more acceptable and attractive for activity doers, without creating a situation of the material flapping around and causing noise or distractions.

Description

This application claims priority to the PCT International Application Number PCT/US2005/027733 filed on Aug. 5, 2005, for Decorative Removable Helmet Cover, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates, generally, to helmet covers. More particularly the invention relates to helmet covers that are removable and allow an unlimited number of inter-changeable decorative patterns and logos to be worn by the user over the protective portion of the helmet.

BACKGROUND

Protective helmets are utilized in a variety of activities in order to protect the wearer from head injuries. Such activities include motorcycling, skiing, snowboarding, bicycling, auto racing, football, hockey, baseball, and other activities in which there is a reasonably high likelihood of injuries if the head is not protected in some way.

The problem is that the appearance of helmets, for example motorcycle helmets, are generally nondescript or even unpalatable. Individual bikers, for example, cannot customize their helmets to stand out from other bikers with helmets, nor can bikers identify a specific group of bikers amongst other groups. Thus, for the above reasons many individuals may choose not to wear helmets at the risk of their own safety.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,836 discloses an elastic fabric cover designed for use with conventional hard hats, constructed of an elastic material, the cover stretches to fit over and contracts to fit the contour of a hard hat structure with one stiffened segment located on the main body. However, the presence of a sole stiffened segment, for the purpose of displaying visual media or a logo thereon, fails to make the helmet cover any more attractive. Moreover, the invention's purpose was to avoid problems of placing images onto a fabric to be placed on the hard hat. Finally, the invention could be problematic because the elastic cover does not have a well defined excess of material to accommodate snugly the protuberance of the brim.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,122 B1, discloses a removable helmet cover that includes a flexible dome-shaped soft cloth exterior surface disposed on top of a flexible dome-shaped soft cloth interior liner. However, this helmet cover could be problematic because the elastic cover does not have a well defined excess of material to accommodate snugly the protuberance of the brim to secure the cover to the helmet. Moreover, the patent only discloses designs encompassing odd shapes that protrude outwards from the helmet and that may limit the attractiveness of these helmets to only a certain group of helmet wearers.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,799 B1, discloses a flexible cover with an outer periphery and an elastic material that is disposed near the outer periphery. Again this invention suffers from the facts that it has odd shapes, and that it does not have a well defined excess of material to accommodate snugly the protuberance of the brim to secure the cover to the helmet.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,336 discloses a stretchable fabric cover which slips over a helmet shell and snugly fits thereon. This invention suffers from the fact that it has a peak section for accommodating a horse riding helmet, and is thus not well-suited for a motorcycle-style helmet.

U.S. Pat. D362,085 discloses a helmet cover. This invention suffers from the fact that it has a conforming structure that appears to make the cover permanently installed/difficult to remove.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,752 discloses a cover for protecting a helmet, including a drawstring. This invention suffers from the fact that it is designed entirely enclose a helmet for, e.g., storage, and thus is not appropriate to use during helmet wearing.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,445,860 discloses a helmet cover with an outer periphery and fastening means disposed near the outer periphery. This invention suffers from the fact that it does not include flexible material to accommodate snugly a helmet or the protuberance of the brim to secure the cover to the helmet.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,990 discloses a ballistic cover for a helmet, including an outer periphery having loops to accommodate a pretensioned cord to retain the cover on the helmet. This invention suffers from the fact that it does not have a well defined excess of material to accommodate snugly the protuberance of the brim to secure the cover to the helmet.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,888 discloses a padded cover for partially covering a helmet, including an outer periphery and flexible tabs disposed near the outer periphery. This invention suffers from the facts that it has cumbersome padding, it does not cover the helmet entirely such that portions of the underlying helmet are visible, and it does not have a well defined excess of material to accommodate snugly the protuberance of the brim to secure the cover to the helmet.

Therefore, there has been a long felt need in the art for helmet covers, which are removable, and allow bikers to individualize themselves from others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed towards overcoming the lack of individuality of helmets. The invention is directed to a decorative removable helmet cover that will make the wearing of helmets more acceptable for activity doers.

The invention discloses a decorative removable helmet cover that has a material that covers a helmet, where the material has a front and back end, and an elastic rim surrounding the cover, where the rim is used to attach the cover onto the underside portions of the helmet.

In various embodiments, the rim can include one or more fasteners for fixing the cover to the helmet, including elastic, a drawstring, snaps, buttons, hook and loop material, hoops, a band, clips, hooks, flexible tabs, a hanger, and springs.

In one embodiment of the invention, the decorative removable helmet cover material is made of flexible material.

In another embodiment of the invention, the decorative removable helmet cover material is made of cloth. Alternatively, the material is made of non-cloth material of a wide variety of types.

In a further embodiment, the decorative removable helmet cover has a cover material that is made of one continuous piece.

In another embodiment, the decorative removable helmet cover has a cover material that is made of a plurality of pieces.

In other embodiments, the decorative removable helmet cover has a cover where the sections are made of pleated fabric or with material with piping.

In another embodiment the invention has a decorative removable helmet cover that displays logos. Alternatively, the decorative removable helmet cover displays patterns.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a decorative cover that will enable to display creative designs on his or her helmet.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cover that is removable and easily washable, to protect the helmet and cover from dirt, grime and scratches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the cover material casing a helmet.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the cover material casing a helmet worn by an individual.

FIG. 3 is a view of the loose cover material unattached to the helmet.

FIG. 4 is a perspective bottom view of the cover material casing a helmet.

FIG. 5 is a view of the loose cover material unattached to the helmet, illustrating an embodiment including a fastener.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of one or more embodiments of the invention, however, one or more embodiments of the invention may be practiced without any of these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and/or components have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the material cover casing a helmet 4 showing the material 6 which is totally surrounded by an elastic rim 10, of which only the back end portion 5 of the elastic rim is shown. The elastic rim allows the material to attach onto the underside portions of the helmet. The material 6 has a front end 7 and a back end 8. The front end 7 is well defined over the back end 8 in order to accommodate the protuberance of the brim.

In an alternate embodiment, the elastic rim 10 may be replaced by or incorporate any other means of cinching the edge of the helmet cover, for example, a drawstring, a zipper, snaps, buttons, hook and loop material, hoops, a band, clips, hooks, flexible tabs, a hanger, and springs. The fastening means can include portions attached to both the helmet and the cover.

FIG. 2 shows that the material 6 can be made of multiple sections 11, 12, and 13. Of course, more or fewer sections then the three shown are possible. The sections can be joined together by methods known in the art such as, but not limited to, sewing. Moreover, the material could be pleated and/or made with piping.

Various art logos and patterns (herein defined as art work) can be displayed on the helmet cover. The art work may include, but is not limited to, words, colors, college colors, sports team colors, crests, state or national flags, flame designs, motorcycles, cars, airplanes, boats, dice, cards, lips, body parts, military camouflage, beach scenes, starscapes, constellations, psychedelic patterns, paisley patterns, plaid patterns, animal coat patterns, cartoon figures, or famous works of art. The type of materials that may be used, but are not limited to: cloth, suede, corduroy, denim, linen, silk, velour, leather, felt, polyester, nylon, straw, mesh, vinyl, plastics, glow-in-the dark materials, reflective materials, illuminative materials, electroluminescent-phosphor-containing-materials, or any of a number of synthetic fabrics, such as those available from INVISTA (4123 East 37th Street North, Wichita, Kans. 67220; www.invista.com), including, but not limited to, T400™, ANTRON®, AVANTIGE®+LYCRA®, CORDURA®, DACRON®, LYCRA®, SOLARMAX®, SUPPLEX®, TACTEL®, and THERMOLITE®.

Thus, it should be evident to a person of ordinary skill in the art that an infinite number of patterns of art work on helmet covers are possible. Even more combinations are possible because art work may be limited to one section, such as section 11 or alternatively, the art work may be displayed on multiple sections, such as sections 11, 12, and 13.

The art work could either be displayed on the cover using imprinting, sewing, or any other method known to a person of ordinary skill in the art that is capable of displaying art work onto fabric or other materials.

FIG. 2 also shows the material snugly casing a helmet 4 and the back side end 5 elastic region of the elastic rim 10 that attach onto the underside of the helmet.

In FIG. 3 a loose material cover 6 of the invention is shown disclosing the elastic rim 10.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the front end of the material 7, the back end 8 of the material, the rim of the helmet 9 and the elastic rim 10 surrounding the cover material.

FIG. 5 illustrates the cover 6 including fastener 20. Fastener 20 of the illustrated embodiment is a hoop, attached at one end of the cover 6 via the rim 10. Alternatively, the attachment point of the hoop on the cover 6 can be moved downward, to allow a portion of the cover 6 to extend inward when the cover 6 is installed in the helmet, such that the cover 6 extends inward along the entire circumference of the helmet to fully receive the hoop. In use, the cover 6 is arranged over the helmet, such that the rim 10 is positioned to overlap inwardly the edge of the helmet. The inward overlap can be accomplished via elastic, or drawstring, or other techniques. The fastener 20 is then pushed within the circumference of the helmet, sandwiching an overlapping portion of the rim 10 between the fastener 20 and the interior of the helmet. As illustrated, the fastener 20 is a fixed hoop corresponding to a particular circumference. However, the fastener 20 can include adjustability to accommodate various circumferences and/or contours of helmets. Because the fastener 20 is attached only to the cover 6 and is configured to accommodate the helmet, it is not necessary to perform any modifications to the helmet.

The cover 6 can be fastened to the helmet using a variety of fastener types. For example, the fastener can include elastic, a drawstring, snaps, buttons, hook and loop material, hoops, a band, clips, hooks, flexible tabs, a hanger, and/or springs. It may be necessary to accommodate some types of fasteners by attaching them to the helmet. For example, the snaps or hook and loop material fastener types include first and second complementary portions. The first portion is attached to the cover 6, and its complementary second portion is attached to the helmet corresponding to a location of the first portion on the cover 6 when the cover 6 is installed on the helmet.

It is also contemplated that some fasteners are configure to be attached to the helmet only, some fasteners are configured to be attached to the cover 6 only, and some fasteners are configured to be attached either to the helmet or the cover 6. For example, hook fasteners can be attached along the rim 10 of the cover 6, or they can be attached along the inside of the helmet. As another example, the hoop fastener can be attached as described above to the cover 6 for convenience, but alternatively, the hoop fastener can remain unattached until installed to secure the cover 6 to the helmet.

While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. Also, the reference or non-reference to a particular embodiment of the invention shall not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention. Various embodiments of the invention remain useable in tandem or combination of one another.

Claims

1. A decorative removable helmet cover comprising:

a material that covers a helmet snugly;

wherein said material has a front end portion and a back end portion, and wherein

said material has a rim portion that is used to attach said material snugly onto the underside portions of said helmet.

2. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 1 wherein said rim portion is made of, or includes, elastic.

3. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 2 wherein said cover is made of a flexible material.

4. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 3 wherein said flexible material is made of material selected from the group consisting of cloth, straw corduroy, velour, denim, linen, silk, and felt.

5. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 1 wherein said cover is made of material selected from the group consisting of suede, leather, polyester, nylon, straw, mesh, vinyl, plastic, glow-in-the dark material, reflective material, illuminative material, electroluminescent-phosphor-containing-material, T400™, ANTRON®, AVANTIGE®+LYCRA®, CORDURA®, DACRON®, LYCRA®, SOLARMAX®, SUPPLEX®, TACTEL®, and THERMOLITE®.

6. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 4 wherein said material is made of one continuous piece.

7. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 4 wherein said cover is made of a plurality of pieces.

8. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 4 wherein said cover is made of pleated material.

9. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 4 wherein said cover is made of material with piping.

10. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 4 wherein said cover displays art work.

11. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 10 wherein said art work is selected from the group consisting of words, colors, college colors, sports team colors, crests, state or national flags, flame designs, motorcycles, cars, airplanes, boats, dice, cards, lips, body parts, military camouflage, beach scenes, starscapes, constellations, psychedelic patterns, paisley patterns, plaid patterns, animal coat patterns, cartoon figures, and famous works of art.

12. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 5 wherein said cover is made of one continuous piece.

13. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 5 wherein said cover is made of a plurality of pieces.

14. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 5 wherein said cover is made of material with piping.

15. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 5 wherein said cover displays art work.

16. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 15 wherein said art work is selected from the group consisting of words, colors, college colors, sports team colors, crests, state or national flags, flame designs, motorcycles, cars, airplanes, boats, dice, cards, lips, body parts, military camouflage, beach scenes, starscapes, constellations, psychedelic patterns, paisley patterns, plaid patterns, animal coat patterns, cartoon figures, and famous works of art.

17. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 2 further comprising one or more fasteners configured and arranged to attach said material snugly onto the underside portions of said helmet.

18. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 17 wherein said one or more fasteners is selected from the group consisting of a drawstring, one or more zippers, snaps, buttons, hook and loop material, hoops, a band, clips, hooks, flexible tabs, a hanger, and springs.

19. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 5 further comprising one or more fasteners configured and arranged to attach said material snugly onto the underside portions of said helmet.

20. The decorative removable helmet cover of claim 19 wherein said one or more fasteners is selected from the group consisting of elastic, a drawstring, one or more zippers, snaps, buttons, hook and loop material, hoops, a band, clips, hooks, flexible tabs, a hanger, and springs.