HELMET PADDING SYSTEMS

Abstract

Padding systems for use with helmets are described. An example padding system includes a pad body having a substantially unitary base portion. The base portion has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side to face an inner surface of a helmet and the second side to face the head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person. The padding system also includes a first plurality of raised portions distributed on the first side of the base portion, at least some of the first raised portions extending beyond a first surface of the first side to fill first spaces between the inner surface of the helmet and the pad body when the padding system is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by the person. Additionally, the padding system includes a second plurality of raised portions distributed on the second side of the base portion, at least some of the second raised portions extending beyond a second surface of the second side to engage the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/401,510 filed on Aug. 16, 2010, and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/462,375, filed on Feb. 2, 2011, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclose relates generally to helmets and, more particularly, to padding systems for use with helmets.

BACKGROUND

Helmets are generally composed of a relatively thin, hard shell and an impact absorbing liner or suspension system. In some known helmets, the impact absorbing liner is a foam body having a relatively uniform thickness and a shape that conforms to the inner surface of the helmet. Such helmets and liners may fit loosely on a person's head. A loose fit can reduce the level of protection provided by the helmet and can also compromise the stability of the helmet during head and/or body movements. In some cases, if the liner is formed to provide a tighter fit on a person's head, the stability and the protection provided by the helmet may be improved somewhat, but the degree of comfort provided by the helmet may be degraded significantly. An uncomfortable helmet poses further danger because a person wearing the helmet is more likely to remove the helmet, thereby leaving their head completely unprotected.

Other known helmets employ a plurality of separately positionable pads having various thicknesses. These pads may be attached to the inner surface of the helmet in locations likely to receive an impact. For example, pads may be located at the top, front, back and sides of the helmet. With these helmets, the fit of the helmet can be adjusted using pads of different thicknesses to provide an acceptable degree of protection and comfort for the individual wearing the helmet. However, in practice, because the pads are separate, they may be easily removed and may not be properly repositioned or may not be returned to the helmet and, thus, enable safety of the helmet to be easily compromised.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a back side or helmet-side view of an example helmet padding system.

FIG. 2 depicts a front side or head-side view of the example helmet padding system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts the example padding system of FIGS. 1 and 2 installed in a helmet.

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict cross-sectional views of the example padding system of FIGS. 1 and 2 installed in the helmet of FIG. 3.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict another example helmet padding system.

FIG. 8 depicts the example padding system of FIGS. 6 and 7 installed in a helmet.

FIG. 9 depicts another example helmet padding system.

FIG. 10 depicts the example substantially unitary base portion of the example helmet padding system of FIG. 9

FIGS. 11A and 11B depict the manner in which the pads of FIG. 9 are slidably coupled to the arms of the base portion.

FIGS. 12 and 13 depict another example helmet padding system.

FIG. 14 depicts the example padding system of FIGS. 12 and 13 having a moisture-wicking fabric cover and positioned for installation in a helmet.

FIG. 15 shows the example padding system of FIGS. 12 and 13 installed in the helmet of FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The example helmet padding systems described herein provide improved safety, fit and comfort characteristics in comparison to many conventional helmet liners, pads and/or suspension systems. In general, example helmet padding systems described herein may be made of one or more impact attenuating or absorbing materials that have been arranged and configured to increase an amount of impact absorbing material in contact with inner surfaces of various helmets while at the same time improving comfort, fit and load distribution (i.e., the distribution of weight) of the helmets on the heads of persons wearing the helmets in comparison to many conventional liners, pads and/or suspension systems.

Further, prior to installation in helmets, the example helmet padding systems described herein may be configured to have a substantially flat profile or geometry to facilitate shipping or transport of the padding systems. For example, shipping a quantity of padding systems or storage of a helmet padding system in a backpack or other container or location is more efficient as a result of such a flat, uninstalled profile or geometry. Additionally, some known helmet padding systems that are formed to have a substantially non-flat profile or geometry (e.g., a shape that corresponds to the three-dimensional shape of an inner surface of a helmet) are more difficult to ship or transport in quantity and more difficult to store due to their susceptibility to permanent deformation (e.g., crushing or flattening). Once deformed, these known helmet padding systems may be very difficult, if not impossible, to install in a helmet, may no longer provide a comfortable fit and/or may be compromised such that they no longer provide a sufficient degree of impact protection. Thus, the substantially flat uninstalled profile or geometry of the example helmet padding systems described herein also advantageously eliminate or minimize such deformation issues and the related performance degradation associated with these known helmet padding systems.

The example helmet padding systems described herein may be implemented as composite structures in which different materials of the structures are shaped and arranged in different layers and/or locations to provide a desired level of impact absorption or attenuation and comfort for a particular type of helmet or application. For example, an example helmet padding system may have a pad body composed of an impact absorbing material and including a substantially unitary base portion having a central portion and a plurality of separate, flexible arms extending radially from the central portion. Such a structure enables the pad body to assume a substantially flat profile (with the arms extending outward and generally parallel to each other and the central portion) when not installed in a helmet. Also, this structure can be easily installed in a helmet by pushing the central portion toward the top portion of the inner surface of the helmet and conforming (bending, curving) the flexible arms to fit the curved inner surface of the helmet.

To increase the amount of impact absorbing material in contact with the inner surface of a helmet without compromising fit or comfort for the person wearing the helmet, the example helmet padding systems described herein include a plurality of first raised portions, such as spacers, inserts and/or integrally formed features, distributed on a first side of the pad body that is to face the inner surface of a helmet. The first raised portions extend beyond (i.e., are raised or project relative to) a surface of the first side so that when the padding system (and the pad body) is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by a person, the first raised portions fill spaces that would otherwise exist between the padding system and the curved inner surface of the helmet. In other words, without the first raised portions, certain regions of the padding system would otherwise exhibit a gap or space between the inner surface of the helmet and the padding system. Such gaps may adversely affect the ability of the padding system and helmet to absorb or attenuate impacts (such as blunt force impacts), particularly in the areas of the helmet corresponding to the gaps or spaces. Specifically, these gaps or spaces may significantly reduce the time for which the impact absorbing material of the padding system is able to absorb the energy of an impact to the helmet. Thus, because the total energy imparted to a helmet during an impact may be largely independent of the presence and/or size of any such gaps or spaces, the reduction of impact absorption time may result in greater peak accelerations or forces being transferred to the absorbing material and, as a result, the head of the person wearing the helmet. Accordingly, the example helmet padding systems described herein may distribute the first raised portions on the pad body to fill such spaces or gaps, particularly in areas or regions of the helmet that are likely to receive an impact. In this manner, the example padding systems can achieve a significant reduction in the peak forces or accelerations to which the person wearing the helmet is subjected and, therefore, greatly improve the ability of a helmet to protect the person wearing the helmet.

The first raised portions may extend the same or different distances beyond the surface of the first side, may have the same or different geometries, shapes or sizes, and/or may be made of the same or different materials to suit the needs of a particular application. For example, the extension distances of each of the first raised portions may be selected to optimize fit of a helmet on the head of a person while minimizing or eliminating any gaps or spaces between the helmet padding system and the inner surface of a helmet while the helmet is being worn by a person. Similarly, the geometries, shapes or sizes of the first raised portions and/or the materials of which the first raised portions are made may be selected to optimize fit, comfort and protection provided by the helmet padding system.

To further improve comfort, fit, load distribution and safety of a helmet, the example helmet padding systems described herein may also include a second plurality of raised portions (such as spacers, inserts and/or integrally formed features) on a second side of the pad body or base portion. The second raised portions may extend beyond a surface of the second side to engage the head of a person wearing the helmet and suspend the helmet on the head of the person.

The second raised portions may be configured and distributed on the second side to distribute (e.g., balance) the weight of the helmet on the head of a person wearing the helmet and to stabilize the helmet on the person's head, particularly in response to expected patterns of movement by the person in the environment in which the helmet is to be used. For example, in certain military and/or law enforcement applications, such expected movements may include running, jumping, crawling, rolling, rapid head and/or upper body movements, etc. More specifically, in some examples, the second raised portions may be located to engage the topmost portion of the person's head as well as the front (e.g., upper forehead), the back and the sides of the person's head.

The second raised portions may be made to have the same material, geometry, and/or dimensions, or may be made of different materials having different geometries and/or dimensions selected to perform different functions based on the locations of the second raised portions relative to the head of a person wearing a helmet including the padding system. For example, the second raised portions may be composed of a material and extend sufficiently beyond the surface of the second side to firmly grip the person's head to stabilize the helmet. Alternatively or additionally, the second raised portions may be composed of a material that is deformable in response to contact with the person's head to enable the second raised portions to deform or move in a manner that maintains firm contact with the person's head without compromising comfort. Additionally or alternatively, the second raised portions may be composed of and/or covered with a material that can wick moisture away from the head of the person and/or may be composed of a material that is impact absorbing or attenuating.

The second raised portions are also sized or dimensioned to form spaces or gaps between the head of the person wearing the helmet and the inner surface of the padding system. In other words, the second raised portions may also function to suspend the helmet on the head of the person. Such suspension of the helmet facilitates ventilation via the gaps or spaces and, thus, greatly improves comfort for the person wearing the helmet. Additionally, these gaps or spaces between the person's head and the padding system may function to prevent the direct transmission of (i.e., direct paths for the transmission of) kinetic energy imparted via an impact to the helmet to the person's head, thereby further enhancing safety of the helmet. For example, with helmets having a ballistic shell (i.e., a shell design to stop projectiles such as bullet slugs), the impact of a slug may nevertheless result in significant deformation of the helmet shell such that the inner surface of the helmet shell is forced inward toward the head of the person wearing the helmet (e.g., backface deformation). Such rapid deformation of the helmet shell may convey a significant amount of kinetic energy to portions of the padding system in contact with the deformed portion of the helmet shell. The gaps or spaces formed by the second raised portions between the head of the person and the padding system may prevent the kinetic energy imparted to the helmet shell by an impact such as a bullet slug and any of the padding system in contact with the helmet shell from being conveyed directly to those portions of the person's head adjacent to the gaps or spaces.

The example padding systems described herein may also employ additional slots, grooves or channels in the pad body to further enhance ventilation and, thus, comfort. Additionally, the example padding systems may include a moisture-wicking or other fabric that covers at least part of or which may fully encapsulate the pad body to improve comfort for the person wearing a helmet employing one of the padding systems.

As noted above, the example padding systems may be composite structures involving multiple types of material and/or multiple layers of materials having multiple shapes or geometries to perform different respective functions associated with safety, fit and/or comfort in accordance with the locations on the padding system. Thus, in some examples, the base portion of the pad body and the first raised portions, spacers or inserts distributed on the first side of the pad body (i.e., the side to face the inner surface of a helmet) may be made of a highly impact attenuating or absorbing material. Further, the first raised portions may be disk shaped, cylindrically shaped or any other geometry to maximize conformance or engagement between the raised portions with the inner surface of the helmet. The second raised portions on the second side of the pad body (i.e., the side to face the head of a person wearing the helmet) may likewise be made of an impact absorbing material and/or may be made more compliant and/or of a material that provides comfort when engaged with the head of a person. These second raised portions may also be disk shaped, cylindrically shaped or any other geometry to maximize conformance or engagement with the person's head, thereby maximizing comfort and stability of the helmet.

Still further, while the example padding systems described herein may include multiple materials, layers, portions, etc., the example padding systems may be constructed in a manner that results in the substantial integration of two or more of the components or features of the padding systems. For example, various features may be formed from a unitary piece of material (e.g., via a heat forming and/or pressing process) and/or one or more features or components may be fixed to one another in a manner that results in substantial integration or a substantially unitary body. As used herein such substantial integration means formed from a unitary piece of material (e.g., via a molding process, a heat forming or pressing process, a mechanical shaping process, etc.) or joining components via a thermal process (e.g., heat fusing), a mechanical fastener or fasteners (e.g., sewing, stitching, etc.), a chemical process (e.g., adhesives), etc. In some example implementations, the raised portions may be substantially integrated with the pad body or a base portion of the pad body. In one particular implementation, the raised portions may be disk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped portions that are disposed in recesses in the pad body or base portion and joined thereto via a heat fusing process or any other process or apparatus that substantially integrates the disk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped portions with the pad body or base portion.

The examples described in more detail below in connection with the figures are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Rather, these examples are provided to facilitate an understanding of the invention. Further, the examples depicted in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale and, thus, are not to be construed as limiting the invention to any particular proportions or dimensions.

FIG. 1 depicts a back-side or helmet-side view of an example helmet padding system 100 described herein and FIG. 2 depicts a front-side or head-side view of the example helmet padding system 100 of FIG. 1. As used herein the term “helmet side” refers to a portion, surface or side of a structure that is to face an inner surface of a helmet. Conversely, the term “head side” refers to a portion, surface or side of a structure that generally faces the head of a person. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the example helmet padding system 100 includes a pad body 102 having a substantially unitary base portion 104. The base portion 104 has a first side or helmet side 106 that is to face an inner surface of a helmet when the padding system 100 is installed in the helmet. A second side or head side 108 of the base portion 104 opposite the helmet side 106 is to face the head of a person when a helmet having the padding system 100 is worn by the person.

In this example, the pad body 102 or base portion 104 includes a plurality of arms 112a-d extending radially away from a central portion 114 of the pad body 102. As shown in FIG. 3, the central portion 114 and the arms 112a-d are shaped to substantially cover the inner surface of a helmet when the padding system 100 is installed in the helmet. In this particular example, there are four arms, where the arms 112a and 112c, which lie along a first longitudinal axis 116, are to be curved upward (in the orientation of FIG. 1) when the padding system 100 is installed in a helmet so that these arms 112a and 112c are to be positioned adjacent the front and back sides of the head of a person wearing the helmet. The remaining two arms 112b and 112d lie along another longitudinal axis 118, which is perpendicular to the first axis 116, so that when the padding system 100 is installed in a helmet, these arms 112b and 112d are positioned adjacent the right and left sides of the person's head.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, prior to being installed in a helmet, the pad body 102 has a substantially flat profile. Such a flat profile facilitates efficient shipping and/or storage of the padding system 100 and minimizes or prevents deformation or damage to the padding system 100 that could otherwise compromise the functionality or performance of the padding system 100. To provide this flat non-installed profile or geometry, the arms 112a-d are flexible and remain separate from each other, thereby enabling independent movement and/or positioning of the arms during the installation of the padding system 100 in a helmet. Further, the geometries of the pad body 102 and, particularly, the arms 112a-d, are selected so that the padding system substantially covers the inner surface of a helmet when the padding system 100 is installed and, thus, conformed to the inner surface of the helmet. More specifically, each of the arms 112a-d is tapered to narrow toward the central portion 114, thereby complementing the tapered profile of the inner surface of a helmet.

Turning in more detail to FIG. 1, the helmet side 106 includes a first plurality of inserts or raised portions 110a-m distributed over the base portion 104 or pad body 102. These first raised portions 110a-m extend beyond a first surface 120 of the helmet side 106 to fill spaces between the inner surface of the helmet and the pad body 102 when the padding system 100 is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by a person. In particular, the first raised portions 110a-m are located such that they correspond to regions of the helmet where, without the raised portions 110a-m, a space or gap would otherwise exist between the padding system 100 and the inner surface of the helmet. As noted above, such gaps or spaces can significantly degrade the ability of a helmet to attenuate or reduce the peak forces to which a person's head may be subjected when they are wearing the helmet and the helmet is impacted. Further, one or more of the raised portions 110a-m may also correspond to regions of the helmet that are likely to receive an impact (e.g., a blunt force impact). In the example of FIG. 1, at least some of the raised portions 110a-m are located on the arms 112a-d and at least some of the raised portions 110a-m are located along the longitudinal axis 116 of the arms 112a and 112c.

The number of raised portions 110a-m used and/or the locations of the raised portions 110a-m used can be varied to suit the needs of a particular application. Further, the distances by which the raised portions 110a-m extend or project beyond the surface 120 may the same or different as needed to fill any gaps or spaces that would otherwise exist without the raised portions 110a-m. Still further, the raised portions 110a-m may be disposed in respective recesses (one of which is shown at reference number 122) of the pad body 102. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the raised portions 110a-m are generally disk shaped or cylindrically shaped. However, any other shape or geometry may be used instead to achieve similar or identical results.

Now turning in more detail to FIG. 2, the head side 108 includes a second plurality of inserts or raised portions 124a-m distributed on the base portion 104 or the pad body 102. At least some of these raised portions 124a-m extend beyond a surface 126 of the head side 108 to engage the head of a person when a helmet including the padding system 100 is worn by the person. More specifically, the locations of these raised portions 124a-m and/or the distance(s) by which they extend or project beyond the surface 126 may be selected to form spaces between the pad body 102 and the head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person. As described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5 below, the spaces formed by the raised portions 124a-m facilitate ventilation when the helmet is worn by the person. Further, the locations of the raised portions 124a-m, in addition to facilitating ventilation to certain areas within a helmet, also function to control a distribution of a weight of the helmet on the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person. Additionally, the raised portions 124a-m are made of a material or materials that are deformable to facilitate engagement with the head of a person when a helmet including the padding system 100 is worn by the person. Specifically, the raised portions 124a-m may be easily displaced or deformed to conform to the contours of the person's head, thereby maximizing the surface area of the raised portions 124a-m engaged with the person's head. The raised portions 124a-m may extend or project different distances beyond the surface 126 to enable the pad body 102 to contact the various contours of the head of a person wearing a helmet with the padding system 100 installed to maintain a sufficiently tight but comfortable fit as well as a stable fit that evenly distributes the weight of the helmet on the person's head.

The head side 108 of the pad body 102 may also include a plurality of channels or grooves, some of which are indicated with reference numbers 128-136, that further facilitate ventilation. These channels 128-136 also increase the flexibility of the pad body 102 to allow the pad body 102 to be more easily conformed to the curved inner surface of a helmet.

Optionally, the head side 108 of the pad body 102 may include one or more surfaces that have been covered with a material that increases the comfort of a person wearing a helmet with the padding system 100. For example, relatively soft, low density foam may be placed in certain locations on the pad body 102 corresponding to the top of a person's head and their forehead. In FIG. 2, reference numbers 138-148 correspond to example areas or regions of the head side 108 that may include such a comfort material. However, more, fewer and/or different regions of the head side 108 could include such a material or materials.

One or more materials may be used to the form the example, padding system 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2. In general, the materials used for the base portion 104, the raised portions 110a-m, 124a-m and, more generally, the pad body 102, are impact absorbing or attenuating materials and/or comfort providing materials. These materials include, but are not limited to foam-based materials, vinyl-based materials, urethane-based materials, polystyrene-based materials, elastomeric materials and/or polypropylene-based materials. More specifically, example known materials include EVA foam, vinyl nitrile, urethane foam, expanded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene, silicone elastomer, memory foam, urethane gel, thermoplastic elastomer, urethane elastomer, etc.

The materials used to form the pad body 102 may be varied among the regions of the pad body 102 to optimize the overall performance of the padding system 100. For example, the base portion 104 and the raised portions 110a-m may be formed using a relatively high-density impact absorbing material, whereas the raised portions 124a-m may be formed using a somewhat softer, lower density material to absorb impact while providing a comfortable engagement with the head of a person. Further, some of the raised portions 110a-m may be made of one material, while other ones of the raised portions 110a-m are made of one or more other different materials. However, generally, the material(s) used to form the raised portions 110a-m provide an impact absorbing or attenuating characteristic. Similarly, the raised portions 124a-m may be made of the same material or multiple, different materials as needed to achieve a desired purpose and/or to satisfy the needs of a particular application. However, generally, at least some of the raised portions 124a-m may be made from a material or materials that absorb moisture, grip the head of a person and/or provide a relatively high degree of comfort and helmet stability. Further, the base portion 104 may be made of a material or materials that are different from or the same as the materials used for the raised portions 110a-m, 124a-m.

In addition to enabling the example padding system 100 to be formed as a composite structure including a variety of impact-absorbing materials that have been specifically selected based on the location of the material relative to the inner surface of a helmet and/or the head of a person wearing the helmet, the example padding system 100 can be formed using multiple separate component pieces and/or layers that are joined to form a substantially unitary structure. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the base portion 104 includes multiple layers 150 and 152 of impact absorbing material. The raised portions 110a-m, 124a-m, which may be disk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped portions, spacers or inserts, may be mounted in respective recesses in the base portion 104 or the pad body 102. Thus, these raised portions 110a-m, 124a-m form yet another layer of material that may be different than the underlying or surrounding layers. Although the raised portions 110a-m, 124a-m are depicted as disk shaped or cylindrically shaped any other shape(s) may be used.

The various layers and/or components of the example padding system 100 may be made substantially unitary using, for example, a heat forming or thermal fusing process, one or more adhesives, one or more mechanical fasteners (e.g., sewing), and/or any other apparatus or process that fixes the components and/or layers together into a substantially unitary body. Alternatively, the raised portions 110a-m, 124a-m and the base portion 104 may be integrally formed from a single piece of material using a thermal forming or molding process that results in a pad body 102 that has regions of varying thickness where the relatively thicker regions of the pad body 102 correspond to raised portions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the example padding system 100 can include a cover 154 that encapsulates or at least partially covers the pad body 102. The cover 154 may be made of a moisture-wicking fabric or other material that increases the comfort of the padding system 100 by enabling wicking of moisture from the head of a person wearing a helmet including the padding system 100.

Thus, it can be readily appreciated from the foregoing that the example padding system 100 provides a substantial degree of construction flexibility to enable optimization of fit, comfort, and safety for a variety of different types of helmets and applications. Within a given helmet, the padding system 100 can be further optimized based on the location or region of the inner surface of the helmet and the corresponding location or region of the head of the person wearing the helmet. Such optimization of the performance of the example padding system 100 within a given helmet design can be achieved by varying materials and/or dimensions of the raised portions 110a-m, 124a-m, the base portion 104 and, more generally, of the pad body 102 on a location-by-location basis (i.e., the various locations of the helmet and a person's head).

FIG. 3 depicts the example padding system 100 installed in a helmet 300. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the example padding system 100, when conformed to the inner surface of the helmet 300, substantially covers the inner surface of the helmet 300. While not shown, the padding system 100 may be attached to the inner surface of the helmet 300 using hook and loop fasteners (e.g., Velcro), adhesive(s), or any other suitable fastening technique(s).

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict cross-sectional views of the example padding system 100 installed in the helmet 300. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrates the manner in which the raised portions 110a-m on the helmet side 106 of the padding system 100 eliminate or fill gaps or spaces that would otherwise exist between an inner surface 400 of the helmet 300 and the padding system 100. FIGS. 4 and 5 also shows how the raised portions 124a-m on the head side 108 of the padding system 100 engage the head of a person to provide ventilation gaps 402-406, distribute the weight of the helmet 300 and stabilize the helmet 300 relative to the head of the person wearing the helmet 300. Further, the raised portions 124a-m also function to suspend the helmet 300 on the person's head, thereby preventing the direct transfer of kinetic energy between at least one area of the inner surface of the helmet 300 and the person's head. For example, if a projectile such as a bullet slug impacts the helmet 300 in an area corresponding to arrow 500 in FIG. 5, the kinetic energy transferred to the helmet by the projectile may cause backface deformation of the helmet at the impact site. However, because there is no direct path from the site of the impact to the person's head, the kinetic energy transferred to the helmet 300 is distributed over a larger area of the helmet and padding system 100 before reaching the person's head. As a result, the peak forces, accelerations, etc. to which any given area of the person's head is subjected are substantially reduced or minimized.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depict another example helmet padding system 600. FIG. 6 shows a helmet side 602 of a pad body 604. The pad body 604 includes a base portion 605, and the helmet side 602 includes a plurality of arms 606-610 and a central portion 612. Additionally, the helmet side 602 of the pad body 604 includes a plurality of spacers, inserts or raised portions 614a-d that extend or project beyond a surface 616 of the base portion 605 or the pad body 604. As with the raised portions 110a-m of the example padding system 100, the raised portions 614a-d are sized and located to fill spaces or gaps that would otherwise exist between the padding system 600 and the inner surface of a helmet when the padding system 600 is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by a person.

FIG. 7 shows a head side 618 of the pad body 604. The head side 618 includes a plurality of raised portions, some of which have been indicated at reference numbers 620-624. These raised portions 620-624 function to stabilize a helmet including the padding system 600 on a person's head, distribute the weight of the helmet and to facilitate ventilation via slots, gaps or grooves, some of which are indicated at reference numbers 626-632. The materials and construction or fabrication of the example padding system 600 may be similar or identical to those employed in connection with the padding system 100 described above and, thus, are not described further.

FIG. 8 depicts the example padding system 600 installed in a helmet 800. As with the padding system 100 described above, the padding system 600 may be attached to an inner surface of the helmet 800 using hook and loop fasteners, or any other fastening technique(s).

FIG. 9 depicts another example helmet padding system 900. The example padding system 900 includes a pad body 902 having a substantially unitary base portion 904. The base portion 904 includes a plurality of arms 906-912 that extend radially from a central portion 914. The arms 906-912 include respective elongated slots or openings 916-922 which receive respective pads 924-930 that are slidably coupled or engaged to the base portion 904 via the slots 916-922.

The manner in which the pads 924-930 are coupled to the base portion 904 is illustrated in connection with the leftmost pad (i.e., pad 924) in FIG. 9. Specifically, a guide pin or block 932 is attached to a helmet side 934 of the pad 924. This guide pin or block 932 passes through the slot 916 and a cap 936 is attached to the guide pin or block 932 to prevent the pad 934 from being separated from the base portion 904. However, the guide pin or block 932 is dimensioned to enable the guide pin or block 932 to slide within the slot 916, thereby enabling the pad 924 to be moved or adjusted as needed to fit a particular helmet and/or head of a person.

A head side 938 of the example padding system 900 as depicted in FIG. 9 includes a plurality of raised portions, some of which are indicated at reference numbers 940-942. These raised portions 940-942 function in manners similar or identical to the head-side raised portions described above in connection with the example padding system 100. Likewise, the pads 924-930 may also include slots or grooves, some of which are indicated at references numbers 944-948, that function to further facilitate ventilation. The materials and/or construction of the example padding system 900 may be similar to those used in connection with the example padding system 100 described above and, thus, are not described further.

FIG. 10 depicts the example substantially unitary base portion 904 of the example padding system 900 of FIG. 9. FIGS. 11A and 11B depict the manner in which the pads 924-930 are slidably coupled to the arms 906-912 of the base portion 904. As can be seen in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the cap 936 may also include hook and loop material 1100 to facilitate attachment of the padding system 900 to the inner surface of a helmet.

FIGS. 12 and 13 depict another example helmet padding system 1200. A head side 1202 of the example padding system 1200 is shown in FIG. 12 and a helmet side 1300 of the example padding system 1200 is shown in FIG. 13. The example padding system 1200 includes a substantially unitary pad body 1204 having a plurality of arms 1206 and 1208 extending from a central portion 1210. The head side 1202 includes a plurality of raised portions 1212-1234 separated by channels or grooves, some of which are indicated at reference numbers 1236-1240. The raised portions 1212-1234, in addition to providing impact attenuation and/or absorption, are configured to stabilize and distribute the weight of a helmet on a person's head.

As shown in FIG. 13, the helmet side 1300 of the padding system 1200 includes a plurality of raised portions 1302-1314 that are positioned and dimensioned to fill gaps that would otherwise exist between an inner surface of a helmet and the padding system 1200. The example padding system 1200 may be composed of materials similar or identical to those discussed above in connection with the other example padding systems. Likewise, the example padding system 1200 may be constructed or fabricated using techniques similar or identical to those used in connection with the other example helmet padding systems described above.

FIG. 14 depicts the example padding system 1200 having a moisture-wicking fabric cover 1400 and positioned for installation in a helmet 1402. FIG. 15 shows the example padding system 1200 installed in the helmet 1402.

Although certain apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. To the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims

1. A padding system for use in a helmet, comprising:

a pad body having a substantially unitary base portion, the base portion having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side to face an inner surface of a helmet and the second side to face the head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person;

a first plurality of raised portions distributed on the first side of the base portion, at least some of the first raised portions extending beyond a first surface of the first side to fill first spaces between the inner surface of the helmet and the pad body when the padding system is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by the person; and

a second plurality of raised portions distributed on the second side of the base portion, at least some of the second raised portions extending beyond a second surface of the second side to engage the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

2. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the first raised portions are distributed on the first side to fill the first spaces in regions corresponding to portions of the helmet likely to receive an impact.

3. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the second raised portions are distributed on the second side to form second spaces between the pad body and the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

4. The padding system as defined in claim 3, wherein the second spaces facilitate ventilation when the helmet is worn by the person.

5. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the second raised portions are distributed on the second side to control a distribution of a weight of the helmet on the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

6. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the second raised portions are deformable to facilitate engagement with the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

7. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein the pad body comprises channels to facilitate ventilation when the helmet is worn by the person.

8. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first raised portions extends a different distance beyond the first surface than another one of the first raised portions.

9. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the second raised portions extends a different distance beyond the second surface than an another one of the second raised portions.

10. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the second raised portions comprises a first material and another one of the second raised portions comprises a second material different than the first material.

11. The padding system as defined in claim 10, wherein the first material is to grip the head of the person and the second material is to absorb moisture from the head of the person.

12. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first raised portions is made of a first material and at least one of the second raised portions is made of a second material different than the first material.

13. The padding system as defined in claim 12, wherein the base portion is made of a third material different than at least one of the first or second materials.

14. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein first raised portions comprise an impact absorbing material.

15. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first raised portions or the second raised portions is thermally fused to the pad body.

16. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first raised portions or the second raised portions is coupled via an adhesive or a mechanical fastener to the pad body.

17. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first raised portions or the second raised portions are integrally formed with the pad body by varying a thickness of the pad body in a region corresponding to the at least one of the first raised portions or the second raised portions.

18. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein base portion has a plurality of arms extending from a central portion of the pad body.

19. The padding system as defined in claim 18, wherein the central portion and the arms are shaped to substantially cover the inner surface of the helmet when the padding system is installed in the helmet.

20. The padding system as defined in claim 19, wherein at least one of the arms is tapered to narrow toward the central portion.

21. The padding system as defined in claim 18, wherein the plurality of arms comprises four arms, two of the arms lying along a first longitudinal axis and the other two arms lying along a second longitudinal axis perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis.

22. The padding system as defined in claim 21, wherein the two arms lying along the first longitudinal axis are to be positioned adjacent left and right sides of the head of the person, and wherein the two arms lying along the second longitudinal axis are to be positioned adjacent the front and back sides of the head of the person.

23. The padding system as defined in claim 18, wherein at least some of the raised portions are disposed along a longitudinal axis of one of the arms.

24. The padding system as defined in claim 18, wherein each of the arms includes a slot and the pad body comprises a plurality of pad portions to slidably engage respective ones of the slots to enable adjustment of the padding system when the padding system is installed in the helmet.

25. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the raised portions are disk-shaped or cylindrically-shaped.

26. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the raised portions are disposed in respective recesses in the pad body.

27. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein prior to being installed in the helmet, the pad body has a substantially flat profile.

28. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein the pad body comprises at least one of a foam material, a vinyl material, a urethane material, a polystyrene material, an elastomeric material, or a polypropylene material.

29. The padding system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of raised portions comprises at least one of a foam material, a vinyl material, a urethane material, a polystyrene material, an elastomeric material, or a polypropylene material.

30. The padding system as defined in claim 1 further comprising a fabric cover encapsulating the pad body, the fabric to wick moisture from the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

31. A padding system for use in a helmet, comprising:

a pad body having a base portion, the base portion having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side to face an inner surface of a helmet and the second side to face the head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person;

a first plurality of inserts distributed on the first side of the base portion and substantially integral with the pad body, the first inserts to engage the inner surface of the helmet when the padding system is installed in the helmet; and

a second plurality of inserts distributed on the second side of the base portion and substantially integral with the pad body, the second inserts to engage the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

32. The padding system as defined in claim 31, wherein at least one of the inserts extends beyond a first surface of the first side or a second surface of the second side to prevent the direct transfer of kinetic energy between at least one area of the inner surface of the helmet and the head of the person when the helmet is worn by the person.

33. The padding system as defined in claim 32, wherein at least another one of the inserts extends a different distance beyond the first surface or the second surface than the at least one of the inserts.

34. The padding system as defined in claim 31, wherein at least some of the inserts are integrally formed with, heat fused to, coupled via an adhesive to, or mechanically coupled to the pad body.

35. The padding system as defined in claim 31, wherein at least some of the first inserts comprise an impact absorbing material.

36. The padding system as defined in claim 31, wherein at least some of the second inserts comprise a moisture absorbing material.

37. The padding system as defined in claim 31, wherein at least some of the second inserts are deformable to facilitate engagement with the head of the person.

38. The padding system as defined in claim 37, wherein the at least some of the second inserts are cylindrically shaped and composed of a foam material to facilitate engagement with the head of the person.

39. The padding system as defined in claim 31, wherein the base portion comprises a plurality of radially extending arms and the inserts are distributed on the arms.

40. A padding system for use in a helmet, comprising:

a pad body having a substantially unitary base portion, the base portion having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the first side to face an inner surface of a helmet and the second side to face the head of a person when the helmet is worn by the person, the base portion defining a plurality of flexible arms separately extending from a central portion; and

a plurality of raised portions on the pad body and distributed on the first side of the base portion, at least some of the raised portions located on the arms and extending beyond a first surface of the base portion to fill spaces between the inner surface of the helmet and the pad body when the padding system is installed in the helmet and the helmet is worn by the person.

41. The padding system as defined in claim 40, wherein at least some of the raised portions are distributed on the first side to fill the spaces in regions corresponding to portions of the helmet likely to receive an impact.

42. The padding system as defined in claim 40, wherein at least one of the raised portions extends a different distance beyond the first surface than another one of the raised portions.

43. The padding system as defined in claim 40, wherein at least some of the raised portions are disk-shaped and fixed in respective recesses in the pad body.

44. The padding system as defined in claim 40, wherein at least some of the raised portions are formed by varying a thickness of the pad body.

45. The padding system as defined in claim 40, wherein prior to being installed in the helmet, the pad body has a substantially flat profile.