Versatile Protective Helmet Applique Assembly
The helmet appliqué assembly of the present invention permits a helmet wearer to upgrade the ballistic prevention capabilities of a traditional helmet quickly and efficiently. The helmet appliqué can be provided as part of a helmet appliqué system and/or assembly that includes internal-side connection means for attaching to a helmet and external-side connection means for receiving any of various external items such as identification tags, mounts and external equipment or attachments. The appliqué element can comprise various types of material, including, for example, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). In one embodiment of the present invention, multiple helmet appliqué elements are employed on the same helmet and include surfaces and portions that are cooperatively engageable for covering multiple areas of the helmet at the same time.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/912,720, filed Jun. 7, 2013, and entitled “Versatile Protective Helmet Appliqué Assembly”, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/594,964, filed Aug. 27, 2012, entitled “Versatile Protective Helmet Appliqué Assembly”, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,222,758, issued on Dec. 29, 2015.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention pertains to armor-enhanced headwear, and more particularly to an armor-enhanced helmet appliqué assembly including a helmet appliqué that is comfortable, balanced, detachable, versatile and which protects the head from projectiles such as ballistic projections.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONMilitary and law enforcement personnel have employed armor-enhanced clothing in order to protect their bodies from gunfire, shrapnel, explosive devices and other harmful ballistic objects. Such personnel have further employed armor-enhanced helmets in an effort to block ballistic objects from penetrating traditional helmets and producing injury or grave damage to the head of the wearer. However, prior armor-enhanced helmets are typically heavy and awkward to wear, often causing undue neck fatigue and even injury to the wearer.
The present invention provides a helmet appliqué assembly including a helmet appliqué that is lighter weight, and attachable to an existing helmet to cover one or more areas of an otherwise exposed helmet. The appliqué element of the present invention can be suitably relieved in areas where no ballistic protection is required, or where ballistic protection would otherwise impede certain functions of the helmet and the wearer's desired functional capabilities. The appliqué element of the present invention can comprise various types of material, including, for example, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), aramid fibers, ceramics, polycarbonate, steel or a combination of two or more such materials. The appliqué assembly of the present invention further includes one or more underside attachment member types for attaching the appliqué to a helmet, and can optionally include one or more external-side attachment or connector members for attaching other articles to the outside of the appliqué element. Accordingly, the appliqué system and/or assembly of the present invention increases the protection level of a helmet in a specific area or areas as a mission or threat dictates by allowing the appliqué element to be donned or doffed as needed, and thereby does not require the additional weight of the appliqué element to be permanent.
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In one embodiment of the present invention, the helmet appliqué assembly 30 further includes one or more connector members secured to the internal surface of the appliqué element 10, with the connector members being capable of secure engagement with one or more counterpart connector members of the helmet 15. For instance, hook-and-loop type fasteners, straps, snaps and other similar attachment means can be employed. It will be appreciated that the fastener elements can be directly secured to the fabric material described above.
In a specific embodiment, a hook or loop fastener strip, with adhesive on one side and hook or loop fasteners on the other, is adhered to the internal surface of the appliqué element 10, such that the adhesive side is pressed against the internal surface of the appliqué element and the hook or loop side faces outwardly. A counterpart loop or hook strip can be similarly applied to an underlying helmet (such as helmet 15) in order to be able to securely retain the strip affixed to the internal surface of the appliqué element. It will be appreciated that multiple hook or loop strips can be secured to the internal surface of the appliqué element in locations deemed most suitable to create a secure but releasable fit with the underlying helmet. Such an arrangement is illustrated in the embodiments of the present invention shown in
As an alternative to hook or loop strips, the present invention can use other connector member types, such as male or female snap members secured to the internal surface of the appliqué element, and positioned so as to mate with the counterpart female or male snap members on the outer surface of the helmet. As a further alternative, the connector member types can comprise one or more straps that can be secured to the underlying helmet in known fashion.
In the embodiment of the present invention as shown in
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In one embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in
In connection with this embodiment of the present invention, which is also shown in
In one embodiment of the present invention, the respective internal and external surfaces of the first and second appliqué elements are in substantially flush relation when the front step portion of the rampart member of the second appliqué element is cooperatively engaged with the under-ledge drop surface of the ledge portion of the first appliqué element.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the helmet appliqué assembly 30 further includes one or more connector members secured to the internal surface of the appliqué element 10 and/or 50, with the connector members being capable of secure engagement with one or more counterpart connector members of the helmet 15. For instance, hook-and-loop type fasteners, straps, snaps and other similar attachment means can be employed. It will be appreciated that the fastener elements can be directly secured to the fabric material described above.
In one embodiment of the present invention, one or more connector members on the internal side of the appliqué element 10 and/or 50 are evenly distributed across the helmet appliqué so as to mate with appropriate mating attachment elements distributed across the helmet. In another embodiment of the present invention, the helmet appliqué element is provided as part of a helmet appliqué system kit or assembly, wherein the kit includes alternative attachment members for selection and use by the wearer or assembly personnel. Such an assembly can further include elements that can readily be secured to a helmet that may otherwise be incapable of receiving the helmet appliqué element of the present invention. For example, the kit can include strips of loop-type fasteners with an adhesive substance on one side and loop fasteners on the other, such that the adhesive side can be secured to the helmet, leaving the loop fasteners exposed and available for receiving mating hook fasteners secured to the underside of the helmet appliqué element. Similarly, such an assembly or kit can include one or more attachment components for attaching external elements to the external side of the appliqué element 10 and/or 50. For instance, a loop-type fastener strip with adhesive on one side can be secured to an identification tag via the adhesive side, and the loop-type fastener side can then be exposed for securing to a hook-type fastener on the external side of the appliqué element 10 and/or 50.
The appliqué element of the present invention can be quickly donned and doffed through the use of the attachment components of the present invention. When not in position on a helmet, one embodiment of the appliqué element 10 and/or 50 of the present invention is semi-rigid and can be stored in stand-alone or stacked fashion.
The present invention thus provides a helmet appliqué assembly including a helmet appliqué element that is lighter weight, and attachable to an existing helmet to cover one or more areas of an otherwise exposed helmet. As described above, the present invention can be suitably relieved in areas where no ballistic protection is required, or where ballistic protection would otherwise impede certain functions of the helmet and the wearer's desired functional capabilities. The appliqué element of the present invention can comprise various types of ballistic material, including, for example, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), aramid fibers, ceramics, polycarbonate, or a combination of two or more such materials. In one embodiment of the present invention, the appliqué element can be provided in form similar to a “soft armor” product, wherein the ballistic material is hermetically RF heat sealed and encapsulated within a fabric material (e.g., Cordura™) in order to maintain ballistic integrity in wet or sandy environments.
The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the claims of the application rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.
Claims
1. A helmet appliqué assembly, comprising:
- a first ballistic appliqué element having an external surface with a curvilinear cross-section, an internal surface for engaging the outer surface of a helmet, wherein the internal surface has a curvilinear cross-section, and a first element profile edge; and
- a second ballistic appliqué element having an external surface with a curvilinear cross-section, an internal surface for engaging the outer surface of a helmet, wherein the internal surface has a curvilinear cross-section, and a second element profile edge, with the second element profile edge that is cooperatively engageable with the first element profile edge.
2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the respective external surfaces of the first and second appliqué elements are in substantially flush relation when the second element profile edge is cooperatively engaged with the first element profile edge.
3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the respective internal surfaces of the first and second appliqué elements are in substantially flush relation when the second element profile edge is cooperatively engaged with the first element profile edge.
4. The assembly of claim 1, further including at least one connector member secured to respective internal surfaces of the first and second appliqué elements, wherein the at least one connector member is capable of secure engagement with one or more counterpart connector members of a helmet.
5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the at least one connector member comprises one or more strips having an adhesive on one side and a fastener on the other side.
6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the fastener comprises one of: hook fasteners, loop fasteners, and snap elements.
7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second ballistic appliqué elements each comprises at least one of: ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), aramid fibers, ceramics, and polycarbonate material.
8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first and second appliqué elements comprise hermetically sealed ballistic material.
9. The assembly of claim 1, further including a helmet secured to the first and second ballistic appliqué elements.
10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the helmet includes an attachment, and wherein the first ballistic appliqué element is formed with an opening so as to avoid impeding the use of the helmet attachment.
11. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the attachment is a night vision device mount.
12. The assembly of claim 10, wherein the helmet has a side edge, and wherein the attachment is attached to the helmet side edge.
13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first ballistic appliqué element is formed with an opening so as to avoid impeding the use of a helmet attachment.
14. A helmet appliqué assembly, comprising:
- a first ballistic appliqué element having an external surface with a curvilinear cross-section, an internal surface for engaging the outer surface of a helmet, wherein the internal surface has a curvilinear cross-section, a first element thickness measured from the external surface to the internal surface, and a first element profile edge extending from a termination edge of the external surface to a termination edge of the internal surface of the first ballistic appliqué element; and
- a second ballistic appliqué element having an external surface with a curvilinear cross-section, internal surface for engaging the outer surface of a helmet, wherein the internal surface has a curvilinear cross-section, a second element thickness measured from the external surface to the internal surface, and a second element profile edge extending from a termination edge of the external surface to a termination edge of the internal surface of the second ballistic appliqué element.
15. The assembly of claim 14 wherein the first element thickness and the second element thickness are substantially the same.
16. The assembly of claim 14, further including at least one connector member secured to respective internal surfaces of the first and second appliqué elements, wherein the at least one connector member is capable of secure engagement with one or more counterpart connector members of a helmet.
17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the at least one connector member comprises one or more strips having an adhesive on one side and a fastener on the other side.
18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the fastener comprises one of: hook fasteners, loop fasteners, and snap elements.
19. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the first and second ballistic appliqué elements each comprises at least one of: ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), aramid fibers, ceramics, and polycarbonate material.
20. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the first and second appliqué elements comprise hermetically sealed ballistic material.
21. A helmet appliqué assembly, comprising:
- a first ballistic appliqué element having an external surface with a curvilinear cross-section, an internal surface for engaging the outer surface of a helmet, wherein the internal surface has a curvilinear cross-section, a first element front profile edge and a first element rear profile edge; and
- a second ballistic appliqué element having an external surface with a curvilinear cross-section, an internal surface for engaging the outer surface of a helmet, wherein the internal surface has a curvilinear cross-section, a second element front profile edge and a second element rear profile edge, wherein at least a portion of the second element front profile edge abuts at least a portion of the first element rear profile edge.
22. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the first element front profile edge is formed with an opening so as to avoid impeding the use of a helmet attachment.
23. The assembly of claim 21, further including at least one connector member secured to the first element rear profile edge and at least one connector member secured to the second element front profile edge, wherein the at least one connector member secured to the second element front profile edge is securable to the at least one connector member secured to the first element rear profile edge.
24. The assembly of claim 21, further including a helmet having an outer surface and at least one helmet attachment, wherein the first and second ballistic appliqué elements are secured to the outer surface of the helmet, and wherein at least the first ballistic appliqué element includes at least one side profile edge that is curved to provide relief around the at least one helmet attachment.
25. The assembly of claim 24, wherein the at least one helmet attachment is a rail system.
26. The assembly of claim 21, further including a helmet having an outer surface and at least one helmet attachment, wherein the first and second ballistic appliqué elements are secured to the outer surface of the helmet, and wherein at least the first element front profile edge is curved to provide relief around the at least one helmet attachment.
27. The assembly of claim 26, wherein the at least one helmet attachment is a night vision device mount.
28. The assembly of claim 21, wherein at least one of the first and second ballistic appliqué elements includes one or more connector members on the outer surface thereof for facilitating the attachment of an article thereto.
29. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the first and second ballistic appliqué elements each comprises at least one of: ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), aramid fibers, ceramics, and polycarbonate material.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 19, 2016
Publication Date: Oct 19, 2017
Inventor: David B. Strum (Amissville, VA)
Application Number: 15/382,913