Abstract: A protective helmet with a crown made of synthetic material comprises a fixing device with a strap and means for adjusting the head-band size. The wall of the crown is drilled in the direction of the thickness with a plurality of orifices for housing positioning knobs adjustable between a first adjustment position corresponding to a large head-band size, in which said knobs are inserted inside the orifices, and a second adjustment position corresponding to a small head-band size, in which said knobs are salient towards the inside of the crown, each positioning knob having gripping means accessible from outside the crown to press the internal bearing face of the knob directly against the user's head.

Abstract: A football helmet sizing card is described which permits convenient, rapid and efficient sizing and adjustment of football helmets on a football player's head. The card includes indicia which may be used to quickly and efficiently measure spacing of the football helmet from the player's eyebrows to the front rim of the helmet. The card is also sized in width so as to correspond to the manufacturer's recommended spacing distance from the nose to the face mask of the helmet. In this way, the card can be used quickly and efficiently over the course of the season to test for helmet sizing and adjustment, and this is particularly useful with helmets which have adjustable air bladder inflation systems so that appropriate inflation of the bladders can be made during the course of the season as atmospheric conditions warrant.

Abstract: A bicycle helmet is disclosed having a flexible, articulated member depending from the rear of the helmet, providing a closer fit to an individual wearer's head and improving stability of the helmet on the head, particularly for mountain bike riding. The articulated member contacts the wearer's head beneath the occipital region and applies a forward and upward pressure against the head. The general embodiment of the invention includes an elastic strap stretching from one side of the helmet, across the back of the articulated member, to the opposite side of the helmet. Adjusting this strap allows the wearer to adjust the forward and upward pressure exerted by the articulated member on the wearer's head.

Abstract: A protective helmet for use by children is provided, with a top portion formed as a hollow dome, containing a plurality of ventilation openings. The top portion includes a stretch panel which extends from the top of the dome to a rim of the top portion. The protective helmet also includes a padded brim which is formed as a band mounted to and encircling an outer circumference of the top portion at the rim, and includes a stretch panel adjacent to the stretch panel of the top portion. The protective helmet further includes a first strap and a second strap mounted to the padded brim that are attachable to and detachable from each other. Each strap has an ear protection portion at the point of attachment to the padded brim that is configured to provide protection to the ears of the child, with a plurality of ventilation openings therein for the passage of air and sound.

Abstract: An adjustable shower and rain cap is provided, which consists of a headband worn about a head of a person. A waterproof pliable crown is affixed to the headband, so as to extend over the head of the person at different changeable heights. A structure is for retaining the crown in any one of the different changeable heights, so that the crown can cover any one of a number of different types of hairdos and keep it dry.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a headgear with a holding device for a measuring unit, illuminating unit or viewing unit. The headgear has a headband and a frontal band and is mounted on the head of the wearer of the headgear. A base body is mounted on the frontal band and a bracket for holding the unit is attached to said base body by a clamping device. The clamping device is manually actuable between a fixing position wherein the bracket is movably fixed relative to the base body and a releasing position wherein the bracket is released so as to permit movement of the bracket in elevation relative to the base body. A detent device permits the bracket to be rotated relative to the base body while the clamping device is in the fixing position.

Abstract: A method of locating properly and comfortably a protective helmet on the head of a person. A fit, locating and comfort band is mounted around the persons head, namely adjacent the ears and the back of the head and over the forehead. Thereafter, a protective plastic helmet having a foam lining is mounted over the band as a separate and distinct operation. The method further comprises employing a harness above the band to aid in keeping it in place while the helmet is subsequently mounted, and to protect the top of the head from discomfort caused by a central foam element of the helmet. The apparatus comprises the band and harness and helmet employed in combination with each other, but with no need for the band or harness to be connected to the helmet. In accordance with another aspect of the method and apparatus, an inflatable bladder is employed to aid in maintaining the band and helmet in the desired positions.

Abstract: A molded plastic cap buckle and adjustment strap are provided for adjusting the circumference of the head band of a cap to adjust the cap to the head of a user. The buckle is secured to one end of the head band of the cap and the adjustment strap is secured at the other end of the head band. The buckle is made from a unitary member having parts hinged together along an elongated axis that lies generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the adjustment strap. The buckle and strap have cooperating recesses and projections for securing the buckle and strap in selected adjusted position. The recesses and projections are constructed to provide for one-way longitudinal movement of the strap relative to the buckle in one direction when the buckle and strap are assembled to reduce the effective circumference of the head band, but preclude longitudinal movement in the opposite direction.

Abstract: Headgear for mounting protective equipment such as a visor is disclosed as including a head band and a crown band. The head band includes a brow band section, side band sections and a neck band section. The side band sections are curved upwardly and incline inwardly such that the neck band section is positioned lower than the brow band section when the headgear is worn. The sections of the side bands that are inclined are reinforced at a top edge of the side band portions.

Abstract: A helmet system includes a helmet shell and an energy-absorbing helmet liner that is constructed from an open-cell urethane foam impregnated with a room-temperature curable thermoset epoxy. The impregnated foam liner is inserted in the helmet shell, heated until the liner becomes deformably plastic, and placed on the head of a user, permitting custom-fitting of the helmet system that conforms to the contours of the user's head. When cured by cooling, the liner assumes a rigid construction that, by custom-fitting, repeatably aligns the helmet shell to the head of the user, and is crushable to absorb energy.

Abstract: Existing devices for stabilizing a safety helmet such as a hard hat are either unduly complicated or ill adapted as retrofits for existing helmets. A simple restraining device for use on new or existing helmets includes a bracket located at the center of the interior of each side of the helmet for pivotally supporting front and rear headbands. Pins extending through the headbands into arcuate slots in the brackets limit rotation of the front and rear headbands with respect to the brackets. A force tending to lift or rotate the helmet from the wearer's head will cause the headbands to pivot downwardly and inwardly against the wearer's head, thus inhibiting removal thereof from the head of the wearer.

Abstract: A strap and buckle assembly wherein a plurality of ratchet teeth are formed on the strap and the buckle has a ratchet type of catch for releasably retaining the strap. The housing of the buckle has a slipway which receives the strap. A catch lever is pivotally mounted on the housing for movement between a locking position and a release position. The catch lever having first and second portions of its length extending from opposite sides of its pivotal axis. A shoulder is formed on the first portion of the catch lever and is arranged to be oppositely disposed with respect to the locking faces of the ratchet teeth when the catch lever is in the locking position. Resiliently deformable catch biasing arms are formed integrally with and extending from the second portion of the catch lever into contact with the housing.

Abstract: The fluid filled neck exerciser includes an annulus filled with a fluid such as water and/or air and a head support device. The head support device has attachment members allowing the removable attachment of the annulus, the head support device including adjustment structure allowing adjustment of the size of the head support device for heads of differing sizes. The annulus may be selectively filled with a desired amount of fluid and with the device placed on the head of the user, the head may be rotated to perform exercises such as rehabilitation therapy or muscle development. The fluid filled neck exerciser provides exercise for the entire cervical musculature by movement in predetermined patterns.

Abstract: A head protection or helmet suspension is shown having a ratchet adjustment apparatus for the adjustment of the suspension size where the ratchet apparatus is comprised of three parts, all pre-molded of resilient plastic material and having a pre-molded spring fixed around the center of the adjustment knob to engage pins in the ratchet case to lock the suspension size in position. The assembly has no metal parts and is therefore suitable for use around electricity and electrical apparatus.

Abstract: A helmet for protecting a head according to this invention has a hard shell generally symmetrical to a longitudinal plane and having a rear edge normally juxtaposed with the nape of the neck of the wearer and a pair of front temple regions flanking the plane and normally juxtaposed with the temples of the wearer, a rear center strap having two ends and lying generally on the plane and a pair of similar side straps generally symmetrically flanking the plane and each having a rear end fixed to the other end of the center strap and a front end secured to the helmet at the respective temple region. The one end of the center strap is adjustably secured to the shell at the rear edge therefor generally on the plane. Respective fittings are slidable on the side straps between the ends thereof and a chin strap extends between the fittings and normally passes under the chin of the wearer.

Abstract: An improved headgear conformable to the head of a wearer and capable of absorbing energy to thereby protect the wearer against blows to the head. The headgear is fabricated of foam coated with a pliable coating. The foam is shaped as a circumferential strip adapted to encompass the head of the wearer and includes a first portion extending across the wearer's forehead, a second portion extending across the back of the wearer's head and intermediate portions extending across the sides of the wearer's head. The intermediate portions couple the wide portion and narrow portion. A concave region is formed in the interior of the wide portion to create a dome-shaped air space between the back of the wearer's head and the interior of the headgear for the increased absorption of the force of a blow to the back of the head of a wearer.

Abstract: An ice-hockey helmet includes a front part and a back part which are hinged together and which, to enable the size of the helmet to be altered, are arranged to be swung to and locked in different positions relative to one another. The front part forms the major part of the helmet and is provided with ear guards having chin strap attaching means, while the back part has the form of a basin-shaped neck guard. The neck guard can be swung as a flap, relative to the front part of the helmet, about a substantially horizontal hinge means. To enable the helmet to be altered precisely to selected sizes, the front and back parts of the helmet are provided with mutually co-acting portions which when the back part of the helmet is swung relative to the front part thereof, so as to shorten the helmet, cause the helmet to be drawn together, so as to reduce the width thereof.

Abstract: An individually fitted helmet liner includes a plurality of superposed contacting layers, each of which consists of a thermoplastic sheet formed with an array of pockets which are open and unfilled to allow their deformation in response to compressive contact with an adjacent layer. The liner is fitted to an individual wearer's head by heating the sheets to a plastic state, placing the liner between an outer shell and the wearer's head, and pressing down on the outer shell to deform the sheets to the proper extent.

Abstract: An individualized helmet assembly and method of and apparatus for making the same in which a helmet liner having a plurality of apertures is removably secured inside a fixture in the form of a rigid template simulating a helmet shell and having apertures registering with the apertures in the liner. Resilient, snugly fitting spacer plugs are inserted in the apertures from the inner side of the liner, and the entire assembly is placed over the wearer's head. Selected plugs are pushed inwardly against the head of the wearer properly to position and stabilize the helmet-simulating fixture and liner on the wearer's head. The remaining spacers are then pushed inwardly until they abut the wearer's head. Finally, with the assembly removed from the wearer's head, the portions of the spacers protruding outwardly from the template are cut off, and the liner is separated from the template and assembled with an outer helmet shell to complete the construction.

Abstract: Headprotector for athletes, including a body of form-molded polyurethane integral foam surrounding the head on all sides, extending to the beginning of the neck vertebrae on the back of the head, and having a bowl-shaped region covering the chin, the molded body having openings formed therein for the eyes, nose, mouth and ears, a parting slot extending from the mouth opening over the chin bowl, and two parallel longitudinal slots extending over the occipital region of the head and ending at the lower edge of the molded body forming a free strap therebetween, the free strap extending from the upper region of the molded body to the beginning of the neck vertebrae.

Abstract: An individualized helmet assembly and method of and apparatus for making the same in which a helmet liner having a plurality of apertures is removably secured inside a fixture in the form of a rigid template simulating a helmet shell and having apertures registering with the apertures in the liner. Resilient, snugly fitting spacer plugs are inserted in the apertures from the inner side of the liner, and the entire assembly is placed over the wearer's head. Selected plugs are pushed inwardly against the head of the wearer properly to position and stabilize the helmet-simulating fixture and liner on the wearer's head. The remaining spacers are then pushed inwardly until they abut the wearer's head. Finally, with the assembly removed from the wearer's head, the portions of the spacers protruding outwardly from the template are cut off, and the liner is separated from the template and assembled with an outer helmet shell to complete the construction.

Abstract: A crash helmet such as for use by motorcylists having an inner shell of shock-absorbing material and an outer shell and visor which are constructed as a single integral piece of transparent hard plastic material which fittingly surrounds the greater part of the inner shell. The outer and inner shells are connected to hinges transverse to the side portion of the helmet.

Abstract: An adjustable helmet suspension system for varying the height at which a met is worn on the head. A doubled strand of braid, or other type of cord, supports the suspension straps of the helmet suspension system. The doubled strand of braid is made adjustable in circumference, thereby controlling the degree to which the helmet suspension straps are drawn in over the head of the wearer. Adjustment of the circumference of the doubled strand of braid is accomplished rapidly by means of a hook and pile type fastener, the hook portion of which is attached to the ends of the doubled strand of braid while the pile portion is attached to the upper surface of one of the straps of the helmet suspension system.

Abstract: A simplified protective helmet of the type in which a molded relatively rigid frame for supporting the helmet headband, chin strap and crown assemblies is formed with an upwardly opening outer peripheral channel for receiving the edge of an outer ballistic shell and with a continuous flange extending generally upwardly and somewhat inwardly from the inner wall of the peripheral channel. The inner surface of the flange is formed with a plurality of spaced strap loop accommodating recesses and is provided with fastener elements at locations between the recesses. Respective adjustable loops at the ends of each of a number of crown straps are received by portions of a frame-carried cord extending across the strap loop accommodating recesses. Headband framing bodies carrying fastener elements are manually releasably secured to the flange carried fastener elements. Spacer elements may be provided between the flange and the headband bodies for smaller head sizes.