Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02243137 1998-07-10
I ~ ~ .FT
The present invention is in the field of hockey goalie helmets.
Hockey goalie helmets are designed specifically to receive high impact,
shattering blows directly and repeatedly to the face and head region without
injury to
the wearer. Modern hockey goalie helmets typically comprise a molded plastic
shell
with various internal foam layers for padding, a face opening, and a wire-type
cage
over the face. The cages generally come in two officially-recognized types:
'approved" cages designed to prevent the entry of both pucks and hockey
sticks, and
"pro" cages with larger openings for better peripheral vision. The plastic
shelf wraps
around the entire face of the wearer (i.e., down to and around the jawline and
chin) to
I S provide full wraparound protection from the expected puck (and
occasionally stick)
blows to the face.
The other main type of hockey helmet is the "player's" or forward's helmet,
which has what will be termed in this application a "partial" or head-only
shell
covering the top, back and sides of the head, but which does not wrap around
and
underneath the jaw and chin in front of the face. Player-type helmets
generally use
the same standard cages found in goalie helmets, i.e. the "approved" or
°pro° styles,
but the cage is free hanging on its lower end since there is no wraparound
face-
protecting portion to which it can be connected.
CA 02243137 1998-07-10
Prior art hockey helmet cages, on both goalie and player helmets, are
typically
attached to the outside surface of the shell with a series of bolts, screws
andlor clamps
fastened directly into the shell, sometimes with a slight overhang/prottvsion
along the
top edge of the face region to accommodate the top edge of the cage. In the
player's
helmet, the top edge of the cage may he pivotally mounted to the shell. Goalie
helmets are not pivotally mounted, but are rigidly bolted to the shell for
increased
safely, maintaining structural stability, and eliminating the possibility of
the cage
being inadvertently flipped up white the goalie is tending goal.
The present invention is a hockey goalie helmet in which the safety and
strength of the helmet are simultaneously increased by recessing the cage
relative to
the outer or primary surface of the shell around the face opening along at
least the top
and sides. In a more preferred form, at least a substantial portion of the
bottom edge
is recessed as well. In yet a further preferred form the bottom edge of the
cage is
recessed relative to the outer surface oCthe shell along a substantial portion
of the
lower edge on either side of the chin or midpoint region, the lower edge
recess
beginning at the recessed side edges of the cage.
In a most prefernd embodiment, the cage has a full wraparound recess in
which the entirety of the top, side and bottom edges is recessed relative to
the outer
surface of the shell.
In a further form of the invention the shell of the goalie helmet is formed
with
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CA 02243137 1998-07-10
a cage-receiving recess along at least the top edge and side edges, and
preferably a
substantial portion of the bottom edge of the face opening, with a reinforcing
fold or
ridge formed adjacent to and contiguous with the cage-receiving recessed
portions in a
manner which increases shell strength and resists bending and flexing forces.
The
strength added to the shell by this reinforcing ridge is further increased
when the cage
is bolted or otherwise fastened into the cage-receiving recess, with the rigid
(usually
steel) cage further reinforcing the face region.
In addition to the increased strength of the helmet, the wraparound recessing
of
the cage edges, especially along the side edges and even more especially along
the
lower edge, prevents a puck or stick from impacting the edge of the cage,
which can
create a potentially dangerous force to the wearer, and which can be damaging
to both
the cage and the shell. A slight upward and outward curve or angle of the
reinforcing
ridge around the recessed portion further serves to deflect puck and stick
blows away
from the edge of the cage.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent upon a further reading of the specification in light of the following
drawings.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a right front perspective view of a hockey goalie helmet according
to the present invention, with an "approved cage attached;
Figure 2 is a left side elevational view of the helmet of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the helmet of Figure 1;
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CA 02243137 1998-07-10
Figure 4 is a plan view of the helmet of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a rear view of the helmet of Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a bottom view of the helmet of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a right front perspective view ofthe helmet of Figure I, but with
a
"pro" cage affixed to the shell.
Figure 8 is a right front perspective view of the helmet of Figure 1, with the
cage removed for clarity;
Figure 8A is a cross-section view of the fold at the recess in the helmet;
Figure 9 is a schematic representation of a prior ari cage and helmet;
Figure 10 is a schematic representation of a cage and helmet according to the
present invention, contrasting the puck-deflecting, edge-protected cage
mounting with
the prior art of Figure 9.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, a hockey goalie helmet according to the
present invention is generally illustrated at 10. While the term "helmet" is
used
throughout this specification, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that
"mask" is frequently used interchangeably with "helmet".
Helmet 10 comprises a plastic shell 12, typically molded from various known
high-strength plastic, fiberglass and composite materials, although processes
other
than molding may be used to form shell 12. Shell 12 generally comprises a top
or
skull cover portion 12a, sides 12b, and a wraparound front face protecting
portion 12e
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CA 02243137 1998-07-10
which extends down and around the jaw, chin and front of the face,
The primary or outer surface 14 of shell 12 is typically broken only by a face
opening 16, optional ventilation holes or slots (shown in phantom), and small
attachment points for straps and the like, in known manner. Face opening 16
extends
across the front of the helmet, generally extending around a sufficient
portion of the
sides of the helmet to allow the wearer good peripheral vision.
Inventive helmet 10 includes a cage-receiving recess 18 extending around face
opening 16, comprising top edge 18a, side edges 1$b, and bottom edge 18c. The
width of recess 18, at least along the top edge l 8a and side edges l 8b, is
sufficient to
accommodate standard cage-mounting clips 24.
Cage-receiving recess 18 is bordered by an inventive ridge 20, formed by a
"fold" in the primary surface I4 of the shell. In a preferred method of
forming shell
12, recess 18 is indented or molded into the shell material during the
manufacturing
process, which creates a bending effect in the adjacent shell material to form
ridge 20.
This fold or step creates a section of shell material (Figure 8A) which is
substanitally
perpendicular to the adjacent plane of the shell, and has a greaser width
along its axis
of flexure. This configuration creates an I-beam force loading effect at the
ridge/recess boundary, which is very resistant to bending-
Recess 18 with its reinforcing ridge 20 is adapted to receive a standard cage
22
in a manner which mounts the edges ofthe cage below outer surface L4 of the
shell
adjacent the edge of the cage. Ridge 20 can be supplemented by a slight bulge
or
brow-like effect adjacent recess I8 to further overlie the cage edges and add
to the
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recessing effect. Accordingly, viewed at a tangent from any surface of shell
12
adjacent the recessed portion of the cage, the respective edge of the cage is
recessed.
Preferably, recess 18 either alone or combined with any curve or bulge of
ridge 20 is
sufficiently deep to recess the ends 22e of the crossbars in cage 22 as well.
At this point it should be noted that ends 22e of the cage crossbars can be
seen
in the top and bottom plan views of Figures 4 and 6, due to the angle of the
views.
Rotating either view slightly to approximate a tangent to the helmet surface
adjacent
the recess would remove ends 22e from view, as the 22e endpoints are set
within the
protection of the recess.
The above-described recessing of the cage is preferably further enhanced by a
slight upward and outward curvature to ridge 20 where it meets the primary
surface 14
of the shell. This is perhaps best shown in Figures 1 and 7 at reference
numeral 21.
The illustrated embodiment is the preferred embodiment in which the entirety
of the cage edges (tap edge 22a, side edges 22b, bottom edge 22c) is recessed
in
recess 18, which extends fully around the face opening 16. This creates a
design
whereas the entire outer surface of the cage is essentially flush with, and a
continuation of the helmet surface 14.. At a minimum, recess 18 should extend
fully
along the top and side edges 22a, 22b of the cage, and preferably along at
leasi a
majority of lower edge 22c from each side edge 18b toward the midpoint 22d of
the
cage.
Cage 22 is secured into recess 18 with standard structure such as mounting
clips 24 and screws or bolts 26. It will be understood by those skilled in the
art that
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virtually any known fastener arrangement can be used to attach cage 22 to
recess 18,
although the standard mounting clip and screw arrangement 24, 2G illustrated
is
preferred.
Figures 1 - 6 illustrate inventive helmet I 0 with an industry standard
S "approved" style cage 22, whose openings between the crossbars prevent entry
of both
hockey pucks and hockey sticks. Figure 7 illustrates an alternate style cage
23 known
as a "pro" cage, with larger and differently-configured openings for improved
peripheral vision. Pro cage 23 will stop a puck, but may not stop all surfaces
or ends
of a hockey stick. However, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art
that the
edge dimensions of pro cage 23 are virtually identical to those of cage 22,
and that it
is common in the industry for "approved" and °pro" cages to be
interchangeable in the
same helmet. Accordingly, shell 12 in Figure 7 is identical to shell 12 in
Figures 1 -
b.
The recessing of cage 22 provides significant safety and strength advantages
to
t 5 both cage and helmet. As noted above, cage edges 22a, 226 and 22c are
recessed
relative to the adjacent primary surface 14 of the shell, below the tangent of
any
adjacent shell surface 14, such that a puck or stick striking the adjacent
surface 14 of
the shell in a direction traveling toward the cage cannot catch the edge of
the cage. A
puck or stick blow to the edge of the cage can transfer potentially dangerous
jarnng or
twisting forces to the wearer's head and neck, and can potentially damage the
cage
andlor shell. A comparison of the prior art cage mounting arrangement of
Figure 9
with the invention illustrated in Figure l0 clearly shows the reduced exposure
of the
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CA 02243137 1998-07-10
cage edges in recess 18 with respect to shell surface 14.
Another feature of the invention is the recessed mounting of all mounting
clips
24 and screws 26 (or other equivalent mounting structure} in recess 18 along
with the
cage edges. This further protects the cage mounting structure from damage and
prevents it from transmitting potentially dangerous impact forces.
Ridge 20, with a preferred slight upward and outward curvature relative to the
adjacent primary surface 14 of the shell, further enhances the deflection of a
puck or
stick blow away from the cage edges.
Additionally, as noted above, it is further preferred to form recess 18
sufficiently deep that even the ends 22e of the crossbars in cage 22 are
recessed
relative to the adjacent primary surfaces 14 of the shell.
Another important advantage of the present invention is the increase in
stiffness added to the helmet around face opening 16 by the fold around recess
18
further by the bulge of surrounding ridge 20; and even further by the
attachment of
l5 cage 22 to the recess by mounting structure such as 24, 26, which
integrates the rigid,
traditionally steel cage with recess 18. Among other things, increased
stiffness
improves the dispersion of impact forces over the surface of the helmet.
Yet another advantage provided by the recessed mounting of cage 22 is an
improvement in vision, especially peripheral vision, by locating the cage
closer to the
face.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated above in
order to sutiFciently explain the invention to those skilled in the art, it
will be
CA 02243137 1998-07-10
understood that minor modifications can be made to the disclosed structure
without
departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
For
example, as noted above, the mounting structure rnay vary according to known
equivalents, and white the cage 22 is preferably secured to recess 18 along at
least the
top and side edges 22a, 22b, the exact arrangement and number of fasteners or
mounts
can vary. While the "approvedn and °pro" cages disclosed above are
standard in the
industry and are interchangeable on most helmets (including the inventive
helmet),
other non-official types of cages can be accommodated by the present
invention.
While the present invention has been illustrated in preferred form for a
hockey goalie
l0 helmet, it may be possible to adapt the invention to other types of sports
helmets
designed to protect against repetitive, high-impact blows, directly to the
face for
example but not limited to other types of goal-tending masks and baseball
catchers'
masks.
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