FLEXBILE HELMET

CASQUE MULTITAILLE

English Abstract

A protective helmet which is particularly useful for sports such as
skiing and the like includes a head cover formed from standard stretch hat
material with independent front and rear soft protective pads fitted
internally
of the head cover. The pads form a domed construction which has a parting
line generally centrally of the construction where the pads meet with one
another to allow fitting of the helmet to different head sizes.

Claims

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THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A protective helmet comprising a head cover formed from stretch
hat material and independent front and rear protective pads fitted internally
of
said head cover, said pads forming a domed construction with a parting line
generally centrally of said construction where said pads meet with one
another.
2. A protective helmet as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said hat material
is selected from the group of materials consisting of wool material, cotton
material, any polyester material.
3. A protective helmet as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said parting line
has a flat line edge.
4. A protective helmet as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said parting line
has a toothed configuration.
5. A protective helmet as claimed in Claim 1 including a one piece
stretchable chin strap wearable in a down position around the chin of a user
of said helmet and also wearable in a storage position internally of said
helmet.
6. A helmet as claimed in Claim 1 including two plys of said hat
material with a pocket therebetween, said pads being contained within said
pocket.

Description

CA 02285487 1999-10-07
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FLEXIBLE HELMET
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a helmet with protective padding.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A standard protective helmet comprises a hard outer shell fitted
internally with softer padding. These helmets which can be worn for many
different types of sports including skiing and the like are not particularly
1o comfortable. They are not readily size adjustable and they provide little
or no
warmth for outdoor winter sports.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a protective helmet which is
comfortable to wear, which is easily size adjustable and which is particularly
well suited for cold weather sports. It is, however, also useable for warmer
weather sports.
More particularly, the protective helmet of the present invention
2 0 comprises a head cover which is formed from standard stretch hat material
with independent front and rear protective pads fitted internally of the head
cover. The pads form a domed construction which has a parting line generally
centrally of the domed construction where the pads meet with one another.
2 5 As a result of the use of standard stretch hat material in forming the
head cover and further because of the use of the independent front and rear
protective pads, the helmet fits to the user in the same manner as would an
ordinary outdoor hat while at the same time providing the user with protective
features.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above as well as other advantages and features of the present
invention will be described in greater detail according to the preferred
embodiments of the present invention in which

CA 02285487 1999-10-07
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of a protective helmet according to a
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 shows the helmet of Figure 1 when fitted to an individual
and with the chin strap in the use position;
Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the helmet in cross
section and with the chin strap in the storage position;
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the protective pads on the
helmet of Figure 1 fitted to the individual;
Figure 5 is a partially sectioned bottom perspective view of the
helmet of Figure 1 with the chin strap in the storage position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION ACCORDING TO THE PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Figure 1 shows a protective helmet generally indicated at 1. This
2 0 helmet includes a head covering portion 3 with a rolled outer rim 11.
Additionally provided is a one piece chin strap 13 attached to the main body
of the cover.
Cover 3 is made from a standard stretch hat material, i.e. cotton,
2 5 wool or even some type of a polyester material. From the exterior, the
helmet
looks like a standard hat worn for outdoor sports such as skiing and the like.
However, unlike a standard outdoor hat, helmet 3 is fitted internally
with front and rear protective pads 15 and 17 respectively. These pads are
3 0 contained within separate layers 5 and 7 of the hat material which form a
pocket internally of the helmet to hold the pads in position. The layers 5 and
7 are secured to one another at stitching 9 peripherally of the helmet to hold
the pads in place.

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Pads 15 and 17 can be made from different types of materials such
as ABS plastics, styrene, polyproplylene etc. They are rigid enough to provide
protection against impacts to the users head. They can also have a mute layer
construction including softer padding material on their inner surfaces for
comfort to the user.
As can be well seen in Figure 4, pads 15 and 17 form a dome like
structure from the front to the rear and across the top of the head of the
user.
In the embodiment shown, pad 15 has teeth 16 which meet with
corresponding teeth 18 on pad 17. The sets of mating teeth form a parting line
19 generally centrally of the padded dome structure. This parting line allows
the helmet made from its stretch cover to fit to essentially all head sizes.
The
saw tooth pattern along the parting line 19 provides protection along the top
region of the helmet even though the front and rear pads are able to move
independently of one another for fitting to the head of the user.
It is to be appreciated that the pads need not have such a toothed
parting line between them but rather may meet at flat edges with one another.
2 0 Figure 2 shows that the helmet can be used with the chin strap 13
around the chin of the user whereas Figures 3 and 5 show that the chin strap
can also be pushed up into the helmet in a stored position when the user does
not wish to have the strap fitted around his or her chin.
2 5 As will be apparent from the description above, the helmet of the
present invention has the normal comfort, warmth and look of a standard
outdoor hat while at the same time providing protective benefits found in a
hard shell helmet.
3 0 Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention
have been described herein in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled
in
the art, that variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the
invention of from the scope of the appended claims.

Representative Drawing