HOCKEY HELMET WITH PADDED SKULL CAP INSERT

CASQUE DE HOCKEY AVEC PIECE RAPPORTEE DE CALOTTE MATELASSEE

Claims

We claim:
1. A hockey helmet comprising shell and padded skull insert portions, said
hard outer and soft
skullcap portion being separate from one another but through interaction of
the padding remain
in place in relation to each other.
2. A hockey helmet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said soft padded skull cap is
formed to the
wearers head and includes a shock absorbing rear portion which helps displace
forces when head
is struck. The skull cap is fastened to the head by a Velcro .TM. strap
underneath the chin.
3. A hockey helmet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said "interaction" between
padding is not
fixed, but held in place by two pads locked together
4. A hockey helmet as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hard outer shell remains
adjustable and in
the current form of the design.
5. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said interengagement
members are
disposed in close proximity to said guide slots.
6. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 5 wherein said interengagement
members comprise
a plurality of equidistantly spaced ribs disposed in side-by-side parallel
relationship and defining
troughs therebetween and formed in one of said opposed displaceable surfaces,
and one or more
connecting ribs having the same spacing disposed in the other of said
displaceable surfaces and
being receivable in selected ones of said troughs when said clamping means
displaces the ribs in
said arresting relationship.
7. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 6 wherein said plurality of
equidistantly spaced ribs
are disposed as a group of ribs formed over and about said guide slot of an
inner one of said shell
portions, said inner shell being said back shell portion.
8. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 7 wherein there are two of said
slots disposed in said
opposed sides of said helmet, said slots being offset from one another, each
slot having an
associated one of said connector means.
9. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 8 wherein said connector means is
a connector bolt
having a female part with a threaded shaft provided with an enlarged head
portion which is
greater than the width of said guide slots, said head portion having a slot
receiving portion to
prevent axial rotation of said threaded shaft but permitting said shaft to be
displaced along said
guide slot, and a threaded bolt having a tool engaging head for threaded
engagement in said
threaded shaft, said female threaded shaft being associated with an inner one
of said shell
portions and said threaded bolt being associated with an outer one of said
shell portions, said tool
engaging head being accessible on an outer surface of said outer one of said
shell portions.
10. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 9 wherein an outer one of said
shell portions is said

front shell portion, said front shell portion having opposed reinforced
rearwardly extending
connecting arms each provided with two spaced through bores for receiving a
respective one of
said threaded bolt therethrough with said tool engaging head being held
captive in recesses
formed about said through bores in an outer surface of said connecting arms.
11. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 3 wherein said removable insert
is a flat flexible
disabling insert member having passage means adapted for guiding displacement
about said
connector means to permit said insert member to be interposed between said
interengagement
members in said opposed displaceable surface portions.
12. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 11 wherein said disabling insert
member is
provided with finger grasping means to permit positioning and removal of said
disabling insert
member between said interengagement members.
13. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 12 wherein said finger grasping
means is
constituted by an extension tab formed integral with said flat flexible insert
member and
extending out of said opposed displaceable surface portion for easy access
thereto.
14. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 13 wherein said extension tab is
provided with a
through hole therein to facilitate grasping.
15. An adjustable helmet as claimed in claim 12 wherein said insert member is
a flat flexible thin
sheet plastic member having opposed slippery surfaces.
16. A removable flat flexible disabling insert for use with an adjustable
helmet, said insert being
a flat flexible member adapted to be disposed between interengaging connector
members
provided for registry with one another in opposed displaceable surface
portions of adjustable
shell portions of said adjustable helmet to prevent engagement of said
interengaging connector
members but permitting adjustable displacement of said shell portions, said
disabling insert
having finger grasping means adapted to project between said interengaging
members to permit
positioning and removal of said disabling insert member, said disabling insert
when removed
permitting engagement of said interengaging members.
17. A removable flat flexible disabling insert as claimed in claim 16 wherein
said removable
insert having passage means adapted for guiding displacement about said
interengaging
connector members to permit said insert member to be interposed between said
interengagement
connector members in said opposed displaceable surface portions about said
interengaging
members.
18. A removable flat flexible disabling insert as claimed in claim 16 wherein
said finger grasping
means is constituted by an extension tab formed integral with said flat
flexible insert member
and extending out of said opposed displaceable surface portion for easy access
thereto.
19. A removable flat flexible disabling insert as claimed in claim 18 wherein
said extension tab
is provided with a through hole therein to facilitate grasping.

20. A removable flat flexible disabling insert as claimed in claim 19 wherein
said insert member
has opposed slippery surfaces.

Description

CA 02661149 2009-03-24
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to hockey helmets having two pieces, a soft
padded skull cap with
padded fixed and a hard outer shell. This is in contrast to the current format
of having the
padding affixed to the hard outer shell. Also included in the new technology
is a friction based
method of stabilizing the helmet on the head and a posterior cranial shock
absorbing pad.
BACKGROUND ART
Usually, these helmets are formed of two shell portions, namely, hard outer
and soft inner fixed
padding. Head injuries happen when the helmet is disengaged from the cranium
or "shifts"
during the normal course of play. By fixing the soft padding and shock
absorber to the cranium,
in the event that the helmet becomes disengaged the wearer is still protected
against rear cranial
injuries.
It is desirable to provide a means wherein the helmet can still be used to
limit collision type of
injuries to the head by keeping the shock absorbing material fixed on the
cranium. The outer
shell can still be removed "in action' but when engaged with padding affixed
to the hard outer
shell and soft skull cap, will provide increased protection against head
injuries.
With the above-referenced prior art there is disclosed the use of the helmet
as a single protective
entity. The problem with this style is when it shifts or becomes disengaged
from the head, the
protective qualities of the helmet are eliminated. Thus leaving the head
vulnerable. By soft
locking the skull cap to the outer shell and affixing the majority of the pads
to the head the
protective qualities during normal use are kept the same and the protective
qualities when the
outer shell is either shifted or disengaged are still present.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore a feature of the present invention to overcome the above-
mentioned disadvantages
of the prior art and to fulfill the above required need to make the padding
fixed on the head
therefore making the helmet more protective. This is accomplished by fixing a
skull cap with
pads on the skull, then fixing the hard outer shell to the soft skull cap by
means of interlocking
padding.

CA 02661149 2009-03-24
According to the above feature, from a broad aspect, the present invention
provides fixed
padding on the inside of the hard outer shell. Thus providing collision
protection and protection
against contusions on the head, when in the proper manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with
reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a underneath view of a hockey helmet with the pads that will remain
fixed to the hard
outer shell;
FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the soft skull cap and the padding
arraignment;
FIG. 3 is an illustration of the interaction between the soft skull cap front
padding and the
padding affixed on the inside of the hard outer shell;
FIG. 4 is a view showing the construction and placement of the shock absorbing
pad on the
posterior of the soft skull cap ;