Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02773212 2012-03-30
Attorney Docket: 2961-2
PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
100011 This application relates to protective wear. In particular, this
application relates to
protective headgear.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[00021 People playing physical sports often are concerned about the health and
therefore
take measures to protect themselves for accidental or purposeful contact in
the sport. One
type of measure taken is the wearing of protective equipment.
100031 Some examples of protective equipment may include padding such as elbow
pads,
knee pads and goggles.
[00041 Helmets are often worn to reduce the risk of head injuries. Impacts or
jarring to
the head can cause long lasting injuries to the brain such as concussions and
headaches.
[00051 It is therefore desirable to reduce the risk of head injuries.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00061 For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be
made to the
accompanying drawings. The following drawings are for illustrative purposes
only and
are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.
[00071 Figure 1 illustrates a side view of an embodiment.
100081 Figure 2 illustrates a top view of a gel pack of the embodiment.
100091 Figure 3 illustrates a cross section of a gel pack of the embodiment.
[00101 Figure 4 is a photograph of an embodiment.
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ROM
There will be various modifications, adjustments and applications of
the disclosed
invention that will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the present
application is
intended to cover such embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
100121 With reference to Figure 1, the headgear 10 may have a headband portion
15 and a
top portion 20. The headgear 10 may be of suitable size to be worn on a
person's head in
the form of cap.
[00131 The headband portion 15 may consist of a band 25 of sufficient length
to wrap
around the wearer's head. The band 25 is elastic so that it can be applied
over the head
and maintained in position by the tension of the band 25. In this way the
headgear 10 can
be worn by people with different size heads. The band 25 may be of sufficient
width so
that the tension of the band when stretched is sufficient to maintain the
headgear 10 in
position but also not apply undue pressure on the wearer's head so that the
headgear 10
remains comfortable.
100141 The band 25 may be made in a circular form or may be made from a
straight piece
of material that is cut to length and the ends sewn together to form a loop.
The stitching
of the band may be done in a way to maintain the elastic properties of the
band. The band
may preferably comprise a jacquard weave. The material may preferably comprise
a blend
of 70% nylon and 30% spandex.
100151 The band may also be of sufficient width so that logos, names or other
indicia may
be applied to the band. In an embodiment, a logo is applied four times around
the band
25.
100161 The top portion 20 may be generally hemispherical in shape. The top
portion may
be bounded at the opening by the headband portion 15. The top portion and the
headband
portion 15 may be attached together using stitching.
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100171 The top portion 20 may be made from fabric. In an embodiment, the
fabric may be
a blend of 80% polyester and 20% spandex in a knitting weave single layer.
Alternative
materials and structures are also permitted. The top portion may have elastic
properties so
that it may fit securely over the person's head, deforming to the shape of the
person's
head. The fabric may have a weight of 250 grams per metre squared.
100181 The head portion may be made from four panels. Preferably each panel
may be
substantially the same and form a quadrant. Figure 1 illustrates two panels
30, 35 of the
head portion 20. The panels may be attached together using spandex stitching
or other
similar stitching so that the seam maintains the same or similar properties as
the panel.
The material of the head portion 20 may be non-water absorbing and breathable
to
increase comfort of the wearer.
100191 The head portion has affixed to it a plurality of gel pads 40. Each gel
pad 40 may
be a generally circular button or pad of gel. The gel pad 40 may be alternate
shapes such
as ovals, squares or an irregular shape. The gel pads 40 may be reversibly
compressible.
The gel pads 40 may be impervious to liquids and resistant to cracking. In an
embodiment
the gel pads 40 are made of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). The weight of the
gel may be
selected to provide beneficial impact resistance and comfort. In an
embodiment, the gel
may be EVA-20, or the gel may be selected from a range of EVA-15 to EVA-40.
The gel
pads are preferably made from a material authorized or certified to be present
in helmets.
100201 With reference to Figures 2 and 3, the gel pads 40 may be about 25nun
in
diameter and 5nun thick although the gel pads may be larger or smaller.
Increasing the
size of the gel pads may reduce the comfort to the wearer of the headgear 10
due to the
additional weight of the gel. Increasing the size of the gel pads may also
reduce the
breathability of the headgear 10 as the gel pads may not be as breathable as
the fabric of
the head portion 20. In an embodiment, the total gel may be 20 grams.
100211 The gel pads may be affixed to the outer surface of the head portion
20. By
affixing the gel pads 40 to the outer surface the gel pads are separated from
the wearer's
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head by the fabric of the head portion 20 to avoid possible uncomfortable
contact
between the gel pads and the head of the wearer. In addition, by affixing the
gel pads 40
to the outer surface, extra layers of fabric are avoided which may reduce the
weight and
improve the breathability of the headgear.
[00221 Preferably the gel pads 40 are heat sealed to the head portion 20. In
this way the
headgear 10 may be washed without the gel pads becoming unattached from the
head
portion 20. The edges of the gel pads 40 may be a smooth transition from the
panel on
which they are affixed. In this way, the gel pads are less likely to be
detached from the
panel through rough use.
100231 In an embodiment, the gel pads 40 may be affixed to the head portion 20
using an
adhesive. A thin patch of plastic 42 may be placed over the gel pad and the
plastic 42 heat
sealed to the head portion 20 around the perimeter of the gel pads 40. In this
way, the gel
pads 40 are secured to the head portion and are less likely to become detached
through
rough use or washing of the headgear 10.
100241 The head portion 20 may have twelve gel pads 40. In an embodiment each
of the
four panels 30, 35 may have three gel pads 40. Each panel may have the gel
pads affixed
in a triangle orientation with a single gel pad near the top of the panel and
two gel pads
near the base.
100251 The gel pads may be approximately equidistant from each other. The gel
pads are
placed so that most approaches to the headgear 10 result in a first point of
contact on a gel
pad 40. In an embodiment, the gel pads may be 3.8nun apart although the gel
pads may
be closer or further apart.
[00261 In an embodiment, the gel pads 40 are place synunetrically on the head
portion 20
so that the headgear 10 can be placed on a head in any orientation.
[00271 The head gear 10 may have anti-bacteria and/or anti-fungal properties.
The
materials used in the head gear 10 may repel moisture. In this way, the
treatment reduces
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the odors that may result from repeated wear of the head gear 10 especially if
the person
wearing the head gear 10 is sweaty.
100281 A person may wear the head gear 10 on their head under a helmet. The
helmet
may be in contact with gel pads rather than directly on the person's head.
Shocks or
impact applied to the helmet may be transmitted through the helmet and to the
gel pads.
The gel pads may absorb some or all of the impact by deforming so that reduced
impact
or shock is applied to the wearer's head.
[00291 Various embodiments of the present invention having been thus described
in
detail by way of example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
variations and
modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The invention
includes
all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended
claims.
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