Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HOCKEY HELMET WITH READILY REMOVABLE EARPIECES
BACKGROUND
[0001] Modern hockey helmets typically include a solid, high density
polyethylene
shell with internal padding for protecting the wearer's head. Hockey helmets
also
generally include a fit system to aid in properly fitting a helmet on a
wearer. For
example, many modern helmets include two-piece shells that are longitudinally
movable
relative to each other, and an internal lateral fit system, for adjusting the
fit of the helmet
on the wearer's head. An example of such an adjustable helmet is described in
U.S.
Patent Application No. 12/191,000, filed August 13, 2008, which is
incorporated herein
by reference.
[0002] Hockey helmets also typically include earpieces for protecting a
wearer's
ears. In some helmets, these earpieces are attached to the helmet shell via
multiple
screws, threaded fasteners, and other components such that they are removable
(in
other helmets, the earpieces are molded as part of the shell and are not
removable).
Players commonly remove the earpieces to improve the overall comfort of the
helmet
and to improve communication with other players, coaches, and game officials.
To
remove the earpieces, players or trainers first need to remove the screws and
other
components. During this process, the screws, threaded fasteners, or other
components
frequently fall out of the helmet or into the helmet itself, making the
removal process
cumbersome.
SUMMARY
[0003] A hockey helmet includes earpieces that are readily removable from
the
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helmet without the need for tools or other objects, and without the need to
remove
screws or other components. Other features and advantages will appear
hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same
element throughout the views:
[0005] Fig. 1 is a side-perspective view of a hockey helmet including
removable
earpieces.
[0006] Fig. 2 is a bottom-perspective view of the helmet shown in Fig. 1.
[0007] Fig. 3 is a side-perspective view of the removable earpiece and
earpiece
retention mechanism of the helmet shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
[0008] Fig. 4 is a top-perspective view of the removable earpiece and
earpiece
retention mechanism shown in Fig. 3.
[0009] Fig. 5 is a rear-perspective view of the removable earpiece and
earpiece
retention mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
[0010] Fig. 6 is a rear view of one element of the retention mechanism shown
in
Figs. 3-5.
[0011] Fig. 7 is a side-perspective view of the helmet shown in Fig. 1 with
the
earpieces removed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Various embodiments of the invention will now be described. The
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following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding
and enabling
description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand,
however, that
the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally,
some well-
known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail so as to
avoid
unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments.
[0013] The terminology used in the description presented below is intended
to be
interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in
conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the
invention.
Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended
to
be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically
defined as such in
this detailed description section.
[0014] Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include
the
plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word "or" is
expressly limited
to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or
more items,
then the use of "or" in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any
single item in
the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in
the list.
[0015] Turning in detail to the drawings, as shown in Fig. 1, a hockey
helmet 10
includes a shell 12 having a front region 14, side regions 16, a rear region
18, and a
crown region 20. As shown in Fig 2., in one embodiment, the shell structure
includes a
foam layer 22 (or a layer of another suitable impact-absorbing material)
sandwiched
between a thin plastic outer layer 24 and a thin plastic inner layer 26.
[0016] The foam layer is preferably an expanded polypropylene ("EPP")
material
but could alternatively be an expanded polyethylene ("EPE") material, or a
combination
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of these materials, or could be any other suitable energy-absorbing material
or
combination of materials. The thin plastic layers 24, 26 may be made of
polycarbonate
or another suitable material. The thin plastic layers 24, 26 may each be
formed from a
single piece of plastic or may be formed from multiple pieces of plastic that
are molded
together. While other materials may be used, for ease of description, an EPP
foam
layer 22 sandwiched between two polycarbonate layers 24, 26 will be described
herein.
[0017] In one embodiment, the inner polycarbonate layer 26 may be partially
or
entirely omitted, particularly in a helmet in which a relatively thicker outer
layer 24 is
used. The inner polycarbonate layer 26, for example, may cover only certain
regions of
the EPP foam 22, such as the front, rear, and lower side regions of the EPP
foam 22.
Including an inner polycarbonate layer 26 on at least some regions of the EPP
foam 22
is generally desirable, as it provides a more stable, better energy-absorbing
structure
than does a shell that does not include any inner polycarbonate layer 26.
Comfort foam
or other comfort padding is preferably included on an interior surface of the
EPP foam
22 or polycarbonate layer 26 to provide a comfortable fit for the wearer.
[0018] In one embodiment, the polycarbonate layers 24, 26 may be vacuum
formed and trimmed to a desired shape, then put into a mold with a pre-molded
EPP
layer 22 for bonding or fusing the polycarbonate layers 24, 26 to the EPP
layer 22. In
another embodiment, the polycarbonate layers 24, 26 may be placed into an EPP
mold
and then insert molded or "in molded" with the EPP foam. In an alternative
embodiment, the polycarbonate layer or layers may be injection molded and then
bonded to a liner of EPP foam.
[0019] Vacuum forming or insert molding generally are preferred over
injection
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molding, as these processes allow for lighter and thinner plastic layers than
does a
typical injection molding process. It has been found, for example, that the
inner and
outer polycarbonate layers 24, 26 may be formed from sheets having a thickness
as low
as 0.7mm (which may become approximately 2mm thinner after undergoing a vacuum
forming and molding process), whereas traditional injection molded helmets
typically
include a plastic shell having a thickness of approximately 1.8 to 3mm. Any of
the
processes described herein, or another suitable process, however, may be used
to
construct the helmet shell 12.
[0020] In some embodiments, the polycarbonate layers may be formed using
combinations of two or more of these processes. For example, the outer layer
24 may
be formed using an injection molding process while the inner layer may be
formed using
a vacuum forming process. As another example, the upper regions of the outer
layer 24
may be formed using an insert molding process while lower regions of the outer
layer 24
may be formed using an injection molding process.
[0021] As is best shown in Figs. 1 and 3-6, in one embodiment, the helmet 10
includes a removable earpiece 30 on each side of the helmet 10. The earpiece
30 is
preferably made of a plastic material but could be made of any other suitable
material.
The earpiece 30 may be transparent, translucent, or opaque. The earpiece 30
preferably includes an opening 31 through which sound may be transmitted to
the
wearer's ear.
[0022] Each earpiece 30 is removably secured to a retention mechanism 35,
which preferably is made of a nylon or plastic material, or another suitable
material.
The retention mechanism 35 may be embedded within the EPP foam layer 22 during
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molding of the helmet 10. The retention mechanism 35 alternatively may be an
integral
part of the plastic portion of the helmet shell itself, particularly if all or
part of the shell is
a thicker, injection molded component. In one embodiment, for example, the
helmet
shell may be a hybrid including thin, plastic layers on upper regions of the
EPP foam,
and including thicker, injection molded plastic layers on lower regions of the
EPP foam,
with the retention features to which the earpieces 30 are attachable
integrally molded
with the lower injection molded regions. In this embodiment, the injection
molded lower
regions may be bonded or mechanically attached, via rivets or other attachment
elements, to the EPP foam layer 22.
[0023] The retention mechanism 35 may include a single piece or multiple
pieces. In the illustrated embodiments, the retention mechanism 35 includes a
first
retention element 36 and a second retention element 38 spaced apart from the
first
retention element 36. The first and second retention elements 36, 38 each
include a rail
34 or other suitable retention member projecting into the space between the
retention
elements 36, 38. The earpiece 30 correspondingly includes a pair of
longitudinal
openings or channels 32 that slidably engage the rails 34. In an alternative
embodiment, the rails may be included on the earpiece, and the corresponding
channels may be included in the retention elements 36, 38, such that the rails
will not be
apparent on the shell when the earpieces are removed.
[0024] As shown in Fig. 6, one or more of the rails 34 optionally include an
opening 40. In this embodiment, the earpiece 30 includes arms 42 having tabs
or
similar structures on inner surfaces thereof for engaging the openings 40 when
the
earpiece 30 is positioned on the rails 34. Such an arrangement allows the
earpiece 30
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to snap or click into place such that it remains in position on the rails 34
when the
helmet 10 is subjected to contact. Other arrangements, such as including
corresponding raised ridges or bumps on the rails 34 and on internal regions
of the
channel-defining portions of the earpiece 30, may alternatively be used to
hold the
earpiece 30 in position.
[0025] The earpiece 30 may be attached or removed from the helmet 10 by
sliding the channels 32 along the rails 34 in the appropriate direction. If
the rails include
openings 40 or other mating regions that engage with the arms 42 or other
portions of
the earpiece 30, a small amount of force will be required to move the earpiece
30 into
and out of the fully attached position. Fig. 7 shows the helmet 10 with the
earpieces 30
removed from the helmet 10.
[0026] The retention mechanism 35 may include ear loop supports 50 that
define
openings through which ear loops 52 may pass. The ear loop supports 50 provide
structural anchors to which the ear loops 52 may be secured. The ear loop
supports 50
are particularly beneficial when the helmet includes an EPP layer 22 and one
or more
thin polycarbonate layers 24, 26 (or no polycarbonate layers at all), since
the EPP and
thin polycarbonate layers 24, 26 do not provide as much structural support for
the ear
loop attachments as does a thicker, injection molded shell. The ear loop
supports 50,
which are preferably embedded in the EPP layer 22, provide strong anchors for
the ear
loops that aid the helmet 10 in meeting certification standards.
[0027] The retention mechanism 35 optionally further includes threaded
fasteners
55 for receiving screws used to attach an optional visor or faceguard (or
other
component) to the helmet 10. The threaded fasteners 55 are preferably made of
a
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metal material but may be made of any other suitable material. Each threaded
fastener
is preferably over-molded in a plastic housing 56 that projects outwardly from
the
retention mechanism 35. The upper, flat surface of each housing 56 acts as a
shoulder
against which a screw head or attached visor or faceguard may rest. The
housings 56
are preferably attached to teeth or arms 57 that aid in resisting rotation of
the retention
mechanism 35 when screws are threaded into or out of the fasteners 55. Because
the
retention mechanism 35 is embedded in the EPP foam 22, the threaded fasteners
55
will not fall into the helmet 10 or otherwise move when screws are removed
from the
fasteners 55.
[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the helmet shell includes three
openings or
holes 58 on each side of the helmet in which three fastener housings 56 are
positioned.
Any number of holes 58 may be included but most existing face guards require
two or
three attachment points on each side of the helmet 10 for connecting the visor
or
faceguard to the helmet 10. To attach a visor or faceguard to the helmet, the
screws (if
present) may be threaded out of the fasteners 55 and the openings in the visor
or face
guard may be aligned with the holes 58. The screws may then be threaded back
into
the fasteners 55 to secure the visor or face guard to the helmet 10 (in some
instances,
longer screws than the original helmet screws may be required to accommodate
the
thickness of a given visor or face guard).
[0029] Each retention mechanism 35 optionally includes a rear tab 60 or
other
attachment element including an opening 62 that provides an attachment point
for a
fitting element in the interior of the helmet. In this embodiment, each the
tab 60
preferably projects through an opening or slit in the EPP foam 22 into the
helmet's
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interior. A projecting post or similar feature on a fitting element may be
secured to the
tab 60 by pushing it through the large region of the opening 62 and pulling it
into the
smaller region of the opening 62. One or more adjustable bands or similar
fitting
devices may be attached between two fitting elements to provide an adjustable
fit
system.
[0030] The helmet features described herein provide for a lightweight helmet
that
optionally may be molded into one piece as opposed to a traditional two-piece
shell.
When molded in one piece, the helmet does not include the gaps that are
generally
present in a two-piece adjustable shell. Thus, it provides added head coverage
and
protection, and also provides a helmet which generally has an increased
lateral
stiffness. A one-piece shell also generally includes fewer moving parts that
could
potentially come loose, rattle, and so forth. Additionally, the earpieces 30
are much
easier to remove and re-attach than are conventional earpieces, since they do
not
require tools or other objects to effectuate their removal.
[0031] One or more of the helmet features described herein may be used in
other
helmets, such as batters' helmets, pitchers helmets, catchers' helmets,
lacrosse
helmets, football helmets, and so forth. For example, a batter's helmet could
be
constructed by in-molding a layer of EPP foam between a pair of thin
polycarbonate
layers. Furthermore, a retention mechanism including threaded fasteners for
attachment of a visor or face guard could be embedded in the EPP foam of the
batter's
helmet.
[0032] Any of the above-described embodiments may be used alone or in
combination with one another. Furthermore, the helmet may include additional
features
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not described herein. While several embodiments have been shown and described,
various changes and substitutions may of course be made, without departing
from the
spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be
limited, except
by the following claims and their equivalents.
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