HELMET SUSPENSION FIT SYSTEM

SYSTEME D'AJUSTEMENT DE SUSPENSION DE CASQUE

English Abstract

A suspension/fit system for use with a helmet containing a headband includes a fabric mesh panel, the front end of which is connected to the front end of the headband. The rear end of the panel is releasably and adjustably connected to the rear end of the helmet. The panel conforms to the contours of a wearer's cranium, improving comfort and stability.

French Abstract

Un système dajustement de suspension à utiliser avec un casque contenant un bandeau comprend un panneau en mailles de tissu, dont lextrémité avant est connectée à lextrémité avant du bandeau. Lextrémité arrière du panneau est connectée de manière amovible et réglable à lextrémité arrière du casque. Le panneau épouse les contours dun crâne du porteur, améliorant le confort et la stabilité.

Claims

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CLAIMS:
1. A helmet suspension/fit system comprising:
a one-piece headband adapted to be suspended from a helmet liner
including a C-shaped front section tor extending around the forehead and along
the sides of the head of a wearer, and a rear nape section integral with the
front
section for extending downwardly and rearwardly around the base of the skull
of the wearer;
a fabric mesh panel having a semicircular front end co-extensive with and
permanently connected to a top edge of the C-shaped front section of the
headband;
a pair of spaced apart panel straps connected to a free rear end of the
fabric mesh panel; and
connectors on free ends of the panel straps for releasably and adjustably
connecting the panel straps to a rear end of the liner.
2. The helmet suspension/fit system of claim 1, wherein the free rear end
of
the fabric mesh panel includes concave sides and a straight rear edge carrying
the panel straps proximate corners between the concave sides and said rear
edge.
3. A suspension/fit system for a helmet, which includes a hard outer shell
comprising:
a force attenuating liner;
a one-piece headband suspended from the liner including a C-shaped
front section for extending around the forehead and along the sides of the
head
of a wearer and a rear nape section integral with the front section for
extending
downwardly and rearwardly around the base of the skull of the wearer,
a fabric mesh panel having a semicircular front end co-extensive with and
permanently connected to a top edge of the C-shaped front section of the
headband;
a pair of spaced apart panel straps connected to a free rear end of the
fabric mesh panel; and
connectors on free ends of the panel straps for releasably and adjustably
connecting the panel straps to a rear end of the liner.

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4, The helmet suspension/fit system of claim 3, including a soft cover on
the
front section of the headband, wherein the fabric mesh panel is connected to
the
cover.
5. The helmet suspension/fit system of claim 4, wherein the headband
includes side and front suspension straps connecting the C-shaped front
section
of the headband to the helmet liner.
6. The helmet suspension/fit system of claim 5, wherein said side and front
suspension straps extend through the helmet liner and are connected to a top
surface of the liner.

Description

CA 02867016 2014-10-14
HELMET SUSPENSION FIT SYSTEM
This invention relates to a suspension/fit system integrated with an impact
management system for use in a protective helmet.
Many protective helmets include a hard outer shell commonly formed of a
high impact plastic or composite material. The inside of the protective helmet
is
fitted with an impact management system used to mitigate the blunt trauma
forces
to the user's head associated with an impact to the helmet. The impact
management system may consist of force attenuating materials such as foams,
gels, air bladders and suspension webbing, or a combination thereof. Between
the impact management system and the user's cranium is a fit system. This can
take several forms, the two most common being a fit pad and a strapping/
suspension system. Problems with these systems is that they are unable to
accommodate the various shapes and sizes of users' craniums and ultimately
result in high pressure points and poor stability.
Suspension systems attempting to solve the above-mentioned problems
are described and illustrated in US Patents Nos. 3,241,154, issued to J.A.
Aileo on
March 22, 1966; 3,430,260, issued to T.W. Johnson et al on March 4, 1969;
3,897,596 issued to Jackson A. Aileo et al on August 5, 1975; 3,950,788,
issued to
Charles Carlisle T. Lamb on April 20, 1976; 3,994,023, issued to Jackson A.
Aileo
et al on November 30, 1976; RE32569, issued to Jackson A. Aileo et al on
January 5, 1988; 7,124,449, issued to Brad Sutter et al on October 24, 2006
and
7,770,239, issued to Mary Goldman et al on August 10, 2010. For the most part
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systems described in these patents are somewhat complicated and
consequently difficult to adjust to the heads of wearers.
An object of the present invention is to provide a solution to the above-
mentioned problem in the form of a structurally simple helmet suspension/fit
system, which can be quickly and easily adjusted to fit a variety of head
sizes.
In its simplest form, the helmet suspensionffit system of the present
invention comprises: a one-piece headband adapted to be suspended from a
helmet liner including a C-shaped front section for extending around the
forehead and along the sides of the head of a wearer, and a rear nape section
integral with the front section for extending downwardly and rearwardly around
the base of the skull of the wearer; a fabric mesh panel having a semicircular
front end co-extensive with and permanently connected to a top edge of the C-
shaped front section of the headband; a pair of spaced apart panel straps
connected to a free rear end of the fabric mesh panel; and connectors on free
ends of the panel straps for releasably and adjustably connecting the panel
straps to a rear end of the liner.
The mesh fabric conforms easily to the contours of the user's cranium
thus removing any high pressure points normally associated with a pad or
suspension system. The greater engagement of the mesh fabric and the
headband with the head improves helmet comfort and stability, both very
important factors for heavy helmets where comfort is required for extended
periods of time and stability is needed for helmet mounted optical aids, e.g.
night
vision goggles, IR cameras and heads-up displays.
The invention is described below in greater detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the
invention, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a side view of a helmet liner and the suspension/fit system of
the present invention;
Figure 2 is an isometric view of a suspensionffit system and a helmet liner
as seen from below and the front;

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Figure 3 is an isometric view of the liner and suspension/fit system of Figs.
1 and 2 with parts omitted;
Figure 4 is an isometric view of the system of Figs. 1 and 2 as seen from
above and the front;
Figure 5 is a side view of the suspension/fit system of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 6 is a front view of the suspension/fit system of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 7 is a rear view of the suspension/fit system of Figs. 1 and 2;
Figure 8 is a side view of the suspension/fit system partially released from
the helmet liner; and
Figure 9 is a cross section taken generally along line 9-9 of Fig. 8.
With reference to the drawings, the suspension/fit system is used in a foam
liner 1 which is secured to a hard shell (not shown) to form a complete
protective
helmet. The suspension/fit system includes a plastic headband 2 (Fig. 3)
defined
by a generally C-shaped front section 3 for extending around the forehead of a
wearer, and a rear nape section 4 for extending downwardly and rearwardly
around the base of the skull of the wearer. Ventilation holes 5 are provided
in the
front section 3 of the headband, and a lambskin cover 6 extends beyond the
ends
of the front section. In order to secure the cover 6 on the headband 2, an
elastic
strip 7 containing slits 8 is provided in the front section 3 of the headband.
The
slits 8 receive T-shaped projections 10 on the tops of the front section 3 of
the
headband. Velcro strips 11 on the inner ends of the sides of the cover 6 help
to
secure the cover on the headband. The nape section 4 of the headband 2
includes a pair of straps 12 integral with the front section 3 and extending
into an
3

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off-the-shelf ratchet device 13. A suitable ratchet device bears the trademark
SPIDERLOCK from Louis Gameau. A knob 14 on the ratchet device 13 is
rotated to change the length of the headband. Thus, the headband 2 can readily
be adjusted to fit the forehead and nape of the neck of the wearer. Alternate
means to accommodate adjustment of the straps can include pawl and ratchet
mechanisms on the straps, D-ring or strap glide arrangements that permit
fabric
bands to be alternately tightened and released. The 'headband 2 is suspended
from the liner 1 by two side straps 15 and a front strap 16 which extend
upwardly
and inwardly through passages 17 in the liner. The top ends 18 and 19 of the
straps 15 and 16, respectively are glued into recesses in the liner 2.
The front section 20 of a mesh panel 21 is connected to the inside of the
headband cover 6. The semicircular front edge of the front section 20 is
substantially co-extensive with the top edge of the front section 3 of the
headband
2. The rear section 22 of the panel 21 tapers rearwardly from the front
section 20.
The side edges 23 of the rear section 22 are concave and the narrow rear edge
24
thereof is straight. The rear section 22 is releasably and adjustably
connected to
the rear end of the helmet by connectors defined by flexible straps 25
extending
downwardly from the corners 27 of the rear edge 24 of the mesh panel 21. The
free end 28 of each strap 25 extends through a slot in one end of a hard
plastic
strip 30 and loops back through a second slot in the strip. As shown in Figs.
8 and
9, the free end 28 of each strap 25 extends through a loop 32, which extends
around the strap above the strip 30 when the strap is not connected to the
helmet.
Thus the effective length of the straps 25 can be adjusted to change the
tension
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on the mesh panel 21 when the strip 30 is inserted between the foam liner and
the
helmet shell. Because the straps 25 loop around the bottom of the liner 1,
sufficient force is applied to the mesh fabric panel 21 that the panel
conforms to
the contours of a wearer's cranium.

Representative Drawing