Sports helmet

Abstract

A sports helmet includes a soft casing having a plurality of holes to allow for proper aeration, and a rear orifice to allow for hair pieces, such as pony tails, to extend from a wearer's head therethrough so as not to interfere with the operation of the helmet or distract the wearer from play. The helmet also contains a front edge which is particularly shaped to conform to the top edge of protective eyewear to eliminate any unprotected gap between the helmet and the eyewear.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is related to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61 / 402,108, which was filed on Aug. 24, 2010, and is entitled “Sports Helmet”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference and on which priority is hereby claimed.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to protective helmets, in particular, anatomically conforming sports helmets.[0004]2. Description of the Prior Art[0005]Conventionally, protective helmets are used in a wide variety of sports such as football, hockey, skiing, cycling and men's lacrosse. These helmets, which may vary in design based upon the risk factors of a particular sport and the desired level of protection, offer an effective means for limiting and preventing traumatic head and spinal cord injuries. In many team sports, such as lacrosse, football and hockey, the entire team is required to wear a helmet. One of the deciding factors i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]It is still another object of the present invention to provide a sports helmet worn by athletes and which is particularly shaped to conform to the shape of goggles also worn by athletes so as to eliminate or minimize any gap between the helmet and the goggles.

Problems solved by technology

One of the deciding factors in determining whether helmets are mandatory or optional for the individual members of a team is the risk that the helmet itself poses to other players.

Additionally, the hard rigid plastic shells protect the athlete from serious impacts resulting from other athletes' helmets, which also can cause injuries in the form of fractures, cuts and abrasions to an unprotected athlete.

Consequently, some sports that do not require helmets, such as women's lacrosse, actually prohibit individual team members from wearing helmets for supplemental protection due to the increased risk of injury to the non-helmet wearing athletes.

However, due to a wide variety of anatomical differences among athletes in general, even the best conventional helmet often shifts and bounces during high activity movements.

As a result, some athletes are forced to sacrifice comfort in favor of safety and over-tighten their helmets.

Furthermore, athletes with long hair are forced to put it in a “pony tail” like arrangement which creates discomfort on the back of the head where the pony tail protrudes.

When the athlete's hair is placed in this arrangement, the pony tail protrusion may prevent the conventional helmet from properly conforming to the head of the athlete.

However, conventional helmet designs are limited in their ability to facilitate the retaining straps coupled to protective eyewear.

When a conventional helmet is forced over the protective eyewear, comfort and safety are compromised.

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