High visibility, high ventilation bicycle helmet with minimally sized face protection

Abstract

Securely attached to the front of a bicycle helmet is a minimally sized band of sufficiently strong material that is positioned to provide a face protective barrier that is less then 35 millimeters high for a length of more then 200 millimeters long. This minimally sized, face protective structure will not only protect a bicyclist's face in a crash but will also give the highest degree of visibility and ventilation for the bicyclist to avoid a crash and allow a great amount of fresh air flow to cool the bicyclist and provide ample oxygen for breathing while bicycling.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to a bicycle helmet that has an added minimally sized, face protection structure, to protect the bicyclist's face while providing a great amount of visibility and a great amount of ventilation, for increased safety and endurance.[0002]In the culture of general Road Biking and general Mountain Biking, a bicycle helmet is defined as being “Open Faced” meaning that it does not have any face protection. Bicycle helmets are very lightweight with a thin outer shell and also highly vented with numerous vent openings. Most bicyclists never wear a helmet that has face protection, as most bicyclists think that they can protect their face, in a crash, by putting their hands out. Bicycling is generally not thought of as a very dangerous activity, as bikes generally don't go over thirty miles per hour. As face protection is thought to limit a bicyclist's visibility and fresh air flow, most bicyclists and bicycle helmet designers d...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a bicycle helmet with a small face protective structure that provides maximum visibility and ventilation for the bicyclist. It protects the rider's face in a crash and allows for enough airflow to breathe while exercising. The helmet also prevents the rider from feeling claustrophobic and can protect them from impact in a crash. The face protective structure is made of a strong and reliable plastic material that is connected to the bicycle helmet, making it a reliable and light-weight connection. Overall, the helmet improves safety and stability for bicycling, skateboarding, and scootering activities.

Problems solved by technology

As face protection is thought to limit a bicyclist's visibility and fresh air flow, most bicyclists and bicycle helmet designers dismiss the entire notion of using face protection, for general Mountain Biking and Road Biking, that it would seem counterproductive and unnecessary.

Therefore, most bicycle stores only sell these Open Faced Bicycle Helmets and do not offer any sort of face protective bicycle helmets.

A motorcyclist realizes that putting their hands out, in a crash, while traveling at a high rate of speed would not be enough to stop their face from impacting the road.

Yet, for general bicyclists, these “full face bicycle helmets” make people worried that they won't have sufficient visibility, that they might hit a stick or a rock that they didn't see, to cause the cyclist to loose their balance and crash, which seems counterproductive and dangerous.

Another main reason that bicycle helmet users and bicycle helmet designers have not thought to create a bicycle helmet with a minimally sized face protective structure is that Downhill Mountain Bike helmet designers have borrowed too many design elements from Off Road Motorcycle Helmet Design, which has led Road and Mountain Bike helmet designers to incorrectly think that large face protection would also be required for bicycle helmet face protection.

Yet, there are some serious differences in what these two different helmets are needed to do.

Designers of Full Face Downhill Mountain Bike Helmets have stuck with the highly protective look of Off Road Motorcycle Helmets without realizing that bicycles don't “Kick-Up” mud like a motorized vehicle does, so the large mud face guard feature of Off Road Motorcycle Helmets is excessive and not needed on Full Face Downhill Mountain Bike Helmets.

Yet, most bicyclists and bicycle helmet designers alike have failed to recognize the problem that many people do often get serious injuries to their face from crashing on their bikes every year while using Open Faced Bicycle Helmets, where the use of a bicycle helmet with a minimally sized face protective structure would prevent facial injuries and maintain a high level of visibility to help avoid crashing.

Yet, these riders do often fall and impact their face on the cement to gain serious facial injuries.

Again, these riders and helmet designers have not recognized that these riders need face protection that still enables a high degree of visibility.

But instead both riders and designers blame the rider for not maintaining control of their device and blame the rider for not putting their hands out to protect their face.

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