Batting Helmet Attachment Sockets for Chin Strap and Face Protector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional batting helmets have complex and weighty attachment systems for chin straps and face protectors, which increase manufacturing costs and complexity, and can appear unsightly when not in use.
Innovation Solution
The batting helmet system features sockets within the helmet shell for receiving clip elements to hold chin straps and plate elements to support face protectors, reducing the need for external hardware and simplifying attachment mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional snap elements and bolts are used for attaching chin straps and face protectors, then secure attachment is achieved, but weight, cost, and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the attachment features directly into the helmet shell by forming recesses and protrusions as integral parts of the shell structure during molding. This merging of the attachment mechanism with the helmet shell eliminates separate snap elements and bolts, reducing component count while maintaining secure attachment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The helmet shell is designed with multiple types of recesses (circular, oval, rectangular) that can accommodate different attachment mechanisms. This universal design allows the same shell structure to support various chin strap and face protector attachment methods, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Ease of operation
If male snap elements are mounted on the helmet exterior, then chin strap attachment is enabled, but the appearance becomes unsightly when chin strap is not attached
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the visible male snap elements from the exterior surface and relocates them to the interior of the helmet shell. The exterior now only shows recesses that are aesthetically pleasing even when the chin strap is not attached, while the functional attachment elements remain hidden inside the shell.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of mounting protruding attachment elements on the exterior and having straps connect to them, the patent inverts the design by placing recesses on the exterior and having attachment elements on the strap connect to these recesses from the interior side, reversing the traditional arrangement.
3Reliability
If face protector is fastened with multiple bolts, then secure attachment is achieved, but installation and removal becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the face protector attachment system into multiple independent attachment points distributed around the helmet shell. Each point uses a simple recess-protrusion interface, allowing the face protector to be attached and detached through multiple simple actions rather than one complex multi-bolt operation.
4Reliability
If conventional attachment hardware is used, then secure connection is achieved, but weight of the helmet increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment features are merged into the helmet shell structure itself, formed as integral parts during the molding process. This eliminates the need for separate metal snap elements, bolts, and mounting hardware, significantly reducing the overall weight while maintaining connection security through the molded recess-protrusion interfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
A batting helmet system includes sockets facing the interior region of the helmet shell to receive clip elements for holding a chin strap or to receive plate elements for supporting a face protector. A clip element includes a base portion, a hook portion extending from the base portion, and a projection positioned on an end of the hook portion and extending toward the base portion. The base portion may include a strap retainer. When the clip element is installed, the clip element extends from the interior of the helmet to the exterior of the helmet through an opening in the helmet shell, so that the strap retainer is positioned outside the helmet shell. A face protector may include plate elements for positioning in one or more of the sockets. Plate elements and sockets may have corresponding geometries that limit rotation of the face protector relative to the helmet shell.