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  Energy absorbing sports helmetUSPTO Application #: 20060112477Title: Energy absorbing sports helmet Abstract: Slow recovery viscoelastic polyurethane foam with a surface impregnation of silicone, coupled with a rigid helmet shell, is used for athletic headgear. The helmet shell should have a rigid construct to provide dispersion of impact energy, absorbing at least thirty percent of the impact energy delivered to the helmet shell. The slow recovery viscoelastic polyurethane foam has unique characteristics making it suitable for use as an energy absorbing liner for athletic headgear. The energy absorbing liner can be made with varying thickness and size, so retail establishments can custom fit a helmet to a particular customer. (end of abstract) Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC - Washington, DC, US Inventor: Marc S. Schneider USPTO Applicaton #: 20060112477 - Class: 002412000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Apparel, Guard Or Protector, For Wearer's Head, Including Energy-absorbing Means, By Diverse Laminae The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060112477. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is an application filed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 111(a), claiming benefit pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn..sctn. 119-120 of the filing dates of the following Provisional Applications: [0002] Ser. No. 60/401,758 filed on Aug. 8, 2002; [0003] Ser. No. 60/429,064 filed on Nov. 26, 2002; and [0004] Ser. No. 60/474,924 filed on Jun. 3, 2003. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/401,758, 60/429,064 and 60/474,924 are incorporated herein by reference for all they disclose. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0005] 1. Technical Field of the Invention [0006] The present invention is directed to headgear comprising slow recovery viscoelastic polyurethane foam with a surface impregnation of silicone, and more specifically, to headgear comprising a shell to dissipate a portion of a force impacting on the headgear and a slow recovery viscoelastic polyurethane foam that absorbs the remainder of the impact force [0007] 2. Description of the Related Art [0008] Head injuries are a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control demonstrate that, on average, three hundred thousand sports-related brain concussions occur in the United States each year. Children under the age of fourteen have a greater risk for concussions than do adults. Teenagers that suffered two or more "big hits" to the head can suffer long-term damage to their thinking abilities. Twenty percent of teenagers that have suffered multiple concussions have continuous headaches and suffer sleep and concentration disorders. The damage from concussions can vary from mild, which is completely reversible, to severe which can lead to coma or death. [0009] A concussion is an injury to the brain cells resulting from trauma to the head. Loss of consciousness is not necessary for a head injury to be considered a concussion. Concussions are graded in severity on a scale of Grade One (mild) to Grade Three (severe). Concussions are considered to be Grade One when there is no loss of consciousness and symptoms last less than fifteen minutes. A Grade Two concussion is when there is no loss of consciousness, with symptoms lasting longer than fifteen minutes. A Grade Three concussion is when there is any loss of consciousness. [0010] Though the incidence of concussions at the amateur levels of ice hockey are not known, it is thought to be a fairly common occurrence. A hockey study from Canada surveying players throughout all professional levels in the sport demonstrated that at least sixty percent of the players suffered at least one concussion in their career. From Oct. 1, 2001 through Dec. 31, 2001, there were sixty-seven concussions in the National Hockey League. The total number of concussions in the National Hockey League exceeds one hundred per year for a league that has six hundred players. [0011] The governing bodies at every level of amateur and profession ice hockey mandate the use of helmets. Typically, helmets comprise a rigid outer shell and an energy absorbing liner. The helmet shell functions to: (i) maintain the energy absorbing liner in position upon impact, (ii) prevent penetration of sharp objects, and (iii) dissipate the impact's energy prior to it reaching the energy absorbing liner. [0012] The helmet shell prevents injury to the head by decreasing the impact force to the brain. Of all the sports requiring certification of their helmets, ice hockey has the lowest certification standards. Helmet shells are typically made from a composite material or a thermoplastic material. Thermoplastic helmet shells bend to absorb impact energy. Thermoplastic helmet shells are easy to mold and color, and are inexpensive to manufacture. Thermoplastic helmet shells deform more and are less rugged than composite helmet shells. Most reinforced thermoset resin shells are considered stronger than typical injection molded plastic shells. Thermoset resin shells are not considered viscoelastic. This means that the thermoset resin shell does not indent with the application of a force. In general, if the thermoset resin shell indents, the impact force is more concentrated in the zone of indentation and less dissipated throughout the surface of the thermoset resin shell. [0013] A composite helmet shell is more rugged and deforms less than the thermoplastic helmet shell. A composite helmet shell delaminates to absorb impact energy. Delamination is microscopic separation of the fiber layers. A composite is a mixture of components whose combined physical strength is greater than their individual strength. Composite helmet shells are usually made out of epoxy resin and reinforced with fiberglass, carbon or Kevlar. Reinforcing resin with fibers increases the tensile strength by several fold. The different fibers used within the composite produce different characteristics (tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength and abrasion resistance). Motorcycle crash helmets demonstrate the state-of-the-art. Motorcycle helmet shells are made of reinforced epoxy resins and are designed to withstand high-speed impact. [0014] Injection molded plastic helmet shells vary significantly in strength, weight and are viscoelastic. ABS is the standard type of plastic used for injection molded helmet shells. In some types of helmet shells, injection molded plastic can be very strong, e.g., football helmets or lacrosse helmets. [0015] Energy absorbing liners are made from either open-cell foam or closed-cell foam. Energy absorbing liners compress as they absorb energy. The purpose of the energy absorbing liner is to decrease the energy of the impact force. This is called impact attenuation. If an egg were dropped onto an energy absorbing liner, it would either crack or stay whole, based on the amount of energy absorbed by the energy absorbing liner. Open-celled foam will rebound after it is compressed from an impact. Polyvinyl padding is a type of celled foam commonly used in hockey helmets as an energy absorbing liner. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a type of closed-cell foam that is the most commonly energy absorbing liner used today in hockey helmets. EPS is a type of STYROPOAM used for packaging protection. EPS is compressed and crushed as it absorbs energy. While EPS attenuates impact force well and is considered the "gold standard" in the helmet market, impacts produce permanent damage to the EPS material. Minor impacts to the helmet shell cause microscopic cracks in the EPS. Which can seriously destroy its impact attenuation performance. [0016] Most urethane foams are elastic in that the foam deflects under a load, and return a force to the load that is equal to the deflection of the elastic material multiplied by its stiffness. When pressure is applied to common urethane foam, like a spring, the foam deflects and returns a force that is proportional to the amount of deflection. Areas of greatest deflection (i.e., greatest pressure) receive the greatest return force. These pressure hot spots can restrict blood circulation to portions of the body. [0017] Viscoelastic foams have both viscous and elastic response properties. The viscous response property evenly distributes a load, and the elastic response property allows the foam to support a static load. "Viscous" refers to a fluid response that flows away from the applied load or applied force, in that the fluid redistributes the applied load or applied force. Viscoelastic materials redistribute the applied load or applied force away from the point of contact. [0018] Slow recovery viscoelastic polyurethane foam molds, shapes, and adjusts to the surface it is in contact with the application of heat. In athletic headgear, for example, the athlete's head causes the application of heat to the slow recovery viscoelastic polyurethane foam. CONFOR foam displays this characteristic greater than other viscoelastic polyurethane foams. Typically, athletic headgear comprises an outer shell and an inner energy absorbing liner for absorbing impacts suffered during the course of an athletic contest. An energy absorbing liner comprising viscoelastic polyurethane foam absorbs energy transferred from the outer shell, if the head represents the final transfer point of the impact energy. Naturally, the viscoelastic polyurethane foam should absorb as much impact energy as possible prior to being completely compressed. Of course, the greater the surface area of the viscoelastic polyurethane foam contacting the skull, the greater the energy dissipation and absorption there will be prior to the viscoelastic polyurethane foam reaching maximum compression (bottoming out). The viscoelastic polyurethane foam should return to its pre-impact shape after the impact. [0019] Ice hockey involves players reaching impact speeds greater than any other contact sport. The helmet shell used in ice hockey is different than the helmet shell in any other sport. For a helmet shell to be accepted by the hockey community, it must have a certain cosmetic appearance. The helmet shell must cover the forehead, temples, crown, and back of the head. Hockey players will not wear helmets that are overly large, or have the shape or appearance of a motorcycle crash helmet or football helmet. The plastic used in hockey helmet shells has obviously less impact resistance. In fact, the plastic used in some hockey helmet shells might even be considered an adornment (the clear fragile plastic now used in CCM x-ray helmets). Typically, hockey helmet shells have their least strength on the sides (temples) where the helmet shell loses its curvature, the openings are located for the ears and the energy absorbing liner is at its thinnest. Ice hockey helmet shells made of plastic are most vulnerable in this region. [0020] Typical hockey helmets do not meet the same standard of protection that football or lacrosse helmets meet. The customary construction of ice hockey helmets uses helmet shell halves that slide together front to back. This interaction of the helmet shell halves is the primary adjustment in most helmets. The padding components are typically arranged to complement this action or at least not interfere with the adjustment. The current construction fails to keep the helmet secured on the head. Critically, hockey helmets typically do not fit humanoid head forms very well, and poor fit can dangerously compromise the function of the helmet. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0021] The invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and to overcome the above problems and limitations of the prior art, and provides a helmet comprising a slow recovery viscoelastic foam with a surface impregnation of silicone to retard moisture absorption. The invention further provides a helmet comprising a shell that dissipates a portion of an impact force delivered to the helmet and a slow recovery viscoelastic foam that absorbs the remainder of the impact force. [0022] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or can be learned by practice of the invention. The aspects and advantages of the invention can be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. [0023] A first aspect of the present invention provides a helmet for cushioning a head during a sudden impact, and the helmet comprises a helmet shell, and an energy absorbing protective liner fitted to an interior surface of the helmet shell. The energy absorbing protective liner includes a slow recovery viscoelastic material with surface impregnation of a waterproofing material. The energy absorbing protective liner can be formed from slow recovery viscoelastic polyurethane foam with silicone as the waterproofing material. [0024] A second aspect of the present invention provides a helmet for cushioning a head during a sudden impact, and the helmet comprises a helmet shell and a plurality of energy absorbing protective pads arranged on an interior surface of the helmet shell. Each of the energy absorbing protective pads comprises a slow recovery viscoelastic material with surface impregnation of a waterproofing material. Each energy absorbing protective pad can be formed from slow recovery viscoelastic polyurethane foam with silicone as the waterproofing material. Advantageously, each of the energy absorbing protective pads can be shaped into pads of variable thickness and size. Continue reading... Full patent description for Energy absorbing sports helmet Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Energy absorbing sports helmet patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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