WO2006089098A1

WO2006089098A1 - Chin strap system for protective headgear

Info

Publication number: WO2006089098A1
Application number: PCT/US2006/005603
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vincent R. Ferrara
Original assignee: Ferrara Vincent R
Priority date: 2005-02-18
Filing date: 2006-02-17
Publication date: 2006-08-24

Abstract

A chin strap system for use with protective headgear is provided. The chin strap system includes a chin protector configured to receive a wearer's chin, and a pair of chin straps disposed one each on opposed sides of the chin protector for engaging and drawing the protective headgear down on the wearer's head when the straps are anchored to the chin protector.

Description

CHIN STRAP SYSTEM FOR PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/654,226, which was filed on February 18, 2005 by Vincent R. Ferrara for a Pulley Chin Strap System and is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to headgear securing devices. More specifically, the invention relates to a chin strap system for effectively fitting protective headgear to a user's head and protecting their chin from impact.

Background Information

Protective headgear is widely used in sporting events and other physical activities to help protect wearers from head injury. Head injury can result from impact forces due to contact with other people or with objects. Currently marketed helmets, generally fall into two categories: single impact helmets and multiple-impact helmets. Single-impact helmets undergo permanent deformation under impact, whereas multiple-impact helmets are capable of sustaining multiple blows. Applications of single-impact helmets include, for example, bicycling and motorcycling. Participants of contact sports, such as hockey and football, use multiple-impact helmets. Both categories of helmets have similar con- struction. A semi-rigid outer shell distributes the force of impact over a wide area and a crushable inner layer reduces the force upon the wearer's head.

Currently, nearly all protective headgear provides some sort of securing and/or fitting mechanism. Most commonly, those mechanisms are chin straps. In the case of most cycling helmets, straps emanate from the helmet and course below the jaw. These hel- mets are difficult to fit securely due to the variable nature of the area under the jaw, and the helmets are prone to sliding back and forth. Further, these helmets typically provide no protection to the chin area. In the case of most football helmets, a chin piece is typically utilized, from which emanate straps. These straps course towards the helmet shell, and are typically secured to the shell via snaps. These straps are difficult to fit snugly, since adjusting them requires unsnapping and manually adjusting them, then returning them to the snapped position. This can be time consuming and difficult, and the snaps are prone to breaking or becoming disengaged. Further, the rigidity and inflexibility of these helmet shells makes them resistant to being pulled downward and inward, and prevents a snug fit from being attained. Due to these factors, it is not uncommon for football helmets to fly off during an impact. There remains a need, therefore, for a chin strap system which securely seats protective headgear to a user's head and protects the user's chin from the force due to impact.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a chin strap system for protective headgear de- signed to effectively position the headgear on a user's head and to protect the user's chin from the force of an impact. The chin strap system includes a chin protector and at least one chin strap which is readily adjusted, while the chin strap is fastened to the chin protector and to the headgear, to draw down and securely seat the helmet on the user's head. Unlike conventional chin straps, there is no need to unsnap or otherwise disconnect the chin strap system from the headgear during adjustment.

The chin strap system can be used on a variety of types of protective headgear including, but not limited to, safety helmets, motorcycle helmets, bicycle helmets, ski helmets, lacrosse helmets, hockey helmets, and football helmets, batting helmets for baseball and sofltball, headgear for rock and mountain climbers, and headgear for boxers. Thus, it will be understood that the chin strap system of the present invention may be adapted for other applications, such as for helmets used on construction sites, in defense and military applications, and for underground activities. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and further advantages of this invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals indicate like structural elements and features in various figures. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a helmet, taken in section, illustrating one embodiment of the chin strap system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view, taken in section, of a protective headgear having a multi- layer air cushion shell with an energy absorbing layer, which includes the chin strap system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a protective headgear including another embodiment of the chin strap system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded, side elevation view of the chin strap system of FIG. 3, with the securement device disengaged.

FIG. 5 is an exploded, side elevation view of one embodiment of a securement device of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE

EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a top view of one type of protective headgear 2, taken in section, illustrating one embodiment of the chin strap system 10 of the present invention. Here, the headgear is a conventional football helmet, which includes a pulley 4 and helmet padding 6 for protecting a user's head from injury due to the force of an impact to the helmet 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the chin strap system 10 included a chin protector 12 and a pair of chin straps 14 disposed on opposed sides 16 of the chin protector 12. Chin protector 12 is configured to receive a wearer's chin. More specifically, the chin protector 12 includes an outer surface 18 and an inner surface 20 which contacts the wearer's chin. The outer surface 18 of the chin protector 12 is preferably fabricated of a thermoplastic material. The inner surface 20 is formed of materials that protect the chin from the forces due to an impact, such as padding.

The chin straps 14 include opposed ends 22 distal to the chin protector 12 and se- curement devices 24 for securing the ends 22 of the chin strap onto or near the chin pro- tector 12. Generally, when in use, the distal ends of each chin strap 14 are drawn upwardly and through the pulley 4, and then downwardly toward the chin protector 12. In this manner, the pulley 4 serves as an anchoring point for the chin strap 14. That is, the pulling downward on the straps 14 draws the helmet 2 down toward the head, and draws the chin protector 12 up and into the chin. In accord with the present invention, the pul- ley 4 may be a simple loop or a more completed system such as a ratcheting mechanism which allows for movement of the strap.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the securement devices 24 are a pair of hook and loop fasteners 26. hi general terms, one of the hook or the loop of the hook and loop fasteners 26 may be disposed on each end 22 of the chin strap 14 and the other of the hook or loop of the hook and loop fasteners 26 may be disposed on the chin strap at any point along the chin strap 14 or on the chin protector 12. In the illustrated embodiment, one of the hook or the loop of the hook and loop fasteners 26 is disposed on each end 22 of the chin strap 14 and the other of the hook or the loop of the hook and loop fasteners 26 is disposed on the chin strap proximate to the side 16 of the chin protec- tor 12.

In accord with this embodiment, in use, the distal ends of each chin strap 14 are drawn upwardly and through the pulley 4, and downwardly toward the chin protector 12. The hook of each hook and loop fastener 26 is joined with the corresponding loop of the fastener and, thus, the helmet is secured to the wearer's head. FIG. 2 illustrates the chin strap system 10 incorporated into protective headgear which includes a multi-layer air cushion shell with an energy absorbing layer as is disclosed in United States Patent Application Serial No. 11/059,427, which was filed February 16, 2005. The entirety of this co-pending patent application is incorporated by reference herein. Generally, the protective headgear of FIG. 2 includes an outer layer (I) hav- ing an internally facing surface, an inner layer (II) having a surface that faces the outer layer, and a middle layer (III) having a plurality of compressible members (IV) disposed in a fluid-containing interstitial region bounded by the inner and outer layers. Each compressible member is attached to the surface of the inner layer and to the internally facing surface of the outer layer. The protective headgear also includes at least one passageway (V) by which fluid can leave the middle layer when the protective headgear experiences an impact.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a helmet 2 including another embodiment of the chin strap system 10 of the present invention, hi this embodiment, the securement device is a side squeeze clip 28 which includes a male member 28A and a female member 28B. The male member 28A includes a clip loop 30 for adjustably receiving the end 22 of the chin strap 14 distal to the chin protector 12, and a pair of clip arms 34 for securely seating the male member 28A in the female member 28B. The female member is integrally formed within the chin protector 12 and defines a clip opening 32 for receiving the male member 28 A. In use, male member 28A" is drawn through the pulley 4 and downward towards the female member 28B in the chin protector 12. The male member 28A is then inserted into the clip opening of the female member 28B to lock and stabilize the system 10. FIG

3 illustrates the side squeeze clip in a locked position. The advantage of a chin strap system 10 using a side squeeze clip 28 is that it allows for easy location of the female mem- ber 28B₅ which can be accomplished quickly and without the need to visualize the member 28B. The clip 28 also contributes to the effective fitting capabilities of this system, described below.

Fitting of the helmet 2 is accomplished thereafter by tightening or loosening the chin strap 14 at the point that it courses through the clip loop 30 of the male member 28A. More particularly, with the male and female members 28A, 28B engaged, the helmet is fit on the wearer's head when the chin straps 14 align in parallel and a pull is exerted on the pulley 4 around which the strap is anchored. This pull is enhanced by tightening the strap 14 coursing through the male member 28A. This pull results in the pulley

4 pulling on the helmet 2 to which it is attached, preferably at the temporal and occipital regions of the helmet 2. Preferably, the helmet 2 is constructed in a manner to the helmet shown in FIG. 2 such that there is some flexibility at the temporal and occipital regions. The pressure exerted on the pulley 4 causes the temporal and occipital regions to be pulled inward toward the head, improving the fit of the system 10.

Further, the pressure exerted on the pulley 4 causes a tension point in the pulley 4, where it flexes maximally and creates an angle. If the chin strap 14 is adapted such that it is capable of sliding along the pulley 4, this tension point localizes naturally to an area in front of the wearer's earlobe. This area of the face covers (lies superficial to) the mandibular neck, which is the vertically oriented portion of the mandible (lower jaw bone), which lies below the skin. At the apex of the mandibular neck is the mandibular condyle, which inserts into the temporal bone of the skull, and serves as the pivot point of the jaw (D). The advantage of the tension point localizing to this area is that it causes the chin strap 14 to orient itself such that it essentially runs in a line from the chin to an area very close to the pivot point of the jaw. Thus, the strap 14 can be tightened for a snug fit, and several advantages are offered. First the distance between the chin and the tension point is reduced to a short distance, which reduces the amount of sliding the helmet 2 does on the head. Second, the person wearing the helmet 2 is capable of opening his or her mouth freely, and as the strap 14 pivots in sync with the jaw, a tight fit is still maintained.

When desired, the helmet 2 is removed by pressing or squeezing the arms 34 of the male member 28A and unlocking the system 10, as illustrated in FIG. 4. FIGS. 5A and 5B provide another illustration of the side squeeze clip in an open and closed posi- tion, respectively.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A chin strap system for use with protective headgear, the chin strap system com- prising: a chin protector configured to receive a wearer's chin, and a pair of chin straps disposed one each on opposed sides of the chin protector for engaging and drawing the protective headgear down on the wearer's head when the straps are anchored to the chin protector.

2. The chin strap system of claim 1, wherein the chin protector defines a smooth outer surface and an inner surface that contacts the chin.

3. The chin strap system of claim 2, wherein the inner surface is formed of materials for absorbing forces due to impacts sustained on the chin.

4. The chin strap system of claim 2, wherein at least the outer surface of the chin protector is formed of a thermoplastic material.

5. The chin strap system of claim 1 wherein the chin straps are adjustable.

6. The chin strap system of claim 1 further comprising at least one securement de- vice for removably securing to the chin protector.

7. The chin strap system of claim 6, wherein the securement devices area pair of hook and loop fasteners, one of the hook or loop of each fastener pair is disposed on each opposed side of the chin protector, and the other of the hook or loop each fastener pair is disposed on an end of each chin strap distal to the chin protector such that the protective headgear is drawn down on and secured to the wearer's head when the hook and loop fas- teners are engaged on the chin protector.

8. The chin strap system of claim 6, wherein the securement device is a pair of con- nector and connector receptacles, one connector receptacle is integrally formed on each opposed side of the chin protector, and a connector is disposed on an end of each chin strap distal to the chin protector such that the protective headgear is drawn down on and secured to the wearer's head when the hook and loop fasteners are engaged on the chin protector.

9. Protective headgear including a helmet having opposite sides with redirection devices affixed thereto; a chin protector configured to fit a human chin, said chin protector having oppo- site sides; a pair of strap segments extending from the opposite sides of the chin protector, said strap segments having free end portions slidably engaged around different ones of the redirection devices and looped back on themselves, and a strap length adjusting device on each strap segment for releasably fastening the free end portion of that strap segment to the remainder of that strap segment to adjustably fix the distance between the chin protector and the corresponding redirection device

10. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein each redirection device comprises at least one slit in the helmet.

11. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein each redirection device comprises a ring.

12. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein each redirection device comprises a flexible band having opposite ends anchored to the corresponding side of the helmet at spaced-apart locations thereat.

13. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein each redirection device includes a sheave.

14. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein each fastening device includes hook and loop fasteners on opposing surfaces of the free end portion and remainder of the corre- sponding strip segment.

15. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein each adjusting device includes a buckle around which the free end portion of the corresponding strap segment is looped.

16. The headgear defined in claim 9 and further including a quick release fastening device connected between the adjusting device on each strap segment of the correspond- ing side of the chin protector.

17. The headgear defined in claim 15 wherein each fastening device includes mate- able male and female clip members one of which is anchored to the corresponding side of the chin protector and the other end of which includes a buckle which constitutes said adjusting device.

18. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein the helmet includes a compressible shell.

19. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein the helmet includes a shell and a plural- ity of compressible members lining the shell.

20. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein each strap segment is separately an- chored to the chin protector.

21. The headgear defined in claim 9 wherein the strap segments are parts of a single strap that extends between the opposite sides of the chin protector.

22. Protective headgear comprising a helmet having opposite sides; a chin protector shaped to fit a human chin, said chin protector having opposite sides; a pair of strap segments extending from the opposite sides of the chin protector, said strap segments having free end portions looped back on themselves to form bights which extend around redirection devices at the opposite sides of the helmet, and a strap length adjustor associated with each strap segment for adjusting the strap length between the redirection device associated with that strap segment and the corre- sponding side of the chin protector.

23. The head gear defined in claim 22 and further including a fastening device con- nected between each strap adjustor and the corresponding side of the chin protector.