Protective helmet

(54) Designation Protective helmet with size adjustment, specs for ice hockey and band players (56) Published Publications: SE 421 482 (A42B 3/00) Fl 35 960 (A42B 3/00) US 3 087 166 (2: 420) (57) Summary:

Ice hockey helmet including front and rear, articulated: interconnected parts (1, 2) which are adapted for size adjustment of the helmet so that it can be swung and locked in different positions relative to each other. The front part (1) forms the main part of the helmet and is provided with ear protection and chin strap, while the rear part (2) is formed in the form of a bowl-shaped drawback. The disadvantage is pivotal in the form of a hatch relative to the front part about a substantially horizontal joint. For accurate resizing of the helmet, the front and rear portions (1, 2) are formed with cooperating portions (7, 2), which when the rear portion (2) is pivoted toward the front portion for shortening the helmet also results in a contraction of the helmet which reduces its width.

DB 647289

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The numbers in brackets indicate international identification code, INID code. Letters in clamps indicate international document code.

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The present invention relates to a protective helmet, especially for ice hockey and bandy players, comprising front and rear, articulately connected parts which for size adjustment of the helmet are arranged to be swiveled and locked in different positions relative to each other.

In order for an ice hockey helmet to provide satisfactory protection of the head, it is necessary, inter alia, that it can withstand without considerable deformation the very large forces obtained at e.g. puck hits, falls to the ice or grit and blows from clubs. Furthermore, it must have a very good shock absorbing effect. In addition, the weight should be low. The helmet must, of course, not have any openings which allow a club tip or puck to penetrate, but must have an appropriate design so that it covers all vital parts. Furthermore, it shall be so designed as to permit a stable and secure attachment of a grid visor or plexiglass cover.

A basic feature of an ice hockey helmet, which is often overlooked but which is absolutely essential for a helmet which itself meets the above requirements, to provide the protection it is intended to provide, is that its fit on the head is very good, so that the helmet always seated correctly and firmly in place.

In order to allow a size adjustment of helmets of the aforementioned kind, these have usually been carried out in a plurality of parts which are riveted or screwed together to the desired size. Such a design means, among other things, that different helmet sections must be wrapped to a large extent, which results in extra material consumption and increased weight.

In a known embodiment of an ice hockey helmet, the helmet is made in one piece in the form of two pivotally connected parts, which can be locked in different positions relative to each other. In the known embodiment, the main part of the helmet, which is intended to be fastened by means of a chin strap, consists of the neck protective part and the side parts with ear protection. In this case, a front, for protection of head and forehead and for supporting 450 620 bearing visors or the corresponding intended part, is pivotally connected via a substantially horizontal joint, so that the front part can be folded up in the form of a door. The hatch can be clamped to the rear in different positions to change the length of the helmet. On the other hand, no corresponding change in helmet width is obtained, which means that it does not allow accurate, individual size adjustment to different head sizes.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a helmet of the type initially specified, which, in addition to meeting all the usual requirements for ice hockey helmets, should also allow for an individual size adjustment so that it provides better protection as the helmet is always seated properly and firmly. on the head.

In particular, according to the present invention, the particularly characteristic of a helmet is that the front portion, which covers most of the head bowl, forms the head portion of the helmet and is provided with ear protection and chin strap, that the rear portion is formed in the form of a cup-shaped drawback, which is pivotable in the form of a hatch relative to the front portion about a substantially horizontal joint, and the front and rear portions are formed with cooperating, relatively rigid portions; which when the rear part is pivoted towards the front part to shorten the helmet also causes the width of the helmet to be reduced to a corresponding extent.

It is preferred that the front portion is provided with rearwardly projecting portions which, when reduced in size, are adapted to cooperate with curved surfaces of the rear portion to reduce the width of the front portion. Said portions are thereby conveniently connected to the parts of the helmet which serve as ear protection, whereby, among other things, these parts are pressed closer together in size reduction.

In a preferred embodiment, the rear portion is formed with forwardly projecting tongues which extend beyond said rearwardly projecting portions and are guided in the front portion. Said tongues and / or said rearwardly projecting portions are suitably provided with friction raising means which permit secure locking of the front and rear portions of the helmet in

450 620 desired positions relative to each other by compressing said tongues and portions by suitable means. .

For the size adjustment, the helmet is preferably made with a comfort interior in the form of soft foam plastic pillows.

The helmet impact receiving shell is preferably made in the form of a sandwich construction comprising a thin outer plastic layer and a bonded layer of stiffening and impact absorbing plastic material, preferably a polyurethane layer. The helmet is preferably made in one piece, the hinge between the front and rear parts being formed in the outer plastic layer.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 are a helmet according to the invention seen from the side and obliquely from below.

Figs. 3 and 4 are corresponding views of the helmet in the loaded position.

Figures 5 and 6 are schematic sub-sections illustrating the size adjustment of the helmet, Figure 5 corresponds to the helmet of Figures 1 and 2 and Figure 6 the helmet of Figures 3 and 4.

As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, a helmet according to the invention comprises two parts, a front main part 1 and a rear, hatch-shaped disadvantage 2, which is pivotally connected to the front part 1 via a horizontal joint, not shown. The joint is made in the form of a guide in the outer plastic layer of the helmet. The helmet has a shape with a strong inclined front to divert pucks and blows. Furthermore, it is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes 3, to allow efficient air exchange in the interior of the helmet.

As can be seen from Fig. 2, for example, the helmet is formed in the form of a relatively thin, impact-receiving outer plastic layer 4, which is internally bonded to a layer of stiffening and shock-absorbing plastic material 5. The layer 5 is suitably a polyurethane layer applied to the outer layer. Because the layer 5 is firmly bonded to the layer 4, a sandwich construction is obtained which becomes very impact resistant and provides an effective shock absorption. Thus, the polyurethane layer 5 is used for both stiffening of the helmet and for shock absorption, which is why the helmet becomes very light as its thickness can be reduced. The thickness of the layer 5 varies over the helmet in boron type due to the requirements of mechanical strength and shock absorbing ability. On the layer 5, a comfort device is provided, which consists of a number of very soft foam plastic pads which are more or less compressed when the helmet is worn. These soft cushions thus provide an automatic fine-tuning of the size and shape of the helmet to the actual head shape. In some places, e.g. in the neck, k exterior fittings extend beyond the helmet shell.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, the front part 1 is the largest and thus constitutes the main part of the helmet. It is this part which is provided with protective earmoulding portions to which the not shown interconnecting chin straps are attached for secure clamping of the helmet on the head. Any visor or plastic glass cover will then be attached to the part of the helmet that is strapped to the head. This is important, among other things, in order that the helmet does not twist and go down due to the weight of the visor and that a blow or other force that hits the visor and is directed upwards should not be able to cause the part of the helmet to which the visor is attached to fall. up or that the helmet is turned back on the head.

For size adjustment of the helmet, the front portion 1 is formed with rearwardly projecting portions 7, which cooperate with the converging inner surface of the rear helmet portion.

2nd The part 2, for its part, is provided with forwardly projecting tongues 8 which extend beyond the portions 7 and are guided in grooves in the front helmet part 1. The portions 7 and / or the tongues 8 may be provided with teeth or grooves 9 to allow secure locking of the helmet parts. 1 and 2 in the desired mutual positions by compressing adjacent portions 7 and tongue 8 by means of a screw 10 or equivalent. In the example shown, the tabs 8 are provided with holes for the screw 10, while the portions 7 are provided with longitudinal slots 11 to allow swinging of the door 2 relative to the part 1.

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When the door 2 is turned in the direction of the part 1, a shortening of the helmet is obtained. However, due to the converging inner surface of the portion 2, the front portions of the portions 7 will be gradually pressed against each other, thereby causing the side portions of the helmet, including the portions located over the ears, to be compressed and reduce the width of the helmet. This allows the helmet to sit very firmly on heads of different sizes without squeezing.

In Figures 1 and 2, the helmet is shown in a stretched position, ie. with the screw 10 located at the rear end of the slot 11. In FIG.

and 4, the corresponding helmet is shown in the loaded position, ie. for minimum head size. The portions 7 thereby cooperate over their entire length with the bowl-shaped disadvantage 2 and the screw 10 is at the front end of the groove 11. As can be seen, the helmet can also take any size between these extreme positions.

The interaction between the portions 7 and the tongues 8 in sizing the helmet is shown in the sub-sectional views of Figures 5 and 6. In Fig. 5, the mutual positions between one portion 7 and the corresponding tongue 8 are shown when the helmet is in the tensioned position according to Fig. 1 and 2. As can be seen, the portion 7 and the tongue 8 are formed with interlocking teeth 9 which are held in engagement with each other by the screw 10. The screw cooperates with a nut · 12, which is rotatably slidable in a groove in the portion 7. As can be seen, both the portion 7 and the tongue 8 protrude. in cavities between the outer plastic layer of the helmet and the stiffening and impact-absorbing inner plastic layer 5.

In Fig. 6, the corresponding section is shown, when the helmet is clamped in Figs. 3 and 4. The screw 10 and associated nut 12 have thereby been displaced to the opposite end of the groove 11. The portion 7 thus cooperates with the curved inner part of the hatch-shaped rear portion for the helmet to be pulled laterally.

As stated above, a helmet according to the invention can be made in a single piece, the size adjustment being done by means of only two screws. This greatly simplifies the manufacture and assembly as well as the use of the helmet.

The invention has been described above with reference to a particular embodiment, which however can

450 620 is varied in several respects within the scope of the claims. Thus, the general design of the helmet can be varied as desired and the aggregation of the two parts can be done on any pour. The helmet is widely believed, although delta is not shown, intended to be worn with a grating visor or plexiglass guard, which is thereby attached to the head-fastened part of the helmet. The means utilized to provide a size adjustment with respect to the width of the helmet may also be varied as desired, for example, the front portion of the helmet may be contracted by means of portions projecting from the rear. It is therefore essential that only the front and rear parts are made with cooperating parts, which have the desired contracting effect · when shortening the helmet. The comfort furnishings in the form of the soft pillows 6 can also be given any design, and for example consist of a single interchangeable, coherent unit.

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