Enduro mountain biking chin bar
AssigneeBell Sports, Inc.
InventorsErin Kyle Ellison, Eamon Briggs, Benjamin Warren Penner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bicycle helmet system comprising a helmet and a chin bar is disclosed. The chin bar is removably coupled to the helmet and wrapped circumferentially around a portion of the helmet. The chin bar may include a rear buckle configured to tighten the chin bar around the helmet. The chin bar may also include two side buckles that engage with side recesses on the helmet when the chin bar is removably coupled to the helmet. The chin bar may also include two alignment protrusions positioned to engage with alignment recesses on the helmet when the chin bar is removably coupled to the helmet.
Claims15
A mountain biking helmet system, comprising:
- a helmet having an open front side, an outer surface surrounding a head opening within the helmet and first and second side recesses on respective left and right sides of the helmet, the first and second side recesses each having a closed perimeter defined by the outer surface of the helmet;
- a helmet strap coupled to the helmet;
- and
- a chin bar comprising opposing terminating ends, a first side coupling, and a second side coupling opposite the first side coupling, each of the first and second side couplings comprising a lever operable between an open position and a closed position and a base configured to removably engage with the helmet at the respective first and second side recesses of the helmet when the lever is in the closed position;
- wherein the chin bar is wrapped circumferentially around and overlapping the outer surface of the helmet and extending forward of the helmet at a bottom of the open front side when the chin bar is attached to the helmet;
- and
- wherein the opposing terminating ends are attached to each other through a rear coupling configured to tighten the chin bar circumferentially against the outer surface of the helmet and configured to loosen the chin bar circumferentially against the outer surface of the helmet so that the chin bar is removable from the helmet while the helmet is worn by a mountain biker.
A mountain biking helmet system, comprising:
- a mounting biking helmet having an outer surface, an open front side, and first and second side recesses on respective left and right sides of the mountain biking helmet;
- a chin bar comprising opposing terminating ends and configured to cover a portion of the open front side of the mountain biking helmet, the chin bar further comprising a back portion configured to cover an external portion at a back of the mountain biking helmet, a front portion distal to the back portion of the chin bar and covering a lower portion of the open front side of the mountain biking helmet, and one or more couplings configured to couple the chin bar to the mountain biking helmet such that the chin bar forms a continuous loop when the one or more couplings couple the chin bar to the mountain biking helmet and the chin bar wraps circumferentially around a portion of the outer surface of the mountain biking helmet;
- wherein the one or more couplings comprise at least a rear coupling on the back portion of the chin bar, the rear coupling attaching the opposing terminating ends of the chin bar to each other and operable between an open position and a closed position that reduces the circumference of the chin bar and tightens the chin bar circumferentially against the outer surface of the mountain biking helmet;
- and
- wherein the one or more couplings further comprise two side buckles, each one of the two side buckles comprising a lever operable between an open position and a closed position and a base configured to engage with a different one of the first and second side recesses on the mountain biking helmet when the lever is in the closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.