# US 11,076,654 B2 · Light sources in energy management liner of a helmet to illuminate helmet fit system

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- Number: US 11,076,654 B2
- Document ID: US11076654B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/974,657
- Filed: 2018-05-08
- Published: 2018-11-15
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2017-05-09
- Assignees: Bell Sports, Inc.
- Applicants: Bell Sports, Inc.
- Inventors: Ian P. McAllister; Mark D. Doublin; Ronald A. Ramirez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11076654B2

## CPC

- A42B 3/044: {Lighting devices, e.g. helmets with lamps}
- A42B 3/06: Impact-absorbing shells, e.g. of crash helmets
- A42B 3/125: {with a padded structure, e.g. foam}
- A42B 3/08: Chin straps or similar retention devices
- F21V 23/001: {the elements being electrical wires or cables}
- F21V 23/003: {the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array}
- F21Y 2115/10: Light-emitting diodes [LED]
- A42B: HATS; HEAD COVERINGS (headbands A41D20/00; head-scarves A41D23/00)
- F21V: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED

## Abstract

A helmet including fit system straps with illuminable strips on them or woven into them and one or more light sources positioned adjacent the tops of the fit system straps on the helmet body to emit light toward the illuminable strips. The light sources may be connected directly to the illuminable strips to emit light into an end of the illuminable strips. The light sources may emit light from or near a lower surface of the helmet body toward the illuminable strips.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A helmet comprising:
a helmet body including an inner surface, an outer surface and a lower surface extending between the inner surface and the outer surface, the helmet body comprising an energy-management liner disposed between the inner surface and the outer surface and an outer shell covering at least a majority of the energy-management liner, the helmet body further including a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
a fit system comprising a first strap and a second strap, the first strap attached to the helmet body adjacent the lower surface at one or more first attachment points on the first side of the helmet body, the second strap attached to the helmet body adjacent the lower surface at one or more second attachment points on the second side of the helmet body, the first strap comprising one or more first illuminable strips disposed on one or more first outward-facing surfaces of the first strap, the second strap comprising one or more second illuminable strips disposed on one or more second outward-facing surfaces of the second strap;
one or more first light sources positioned adjacent the one or more first attachment points and the lower surface on the first side of the helmet and within the energy-management liner, at least one of the one or more first light sources positioned and oriented to emit a first light through and along the length of the one or more first illuminable strips of the first strap; and
one or more second light sources positioned adjacent the one or more second attachment points and the lower surface on the second side of the helmet and within the energy-management liner, at least one of the one or more second light sources positioned and oriented to emit a second light toward the one or more second illuminable strips of the second strap.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The helmet of claim 1, wherein the one or more first light sources are positioned at the one or more first attachment points to emit the first light from the one or more first attachment points through at least a portion of the one or more first illuminable strips.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The helmet of claim 1, wherein the one or more first light sources are positioned adjacent the lower surface of the helmet body and are positioned to emit the first light toward the one or more first illuminable strips of the first strap from the lower surface of the helmet body.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The helmet of claim 1, wherein the one or more first illuminable strips of the first strap comprise thermoplastic polyurethane.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The helmet of claim 1, further comprising a controller, wherein the controller is operably coupled with the one or more first light sources.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The helmet of claim 1, wherein the one or more first illuminable strips are coupled with the first strap via one or more translucent covers on the first strap.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The helmet of claim 6, wherein the first strap further comprises a pocket formed by the one or more translucent covers, and at least a majority of at least one of the one or more first illuminable strips is disposed within the pocket.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The helmet of claim 1, wherein the one or more first light sources are attached to an end of the one or more first illuminable strips.

### Claim 9

A helmet comprising:
a helmet body including an inner surface, an outer surface and a lower surface extending between the inner surface and the outer surface, the helmet body comprising an energy-management liner disposed between the inner surface and the outer surface, the helmet body further including a first side and a second side;
a fit system comprising a first strap and a second strap, the first strap attached to the helmet body at one or more first attachment points on the first side of the helmet body, the second strap attached to the helmet body at one or more second attachment points on the second side of the helmet body, wherein at least a portion of the first strap and a portion of the second strap are illuminable;
one or more first light sources positioned within the energy-management liner and adjacent the lower surface on the first side of the helmet body and positioned and oriented to emit a first light from adjacent the lower surface through and along the length of the first illuminable portion of the first strap; and
one or more second light sources positioned adjacent the lower surface on the second side of the helmet body and positioned and oriented to emit a second light from adjacent the lower surface toward the second strap.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The helmet of claim 9, wherein at least one of the one or more first light sources is positioned directly superior to at least one of the one or more first attachment points.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The helmet of claim 9, wherein the one or more first light sources are positioned to emit the first light toward illuminable surfaces of the first strap.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The helmet of claim 9, wherein the first strap comprises one or more first illuminable strips.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The helmet of claim 12, wherein the one or more first illuminable strips are coupled to the first strap via one or more translucent covers.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The helmet of claim 13, wherein the first strap further comprises a pocket formed by the one or more translucent covers, and at least a majority of at least one of the one or more first illuminable strips is disposed within the pocket.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The helmet of claim 9, further comprising a controller, wherein the controller is operably coupled to the one or more first light sources.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The helmet of claim 9, wherein the one or more first light sources are coupled to an end of the first strap.

### Claim 17

A method for increasing visibility of a helmet, the method comprising:
forming a helmet body that includes an energy-management liner, wherein the helmet body comprises an inner surface, an outer surface, and a lower surface extending between the inner surface and the outer surface;
attaching a first strap onto a first side of the helmet body such that one or more first illuminable surfaces of the first strap face outward;
attaching a second strap onto a second side of the helmet body such that one or more second illuminable surfaces of the second strap face outward;
positioning and orienting one or more first light sources within the energy-management liner and adjacent the lower surface on the first side of the helmet body such that the one or more first light sources emit a first light through and along the length of the one or more first illuminable surfaces; and
positioning and orienting one or more second light sources adjacent the lower surface on the second side of the helmet body such that the one or more second light sources emit a second light toward the one or more second illuminable surfaces.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein attaching a first strap further comprises attaching one or more first illuminable strips having the one or more first illuminable surfaces onto the first strap.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of claim 18, further comprising coupling the one or more first illuminable strips onto the first strap via one or more translucent covers.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising coupling the one or more first light sources to an end of the first strap.