# US 12,593,888 B2 · Protective sports helmet > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,593,888 B2 - Document ID: US12593888B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/403,159 - Filed: 2024-01-03 - Published: 2024-04-25 - Granted: 2026-04-07 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-06 - Assignees: Bell Sports, Inc. - Applicants: Bell Sports, Inc. - Inventors: Michael W. Lowe - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12593888B2 ## CPC - A42B 3/128: {with zones of different density} - A42B 3/064: {with relative movement between layers} - A42B: HATS; HEAD COVERINGS (headbands A41D20/00; head-scarves A41D23/00) ## Abstract A protective helmet to be worn by a player engaged in a sport comprises a flexible outer shell and a multi-layer liner assembly disposed within the outer shell. The multi-layer liner assembly includes an inner-layer, a middle-layer and an outer-layer, and permits relative rotational movement between said layers when the helmet is worn by the player and receives an impact. The inner-layer is made from a first material with a first density and is mechanically coupled to the outer-layer without adhesive. The outer-layer is made from a second material with a second density that is greater than the first density of the inner-layer. The middle-layer is made from a third material that has a third density that is greater than the first density. The outer-layer also has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the inner-layer and varies between a front region of the outer-layer and a crown region of the outer-layer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A protective sports helmet to be worn by a player, the protective sports helmet comprising: an outer shell; a multi-layer liner assembly disposed within the outer shell, the multi-layer liner assembly including an inner-layer, a middle-layer, and an outer-layer; wherein the inner-layer is positioned adjacent to the player's head when the protective helmet is worn by the player, and wherein said inner-layer has: (i) a first density, and (ii) a first thickness at a first location; wherein the outer-layer has: (i) a second density that is greater than the first density of the inner-layer, and (ii) a second thickness at a second location and a third thickness at a third location, and wherein the second and third thickness are different; and wherein the middle-layer is positioned between an extent of an outer surface of the inner-layer and an extent of an inner surface of the outer-layer, and wherein said middle-layer has a fourth thickness at a fourth location that is less than each of the second thickness and the third thickness. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The protective helmet of claim 1, wherein the middle-layer does not continuously extend between a front region of the helmet, through a crown region of the helmet, and to a rear region of the helmet. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The protective helmet of claim 1, wherein the middle-layer has a periphery that is less than a periphery of the outer-layer whereby the middle-layer underlies less than 90% of the inner surface of the outer-layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The protective helmet of claim 1, wherein the inner-layer includes a segment with an outward extending projection and the outer-layer has a receiver that is configured to receive a portion of the projection. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The protective helmet of claim 1, wherein the multi-layer liner assembly further includes a comfort liner layer with an outer surface that is positioned adjacent to an inner surface of the inner-layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The protective helmet of claim 1, wherein the middle-layer has a third density that is greater than the first density. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The protective helmet of claim 1, wherein the inner-layer has a first chemical composition and the outer layer has a second chemical composition that is different from the first chemical composition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The protective helmet of claim 1, wherein the middle-layer has a first chemical composition and the inner layer has a second chemical composition that is different from the first chemical composition. ### Claim 9 A football helmet to be worn by a player, the football helmet comprising: an outer shell; a multi-layer liner assembly disposed within the outer shell, the multi-layer liner assembly including an inner-layer, a middle-layer, and an outer-layer; wherein the inner-layer is positioned adjacent to the player's head when the football helmet is worn by the player, said inner-layer: (i) including a first material, and (ii) having an inner-layer thickness at a first location; wherein the outer-layer: (i) includes a second material that is different from the first material, (ii) has a first outer-layer thickness at a second location, and (iii) a second outer-layer thickness at a location in a crown region of the helmet that is different than the first outer-layer thickness, and wherein the outer-layer has a density that is different than a density of the inner-layer; and wherein the middle-layer is positioned between an extent of an outer surface of the inner-layer and an extent of an inner surface of the outer-layer, and wherein said middle-layer: (i) includes a third material that is different from each of the first and second materials, and (ii) has a middle-layer thickness at a third location that is between the first and second locations, wherein the middle-layer thickness is less than each of the inner-layer thickness, the first outer-layer thickness, and the second outer-layer thickness. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the inner-layer includes a front segment positioned in the front region of the helmet and a rear segment positioned in a rear region of the helmet, and wherein the inner-layer lacks an extent that is positioned in the crown region of the football helmet. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the inner-layer includes a segment with an outward extending projection and the outer-layer has a receiver that is configured to receive a portion of the projection. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the outer-layer density is less than the inner-layer density. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the outer-layer density is greater than the inner-layer density. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the middle-layer has a density, and the inner-layer density is less than the middle-layer density. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the middle-layer has a density, and the outer-layer density is less than the middle-layer density. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the inner-layer has a hardness that is less than a hardness of the middle-layer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the inner-layer has a hardness that is less than a hardness of the outer-layer. ### Claim 18 An American football helmet to be worn by a player, the football helmet comprising: an outer shell; a multi-layer liner assembly disposed within the outer shell, the multi-layer liner assembly including an inner-layer, a middle-layer, and an outer-layer; wherein the inner-layer is positioned adjacent to the player's head when the football helmet is worn by the player, and wherein said inner-layer: (i) includes a first material, and (ii) has a segment with an outward extending projection; wherein the outer-layer is positioned adjacent to an inner surface of the outer shell, and wherein the outer-layer includes: (i) a second material, and (ii) a receiver that is configured to receive a portion of the projection, and (iii) a first outer-layer thickness at a first location in a front region of the helmet that is different than a second outer-layer thickness at a second location in a crown region of the football helmet; and wherein the middle-layer is positioned adjacent to an extent of an inner surface of the outer-layer, and wherein said middle-layer includes a third material that is different from both of the first and second materials. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The American football helmet of claim 18, wherein the inner-layer has a plurality of channels that extend completely through the inner-layer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The American football helmet of claim 18, wherein the middle-layer does not continuously extend between the front region of the football helmet, through the crown region of the football helmet, and to a rear region of the helmet. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The American football helmet of claim 18, wherein the inner-layer is configured to absorb a first impact type while the outer-layer is configured to absorb a second impact type, and wherein the first impact type has a lesser amount of energy than the second impact type. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The American football helmet of claim 18, wherein the middle-layer is positioned adjacent to an extent of an outer surface of the inner-layer. ### Claim 23 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the middle-layer is positioned adjacent to an extent of an inner surface of the outer-layer. ### Claim 24 (depends on 9) The football helmet of claim 9, wherein the middle-layer is positioned adjacent to an extent of an outer surface of the inner-layer.