Fitment system and method for designing a football helmet
AssigneeRiddell, Inc.
InventorsVittorio Bologna, Joseph Levene
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A data collection, processing and fitment system for a protective sports helmet that is designed to improve: (i) the comfort and fit of the helmet, (ii) the efficiency of the design, selection and build process, and (iii) how the helmet responds when an impact or series of impacts are received by the helmet when worn by a player. In general terms, the system selects a combination of pre-manufactured energy attenuation components from a larger collection of pre-manufactured energy attenuation components that best fit the head of the player that will wear the helmet based upon data collected from the player.
Claims22
A method of designing and assembling an American football helmet for a specific player from a collection of pre-manufactured energy attenuation components that best fit the head of the specific player, the method comprising:
- obtaining anatomical data of a specific player's head using a scanning device;
- creating a model of the specific player's head from the obtained anatomical data within a computer software program, wherein said model includes an outer surface;
- providing a computerized template that includes a plurality of energy attenuation surfaces that are individually associated with a group of pre-manufactured energy attenuation components, wherein each of the pre-manufactured energy attenuation components has a different thickness;
- aligning the model of the specific player's head within the computerized template;
- determining a plurality of fit values, wherein each of the plurality of fit values is defined as a distance extending from the outer surface of the model of the specific player's head to an energy attenuation surface of the plurality of energy attenuation surfaces;
- comparing each of the plurality of fit values to a predefined ideal fit value that provides a desired interference fit with the specific player's head when the helmet is worn in a pre-impact state;
- selecting a specific fit value that best fits the predefined ideal fit value;
- identifying the pre-manufactured energy attenuation component that is associated with the specific fit value;
- and
- installing the identified pre-manufactured energy attenuation component within a helmet shell.
A method of designing and assembling an American football helmet for a specific player from a collection of pre-manufactured energy attenuation components that best fit the head of the specific player, the method comprising:
- obtaining anatomical data of a specific player's head using a scanning device;
- creating a model of the specific player's head from the obtained anatomical data within a computer software program, wherein said model includes an outer surface;
- aligning the model of the specific player's head within the computer software program;
- providing a plurality of energy attenuation line lengths, wherein an energy attenuation line length corresponds to a pre-manufactured energy attenuation component;
- determining a plurality of player line lengths within the computer software program;
- determining a first fit value by assessing a difference between a first player line length and a corresponding first energy attenuation line length;
- comparing the first fit value to a predefined first ideal fit value that provides a desired interference fit with the specific player's head when the helmet is worn in a pre-impact state;
- based upon said comparison, selecting a first pre-manufactured energy attenuation component from amongst a group of the pre-manufactured energy attenuation components;
- installing the selected first pre-manufactured energy attenuation component within a helmet shell;
- and
- wherein when the helmet is worn by the specific player in a pre-impact state, the selected first pre-manufactured energy attenuation component applies a pressure on the specific player's head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.