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US 5,119,516 AGranted
Reinforced expanded plastic helmet construction
AssigneeBell Sports, Inc.
InventorLester V. Broersma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A helmet has a generally dome shaped helmet body with inner and outer sides and a lower edge extending generally in the shape of a loop; an elongated reinforcement member is embedded in the helmet to extend proximate the looping lower edge portion; that member may have band shape; and additional such band shaped reinforcement members may extend within the dome shape of the helmet, such as laterally spaced rib or ridge portions.
Claims23
In a helmet, the combination comprising:
- a) a helmet body consisting of gas expanded synthetic resin, and having dome shape defining a lower edge extending generally in a loop,
- b) reinforcement means encapsulated in the helmet body to extend above said lower edge, said reinforcement means including
- (i) a looping section comprising at least one discrete elongated reinforcement member encapsulated in the helmet body proximate the lower edge of the helmet body to extend in a loop substantially entirely around said helmet body, through a predetermined, limited height thereof,
- (ii) at least one arch-shaped section extending upwardly of and across the upper dome-shaped extent of the body from one side thereof to the other, each said arched-shaped section comprising at least one discrete elongate reinforcement member encapsulated in the dome-shaped extent of said body through a predetermined, limited arch length thereof.
1 more element
In the method of constructing a helmet, the steps including:
- a) forming a helmet body consisting of gas expanded synthetic resin, and having dome shape defining a lower edge extending in a loop,
- b) providing a looping section comprising at least one discrete reinforcement member, and encapsulating each said member in the body, proximate said lower edge of the helmet body to extend in a loop substantially entirely around said helmet body, through a predetermined, limited height thereof, and
- c) providing at least one arch-shaped section, each said arch-shaped section comprising at least one discrete elongate reinforcement member, and encapsulating each said member in the helmet body to arch across the dome-shaped extent of the helmet body between opposite sides of the helmet body.
In the method of constructing a helmet, the steps including:
- a) forming a helmet body consisting of gas expanded synthetic resin, and having dome shape defining a lower edge extending in a loop,
- b) and embedding a looping section comprising at least one discrete reinforcement member in the body proximate said lower edge of the helmet body to extend a loop substantially entirely around said helmet body, through a predetermined, limited height thereof,
- c) and including providing at least one lug on each said member to position it in a mold in which the body is molded.
In the method of constructing a helmet, the steps including:
- a) forming a helmet body consisting of gas expanded synthetic resin, and having dome shape defining a lower edge extending in a loop,
- b) and embedding a looping section comprising at least one discrete reinforcement member in the body proximate said lower edge of the helmet body to extend in a loop substantially entirely around said helmet body, through a predetermined, limited height thereof,
- c) and including twisting each said member during molding of the body to position the member in the body during molding thereof.
In a helmet, the combination comprising:
- a) a helmet body consisting of gas expanded synthetic resin, and having dome shape defining a lower edge extending generally in a loop, and
- b) a looping section comprising at least one discrete elongated reinforcement member embedded in the helmet body above said lower edge of the helmet body to extend in a loop substantially entirely around said helmet body, through a predetermined, limited height thereof,
- c) each said member having band shape and being oriented to have a lower edge projecting toward the helmet lower edge.
In a helmet, the combination comprising:
- a) a helmet body consisting of gas expanded synthetic resin, and having dome shape defining a lower edge extending generally in a loop,
- b) reinforcement means embedded in the helmet body to extend above said lower edge,
- c) said reinforcement means including
- (i) a looping section comprising at least one discrete elongated reinforcement member encapsulated in the helmet body proximate the lower edge of the helmet body to extend in a loop substantially entirely around said helmet body, through a predetermined, limited height thereof,
- (ii) at least one arch-shaped section extending upwardly of and across the upper dome-shaped extent of the body from one side thereof to the other, each said arch-shaped section comprising at least one discrete elongate reinforcement member encapsulated in the dome-shaped extent of said body through a predetermined, limited arch length thereof,
- d) said arch-shaped section having lower ends attached to tabs anchored to said looping section.
3 more elements
In a helmet, the combination comprising:
- a) a helmet body consisting of gas expanded synthetic resin, and having dome shape defining a lower edge extending generally in a loop,
- b) an elongated reinforcement member embedded in the helmet body to extend above said lower edge,
- c) said reinforcement member including
- i) a looping section encapsulated in the helmet proximate the helmet lower edge,
- ii) at least one additional arch-shaped section extending upwardly into upper dome-shaped extent of the body, and encapsulated therein, and said additional section having lower ends attached to said looping section,
- d) and including tabs on said additional section to anchor said section in the helmet body which is molded about said tabs.
3 more elements
In a helmet, the combination comprising:
- a) a helmet body consisting of gas expanded synthetic resin, and having dome shape defining a lower edge extending generally in a loop,
- b) an elongated reinforcement member embedded in the helmet body to extend above said lower edge,
- c) said reinforcement member including
- i) a looping section encapsulated in the helmet proximate the helmet lower edge,
- ii) at least one additional arch-shaped section extending upwardly into upper dome-shaped extent of the body, and encapsulated therein, and said additional section having lower ends attached to said looping section,
- d) said helmet body having forwardly and rearwardly extending ridge portions which are sidewardly spaced apart, the additional reinforcement section extending into at least two of said ridge portions,
- e) said additional section extending through at least two of said ridge portions, crosswise thereof,
- f) said arch-shaped section also extending openly across spaces between said ridge portions.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.