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US 9,808,042 B2Granted
Batting helmet having localized impact protection
AssigneeRawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.
InventorsBrian Hoying, Kevin Bowman, Art Chou, Michael A Lorenz, Kevin J Vititoe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A batting helmet having localized impact protection comprises a rigid shell with a padded inner core affixed therein. Localized impact protection comprises additional padding attached to the inner core, increased thickness of the rigid shell, increased stiffness of the rigid shell, and additional padding attached to the rigid shell, alone or in combination, positioned in various regions of the helmet.
Claims28
A helmet comprising:
- a rigid shell comprising crown, front, back, left, and right portions shaped to cover the respective crown, front, back, left, and right portions of a wearer's head, wherein the rigid shell defines a bottom opening and an inner cavity configured to receive a wearer's head, wherein the rigid shell comprises a material having a first stiffness, and wherein the rigid shell comprises an inner surface and an outer surface;
- and
- a sheet of protective material having a second stiffness, wherein the sheet of protective material is coupled to the inner surface of the rigid shell only in an area corresponding to the crown portion of the rigid shell, the left portion of the rigid shell, the right portion of the rigid shell, or any combination of the crown, left, and right portions of the rigid shell, wherein the second stiffness is greater than the first stiffness to provide increased impact protection to a wearer only along the area corresponding to the crown portion of the rigid shell, the left portion of the rigid shell, the right portion of the rigid shell, or any combination of the crown, left, and right portions of the rigid shell, and wherein the sheet of protective material does not extend along the front portion of the rigid shell or the back portion of the rigid shell.
A helmet comprising:
- a rigid shell comprising crown, front, back, left, and right portions shaped to cover the respective crown, front, back, left, and right portions of a wearer's head, wherein the rigid shell defines a bottom opening and an inner cavity configured to receive a wearer's head, and wherein the rigid shell comprises a material having a first stiffness;
- and
- a sheet of protective material having a second stiffness, wherein the sheet of protective material is positioned upon or integral to the rigid shell only in an area corresponding to the crown portion of the rigid shell, the left portion of the rigid shell, the right portion of the rigid shell, or any combination of the crown, left, and right portions of the rigid shell, wherein the second stiffness is greater than the first stiffness to provide increased impact protection to a wearer only along the area corresponding to the crown portion of the rigid shell, the left portion of the rigid shell, the right portion of the rigid shell, or any combination of the crown, left, and right portions of the rigid shell, and wherein the sheet of protective material does not extend along the front portion of the rigid shell or the back portion of the rigid shell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.