Fiber reinforced helmet

Abstract

A helmet with an outer shell made from a fiber reinforced material, and preferably, a fiber reinforced polymer. The helmet preferably has a critical impact area that contains a greater concentration of fibers. Preferably, the helmet has a weight, offset, and dimensions which are comparable to a helmet with an outer shell that is not made from a fiber reinforced material. The helmet is preferably stiffer and more protective than a conventional helmet not having a fiber reinforced outer shell.

1 . A baseball batting helmet, comprising:
 an outer shell comprising a fiber reinforced polymer, wherein said outer shell comprises outer and inner surfaces; and   padding coupled to said inner surface, wherein said outer shell and said padding combined have a weight of between approximately 17 to 21 ounces, and wherein said outer shell and said padding combined have a Severity Index, as defined in the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 001-11m11 titled Standard Test Method and Equipment Used in Evaluating the Performance Characteristics of Protective Headgear/Equipment, of not greater than 750 when tested in accordance with the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 022-10m11a titled Standard Performance Specification for Newly Manufactured Baseball/Softball Batter's Helmets as modified so that all projectiles used in the test are baseballs, the velocity of all baseballs used in the test is approximately 90 miles per hour, and all tests are conducted at ambient temperature.   
     
     
         2 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein said outer shell and padding combined have a weight of between approximately 18 to 20 ounces. 
     
     
         3 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the combination of said outer shell and said padding have a Severity Index, as defined in the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 001-11m11 titled Standard Test Method and Equipment Used m Evaluating the Performance Characteristics of Protective Headgear/Equipment, of not greater than 500 when tested in accordance with the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 022-10m11a titled Standard Performance Specification for Newly Manufactured Baseball/Softball Batter's Helmets as modified so that all projectiles used in the test are baseballs, the velocity of all baseballs used in the test is approximately 90 miles per hour, and all tests are conducted at ambient temperature. 
     
     
         4 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 1.25 inches. 
     
     
         5 . The helmet of  claim 4 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 0.75 inches. 
     
     
         6 . The helmet of  claim 5 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 0.5 inches. 
     
     
         7 . The helmet of  claim 6 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of approximately 0.28 inches. 
     
     
         8 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein said outer shell comprises a front, rear, crown, left side and right side, and wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of greater than 60 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side. 
     
     
         9 . The helmet of  claim 8 , wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of between approximately 80 to 120 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side. 
     
     
         10 . A baseball batting helmet, comprising:
 an outer shell comprising a fiber reinforced polymer, wherein said outer shell comprises outer and inner surfaces and a front, rear, crown, left side and right side, and wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of greater than 60 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side; and   padding coupled to said inner surface, wherein said outer shell and said padding combined have a weight of between approximately 17 to 21 ounces.   
     
     
         11 . The helmet of  claim 10 , wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of between approximately 80 to 120 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side. 
     
     
         12 . The helmet of  claim 10 , wherein said outer shell and padding combined have a weight of between approximately 18 to 20 ounces. 
     
     
         13 . The helmet of  claim 10 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 1.25 inches. 
     
     
         14 . The helmet of  claim 13 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 0.75 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The helmet of  claim 14 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 0.5 inches. 
     
     
         16 . The helmet of  claim 15 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of approximately 0.28 inches. 
     
     
         17 . A baseball batting helmet, comprising:
 an outer shell comprising a fiber reinforced polymer, wherein said outer shell comprises outer and inner surfaces; and   padding coupled to said inner surface, wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 1.25 inches, and wherein said outer shell and said padding combined have a Severity Index, as defined in the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 00111m11 titled Standard Test Method and Equipment Used m Evaluating the Performance Characteristics of Protective Headgear/Equipment, of not greater than 750 when tested in accordance with the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 022-10m11a titled Standard Performance Specification for Newly Manufactured Baseball/Softball Batter's Helmets as modified so that all projectiles used in the test are baseballs, the velocity of all baseballs used in the test is approximately 90 miles per hour, and all tests are conducted at ambient temperature.   
     
     
         18 . The helmet of  claim 17 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 0.75 inches. 
     
     
         19 . The helmet of  claim 18 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 0.5 inches. 
     
     
         20 . The helmet of  claim 19 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of approximately 0.28 inches. 
     
     
         21 . The helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the combination of said outer shell and said padding have a Severity Index, as defined in the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 001-11m11 titled Standard Test Method and Equipment Used m Evaluating the Performance Characteristics of Protective Headgear/Equipment, of not greater than 500 when tested in accordance with the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 022-10m11a titled Standard Performance Specification for Newly Manufactured Baseball/Softball Batter's Helmets as modified so that all projectiles used in the test are baseballs, the velocity of all baseballs used in the test is approximately 90 miles per hour, and all tests are conducted at ambient temperature. 
     
     
         22 . The helmet of  claim 17 , wherein said outer shell comprises a front, rear, crown, left side and right side, and wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of greater than 60 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side. 
     
     
         23 . The helmet of  claim 22 , wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of between approximately 80 to 120 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side. 
     
     
         24 . A baseball batting helmet, comprising:
 an outer shell comprising a fiber reinforced polymer, wherein said outer shell comprises outer and inner surfaces and a front, rear, crown, left side and right side, and wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of greater than 60 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side; and   padding coupled to said inner surface, wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 1.25 inches.   
     
     
         25 . The helmet of  claim 24 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 0.75 inches. 
     
     
         26 . The helmet of  claim 25 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of between approximately 0.25 to 0.5 inches. 
     
     
         27 . The helmet of  claim 26 , wherein said padding comprises a thickness of approximately 0.28 inches. 
     
     
         28 . The helmet of  claim 24 , wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of between approximately 80 to 120 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side. 
     
     
         29 . A baseball batting helmet, comprising:
 an outer shell comprising a fiber reinforced polymer, wherein said outer shell comprises outer and inner surfaces and a front, rear, crown, left side and right side, and wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of greater than 60 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side; and   padding coupled to said inner surface, wherein said outer shell and said padding combined have a Severity Index, as defined in the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 001-11m11 titled Standard Test Method and Equipment Used m Evaluating the Performance Characteristics of Protective Headgear/Equipment, of not greater than 750 when tested m accordance with the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 022-10m11a titled Standard Performance Specification for Newly Manufactured Baseball/Softball Batter's Helmets as modified so that all projectiles used in the test are baseballs, the velocity of all baseballs used in the test is approximately 90 miles per hour, and all tests are conducted at ambient temperature.   
     
     
         30 . The helmet of  claim 29 , wherein said right and left sides move closer to each other by approximately 1 inch when a pressure of between approximately 80 to 120 pounds per square inch is applied to said left or right side. 
     
     
         31 . The helmet of  claim 30 , wherein the combination of said outer shell and said padding have a Severity Index, as defined in the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 001-11m11 titled Standard Test Method and Equipment Used in Evaluating the Performance Characteristics of Protective Headgear/Equipment, of not greater than 500 when tested in accordance with the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment's NOCSAE DOC 022-10m11a titled Standard Performance Specification for Newly Manufactured Baseball/Softball Batter's Helmets as modified so that all projectiles used in the test are baseballs, the velocity of all baseballs used in the test is approximately 90 miles per hour, and all tests are conducted at ambient temperature. 
     
     
         32 . A helmet, comprising:
 an outer shell made from a fiber reinforced material, wherein said outer shell comprises a critical impact area that contains a greater concentration of fibers than the remainder of said outer shell, wherein said outer shell comprises a front, a rear, a crown, a first side and a second side, wherein the critical impact area is at least partially positioned in the first side, and wherein said outer shell comprises:
 a first fiber layer that forms at least a portion of each of the front, the crown, the first side and the second side; 
 a second fiber layer that forms at least a portion of each of the rear, the crown, and the first side; 
 a third fiber layer that forms at least a portion of each of the rear, the crown, and the second side; and 
 a fourth fiber layer that font's at least a portion the first side. 
   
     
     
         33 . A helmet, comprising:
 an outer shell made from a fiber reinforced material, wherein said outer shell comprises a critical impact area that contains a greater concentration of fibers than the remainder of said outer shell, wherein said outer shell comprises a front, a rear, a crown, a first side and a second side, wherein the critical impact area is at least partially positioned in the first side, and   wherein said outer shell comprises overlapping fiber layers and there are:
 six of said overlapping fiber layers in at least a portion of said critical impact area, 
 three of said overlapping fiber layers in at least a portion of said front, 
 four of said overlapping fiber layers in at least a portion of said left side or right side that does not include said critical impact area, 
 five of said overlapping fiber layers in at least a portion of said rear, and 
 four of said overlapping fiber layers in at least a portion of said crown.