Removing pads within a helmet contacting a wearer's head while minimizing movement of the wearer's head during removal

Abstract

Pads on an interior of a helmet contact portions of a wearer's head to secure the helmet to the wearer's head. To simplify removal of the helmet from the wearer's head, an exterior surface of a helmet includes an opening and a pad, or a receptacle plate to which a pad is coupled, includes a fastener opening. The opening in the helmet and the fastener opening in the pad are aligned and a fastener is inserted into the opening in the helmet so fastener is also inserted to the fastener opening in the pad, securing the pad to an interior surface of the helmet. To remove the pad from the interior of the helmet, the fastener is removed from the fastener opening in the pad. As the fastener is accessible from the exterior surface of the helmet, the pad may be removed with minimal movement of the wearer's head.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 aligning a fastener opening in a pad assembly with an opening of a helmet, a surface of the pad assembly contacting an interior surface of the helmet and the opening of the helmet extending from the exterior surface of the helmet to an interior surface of the helmet;   inserting a fastener into the opening of the helmet from the exterior surface of the helmet, the fastener at least partially extending through the opening of the helmet and into the fastener opening in the pad assembly; and   securing the pad assembly to the internal surface of the helmet by securing the fastener to the fastener opening in the pad assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 removing the fastener from the fastener opening in the pad assembly; and   removing the pad assembly from the helmet.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein securing the pad assembly to the internal surface of the helmet by securing the fastener to the opening in the pad assembly comprises:
 aligning a ball in the fastener with a detent in the fastener opening in the pad assembly.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein removing the fastener from the fastener opening in the jaw pad assembly comprises:
 repositioning the fastener so the ball in the fastener is not aligned with the detent in the fastener opening in the pad assembly.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein securing the pad assembly to the internal surface of the helmet by securing the fastener to the fastener opening in the pad assembly comprises:
 inserting a portion of the fastener into a detent in a snap base that comprises the fastener opening in the pad assembly.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein removing the fastener from the opening in the jaw pad assembly comprises:
 removing the portion of the fastener from the detent in the snap base that comprises the fastener opening in the pad assembly.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the pad assembly comprises a jaw pad coupled to a receptacle plate including the fastener opening, and aligning the opening in the pad assembly with the opening of the helmet comprises:
 aligning the fastener opening in the receptacle plate with the opening of the helmet.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein inserting the fastener into the opening of the helmet from the exterior surface of the helmet comprises:
 inserting the fastener into the opening of the helmet from the exterior surface of the helmet so a portion of the fastener is inserted into the fastener opening in the receptacle plate.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 removing the pad assembly from the fastener while the fastener remains inserted into the opening of the helmet.   
     
     
         10 . A system comprising:
 a helmet including an opening extending from an exterior surface of the helmet through an interior surface of the helmet;   a receptacle plate including a fastener opening, the receptacle plate configured to be positioned proximate to the interior surface of the helmet so the fastener opening of the receptacle plate is aligned with the opening of the helmet;   a jaw pad configured to be coupled to the receptacle plate; and   a fastener configured to be inserted into the opening of the helmet from the exterior surface of the helmet so a portion of the fastener extends through the opening of the helmet and into the fastener opening of the receptacle plate securing the receptacle plate to the interior surface of the helmet, while another portion of the fastener remains accessible from the external surface of the helmet.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the receptacle plate is further configured to be removed from the interior surface of the helmet in response to the portion of the fastener extending into the fastener opening of the receptacle plate being removed from the fastener opening of the receptacle plate. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising an insert configured to be inserted into the opening of the helmet and including a securing mechanism, the fastener configured to be inserted into the opening of the helmet from the exterior surface of the helmet so the portion of the fastener extends through the insert and into the fastener opening of the receptacle plate, and the fastener is secured by the securing mechanism when the fastener is tightened. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the jaw pad is configured to be compressed against the portion of the fastener extending through the opening of the helmet and into the fastener opening of the receptacle plate. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the compression of the jaw pad against the portion of the fastener ejects the fastener from the fastener opening of the receptacle plate in response to the fastener being loosened at least a threshold amount. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the receptacle plate further includes a spring positioned proximate to the fastener opening of the receptacle plate, the spring configured to be compressed when the portion of the fastener is inserted into the fastener opening of the receptacle plate and secured in the fastener opening of the receptacle plate. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the spring is further configured to eject the fastener from the fastener opening of the receptacle plate in response to the fastener being loosened at least a threshold amount. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the fastener opening of the receptacle plate includes a living hinge configured to be compressed when the portion of the fastener is inserted into the fastener opening of the receptacle plate and secured in the opening of the receptacle plate. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the living hinge is further configured to eject the fastener from the fastener opening of the receptacle plate in response to the fastener being loosened at least a threshold amount. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the jaw pad is configured to be removed from the receptacle plate while the portion of the fastener remains inserted into the fastener opening of the receptacle plate. 
     
     
         20 . A system comprising:
 a helmet including an opening extending from an exterior surface of the helmet through an interior surface of the helmet;   a jaw pad including a fastener opening, the jaw pad configured to be positioned proximate to the interior surface of the helmet so the fastener opening of the jaw pad is aligned with the opening of the helmet;   a fastener configured to be inserted into the opening of the helmet from the exterior surface of the helmet so a portion of the fastener extends through the opening of the helmet and into the fastener opening of the jaw pad securing the jaw pad to the interior surface of the helmet, while another portion of the fastener remains accessible from the external surface of the helmet.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the jaw pad is further configured to be removed from the interior surface of the helmet in response to the portion of the fastener extending into the fastener opening of the jaw pad being removed from the fastener opening of the jaw pad. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the fastener opening of the jaw pad includes a living hinge configured to be compressed when the portion of the fastener is inserted into the fastener opening of the jaw pad and secured in the fastener opening of the jaw pad. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the living hinge is further configured to eject the fastener from the fastener opening of the jaw pad in response to the fastener being loosened at least a threshold amount. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the jaw pad is configured to be removed from the jaw pad while the portion of the fastener remains inserted into the fastener opening of the jaw pad. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the fastener opening is mechanically coupled to the jaw pad. 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the fastener opening is integrally formed in the jaw pad.