Protective Athletic Helmet to Reduce Linear and Rotational Brain Acceleration

Abstract

A protective helmet includes an upper section and a lower section; each having inner and outer facing surfaces; a gap formed between the upper and lower sections; at least one connection member connecting the upper section to the lower section and maintaining the gap; the upper section being movable with respect to the lower section when an impact force is applied to the outside surface of the upper section; an inner shell securable to the inner facing surface of the lower section; the inner shell being adapted to receive a portion of the helmet user's head, whereby the head of the user will be spaced from the inner facing surface of the upper section when the portion of the user's head is received in the inner shell; and the inner shell substantially preventing the user's head from making contact with the inner facing surface of the upper section.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective helmet comprising:
 an upper section and a lower section, each of the upper and lower sections having an inner facing surface;   a gap formed between the upper section and the lower section;   at least one resilient member connecting the upper section to the lower section;   the upper section being movable with respect to the lower section whereby at least a portion of the force from an impact to the upper section will be absorbed and will not be transmitted to the lower section;   an inner shell securable to the inside surface of the lower section; the inner shell having an inner facing surface adapted to receive a portion of the helmet user's head, whereby the head of the user will be spaced from the inner facing surface of the upper section when the portion of the user's head is received in the inner shell;   at least one foam member attached to the inner shell and contacting the inner facing surface of the lower section; and   the inner shell extending into the inside of the upper section; the inner shell substantially preventing the user's head from making contact with the inner facing surface of the upper section.   
     
     
         2 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of foam pads being secured to the inner facing surface of the inner shell. 
     
     
         3 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the at least one resilient member includes a plurality of spaced apart compression struts. 
     
     
         4 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 3  wherein each strut has a top portion and a bottom portion; the top portion connected to the upper section and the bottom portion connected to the lower section. 
     
     
         5 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 3  wherein the struts are formed to be able to compress, flex and rotate so as to absorb an amount of energy from the impact to the upper section. 
     
     
         6 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 3  wherein the struts include a uniformly flat surface having a common plane. 
     
     
         7 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 3  wherein the Durometer hardness of each strut is between 40A and 75A, the tensile strength of each strut is between 1800 psi and 2700 psi, and the bend radius of each strut is between 1.25 inches and 4 inches. 
     
     
         8 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 3  wherein each strut is made of polyvinyl chloride. 
     
     
         9 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the upper section is made of a pliable material. 
     
     
         10 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 9  wherein the upper section is made from PCA or ABS plastic. 
     
     
         11 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 10  wherein the outer surface of the polyethylene foam is coated with urethane. 
     
     
         12 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the lower section is made from PCA or ABS plastic. 
     
     
         13 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the gap between the upper section and the lower section is approximately ½ inch. 
     
     
         14 . A protective helmet comprising:
 an upper section and a lower section; each section having an inner facing surface and an outer facing surface;   a gap formed between the upper section and the lower section;   at least one connection member connecting the upper section to the lower section and maintaining the gap;   the upper section being movable with respect to the lower section when an impact force is applied to the outer facing surface of the upper section;   an inner shell securable to the inner facing surface of the lower section; the inner shell having an inner facing surface adapted to receive a portion of the helmet user's head, whereby the head of the user will be spaced from the inner facing surface of the upper section when the portion of the user's head is received in the inner shell; and   the inner shell extending into the inside of the upper section; the inner shell substantially preventing the user's head from making contact with the inner facing surface of the upper section.   
     
     
         15 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 14  whereby the user's head will be spaced from the inner facing surface of the upper section when the portion of the helmet user's head is received in the inner shell. 
     
     
         16 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 14  further comprising at least one foam member attached to the inner shell and contacting the inner facing surface of the lower section. 
     
     
         17 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 15  further including at least one resilient member connecting the upper section to the lower section. 
     
     
         18 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 17  wherein the at least one resilient member being a plurality of spaced apart compression struts. 
     
     
         19 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 18  wherein each strut includes a top portion and a bottom portion; the top portion connected to the upper section and the bottom portion being connected to the lower section; the struts formed to be able to compress, flex and rotate so that an amount of energy from an impact to the upper section will be absorbed. 
     
     
         20 . A helmet as set forth in  claim 14  wherein the upper section is made from PCA or ABS plastic.