Comfort Padding and a Helmet Comprising The Comfort Padding

Abstract

A comfort padding, configured to be attached at an innermost surface of a helmet, which is facing a wearer's head, for providing a shearing movement in the comfort padding in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet in use, the comfort padding comprising a fabric or nonwoven inner and outer layer, which are stretchable, and at least two layers of membrane material between the inner and outer layer, and between the two layers of membrane material there is a lubricant material such as gel or liquid. The membrane layer has a low friction surface allowing for a sliding movement between at least the outer layer and the membrane material. A helmet comprising the comfort padding.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A comfort padding configured to be attached at a surface of a helmet, the surface of the helmet configured to face a wearer's head, the comfort padding comprising:
 an inner layer configured to come into contact with the wearer's head when the helmet is in use and an outer layer configured to be attached to the surface of the helmet, at least one of the inner and outer layers including a stretchable material;   a lubricant located between the inner and outer layers; and   a first low friction surface located between the lubricant and the outer layer, the first low friction surface configured to provide a relative sliding movement between the outer layer and the lubricant in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet.   
     
     
         2 . The comfort padding according to  claim 1 , further comprising a second low friction surface located between the lubricant and the inner layer, the second low friction surface configured to provide a relative sliding movement between the inner layer and the lubricant. 
     
     
         3 . The comfort padding according to  claim 1 , further comprising an open cell polymer foam located between the inner layer and the lubricant. 
     
     
         4 . The comfort padding according to  claim 3 , further comprising an intermediate layer positioned between the open cell polymer foam and the lubricant. 
     
     
         5 . The comfort padding according to  claim 4 , wherein the intermediate layer has a low friction surface. 
     
     
         6 . The comfort padding according to  claim 1 , further comprising two membrane layers, one of the two membrane layers providing the first low friction surface, wherein the lubricant is disposed between the two membrane layers, each of the membrane layers having rims, wherein the membrane layers are interconnected along the rims so as to provide a closed and fluid tight space to contain the lubricant, wherein the lubricant comprises a liquid. 
     
     
         7 . The comfort padding according to  claim 6 , wherein the inner and outer layers have rims, wherein the rims of each of the inner and outer layers and the membrane layers are connected together . 
     
     
         8 . The comfort padding according to  claim 6 , wherein the inner and outer layers each have edges and are interconnected along their corresponding edges. 
     
     
         9 . The comfort padding according to  claim 1 , further comprising a loopy or roughened surface configured to attach to a hook material located on the surface of the helmet. 
     
     
         10 . The comfort padding according to  claim 1 , wherein the inner layer includes a wicking material. 
     
     
         11 . A comfort padding for use in a helmet, comprising:
 inner and outer layers; and   a lubricant disposed between the inner and outer layers, the lubricant designed and configured to shear in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet;   wherein the comfort padding includes at least one low-friction interface between the lubricant and the inner and outer layers, the at least one low-friction interface designed and configured to facilitate relative sliding movement between the lubricant and the inner or outer layer in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet.   
     
     
         12 . The comfort padding of  claim 11 , further comprising first and second low-friction membrane layers disposed between the inner and outer layers, the lubricant disposed between the first and second low-friction membrane layers. 
     
     
         13 . The comfort padding of  claim 11 , further comprising first and second membrane layers disposed between the inner and outer layers, wherein the first and second membrane layers define a fluid-tight volume that contains the lubricant. 
     
     
         14 . The comfort padding of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the inner and outer layers include a stretchable material designed and configured to stretch in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet. 
     
     
         15 . The comfort padding of  claim 11 , further comprising a foam layer located between the lubricant and one of the inner and outer layers. 
     
     
         16 . The comfort padding of  claim 15 , further comprising a fabric or nonwoven material layer located between the foam layer and the lubricant. 
     
     
         17 . The comfort padding of  claim 11 , wherein the outer layer is configured to be attached to the helmet and includes an attachment portion configured to be directly attached to the helmet and a rolling portion configured to not be directly attached to the helmet, the rolling portion configured to separate from the helmet and roll relative to the attachment portion in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet. 
     
     
         18 . The comfort padding of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one low-friction interface includes a first low-friction interface between the inner layer and the lubricant and a second low-friction interface between the outer layer and the lubricant. 
     
     
         19 . The comfort padding of  claim 11 , wherein the lubricant includes at least one of a gel or a liquid. 
     
     
         20 . A method of manufacturing a comfort padding for use in a helmet, the method comprising:
 receiving inner and outer layers;   receiving a lubricant; and   disposing the lubricant between the inner and outer layers so that the lubricant is designed and configured to shear in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet, wherein the disposing includes providing at least one low-friction interface designed and configured to provide relative sliding movement between the lubricant and at least one of the inner and outer layers in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising disposing a foam layer between the lubricant and one of the inner and outer layers. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising disposing an intermediate layer of material between the foam layer and the lubricant, wherein the at least one low-friction interface includes a low friction interface between the lubricant and the intermediate layer of material for providing relative sliding movement between the foam layer and the lubricant. 
     
     
         23 . A method of using a helmet that includes at least one comfort padding secured to an inner surface of the helmet, the at least one comfort padding including:
 inner and outer layers; and   a lubricant disposed between the inner and outer layers;   the method comprising:   positioning the helmet on a wearer's head so that the inner layer directly contacts the wearer's head; and   in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet, shearing the lubricant and rolling a portion of the comfort padding to thereby absorb a portion of the oblique force with the comfort padding.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising, in response to the oblique force applied to the helmet, sliding one of the inner and outer layers relative to the lubricant along a low-friction interface. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising, in response to the oblique force applied to the helmet, stretching at least one of the inner and outer layers.