Impact protection and shock absorbing system and method

Abstract

An impact protection and shock absorbing device includes a support surface, and a plurality of flexible spines, configured of one or more sizes, each having a length defined from a base portion at the support surface to a distal portion thereof, and whereby each spine extends in one or more longitudinal directions outwardly from the support surface, at one or more angles less than 90 degrees. Sufficient deflecting of one or more spines by impact force causes impinging and deflecting of one or more other spines thereby dispersing and reducing impact forces.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A load-bearing member, comprising:
 a spine having a non-solid interior space with an internal architecture comprising one or more of
 one or more longitudinal structures extending through at least a portion of a spine length, or 
 one or more radial structures extending through at least a portion of a spine diameter. 
   
     
     
         2 . The load-bearing member of  claim 1 , further comprising longitudinal structures extending along radial lines into the interior volume toward a center axial line, said plurality of longitudinal structures ending prior to said center axial line so as to define channels between neighboring ones of said plurality of longitudinal structures. 
     
     
         3 . The load-bearing member of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of radial structures within said interior volume and extending along the longitudinal length of said spine, wherein said plurality of radial structures are disc shaped. 
     
     
         4 . The load-bearing member of  claim 3 , wherein said plurality of radial structures each extend completely across the entirety of the interior volume and wherein the plurality of radial structures are without apertures such that neighboring ones of said plurality of radial structures create distinct chambers between them. 
     
     
         5 . The load-bearing member of  claim 1 , wherein longitudinal structures extend into the interior volume toward said center axial line at a length of from 25 to 95 percent of the radius and are positioned at from 90 to 10 radial degrees from each other. 
     
     
         6 . The load-bearing member of  claim 1 , wherein the material forming the load-bearing member has a modulus of elasticity of from about 1 GPa to about 10 GPa. 
     
     
         7 . The load-bearing member of  claim 1 , wherein an exterior surface of the longitudinal structure is corrugated and wherein the corrugated exterior surface defines ridges between neighboring ones of said plurality of longitudinal structures and defines grooves where each one of said plurality of longitudinal structures extend, and the ridges form a surface of channels. 
     
     
         8 . A method, comprising:
 absorbing an impact force via deflection of a plurality of spines configured to extend outward from a support surface; and   dispersing, by at least one spine, the impact force to one or more adjacent spines of the plurality of spines via impingement of the spine onto the one or more adjacent spines.   
     
     
         9 . A protective helmet, comprising:
 a hard exterior shell; and   a protective safety liner, positioned inside the shell and configured to secure a head of a person when placed inside the protective helmet,   wherein the protective safety liner comprises a plurality of flexible spines configured to absorb an impact force via deflection of one or more flexible spines and disperse, by at least one spine, the impact force to one or more adjacent spines via impingement of the at least one spine onto the one or more adjacent spines.   
     
     
         10 . The protective helmet of  claim 9 , wherein the protective safety liner further comprises a plurality of assembled flexible spines devices, each assembled flexible spine device comprising a subset of the plurality of flexible spines. 
     
     
         11 . The protective helmet of  claim 10 , wherein each of the flexible spine devices further comprises
 a base flexible spine part having a first set of flexible spines,   a center flexible spine part secured to the base flexible spine part and having a second set of flexible spines, and   a top flexible spine part secured to the center flexible spine part and having a third set of flexible spines.   
     
     
         12 . The protective helmet of  claim 11 , wherein the first set of flexible spines, the second set of flexible spines, and the third set of flexible spines each have flexible spines directed at different angles from the other two sets, and wherein each set of flexible spines is configured to impinge upon flexible spines of one or both of the other sets when compressed. 
     
     
         13 . The protective helmet of  claim 9 , wherein the helmet is configured for a use selected from the group consisting of bicycling, motorcycling, racing, a sporting event, football, hockey, baseball, cricket, rock climbing, skiing, an equestrian-related sport, construction, mining, and policing.