Helmet with integrated shoulder pad

Abstract

A helmet body includes an outer shell and an energy management liner with an outer shell lower edge extending between the inner surface and the outer surface of the outer shell. At least two shoulder pad recesses are positioned at a lower edge of the outer shell on a respective left and right sides of the helmet. The energy management liner is adjacent to the inner surface of the outer shell and includes at least two shoulder pads formed of a foamed energy management material. Each of the at least two shoulder pads is received into one of the at least two shoulder pad recesses on the respective left or right side of the helmet, each shoulder pad extending from inside of the outer shell to across at least a majority of a width of the lower edge of the outer shell.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A helmet comprising:
 an outer shell defining an inner surface and an outer shell lower edge, the outer shell defining a lower edge line starting from a lower front edge of the outer shell to a lower rear edge of the outer shell, wherein the outer shell lower edge indents upward relative to the lower edge line to form at least two shoulder pad recesses on respective left and right sides of the helmet; and   an energy management liner adjacent to the inner surface of the outer shell and comprising at least two shoulder pads formed of a foamed energy management material, each of the at least two shoulder pads received into one of the at least two shoulder pad recesses on the respective left or right side of the helmet, each of the at least two shoulder pads extending further downward from the outer shell beyond the outer shell lower edge to the lower edge line and configured to alleviate the impact of the helmet to a wearer's shoulder.   
     
     
         2 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the shoulder pad assembly comprises a chinbar portion extending into a chinbar of the helmet body. 
     
     
         3 . The helmet of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more cheek pad magnets mounted on the energy management liner. 
     
     
         4 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the energy management liner comprises expanded polypropylene (EPP). 
     
     
         5 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein each shoulder pad comprises:
 a first portion formed of expanded polystyrene (EPS); and   a second portion formed of expanded polypropylene (EPP), the second portion comprising the shoulder pad extending into the shoulder pad recess on the respective left or right side of the helmet.   
     
     
         6 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the shoulder pad comprises a length in a range of 2 to 7 inches and a height in a range of 0.2 to 2 inches. 
     
     
         7 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the height of the shoulder pad above the nominal lower edge line is between about 3 mm to about 10 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the height of the shoulder pad below the nominal lower edge line is between about 0 mm to about 20 mm. 
     
     
         9 . A helmet comprising:
 an outer shell defining an inner surface and an outer shell lower edge, the outer shell defining a lower edge line starting from a lower front edge of the outer shell to a lower rear edge of the outer shell, wherein the outer shell lower edge indents upward relative to the lower edge line to form at least two shoulder pad recesses on respective left and right sides of the helmet; and   an energy management liner adjacent to the inner surface of the outer shell and comprising at least two shoulder pads formed of a foamed energy management material, each of the at least two shoulder pads received into one of the at least two shoulder pad recesses on the respective left or right side of the helmet, each of the at least two shoulder pads extending further downward from the outer shell beyond the outer shell lower edge to the lower edge line and configured to alleviate the impact of the helmet to a wearer's shoulder, and having a width extending from inside of the outer shell to across at least a portion of a width of the lower edge of the outer shell.   
     
     
         10 . The helmet of  claim 9 , wherein the shoulder pad assembly comprises a chinbar portion extending into a chinbar of the helmet body. 
     
     
         11 . The helmet of  claim 9 , further comprising one or more cheek pad magnets mounted on the energy management liner. 
     
     
         12 . The helmet of  claim 9 , wherein the energy management liner comprises expanded polypropylene (EPP). 
     
     
         13 . The helmet of  claim 9 , wherein each shoulder pad comprises:
 a first portion formed of expanded polystyrene (EPS); and   a second portion formed of expanded polypropylene (EPP), the second portion comprising the shoulder pad extending into the shoulder pad recess on the respective left or right side of the helmet.   
     
     
         14 . The helmet of  claim 9 , wherein the shoulder pad comprises a length in a range of 2 to 7 inches and a height in a range of 0.2 to 2 inches. 
     
     
         15 . The helmet of  claim 9 , wherein the height of the shoulder pad above the nominal lower edge line is between about 3 mm to about 10 mm. 
     
     
         16 . The helmet of  claim 9 , wherein the height of the shoulder pad below the nominal lower edge line is between about 0 mm to about 20 mm.