Helmet and shoulder pads having inflatable protective means to protect cervical spine

• US 5,390,367 A
• Filed: 05/25/1993
• Issued: 02/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gus A. Rush III
• Original Assignee: Gus A. Rush III
• Inventors: Rush, Gus A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): NERBUN, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US08/066,670
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 2/413, 2/424, 2/425, 2/411, 2/DIG. 10, 2/9, 2/2, 2/DIG. 3, 280/733, 280/735
• US Class Current: 2/462
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/018 inflatable automatically
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0473 Neck restraints
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/081 fluid-filled, e.g. air-filled
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/10 for the head A63B71/081 takes precedence ; in the form of caps or hats A42B1/08; helmets A42B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/135 by making use of contacts which are actuated by a movable inertial mass
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 35/14 Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 2/03 Inflatable garment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 2/10 Inflatable hat

Abstract

A helmet has attached to its lower rim an inflatable bag which normally is folded so as not to restrict normal head and neck movements of the wearer but on inflation will fill the gap between the helmet rim and shoulders of a wearer. Carried by the helmet and preferably packed with the bag is a package including a conventional gas generator, igniter and battery. A switch to operate the igniter is located on the crown area of the exterior surface of the helmet and is closable on an impact with a predetermined force on the crown of the helmet. When closed the bag is almost instantaneously inflated and fills the gap to transfer most if not all of the impact force to the shoulders and relieve the cervical spine of a damaging axial compressive force. In another version, shoulder pads are provided in which there is an attachment in the form of an inflatable bag on the inner rim encircling the neck of the wearer. The inflatable bag inflates upon the impact upon the crown area of the exterior surface of the helmet to extend inwards, just enough to instantaneously broaden the foundation on which the helmet attachment can rest when deployed upon impact without harming the wearer'"'"'s neck.

Claims

1. A helmet for protection of the cervical spine of a wearer against axial compressive force sufficient to cause serious injury, comprising:

a rigid helmet having a lower rim for at least partially encircling the head of the wearer, said helmet being defined by an exterior surface including a crown area;

extensible means generally disposed along said lower rim and normally not projecting substantially below said lower rim but being extendable therebelow to engage the shoulders of the wearer and substantially transfer to the shoulders the force of an external impact on the crown area of said helmet; and

gas-operable means carried by said helmet for extending said extensible means to engage the shoulders of a wearer within less than 25 milliseconds of an external impact on said crown area of said helmet, said gas-operable means including

(i) means carried by said helmet for almost instantaneously generating gas for operating said gas-operable means, and

(ii) sensor means for operating said gas-generating means, said sensor means having at least a portion thereof disposed externally to said helmet as defined by said exterior surface, said sensor means operating said gas-generating means on an external impact with a predetermined force to rapidly extend said extensible means to engage the shoulders of a wearer so as to be able to transfer the impact force to the shoulders instead of directly through said helmet and head of the wearer generally axially to the cervical spine of the wearer, said sensor means being carried in a patch attached to the crown area of the exterior surface of said helmet.

2. The helmet defined in claim 1 wherein said sensor means provides a signal to said gas-generating means for operating said gas-generating means.

3. The helmet defined in claim 2 wherein at least one wire connects said sensor means to said gas-generating means and said crown area of the exterior surface of said helmet has an orifice therein, said at least one wire extending from said sensor means through said orifice to said gas-generating means, said gas generating means being carried within said helmet.

4. The helmet defined in claim 1 wherein said shock absorbing patch is comprised of an elastomeric material capable of absorbing impact thereupon.

5. The helmet defined in claim 1, wherein:

said extensible means comprises inflatable bag means attached to said lower rim, said bag means being normally deflated and restrictedly folded so as to not impede normal movements of the head and neck of the wearer, but constructed and arranged to fill the gap between said lower rim and the shoulders of a wearer when inflated; and

said gas generating means being operable to almost instantaneously generate inflating gas and communicate said inflating gas to said bag means.

6. The helmet defined in claim 5 including means for rapidly deflating the bag means a short time after inflation.

7. The helmet defined in claim 5 including a channel-like downward facing shell which opens in a direction opposite the crown area of said helmet so as to allow said bag to expand toward the wearer'"'"'s shoulders when inflated wherein the bag means is folded and packed and wrapped with a rupturable membrane.

8. The helmet defined in claim 5 including a protective face guard attached to the helmet and extending over at least the eyes and nose of the wearer and having a lower portion and wherein the bag means is attached to said lower portion of said face guard and completely encircles the wearer, and a channel-like shell which opens in a direction facing away from the crown area of said helmet so as to allow said bag to expand toward a wearer'"'"'s shoulders when inflated and wherein the bag means is folded and packed and wrapped with a rupturable membrane.

9. The helmet defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor means comprises an adjustable accelerometer.

10. The helmet as defined in claim 1 wherein said gas operable means comprises a cylinder having a piston disposed in an interior portion thereof.

11. The combination of a shoulder pad and helmet assembly adapted for protection of the cervical spine of a wearer against axial compressive force sufficient to cause serious injury comprising:

a rigid helmet having a lower rim for partially encircling the head of the wearer, said helmet having a crown area;

shoulder pads having an inner rim for encircling the neck of the wearer;

extensible means generally disposed along said lower rim and being extendable therebelow to engage said shoulder pads of the wearer and substantially transfer to the shoulder pads the force of an external impact on the crown area of said helmet;

inflatable base means for broadening the foundation on which the extensible means can engage the shoulder-pads when worn by a user, said inflatable base means being attached to the inner rim of said shoulder pads and being normally deflated and restrictedly folded so as to allow normal movements of the head and neck of the wearer, said inflatable base means extending inwardly towards the wearer'"'"'s neck when inflated; and

gas-generating means for rapidly generating gas to inflate said inflatable base means to broaden the foundation on which the extensible means can engage the shoulder-pads upon impact and for extending said extensible means to engage the shoulder pads of the wearer within about 25 milliseconds of the external impact on said crown area of said helmet; and

sensor means disposed adjacent the crown area of said helmet for detecting the external impact on said crown area with a predetermined force, said sensor means operating said gas-generating means on said external impact on the crown area with said predetermined force to almost instantaneously extend said extensible means to engage the shoulders of the wearer so as to transfer the impact force to the shoulders instead of directly through said helmet and head of the wearer generally axially to the cervical spine of the wearer.

12. A shoulder pad and helmet assembly adapted for protection of the cervical spine of a wearer against axial compressive force sufficient to cause serious injury comprising:

a helmet having a lower outwardly flared rim partially encircling the head of the wearer, said helmet having a crown area;

shoulder pads having an inner inflatable shoulder bag means for raising the shoulder pads to engage the flared rim of said helmet to transfer to the shoulder pads the force of an external impact on the crown area of said helmet;

gas-generating means for almost instantaneously generating gas for inflating said inflatable shoulder bag to raise the shoulder pads upon an impact of predetermined force on said crown area of said helmet so that said shoulder pads engage the flared rim of said helmet of the wearer within about 25 milliseconds of the external impact on said crown area of said helmet; and

sensor means disposed adjacent the crown area of said helmet for detecting the external impact on said crown area with said predetermined force and operating said gas-generating means in response thereto to almost instantaneously generate said gas to inflate said inflatable shoulder bag to raise the shoulder pads so that said shoulder pads engage the flared rim of said helmet of the wearer within about 25 milliseconds of the external impact on said crown area so as to transfer the impact force to the shoulders instead of directly through said helmet and head of the wearer generally axially to the cervical spine of the wearer.

13. A helmet and shoulder pads for protection of the cervical spine of a wearer against axial compressive force sufficient to cause serious injury, comprising:

a rigid helmet having a lower rim for at least partially encircling the head of the wearer, said helmet being defined by an exterior surface including a crown area;

extensible means generally disposed along said lower rim and normally not projecting substantially below said lower rim but being extendable therebelow to engage the shoulders of the wearer and substantially transfer to the shoulders the force of an external impact on the crown area of said helmet; and

gas-operable means carried by said helmet for extending said extensible means to engage the shoulders of a wearer within less than 25 milliseconds of an external impact on said crown area of said helmet, said gas-operable means including

(i) means carried by said helmet for almost instantaneously generating gas for operating said gas-operable means, and

(ii) sensor means for operating said gas-generating means, said sensor means having at least a portion thereof disposed externally to said helmet as defined by said exterior surface, said sensor means operating said gas-generating means on an external impact with a predetermined force to rapidly extend said extensible means to engage the shoulders of a wearer so as to be able to transfer the impact force to the shoulders instead of directly through said helmet and head of the wearer generally axially to the cervical spine of the wearer,

shoulder pads cooperating with said helmet and operatively connected to said sensor means, said shoulder pads including inflatable base means for broadening the foundation on which the extensible means can engage when worn by a user, said inflatable base means being normally deflated and restrictedly folded so as to allow normal movements of the head and neck of the wearer, said inflatable base means being in the shape of a ring attached to the inner rim encircling the neck of the wearer, said inflatable base means extending inwardly towards the wearer'"'"'s neck when inflated to instantaneously broaden the foundation on which the extensible means can engage upon impact.

14. The helmet defined in claim 13 wherein said inflatable base means is inflated by said gas generating means.

15. A helmet for protection of the cervical spine of a wearer against axial compressive force sufficient to cause serious injury, comprising:

a rigid helmet having a lower rim for at least partially encircling the head of the wearer, said helmet being defined by an exterior surface including a crown area;

extensible means generally disposed along said lower rim and normally not projecting substantially below said lower rim but being extendable therebelow to engage the shoulders of the wearer and substantially transfer to the shoulders the force of an external impact on the crown area of said helmet; and

gas-operable means carried by said helmet for extending said extensible means to engage the shoulders of a wearer within less than 25 milliseconds of an external impact on said crown area of said helmet, said gas-operable means including

(i) means carried by said helmet for almost instantaneously generating gas for operating said gas-operable means, and

(ii) sensor means for operating said gas-generating means, said sensor means having at least a portion thereof disposed externally to said helmet as defined by said exterior surface, said sensor means operating said gas-generating means on an external impact with a predetermined force to rapidly extend said extensible means to engage the shoulders of a wearer so as to be able to transfer the impact force to the shoulders instead of directly through said helmet and head of the wearer generally axially to the cervical spine of the wearer, said extensible means comprising a polycarbonate plastic ring of small cross section padded with foam rubber.

16. A helmet for protection of the cervical spine of a wearer against axial compressive force sufficient to cause serious injury, comprising:

a rigid helmet having a lower rim for at least partially encircling the head of the wearer, said helmet being defined by an exterior surface including a crown area;

extensible means generally disposed along said lower rim and normally not projecting substantially below said lower rim but being extendable therebelow to engage the shoulders of the wearer and substantially transfer to the shoulders the force of an external impact on the crown area of said helmet; and

gas-operable means carried by said helmet for extending said extensible means to engage the shoulders of a wearer within less than 25 milliseconds of an external impact on said crown area of said helmet, said gas-operable means including

(i) means carried by said helmet for almost instantaneously generating gas for operating said gas-operable means, and

(ii) sensor means for operating said gas-generating means, said sensor means having at least a portion thereof disposed externally to said helmet as defined by said exterior surface, said sensor means operating said gas-generating means on an external impact with a predetermined force to rapidly extend said extensible means to engage the shoulders of a wearer so as to be able to transfer the impact force to the shoulders instead of directly through said helmet and head of the wearer generally axially to the cervical spine of the wearer, said gas operable means comprising a cylinder having a piston disposed in an interior portion thereof.

17. The helmet as defined in claim 16, wherein:

said piston comprises a piston and a piston rod;

said gas generating means is operable to provide gas to a chamber within said cylinder formed by said cylinder and said piston; and

an end of said piston rod opposite said piston is connected to said extensible means so as to extend said extensible means when said generating means provides gas to said gas operable means.

18. The helmet as defined in claim 17, wherein said cylinder is formed integrally with said rigid helmet so that an interior surface of said rigid helmet is substantially smooth.

19. The helmet as defined in claim 17, further comprising detents for maintaining said extensible means in position when unextended by said gas operable means.

20. The helmet as defined in claim 17, further comprising ratchet means for engaging said piston when extended to prevent said cylinder from becoming compressed.