Device for reducing head and neck injury for helmet wearer
First Claim
1. A motion restrictor device to be worn with a protective helmet so as to reduce the risk of head or spine injury caused by injurious movement of the helmet, said motion restrictor device comprising:
- a harness wearable by a user of the helmet,said harness presenting a central neck opening which receives the neck of the user when the harness is worn,said harness presenting laterally spaced apart shoulder-engagement sections that extend in a fore-and-aft direction along opposite sides of the neck opening, with each shoulder-engagement section being configured for placement on top of a respective shoulder of the user when the harness is worn,said neck opening extending in the fore-and-aft direction to present opposite fore and aft neck opening ends;
a helmet-engaging component including a pair of swingable helmet-engaging levers pivotally mounted relative to the harness at a pivot located closer to a first one of the neck opening ends than a second one of the neck opening ends,said helmet-engaging levers presenting corresponding laterally spaced apart, fore-and-aft extending helmet-engagement surfaces, wherein the surfaces are adapted to engage the helmet when the harness is worn,said levers extending in the fore-and-aft direction from the pivot toward the second one of the neck opening ends, such that the helmet-engagement surfaces are positioned over the shoulder-engagement sections on opposite sides of the neck of the user when the harness is worn,each of said helmet-engagement surfaces being configured to shift along a range of motion while in slidable contact with the helmet as the helmet moves; and
a brake assembly operable to restrict shifting of at least one of the helmet-engagement surfaces in response to injurious movement of the helmet.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A motion restrictor device is operable to be worn with a protective helmet to reduce the risk of head or spine injury caused by injurious movement of the helmet. The device includes a helmet-engaging component supported on a harness. The component presents helmet-engagement surfaces positioned on opposite sides of the neck of the user. The component is operable to yieldably bias each of the helmet-engagement surfaces toward the helmet when the device is worn, such that contact with the helmet is maintained as the helmet-engagement surface shifts through a range of motion. The device also includes a brake assembly that restricts shifting of at least one of the helmet-engagement surfaces in response to injurious movement of the helmet.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A motion restrictor device to be worn with a protective helmet so as to reduce the risk of head or spine injury caused by injurious movement of the helmet, said motion restrictor device comprising:
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a harness wearable by a user of the helmet, said harness presenting a central neck opening which receives the neck of the user when the harness is worn, said harness presenting laterally spaced apart shoulder-engagement sections that extend in a fore-and-aft direction along opposite sides of the neck opening, with each shoulder-engagement section being configured for placement on top of a respective shoulder of the user when the harness is worn, said neck opening extending in the fore-and-aft direction to present opposite fore and aft neck opening ends; a helmet-engaging component including a pair of swingable helmet-engaging levers pivotally mounted relative to the harness at a pivot located closer to a first one of the neck opening ends than a second one of the neck opening ends, said helmet-engaging levers presenting corresponding laterally spaced apart, fore-and-aft extending helmet-engagement surfaces, wherein the surfaces are adapted to engage the helmet when the harness is worn, said levers extending in the fore-and-aft direction from the pivot toward the second one of the neck opening ends, such that the helmet-engagement surfaces are positioned over the shoulder-engagement sections on opposite sides of the neck of the user when the harness is worn, each of said helmet-engagement surfaces being configured to shift along a range of motion while in slidable contact with the helmet as the helmet moves; and a brake assembly operable to restrict shifting of at least one of the helmet-engagement surfaces in response to injurious movement of the helmet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification