Wrestling helmet

Claim 2

A wrestling helmet comprising a pair of identical, mirror image, roughly inverted triangular shaped guards formed of thin, relatively stiff, but flexible sheeT material, with each guard having a central outwardly bowed ear receiving cup formed therein and a flat marginal edge flange surrounding the cup; an outwardly and upwardly extending narrow strap member formed integral with each of the flanges at the upper opposite corners thereof; means interconnecting the corresponding pairs of strap members to provide an upper strap and a rear strap for positioning the guards on the opposite sides of the wearer''s head for receiving his ears within the cups, with the flanges engaging the head around the ears, and with the rear strap extending around the rear of the head near the base of the skull and with the upper strap extending over the top front of the head, near, but rearwardly of the forehead; and the lower corners of the guards being interconnected by a releasable chinstrap engaging the point of the wearer''s chin for thereby locking the helmet to the head, with the helmet being otherwise free of securement to he head.

Claim 3

A helmet as described in claim 1, and including the lower portions of each ear-receiving cup being depressed inwardly to form downwardly and outwardly opening sockets formed of a lower flat portion coplanar with the flanges and with raised portions at the sides and upper edges of said flat portions; and fixed snap fastener halves secured to said flat portions, and corresponding snap fastener halves secured to the opposite ends of the chinstrap for snap fastening to the fixed halves, with the snap fasteners and strap ends thereby being recessed into said sockets.

Claim 4

A helmet as defined in claim 2, and at least one of said chinstrap snap fastener halves being slidably secured to the chinstrap for adjusting the length of the chinstrap between the lower corners of the guards, and including the ear cup portions above the sockets being bent inwardly to form short, shallow grooves opening downwardly into their respective sockets and outwardly, and with a transverse slot formed in the base of each groove for receiving the opposite end portions of said chinstrap.

Claim 5

A construction as defined in claim 1, and said means for interconnecting said strap portions comprising rows of holes formed in one of each pair of strap members and a pair of spaced apart male snap fastener halves secured to the other one of each corresponding pair of straps for snap fastening into selected ones of said holes for thereby adjusting the length of the straps; and a flattened tube formed of thin sheet material snugly surrounding each corresponding pair of straps where they are interconnected, the tubes being slidably mounted upon the straps for normally covering the snap fastener halves but for exposing same for release.

Claim 6

A construction as defined in claim 1, and including a pad fastened within and lining each ear cup and secured to the guard, with the flange being uncovered by the pad.

Claim 7

A construction as defined in claim 5, and said pads comprising flat sheets of thin, heat-sealable plastic between which is arranged a sheet of resilient foam plastic material with said flat sheets being heat sealed together around their peripheral edges and tightly squeezed together and heat sealed together along a continuous line spaced inwardly from their peripheral edge to form an outer padded border and a central padded portion; and said sheets being squeezed together and heat sealed together along several spaced lines extending from the outer peripheral edge to the continuous line, wherein the pad may be reversibly inserted into an ear cup and will generally conform to the outward bowing of the cup for lining the cup.

Claim 8

A construction as defined in claim 6, and including an edge notch formed on the peripheral edge of the pad at at least some of said spaced lines, for thereby permitting the peripheral edge of the pad and the padded border to closely conform to the contours of the ear cup.

Claim 9

A construction as defined in claim 6, and including several spaced apart holes extending through the centrAl portion of the pad with the sheet edges defining the holes being squeezed and heat sealed together to form tapered countersinks receiving, and thereby recessing, on the inside surface of the pad, the heads of rivets extending through the holes and also receiving inwardly depressed countersink portions surrounding corresponding holes formed in the cups and through which the rivets extend, with the opposite heads of the rivets thus being recessed in the cup countersinks.

Claim 10

A wrestling helmet comprising a pair of identical, roughly inverted triangular-shaped guards formed of thin, relatively stiff, but flexible sheet material, with each guard having a central outwardly bowed ear-receiving cup formed therein and outwardly and upwardly extending narrow strap members formed integral with each of the upper, opposite corners of the guards; means interconnecting the corresponding pairs of strap members of each guard to provide an upper strap portion and a rear strap portion, with the rear strap portion passing around the base of the skull of the wearer''s head an the upper strap extending over the top of the head, rearwardly of the forehead; and the lower corners of the guards being interconnected by a releasable chinstrap; and a pad fastened within and lining each ear cup and secured to the guard; and the lower portions of each cup being depressed inwardly to form downwardly and outwardly opening sockets, with an outwardly opening depressed groove formed above and opening downwardly into each socket and a transverse slot formed in the base of each groove; snap fastener halves fixedly mounted upon the guards within said sockets and corresponding snap fastener halves mounted upon the ends of the chinstrap with at least one of said corresponding snap fastener halves being adjustably positionable along the chinstrap; with the opposite free ends of the chinstrap normally being inserted through the groove slots, so that the ends of the chinstrap extend into the cups beneath the pads so as to be covered by the pads, and the snap fasteners are recessed below the outer surfaces of the cups.

Claim 11

A wrestling helmet comprising a pair of identical, roughly inverted triangular-shaped guards formed of thin, relatively stiff, but flexible sheet material, with each guard having a central outwardly bowed ear-receiving cup formed therein and outwardly and upwardly extending narrow strap members formed integral with each of the upper, opposite corners of the guards; means interconnecting the corresponding pairs of strap members of each guard to provide an upper strap portion and a rear strap portion, with the rear strap portion passing around the base of the skull of the wearer''s head an the upper strap extending over the top of the head, rearwardly of the forehead; and the lower corners of the guards being interconnected by a releasable chinstrap; and a pad fastened within and lining each ear cup and secured to the guard; and the lower portions of each cup being depressed inwardly to form downwardly and outwardly opening sockets, with an outwardly opening depressed groove formed above and opening downwardly into each socket and a transverse slot formed in the base of each groove; snap fastener halves fixedly mounted upon the guards within said sockets and corresponding snap fastener halves mounted upon the ends of the chinstrap with at least one of said corresponding snap fastener halves being adjustably positionable along the chinstrap; with the opposite free ends of the chinstrap normally being inserted through the groove slots, so that the ends of the chinstrap extend into the cups beneath the pads so as to be covered by the pads, and the snap fasteners are recessed below the outer surfaces of the cups.