Protective head covering having impact absorbing crumple or shear zone

Claim 2

A helmet for protecting a user's head from impact forces, said helmet comprising, a generally dome shaped shell, said shell being formed from a rigid or semi-rigid material and sized and contoured to cover a surface of said user's head to be protected, said shell including a first portion and a second portion, a plurality of apertures formed through a region of said first portion, said second portion including at least one locating opening formed therethrough and positioned to align with a selected one of said apertures when part of said second portion is located substantially in overlying juxtaposition with said first portion, and a fastener sized for insertion through said opening and said selected one of said plurality of apertures to couple the first portion to the second portion, said apertures being delineated from a next immediately adjacent aperture by a web member, said web member having a thickness selected to deform upon the application of a predetermined minimum force to at least one of said first portion and said second portion, and whereby the deformation of a web enables relative movement of the fastener from the selected one of said apertures into a next adjacent aperture and the limited movement of said first portion relative to said second portion.

Claim 3

The helmet of claim 1 wherein said peripheral edge region of the first portion is characterized by a double wall construction comprising a pair of spaced apart shell walls defining an interior area therebetween, the part of the second portion being at least partially disposed in said interior area.

Claim 4

The helmet of claim 1 wherein said first portion comprises a central portion of said helmet, said central portion being elongated in a longitudinal direction, said second portion comprises a first longitudinal side portion of said helmet and said shell further comprises a second other longitudinal side portion having a substantially mirror construction to said first longitudinal side portion.

Claim 5

The helmet of claim 1 wherein said shell has a radial diameter which is selected not more than about two inches larger than the radial diameter of said user's head.

Claim 6

The helmet of claim 1 wherein said first portion and said second portion are each integrally formed from fibreglass or plastic.

Claim 7

The helmet of claim 1 wherein said fastener is selected from the group consisting of a removable screw, a permanent screw, a removable pin and a permanent pin.

Claim 8

The helmet of claim 2 wherein said first portion comprises a central portion of said helmet, said central portion being elongated in a longitudinal direction, said second portion comprises a first longitudinal side portion of said helmet and said shell further comprises a second other longitudinal side portion having a substantially mirror construction to said first longitudinal side portion.

Claim 9

The helmet of claim 1 further including impact absorbing cushioning secured to an inner surface of said shell, said cushioning being resiliently compressible so as to compress with any movement of said first portion relative to said second portion.

Claim 10

The helmet of claim 1 wherein said helmet is selected from the group consisting of a hard hat and a military helmet.

Claim 11

A protective head covering for protecting a user's head comprising a generally rigid shell, the shell including a central portion and at least one side portion, the central portion being elongated in a forward longitudinal direction and contoured so as to substantially cover the upper front and rear portions of said user's head, and first one of said side portions being sized to cover a respective side of said user's head and having an edge portion positioned in overlying juxtaposition with a respective longitudinal edge region of said central portion, a first array of a plurality of apertures being formed through the peripheral region of the first said side portion and a first longitudinal edge portion of the central portion and at least one locating opening formed through the other of the edge portion of the first said side panel and said first longitudinal edge region at a location selected to enable the alignment of the at least one opening with a selected one of said apertures, at least one coupling member for insertion in an opening and said selected one of said apertures aligned therewith to couple said first said side portion to said central portion, each of the apertures in said first array being separated from a next adjacent aperture by a web member having a thickness selected whereby the application of a predetermined minimum force to one of said first side portion and the central portion results in the limited movement of the central portion relative to said first side portion, and the movement of the coupling member in the direction of impact forces against the web member which defines the selected aperture so as to deform the web member and move into at least one next adjacent aperture.

Claim 12

A protective head covering for protecting a user's head comprising a generally rigid shell, the shell including a central portion and at least one side portion, the central portion being elongated in a forward longitudinal direction and contoured so as to substantially cover the upper front and rear portions of said user's head, and first one of said side portions being sized to cover a respective side of said user's head and having an edge portion positioned in overlying juxtaposition with a respective longitudinal edge region of said central portion, a first array of a plurality of apertures being formed through the peripheral region of the first said side portion and a first longitudinal edge portion of the central portion and at least one locating opening formed through the other of the edge portion of the first said side panel and said first longitudinal edge region at a location selected to enable the alignment of the at least one opening with a selected one of said apertures, at least one coupling member for insertion in an opening and said selected one of said apertures aligned therewith to couple said first said side portion to said central portion, each of the apertures in said first array being separated from a next adjacent aperture by a web member having a thickness selected whereby the application of a predetermined minimum force to one of said first side portion and the central portion results in the limited movement of the central portion relative to said first side portion, and the movement of the coupling member in the direction of impact forces against the web member which defines the selected aperture so as to deform the web member and move into at least one next adjacent aperture.

Claim 13

The head covering as claimed in claim 10 wherein the plurality of apertures is sized to permit adjustment in the positioning of the first side portion relative to the central portion by varying the realigning of the at least one locating opening with different apertures.

Claim 14

The head covering of claim 11 wherein said array of apertures is provided through said first side portion.

Claim 15

The head covering of claim 10 wherein said shell has a radial diameter which is selected not greater than about four inches larger than a radial diameter of said user's head.

Claim 16

The bead covering of claim 10 comprising a second one of said side portions, each of said first and second side portions including an inner panel wall, an outer panel wall, and a bight joining said inner and outer walls, whereby said inner and outer walls and said bight define an interior cavity open to a proximal edge, and wherein a respective longitudinal edge region of said central portion is interfitted between said inner and outer walls so as to extend at least partially within said cavity of each of said first and second side portions, respectively.

Claim 17

The head covering as claimed in claim 14 further including a plurality of longitudinal ventilation apertures formed through said shell.

Claim 18

The head covering as claimed in claim 10 wherein said coupling members are selected from the group consisting of rivets, pins and screw-type fasteners.

Claim 19

A helmet for protecting a user's head from frontal and side impacts, said helmet comprising, a generally dome shaped shell, said shell sized and contoured to substantially cover said user's head, and including three discrete interconnected portions, a first one of said portions comprising a central member elongated longitudinally so as to extend across front and rear portions of said user's head, said remaining portions comprising first and second side members for overlying a respective side portion of said user's head, a peripheral edge portion of said first side member provided in overlying juxtaposition with a first longitudinal side portion of said central member, a peripheral edge portion of said second side member provided in overlying juxtaposition with a second other longitudinal side portion of said central member, at least one of the first longitudinal side portion and said first side member including a first array of a plurality apertures formed therethrough, the other one of said first longitudinal side portion and said first side member including a locating opening positioned so as to align with a selected one of said plurality of apertures in said first array, and at least one of the second longitudinal side portions and the second side member including a second array of a plurality of apertures formed therethrough, the other of said second longitudinal side portion and said second side member including a locating opening positioned so as to align with a selected one of said plurality of apertures in said second array, a plurality of fasteners sized for insertion through each of said openings and said selected apertures aligned therewith to couple the first and second side members to the central member, wherein the plurality of apertures of each of said first and second arrays are delineated from a next immediately adjacent aperture by a web member having a lateral thickness selected to deform upon the application of a predetermined minimum force, and whereby the application of said predetermined minimum force by said fastener deforms said web member and enables both relative sliding movement of the fastener into a next adjacent aperture and the limited relative movement of the interconnected portions.

Claim 20

A helmet for protecting a user's head from frontal and side impacts, said helmet comprising, a generally dome shaped shell, said shell sized and contoured to substantially cover said user's head, and including three discrete interconnected portions, a first one of said portions comprising a central member elongated longitudinally so as to extend across front and rear portions of said user's head, said remaining portions comprising first and second side members for overlying a respective side portion of said user's head, a peripheral edge portion of said first side member provided in overlying juxtaposition with a first longitudinal side portion of said central member, a peripheral edge portion of said second side member provided in overlying juxtaposition with a second other longitudinal side portion of said central member, at least one of the first longitudinal side portion and said first side member including a first array of a plurality apertures formed therethrough, the other one of said first longitudinal side portion and said first side member including a locating opening positioned so as to align with a selected one of said plurality of apertures in said first array, and at least one of the second longitudinal side portions and the second side member including a second array of a plurality of apertures formed therethrough, the other of said second longitudinal side portion and said second side member including a locating opening positioned so as to align with a selected one of said plurality of apertures in said second array, a plurality of fasteners sized for insertion through each of said openings and said selected apertures aligned therewith to couple the first and second side members to the central member, wherein the plurality of apertures of each of said first and second arrays are delineated from a next immediately adjacent aperture by a web member having a lateral thickness selected to deform upon the application of a predetermined minimum force, and whereby the application of said predetermined minimum force by said fastener deforms said web member and enables both relative sliding movement of the fastener into a next adjacent aperture and the limited relative movement of the interconnected portions.

Claim 21

The helmet of claim 17 wherein said peripheral edge portions of each of said first and second side members are characterized by a double wall construction comprising a pair of spaced apart walls defining an interior area therebetween, a part of said first longitudinal side portion being at least partially disposed in the interior area of the peripheral edge portion of said first side member, a part of said second longitudinal side portion being at least partially disposed in the interior area of the peripheral edge portion of said second side member.

Claim 22

The helmet of claim 17 wherein said shell has a radial diameter which is selected not greater than about four inches larger than the radial diameter of said user's head.

Claim 23

The helmet of claim 17 wherein said helmet comprises a hard hat.