Protective Headgear

Abstract

A headgear of soft pliable materials to protect the wearer's head from injury, featuring hidden impact-protection and appearing like a normal garment for the head, have openings for gathered hair such as pony-tails, highly-visible/reflective outer material, anti-bacterial/anti-fungal materials, optional thermal insulation and rain-proof materials, calibrated tensioned elastic material for maintaining the precise tension required to ensure the hat remains on the wearer's head during a trip or fall. An alternative embodiment of the invention also features impact absorbing protrusions or a network of interconnected gas, liquid or gel filled cells to prevent angular acceleration/deceleration due to impact. The impact protection provided is designed to suit the bio-mechanical requirements of the various ages of the wearer.

1 . A protective headgear with the purpose of protecting the wearer from brain and skull injuries due to impacts and due to post-impact angular acceleration/deceleration whose prophylactic nature is not apparent to casual observers and whose construction allows greater flexibility in design over previous art. 
       Said protective hat having a flexible outer fabric layer. 
       A flexible inner fabric lining facing the wearer's head when worn. A flexible, soft impact absorbing material placed in between the outer layer and the inner fabric lining. 
     
     
         2 . An embodiment of the headgear in  claim 1  where said impact absorbing material in  claim 1  may contain nano-materials such as nano-tubes, nano-spheres or fullerenes. 
     
     
         3 . Where the impact absorbing layer of the headgear in  claim 1  is shaped with various bumps, cones, or cells to mitigate angular acceleration/deceleration. 
     
     
         4 . Where the impact absorbing layer of the headgear in  claim 1  is a network of gas or liquid or gel-filled cells, interconnected with tubes whose internal diameter regulates the flow of gas, liquid or gel from one cell to the next, allowing gas, liquid, or gel to flow from the site of impact to the surrounding/adjacent cells thereby inflating same cells to cradle or stabilize the wearer's head in order to mitigate angular acceleration/deceleration. 
     
     
         5 . Where some or all of the material of said outer shell in  claim 1  is made from highly light reflective or glow-in-the-dark materials. 
     
     
         6 . An alternative embodiment of the head garment in  claim 1  where said impact absorbing material in  claim 1  may be placed as a hatband around the horizontal outer circumference of the said outer flexible layer or incorporated into and as part of said outer flexible fabric layer. 
     
     
         7 . An alternative embodiment headgear in  claim 1  has a method of attaching to the wearer's head by means of one or more elastic fabric bands placed inside the hat or outside the hat or embedded in a sleeve placed between the said flexible inner and said outer flexible fabric layer where the ends of said band are hook and loop tape or other suitable fastener. 
     
     
         8 . Where said ends of the elastic fabric bands with hook and loop tape in  claim 7  have regularly spaced markings visible to the wearer and said markings having distinct tactile qualities in contrast to the elastic fabric band allowing the wearer to adjust the hat to predetermined tensions without having to see the band. This feature of the elastic attachment material can be applied to attachments of other types of garments, clothing, protective clothing, or other applications where hook and loop tape or other continuous overlapping attachments similar to hook and loop tape are used. 
     
     
         9 . Whereby the method for attachment of the hat to the head in  claim 8  the wearer adjusts the ends of said hook and loop tape according to the circumference of the wearer's head and is able to stretch the said elastic fabric by amounts measured by said visible markings and achieving sufficient tension in the elastic to ensure the wearer that the hat will remain on the wearer's head in the event of a trip or fall such as those incurred in normal non-athletic wear. 
     
     
         10 . An embodiment of the headgear in  claim 1  where the headgear is fastened to the wearer's head with a chin-strap and where tensile strength of the bond in the fastener used, such as hook and loop tape or snaps, is specified not to exceed a certain strength and to release in response to a given force and prevent abrasion or strangulation to the wearer. 
     
     
         11 . An embodiment of the headgear in  claim 1  with a selection of stick-on or snap-on characters, flowers, cute animals, are provided. Said snap-on characters themselves may be made of impact absorbing materials and provide additional protection. 
     
     
         12 . An embodiment of the headgear in  claim 1  where LED's or pressure sensitive capsules or liquid-filled bands in or on the surface of the headgear react to forces sufficient to cause injury to the wearer, by providing visual, audio, or electronic cues. 
     
     
         13 . An embodiment of the headgear in  claim 1  where the impact absorbing material is suited and designed to the specific bio-mechanical properties of the age of the wearer.