Multifaceted protective helmets

Abstract

In some embodiments, a protective helmet includes an outer shell including a sun visor, the outer shell comprising an outer surface having a plurality of non-parallel facets.

Claimed are: 
     
         1 . A protective helmet comprising:
 an outer shell including a sun visor, the outer shell comprising an outer surface having a plurality of non-parallel facets.   
     
     
         2 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the facets are generally planar. 
     
     
         3 . The helmet of  claim 2 , wherein the facets have a geometric shape. 
     
     
         4 . The helmet of  claim 3 , wherein the facets are triangular. 
     
     
         5 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein groups of facets on the outer surface form multifaceted prisms having a raised center point. 
     
     
         6 . The helmet of  claim 5 , wherein the prisms are pentagonal. 
     
     
         7 . The helmet of  claim 5 , wherein the prisms are hexagonal. 
     
     
         8 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the facets have a nominal dimension of approximately 1 to 3 inches. 
     
     
         9 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the facets have a maximum dimension of 1 to 3 inches. 
     
     
         10 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the outer shell further includes an ear flap. 
     
     
         11 . The helmet of  claim 10 , wherein the ear flap includes an ear opening. 
     
     
         12 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the outer shell further includes ventilation openings. 
     
     
         13 . The helmet of  claim 12 , wherein at least one ventilation opening is formed along the sides of two adjacent facets. 
     
     
         14 . The helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the outer shell is made of a polymeric material. 
     
     
         15 . The helmet of  claim 14 , wherein the outer shell is made of a fiber-reinforced polymeric material. 
     
     
         16 . The helmet of  claim 14 , wherein the outer shell is made of a syntactic material that includes a plurality of microspheres. 
     
     
         17 . A baseball helmet comprising:
 an outer shell adapted to surround a wearer's head, the shell including an ear flap that is adapted to cover an ear of the wearer and a visor that is adapted to shield the wearer's eyes from light, wherein the shell comprises an outer surface having a plurality of non-parallel, planar, triangular facets, wherein groups of facets form multifaceted prisms on the outer surface having a raised center point.   
     
     
         18 . The baseball helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the prisms are pentagonal or hexagonal. 
     
     
         19 . The baseball helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the ear flap includes an ear opening. 
     
     
         20 . The baseball helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the outer shell further includes ventilation openings.