Protective sports helmet

Abstract

A protective sports helmet that includes an energy attenuating faceguard connection system, which includes at least one connector that secures the faceguard to the helmet shell without a connection point in the shell's brow region. The lack of a brow region connection point results in a gap or clearance between the faceguard and the shell that has a functional interplay with the connector upon an impact to the faceguard. In general terms, when a substantially on-center impact to the faceguard occurs, the faceguard is displaced towards the shell and the connector bracket flexes outward relative to the helmet shell to help dissipate impact energy.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A football helmet comprising:
 a one-piece shell configured to receive a head of a wearer of the helmet, the shell having a front region, a rear region, and two side regions wherein each side region has an ear flap;   an energy attenuating faceguard connection system including:
 a faceguard comprising a plurality of bar members including an upper horizontal bar member extending across the front region of the shell without contacting said front region; 
 a connector bracket that secures a peripheral bar member of the faceguard to the shell, the connector bracket having a clamshell configuration with a movable rear segment oriented towards the rear region of the shell and a stable front segment oriented towards the front region of the shell, wherein said front segment includes an opening that receives an elongated coupler to dynamically couple the bracket and the faceguard to the ear flap; 
   wherein a continuous gap is formed between the upper horizontal bar member of the faceguard and the front region of the shell prior to an impact force being applied to the faceguard, wherein the continuous gap extends along the length of the upper horizontal bar member and the front shell region.   
     
     
         2 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the helmet includes a second faceguard connector bracket, wherein both of the faceguard connector brackets are arranged in an opposed positional relationship on the ear flaps of the shell, and wherein the upper horizontal bar member extends between the opposed connectors without contacting the front region of the shell prior to an impact force being applied to the faceguard. 
     
     
         3 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , the bracket having a hinge that operably joins said front and rear segments;
 wherein when an on-center impact force is applied to the faceguard, the front bracket segment remains stable while the rear bracket segment moves substantially normal to an outer surface of the shell to facilitate movement of the upper horizontal bar member towards the front region of the shell.   
     
     
         4 . The football helmet of  claim 3 , wherein the hinge resides in a recessed portion of the bracket. 
     
     
         5 . The football helmet of  claim 4 , wherein the hinge extends transversely to a major axis of the bracket. 
     
     
         6 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the front bracket segment also includes a countersink aligned with the opening, wherein the elongated coupler is configured to extend through the opening and an outer end of the coupler resides below an outer surface of the bracket. 
     
     
         7 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the rear bracket segment includes a receiver that receives an extent of the peripheral bar member. 
     
     
         8 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the positional arrangement between said upper horizontal bar member of the faceguard and said front region of the shell provides a continuous gap greater than 0.25 inch. 
     
     
         9 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein in an installed position prior to an impact force being applied to the faceguard, the movable rear bracket segment is positioned at a first distance defined between an inner wall of the movable rear bracket segment and the shell;
 wherein upon an impact force being applied to the faceguard, the movable rear bracket segment being displaced a second distance defined between said inner wall and said shell; and,   wherein the first distance is less than the second distance.   
     
     
         10 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the upper horizontal bar member has a curvilinear configuration that corresponds to a curvilinear configuration of a brow region of the front portion of the shell to provide the continuous gap. 
     
     
         11 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein shell has a front bumper that includes an internal fastener that extends through only a portion of the front bumper and is not externally visible, wherein the internal fastener secures the front bumper to the front region of the shell, and wherein the upper horizontal bar member extends continuously across the front region of the shell without contacting the front bumper. 
     
     
         12 . The football helmet of  claim 11 , wherein the front bumper lacks a faceguard connector. 
     
     
         13 . The football helmet of  claim 11 , wherein the front bumper lacks a fastener that extends through the entirety of the front bumper. 
     
     
         14 . The football helmet of  claim 11 , wherein when an on-center impact force is applied to the faceguard, the bracket flexes and the upper horizontal bar member moves towards the front bumper in response to said impact force. 
     
     
         15 . The football helmet of  claim 11 , wherein the front bumper includes an internal pocket, and wherein an extent of the internal fastener resides within the internal pocket. 
     
     
         16 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the coupler is a quick-release coupler mechanism, wherein an inwardly directed actuation force is applied to the coupler mechanism to move from a use position to a disconnected position. 
     
     
         17 . The football helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the ear flap of the shell includes a lower recessed channel extending upward and rearward from a lower edge of the shell, and wherein the lower recessed channel is configured to receive an extent of a chin strap member. 
     
     
         18 . The football helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the ear flap includes an upper recessed channel extending upward and rearward from an interior edge of a frontal shell opening, and wherein the upper recessed channel is configured to receive an extent of a chin strap member. 
     
     
         19 . A football helmet comprising:
 a shell configured to receive a head of a wearer of the helmet, the shell having a front region, a rear region, and two side regions wherein each side region has an ear flap;   an energy attenuating faceguard connection system including:
 a faceguard including opposed peripheral bar members including an upper horizontal bar member extending across the front region of the shell without contacting said front region; 
 a pair of connector brackets for securing the faceguard to the shell, a first connector bracket securing a first peripheral bar member to a first interface area of the shell and a second connector bracket securing a second peripheral bar member to a second interface area of the shell, the first and second connector brackets each having a clamshell configuration with a movable rear segment and a stable front segment, wherein said front segment includes an opening that receives an elongated coupler to dynamically couple the bracket and the faceguard to a respective first or second interface area of the shell; 
   wherein a continuous gap is formed between the upper horizontal bar member of the faceguard and the front region of the shell prior to an impact force being applied to the faceguard, wherein the continuous gap extends along the length of the upper horizontal bar member and the front shell region.   
     
     
         20 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , the bracket having a hinge that operably joins said front and rear segments;
 wherein when an on-center impact force is applied to the faceguard, the front bracket segment remains stable while the rear bracket segment moves substantially normal to the respective interface area of the shell to facilitate movement of the upper horizontal bar member towards the front region of the shell.   
     
     
         21 . The football helmet of  claim 20 , wherein when an off-center impact force is applied off-center to the faceguard, the first connector bracket moves differently than the second connector bracket, wherein the rear segment of the first connector bracket moves towards the first interface area of the shell and the rear segment of the second connector bracket moves substantially normal to the second interface area of the shell. 
     
     
         22 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the continuous gap extends beyond the front region of the shell and into the ear flap region of the shell. 
     
     
         23 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the first interface area is located on one of said ear flaps and the second interface area is located on the other of said ear flaps. 
     
     
         24 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the rear bracket segment includes a receiver that receives an extent of the peripheral bar member. 
     
     
         25 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the hinge resides in a recessed portion of the bracket. 
     
     
         26 . The football helmet of  claim 25 , wherein the hinge extends transversely to a major axis of the bracket. 
     
     
         27 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the front bracket segment also includes a countersink aligned with the opening, wherein the elongated coupler is configured to extend through the opening and an outer end of the coupler resides below an outer surface of the bracket. 
     
     
         28 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the positional arrangement between said upper horizontal bar member of the faceguard and said front region of the shell provides a continuous gap greater than 0.25 inch. 
     
     
         29 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein in an installed position prior to an impact force being applied to the faceguard, the movable rear bracket segment is positioned at a first distance defined between an inner wall of the movable rear bracket segment and the shell;
 wherein upon an impact force being applied to the faceguard, the movable rear bracket segment being displaced a second distance defined between said inner wall and said shell; and,   wherein the first distance is less than the second distance.   
     
     
         30 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the upper horizontal bar member has a curvilinear configuration that corresponds to a curvilinear configuration of a brow region of the front portion of the shell to provide the continuous gap. 
     
     
         31 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein shell has a front bumper that includes an internal fastener that extends through only a portion of the front bumper and is not externally visible, wherein the internal fastener secures the front bumper to the front region of the shell, and wherein the upper horizontal bar member extends continuously across the front region of the shell without contacting the front bumper. 
     
     
         32 . The football helmet of  claim 31 , wherein the front bumper lacks a faceguard connector. 
     
     
         33 . The football helmet of  claim 31 , wherein the front bumper lacks a fastener that extends through the entirety of the front bumper. 
     
     
         34 . The football helmet of  claim 31 , when an on-center impact force is applied to the faceguard, the bracket flexes and the upper horizontal bar member moves towards the front bumper in response to said impact force. 
     
     
         35 . The football helmet of  claim 31 , wherein the front bumper includes an internal pocket, and wherein an extent of the internal fastener resides within the internal pocket. 
     
     
         36 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the coupler is a quick-release coupler mechanism, wherein an inwardly directed actuation force is applied to the coupler mechanism to move from a use position to a disconnected position. 
     
     
         37 . The football helmet of  claim 19 , wherein the ear flap of the shell includes a lower recessed channel extending upward and rearward from a lower edge of the shell, and wherein the lower recessed channel is configured to receive an extent of a chin strap member. 
     
     
         38 . The football helmet of  claim 37 , wherein the ear flap includes an upper recessed channel extending upward and rearward from an interior edge of a frontal shell opening, and wherein the upper recessed channel is configured to receive an extent of a chin strap member.