Helmet for playing sports

Abstract

A helmet for wearing by a sports player comprises: a bubble-shaped body having a hollow interior surrounded by a wall and an opening formed in the wall for inserting a head of the player, and a fastening device for releasably fastening the body to shoulder pads being worn by the player. At least a portion of the wall is formed of a transparent material. Alternate designs are also disclosed, including a helmet constructed of a plastic-coated wireframe, and a non-transparent plastic helmet with a face mask, where in all cases the helmet is rigidly but releasably attached to a chest pad or shoulder pad worn by the player, so that impact forces on the helmet are not transferred to the player's head.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A helmet for wearing by a sports player comprising: a body having a hollow interior surrounded by a wall and an opening formed in the wall for inserting a head of the player, and an attachment device for releasably attaching the body to shoulder pads being worn by the player. 
     
     
         2 . The helmet according to  claim 1  wherein at least a portion of the wall is formed of a transparent material. 
     
     
         3 . The helmet according to  claim 1  including a padded head cap adapted to be worn on the head of the player to protect the player from a head injury should the head cap contact an inside surface of the wall. 
     
     
         4 . The helmet according to  claim 1  including a plurality of ventilation apertures formed in the wall permitting the transmission of air and sound through the wall. 
     
     
         5 . The helmet according to  claim 4  wherein one of the apertures is a mouth aperture aligned with a mouth of the player when the player is wearing the helmet. 
     
     
         6 . The helmet according to  claim 5  wherein the mouth aperture has a size and shape permitting the player wearing the helmet to insert and remove a mouthpiece. 
     
     
         7 . The helmet according to  claim 4  wherein one of the apertures is an ear aperture aligned with an ear of the player when the player is wearing the helmet. 
     
     
         8 . The helmet according to  claim 1  wherein at least one of a color, a design and a logo on the body and being visible from outside the helmet. 
     
     
         9 . The helmet according to  claim 1  wherein the body has a “light bulb” shape, where a horizontal plane diameter of the body is sized to prevent a fore-aft or side-to-side tilt of the head of the player from exceeding a predefined maximum allowable angle, and vertical height of the body is minimized while allowing clearance to a top of the head of the player. 
     
     
         10 . The helmet according to  claim 1  wherein the attachment device includes a plurality of pins positioned at the opening cooperating with a plurality of grooves formed in a ring attached to the shoulder pads. 
     
     
         11 . The helmet according to  claim 1  wherein the wall is formed of a plurality of wires or rods extending in a vertical direction and spaced around a ring at the opening. 
     
     
         12 . The helmet according to  claim 11  wherein the rods or wires are formed of a plastic coated material. 
     
     
         13 . The helmet according to  claim 11  including a cap positioned at the top of the body to which the wires or rods are attached, said cap being formed of a metal or plastic material. 
     
     
         14 . The helmet according to  claim 1  wherein the body is bubble-shaped, having a generally spherical main portion and a narrowed neck portion with an outward flare at the opening. 
     
     
         15 . A helmet assembly for wearing by a sports player comprising: a helmet; a pair of shoulder pads; a chest pad connected to the shoulder pads; and an attachment device releasably attaching the helmet to the chest pad when the helmet assembly is worn by the player. 
     
     
         16 . The helmet assembly according to  claim 15  wherein the helmet includes a hard shell with a wire mask and the helmet is sized to allow movement of the player's head inside the helmet. 
     
     
         17 . A helmet assembly for wearing by a sports player comprising: a helmet body having a hollow interior surrounded by a wall and an opening formed in the wall for inserting a head of the player, an attachment device for releasably and rigidly attaching the helmet body to upper body pads being worn by the player, and a padded head cap adapted to be worn on the head of the player, where the hollow interior is sized to allow the head of the player to move freely inside the helmet body, and the head cap includes padding which is configured to contact an interior surface of the wall if the head of the player tilts fore-aft or side-to-side by a predefined maximum allowable angle. 
     
     
         18 . The helmet assembly according to  claim 17  wherein the helmet body is generally spherical in shape and at least a portion of the wall is formed of a transparent material, and where the attachment device includes a plurality of pins positioned at the opening cooperating with a plurality of grooves formed in a ring attached to the upper body pads. 
     
     
         19 . The helmet assembly according to  claim 17  wherein the helmet body is formed of a plurality of wires or rods each positioned in a vertical plane and spaced around a first ring at the opening, and where the attachment device includes a plurality of pins positioned around an outside of the first ring cooperating with a plurality of grooves formed in a second ring attached to the upper body pads. 
     
     
         20 . The helmet assembly according to  claim 17  wherein the helmet body includes a hard shell extending adjacent a rear, top and partial sides of the head of the player and a wire mask adjacent a front of the head of the player, and where the attachment device includes two attachment tabs extending downwardly from a bottom edge of opposite sides of the hard shell, where the tabs cooperate with two receivers formed in the upper body pads.