Football helmet with impact attenuation system

Abstract

A protective football helmet is provided having a one-piece molded shell with an impact attenuation system. This system includes an impact attenuation member formed in an extent of the front shell portion by removing material from the front portion. The impact attenuation member is purposely engineered to change how the front portion responds to an impact force applied substantially normal to the front portion as compared to how other portions of the shell respond to that impact force. In one version, the impact attenuation member is a cantilevered segment formed in the front portion of the shell.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective sports helmet to be worn by a wearer, the helmet comprising:
 an shell including:
 a left side portion with an ear opening formed therein; 
 a lower shell edge; 
 an upper transverse sidewall that extends outward from the shell; 
 a lower transverse sidewall that extends outward from the shell; 
 a raised band that: (i) extends between the upper transverse sidewall and lower transverse sidewall, (ii) extends rearward from a portion of the left side portion of the shell, and (iii) includes an extent that is positioned above the ear opening when the protective sports helmet is in a neutral state when the protective sports helmet is not worn by a wearer; and 
 a ventilation opening formed in the shell and positioned between the lower transverse sidewall and the lower shell edge. 
   
     
     
         2 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the ventilation opening includes an upper edge that is substantially parallel with a lower extent of the lower transverse sidewall. 
     
     
         3 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the ventilation opening includes a longitudinal centerline that is substantially parallel with a lower extent of the lower transverse sidewall. 
     
     
         4 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the shell further includes:
 a front portion having a lower frontal shell region that is adjacent a lower frontal edge of the shell;   a continuous gap formed through the shell and above the lower frontal shell region, and wherein the continuous gap having a gap segment that extends towards the lower frontal edge of the shell; and   an impact attenuation member formed in the shell and above the lower frontal shell region, and wherein an extent of the impact attenuation member is positioned adjacent to the gap segment of the continuous gap.   
     
     
         5 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 4 , further comprising an energy attenuation member secured to an inner surface of the shell and configured to underlie the impact attenuation member. 
     
     
         6 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 4 , wherein the continuous gap includes an enlarged end point that has an end point width that is larger than a width at a mid-point of the gap segment. 
     
     
         7 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the shell includes a front portion having a structural modulus that is different than a structural modulus of a crown portion of the shell. 
     
     
         8 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 1 , wherein the shell further includes a gap that is formed through the shell and above a lower frontal shell region, and is comprised of:
 a first substantially circular eyelet,   a second substantially circular eyelet,   a first substantially linear segment that extends from said first eyelet, and   a second substantially linear segment that extends from said second eyelet.   
     
     
         9 . The protective sports helmet  claim of 8 , wherein the lower frontal shell regions further includes a sidewall that extends: (i) outward from the shell, (ii) upward from a reference point located in the lower frontal shell region the shell, and (iii) towards the crown portion of the shell. 
     
     
         10 . A protective sports helmet to be worn by a wearer, the helmet comprising:
 an shell including:
 a left side portion with an ear opening formed therein; 
 a lower shell edge; 
 an upper transverse sidewall that extends outward from the shell; 
 a lower transverse sidewall that extends outward from the shell; 
 a raised band is integrally formed in the shell and has:
 a frontal height is at a first location that extends between the upper transverse sidewall and lower transverse sidewall, and 
 a rear height is at a second location that extends between the upper transverse sidewall and lower transverse sidewall, and wherein the rear height is greater than the frontal height; and 
 
 a ventilation opening formed in the shell and positioned between the lower transverse sidewall and the lower shell edge. 
   
     
     
         11 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 10 , wherein the ventilation opening includes an upper edge that is substantially parallel with a lower extent of the lower transverse sidewall. 
     
     
         12 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 10 , wherein the ventilation opening includes a longitudinal centerline that is substantially parallel to a lower extent of the lower transverse sidewall. 
     
     
         13 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 10 , wherein the shell further includes a front portion having a structural modulus that is different than a structural modulus of a crown portion of the shell. 
     
     
         14 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 10 , wherein the shell includes a lower frontal shell region that is positioned adjacent and above a lower frontal edge of the shell; and
 wherein the shell further includes a gap that is formed through the shell and above the lower frontal shell region, and the gap including:
 a first substantially circular eyelet, 
 a second substantially circular eyelet, 
 a first substantially linear segment that extends from said first eyelet, and 
 a second substantially linear segment that extends from said second eyelet. 
   
     
     
         15 . The protective sports helmet  claim of 14 , wherein the first substantially linear segment has a width at a first location, and the first eyelet has a width that is larger than the width of the first substantially linear segment. 
     
     
         16 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 10 , wherein the shell further includes:
 a front portion having a lower frontal shell region that is adjacent a lower frontal edge of the shell;   a continuous gap formed through the shell and above the lower frontal shell region, and wherein the continuous gap has a gap segment that extends towards the lower frontal edge of the shell; and   an impact attenuation member formed in the shell and above the lower frontal shell region, and wherein an extent of the impact attenuation member is positioned adjacent to the first segment of the continuous gap.   
     
     
         17 . A protective sports helmet to be worn by a wearer, the helmet comprising:
 a shell including:
 a left side portion having a left ear opening; 
 a lower shell edge; 
 a lower transverse sidewall that extends: (i) outward from the shell, and (ii) upward and rearward from a reference point, wherein said reference point is both contained in the left side portion of the shell and positioned above the left ear opening; and 
 a ventilation opening formed in the shell and positioned between the lower shell edge and the lower transverse sidewall, and wherein said ventilation opening includes a length that is greater than a width of the ventilation opening. 
   
     
     
         18 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the ventilation opening includes an upper edge that is substantially parallel with a lower extent of the lower transverse sidewall. 
     
     
         19 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the ventilation opening includes a longitudinal centerline that is substantially parallel to a lower extent of the lower transverse sidewall. 
     
     
         20 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the shell further includes:
 a front portion having a lower frontal shell region that is adjacent a lower frontal edge of the shell;   a continuous gap formed through the shell and above the lower frontal shell region, and wherein the continuous gap having a segment that extends towards the lower frontal edge of the shell; and   an impact attenuation member formed in the shell and positioned above the lower frontal shell region, and wherein an extent of the impact attenuation member is positioned adjacent to the segment of the continuous gap.   
     
     
         21 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 20 , further comprising a front energy attenuation member secured to an inner surface of the helmet, and wherein the energy attenuation member extends across an extent of the impact attenuation member. 
     
     
         22 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 20 , wherein the segment of the continuous gap has a width at a first location, and the first eyelet has a width that is larger than the width of the segment. 
     
     
         23 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the shell includes a front portion having a structural modulus that is different than a structural modulus of a crown portion of the shell. 
     
     
         24 . The protective sports helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the shell further includes a gap that is formed through the shell and above a lower frontal shell region, and is comprised of:
 a first substantially circular eyelet,   a second substantially circular eyelet,   a first substantially linear segment that extends from said first eyelet, and   a second substantially linear segment that extends from said second eyelet.   
     
     
         25 . The protective sports helmet  claim of 24 , wherein the lower frontal shell regions further includes a first sidewall that extends: (i) outward from the shell, (ii) upward from a reference point located in the lower frontal shell region the shell, and (iii) towards the crown portion of the shell.