A helmet has a shell, the shell having an outer surface and an inner surface such that at least a portion of the outer surface is formed as a series of adjoining polygon shaped faceted regions that help distribute any force impacted on such regions across a relatively large portion of the shell. The faceted regions may be flat, curvedly contoured, or a combination thereof and extend through to the inner surface of the shell. The middle section has the faceted regions while the crown and the lower section may also have the faceted regions or may be contoured as is typical for a traditional helmet of that style.

An energy diverting football helmet is disclosed. The helmet contains the shell having an inside and an outside, padding positioned against the inside of the shell. There is also a face mask attached to the front of the football helmet, and a chin strap. On the outside of the shell there is a plurality of flexible energy divergent baffles (FEDB) attached to the outside of said shell. The flexible energy divergent baffle comprises a base, a flat top, and an offset baffle connecting the flat top with the base. On top of the base is a wafer, upon which resides an energy transferring bumper.

This invention is directed to a helmet which uses compressible conical springs positioned between an outer helmet and an inner rigid liner to absorb and distribute the force of impact and thereby minimize the risk of concussion and other head injuries.

The present helmet invention combines lightweight, impact absorption materials, force distribution structures, and means for affixing a facemask and straps to the helmet for reducing the risk of head injury. The internal construction of the helmet uses the combination of three or more elliptically shaped rings, each referred to as a halo ring. The halo rings are rigidly affixed to u-shaped torsion bars, and together form a cage. The cage covers areas of the head and skull vulnerable to injury, operating to disperse and thereby dissipate external impacts at any point where forces on the helmet's external surface are transferred to the ovoid-like cage.

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.

A helmet for ball sports has a main body and two strengthening elements. The two strengthening elements are mounted on two inner walls of the main body. A first surface of each strengthening element abuts and is connected to the main body. Second surfaces of the strengthening elements face to each other. Through holes of each strengthening element are formed through the first surface and the second surface so that the strengthening elements are latticed. With the helmet mounted with the strengthening elements on two sides, the strengthening elements enhance an anti-impact capacity on the two sides of the helmet. Besides, with the latticed strengthening elements, the weights of the strengthening elements are lightened and do not cause weighted burden on the neck of the user.

A safety helmet is disclosed having a shell and a comfort liner coupled to the inner surface of the shell. The comfort liner is constrained to the front part and to the rear part of the shell, and the helmet has a webbing arranged between the shell and the comfort liner along the upper median portion of the comfort liner. The webbing has a front end constrained to the front part of the comfort liner and a rear end to move the webbing with respect to the shell and cause consequently the change of the overall dimensions of the comfort liner inside the helmet. The webbing is constrained, with respect to the shell, in an operative position corresponding to the overall dimensions of the comfort liner inside the helmet.

Protective clothing and/or equipment may comprise an impact mitigation layer which comprises a plurality of impact mitigation assemblies positioned between an exterior surface and an interior surface. The plurality of impact mitigation assemblies may comprise an impact absorbing array of impact mitigation structures having at least one filament and a lateral support wall or connecting element. When force is applied to the exterior surface, the structures of the impact absorbing materials deform in a desired and controlled manner, reducing the force received by the interior surface.

An energy absorption system is provided with a plurality of energy absorbing panels that may be releasably connected to a helmet. The energy absorbing panels are provided with a plurality of air flow channels defining a plurality of energy absorption chambers. Each of the air flow channels is designed to direct air flow from an anterior of the helmet to a posterior of the helmet when the energy absorbing panels are connected to an outer shell of the helmet.

A protective football helmet is provided having a face guard mounting system with at least one pair of opposed recessed mounting regions that ensure a low-profile mounting arrangement for a face guard to the helmet. The recessed mounting regions are formed in both the inner and outer surfaces of the helmet shell along a frontal opening in the shell. As a result of the streamlined frontal appearance provided by the face guard mounting system, the width of the face guard closely corresponds to the width of the helmet at the recessed mounting regions.