A helmet includes a shell, a brim, ridges, and multiple flexible structures. The shell is shaped to receive a user's head. The brim covers the user's forehead and areas above the temples and ears and protrudes from the outer surface of the shell. The ridges are located along the back and top of the helmet and also protrude from the outer surface of the shell. The flexible structures, which are made of a material that is more flexible than the shell, the brim, and the ridges, are positioned in separation gaps between the shell and the brim and ridges. The shell, brim, ridges, and flexible structures are fused together as a single unibody. When the helmet is subjected to an impact on the brim or the ridges, the corresponding flexible structure deforms so that the brim or ridge moves relative to the shell. The deformation of the flexible structure attenuates the force of the impact, which improves the helmet's ability to protect the user from impacts.

A protective helmet comprises a shell having an inner surface and an outer surface, and a shell segment movable relative to the shell; an energy absorbing layer having an inner surface, and an outer surface which contacts the inner surface of the shell; and internal padding operably coupled to the inner surface of the energy absorbing layer. The shell has a perimeter and the shell segment is formed by at least one slot channel in the shell which does not extend to the perimeter of the shell. The shell segment moves relative to the shell upon the helmet receiving an impact force. The slot channel is generally U-shaped.

A protective helmet comprises a shell made of plastic and having a raised central region oriented from a front of the shell towards a rear of the shell, a first vent opening adjacent to the raised central region on a left side of the raised central region, a second vent opening adjacent to the raised central region on a right side of the raised central region, a pressable front section created by a non-linear slit through the shell, which does not extend to an edge of the shell, ear holes formed in the shell; and an energy absorbing layer protected by the shell and having an outer surface.

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 changes how a portion of the shell having the impact attenuation member responds to an impact force having a component applied substantially normal to the impact attenuation member as compared to how the left and right side portions respond to the impact force.

A helmet for rotational energy management can include an outer energy management layer comprising an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface. The inner surface can comprise a first slidable finish comprising a first glaze comprising a thickness less than or equal to 2 millimeters (mm). An inner energy management layer can be disposed within the outer energy management layer and further comprise an outer surface oriented towards the outer energy management layer and an inner surface opposite the outer surface. The outer surface can comprise a second slidable finish that directly contacts the first slidable finish. The second slidable finish can comprise a second glaze comprising a thickness less than or equal to 2 mm. A space between the first slidable finish and the second slidable finish can be devoid of a lubricant and devoid of any interstitial slip layer.

A protective helmet comprises a shell comprising a non-linear slit at least partially surrounding and defining a flexible section movable relative to the shell. The helmet further comprises an energy absorbing layer contacting an inner surface of the shell and an inner surface of the flexible section. Internal padding is operably coupled to the energy absorbing layer. The shell has a perimeter, and the non-linear slit does not extend to the perimeter of the shell. The flexible section moves relative to the shell upon the helmet receiving an impact energy to dampen the impact energy.

The present invention provides a protective headgear having a multi-layered shell to attenuate amplitude of incident mechanical waves of a blunt trauma to a human head by inducing destructive interference with the incident mechanical waves through phase reversal of reflected mechanical waves reflecting off a boundary between two adjacent layers of the protective headgear, and by coaxially converging the phase-reversed reflected mechanical waves with the incident mechanical waves. The multi-layered shell is configured to equally protect people having a similar size of head but with a range of body weight.

An impact protection device includes a first shell configured to be disposed on a body portion of a user, a second shell spaced at a distance from the first shell, and a set of elastomeric members spanning the distance between the first shell and the second shell. Each elastomeric member includes a first end and an opposing second end, each first end comprises a first end portion disposed within a corresponding opening defined by the first shell and a terminal portion disposed against an inner wall of the first shell and each second end connected to the second shell. The set of elastomeric members are configured to stretch between the first shell and the second shell in response to a translation of the second shell relative to the first shell and at a location that is substantially opposite to an impact receiving location of the second shell.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a modular helmet apparatus and system comprised of a removable outer shell disposed on an inner frame. The disclosed football helmet provides for enhanced energy diffusion through the use of one or more energy diffusion areas disposed on an outer shell of the helmet, the one or more energy diffusion areas being configured to align with the energy diffusion zones of the frame. Embodiments of the present disclosure enables a user to quickly and easily replace or swap the outer shell of the helmet with a second or replacement shell by selectively coupling the desired outer shell with the frame.

A helmet selection/customization process, which comprises obtaining a 3D scan of a user's head; identifying a retail helmet variant that would fit the user's head; providing the user with an option to select the identified retail helmet variant or design a custom liner for a base helmet; and in case the user selects to design a custom helmet, causing generation of a 3D model of a custom liner based on the 3D scan and a 3D model of the base helmet. The method includes determining, based on the 3D scan, parameters associated with the user's head; and accessing a database storing parameters associated with a plurality of retail helmet variants, wherein the identifying is carried out based on processing of the parameters associated with the user's head and the parameters stored in the database, so as to identify one of the variants in the plurality of retail helmet variants.