This safer football helmet is constructed of a two-piece molded shell (rounder helmet). The inner shell is the basic helmet (rounder) as we see today. Two options are available for implementation. Option one: retrofit an exiting helmet by installing a rim or no rim and outer-shell cap, attached by a bolt and assorted washers (steel/rubber) to the inner shell, that serves to deflect, rotate, and disperse the force of impact. Option two: manufacture a helmet with a molded rim or no rim as part of the inner-shell, into which the outer shell will fit. With this design, the outer-shell cap could be interlocked with the helmet inner-shell locking rim with no need for the bolt. This two shell football helmet is designed to reduce all impact forces by deflecting, rotating, and dispersing the outer-shell.

In one embodiment, a protective helmet includes an outer shell made of a polyethylene material, wherein the shell is locally deformable when impacted with a strong force and an inner liner provided within the outer shell. A protective helmet comprising: an outer shell made of a polyethylene material, wherein the shell is locally deformable when impacted with a strong force; and an inner liner provided within the outer shell.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a protective shell having an exterior surface and an interior surface and a lever assembly positioned between the interior surface of the protective shell and a portion of a body. The lever assembly includes a lever having an elongated member extending between a first end and a second end and a pivot location. A fulcrum pivotally engages the pivot location of the lever, wherein the lever rotates about the fulcrum in response to an impact force applied along a first direction to the exterior surface of the protective shell. The lever assembly further includes a spring engaging the lever, wherein a rotation of the lever deforms the spring in a second direction to absorb a portion of a kinetic energy of the collision to redirect and reduce a transfer of a portion of force to the body. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A garment worn by a wearer has an impact absorbing material comprising arrays of various hexagonal or other deformable polygonal-shaped structures positioned between an exterior surface and an interior surface. When force is applied to the exterior surface, the structures of the impact absorbing materials deform (e.g., buckle) in a desired manner, reducing the force received by the interior surface.

A helmet for protecting a head of a wearer, such as a hockey, lacrosse, football or other sports player. The helmet includes an outer shell and an inner padding disposed between the outer shell and the wearer's head when the helmet is worn. The inner padding includes a plurality of shock absorbers and an interconnector interconnecting the shock absorbers, each shock absorber being deformable in response to a rotational impact on the helmet such that an outer part of the shock absorber moves relative to an inner part of the shock absorber in a direction tangential to an angular movement of the outer shell due to the rotational impact.

A helmet having a semi-soft outer shell adjacent to a web and spaced apart from a tight fitting inner shell. The semi-soft outer shell is made from a high absorbent material. The web is made of a plurality of strips that compress on impact and become more rigid the more they are compressed. An air space separates the web from the inner shell. The inner shell is also made of the soft and highly absorbent material that the outer shell is made from. The inner shell is configured to be tightly fitting.

The present invention provides a helmet, comprising first and second components having a sliding interface between them, wherein the sliding interface is provided between respective sliding surfaces of the first and second components, and the first component comprises (a) a mixture of (i) an olefin polymer, (ii) a lubricant, and optionally one or more further agents; or (b) an ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polymer having a density of ≤960 kg/m.sup.3, which UHMW polymer is preferably an olefin polymer.

A protective hood for a garment is provided. The hood can have a multi-layered sidewall that has an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer that cooperate to define a first pocket. A padding layer is positioned within the pocket.

Apparatus for protecting a user from impacts to the head. The apparatus includes a shell configured to receive a human head and a plurality of structures attached to the outer surface of the shell, where each structure is independently coupled to the shell with a respective assembly. The structures move independently of one another but are restricted to moving laterally along the outer surface of the shell. The structures each include a foam cell that reduces the magnitude of a head-on impact as the impact transfers from the foam cell to the shell. The assemblies each include an elastomeric donut that reduces the magnitude of a lateral impact as the impact is transferred from the foam cell to the donut assembly to the shell. Thus, a user is protected from the concussive effects of a head-on impact and the rotational acceleration injuries of a lateral impact.

A shock absorbing helmet includes an outer shell, an inner shock absorbing liner attached to the outer shell, and multiple compressible balls coupled with the outer shell and/or the shock absorbing liner in such a way that the compressible balls are free to move, relative to the outer shell and the shock absorbing liner, when the helmet is impacted by an object. A method of manufacturing a shock absorbing helmet involves forming an outer shell of the helmet, forming a shock absorbing liner of the helmet, attaching multiple compressible balls to the outer shell and/or the shock absorbing liner in such a way that the compressible balls are free to move, relative to the outer shell and the shock absorbing liner, when the helmet is impacted by an object, and attaching the outer shell to the shock absorbing liner.