A comfort padding, configured to be attached at an innermost surface of a helmet, which is facing a wearer's head, for providing a sliding movement in the comfort padding in response to an oblique force applied to the helmet in use is provided. The comfort padding comprises a layer of membrane material provided closer to the helmet than a layer of stretchable fabric or nonwoven material, and between the two layers there is a layer of open cell polymer foam, the membrane layer has a low friction surface allowing for a sliding movement between the layer of open cell polymer foam and the membrane material. A helmet comprising the comfort padding.

A cycling helmet includes an outer shell and a closed cell foam layer adjacent to the outer shell. The cycling helmet also includes an inner liner adjacent to the closed cell foam layer. The cycling helmet further includes an insert of energy absorbing material adjacent to the inner liner. The insert is configured to move in multiple directions in response to an impact to the cycling helmet.

A football helmet has a rigid plastic football helmet shell with a single raised plateau in the crown portion of the shell extending from the front portion, over the crown portion, toward the back portion. The raised plateau has a left border and a right border. The left border is composed of a plurality of segments and extends continuously from the front portion, over the crown portion, toward the back portion. The segments of the left border including at least a first segment and second segment, which meet to form an angle. A non-circular first ventilation hole through the shell has at least a first side, a second side, and a third side, and is positioned at the angle, such that the first side is adjacent to the first segment and the second side is adjacent to the second segment. The first segment extends beyond the first ventilation hole by a first distance at least as long as the first side and the second segment extending beyond the first ventilation hole by a second distance at least as long as the second side.

A helmet includes a helmet body with an outer shell and an in-molded energy management liner inside the outer shell. The in-molded energy management liner may include an inner liner of a first material and an outer liner of a second material different from the first material, with at least one hole through the inner liner, an inside surface, an outside surface, and sides connecting the inside surface with the outside surface. The outer liner formed around the inner liner such that the outer liner extends through the at least one hole and around at least two of the sides of the inner liner, covering a majority of the outside surface and at least a portion of the inside surface, and both the inner liner and the outer liner are exposed on an inside of the in-molded energy management liner.

A football helmet is disclosed that includes a shell constructed of fiber reinforced epoxy resin, a liner made from expanded polypropylene, an impact absorbing layer situated between the liner and the shell, and a face guard. The impact absorbing layer is constructed from either expanded polypropylene or a viscoelastic polymer encased in a suitable thin yet resilient and elastic membrane. An optional impact absorbing band is also shown disposed around the inner periphery of the liner and encircling the player's head. The impact absorbing band serves to reduce impact forces occurring from side helmet impact with objects or players.

A helmet and method for forming a helmet having a multi-density impact liner may include forming a puck comprising an interface surface and at least one side is formed. The interface surface of the puck is placed in direct contact with a receiving surface of a cap located in an impact liner mold. Next, the interface surface of the puck is thermally fused directly to the receiving surface of the cap while contemporaneously an impact liner body is formed inside the mold. The impact liner body is fused to the at least one side of the puck, and to a majority of the receiving surface of the cap. The density of the puck may be greater than the density of the impact liner body. The puck and the impact liner body may be EPS, and the cap may be PC.

A sports helmet kit has a shell, attachable face guard, composite helmet liner, and fit pods to improve and customize the fit of the helmet to the wearer. The composite liner consists of a base liner and a selected group of fit elements, for example, fit pods, removably attached to the inner surface of the base liner (i.e., the surface of the base liner facing the wearer's head). The fit pods are selected from a set of fit pods having different properties, for example, different sizes, thicknesses, densities, and cross-sections. The selection of fit pods from the set may be aided by taking anatomical measurements of the wearer's head and analyzing the measurements with respect to the geometry of the helmet to produce a pressure map. The measurements may be taken by physical contact or by non-contact means. The fit pods may be selected to optimize a pressure map, and thus optimize the fit, for a given wearer of the helmet.

A double-shell helmet is disclosed. The double-shell helmet includes an outer shell, an impact absorbing material layer affixed to the outer shell on a first side of the impact absorbing material layer, an inner shell affixed to the impact absorbing material layer on a second side of the impact absorbing material layer opposite the first side of the impact absorbing material layer, and a foam layer affixed to the inner shell.

A protective headgear device including a fabric cap (102) into which a hard shell (120) of reinforced fibers is inserted. A foam liner 140 or foam inserts (1500) are secured to the hard outer shell 120 and serve a shock absorbing function. The foam liner (14) and/or foam inserts (120) include or form grooves and/or channels used to direct hot air towards the top center of the headgear assembly where the hot air can be vented through holes which extend through the cap (102) and hard outer shell (120). The holes may pass through the foam liner 140 or meet up with holes on channels in or between the foam inserts through which air can pass. The hard outer shell may be thinnest on top and thicker on the left and right sides. The center front and rear may be the same thickness as the top of the hard shell.

A helmet may include an upper-body comprising a first outer shell coupled to a first energy-absorbing shell formed of expanded polypropylene (EPP), expanded polystyrene (EPS), expanded polyurethane (EPU), or expanded polyolefin (EPO). A lower-body may include a second outer shell coupled to a second energy-absorbing shell formed of EPP, EPS, EPU, or EPO, wherein an upper portion of the lower-body is nested within the upper-body and a lower portion of the lower-body extends to an outer surface of a lower portion of the upper-body. A strap anchor may be disposed between the upper-body and the lower-body, and be sandwiched between the upper-body and the lower-body with the strap anchor being adjacent to, and oriented towards, the lower-body. A strap may be coupled to the fastening device and coupled to the strap anchor for coupling the helmet to a head of a user.