Impact-dissipating liners, helmets having an impact-dissipating liner, and methods of fabricating impact-dissipating liners are provided. The liners include a fluid impermeable enclosure having cavities with sidewalls and a fluid contained in the enclosure. The enclosure may have a central portion and lobes extending from the central portion, wherein the central portion and the lobes are adapted to conform to the shape of an internal surface of a helmet. The helmets may include bodies positioned within the cavities of the liner, where, under impact loading, contact between the bodies and the liner absorbs at least some of the energy of the impact loading. Aspects of the invention are particularly adapted for use for head protection, such as, helmets; however, aspects of the invention are also adaptable to provide impact-dissipation for any body or surface that would benefit from such protection.

A helmet has inner and outer shells separated by a plurality of interconnected relatively soft columns or posts. The columns each have a middle post or pillar section, a capital that is of larger diameter than the post, and a base also of larger transverse dimension than the post. When an impact above a design threshold occurs on the outer shell, the columns, particularly the post sections thereof, near the impact location compress and buckle, dissipating impact kinetic energy, while columns spaced from the impact zone stretch and support more of the impact force. The applied force is therefore reduced and spread out over a relatively large area, and a resultant wave created within the column manifold disperses additional heat, further reducing the force and torque applied on the outer shell and transmitted to the inner shell and onto the skull of a helmet user. A method and mold for fabricating the column manifold are also disclosed.

The invention relates to a protective sports helmet purposely designed for a selected group of helmet wearers from amongst a larger population of helmet wearers. A multi-step method for helmet design starts by collecting information from a population of players that may include information about the shape of a player's head and the impacts the player has sustained. This information is then processed to create player population information that is sorted to create categories. Advanced mathematical techniques are utilized to further sort these categories into player groups or data sets based on player attributes. Once the player groups are identified, another multi-step process is utilized to design optimized helmet prototype models for each player group. These optimized helmet prototype models are then further processed into complete helmet models by determining a structural design and chemical composition that is manufacturable and has mechanical properties that are substantially similar to the optimized helmet prototype model. Physical helmet prototypes are then created and tested using a unique helmet standard derived from information associated with each player group. Once the prototypes pass testing, the complete helmet models can be manufactured to create actual stock helmets or stock helmet components for future players whose characteristics and attributes place them within the selected player group.

A complete helmet assembly comprising an inner helmet assembly similar to a baseball, softball, or cricket helmet and an exterior shell assembly are disclosed. The inner helmet assembly is similar to a standard helmet. The exterior shell assembly comprises two or more layers, one of said layers (preferably the more exterior layer) being hard and elastic and one or more of said layers (preferably a more internal layer) being a plastically deformable layer comprising a crumple zone that would need to be replaced after the exterior shell assembly receives significant damage. The user gets the advantages of both a reusable interior helmet and the advantages of single impact safety materials commonly used in bicycle and motorcycle helmets.

A system for manufacturing a shell for a batting helmet includes interchangeable mold-core portions configured to form a cavity for receiving molding material. The mold-core portions include a first base mold-core portion and a plurality of inner side mold-core portions configured to form an interior contour of the shell. The mold-core portions further include a second base mold-core portion and a plurality of outer mold-core portions configured to form an exterior contour of the shell. Mold-core portions are interchangeable, removable, and replaceable from an interlocked position relative to other mold-core portions. A method of manufacturing batting helmet shells includes selecting mold-core portions corresponding to various helmet shell configurations having various protective features, assembling the mold-core portions into a mold assembly, and providing molding material into a cavity in the mold assembly. A kit of parts for making a shell for a batting helmet includes a variety of interchangeable mold-core portions.

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.

Impact-dissipating liners, helmets having an impact-dissipating liner, and methods of fabricating impact-dissipating liners are provided. The liners include a fluid impermeable enclosure having cavities with sidewalls and a fluid contained in the enclosure. The enclosure may have a central portion and lobes extending from the central portion, wherein the central portion and the lobes are adapted to conform to the shape of an internal surface of a helmet. The helmets may include bodies positioned within the cavities of the liner, where, under impact loading, contact between the bodies and the liner absorbs at least some of the energy of the impact loading. Aspects of the invention are particularly adapted for use for head protection, such as, helmets; however, aspects of the invention are also adaptable to provide impact-dissipation for any body or surface that would benefit from such protection.

The invention relates to a three dimensional shaped article having an outer and inner surface, the outer surface comprising at least one fabric (100) of polyethylene fibers having a tensile strength of at least 1.5 GPa, the fabric is impregnated with an acrylic based thermoplastic material. The three dimensional shaped article may further comprise monolayers with unidirectional aligned fibers. The three dimensionally shaped article has an improved surface appearance which would therefore need little or no post treatment and has good adhesion to coatings and paints.

A device (e.g., an article of athletic gear) comprising a post-molded expandable component, which is a part of the device that is configured to be expanded or has been expanded after being molded. This may allow the post-molded expandable component to have enhanced characteristics (e.g., be more shock-absorbent, lighter, etc.), to be cost-effectively manufactured (e.g., by using less material and/or making it in various sizes), and/or to be customized for a user (e.g., by custom-fitting it to the user).

A system for forming a deep drawn helmet and method therefor are disclosed. The system includes a forming draw ring and a non-forming draw ring and supports a prepreg stack between a forming aperture of the forming draw ring and a non-forming aperture of the non-forming draw ring. The system clamps a flange portion of the prepreg stack between a contact surface of the forming draw ring and a contact surface of the non-forming draw ring, which forms a clamped assembly of the rings and the prepreg stack. The system then forms a deep drawn helmet preform from the prepreg stack of the clamped assembly. The same system or a different forming system then consolidates one or more of the preforms into a final deep drawn helmet. The system can control sliding of the flange during forming of the helmet preform without reducing the flange clamping force.