SAFETY HELMET

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a safety helmet having an impact absorbing outer shell and components such as a chin strap to retain the helmet on a user's head, a head band providing cushioning around the rim area for comfort and impact absorption, a neck curtain and a shock absorbing material lining the inside of the shell. The helmet may include the aforesaid features either alone or in combination depending on intended use.

Background to the Invention Safety helmets are known and are used in a variety of different environmental situations their purpose being to reduce potential injuries to the head of a user. As an example, helmets are used by motorcyclists and pedal cyclists, mountaineers, construction site workers and in many leisure and sporting pursuits such as canoeing, parachuting and pot- holing. In all these fields each regulating body involved has developed different requirements for the construction of helmets for a specified use. A desirable requirement for a safety helmet would therefore be a construction which is relatively simple to produce and which is capable of meeting the requirements for many different pursuits.

Helmet constructions generally comprise an outer shell to which is secured around the inner periphery of the rim by means of adhesive, rivets, metal fixtures or other fixings a headband for comfort padding or a neck curtain with, if required, a chin strap for retaining the helmet on a user's head. The disadvantages are that separate attachments are needed

for fixing the components to the shell with the risk of detachment or corrosion through use.

This invention seeks to provide a helmet construction and a method of manufacture which includes, at least in the preferred embodiments, a simplified and integrated assembly of the components.

Summary of the Invention

According to this invention there is provided a protective helmet including a moulded impact resisting outer shell and an inner lining member or a fastening device, characterised in that an attachment portion of the lining or of the fastening device is incorporated into the outer shell during the moulding thereof.

In a preferred arrangement the attachment portion of the lining or of the fastening device is embedded within the outer shell during the moulding thereof. The inner lining may be shock-absorbing.

In a preferred construction a peripheral skirt part of the lining forms the attachment portion, said portion being incorporated into the rim of the outer shell during the moulding thereof. The fastening device, where used, may comprise a chin strap the attachment portions of which are embedded within and extend through the crown of the outer shell. In an embodiment the helmet includes both a lining and a fastening device secured by embedding fixing parts into the material of the shell.

This invention provides also a method for the production of a protective helmet using a mould having an inner part and an outer part defining therebetween a cavity conforming to the outer shell dimensions, which method comprises locating the attachment portion of the lining or of the fastening device, or both, at selected locations within the cavity; introducing a flowable plastics composition into the cavity; allowing the composition to set to form the shell and removing the shell from the mould with the attachment positions of the lining and fastening device embedded therein.

Thus the feature of this invention is that the internal components of a safety helmet such as the lining or the strap is secured by embedding into the outer shell during the moulding thereof. As used herein "lining" embraces the soft components of a safety helmet such as the headband, internal padding, neck curtain as well as the chin strap for adapting the helmet shell to the head of a wearer.

Brief Description of the Drawings

This invention is further described and illustrated with reference to an embodiment shown by way of example in the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a chin-strap, head band and neck curtain assembly prior to connection with a helmet shell;

Figure 2 shows a view as in Figure 1 but with part of the head band turned inwardly to a position in which it would lie in use and within the outer shell;

Figure 3 shows a helmet with an impact resisting outer shell incorporating the assembly of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 shows the components of a modified construction; and

Figures 5A and 5B illustrate the moulding process for a helmet according to the invention.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings a protective helmet has an impact resisting outer shell 1 (Figure 3) of a plastics material and a lining part which includes an integral chin-strap 2 and neck curtain 3 connected by stitching 3a to a combined head band and internal lining 4 of a fleece material. The edge parts 3a of the neck curtain 3 and head band 4 form a skirt for connection with the outer shell as explained later. This being more clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows the lining 4 prior to connection with the helmet 1, whereas Figure 2 shows the lining turned inwardly over the skirt 3b where it would lie in use around the inside of the shell with the skirt 3b forming a rim for attachment to the outer shell. Ventilation apertures 5 may be included in the neck curtain. The chin-strap may continue as shown in a loop 6 around the shell.

Figure 4 shows a view of the separated components of a modified construction comprising the outer shell 1 with connection loop 6 and neck curtain 3 but without the internal lining 4 in this case. Additional impact protection is provided by an inner ventilated core 7 including an aluminium foil layer offering a degree of protection from electromagnetic radiation.

According to this invention the connection of the chin-strap 2, neck curtain 3, head band 4 and connecting loop 6 to the outer shell 1 is made through the skirt part 3 b which is embedded within the material of the outer shell during the moulding process. This is illustrated diagrammatically in Figures 5A and 5B. The mould used has an outer female part 50 and an inner male part 51 which are assembled to define a cavity 52 conforming to the required dimensions of the outer shell 1. The skirt part 3b of the neck curtain 3 and the loop 6 are assembled within the open side of the cavity 52 between the male part 51 and female part 52. A closure plate 54 is then located over the cavity with the plate having cut outs to accommodate the protruding parts of the neck curtain 3.

A plastics composition is then poured or injected into the mould cavity and allowed to set or harden. The plastics composition preferably comprises a high density polyurethane which may be a foam of the "self-skinning" kind and following completion of the moulding process the helmet is removed and trimmed as necessary.

The advantage of this invention is that the skirt 3 b of the lining with the chin strap, if used, is firmly embedded within the rim of the outer shell 1 forming an integrated structure without the requirement for additional fixing means. In addition the loop 6 passes through the shell in the crown forming a continuous connection offering excellent strength.

In summary therefore this invention provides a protective helmet including a moulded impact resisting outer shell and an inner lining member or a fastening device, characterised in that an attachment portion of the lining or of the fastening device is incorporated into the outer shell during the moulding thereof.

The helmet may be formed as a one-piece moulding. The moulding does not require an additional external shell. The headband, neck curtain and retention system may be moulded into the moulding. The chin strap may be one piece moulded over the top of the helmet with no anchorage points. An inlay may be provided to upgrade performance protection with an aluminium layer for both thermal and radiation insulation.