[0001]STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
[0002]N/A
[0003]RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0004]N/A
[0005]BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0006]Field of the Invention
[0007]The present disclosure relates, in general, to an apparatus worn by a user of a high impact sport in order to prevent head and neck injuries to the user during an upper body impact.
[0008]Background of the Invention
[0009]In contact sports such as American football, injury is relatively common due to the collisions and force of impact between players. Over 4 million concussion and sports-related brain injuries occur each year with nearly 48,000 reported cases occurring in youth football leagues and 250,000 in high school football programs. It is also estimated that more than 35,000 injuries go undiagnosed annually.
[0010]Concussions, in particular, happen to be one of the most severe hazards for football players. Concussions occur from physical trauma to the cranial region and can result in serious life-long disabilities. Due to this danger, football helmets play a crucial role in player safety and concussion prevention. It is well documented that today's helmets do not provide a satisfactory level of safety, mainly they do not prevent chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
[0011]The brain injuries often occur in high impact sports, such as football, due to the acceleration of an impact which is mainly directed to the head and the cervical spine.
[0012]Currently several devices have been proposed that protect a user's head from injury. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,781 to Gooding and U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,430 to Sledge.
[0013]Although there has been a great deal of improvement in helmets, the magnitude of kinetic energy generated by impacts cannot be dissipated by the current generation of protective headwear.
[0014]Therefore, there is a need for a protective head apparatus that offers the maximum protection to their head/brain, central nervous system/cervical spine.
[0015]Furthermore, it would also be advantageous for a player to have full mobility of motion of the head and good all-around visibility.
[0016]SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017]A primary object of this invention is to provide a high energy absorbing structure that can be attached to existing shoulder pads worn by football players and hockey players that prevents head, neck and cervical spine injuries.
[0018]In this invention, the kinetic energy of an impact to the apparatus structure is attenuated by a shock absorbing system whereby the energy of the impact is transmitted to the shoulder pads and/or contained by a series of straps and retractor mechanisms connected to the waist.
[0019]The apparatus of the present invention makes impossible axial loading of the upper cervical spine due to the open space between the crown of the structure and the head of the wearer.
[0020]This apparatus eliminates the possibility of a serious concussion by not permitting direct head to head contact between players. The unit's motion is controlled by means of a set of straps and accelerator controllers also named retractor mechanisms.
[0021]The apparatus of the invention, more particularly the helmet is spaced apart and all around the head of the wearer, allowing a complete range of motion of the head.
[0022]All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinence of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
[0023]It is acknowledged that the term ‘comprise’ may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term ‘comprise’ shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term ‘comprised’ or ‘comprising’ is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process.
[0024]The present disclosure relates to an assembly of an energy absorbing device including a shoulder mounted head cage apparatus. More particularly, the current disclosure relates to a structure that completely encircles the head and neck of the wearer while resting on the user's shoulders. It is spaced so as to permit normal movement of the head.
[0025]Upon upper body impact from any direction, and especially to the head area the apparatus transfers the kinetic energy of the impact through the structure and to the shoulder pads on which it is mounted.
[0026]The system of the invention itself, both as to its configuration and its mode of operation will be best understood, and additional objects and advantages thereof will become apparent, by the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.
[0027]When the word “invention” is used in this specification, the word “invention” includes “inventions”, that is, the plural of “invention”. By stating “invention”, the Applicant does not in any way admit that the present application does not include more the one patentable and non-obviously distinct invention and Applicant maintains that the present application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicant hereby asserts, that the disclosure of the present application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.
[0028]Further, the purpose of the accompanying abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
[0029]BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a user wearing the first exemplary embodiment including a shirt in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a user wearing the first exemplary embodiment with inner straps and without a shirt in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows a user wearing the second exemplary embodiment with inner straps and outer straps but without a shirt in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a front view of a user wearing the second exemplary embodiment with a shirt in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows the first exemplary embodiment in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows the second exemplary embodiment in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
[0030]DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031]To provide an overall understanding of the invention, certain illustrative embodiments and examples will now be described. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. The compositions, apparatuses, systems and/or methods described herein may be adapted and modified as is appropriate for the application being addressed and that those described herein may be employed in other suitable applications, and that such other additions and modifications will not depart from the scope hereof.
[0032]As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, the term “a transaction” may include a plurality of transactions, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used in the specification and claims, singular names or types referenced include variations within the family of said name unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0033]Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “lower,” “upper,” “bottom,” “top,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right” and “sides” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made, but are not limiting with respect to the orientation in which the modules or any assembly of them may be used. The term mechanically coupled is intended to include the attachment of two or more elements using a third element, such as rivet, screw, studs, hooks or at least any element that maintains a constant connection between said two or more elements. In this context, the term “rotary mechanically coupled” is used to mean coupled together so as to be able to transmit rotation or displacement of an element.
[0034]FIG. 1 shows a user wearing the first exemplary embodiment including a shirt in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The impact absorbing unit 1 comprises at least a helmet 2 , a ring holder 3 , an upper body protector 4 , front and back extendable straps 5 , straps length adjuster 6 , an adjustable waist band 7 , shoulder pads 8 , lower body holders 8 and a retractor mechanism 10 . The helmet 2 is mechanically coupled to the ring 3 , wherein said ring 3 is located at an upper body protector 4 including shoulder pads S. Straps 5 extend from the ring 4 and are mechanically coupled to the waist band 7 . The straps 5 comprise an adjustable mechanism 6 to extend or reduce the length of said straps 5 depending on the user. Further the lower body holders 8 are mechanically coupled to the waist band 7 . The lower body holders 8 , further shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , surrounds the thigh and are made of a semi elastic material enough to expand without generating excessive compression force on the user thigh while assisting the position of the waist band 7 . The lower body holders 8 further comprises a contact material, such as leather, that avoids unpleasant sensation due to contact with the inner thigh.
[0035]FIG. 2 shows a user wearing the first exemplary embodiment of the inner straps without a shirt in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The upper body cover 4 , as shown, comprises a first section for covering the user's back and a second section for covering the user's chest. The configuration provides a space or clear area between the upper body cover 4 and the user back and user chest. The ring 3 provides a space between the neck and the user's shoulders
[0036]The inner straps 50 are mechanically coupled by a mechanical element D to the upper body protector and extend from the inner surface towards the waist band 7 . The inner straps are used for stability purposes and do not required acceleration controllers 10 .
[0037]FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 shows a user wearing the second exemplary embodiment in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Similar to FIG. 2 the inner straps are coupled to the waist band 7 . The only difference is the outer straps, as shown in FIG. 3 . In this instance the outer front strap extends over the chest covering part of the upper body cover 4 and turnaround to connect to the back side of the waist band 7 . The configuration and arrangement of the straps provides an angled vector force to prevent displacement of the helmet and ring toward the user's face. As presented in FIG. 3 the helmet may comprise a top rounded configuration. The same applies to the rear straps that extends over the back covering part of the upper body cover 4 and turnaround to connect to the front side of the waist band 7 . As previously disclosed all the straps include an adjustable mechanism 6 and is preferred that only the outer straps include retractor mechanism 10 . The retractor mechanism or acceleration controller 10 is intended to work similar to the retractor mechanism used in seatbelts including a retractor pendulum. The retractor mechanism 10 is a sensitive inertia type apparatus. In this type of retractor mechanism, an inertia sensor comprising a pendulum device is engaged with a reel locking bar to be activated upon rapid acceleration of the impact absorbing unit, as might occur upon impact with other players.
[0038]The retractor mechanism 10 immobilizes the upper body protector 4 upon impact with another player by maintaining the pre-determined length of the strap 5 . The retractor mechanism 10 provides the flexibility to permit certain degree of movement but in the event of an impact the retractor locks its position. The outer straps 51 would run on indented pathways added to the upper body cover 4 . The indented pathways C, as shown in FIG. 4 , are formed at the chest and back of the impact absorbing unit 1 .
[0039]FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are directed to at least two configurations for the outer straps 51 of the present impact absorbing unit 1 . As mentioned, the impact absorbing unit 1 comprises at least a helmet 2 , and upper body protector 4 , a ring attachment/holder 3 , front and back extendable straps 5 , straps length adjuster 6 , an adjustable waist band 7 , shoulder pads S, lower body holders 8 and a retractor mechanism 10 . The first configuration as disclosed in FIG. 5 comprises cross over straps 51 as previously disclosed in FIG. 3 . FIG. 6 is directed to the second configuration for the outer straps 51 . The second configuration is a straight connection for the outer straps 51 from the ring 3 to the waist band without crossing each other. It is important to understand that the upper body protector 4 is made of a light weight impact resistant material, such as carbon fiber, fiber glass or Kevlar. The straps are made of a material resistant enough to withstand the wear and tear of the impacts. The elasticity of the straps 5 is enough to avoid unwanted displacement once a selected length is determined. The helmet is made of a material that withstands impact and is configured to include open areas in order not to interrupt user's line of sight. The retractor mechanism 10 is similar to the system used in seatbelts. The retractor may include a cover to avoid contact with the user's skin. The configuration of the straps 5 may vary, however the main purpose of the straps is to hold the impact absorbing unit in place upon impact with another player.
[0040]The invention is not limited to the precise configuration described above. While the invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the subject invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention after considering this specification together with the accompanying drawings. Accordingly, all such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by this invention as defined in the following claims and their legal equivalents. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses, if any, are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures.
[0041]All of the patents, patent applications, and publications recited herein, and in the Declaration attached hereto, if any, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety herein. All, or substantially all, the components disclosed in such patents may be used in the embodiments of the present invention, as well as equivalents thereof. The details in the patents, patent applications, and publications incorporated by reference herein may be considered to be incorporable at applicant's option, into the claims during prosecution as further limitations in the claims to patentable distinguish any amended claims from any applied prior art.
