Custom fitted helmet and method of making the same

Abstract

A helmet that is custom-fitted to a wearer's head, and methods of making the helmet, are provided A method includes the steps of positioning a shape-forming means over the wearer's head, and hardening the shape-forming means to provide a hardened headform that substantially conforms to the shape of the wearer's head. The shape-forming means can be a stretchable beanie cap that is coated or impregnated with a curable polymeric material, a heat-softenable plastic sheet, or a strip or plurality of strips of curable tape that are wrapped about the wearer's head to provide a headwrap. Once the hardened headform has been made, it can be used to cast a hardened plaster fixture for use as the “male” member in a mold for casting an energy absorbing foam liner for a helmet which has an inner surface substantially conforming to the shape of the wearer's head. Alternatively, the hardened headform can itself be used as the “male” member of the liner casting mold. In a further alternative, the hardened headform can be digitized to produce computer-readable data from which a suitable machine, such as a CNC router, can machine a pre-made energy absorbing liner “blank” so as to provide an inner surface thereof having a complementary contour to the wearer's head.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 727,725 filed Dec. 4, 2003, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 432,193 filed on Dec. 6, 2002, which provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The invention relates to a method of making a custom fitted helmet. More particularly, it relates to a method for making a custom fitted helmet having an impact energy absorbing liner having an inner surface that substantially conforms to the shape of the wearer's head. [0004] 2. Description of Related Art [0005] Helmets having an impact energy absorbing liner are known for all sorts of applications, including cycling, football and other contact sports, medical intervention for persons prone to seizures, industrial protection such as for manufacturing and construction workers, military...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020]FIG. 8 is a side view of a person's head having a hardened headform substantially conforming to the shape and contour of the person's head which was made using the beanie cap of FIGS. 1-2, where a tight fitting elastic hood has been applied over the head prior to application of the beanie cap to protect the person's eyes, hair and scalp.

Problems solved by technology

A problem with this method of sizing helmets is that the helmets are sized based on universal standards that are not specific to any individual who will actually wear and depend on the helmet for head protection.

While a standard sized helmet may provide adequate protection in some instances, it is not fitted to the unique shape and contour of the particular wearer's head, and therefore is prone to fit too tightly in certain aspects or along certain locations of the head while fitting too loosely in others.

A too loosely fitting helmet can be as or nearly as catastrophic during an impact as wearing no helmet at all, because the initial impact against the outer helmet shell can be transferred to the head during a second impact between the head and the loosely fitting interior surface of the helmet.

Whereas a too tightly fitting helmet is uncomfortable to the wearer and can actually cause traumatic injury.

Other methods are known where an expandable foam is provided to expand in a pouch adjacent the wearer's forehead, but the remainder of the head-contacting regions are not custom fitted to the wearer's head.

Further, in this method foaming is actually performed adjacent the wearer's head which is cumbersome to perform, and uncomfortable for the wearer.

There are two disadvantages of these methods: 1. It is difficult when fitting a helmet to know when you have achieved the proper fit.

An improperly fitted helmet can lead to serious consequences.

As will be apparent from the above discussion, the use of any more than a minimum of fitting-foam is a waste of critical space in a helmet that could be used to absorb additional energy which could save a life or eliminate a debilitating brain injury.

The air bladders, however, are not energy absorbing in the traditional sense, and again, the extra space that they take could be used for energy-absorption

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