Natural Fiber Helmet

Abstract

A natural fiber helmet capable of protecting a user engaged in a professional, recreational or competitive activity is disclosed. The protective fiber helmet may be constructed of wood, bamboo, or similar material. The outer shell of the helmet may have a decorative finish that emphasizes the natural beauty of the material from which it is constructed. The entire helmet may be constructed of biodegradable materials that include a cork impact attenuation or impact cushioning system and a hemp, leather or cotton strap system.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 498,598 filed on Jun. 19, 2011, entitled “Protective Natural Fiber Helmet”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not ApplicableTHE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT[0003]Not ApplicableINCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC[0004]Not ApplicableSEQUENCE LISTING[0005]Not ApplicableBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0006]1. Field of the Invention[0007]The present invention relates to protective helmets and more particularly to protective helmets constructed partly or entirely of natural fiber materials such as wood or bamboo.[0008]2. Description of the Related Art[0009]It is well known that the survivability of accidents, particularly without serious injury, depends strongly on whether the victim is wearing proper head protection. B...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021]It is an object of the present invention to provide a natural fiber helmet for protecting the head of a user engaged in a professional, recreational or competitive activity.

[0022]It is another object of the present invention to provide a natural fiber helmet for protecting users of multiple ages and both sexes.

[0023]It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a natural fiber helmet that may be constructed partially or entirely out of a natural fiber material.

[0024]It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a natural fiber helmet that may convey the appearance of the natural fiber used in its construction.

[0025]It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a natural fiber helmet that may be constructed using a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine or, alternatively, by using non-CNC tools such as molds, stamps, chainsaws, grinders, sanders, or hand tools.

[0027]It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a natural fiber helmet that may have decorative finishes intended to enhance the aesthetic value of the natural fiber construction material.

Problems solved by technology

By way of example, a person with no head protection may well sustain fatal injuries in an accident while a person simply wearing a helmet would not.

Head injury is a significant cause of accidental death and disability among children and adults in the United States and other countries, frequently resulting from activities such as bicycling, snow sports, motorcycles and ATVs, watersports including whitewater sports, skateboarding, equestrian activities, climbing sports, baseball, roller-skating, kick scooters, and in-line skating.

However, the EPS helmet liners are rigid, inelastic, with very little flexibility.

Because of this, they are “single impact” helmets, and have serious deficiencies in their energy attenuation characteristics.

EPS helmets and microhelmets are also susceptible to damage from ultra-violet rays from sunlight.

This is often undetected by the user, increasing the risk of head injury in the event of an impact.

A primary reason commonly cited for not wearing a helmet is that they are unattractive.

Young riders are often concerned with receiving ridicule from their peers for wearing helmets lacking aesthetic appeal.

Presently the vast majority of helmet products offer little in the way of sustainability as EPS foam is well known to be particularly difficult to recycle.

The process used to build most helmets, injection molding, leaves no real room for customization of the product.

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