Protective headgear

Abstract

 A protective headgear article comprising a main body 2 having a base band portion 3 and web portions 4,5 arranged for receiving a wearer's head. The article has portions of impact absorbing material 22,8 for protecting a wearer's head against impacts. The article is arranged to be collapsible for easy handling and storage when not being worn.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to protective headgear.

[0002] Protective headgear is widely available and worn for such activities as horse riding or cycling to help protect against injuries to the head when falling and/ or hitting other objects. Such headgear can provide adequate protection but it is expensive, bulky and awkward to carry. This can lead to such headgear not being used in all circumstances when it ought to be used. Further it limits the activities in which such headgear is generally acceptable.

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective headgear article which alleviates at least some of the problems of the prior art.

[0004] According to the present invention there is provided a protective headgear article comprising a main body arranged for receiving a wearer's head and having portions of impact absorbing material for protecting a wearer's head wherein the article is arranged to be collapsible for easy handling and storage when not being worn.

[0005] Preferably the article of headgear is arranged for protecting a child's head whilst at play. It is envisaged that a child would, for example, wear such headgear whilst playing in or around a swimming pool or paddling pool where there are both slippery and hard/rough surfaces. It can also be worn for a variety of different activities such as skiing, trampolining, ice skating and in children's ball play centres etc where nothing at all is worn to protect the child's head. This is particularly advantageous in play areas where children's heads are prone to bumping into each other. Toddlers beginning to walk would also benefit. The type of protective headgear required in such situations needs to provide protection against only relatively light impacts compared with that worn when horse riding for example. One of the main functions of the envisaged headgear is to protect against grazing, cutting and bruising rather than the risk of skull damage. However, the headgear should provide more protection than would a swimming cap for example.

[0006] The main body may comprise one or more layers of flexible material. The main body can comprise a layer of impact absorbing material. The impact absorbing material may be flexible and form the whole of one surface of the main body. A decorative effect may be printed on the main body. The main body may comprise a layer of decorative material. The impact absorbing material may be foam.

[0007] The main body may be apertured. The aperture(s) can provide ventilation to a wearer's head. The provision of one or more apertures can also have the advantage of reducing weight and/or enhancing the collapsibility of the main body.

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows an article of protective headgear being worn by a child;

Figure 2 shows a fragmentary view of a piece of material used to form the article of headgear shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front view of a second article of protective headgear being worn by a child; and

Figure 4 is a rear view of a second article of protective headgear being worn by a child

[0009] Figure 1 shows the head of a child who is wearing an article of protective headgear 1. The article of headgear 1 comprises a main body 2 which is shaped and dimensioned so as to fit a wearer's head.

[0010] The main body 2 has a base band portion 3 which encircles the wearer's head. The base band portion 3 is shaped so that when the article 1 is correctly positioned on the wearer's head the base band portion 3 provides protection to the forehead and temples, passes above the wearer's ears and runs around a lower portion of the rear of the wearer's head. The main body 2 further comprises a central web portion 4 which is connected to the base band portion 3 both at the front and the rear of the article 1 and four side web portions 5 (only two of which are shown in Figure 1). The side web portions 5 are connected to the base band portion 3 towards the front of the article 1 and to the central web portion 4 towards the rear of the article 1. The central web portion 4 widens towards the base band portion 3 both at the front and the rear of the article 1 to provide increased areas of protection in these regions without impairing the collapsible nature of the article 1 as a whole.

[0011] Elongate apertures 6 are formed between the respectively adjacent portions 3, 4, 5. The dimensions and positions of the apertures 6 are chosen such that the protective effect of the headgear is not significantly impaired whilst adequate ventilation is provided to the wearer's head and collapsibility of the headgear is enhanced.

[0012] When the article 1 is being worn it fits closely on the wearer's head and provides protection against impacts which may occur when the wearer slips or falls. Different sizes of articles can be provided and/or adjustment means can be included so the article can be adjusted for different sized heads.

[0013] Referring to Figure 2, the main body 2 is formed of a material having two layers 21 and 22. The upper layer 21 which forms the exterior surface of the article 1 is a layer of decorative material. The decorative material may, for example, be a brightly coloured plastics material and may include reflective elements. Alternatively the decorative layer may be of artificial fur material. The outer layer has adequate space for the inclusions of images or logos. The lower layer 22 which forms the internal layer of the article 1 is of an impact absorbing material. This material may be an impact absorbing high density foam of a type commercially available such as Neoprene foam. The foam layer may be 5mm thick. The thickness of the foam layer is chosen so as minimize the size of the article when folded whilst still giving acceptable levels of protection. The outer layer 21 is of a material which is tougher than the foam 22, for example a plastics material. The outer layer 21 gives support to the foam 22 and in the present embodiment enhances resistance to tearing and puncture damage. The main body may be moulded in a single piece.

[0014] Both of the layers 21, 22 of the material used to form the main body 2 are flexible to enhance the collapsibility of the article 1. The flexible nature of the layers 21, 22 and the arrangement of the portions 3, 4, 5 and the associated apertures 6 mean that, when the article 1 is not being worn, it may be collapsed by pushing the front of the base band portion 3 towards the rear of the base band portion 3. When the article 1 is so collapsed it can easily be carried or stored, for example in a user's pocket.

[0015] The materials used are chosen to be suitable for use in a child's protective article. In particular, the materials should not be rough or uncomfortable and should preferable be waterproof, thus, for example, a heavy canvas material would be undesirable. The shape of the article is also chosen for comfort and ease of fitting and wearing. In particular, the whole article is positioned above the ears when being correctly worn. Thus the ears of a wearer remain uncovered. Furthermore the article is constructed with the intention to give protection against impacts, in particular, rather than rubbing. Protection is provided in those areas which are likely to suffer impacts.

[0016] In alternatives the article can include one or more retaining straps. The or each strap can comprise an easily releasable fastening means such as Velcro.

[0017] Figures 3 and 4 show a second article of protective headgear being worn by a child. The second article of headgear is similar to the article headgear shown in Figure 1 and corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. However, the second article of headgear comprises a retaining chin or neck strap 7 the ends of which are attached to the base band portion 3. The strap 7 is a quick release type, this functionality may provided by the elasticity of the strap and/or the use of easily releasable fastening means such as Velcro. Further, the second article of headgear comprises two areas of additional padding 8 provided on the main body. The areas of additional padding 8 are provided at the junctions between the base band portion 3 and the central web portion 4. One of the areas of additional padding is provided at the front of the article of headgear and one is at the rear. When the article is being worn the additional padding provides additional protection to corresponding portions of the forehead and the back of the head. These regions are ones which are particularly likely to be the sites of impact if a child falls.

Claims

1. A protective headgear article comprising a main body arranged for receiving a wearer's head and having portions of impact absorbing material for protecting a wearer's head wherein the article is arranged to be collapsible for easy handling and storage when not being worn.

2. A protective headgear article according to claim 1 in which the main body comprises one or more layers of flexible material.

3. A protective headgear article according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the main body comprises a layer of impact absorbing material.

4. A protective headgear article according to claim 3 in which the impact absorbing material is flexible and forms substantially the whole of one surface of the main body.

5. A protective headgear article according to any preceding claim in which the impact absorbing material is foam.

6. A protective headgear article according to any preceding claim in which a decorative effect is printed on the main body.

7. A protective headgear article according to any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the main body comprises a layer of decorative material.

8. A protective headgear article according to any preceding claim in which the main body is apertured.

9. A protective headgear article according to any preceding claim which is arranged for protecting a child's head whilst at play.

10. A protective headgear article according to any preceding claim which is arranged for providing protection against relatively light impacts compared with those that are protected against by a horse or pushcycle riding helmet whilst providing substantially more protection than a swimming cap.

11. A protective headgear article according to any preceding claim which is arranged for providing protection against any one or any combination of grazing, cutting and bruising rather than the risk of skull damage.

Drawing