US20080092279A1 - Baseball batter's helmet with adjustable protective padding system - Google Patents

Abstract

A baseball batter's helmet includes a shell; a protective padding including crown and arcuate pads; an adjustment assembly including a split ring including two elongate end openings, a first toothed section formed on a top edge of one opening, a second toothed section formed on a bottom edge of the other opening, a rear plate including a recess having a toothed member and a transverse channel with the openings inserted thereinto to form a crossing relationship, a disk including a gear meshed with the toothed sections, and two opposite hooks engaged with the toothed member, and a rotatory knob mounted on the shell and secured to the disk, the split ring, and the rear plate; and a knob protector. Clockwise turning the knob to cause the openings to move toward each other by activating the gear mechanism will tighten the crown pad to decrease a diameter of the arcuate pad.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of Invention
• The invention relates to protective helmets and more particularly to a baseball batter's helmet having a gear-based mechanism for adjusting a protective padding so as to accommodate different sizes of user's heads.
• 2. Related Art
• Baseball helmets are required for play because a hard thrown baseball striking a batter's head may cause injury and even death. Typically, helmets are available in different sizes and a player may purchase a fit one. However, some players such as Little League players do not have individually sized helmets due to financial cause. Thus, adjustable baseball batter's helmets are needed.
• There have been numerous suggestions in prior patents for adjustable baseball batter's helmets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,847 describes an one-size-fits-all helmet. In use, a wearer may pull strap end portions to tighten the entire strap which draws rear, forward, and side protective pad portions firmly against the wearer's head. Next, fold the strap end portions toward each other to bring Velcro type fasteners into overlying fastening relationship to each other. Thus, the wearer not only can comfortably wear the helmet but also does not need to worry the helmet being flopped down over the eyes during base running.
• In this regard, continuing improvements in the exploitation of adjustable baseball batter's helmet are constantly being sought.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a baseball batter's helmet having a gear-based mechanism for adjusting an interior protective padding so as to fit comfortably, snugly and securely onto a wearer's head.
• To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a baseball batter's helmet comprising a shell including a forwardly projecting visor, one or two ear flaps extending downwardly and forwardly, and a rear first opening, padding means including a crown protective pad extending from a front to a rear, the crown protective pad being adhered to an inner surface of the shell, an arcuate protective pad being open to the rear having its front center interconnecting a front end of the crown protective pad, and a separate rear padding member; an adjustment assembly including a split ring open to the rear and adhered to the arcuate protective pad, the split ring including two elongate second openings at both ends, a first toothed section formed on a top edge of one second opening, a second toothed section formed on a bottom edge of the other second opening, a front plate adhered to the padding member, a rear plate adhered to the front plate and including a circular recess having a toothed member along its inner edge, and a transverse channel with both the first and second openings inserted thereinto to form a front to rear crossing relationship to each other, a disk including a gear formed on its front surface and being in gear mesh with the toothed sections, and two opposite hooks having a projecting latched end engaged with the toothed member as the disk mounted in the recess, and a rotatory knob mounted in the first opening and rotatably secured to the disk, the knob including a front central shaft inserted through the disk and the rear plate into the front plate for fastening the knob, the disk, the split ring, the rear plate, and the front plate together; and a protective member mounted on the first opening for concealing the knob; whereby opening the protective member to expose the knob and either turning the knob in a first direction to cause the second openings to further move toward each other will tighten both the split ring and the crown protective pad to decrease a diameter of the arcuate protective pad or turning the knob in a second direction opposite the first direction to cause the second openings to move away from each other will loosen both the split ring and the crown protective pad to decrease the diameter of the arcuate protective pad.
• The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of baseball batter's helmet according to the present invention;
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled baseball batter's helmet;
• FIG. 3 is a bottom view ofFIG. 2 where the protective padding has not adjusted;
• FIG. 4 is a view similar toFIG. 3 where the protective padding has adjusted in order to fit a wearer's head;
• FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the adjustment assembly;
• FIG. 6 is a perspective view of some components of the adjustment assembly ofFIG. 5 being assembled;
• FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of a central portion ofFIG. 6 with the disk mounted therein;
• FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the disk;
• FIG. 9 is a front view of the knob; and
• FIG. 10 is a side view ofFIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• Referring toFIGS. 1 to 10, a baseball batter's helmet in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a relativelyrigid shell10, an interiorprotective padding20, anadjustment assembly30, and aprotective member40. Each component is discussed in detailed below.
• Theshell10 is an integral member and comprises a plurality ofholes14 on its crown for ventilation, a forwardly projecting visor, two ear flaps extending downwardly and forwardly to protect the sides of the head, a rear circularfirst opening13 for permitting a pigtail to extending therefrom, and a circularsecond opening15 below thefirst opening13 by a predetermined distance.
• Theprotective padding20 is formed of a buffer material (e.g., foam or the like) and comprises a crownprotective pad21 extending from the front to the rear, the crownprotective pad21 being adhered to an inner surface of the shell11, an arcuateprotective pad22 being open to the rear having its front center interconnecting the front end of the crownprotective pad21, and aseparate padding member23 in the rear.
• Theadjustment assembly30 comprises asplit ring31 open to the rear and adhered to the arcuateprotective pad22, thesplit ring31 including twoelongate openings312 at both ends, and twotoothed sections311 in which onetoothed section311 is formed on a top edge of one opening312 and the othertoothed section311 is formed on a bottom edge of the other opening312; and anadjustment unit32 including aknob321, adisk322, and afastening seat323. Each component of theadjustment unit32 is discussed in detailed below.
• Theelongate fastening seat323 comprises afront plate325 adhered to thepadding member23, arear plate324 adhered to thefront plate325 and including acircular recess3241 having atoothed member3242 along its inner edge, and a transverse channel (not numbered) with both ends including the twoopenings312 of thesplit ring31 inserted thereinto to form a front to rear crossing relationship to each other. Thedisk322 comprises agear3221 formed on its front surface and being in gear mesh with thetoothed sections311, and twoopposite hooks3222 having a projecting latchedend3223 engaged with thetoothed member3242 as thedisk322 mounted in therecess3241. Therotatory knob321 is mounted in thesecond opening15 and comprises four spaced throughapertures3211 around its center, twofront projections3211 each anchored in a space adjacent thehook322, and a frontcentral shaft3212 inserted through a center hole of thedisk322 and therear plate324 into acenter hole3251 of thefront plate325 for fastening theknob321, thedisk322, thesplit ring31, therear plate324, and thefront plate325 together.
• The convexprotective member40 is mounted on theadjustment unit32 which has its outer face about flush with thesecond opening15. The provision of theprotective member40 aims at protecting theknob321.
• For adjusting the size of theprotective padding20, a wearer may, after placing the helmet on the head, use one hand to, for example, clockwise turn theknob321 to cause theopenings312 to further move toward each other by activating the gear mechanism described above. Thus, thesplit ring31 tightens and thus the crownprotective pad21 also tightens to decrease a diameter RI of the arcuateprotective pad22 at a position when it is not adjusted to, for example, a diameter R2. The wearer may stop the adjustment once a comfort fit is achieved. To the contrary, the wearer may counterclockwise turn theknob321 to cause theopenings312 to move away from each other. Thus, the crownprotective pad21 loosens to increase the diameter R2.
• It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited only to the particular constructions herein disclosed and shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the claims.

Claims (1)

1. A baseball batter's helmet comprising:

a shell including a forwardly projecting visor, one or two ear flaps extending downwardly and forwardly, and a rear first opening,

padding means including a crown protective pad extending from a front to a rear, the crown protective pad being adhered to an inner surface of the shell, an arcuate protective pad being open to the rear having its front center interconnecting a front end of the crown protective pad, and a separate rear padding member;

an adjustment assembly including a split ring open to the rear and adhered to the arcuate protective pad, the split ring including two elongate second openings at both ends, a first toothed section formed on a top edge of one second opening, a second toothed section formed on a bottom edge of the other second opening, a front plate adhered to the padding member, a rear plate adhered to the front plate and including a circular recess having a toothed member along its inner edge, and a transverse channel with both the first and second openings inserted thereinto to form a front to rear crossing relationship to each other, a disk including a gear formed on its front surface and being in gear mesh with the toothed sections, and two opposite hooks having a projecting latched end engaged with the toothed member as the disk mounted in the recess, and a rotatory knob mounted in the first opening and rotatably secured to the disk, the knob including a front central shaft inserted through the disk and the rear plate into the front plate for fastening the knob, the disk, the split ring, the rear plate, and the front plate together; and

a protective member mounted on the first opening for concealing the knob;

whereby opening the protective member to expose the knob and either turning the knob in a first direction to cause the second openings to further move toward each other will tighten both the split ring and the crown protective pad to decrease a diameter of the arcuate protective pad or turning the knob in a second direction opposite the first direction to cause the second openings to move away from each other will loosen both the split ring and the crown protective pad to decrease the diameter of the arcuate protective pad.

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