Patent attributes
Apparatus for protecting a user from impacts to the head. The apparatus includes a shell configured to receive a human head and a plurality of structures attached to the outer surface of the shell, where each structure is independently coupled to the shell with a respective assembly. The structures move independently of one another but are restricted to moving laterally along the outer surface of the shell. The structures each include a foam cell that reduces the magnitude of a head-on impact as the impact transfers from the foam cell to the shell. The assemblies each include an elastomeric donut that reduces the magnitude of a lateral impact as the impact is transferred from the foam cell to the donut assembly to the shell. Thus, a user is protected from the concussive effects of a head-on impact and the rotational acceleration injuries of a lateral impact.
