Air venting, impact-absorbing compressible members

• Main Author: Ferrara Vincent R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.06.2017
• Subjects: ACCESSORIES; AMUSEMENTS; APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING,CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; BLASTING; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GAMES; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HATS; HEAD COVERINGS; HEADWEAR; HEATING; HUMAN NECESSITIES; LIGHTING; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; OUTERWEAR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; SPORTS; SPRINGS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRAINING EQUIPMENT; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISEPROVIDED FOR; WEAPONS; WEARING APPAREL

An impact-absorbing compressible member includes a thin-walled enclosure defining an inner chamber containing a volume of fluid such as air. The enclosure includes one or more orifices which as sized and positioned to allow air to vent from the inner chamber in response to an impact on the member and to refill the inner chamber in response to an impact on the member and to refill the inner chamber after the impact is released. The enclosure is formed of a blow-molded thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) material which is economical to make and durable in use. The compressible members can be used as building blocks for impact-absorbing shell structures for a wide variety of applications such as helmets, protective pads for body parts, sports arena wall padding, vehicular bumpers, dashboards and the like. The compressible member has impact-absorbing advantages over conventional foams currently used in those applications.