US Patent 10039338 Impact absorbing apparatus

Some embodiments described herein relate to an athletic helmet. The athletic helmet can include a shell, a suspension chassis, and several impact-absorbing pads. The suspension chassis can be disposed within the shell and configured to couple the pads to the shell. Each pad can include a membrane defining an interior volume. A valve can place the interior volume in fluid communication with the exterior of the membrane. In some embodiments, two or more structural members can be disposed within the interior volume. One structural member can be at least partially deformed when the athletic helmet is worn by a user.