US20120216334A1

US20120216334A1 - Headwear with integrated retention apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20120216334A1
Application number: US13/034,284
Authority: US
Inventors: Cheryl Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-02-24
Filing date: 2011-02-24
Publication date: 2012-08-30

Abstract

A headwear with integrated retention apparatus includes a fabric body having a generally pentagonal shape and a plurality of securing units attached thereto. The main body act to cover a portion of a users head, and the plurality of securing units act to removably secure the main body to the head of the user.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to headwear, and more specifically to headwear having an integrated system for securing to the head and hair of a user.
Headwear such as bandanas, hair scarf's, headbands and berets, for example, have been known for many years. Depending on the culture and fashion interests of the user, these items can be matched with outfits ranging from business attire to sportswear. Although not absolute, for many users, headwear is most commonly worn in outdoor environments to protect against elements such as sun, snow, wind and rain. To this end, it is common for a user to remove and then reattach the headwear when entering and leaving a building.
Traditionally, headwear such as that described above is secured to the head of a user by attempting to tie a portion of the material around the head tight enough to prevent it from falling off. Accordingly, the usefulness of headwear often depends on the ability of the user to secure the device to their head. Additionally, this tying action often results in the users hair becoming disturbed, which can defeat the original purpose of wearing the headwear in the first place.
Moreover, in some instances, headwear is used by individuals who are losing their hair due to heredity or a disease such as cancer. In these instances, it can be difficult for a sick individual to adequately secure traditional headwear to their head in a weakened state.
In light of the above, it would be beneficial to provide headwear that incorporates a retention unit for easily affixing and removing the headwear to a user without the deficiencies described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a headwear article. One embodiment of the present invention can include a fabric body having a generally pentagonal shape and a plurality of securing units attached thereto. The main body can act to cover a portion of a users head, and the plurality of securing units are configured to removably secure the main body to the head of the user.
In another embodiment, the headwear article can further include one or more connection units configured to secure the edges of the main body together in order to further protect the head of a user against outside elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a top view of headwear with an integrated retention apparatus that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 1 a is a blow up view of a securing unit for use with the headwear with an integrated retention apparatus, according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the headwear with an integrated retention apparatus in use, according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of headwear with an integrated retention apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
Although illustrated below with reference to a head scarf and/or bandana, one of skill in the art will recognize that the inventive concepts described herein can be equally applied to virtually any form of headwear, such as hats, berets and burka's, for example, without deviating from the scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herein.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of headwear with an integrated retention apparatus 10 that is useful for understanding the inventive concepts disclosed herein. As shown, headwear 10 can include a main body 11 preferably in the form of ahead scarf, having one or more attachment clips 12 secured thereon.
The main body 11 can act to cover a portion of the hair and/or face of a user. To this end, the main body can serve to provide protection against the elements, or can be utilized as a fashion accessory. As such, the main body 11 can include any number of markings, designs and colors for allowing the wearer to display a unique and personalized look. As described herein, the main body 11 can be constructed from virtually any type of fabric or cloth material such as, for example, cotton, linen, wool, fleece and/or polyester, among many others.
In one preferred embodiment, the main body 11 can include a generally pentagonal shape having a front edge A, two opposing side edges B and C, and a bottom edge D.
The attachment clips 12 can act to securely position the main body 11 to the hair 21 of a user 20. FIG. 1 a illustrates one preferred embodiment of an attachment clip 12 that includes an outer U shaped frame 12 a having a plurality of comb-like spaced apart teeth 12 b extending downward from a middle portion thereof, and a flexible retention member 12 c secured to each of the two outside ends of the frame. As shown, when in an open position there is a gap between the teeth 12 b and the retention member 12 c. Conversely, when in a closed position, the retention member 12 c is engaged with each of the teeth 12 b.
In one embodiment, the attachment clip 12 can move from an open to a closed position when pressure is applied to the retention member 12 c. At this time, the shape of the retention member can bend inward and make contact with each of the teeth 12 b. As such, the clip can be applied to the hair of a user in an open position, and when a piece of hair or other material is interposed between the teeth 12 b and the retention member 12 c, the clip can be closed in order to quickly and easily attach the clip 12 to a user in a removable fashion.
In one preferred embodiment, the back portion of the attachment clip frame 12 a can be permanently affixed to the main body 11 via glue or other adhesive material such that the teeth 12 b and the retention member 12 c are free to interact with the hair of a user 20. In one preferred embodiment, the attachment clips can be positioned along the front edge A of the main body 11, however other locations are also contemplated.
Although described above as including a particular type of attachment clip, one of skill in the art will recognize that virtually any means for removably securing headwear to the head and/or hair of a user such as, for example, commonly known hair clips, bobby pins, and the like can be utilized without deviating from the scope and spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed herein.
In operation, and as shown in FIG. 2, when the main body 11 is placed over the wearer's head 20, each of the attachment clips 12 can clip to the hair 21 of the user so as to hold the headwear 10 in place.
Additionally, each of the side and bottom edges B, C and D can also include attachment clips 12 in order to allow the main body 11 to be securely positioned to the hair of a user in virtually any configuration.
FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the headwear 10 that further includes a plurality of connectors 30 and friction pads 35 for allowing increased functionality of the device 10.
As described herein, connectors 30 can include virtually any known device having two halves capable of being removably secured together. Common examples typically include hook and loop fasteners (i.e. Velcro®), magnetic elements or compression fittings such as snaps or buttons, for example.
In the present embodiment, connectors 30 can be secured to the main body 11 at or near the edges B, C and D, in order to join each of these edges together when the front edge A of the main body 11 is secured to the hair of a user via the attachment clips 12, as described above. Accordingly, connectors 30 placed along the edges of the main body 11 can replace the need for a user to tie the rear and side edges (B, C, and D) of the headwear together when wearing the device.
Friction pads 35 can act to allow the headwear 10 to adhere to the skin 20 of a user to provide additional security against an inadvertent removal. In one preferred embodiment, friction pads 35 can be constructed from thin strips of rubberized material having a high coefficient of friction when in contact with human skin; however, other materials such as adhesive tape, for example are also contemplated. In one preferred embodiment, friction pads 35 can be placed along the edge of the front portion of the main body A in order to make contact with the forehead of the wearer.
Although illustrated as being used in conjunction with the attachment clips 12, the friction pads 35 can be incorporated into the headwear 10 as a replacement to the attachment clips in order to allow persons with little or no hair to benefit from the inventive concepts of the invention.
As described herein, one or more elements of the headwear 10 such as the attachment clips 12, the connectors 30 and/or the friction pads 35 can be secured to the main body 11 utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, screws, glue, hook and latch (i.e. VELCRO) and/or general compression fittings, among other known methods.
Accordingly, headwear with integrated attachment apparatus 10 as described above can be utilized in a quick and easy manner.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. A headwear article, comprising:

a fabric body having an upper edge, two opposing side edges and a bottom edge, said fabric body comprising a generally pentagonal shape; and

one or more securing units affixed to at least one of the upper, bottom and side edges of the fabric body,

wherein said fabric body is configured to cover a portion of a users head, and the one or more securing units are configured to be removably attached to a portion of a users hair.

2. The headwear article of claim 1, wherein said securing unit includes a main body having a plurality of comb elements and a flexible member, said flexible member being configured to impart a pressure on each of said comb elements.

3. The headwear article of claim 1, wherein said securing unit includes a common hair clip.

4. The headwear article of claim 1, wherein one or more securing units are affixed to each of said upper, side and bottom edges of the fabric body.

5. The headwear article of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more friction units configured to secure the upper edge of the fabric body to the skin of the users head.

6. The headwear article of claim 5, wherein said friction unit includes at least one of a rubberized element having a high coefficient of friction, and an adhesive tape material.

7. The headwear article of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more connection units disposed on each of said bottom and side edges of the fabric body, said connection units being configured to removably attach together along a back portion of the users head.

8. The headwear article of claim 7, wherein said connection unit includes at least one of a magnetic element, hook and latch material, and a compression fitting.

9. A headwear article, comprising:

one or more friction units affixed to at least one of the upper, bottom and side edges of the fabric body,

wherein said fabric body is configured to cover a portion of a users head, and the one or more friction units are configured to secure the upper edge of the fabric body to the skin of the users head.

10. The headwear article of claim 9, wherein one or more friction units are affixed to each of said upper, side and bottom edges of the fabric body.

11. The headwear article of claim 10, wherein said friction unit includes at least one of a rubberized element having a high coefficient of friction, and an adhesive tape material.

12. The headwear article of claim 9, further comprising:

13. The headwear article of claim 12, wherein said connection unit includes at least one of a magnetic element, hook and latch material, and a compression fitting.

14. A headwear article, comprising:

a fabric body having an upper edge, two opposing side edges and a bottom edge, said fabric body comprising a generally pentagonal shape;

one or more securing units affixed to at least one of the upper, bottom and side edges of the fabric body; and

wherein said fabric body is configured to cover a portion of a users head,

the one or more friction units are configured to secure the upper edge of the fabric body to the skin of the users head, and

the one or more securing units are configured to be removably attached to a portion of a users hair.