Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6671886
-
Patent Number
6,671,886
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, January 21, 200321 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 6, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
Agents
- Stetina Brunda Garred & Brucker
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 002 9
- 002 20913
- 002 10
- 002 206
- 002 202
- 002 12
- 002 425
- 040 586
- 128 857
- 446 27
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
There is provided a decorative mask for a face of a user wearing a head-wear. The decorative mask includes a mask body. A fastener strap is elongated from the mask body. This fastener strap has two end portions which are adapted to extend through the head-wear and be attached with each other. By attaching such end portions through the head-wear, the mask body can be desirably disposed over the face of the user.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
(Not Applicable)
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
(Not Applicable)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to rally devices for sporting events, and more particularly to a unique type of rally device comprising a decorative mask adapted to engage a rear portion of a sports cap through its ventilation holes such that a simple reversal of the cap enables the mask to be disposed over its user's face.
Sports enthusiasm is an integral part of today's sporting events. It is a common practice for sports fans to cheer for their home/favorite team during a sporting event such as a baseball, football or hockey game. Such cheering typically intensifies when the fans want to motivate or rally their home/favorite team at critical times in the game.
As is well known, sports fans typically clap their hands, whistle, stomp their feet, yell and scream to motivate and rally their team. Additionally, various devices have been used by users at sporting events such as megaphones, “thunder sticks”, air horns and sirens to provide increased audible motivation. In addition, numerous visual motivation devices have been utilized such as flags, banners, pennants, towels and the like which, when waved in unison and in combination with audible motivation, is effective in attempting to rally the team players. Further, it has been known for baseball players and the like to attempt to motivate their own team members while sitting on the bench or sidelines by cocking the bill of the baseball cap or inverting the orientation of the baseball cap. Such inversion or cocking is often times known as “putting on a rally cap or rally hat” which provides a visual indication to the players as well as the fans to provide additional audible motivation to support a rally.
Although all such motivational/rally devices and practices are and will continue to be utilized, there is a need in the art for a unique type of rally device that can optimally promote sports enthusiasm among the fans, especially in sporting venues. Further, there is a desire for a unique rally device which can achieve such objective in a convenient and user-friendly manner.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention specifically promotes the motivational/rally spirit and fan participation during a sporting event in a novel and creative manner which can be used in combination with the above-referenced conventional rally devices and practices. More particularly, the present invention comprises a unique type of rally device in the form of a decorative face mask. The face mask is specifically adapted to conveniently engage a rear portion of a conventional head-wear such as a sports cap. As will be demonstrated below, such arrangement allows the face mask to be carried upon the head-wear and disposed about the rear of a user's neck during the sporting event. When desired to promote fan and/or sports rally/motivation, the face mask may be readily positioned over the face through a simple reversal of the head-wear. Furthermore, it should be expressly noted herein that the face mask may additionally be used without the attachment to any type of head-wear, but rather may be releasably worn directly upon the user's head.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a decorative face mask which encourages sports fans to actively participate in a sporting event through visual motivation of their home or favorite sports team. For purposes of this application, the terminology “sporting event” should be construed very broadly to include any type of individual or team sporting event or motivational event that involve some degree of cheering and/or motivation by the fans (e.g., baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, bowling, tennis, political and/or educational rally and the like).
The decorative face mask of the present invention includes a mask body which is preferably fabricated from a rigid or semi-rigid polymer material. However, the use of other rigid, semi-rigid or flexible materials (e.g., rubber, thickened paper, etc.) is specifically contemplated herein. The mask body may be sized and configured in differing styles to extend over the entirety or portions of the user's face. However, it is preferably sized so as to expose the user's mouth through the mask body. Of course, the mask body should accommodate the user's face by providing a pair of eye holes and a nose-receiving region which can all selectively vary in size and shape depending upon the desired aesthetic and facial features of the user.
The mask body includes an outer surface which is visually apparent to observers when the mask body is disposed over the user's face. Although such outer surface may be left undecorated, it is highly desirable that the outer surface include painting, shading, surface orientation and/or some kind of printed indicia thereon. More specifically, the outer surface of the mask body preferably displays a design which can be viewed by others. Such design may be chosen from a wide range of selections such as, for example, designs of a facial expression (e.g., angry, smile or excited), home or favorite sports team colors, and/or rally/motivational slogans and/or terminology. One optimal design creation well suited for the outer surface is a sports team or college logo.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an elongate fastener strap is provided with the mask body. Although any number of fastener straps may be provided, the use of one elongate fastener strap is adequate for disposing the mask body over the user's face. In particular, the fastener strap is attached to the mask body and preferably includes two end portions which extend outwardly therefrom on opposing sides of the mask body. The elongated fastener strap may be attached to the mask body in any manner or fashion such as through the use of mechanical fasteners or adhesives. However, one preferred manner of attaching the fastener strap is to utilize the apertures (preferably two apertures) formed through the mask body adjacent opposing sides of its upper portion wherein the elongate fastener strap extends through each of the apertures.
The two end portions of the fastener strap are designed to releasably engage with each other so as to ultimately mount the mask body either directly over the user's face or indirectly over the user's face by way of a sports cap. In this regard, the end portions can be simply tied around the user's head. However, it is preferred that they are attached to each other through the use of releasable fasteners. Although various types of fastening devices may be utilized, hook and loop fasteners are preferred as they can be releseably attached to each other.
In the preferred embodiment, the two end portions of the strap are used to mount the face mask to head-wear of the user. The head-wear preferably comprises a cap such as a sports cap. As is well known, virtually every cap possesses a number of ventilation holes formed therein. The ventilation holes may be used in conjunction with the fastener strap to adjustably mount the face to the cap.
The mask body is initially positioned adjacent the rear portion of the cap such that the mask body's upper edge is proximal to the rear portion of the cap. The upper edge of the mask body may be tucked inside the cap or placed outside the cap.
The mask body can then be secured to the cap by extending the fastener strap's end portions through at least one ventilation hole of the cap. However, the use of at least two ventilation holes is preferred. Such extension through the ventilation holes may be accomplished in two different ways. In the first extension, the end portions can start from the outside of the cap and then be inserted into the respective ventilation holes so that they may then be extended around the user's head and attached together between the cap and the user's head. Alternatively, such end portions may be taken out of their respective ventilation holes from the inside of the cap so as to allow them to externally extend around the cap for attachment to each other. Although the above use of the ventilation holes is preferred, it is recognized herein that the second end portions may simply be extended and attached around the user's head or cap without resorting to the use of the ventilation holes.
As briefly described above, in its rally position, the mask body is disposed over the user's face with the design of its outer surface being visually apparent. Further, in this rally position, the mask does not extend over the user's mouth such that the user is not prohibited from drinking, eating, shouting, talking or making other audible sounds.
The decorative face mask of the present invention is used for rallying/motivating a sports team. In its non-rally position, the mask is carried by the cap adjacent the rear of the user's neck. When desired to initiate a rally position, the user can simply reverse the orientation of the cap so as to dispose the face mask over the user's face. This allows the mask's rally design such as the team logo or colors to be visually displayed. By doing so, the user can demonstrate his or her support for the team and motivate its players.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These, as well as other features of the present invention, will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a decorative face mask constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention and illustrating its outer surface which may display a differing indicia thereon;
FIG. 2
is a side view of the decorative face mask shown in
FIG. 1
illustrating its elongated fastener strap which has end portions that are attached to each other after being extended through ventilation holes formed in a cap;
FIG. 3
is a side view of the decorative face mask shown in
FIG. 1
illustrating its elongated fastener strap which has end portions that are attached to each other after being extended through their respective ventilation holes formed in the cap; and
FIG. 4
is a side view of the decorative face mask shown in
FIG. 1
illustrating its elongated fastener strap which has end portions that are attached to each other after being extended around the side of a wearer's head.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and not for purposes of limiting the same,
FIG. 1
illustrates the decorative face mask
10
constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As indicated above, the face mask
10
may be specifically adapted to conveniently engage a rear portion
12
of a head-wear
14
through one or more ventilation holes
16
formed in the head-wear
14
. This allows the face mask
10
to be carried or stowed on the rear of the neck
15
of a user and be quickly positioned over the face
18
of its user
20
by simply reversing the orientation of the head-wear
14
.
Such ability facilitates the user
20
to easily and quickly signal a rally condition to help motivate a sports team during certain times of the sporting event. It is recognized herein that the face mask
10
may be alternatively utilized without the need to engage with any type of head-wear
14
, the details of which will be explained below.
As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, the decorative face mask
10
includes a mask body
22
preferably constructed from a generally rigid and/or semi-rigid plastic material. However, other types of materials such as paper, metal or wood, may be used in addition to plastic. Moreover, it should be further realized that the use of semi-rigid or flexible materials such as rubber or card stock may be utilized.
The mask body
22
may be sized and configured in differing styles to extend over the entirety or portions of the user's face
18
. However, it is preferably sized in a manner as to expose its user's mouth
52
through the mask body
22
. This aspect of the invention will be discussed shortly below. Of course, the mask body
22
should be accommodating to its user's face
18
by providing a pair of eye holes
28
and a nose-receiving region
30
. The pair of eye holes
28
and the nose-receiving region
30
can be variably sized and shaped depending upon the desired aesthetic and facial features of the user
20
and/or the manufacturer's choice and judgment.
The mask body
22
defines an outer surface
32
. This outer surface
32
is intended to be visually apparent to observers when the mask body
22
is accommodated over the user's face
18
. It is noted herein that such outer surface
32
may be left undecorated. However, it is highly desirable that the outer surface
32
include painting, shading, surface orientation and/or some kind of printed indicia thereon. More specifically, the outer surface
32
of the mask body
22
preferably displays a design
34
which can be viewed by others. Such design
34
may be chosen from a wide range of selections such as, for example, designs of a facial expression (e.g., angry, smile or excited), home or favorite sports team colors, and/or rally/motivational slogans and/or terminology. One optimal design creation that would be well suited for the outer cover
32
is a sports team or college logo.
Referring more particularly to
FIGS. 2-4
, the mask body
22
comprises an elongate fastener strap
36
. Although any number of fastener straps
36
may be provided, the use of one elongate fastener strap
36
is sufficient for disposing the mask body
22
over the user's face
18
. In particular, the fastener strap
36
is attached to the mask body
22
and preferably has two end portions
44
which extend away therefrom on opposing sides of the mask body
22
. The elongated fastener strap
36
may become attached to the mask body
22
in any manner or fashion such as through the use of mechanical fasteners or adhesives.
FIG. 1
illustrates one specific manner of attaching the fastener strap
36
to the upper portion
40
of the mask body
22
. More specifically, the upper portion
40
preferably forms two apertures
42
. These apertures
42
are selectively formed through the mask body
22
adjacent opposing sides of its upper portion
40
. As such, the elongate fastener strap
36
can be securely anchored to the mask body
22
by extending through each of the apertures
42
thereof.
Referring now to
FIGS. 1 and 4
, the end portions
44
of the fastener strap
36
are specifically sized and configured to engage with each other so as to ultimately place the mask body
22
either directly over the user's face
18
or indirectly over the user's face
18
by way of a sports cap
14
. In this regard, these end portions
44
can be simply tied around the user's head
46
to accomplish such purpose (best shown in FIG.
4
). However, it is preferred that they become attached to each other through the use of fasteners
48
which can be either formed at the second end portions
44
or closely adjacent thereto. Although various types of fastening devices may be utilized, hook and loop fasteners are the fasteners of choice as they can be releasably attached to each other.
As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the application of the decorative face mask
10
is optimally achieved through the cooperative use of a head-wear
14
. The head-wear
14
is preferably a cap, and even more preferably a sports cap. As is well known, virtually every cap possesses ventilation holes .
16
for aerating their insides. As will be explained immediately below, the decorative face mask
10
of the present invention can be desirably employed through utilizing such ventilation holes
16
.
The mask body
22
is first positioned adjacent the rear portion
12
of the cap
14
. Preferably, such positioning defines an arrangement which disposes an upper edge
50
of the mask body
22
proximal to the rear portion
12
of the cap
14
. It should be noted that such upper edge
50
may be tucked inside the cap
14
or alternatively placed outside the cap
14
.
The mask body
22
can then be secured to the cap
14
by extending the end portions
44
of the fastener straps
36
through at least one ventilation hole
16
. However, the use of at least two ventilation holes
16
is preferred. The extension of the fastener strap
36
, and more particularly its end portions
44
may be accomplished in two different ways. In the first extension, the end portions
44
of the fastener strap
36
can start from the outside of the cap
14
and then be inserted into the respective ventilation holes
16
of the cap
14
. The end portions
44
may then be extended around the user's head
46
and attached together between the cap
14
and the user's head
46
.
In an alternative extension, such end portions
44
may be taken out of their respective ventilation holes
16
from the inside of the cap
14
so as to allow them to externally extend around the cap
14
for attachment to each other. Although the above use of the ventilation holes
16
is preferred, it is recognized herein that the two end portions
44
may simply be extended and attached around the user's head
46
or cap
14
without resorting to the use of the cap's ventilation holes
16
.
As briefly described above, in its rally position, the mask body
22
is disposed over the user's face
18
with the design
34
of its outer surface
32
being visually apparent. Additionally, in this rally position, the mask body
22
does not extend over the user's mouth
52
such that the user is not prohibited from drinking, eating, talking, shouting or making other audible sounds. This can be done through the use of a concaved portion
54
formed about a lower edge
56
of the mask body
22
.
More particularly, the mask body
22
defines a portion which concaves inwardly thereinto at its lower edge
56
, hence locating the lower central edge
58
generally centrally within the concaved portion
54
. This allows the user's mouth
52
to be exposed through the concaved portion
54
without the mask
10
getting in its way. When putting on the decorative face mask
10
, it is preferred that the lower central edge
58
becomes disposed about or slightly above the user's nose
26
. However, the lower central edge
58
may alternatively be defined slightly below the user's nose
26
but above his or her mouth
52
. In this respect, it is expressly contemplated herein that a pair of nose holes (not shown) may be optionally provided through the mask body
22
adjacent the lower central edge
58
when the latter arrangement is formed.
The decorative face mask
10
of the present invention is used for rallying/motivating a sports team. In its non-rally position, the mask
10
is carried by the cap
14
adjacent the rear of the user's neck
15
. When desired to initiate a rally position, the user
20
can simply reverse the orientation of the cap
14
so as to dispose the face mask
10
over the user's face
18
. This allows the mask's rally design
34
such as the team logo or colors to be visually displayed. By doing so, the user
20
can demonstrate his or her support for the team and motivate its players.
Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention may also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is intended to represent only certain embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to serve as limitations of alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
- 1. A decorative mask adapted to be disposed over a face of a wearer when motivating a sports team to rally during a sporting event, the wearer defining a head and the face with a mouth and a chin, the face mask comprising:a head-wear wearable upon the head of the wearer and having a rear crown portion with a plurality of holes; a mask body having a lower concave edge adapted to expose the face of the wearer from the mouth to the chin thereof; and a fastener strap elongated from the mask body and having end portions, the end portions being adapted to extend through the holes of the rear crown portion of the head-wear and be attached with each other for engaging the mask body about the rear crown portion of the head-wear, wherein the head-wear is rotatable about the head until the rear crown portion of the head-wear becomes disposed above the face and the mask body becomes disposed over the face of the wearer when motivating the sports team to rally during the sporting event.
- 2. The mask of claim 1 wherein the mask body defines an upper portion and the fastener strap is attached thereto.
- 3. The mask of claim 1 wherein the mask body defines an outer surface displaying a selected design thereon.
- 4. The mask of claim 3 wherein the selected design is a sports team logo.
- 5. The mask of claim 1 wherein the holes are ventilation holes.
- 6. The mask of claim 1 wherein each of the end portions include a fastener sized and configured to attach with each other.
- 7. The mask of claim 6 wherein the fasteners are removably attachable with each other.
- 8. The mask of claim 6 wherein the fasteners are hook and loop fasteners.
- 9. The mask of claim 6 wherein the fasteners are attachable with each other outside of the head-wear.
- 10. The mask of claim 6 wherein the fasteners are attachable with each other inside of the head-wear.
- 11. The mask of claim 1 wherein the mask body defines an upper edge, the upper edge being disposable adjacent the rear crown portion.
- 12. The mask of claim 1 wherein the lower concave edge has a lower central edge and the face of the wearer further includes a nose, the lower central edge being disposable about the nose and above the mouth of the wearer.
- 13. A method of rallying a sports team by a wearer, the wearer defining a head and a face with a mouth and a chin, the method comprising the steps of:a) watching a sporting event; b) obtaining a head-wear and a face mask having an outer surface and an elongated fastener strap with end portions, the head-wear having a rear crown portion with a plurality of holes, the mask having a lower concave edge adapted to expose the face of the wearer from the mouth to the chin thereof; c) engaging the mask about the rear crown portion of the head-wear by extending the end portions through the holes of the rear crown portion of the head-wear and attaching the same together; d) wearing the head-wear upon the head of the wearer; e) rotating the head-wear about the head until the rear crown portion of the head-wear becomes disposed above the face and the mask becomes disposed over the face of the wearer; f) exposing the face of the wearer through the mask from the mouth to the chin thereof; g) displaying a design of the team located on the outer surface of the mask; and h) motivating the sports team to rally during the sporting event.
- 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the face mask in step b) is fabricated from a plastic material.
- 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the head-wear is a cap and the holes are ventilations holes, and step c) comprises:1) extending each of the end portions through a corresponding one of the ventilation holes; and 2) removably attaching the end portions together.
- 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the end portions of the fastener strap in step 2) are removably attached to each other outside of the cap.
- 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the end portions of the fastener strap in step 2) are removably attached to each other inside of the cap.
- 18. The method of claim 13 wherein the design of the team in step g) is a sports team logo.
US Referenced Citations (9)