Patent Application
20190142096
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is explicitly or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of headwear of existing art and more specifically relates to eye shielding devices.
Many people spend as much time outside as possible, whether simply enjoying nice weather, swimming, watching or playing sports, hiking, hunting, golfing, biking, jogging, camping, hanging out with a group of friends, and much more. Unfortunately, the sun's harsh rays may not only cause temporary blindness, but prolonged exposure may also damage the eyes, even when wearing a hat. Additionally, hats do not block all the sunlight from shining into a person's face. A suitable solution is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,147 to Robert Brockman relates to lateral sun shields conformed for selective attachment to a baseball cap visor or brim. The described lateral sun shields conformed for selective attachment to a baseball cap visor or brim includes an eye shield assembly useful for selective attachment to the visor of a baseball cap for providing lateral shielding from direct or reflected glare includes, in its first preferred implementation, an elongate planar shielding surface defined by a forward and rearward end and an upper and lower edge. A front and rear attachment extend from the upper edge for selective engagement to the visor edge and the cap, with the shielding alignment further determined by a planar projection extending beyond the upper edge, intermediate the front and rear attachments, conformed for captured receipt between the cap and the skull of the wearer. The attachments may take the form of tined structures flexibly secured to the shielding surface to effect attachment along either side of the cap or may take the form of convolved strips conformed for selective receipt of the cap edges in selected convolutions. In the second implementation an extruded structure, including a split tube attached to a planar ribbon, is die cut to form the shielding surface with the split tube segments providing selective engagement to the cap.
Given the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known eye-shielding-device art, the present disclosure provides a novel device for shielding a user from sunlight. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a shade having an adjustable clip for attachment to the brim of a hat.
A device for shielding a user from sunlight is disclosed. The device includes a clip portion, a shade portion, a connector piece, and an illuminating source located on an upper surface of the shade portion. The clip portion may include an elongate body, an upper side, and a lower side. The shade portion may be adjustably coupled to the clip portion by the connector piece. The device may be useful for providing a removable shade for connection with a brim of a hat that allows a user to adjust the shade in multiple directions to keep sunlight out of the user's eyes.
According to another embodiment, a method of shielding a user from sunlight is also disclosed. The method of shielding a user from sunlight includes providing a device for shielding a user from sunlight, clipping the device on a brim of a hat, and adjusting the shade portion of the device to block direct sunlight.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described. Not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved by any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested. The features of the invention that are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a device for shielding a user from sunlight and method, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an eye-shielding device and more particularly to a device for shielding a user from sunlight by providing a shade having an adjustable clip for attachment to the brim of a hat.
Generally, the object of this disclosure provides a device that protects the eyes of a user from the sun's harsh rays when wearing a baseball cap. The device may clip onto a cap's bill and adjust up, down, or side-to-side. The device may also telescope outwards away from the user. This multi-directional adjustment means, adjusted to the down position, may help to block the sunlight. This device may further prevent eyestrain, sun damage to the eyes, and temporary loss of vision or blurred vision. Additionally, the device may include an LED light for enhanced visibility in dark or lowlight conditions.
The present device may comprise a solid shade in a variety of shapes, made from moldable plastic or other suitable material, measuring approximately 1.5″ in height and 7″ in length. Additionally, the shade may be hinged to a clip that can slide onto the brim of a hat. The front of the shade can be outfitted with a company logo for marketing purposes. Further, the plastic shade can be adjusted up, down, or side-to-side, and can telescope outward. The shade can also rotate from a horizontal position, extending the length of the hat bill, to a vertical position, stowing it out of the way. On the top of the shade, the included light may be depressed to engage a beam of light. The exact specifications may vary upon manufacturing.
Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as user preferences, design preference, structural requirements, marketing preferences, cost, available materials, technological advances, etc., other hat shade arrangements such as, for example, varying shade dimensions and shapes, etc., may be sufficient.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
According to one embodiment, the device 100 for shielding a user from sunlight may be arranged as a kit 105. In particular, the device 100 may further include a set of instructions 107. The instructions 107 may detail functional relationships in relation to the structure of the device 100 such that the device 100 for shielding a user from sunlight can be used, maintained, or the like, in a preferred manner.
It should be noted that step four 504, tilting said shade portion in multiple positions, is an optional step and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of the method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary, and numerous modifications, variations, and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/586,819 filed Nov. 15, 2017, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62586819 | Nov 2017 | US |
