Patent Application
20090255026
The invention generally relates to eye shades, and more particularly, to an eye shade designed to prevent light leakage reaching the users eyes by providing a customizable seal between the user's nose and the eye shade.
Eye shades are commonly used to assist people obtaining restful sleep by preventing the transmission of light to the user's eyes. Many different eye shade designs have been utilized in attempts to minimize the transmission of light to the user's eyes, including the eye shade disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,397, hereby incorporated by reference. However, one problem that continues to plague these eye shade devices, is that the eye shade is unable to completely conform to the topography of the user's face, especially about the nose region, and thus allows light to reach the user's eyes thereby reducing the effectiveness of the eye shade in providing restful sleep.
Previous eye shade designs have attempted to prevent this light leakage by adding additional padding to the mask in the nose region of the eye shade and/or by recessing the mask to fit around the user's nose. While this additional padding was able to prevent at least some of the passage of light in that region, the variability of the sizes of the faces of the vast number of potential users made it difficult to fabricate a universal eye shade. Also, the additional padding imparts discomfort to the user of the eye shade, preventing the user from obtaining restful sleep while wearing the eye shade.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous and desirable to have an eye shade design which prevents light from entering at the nose region of the eye shade by providing a customizable fit between the user's nose and the eye shade while being comfortable for the user to sleep in.
An eye shade is provided having a first side, a second side, a first eye portion and a second eye portion form from the first side and the second side, a nose portion formed from the first side and the second side, and a conformable nose piece associated with the nose portion wherein the conformable nose piece is adapted to allow the nose portion of the eye shade to be conformed to the user's nose to substantially prevent light from passing between a user's face and the eye shade.
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The invention generally relates to an eye shade that can be conformed or customized to fit the user's nose and thereby prevent light from entering the eye shade. Referring to the figures, exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described. The exemplary embodiments are provided to illustrate the invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.
A conformable nose piece 170 is associated with the nose portion 130. The conformable nose piece 170 is adapted to allow the nose portion 130 of the eye shade 100 to be conformed to a user's nose to substantially prevent light from passing between a user's face and the eye shade 100.
The nose piece 170 can be formed of any suitable moldable material which is capable of retaining its conformation when it is bent or molded into a new form. Suitable materials for the conformable nose piece 170 include metal strips, such as those made of aluminum, other suitable metals, or suitable polymeric materials. Additionally, other materials having “a memory” which would allow them to be bent or conformed about the nose of the user can also be utilized.
Referring to
Left inner eye portion 210 and right inner eye portion 220 can vary in length, width and depth dimensions to prevent various sized eyelashes and eye portions of users from coming into contact with the surface of either left inner eye portion 210 or right inner eye portion 220.
Eye shade 100 can have both front portion 140 and rear portion 240 comprised of suitable man-made material that can be formed over an inner portion lying between front portion 140 and rear portion 240 that is comprised of suitable compressible material, such as a foam rubber type material. The composition of front portion 140, rear portion 240, and inner portion 190 (illustrated in
Eye shade 100 can have varying means 175 for positioning on or attaching to a face. Such means include a single strap, a plurality of coupled straps, etc. These positioning/attaching means can be made of a single elastic piece attached to right end side 160 and left end side 150, or separate pieces wherein complimentary pieces are each coupled to right end 160 and left end 150. For embodiments of eye shade 100 having a plurality of positioning/attaching pieces, various means can be used for fastening each of the plurality of pieces together. These means include, VELCRO® hook and loop fasteners, metal connectors, plastic connectors, buckles, snaps, etc. The positioning pieces can be adjustable and also vary in length and width, to accommodate various sized users.
In this embodiment the nose portion, comprising outer nose portion 130 and inner nose portion 230, can be varied in size to accommodate various sized noses. In another embodiment of the invention, the nose portion can be partially or entirely removed.
Referring to
The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.
Obviously, many modification and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teaching. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
