Patent Application
20130186785
The present invention relates generally to soil prevention devices, and more particularly to a shield that is worn on the head of a user while dressing.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Each year, merchants across the globe spend millions of dollars laundering or discarding soiled clothing. In many instances, brand new clothes become fouled when a perspective purchaser tries on the garment inside the store. To this end, items such as shirts, sweaters and blouses, for example, often make contact with the face of the perspective purchaser at which time dirt and/or cosmetics such as eye shadow, lipstick, foundation and the like rubs off onto the clothing.
Once the clothing becomes stained, the merchant must either launder the garment, lower the price, or throw it away. In each of these cases, the merchant does not make the expected profit on the item, and by laundering or discarding soiled garments, merchants are contributing to the pollution and overburdening of landfills.
There are many known products, devices and methods for removing stains from garments. Additionally, there are many known chemical agents which can be applied to garments in order to reduce the ability of the garment to absorb stains. While these devices fulfill their respective objectives, the above items do not provide a physical barrier for preventing the garments from being soiled in the first place.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a garment shield device capable of preventing the unwanted transfer of dirt and cosmetics onto clothing when being worn by a user. It would also be beneficial to provide a device that is inexpensive to manufacture, that is ecologically friendly, and that is easy to wear.
The present invention is directed to a garment shield device. One embodiment of the present invention can include a headband connected to a lightweight veil configured to cover the face of a user in order to prevent cosmetic materials from soiling a garment.
Another embodiment of the present invention can include a biodegradable design having a breathable, transparent, light weight and contoured veil.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention can include an elastic cap for securing the device to the users head, a lower headband and a veil that is configured to completely encircle the head of the user.
This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.
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.
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 described throughout this document as a barrier against cosmetics such as lipstick, foundation, eye liner, lip gloss, etc., one of skill in the art will recognize that inventive concepts described herein can act to prevent the transference of any type of substance located on or about the head of a user from rubbing off onto a garment. Additionally, the term dressing process shall include any situation where a user's head, neck and/or neck area are in close proximity to garments such as shirts, blouses, sweaters and the like. Although primarily intended for use in stores and dressing rooms, other applications are readily anticipated such as home use, and theatre use (including film and television), where users wearing stage makeup must make wardrobe changes. Moreover, for purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
The veil 11 can act as a shield for covering the face and neck of a user during a dressing process. To this end, the veil will act as a lightweight physical barrier capable of preventing any cosmetics from making contact with the clothing. In one embodiment, veil 11 can include a generally rectangular shape having a top portion 11a, a bottom portion 11b, a pair of opposing side portions 11c and 11d, a front surface 11e, and a back surface 11f. The veil 11 can include a dimension suitable for covering the face and/or neck of a user. Accordingly, the veil can be constructed to fit adults, children or may be constructed as a one size fits all.
In one embodiment, veil 11 can be disposable in nature and will preferably be constructed from a single sheet of lightweight, transparent, breathable material such as biodegradable tissue paper, ultra lightweight recyclable plastic netting or nylon, for example, in order to ensure a user wearing the veil does not experience impaired vision, breathing and/or hearing (See
Although described above with respect to a specific size, shape and material, one of skill in the art will recognize that the veil 11 can include any number of different shapes (i.e. contours), sizes, materials and/or construction methodologies. Moreover, in one alternate embodiment, the device 10 can be reusable in nature, and can include a veil 11 that is constructed from any number of fine lightweight, breathable, transparent, and hypoallergenic materials such as cotton, silk, or satin, for example that will also ensure a user does not experience impaired vision, breathing and/or hearing.
The headband 12 can act to secure the device to the head of a user during a dressing process. It is preferred that the headband be able to act in a manner that will not allow the device 10 to fall off during a dressing process, while also not unduly disturbing the hair of the user. In one preferred embodiment, headband 12 can include a thin elastic band (e.g., strands of weaved latex and/or rubber) having both ends 12a and 12b secured to the top of the veil by a connector 13. Of course the headband 12 can also be constructed from any number of other known items, such as a rubber band, two pieces of string configured to be tied together to fit the head of a user, an adjustable drawstring, and/or a thin pliable wire band configured to mold to the shape of a user's head, among many others.
The connectors 13 can act to secure the headband 12 to the veil 11. In one preferred embodiment, connectors 13 can comprise a lightweight element such as a staple, for example, capable of securely binding the two elements together. However, many other known components can also be utilized herein, such as compression fittings, eyelet fasteners and/or glue, for example. Each of these components and their uses are well known in the art, accordingly no further description will be provided.
As described above, one embodiment of the garment shield 10 can be disposable in nature. To this end, when used in a commercial setting, such as a department store or clothing outlet, it is preferable that the entire device 10 be capable of being manufactured, shipped and stored in a collapsed manner until ready for use. To this end,
As shown, the veil 11, according to this embodiment can include a shape capable of contouring to the head of a user. For example, the veil 11 can include flaps 11c1 and 11d1 configured to travel towards the back of a user's head. In one embodiment, these flaps can be configured to cover the ears of a user (not shown) or can be specifically configured to rest just above the ears of a user. In another example, the veil 11 can include a lower flap 11b1 configured to ensure the chin of a user is completely covered. In either instance, flaps 11c1, 11d1, and/or 11b1 can act to allow the veil to better contour to the head of the user, thus making the device more comfortable during use.
The brim pad 40 can act as a spacer in order to provide additional comfort and support to the user by preventing the back surface 11f of the veil from being in constant contact with the nose and face of the user. In one preferred embodiment, the brim pad 40 can be constructed from one or more elongated strips of padded material such as rubber or cloth strips that are secured along the upper periphery of the back surface of the veil 11 via an adhesive material. Of course any number of different materials can be utilized to form the brim pad and any number of different means of securing the same to the veil can be utilized.
The optional lower headband 42 can act as a secondary attachment point for securing the device to the head of a user, and for preventing the lower portion of the veil 11 from separating from the face of a user during a dressing procedure. The lower headband 42 can include an essentially identical construction as the headband 12 described above, and will also be connected to the veil by connectors 13.
In operation, and as shown in
As shown, the elastic cap 60 can include a top section 60a and a rounded lower section 60b for encircling the upper portion of a user's head. The cap 60 can be secured to the head of a user in a manner similar to a traditional hat, cap or beanie, in order to allow the veil 11 to be securely positioned about the face of the user.
In one embodiment, the lower portion of the cap 62 can be secured to the veil 11 via a strong adhesive such as glue or permanent tape, for example. Alternatively, the cap and veil can be stitched together or can be constructed from a singular material at a time of construction.
Although described above with respect to particular embodiments, one of skill in the art will recognize that each element of each embodiment can be mixed and matched with other elements and/or embodiments, as well as other embodiments not specifically mentioned but discernible from the provided description.
Accordingly, a garment shield device 10, as described above can act to prevent the unwanted transfer of dirt and cosmetics onto clothing when being worn by a user during a dressing procedure.
As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
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.
