HEAD GEAR WITH ACCOMMODATIONS FOR HAIR

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to headwear and more particularly, to headwear with accommodations for hair.

BACKGROUND

When participating in sports, it is not uncommon for a person with long hair to gather their hair and configure it to be held at the rear of their head (e.g., in a ponytail). In this way, their hair may be held away from their face and may not obstruct their eyesight or field of view while they participate in the sport.

In addition, if the sport may be outdoors where the temperature may be below ambient, the person may also benefit from wearing headwear that may provide warmth.

Also, if the sport requires a protective helmet, such as skiing, snowboarding and the like, the person may wish to provide warmth to their head by wearing headwear, and to provide protection to their head by wearing a helmet.

The person may also wish to gather and configure their hair to be held at the rear of their head so that their hair does not obstruct their field of view.

However, the person may wish to not compromise the protection provided by the helmet, and/or the comfort of the helmet.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system that provides warmth to a person's head, that gathers and holds the person's hair at the rear of their head, and that when configured with a helmet, does not compromise the protection provided by the helmet and/or the comfort of the helmet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows aspects of a human head, neck, skull and brain;

FIGS. 2-4 show aspects of headwear according to exemplary embodiments hereof;

FIG. 5 shows aspects of a human head, neck, skull and brain overlaid with the outer contour of a helmet;

FIG. 6 shows aspects of a helmet; and

FIG. 7 shows aspects of headwear and of a helmet according to exemplary embodiments hereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

A system according to exemplary embodiments of the current invention is described with reference to the figures.

In general, and in some exemplary embodiments hereof, the system 10 may include head gear. In one exemplary embodiment hereof the head gear may include headwear that may provide warmth to portions of a person's body (e.g., his/her head) when worn. In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the head gear may include a protective helmet that may provide protection to portions of the person's body (e.g., his/her head) when worn. In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the head gear may include both headwear (e.g., to provide warmth) and a protective helmet (e.g., to provide protection) in combination.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the head gear (e.g., the headwear and/or the protective helmet) may provide warmth and/or protection to the wearer's head, neck and shoulder regions when worn. In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the head gear (e.g., the headwear and/or the protective helmet) may also accommodate the wearer's hair when worn.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a human head 12 and neck 13 overlaid with a depiction of an associated human brain 14 and spinal cord 16. As shown, the human head 12 may include a human skull bone 18 that may include a Frontal bone 20, a Parietal bone 22 and an Occipital bone 24 (as well as other elements of the head 12 and/or skull 18). The human brain 14 may include a Frontal lobe 26, a Parietal lobe 28, an Occipital lobe 30 and a Cerebellum 32 (as well as other elements of the brain 12).

As is known in the art, when a person's core body temperature may drop, the person's brain and body functions may be compromised. In severe conditions, such as when a person's core body temperature may drop below 95° F., hypothermia may set in. Accordingly, when a person may be in a low temperature environment, it may be preferable to provide the person's head 12 (and brain 14) with warmth and protection. In this way, the person's brain 14 may continue to function properly.

For the purpose of this specification and for demonstration, some embodiments of the system 10 and its use will be described in relation to headwear 100 that may be worn in cold weather (e.g., while participating in outdoor activities and/or sports such as skiing, snowboarding, hiking, rock climbing, trekking, mountaineering, camping, etc.). However, it will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading this specification, that the system 10 may be utilized in other types of weather and/or environments while the wearer may be participating in other types of activities, and that the scope of the system 10 is not limited in any way by the environment in which the headwear 100 may be worn or the activities that the wearer of the headwear 100 may be performing.

In addition, when participating in sports, a person with long hair may benefit from their hair being gathered in the back and generally held at the rear of their head (e.g., in a ponytail). In this way, their hair may be held away from their face and may not obstruct their eyesight or field of view while they participate in the sport. This may also prevent the person's hair from getting into their mouth which may be uncomfortable and may distract the person from the sport thus affecting their level of play. If the sport may be outdoors where the temperature may be below ambient, the person may also benefit from wearing headwear that may provide warmth.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in FIGS. 2-3, the system 10 may include headwear 100 that may provide warmth and protection, and that may gather and hold the wearer's hair together and at the rear of the wearer's head 12. In this way, the headwear 100 may provide warmth and/or protection and may accommodate the wearer's hair so that the hair may be held in a configuration that may benefit the wearer.

The headwear 100 may include a balaclava, a knit cap, a ski hat, a ski mask, a face mask and/or other type of head covering and any combination thereof. The headwear 100 may cover at least a portion of the wearer's head and at least a portion of the wearer's hair when worn. It may be preferable for the headwear 100 to also provide coverage of the wearer's neck (front, sides and back of the neck). In one example, the headwear 100 may include a full head, neck and face balaclava with an opening for the eyes. The headwear 100 may include any type of fabric or material, and/or any combinations of fabrics and/or materials, that may provide at least some protection and warmth to the wearer as the headwear performs its functionalities. The headwear 100 may comprise a single piece or two or more pieces that may be combined (e.g., sewn or stitched together) to form the headwear 100.

The headwear 100 may also include ventilation for breathing at the nose and mouth, through holes, permeable fabrics, knits, flaps, or other similar devices. In addition, it may be preferable that the headwear 100 may be long enough to extend to and/or into the collar of a jacket when worn.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the headwear 100 may include an opening 102 in the rear portion of the headwear 100 that may allow the wearer's hair and/or other items (e.g., head-mounted items) to pass through. As shown, the opening 102 may gather the person's hair at the rear of the person's head 12 and allow it to pass from inside the headwear 100 to outside the headwear 100.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in FIGS. 2-3, the opening 102 may include at least one hole 104 that may be cut or otherwise formed in the material of the headwear 100. The hole 104 may be include a slit of any shape or combination of shapes, and/or an opening shaped as a circle, oval, triangle, diamond, trapezoid, octagon, any other shapes and/or any combination of slits and shapes and/or any combinations thereof. The hole 104 need not be symmetrical. It may be preferable that the edges of hole 104 include a stitched cuff or seam but this may not be required.

The opening 102 may also include at least one elastic member 106 (e.g., an elastic band, a rubber band, etc.) that may extend around at least a portion of its circumference (e.g., the elastic member 106 may extend around at least a portion of the circumference of the hole 104). The elastic member 106 may enable the opening 102 to expand (e.g., when the elastic member 106 may expand) to allow the wearer's hair to be configured through the opening 102, and to contract (e.g., when the elastic member 106 may contract) to allow the opening 102 to tighten and/or hold the gathered hair that may pass through it. It may be preferable that the elastic member 106 extend around the entire circumference of the opening 102 (e.g., of the hole 104) but this may not be required.

In another exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in FIG. 4, the opening 102 may include a slot 108 or other type of opening that may be formed by an inner flap 110 and an outer flap 112. It may be preferable that the inner flap 110 (represented as dashed lines) and the outer flap 112 may at least partially overlap, but this may not be required. In this way, the overlapping inner and outer flaps 110, 112 may form a slot (e.g., between the flaps 110, 112) or other type of horizontal space that may gather the wearer's hair and through which the gathered hair may be pass. The contour of the flaps 110, 112 may be linear, concave, convex and any combination thereof. The flaps 110, 112 need not match and the flaps 110, 112 need not be symmetrical. Note that while FIG. 4 shows the inner flap 110 as the flap that may extend from the lower portion of the headwear 100, and the outer flap 112 as the flap that may extend from the upper portion of the headwear 100, either the inner flap 110 and/or outer flap 112 may extend from either the upper portion or the lower portion of the headwear 100.

It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the headwear 100 may include any type of opening 104 that may allow for at least a portion of the wearer's hair to pass through the opening 104 from the inside of the headwear 100 to the outside of the headwear 100, and that the scope of the system 10 and of the headwear 100 is not limited in any way by the type, shape, size or characteristics of the opening 104. It is also understood that the opening 104 may or may not include any type of elastic member 106 that may be configured in any way with the opening 104 that may allow for at least a portion of the opening 104 to expand and to contract, and that the scope of the system 10 and of the headwear 100 is not limited in any way by the type or by the configuration of the elastic member 106.

In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 (the head gear) may include headwear 100 that may be used in combination with a protective helmet 200, and that may accommodate the wearer's hair so that the wearer's hair may not interfere with the functionality of the helmet 200, the comfort of the helmet 200, the safety and protection provided by the helmet 200 and/or other aspects of the helmet 200. In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include headwear 100 and a protective helmet 200 in combination. In this embodiment, the system 10 may include head gear that may be a combination of headwear 100 and a protective helmet 200.

As is known in the art, a blow or impact to the head 12 may result in catastrophic and devastating injuries to the head 12, the brain 14, the spinal cord 16 and/or the skull 18. Such injuries may result in brain damage, paralysis or even death. Accordingly, it is common practice for a person participating in an activity where such a blow to the head may be a possibility to wear protective head gear such as a helmet. As such, it may be preferable that the helmet be designed and constructed to generally cover and protect the various elements of the head 12, the brain 14, the spinal cord 16 and/or the skull 18.

As is known in the art, protective helmets may be designed, constructed and tested to comply with established performance and safety standards. In this way, the helmets may be certified, and the performance specifications of the helmets may be known and understood.

To this end, a variety of helmet performance standards have been established. A first snow sport helmet certification standard may include the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2040 standard that may be a common certification standard in the United States. A second snow sport helmet certification may include the European CE standard CEN 1077 may be a common certification standard in the European Union. Note that some snow sport helmets may meet both the ASTM and the CEN standards though one could conceivably meet the CEN standard but not the ASTM standard. A third snow helmet certification may include the Snell RS-98 standard provided by the Snell Memorial Foundation in the United States which may be more stringent than both the F2040 and/or the CEN 1077 standards.

In order to establish compliance with the standards, snow sport helmets may be tested under specified environmental conditions for each performance requirement. For instance, the strength and stability of the helmet's retention system, padded liner, and its attachment to the outer shell may be tested. This may ensure that under a dynamic loading situation, the retention system may not stretch or slip significantly and that it may be unfastened after any incident. The retention system effectiveness test aims to ensure that the helmet will remain on the head when subjected to a rotational force.

In another example, a drop rig utilizing instrumented head-forms with anvil impact surfaces (e.g., flat anvils, hemispherical anvils, edge anvils, etc.) may be used for impact tests. Penetration tests may also be conducted. In another example, the helmets may be tested by undergoing a hot, a cold and a wet dynamic strength retention test. In another example, an ambient helmet may be subjected to a positional stability (roll-off) test. The purpose of the tests may be to provide a reliable and repeatable evaluation of the protective helmets to ensure that the helmets may provide adequate protection and to reduce the likelihood of serious injury which may result from impacts to the head sustained by individuals.

FIG. 5 shows the image of FIG. 1 overlaid with outlines that may represent the outer contours of two types of snow sport helmets 200. In this image, the outlines may represent the head coverage that the helmets 200 may provide when worn. These contours may generally represent helmet standards for non-motorized snow sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and other types of non-motorized snow sports.

The helmet contours may represent two classes of the European CEN 1077 standard: Class A standard (designated by numeral 202 and the larger dashed lines) and Class B standard (designated by the numeral 204 and the shorter dashed lines). As shown, the classes A and B may differ by the amount of head coverage that the helmets 200 my provide.

The Class A standard helmet 202 may generally provide head coverage that may begin approximately one inch above the eye brows and that may extend over the top of the head and down the sides and back of the head to the levels shown by the larger dashed lines. The Class B standard helmet 204 may include the coverage provided by the Class A standard helmet 202, with the added coverage shown by the smaller dashed lines. That is, the Class B standard helmet 204 may provide additional coverage and protection to the ear portions of the head 12 and to the lower portions of the rear of the cranium, including the Occipital bone 24, the Occipital lobe 30 and the Cerebellum 32.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of a human head 12 and neck 13 overlaid with a depiction of an associated snow sport helmet 200 being worn. In this example, the helmet 200 may be a Class B helmet 204 in that it may provide additional coverage and protection to the side of the head 12 (e.g., the ear region), and to the lower portions of the rear of the cranium, including the Occipital bone 24, the Occipital lobe 30 and the Cerebellum 32. For the purposes of this specification, the bottom of the rear portion of the helmet 204 that covers the Occipital bone 24, the Occipital lobe 30 and the Cerebellum 32 will be designated as point A.

When being fitted for a helmet 200, it may be preferable for the helmet 200 to fit snug on the wearer's head, and to cover the required head portions and areas (e.g., the head portions covered by the Class B helmet 204). Once the proper size of helmet 200 may be chosen that fits well on the wearer's head, the helmet's retention system (e.g., the chin strap and/or the back-of-the-head strap) may be adjusted to optimize the fit.

Once the helmet 200 has been fitted onto the wearer's head 12 and optimized, it may be preferable that there not exist any obstructions and/or other objects that may obstruct or otherwise interfere with the fitting of the helmet 200 onto the wearer's head 12. That is, it may be preferable that the helmet's inner padding, back-of-the-head strap (and the outer shell) generally fit flush against the wearer's head 12, and that the person's hair, other headwear, other head gear or any other items do not obstruct, push against, block, create a gap between or otherwise create a non-flush configuration between the helmet's inner padding, the back-of-the-head strap (and the outer shell) and the wearer's head 12. In this way, the helmet 200 may fit properly and provide its established protection.

It can be seen that if the fit between the helmet 200 and the wearer's head 12 may be compromised (e.g., the helmet's inner padding and/or back-of-the-head strap may not be flush against the wearer's head 12), the helmet 200 may not provide its established protection to the wearer and may be unsafe to wear. For example, the helmet's shock absorbing properties and/or the strength and stability of the helmet's retention system, padded liner, and its attachment to the outer shell may be compromised. This may result in serious injury and even death upon receiving a blow to the head 12.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include headwear 100 that may be used in combination with the protective helmet 200, and that may accommodate the wearer's hair so that the wearer's hair may not interfere with the fit of the helmet 200 and/or the safety and protection provided by the helmet 200 or any other functionalities of the helmet 200. It may also be preferable that the headwear 100 not compromise the comfort of the helmet 200.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in FIG. 7, the headwear 100 may include an opening 102 that may be positioned in the rear of the headwear 100 below point A. As described in other sections, the opening may gather the wearer's hair and hold it at the rear of the wearer's head 12. In this embodiment, with the opening 102 positioned below point A, and with the headwear 100 worn beneath the helmet 200, the headwear 100 may ensure that the wearer's hair extend out of the opening 102 at a position such that it may not obstruct, push against, block, create a gap between or otherwise create a non-flush configuration between the helmet's inner padding, the back-of-the-head strap (and the outer shell) and the wearer's head 12. In this way, the helmet 200 may fit properly and provide its established protection, and the wearer's hair may be gathered and held comfortably.

In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the headwear 100 may include two or more openings 102, and the two or more openings may all be positioned below the point A in the rear and below the lower side contours of the Class B helmet 204 as shown in FIG. 5 (shown as smaller dashed lines). For example, one opening 102 may be located on the lower rear left of the headwear 100 and one opening 102 may be located on the lower rear right of the headwear 100. In this way, the two or more openings 102 may each allow for portions of the wearer's hair to be gathered, held and passed through the openings 102 (e.g., as pigtails, French braids, etc.). It is understood that the headwear 100 may include any number of openings 102 in any positions on the headwear 100 that may be preferably located below point A and/or below the lower side contours of the Class B helmet 204 as shown in FIG. 5 (shown as smaller dashed lines). In this way, the any number of openings 102 may each allow a portion of the wearer's hair to be gathered, held and passed through the headwear 100 without compromising the fit and safety of the helmet 200.

It is understood that the opening 102 may include the hole 104, the inner flap 110 and/or the outer flap 112, the elastic member 106 and/or any other elements as described in this specification or otherwise.

It may be preferable that the headwear 100 comprise fabric or material that may be thin enough to fit comfortably under the helmet 200 when worn and that may provide sufficient warmth to the head 12 of the wearer. It may also be preferable that if the headwear 100 includes any seams or other elements, that the seams and elements not obstruct the fit of the helmet 200 and/or compromise the safety provided by and the comfort of the helmet 200.

In another exemplary embodiment hereof, the system 10 may include head gear that may include both headwear 100 and a protective helmet 200 in combination. In this embodiment, the headwear 100 may be formed as an individual element that may be combined with the helmet 200 during the manufacturing of the system 10, or that may be combined with the helmet 200 during use (e.g., by the wearer of the headwear 100 and the helmet 200), in order to form the system 10. Alternatively, the headwear 100 may be integrally formed with the helmet 200 (e.g., as a single unit) such that the integral combination of the headwear 100 and the helmet 200 may form the system 10. In any event, the headwear 100 and the helmet 200 in combination may form the head gear of the system 10.

It is understood that all the aspects of the elements of the system 10 described in this specification with regards to other embodiments or otherwise may also pertain to this embodiment. For example, the headwear 100 in this embodiment may also include one or more openings 102 that may be located below point A and/or below the lower side contours of the Class B helmet 204 as shown in FIG. 5 (shown as smaller dashed lines). The embodiment may also include one or more elastic members 106 and any other element.

It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that any aspects of any of the embodiments disclosed in this specification may be combined in any way to form the system 10.

Benefits of the System

The benefits of the system 10 are multifold and include, without limitation:

First, the system 10 provides warmth and protection to the wearer.

Second, the system 10 provides a system that may gather, hold and allow the hair of the wearer to pass through the headwear 100 (preferably at the rear of the wearer's head 12, on one or more sides of the wearer's head 12 or thereabouts). In this way, the wearer's hair may not obstruct the wearer's field of view. This may also prevent the person's hair from getting into their mouth which may be uncomfortable and may distract the person from the sport thus affecting their level of play.

Third, the system 10 provides a system that, when worn with a protective helmet 200, may ensure that the hair of the wearer, when gathered, held and passed through the headwear 100, does not obstruct the protective helmet 200 or otherwise compromise the safety provided by the helmet 200 and/or the comfort of the helmet 200.

Fourth, the system 10 provides a system that includes 1) headwear 100 that may provide warmth and protection, and that may gather, hold and allow the hair of the wearer to pass through the headwear 100 (preferably at the rear of the wearer's head 12, on one or more sides of the wearer's head 12 or thereabouts), and 2) a protective helmet 200.

Fifth, the headwear 100 may also include ventilation for breathing at the nose and mouth, through holes, permeable fabrics, knits, flaps, or other similar devices.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate and understand, upon reading this description, that embodiments hereof may provide different and/or other advantages, and that not all embodiments or implementations need have all advantages.

Where a process is described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process may operate without any user intervention. In another embodiment, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., a step is performed by or with the assistance of a human).

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “at least some” means “one or more,” and includes the case of only one. Thus, e.g., the phrase “at least some ABCs” means “one or more ABCs”, and includes the case of only one ABC.

As used herein, including in the claims, term “at least one” should be understood as meaning “one or more”, and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with “at least one” have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as “the” and “the at least one”.

As used in this description, the term “portion” means some or all. So, for example, “A portion of X” may include some of “X” or all of “X”. In the context of a conversation, the term “portion” means some or all of the conversation.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “using” means “using at least,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “using X” means “using at least X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “using X” does not mean “using only X.”

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “based on” means “based in part on” or “based, at least in part, on,” and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase “based on factor X” means “based in part on factor X” or “based, at least in part, on factor X.” Unless specifically stated by use of the word “only”, the phrase “based on X” does not mean “based only on X.”

In general, as used herein, including in the claims, unless the word “only” is specifically used in a phrase, it should not be read into that phrase.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “distinct” means “at least partially distinct.” Unless specifically stated, distinct does not mean fully distinct. Thus, e.g., the phrase, “X is distinct from Y” means that “X is at least partially distinct from Y,” and does not mean that “X is fully distinct from Y.” Thus, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase “X is distinct from Y” means that X differs from Y in at least some way.

It should be appreciated that the words “first,” “second,” and so on, in the description and claims, are used to distinguish or identify, and not to show a serial or numerical limitation. Similarly, letter labels (e.g., “(A)”, “(B)”, “(C)”, and so on, or “(a)”, “(b)”, and so on) and/or numbers (e.g., “(i)”, “(ii)”, and so on) are used to assist in readability and to help distinguish and/or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting or to impose or imply any serial or numerical limitations or orderings. Similarly, words such as “particular,” “specific,” “certain,” and “given,” in the description and claims, if used, are to distinguish or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting.

As used herein, including in the claims, the terms “multiple” and “plurality” mean “two or more,” and include the case of “two.” Thus, e.g., the phrase “multiple ABCs,” means “two or more ABCs,” and includes “two ABCs.” Similarly, e.g., the phrase “multiple PQRs,” means “two or more PQRs,” and includes “two PQRs.”

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” or “approximately 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Throughout the description and claims, the terms “comprise”, “including”, “having”, and “contain” and their variations should be understood as meaning “including but not limited to”, and are not intended to exclude other components unless specifically so stated.

It will be appreciated that variations to the embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. Alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose can replace features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., “about 3” shall also cover exactly 3 or “substantially constant” shall also cover exactly constant).

Use of exemplary language, such as “for instance”, “such as”, “for example” (“e.g.,”) and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless specifically so claimed.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

HEAD GEAR WITH ACCOMMODATIONS FOR HAIR

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