Headwear with an Integrated Cooling System

Abstract

A headwear with an integrated cooling system which effectively and efficiently cools a user's head and neck. The headwear includes a headwear body, a first fan assembly, a second fan assembly, and a rechargeable battery. The headwear body includes a dome, a bill, and a nape-covering portion. The bill and the nape-covering portion are positioned opposite to each other about a rim of the dome. The first fan assembly and the second fan assembly each include a motorized fan and a cover housing, wherein the motorized fan is mounted within the cover housing. The first fan assembly cools the face of the user and is integrated into the bill. The second fan assembly cools the neck of the user and is integrated into the nape-covering portion. The rechargeable battery supplies electricity to the first fan assembly and the second fan assembly. Additionally, the rechargeable battery is mounted onto the dome.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to headwear. More specifically, the present invention is headwear with an integrated cooling system. The present invention utilizes two centrifugal fans to effectively and safely cool a user of the present invention without diminishing the integrity of the headwear.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are other fan-cooled hats on the market that have suspension liner, fans and hard shells. The present invention can most clearly be distinguished from these other fan-cooled hats by the placement of the centrifugal fans outside of and away from the head, fan housings that are part of the fabric of the hat, and the detachable, water retaining veils. Furthermore, humidity is a very important factor for a fan-cooled hat that relies upon evaporative cooling. Humidity inhibits the evaporative cooling process. Many traditional designs for fan-cooled hats comprise suspension liner and a hard shell with centrifugal fans located inside the hat, near the head of the user. The fans from these kinds of designs pull air from around the head (underneath the dome-shaped part of the shell that surrounds the head) and blow the air back onto the head. In the case of these kinds of fan-cooled designs, the fan is receiving humidity from the head which therefore inhibits the evaporative cooling effect. Contrary to this, the fans of the present invention pull air from outside of, and away from the head (as much as possible) so that most humidity from the head is not circulated by the fans and therefore most humidity from the head is not inhibiting the evaporative cooling process.

More specifically, the present invention utilizes a front fan and a rear fan. The front fan cools the forehead and the face region of the user. The front fan is built into the underside of a bill, away from the high humidity region of the head. The rear fan cools the nape and neck region of the user. In order to do this, the rear fan pulls air from either the inside of the present invention or from the exterior of the present invention. The design of the present invention is flexible so that any problems with humidity from the human body can be significantly reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an alternative perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional cut view of the present invention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The present invention generally relates to headwear. More specifically, the present invention is headwear with an integrated cooling system. The present invention uses two strategically placed fans in order to effectively and safely cool a user wearing the present invention. The present invention may be implemented in a variety of forms including, but not limited to, general cooling hats, hardhats, military combat helmets, and climbing helmets.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the present invention comprises a headwear body 1, a first fan assembly 6, a second fan assembly 7, a rechargeable battery 8, and a suspension liner. The headwear body 1 covers a user's head in order to provide shade and physical protection. The headwear body 1 comprises a dome 2, a bill 3, and a nape-covering portion 4. The dome 2 is a semi-spherical shaped portion designed to fit over the head of the user. The dome 2 provides physical protection to the head of the user. The bill 3 provides protection from the sun and light to the user's eyes and face. The nape-covering portion 4 protects and covers the back of the neck and the adjacent lower portion of the head. Accordingly, the bill 3 and the nape-covering portion 4 are positioned opposite to each other across a rim 18 of the dome 2 as seen in FIG. 3. The length, width, curvature, and material composition of the bill 3, the dome 2, and the nape-covering portion 4 may vary to fit a variety of users. The first fan assembly 6 and the second fan assembly 7 each produce air flow into a specific direction in order to provide a cooling and evaporating effect onto the user's face and neck. The first fan assembly 6 and the second fan assembly 7 each comprise a motorized fan 9 and a cover housing 10. The motorized fan 9 is mounted within the cover housing 10 and creates an air flow through and around the cover housing 10. The cover housing 10 encloses and protects the motorized fan 9. Additionally, the cover housing 10 directs the air flow created by the motorized fan 9 directly onto the user. The present invention provides a cooling effect onto two main regions of the user's body, the face and the neck portions. The first fan assembly 6 and the second fan assembly 7 are positioned adjacent to the rim 18 of the dome 2 in order to direct air flow onto the user. The first fan assembly 6 circulates air directly onto the user's face and forehead and, as such, the first fan assembly 6 is integrated into the bill 3. The second fan assembly 7 circulates air directly onto the nape and lower portion of the user's head. As such, the second fan assembly 7 is integrated into the nape-covering portion 4.

The first fan assembly 6 and the second fan assembly 7 are powered by the rechargeable battery 8. More specifically, the rechargeable battery 8 is electrically connected to the motorized fan 9 of the first fan assembly 6 and the motorized fan 9 assembly of the second fan assembly 7. Additionally, the rechargeable battery 8 is mounted onto the dome 2, preferably within the dome 2 and directly at the apex of the dome 2. This ensures that the user's head does not touch or bump against the rechargeable battery 8. A variety of battery types may be used as the rechargeable battery 8. The suspension liner engages the top of the user's head in order evenly distribute the weight of the headwear body 1 and evenly distribute any impact force that might be translated from the headwear body 1 onto the user's head. The suspension liner is peripherally tethered to the rim 18 of the dome 2 and also ensures that the user's head does not touch or hit the rechargeable battery 8 within the dome 2.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention further comprises a detachable neck veil 14 and a fastening mechanism 15. The detachable neck veil 14 extends the neck protection provided by the nape-covering portion 4. The detachable neck veil 14 is preferably composed of water retaining cloth. The detachable neck veil 14 is attached adjacent and about the nape-covering portion 4 by the fastening mechanism 15 in order to block sun on the shoulders and the neck. Additionally, when the detachable neck veil 14 gets wet, the detachable neck veil 14 adds to the evaporative cooling effect as air wafts through the detachable neck veil 14. The preferred fastening mechanism 15 is a hook-and-loops fastener, although alternative mechanisms may also be utilized including, but not limited to, buttons, zippers, and other similar fasteners. The length, size, shape, and composition of the detachable neck veil 14 may vary to accommodate the user's body and preference.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first fan assembly 6 and the second fan assembly 7 each further comprise an air intake 11 and an air outlet 12. The air intake 11 is an opening in the cover housing 10 which allows the motorized fan 9 to capture air directly around the headwear body 1. The air outlet 12 redirects and distributes the air captured by the motorized fan 9 onto the user. The preferred motorized fan 9 is a centrifugal fan with a fan rotation axis 19. Although, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the motorized fan 9 is a box fan. The air intake 11 of the first fan assembly 6 traverses into the cover housing 10 of the first fan assembly 6, opposite the bill 3. The air outlet 12 of the first fan assembly 6 traverses out of the cover housing 10 of the first fan assembly 6 and is oriented towards the dome 2. This directs the air flow produced by the motorized fan 9 of the first fan assembly 6 onto the forehead and face of the user. This is especially useful for defogging glasses and goggles worn by the user. For maximum efficiency, the air intake 11 of the first fan assembly 6 and the air outlet 12 of the first fan assembly 6 are orientated perpendicular to each other. Additionally, to provide symmetric cooling to the user, the fan rotation axis 19 of the first fan assembly 6 is positioned coincident with a sagittal plane 5 of the headwear body 1, a mid-plane which bilaterally divides the headwear body 1 into two symmetrical portions.

The air intake 11 of the second fan assembly 7 traverses into the cover housing 10 of the second fan assembly 7, opposite the nape-covering portion 4. This configures the second fan assembly 7 such that air in between the user's head and the headwear body 1 is pulled into the second fan assembly 7, thus producing a cooling effect onto the user head. The air outlet 12 of the second fan assembly 7 traverses out of the cover housing 10 of the second fan assembly 7 and is oriented away from the dome 2. In particular, when the present invention is worn, the air outlet 12 of the second fan assembly 7 is directed onto the neck and nape portion of the user. For maximum efficiency, the air intake 11 of the second fan assembly 7 and the air outlet 12 of the second fan assembly 7 are orientated perpendicular to each other. Additionally, to provide symmetric cooling to the user, the fan rotation axis 19 of the second fan assembly 7 is positioned coincident with the sagittal plane 5 of the headwear body 1.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the air intake 11 of the second fan assembly 7 is positioned such that the second fan assembly 7 draws air external to the headwear body 1. More specifically, the air intake 11 of the second fan assembly 7 traverses through the nape-covering portion 4 and into the cover housing 10 of the second fan assembly 7. This exposes the motorized fan 9 of the second fan assembly 7 to air outside of the headwear body 1.

For the first fan assembly 6 and the second fan assembly 7, the air intake 11 and air outlet 12 may be implemented in a variety of different means. It is preferred that the air intake 11 and the air outlet 12 each comprise a plurality of holes. The plurality of holes is distributed about the cover housing 10 in order to create a grid-like mesh in the cover housing 10. This allows air to flow in and out of the cover housing 10 while simultaneously preventing external object from reaching the motorized fan 9 inside. In one embodiment of the present invention the air outlet 12 comprises a plurality of tapered holes which compresses and yields a tighter air flow stream.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the headwear body 1 is a continuous rigid shell. This ensures that the overall stability and safety of the present invention is increased compared to traditional headwear with integrated cooling systems. The present invention has a contiguous, unbroken outer surface. A contiguous, unbroken outer surface is the strongest aspect of a protective headgear. The present invention can be used for protective headgear such as hard hats or combat helmets as well as just hats for general cooling that are not meant to protect the skull from falling objects or other harmful hard objects. The first fan assembly 6 and the second fan assembly 7 are integrated into the headwear body 1 through a first recessed portion 16 and a second recessed portion 17. The first recessed portion 16 is an indentation within the headwear body 1 which receives and encloses the first fan assembly 6. The first recessed portion 16 is centrally integrated into the bill 3 and is positioned adjacent to the dome 2 to provide a cooling effect to the user's face. The first fan assembly 6 is connected within the first recessed portion 16 in a semi-flush manner as seen in FIG. 3. As a result, the first fan assembly 6 does not significantly protrude from the bill 3 and does not obstruct the user's view when he or she is wearing the present invention. More specifically, for increased structural stability, a majority of the cover housing 10 from the first fan assembly 6 is formed into the fabric of the bill 3 during the manufacturing process. The first recessed portion 16 may include ribs, grooves, ribs, and other similar features which direct the air flow from the motorized fan 9 of the first fan assembly 6 to the air outlet 12 of the first fan assembly 6.

The second recessed portion 17 is an indentation within the headwear body 1 which encloses the second fan assembly 7. More specifically, the second recessed portion 17 is centrally integrated into the nape-covering portion 4 and the second fan assembly 7 is connected within the second recessed portion 17. As a result, the second fan assembly 7 does not significantly protrude from the nape-covering portion 4. Similar to the first fan assembly 6, a majority of the cover housing 10 from the second fan assembly 7 is formed into the fabric of the nape-covering portion 4 during the manufacturing process. The second recessed portion 17 may include ribs, grooves, ribs, and other similar features which direct the air flow from the motorized fan 9 of the second fan assembly 7 to the air outlet 12 of the second fan assembly 7.

For the first fan assembly 6 and the second fan assembly 7, the cover housing 10 preferably comprises a housing body and a fan cover. The housing body is a hollow rectangular extrusion which is formed during the manufacturing process of the headwear body 1. The motorized fan 9 is connected within the housing body and secured in place by the fan covering. Again, this raises the overall stability of the present invention as the majority of the parts of the cover housing 10 are physically part of the headwear body 1 and therefore cannot be knocked off as the result of external blows to the present invention.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A headwear with an integrated cooling system comprises: a headwear body;a first fan assembly;a second fan assembly;a rechargeable battery;the headwear body comprises a dome, a bill, and a nape-covering portion;the first fan assembly and the second fan assembly each comprise a motorized fan and a cover housing;the bill and the nape-covering portion being positioned opposite to each other about a rim of the dome;the motorized fan being mounted within the cover housing;the first fan assembly being integrated into the bill;the second fan assembly being integrated into the nape-covering portion;the first fan assembly and the second fan assembly being positioned adjacent the rim of the dome;the rechargeable battery being mounted onto the dome; andthe rechargeable battery being electrically connected to the motorized fan of the first fan assembly and the motorized fan of the second fan assembly.

2. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 1 comprises: a detachable neck veil;a fastening mechanism; andthe detachable neck veil being attached adjacent and about the nape-covering portion by the fastening mechanism.

3. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 1 comprises: the first fan assembly further comprise an air intake and an air outlet;the motorized fan being a centrifugal fan with a fan rotation axis;the fan rotation axis of the first fan assembly being positioned coincident with a sagittal plane of the headwear body;the air intake of the first fan assembly and the air outlet of the first fan assembly being oriented perpendicular to each other;the air intake of the first fan assembly traversing into the cover housing of the first fan assembly, opposite the bill;the air outlet of the first fan assembly traversing out of the cover housing of the first fan assembly; andthe air outlet of the first fan assembly being oriented towards the dome.

4. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 1 comprises: the second fan assembly further comprise an air intake and an air outlet;the motorized fan being a centrifugal fan with a fan rotation axis;the fan rotation axis of the first fan assembly being positioned coincident with a sagittal plane of the headwear body;the air intake of the first fan assembly and the air outlet of the first fan assembly being oriented perpendicular to each other;the air intake of the second fan assembly traversing into the cover housing of the second fan assembly, opposite the nape-covering portion;the air outlet of the second fan assembly traversing out of the cover housing of the second fan assembly; andthe air outlet of the second fan assembly being oriented away from the dome.

5. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 1 comprises: the second fan assembly further comprise an air intake and an air outlet;the motorized fan being a centrifugal fan with a fan rotation axis;the fan rotation axis of the first fan assembly being positioned coincident with a sagittal plane of the headwear body;the air intake of the second fan assembly and the air outlet of the second fan assembly being oriented perpendicular to each other;the air intake of the second fan assembly traversing through the nape-covering portion and into the cover housing of the second fan assembly;the air outlet of the second fan assembly traversing out of the covering of the second fan assembly; andthe air outlet of the second fan assembly being oriented away from the dome.

6. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 1 comprises: the headwear body further comprises a first recessed portion;the first recessed portion being centrally integrated into the bill;the first recessed portion being positioned adjacent to the dome; andthe first fan assembly being connected within the first recessed portion.

7. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 1 comprises: the headwear body further comprises a second recessed portion;the second recessed portion being centrally integrated into the nape-covering portion; andthe second fan assembly being connected within the second recessed portion.

8. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the headwear body is a continuous rigid shell.

9. A headwear with an integrated cooling system comprises: a headwear body;a first fan assembly;a second fan assembly;a rechargeable battery;a detachable neck veil;a fastening mechanism;the headwear body comprises a dome, a bill, and a nape-covering portion;the first fan assembly and the second fan assembly each comprise a motorized fan and a cover housing;the bill and the nape-covering portion being positioned opposite to each other about a rim of the dome;the motorized fan being mounted within the cover housing;the first fan assembly being integrated into the bill;the second fan assembly being integrated into the nape-covering portion;the first fan assembly and the second fan assembly being positioned adjacent the rim of the dome;the rechargeable battery being mounted onto the dome;the rechargeable battery being electrically connected to the motorized fan of the first fan assembly and the motorized fan of the second fan assembly; andthe detachable neck veil being attached adjacent and about the nape-covering portion by the fastening mechanism.

10. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 9 comprises: the first fan assembly further comprise an air intake and an air outlet;the motorized fan being a centrifugal fan with a fan rotation axis;the fan rotation axis of the first fan assembly being positioned coincident with a sagittal plane of the headwear body;the air intake of the first fan assembly and the air outlet of the first fan assembly being oriented perpendicular to each other;the air intake of the first fan assembly traversing into the cover housing of the first fan assembly, opposite the bill;the air outlet of the first fan assembly traversing out of the cover housing of the first fan assembly; andthe air outlet of the first fan assembly being oriented towards the dome.

11. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 9 comprises: the second fan assembly further comprise an air intake and an air outlet;the motorized fan being a centrifugal fan with a fan rotation axis;the fan rotation axis of the first fan assembly being positioned coincident with a sagittal plane of the headwear body;the air intake of the first fan assembly and the air outlet of the first fan assembly being oriented perpendicular to each other;the air intake of the second fan assembly traversing into the cover housing of the second fan assembly, opposite the nape-covering portion;the air outlet of the second fan assembly traversing out of the cover housing of the second fan assembly; andthe air outlet of the second fan assembly being oriented away from the dome.

12. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 9 comprises: the second fan assembly further comprise an air intake and an air outlet;the motorized fan being a centrifugal fan with a fan rotation axis;the fan rotation axis of the first fan assembly being positioned coincident with a sagittal plane of the headwear body;the air intake of the second fan assembly and the air outlet of the second fan assembly being oriented perpendicular to each other;the air intake of the second fan assembly traversing through the nape-covering portion and into the cover housing of the second fan assembly;the air outlet of the second fan assembly traversing out of the covering of the second fan assembly; andthe air outlet of the second fan assembly being oriented away from the dome.

13. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 9 comprises: the headwear body further comprises a first recessed portion;the first recessed portion being centrally integrated into the bill;the first recessed portion being positioned adjacent to the dome; andthe first fan assembly being connected within the first recessed portion.

14. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 9 comprises: the headwear body further comprises a second recessed portion;the second recessed portion being centrally integrated into the nape-covering portion; andthe second fan assembly being connected within the second recessed portion.

15. The headwear with an integrated cooling system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the headwear body is a continuous rigid shell.