Patent Application
20210259349
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure relates to reflecting devices and more particularly pertains to a new reflecting device for enhancing visibility of an article of head gear in a darkened environment.
The prior art relates to reflecting devices. The prior art discloses a helmet that has a heat reflecting layer positioned thereon for reflecting sunlight to reduce thermal transfer to a user. Additionally, the prior art discloses a variety of helmets that each have reflectors integrated therein for enhancing visibility of the helmets at night. In each case the reflectors are bonded in some fashion to an outer surface of the helmet. The prior art discloses a helmet that has a binding layer thereon, a plurality of microspheres being embedded into the binding layer for reflecting light and a protective layer extending over the microspheres. The covering layer rests on each of the microspheres and no grid is present within the covering layer. None of the prior art discloses a helmet, a substrate, a plurality of beads, a covering layer and a grid integrated into the covering layer.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an article of headgear that is wearable on a user's head. The article of headgear is comprised of a rigid material to protect the user's head from impact. A substrate is coupled on the article of headgear and a plurality of beads is each partially embedded into the substrate. Each of the beads is comprised of a translucent material to pass light therethrough. Each of the beads is partially embedded into the substrate to reflect light for enhancing visibility of the article of headgear in a darkened environment. A covering layer is positioned over the plurality beads and the covering layer is comprised of a translucent material to pass light therethrough.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A substrate 16 is coupled on the article of headgear 12 and the substrate 16 completely covers the outwardly facing surface 14. The substrate 16 has an exposed surface 18 that is exposed with respect to the outwardly facing surface 14. Moreover, the exposed surface 18 has a plurality of depressions 20 therein each extending toward the outwardly facing surface 14. The depressions 20 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed over an entirety of the exposed surface 18. Additionally, each of the depressions 20 has a bounding surface 22 and the bounding surface 22 is concavely arcuate with respect to the exposed surface 18 such that each of the depressions 20 has a hemispherical shape. The substrate 16 may be a hardening material, such as a clay like material, that hardens after the substrate 16 is formed into a preferred shape.
A plurality of mating members 24 is provided and each of the mating members 24 is positioned in a respective one of the depressions 20. Each of the mating members 24 is bonded to the bounding surface 22 of the respective depression 20. Additionally, each of the mating members 24 has a top surface 26 that is exposed in the respective depression 20. Each of the mating members 24 may comprise an adhesive layer or other similar type of mating member that is capable of securely engaging a smooth, curved surface.
A plurality of beads 28 is provided and each of the beads 28 is comprised of a translucent material to pass light therethrough. Each of the beads 28 has a continuously arcuate outer surface 30 such that each of the beads 28 has a spherical shape. In this way each of the beads 28 will reflect the light outwardly therefrom. Each of the beads 28 is partially embedded into the substrate 16 to reflect light for enhancing visibility of the article of headgear 12 in a darkened environment. In this way the beads 28 enhance safety for a person wearing the article of headgear 12 with respect to being visible to traffic at night or other similar occasion that involved limited visibility posing a danger to the person wearing the article of headgear 12. Each of the mating members 24 engages the outer surface 30 of a respective one of the beads 28 for retaining the respective bead 28 in the respective depression 20.
A covering layer 32 is provided and the covering layer 32 is positioned over the plurality beads 28. The covering layer 32 includes a grid 34 that is structured to define a honeycomb pattern and the covering layer 32 is comprised of a translucent material to pass light therethrough. The covering layer 32 has a lower surface 36 and an upper surface 38, and the lower surface 36 is directed toward the outer surface 30 of each of the beads 28. Moreover, the grid 34 is positioned between the lower surface 36 and the upper surface 38. In an alternative embodiment 40 as is most clearly shown in
In use, the article of headgear 12 is worn in the conventional manner for conventional purposes. Each of the beads 28 reflects light outwardly therefrom when the beads 28 are exposed to light. In this way the beads 28 enhance visibility of the article of headgear 12 in a darkened environment, such as nighttime, to enhance safety for the person wearing the article of headgear 12. Additionally, the covering layer 32 protects the beads 28 from impact damage, from scratches and from dirt thereby facilitating the beads 28 to reflect light in sufficient intensity.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
