WATER SPORTS MASK AND HEAD STRAP THEREOF

Abstract

A water sports mask and a head strap thereof are provided. The water sports mask includes a mask body and the head strap connected to two sides of the mask body. When a user wears the water sports mask, the head strap is configured to be wrapped around a head of the user to secure the mask body to a face of the user. The head strap includes a strap body and at least one accessory. The strap body is provided with at least one opening so that the at least one accessory is selectively and detachably coupled to the strap body through the at least one opening.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 63/623,876 filed on Jan. 23, 2024, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mask, especially a water sports mask used, for example, for swimming, snorkeling, free diving, spearfishing or other water activities (including both surface and underwater activities).

Descriptions of the Related Art

Water activities (such as swimming, snorkeling, free diving or spearfishing) are one of the most popular leisure activities in modern times. During water activities, users often wear a mask to protect their eyes and ensure a clear field of vision or enjoy the pleasure of free breathing.

The appearance and functional design of masks available in the market typically only vary based on different models, and masks of the same model are at most differentiated by color. However, the basic structure of masks, consisting of a frame portion, a viewing window portion (either a single viewing window or two separate viewing windows), a waterproof skirt and a head strap, presents limitations. In this basic structure, in which the elements must tightly fit one another, it is difficult to provide additional accessories to be appropriately connected to the existing elements of the mask to increase decoration or identification of the mask without affecting the function of the mask (e.g., the function of watertightness) and wearing comfort. Therefore, there is no other way to increase decoration or identification of the mask except to significantly change the color or shape, but it is not economical to make multiple colors or shapes in the same model of the mask.

In view of this, how to enable masks to add personal identification, decoration, and increase the enjoyment in use or purchasing desire at a limited cost, thereby solving the above problems, has become the new goal of the industry.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a water sports mask. The strap body of the head strap of the mask is provided with at least one opening, allowing for free installation, removal, and replacement of at least one accessory, thereby achieving personal identification, decoration, or other functional features of the mask.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention discloses a water sports mask, including a mask body and a head strap. The head strap is connected to two sides of the mask body. When a user wears the water sports mask, the head strap is configured to be wrapped around a head of the user to secure the mask body to a face of the user. The head strap includes a strap body and at least one accessory. The strap body is provided with at least one opening so that the at least one accessory is selectively and detachably coupled to the strap body through the at least one opening.

In an example, the at least one accessory includes a plurality of accessories. Each of the accessories has an end portion, an ornamental portion opposite to the end portion, and a neck portion formed therebetween. The at least one opening includes a plurality of openings, and each of the openings has a shape corresponding to a cross-section of the neck portion so that when one of the accessories is coupled to one of the openings, the accessory is configured to be accommodated in the opening as being coupled, and the end portion and the ornamental portion of the coupled accessory are located on an inner side and an outer side of the strap body, respectively.

In an example, the shape is rectangular or circular.

In an example, the end portion of each of the accessories has a conical shape or a mushroom shape.

In an example, at least one of the strap body of the head strap and the at least one accessory is made of a soft material with a Shore A hardness of 20 to 80, and the soft material is selected from thermosetting silicone rubber, thermoplastic rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane or any combinations thereof.

Besides, based on the same objective as above, the present invention discloses a head strap for a water sports mask. The water sports mask includes a mask body and the head strap. The head strap is connected to two sides of the mask body so that when a user wears the water sports mask, the head strap is configured to be wrapped around a head of the user to secure the mask body to a face of the user. The head strap includes a strap body and at least one accessory. The strap body is provided with at least one opening so that the at least one accessory is selectively and detachably coupled to the strap body through the at least one opening. Furthermore, the above examples are also applicable to the head strap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic rear perspective view of an embodiment of a water sports mask according to the present invention, in which the accessories have not yet been assembled with the strap body.

FIG. 2 shows that the accessories of the mask of FIG. 1 have been assembled with the strap body.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one of the exemplary accessories in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A is a schematic partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. 1, showing that the strap body has a plurality of openings and two exemplary accessories which have not yet been coupled with the strap body.

FIG. 4B is a schematic partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. 4A, in which the accessories have been coupled with the strap body.

FIG. 4C is a schematic cross-sectional view along line 4C-4C of FIG. 4B, showing the coupling relationships between the strap body and each of the accessories.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

It shall be appreciated that the following description of the embodiments is only to explain the contents of the present invention, but not to limit the invention as claimed. Elements not directly related to the present invention are omitted from the description, and the dimensions as depicted for all elements in the drawings are just for easy understanding and do not intend to limit their actual scales. In addition, the “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “inner,” “outer,” or the like adjectives used defined in the descriptions are referred to by the direction of the user himself/herself. They are only relative relationships and are not limitative.

An embodiment of the water sports mask 1 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the water sports mask 1 is exemplified by swimming goggles. In other embodiments, the water sports mask of the present invention can also be a swimming mask, a diving mask, or any form of breathable mask (for example, a full-face mask with a full viewing window type or spectacles type). The difference lies only in whether the mask body covers the user's eyes only, both eyes and nose, or all of the eyes, nose and mouth, and whether there is a breathing tube communicating with the interior of the body. However, these variations do not affect the structural characteristics of the head strap of the present invention. As long as the mask is equipped with a head strap that can assist users in wearing the mask securely, any type of mask can adopt the structure of the head strap of the water sports mask of the present invention.

The water sports mask includes a mask body 11 and a head strap 13. The mask body 11 may, for example, include a frame portion 11a, a viewing window portion 11b and a waterproof skirt 11c. The viewing window portion 11b is connected to the frame portion 11a. A part of the waterproof skirt 11c is embedded in the frame portion 11a.

The frame portion 11a can be made of rigid material. The rigid material is selected from polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) or combinations thereof. The viewing window portion 11b may have two separate viewing windows L1 and L2 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). However, in other embodiments, the viewing window portion 11b may only have a single-piece viewing window. The waterproof skirt 11c may be made of silicone rubber material.

The head strap 13 is connected to two sides of the mask body 11, e.g., through the fixing ring R1 of the frame portion 11a. When a user wears the water sports mask 1, the head strap 13 is configured to be wrapped around the user's head to secure the mask body 11 to the user's face. The head strap 13 includes a strap body 13a and an accessory 13b. The strap body 13a is provided with one or more openings A1, allowing the accessory 13b to be detachably coupled to the strap body 13a through the one or more openings A1. FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating that the accessories 13b are not yet installed on the strap body 13a. Further, FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating that the accessories 13b have been installed on the strap body 13a.

At least one of the strap body 13a and the accessories 13b can be made of a soft material. The soft material has a Shore A hardness of 20 to 80 and is selected from thermosetting silicone rubber, thermoplastic rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane or combinations thereof. In this way, by virtue of the characteristics of the soft material of the strap body 13a and/or the accessory 13b of the head strap 13, the present invention allows the accessory 13b to be coupled with the strap body 13a through the opening A1 and to be decoupled from the strap body 13a, enabling repeated attachment and detachment or replacement of the accessory.

As shown in FIG. 3, the accessory 13b has an end portion B1, a neck portion B2, and an ornamental portion B3 opposite to the end portion B1. The neck portion B2 is formed between the end portion B1 and the ornamental portion B3. Preferably, the opening A1 is designed to have a shape corresponding to the cross-section of the neck portion B2 so that when the accessory 13b is coupled with the opening A1, the neck portion B2 can be fully accommodated in the opening A1, and the end portion B1 and the ornamental portion B3 are suitably located on the inner and outer sides of the strap body 13a, respectively.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, when the user exerts force to attach the accessory 13b to the strap body 13a, the opening A1 will be temporarily expanded by the soft material to allow the end portion B1 of the accessory 13b to pass therethrough and be located on the inner side of the strap body 13a, the neck portion B2 of the accessory 13b to be accommodated in the opening A1, and the ornamental portion B3 of the accessory 13b to be located on the outer side of the strap body 13a. Consequently, the accessory 13b can be stably coupled with the strap body 13a. In other words, the size of the end portion B1 of the accessory 13b may be designed to be slightly larger than the size of the opening A1.

In fact, the size of the end portion B1 of the accessory 13b only requires to be designed to meet that when the user aligns the end portion B1 with the opening A1 and exerts force inward to make the opening A1 appropriately expanded to allow end portion B1 to pass therethrough. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A to 4C, the end portion B1 of the accessory 13b may be designed in a mushroom shape or a conical shape. These shapes allow the end portion B1 to pass more easily through the opening A1 and be securely coupled with the strap body 13a, preventing it from falling out easily. In addition to the mushroom shape or the conical shape, any gradually widening structure or other shapes are possible designs of the end portion B1 as long as the same effect as mentioned above can be achieved. The size and shape of the neck portion B2 may match the opening A1, and its shape may be circular, rectangular or square, but not limited thereto, and any shape is a possible design.

When the cross-sectional shapes of the opening A1 and the neck portion B2 are both circular, the accessory 13b will be able to rotate more freely, thus being suitable for the ornamental portion B3 that does not require identification of direction. When the cross-sectional shapes of the opening A1 and the neck portion B2 are square or rectangular, the orientation of the accessory will be more fixed, thus being suitable for the ornamental portion B3 that requires identification of direction (for example, texts or images of animals or plants). Of course, the cross-sectional shapes of the opening Al and the neck portion B2 do not need to match, as long as the neck portion B2 can be accommodated in the opening A1, allowing the end portion B1 and the ornamental portion B3 to sandwith on the inner and outer sides of the strap body 13a to prevent the accessory 13b from falling off easily. These are all feasible designs.

On the other hand, the size of the neck portion B2 only needs to be able to be accommodated in the opening A1 with force exerted by a user, while its shape is not the focus of concern. Therefore, the design can be very flexible. The ornamental portion B3 may have a functional structure (e.g., as a hook), allowing for additional decorative piece such as colored hanging cords to be connected between two hooks, which adds interest and can also provide hanging storage or display of the mask. In addition, the ornamental portions B3 of two or more accessories 13b (e.g., multiple accessories arranged either vertically or horizontally adjacent to each other) can be interconnected to form a larger accessory (equivalent to a large accessory with one decorative portion B3, multiple end portions B1, and multiple neck portions B2). This allows the larger accessory to be securely coupled with the strap body 13a through multiple openings A1, preventing it from falling off due to its size, shape, or weight, and enables more flexible and diverse designs for the ornamental portion B3.

In FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4A-4C, the strap body 13a is shown to have a plurality of openings A1. However, the design of the present application may require the strap body 13a to have only one opening A1. Besides, the openings A1 of the strap body 13a may have the same shape or different shapes from each other. The shape can be circular, rectangular or square, but not limited thereto, any shape is a possible design. Further, the arrangement of the openings A1 should not be limited. For example, the openings may be spaced apart from each other on the same horizontal level, but instead, they are not necessarily required to be linearly arranged.

To sum up, the water sports mask of the present invention has a specific design for its head strap which is provided with one or more openings on the strap body of the head strap, allowing the user to freely attach, remove or replace optional accessories. With this design, the accessories can be appropriately coupled with the head strap without compromising the functionality of the mask or the comfort of wearing it. The opening is not necessarily a simple through hole; it can also be designed as a countersunk hole, allowing the end portion of the accessory to be suitably recessed into the opening and flush with the inner side of the strap body after the accessory is coupled with the head strap, thereby further enhancing wearing comfort. An opening and its adjacent opening do not necessarily need to be independent of each other; they can also be interconnected, allowing the accessory to move laterally from one opening to another for positioning.

Additionally, the quantity “a/an” described in this text, such as an opening and an accessory, is for illustrative purposes only to facilitate the explanation of their structural relationship. The strap body of the head strap has multiple openings corresponding to multiple accessories, or it may have more openings corresponding to fewer accessories (such as the aforementioned larger accessory), all of which are interchangeable options.

Furthermore, the type of the head strap should not be limited. Any form of head strap, such as a strap body having a side-by-side shape as shown in the figures or a strap body having a multi-section shape, is feasible. The key technical aspects of the present invention are independent of the mask body itself. Therefore, the present invention is applicable to any type of mask, including swimming goggles, a diving mask, a full-face mask (the full viewing window type or the spectacles type), and other variations of the masks. Accordingly, in the application of a full-face mask, the head strap may also be a three-point fixing type or a X-type, and the strap body has various possible numbers and shapes of openings as mentioned above.

Any modifications based on the above core content of the present invention are intended to be protected. Consequently, the above embodiments are used only to illustrate the implementations of the present invention and to explain the technical features of the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent arrangements that can be easily accomplished by those skilled in the art are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention should be limited by the claims of the patent application.

Claims

1. A water sports mask, comprising: a mask body; anda head strap connected to two sides of the mask body, wherein when a user wears the water sports mask, the head strap is configured to be wrapped around a head of the user to secure the mask body to a face of the user;characterized in that:the head strap comprises a strap body and at least one accessory, and the strap body is provided with at least one opening so that the at least one accessory is selectively and detachably coupled to the strap body through the at least one opening.

2. The water sports mask of claim 1, wherein the at least one accessory comprises a plurality of accessories, and each of the accessories has an end portion, an ornamental portion opposite to the end portion, and a neck portion formed therebetween; and wherein the at least one opening includes a plurality of openings, and each of the openings has a shape corresponding to a cross-section of the neck portion so that when one of the accessories is coupled to one of the openings, the accessory is configured to be accommodated in the opening as being coupled, and the end portion and the ornamental portion of the coupled accessory are located on an inner side and an outer side of the strap body, respectively.

3. The water sports mask of claim 2, wherein the shape is rectangular or circular.

4. The water sports mask of claim 3, wherein the end portion of each of the accessories has a conical shape or a mushroom shape.

5. The water sports mask of claim 1, wherein at least one of the strap body of the head strap and the at least one accessory is made of a soft material with a Shore A hardness of 20 to 80, and the soft material is selected from thermosetting silicone rubber, thermoplastic rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane or any combinations thereof.

6. A head strap for a water sports mask, in which the water sports mask comprises a mask body and the head strap, and the head strap is connected to two sides of the mask body so that when a user wears the water sports mask, the head strap is configured to be wrapped around a head of the user to secure the mask body to a face of the user, characterized in that the head strap comprises: a strap body and at least one accessory, wherein the strap body is provided with at least one opening so that the at least one accessory is selectively and detachably coupled to the strap body through the at least one opening.

7. The head strap of claim 6, wherein the at least one accessory comprises a plurality of accessories, and each of the accessories has an end portion, an ornamental portion opposite to the end portion, and a neck portion formed therebetween; and wherein the at least one opening includes a plurality of openings, and each of the openings has a shape corresponding to a cross-section of the neck portion so that when one of the accessories is coupled to one of the openings, the accessory is configured to be accommodated in the opening as being coupled, and the end portion and the ornamental portion of the coupled accessory are located on an inner side and an outer side of the strap body, respectively.

8. The head strap of claim 7, wherein the shape is rectangular or circular.

9. The head strap of claim 8, wherein the end portion of each of the accessories has a conical shape or a mushroom shape.

10. The head strap of claim 6, wherein at least one of the strap body of the head strap and the at least one accessory is made of a soft material with a Shore A hardness of 20 to 80, and the soft material is selected from thermosetting silicone rubber, thermoplastic rubber, thermoplastic polyurethane or any combinations thereof.