Reversible hair-protecting under-helmet hood

Abstract

A convenient head-covering device that: is easy to put on and secure; provides a desirable amount of hair-do retention while protective head wear is put over the head; is thin enough that a hard hat or helmet fits snugly and properly over it for safety and comfort; fits the head securely without shifting during use with a helmet or hard hat; protects the helmet or hard hat lining from dirt, oils or styling products on the wearer's head; reduces static electricity from friction between the helmet and the hair and; is attractive to wear even when a helmet is not required and; is reversible providing two different aesthetics in one garment.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of PPA No. 60/864,935 filed on Nov. 08, 2006 by the present inventor that is incorporated by reference.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

None

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to a head cover, specifically to such an article to be worn with a hard hat or helmet or other protective headwear.

2. Prior Art

Wearing a helmet has become a necessary precaution for a great number of recreational activities and 2-wheeled methods of transport. Though the helmet provides unparalleled protection to the head, it creates the undesired hair-messing and crushing after-effect known as “helmet head”—the matted and crimped appearance of one's hair after a helmet is removed from the head. In the past there have been various clothing articles for covering the head and acting as a lining between the wearer and a hard hat or helmet. These have included balaclavas that are long knit caps and stretch to conform closely to the shape of the wearer's head. The wearer's hair is pulled uncontrollably into undesired positions and held that way when the elastic balaclava is pulled over the head. Hair becomes bent, swirled, or crimped under the cap's inherent clinging force. When the wearer removes the cap, their hair is messed up and misshapen from the experience. Such effects are undesirable and discouraging to anyone who must wear a helmet or hard hat over their hair.

Other similar items are made as utilitarian liners to protect against the elements of cold, wind or sun. As well as being unattractive, these hard hat lining hoods are too bulky to be worn under a helmet and may cover part of the face. None of the items mentioned thus far are attractive to look at, nor would they be worn as a fashionable item. Scarves or handkerchiefs are a third category. They must be carefully placed over the hair and tied in a knot. They are awkward to tie, unpredictable when a helmet slides over them, can shift position when putting on or removing a helmet, and in shifting, can become too tight around the chin or neck and move out of their desired position over the hair leaving hair, again vulnerable to unwanted crimps and bends.

In other inventions hair style protection devices protect portions of a “hair-do” while the wearer goes about their business, but they do not cover the head completely nor are they designed to withstand the stresses of a helmet being put on and taken off. While these items are effective in some matters, none of them encompass all the qualities of:

• • allowing the wearer to control the way their hair lies when donning the head cover and the head cover subsequently holding the hair in place as desired, giving the utmost protection to the wearer's hair-do while the head cover is worn being easy to put on without the need to tie awkward knots or manipulate awkward closers
  • remaining securely in position while a helmet, hard hat or other protective piece of headwear is being put on or taken off
  • reducing the creation of static electricity on the hair due to friction caused by sliding a helmet over the hair
  • being of such nominal thickness that a piece of protective headwear may easily slide over the head cover and fit properly for safety and comfort
  • having an attractive appearance, enough so that it may be worn even when protective head wear is not
  • being reversible so that the wearer may choose the colour and/or pattern they wish to be visible as it suits them.

Therefore, no prior art simultaneously accomplishes the goal of providing a convenient head-covering device that: is easy to put on and secure; provides the desirable amount of hair-do retention while protective head wear is put over the head; is thin enough that a hard hat or helmet fits snugly and properly over it for safety and comfort; fits the head securely without shifting during use with a helmet or hard hat; reduces static electricity from friction between the helmet and the hair and; is aesthetically pleasing in part due to its reversibility.

SUMMARY

Broadly, the embodiments of my head cover may be described as a novel, attractive head covering, reversible and useful in protecting the wearer's hair and helmet lining. Thus the reader will see that at least one embodiment of the improved under-helmet hood provides for a smooth faced, non-elastic cap that fits snugly to the head and secures easily under the chin to provide protection both to the wearer's hair-do from shifting and bending, as well as protection to the interior of the protective head wear from styling products and natural oils. This protection also reduces the occurrence of static electricity caused by friction between the wearer's hair and the helmet or hard hat, and is also aesthetically pleasing and reversible.

Additional objects, advantages and features of the present device will become apparent from the following description and accompanying claims, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS—FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the front of the head-covering hood showing the under-chin snap unfastened.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the rear of the head-covering hood showing the under-chin snap unfastened.

FIG. 1C is a perspective of the left side view of the hood constructed in accordance with the device showing the under-chin snap unfastened.

FIG. 2 is a perspective of left side view of the hood on a wearer showing the reversed face to the exterior, the snap is fastened.

FIG. 3 is a perspective of the hood on a wearer with a helmet.

FIG. 4-5 are perspectives of the hood being inverted or reversed to exposed an alternate aesthetic appearance.

FIG. 6 is a perspective of a possible variation on the shape of the hood.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

10  helmet hood
11  layer A
12  layer B
13  reinforced under-chin points
13A non-woven interface
14  mechanical closer
15  neckline
16  contour line
17  face opening
18  form-fitting top panel
19A form-fitting side panel, right
    side
19B form-fitting side panel, left
    side
20  center back seam
21  point at crown of head

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIGS. 1-3—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The embodiments described below in reference to the foregoing figures are not all-inclusive of potential embodiments, but represent the more preferred and critical embodiments necessary to accomplish the various objects. Accordingly, while there are various preferred embodiments as above noted, the proceeding figures illustrate the most preferred combination. Once an element is described and numbered for one embodiment, the description is not repeated for other figures except in certain instances to improve clarity of understanding.

FIG. 1A and B are front and rear views, respectively, of a novel head-covering apparatus or hood, generally indicated as 10. It is comprised of two opposite (one inward and one outward) layers of woven fabric A & B, 11 and 12 respectively, which are sewn or fused together in a contiguous seam leaving no opening between them. Layers A and B 11 and 12 are identical, each being comprised of a form-fitting top panel 18 and form-fitting right and left side panels 19A and B. The three pieces are cut and sewn along contour seams 16 and back seam 20 to create contiguous 3-dimensional curves that fit the contour of the dome of a person's head. These individual pieces can vary in their individual shapes and configuration, but when assembled together ultimately comprise a dome-like form such as would fit the form of a person's head.

Layers A and B 11 and 12 are aligned and matched with one another, their corresponding domes and their corresponding perimeters matched for shape. In the matched state, the inner and outer fabrics are sewn or fused together along their corresponding matched edges with the fabrics faced back-to-back. In other words, the desired or good side of each layer facing out and the back side is inside the sewn-together garment. The hood is enclosed from the top, sides and back all of which meet at a point at the crown 21. The open portion along the front and bottom is comprised of a face opening 17 and a neckline 15 and is large enough to allow the hood to fit over the head. The face opening 17 is a substantially vertical rounded cut-out that is high and wide enough to circumscribe the face. As a result of the described critical cutting and shaping, when the hood is worn, the face opening 17 circumscribes the wearer's forehead and face. It is positioned behind a wearer's eyes, above the brow line and in front of the ears. The horizontal bottom edge of the neckline 15 extends forward and down below the wearer's jaw to the under-chin points 13. These points 13 are long enough to overlap each other under the wearer's chin.

FIG. 1C is a perspective of the hood 10 shown from the left side. This view shows the under-chin points 13 more clearly. The points 13 are each reinforced with an additional layer of fabric or interfacing 13A which completely encompasses the area where a conventional mechanical closer 14 occurs in order to fortify the fabric against the wear and tear of the mechanical closer's manner of being secured to the fabric and its subsequent use. The extent of the interfacing 13A is shown as a dashed line to illustrate that it is enclosed between layers A and B 11 and 12 within the sewn hood 10 and not at all outwardly visible.

The closer 14 is secured in accordance with its manufacture to one of each of the under-chin straps in such a position as to secure one point to the other in a flat and unobtrusive profile. The current notion for this closer is decorative snap, though other types of closer could also be used.

The first and second woven fabric layers are of a substantially common weave and composition and are selected from the group consisting of satins, silks, rayons, and other smooth-faced material.

FIG. 2 is a perspective of the left side of the under-helmet hood 10 on a wearer shown reversed with layer B 12 to the outside and layer A 11 (not shown) to the inside with the closer 14 in a closed position. The left side contour seam 16 is symmetrical to that on the right side. The contour seam 16 allows the hood 10 to conform to the curve of the head and create a snugly-fit form. The face opening 17 and neckline 15 are also symmetrical. The face opening 17 occurs outside of the wearer's peripheral vision yet covers the hair line. The under-chin points 13 overlap from their respective sides to bring the two parts of the mechanical closer 14 into alignment and into a secured closed position. The neckline 15 circles from the nape of the neck to under the chin.

FIG. 3 illustrates how the helmet hood 10 is worn under a helmet The form fitting profile keeps the wearer's hair stationary while the helmet is being pulled onto the head and provides a smooth surface between the hair and the helmet lining allowing hair to remain in place and not be gripped by the helmet lining pulling it into undesirable positions.

FIGS. 4-5 show the hood 10 being inverted from having layer A 11 facing outward to the same layer being turned to inward. As shown, the point on the crown 21 is inverted and pulled through the void that comprises the face opening 17 and the neck line 15. In this reversed position as shown in FIG. 5 the layer B 12 is the outward facing layer and layer 11 faces inward.

FIG. 6 is the hood 10 in a possible variation of form. In this figure the top panel 18 extends from the face opening to the neckline 15. The point at the crown of the head 21 and the back seam 20 are negated in this variation. The shape and configuration of the individual fabric panels come together to fit the dome of a person's head in the same manner as the form illustrated in FIGS. 1A through 5.

Apart from the broad description of these embodiments, the sole involvements are to use conventional and/or known fabric technology for above-designated preferred fabrics and methods. The two separate fabric faces have substantially identical inner and outer cross-sections and/or dimensions. Obviously, the head cover's dome shape is cut and sewn to have an inner diameter that corresponds to a person's skull or head outer diameter with adjustments made in the cutting of the panels to accommodate larger or smaller heads. Accordingly, the present embodiments of the under-helmet hood and the method does not lie in specific dimensions but in the simplicity of the above broadly-described steps. Likewise the steps of cutting and sewing involve conventional well known technology, requiring no specific description thereof.

Operational Description FIGS. 1-6

FIGS. 2-3 illustrate the hood 10 being worn. To wear the hood 10, one simply slides the open hood onto the crown of the head with the face opening 17 to the front. The dome-shaped contour seams 16 sit comfortably on the dome of the head. The face opening 17 circumscribes the face. The wearer then takes hold of the under-chin points 13, pulls them close to the chin overlapping them in accordance with the mechanical closer's 14 orientation (one side over the other) and fits the closer securely together into the closed position. With the hood 10 securely in place the wearer can now smoothly and easily slide the hard hat, protective head wear or helmet (as shown in FIG. 3) over the hood 10 and head with the hair safely in place under the silky protective hood 10. The hood 10 protects the wearer's hair from becoming ensnarled in the often textured interior lining of the helmet.

FIGS. 4-5 show the hood 10 being inverted or reversed to expose the opposite layer of fabric to the outside. To reverse the hood, one simply pushes the point at the crown 21 from the outside through the opening that is, the combined face opening 17 and the neckline 15, until the opposite layer is fully exposed to the outside. This embodiment provides the added advantage of two aesthetic choices in one garment.

The hood 10 as shown in all FIG. 6 is operated in a similar manner as in all other FIGS by sliding the hood over the head and securing the closer 14 under the chin. In the case of FIG. 6 the top panel 18 and contour seams 16 extend over the crown of the head and terminating at the neckline 15 negating the need for back seam 20 or the point at the crown of the head 21. This variation is worn and is reversible in the same manner as FIGS. 1A through 5.

Conclusions, Ramifications and Scope

The reader will see that, according to one embodiment of the device, I have provided a novel under-helmet hood; to allow the wearer to control how hair is being held under the hood; to allow hair to slide inside the hood without being gripped by the surface texture; to provide separation between the head and the helmet lining so that condensation will not dampen hair thus crimping it; to protect the helmet lining from the hair products and/or natural oils present on the head; to give the wearer two aesthetic options by reversing which side faces out; and to provide an attractive head cover when the hood is worn without a helmet. While the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment, but as exemplification of the presently preferred embodiments thereof. Many other ramifications and variations are possible within the teachings of the various embodiments. For example the hood may be elongated to extend down the neck for further protection, it be made of any number of materials for fashionable looks, it may be vented with gaps or mesh to allow heat and moisture to escape, its shape could be altered for a sculptural affect, the shape could be extended under the chin to allow for any number of methods of securing the hood to the head including tying a knot, it may be worn while dressing or trying on clothes to prevent the buildup of static electricity on the hair, along with many other possible variations.

Thus the scope of the device should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the examples given.

Claims

1. I claim a head-covering device comprising: whereby it may be worn as an article of fashion as well as protection to hair and helmet lining.

a) a fabric garment fitted to the shape and size of a human head,

b) said fabric garment comprising two substantially equal fabric layers (11) and (12),

c) said layers being sewn or fused together with the first said layer inverted into the second said layer,

d) said fabric garment being sewn or fused together to be reversible to create one garment with two possible appearances,

e) said fabric garment having means for closure (14) in order to secure it into position on a wearer's head,

f) said fabric garment being of such nominal thickness that a helmet or other protective headwear may easily slide over the garment and fit properly for comfort and safety and,

g) said fabric garment being constructed with such aesthetically pleasing materials and form