HEADGEAR SHIELD

Abstract

In one aspect, a headgear shield is disclosed, which includes a clip for removable and replaceable coupling to a headgear, and a face shield configured for coupling to said clip for at least partially providing a barrier between a face of an individual wearing the headgear and an ambient environment.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Provisional Application No. 63/004,242 filed on Apr. 2, 2020 having the same title as the present application and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to a shield for a headgear, and more particularly, to such a shield that can provide a barrier between a person wearing the headgear and the ambient environment.

The emergence of COVID-19 virus as a pandemic has accentuated the need for ways to provide protection against environmental contaminants. For example, during the present pandemic, in addition to medical personnel, many people in “front line” industries such as delivery personnel, take-out restaurant workers, and anyone who needs to work within the proximity of others require the ability to “distance themselves” from others.

Typical face shields, however, suffer from a number of shortcomings. In particular, typical face shields have complicated structures and are generally costly to fabricate. For example, typical face shields require an adjustable headband with a foam barrier to prevent inadvertent droplet contamination and a mechanism for head-size adjustment.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a headgear shield is disclosed, which includes a clip for removable and replaceable coupling to a headgear, and a face shield configured for coupling to said clip for at least partially providing a barrier between a face of an individual wearing the headgear and an ambient environment.

In some embodiments, the face shield is configured to be coupled to said clip via a snap-fit mechanism. By way of example, the snap-fit mechanism can include a plurality of protrusions provided on the clip and a plurality of depressions provided on the face shield, where the protrusions are configured to be snapped into the depressions for coupling the shield to the clip.

In some embodiments, the clip can include one or more connectors for coupling the clip to the headgear. In some such embodiments, these connectors can be in the form of snap-fit connectors. In some embodiments, the face shield can be formed of a polymeric material (e.g., polycarbonate) that is substantially transparent to visible radiation.

In some embodiments, the face shield is sufficiently flexible to allow its flexure into a curved form when it is coupled to the clip. The curved form can provide enhanced protection of the wearer's face again environmental contaminants, such as aerosols and droplets. For example, such a curved configuration can provide full-face coverage of the wearer's face.

The clip can be formed of any suitable material, such as any suitable plastic, e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene, ultem, PVC, polycarbonate, etc. (glass filled or not).

In some embodiments, the face shield can be disposable. In other embodiments, the face shield can be washed and reused. Further, in some embodiments, the clip can be used with different face shields.

As discussed in more detail below, the present teachings can be employed to provide a face shield for a variety of different types of headgears, e.g., baseball caps, construction helmets, etc. For example, the headgear can be a billed cap and the clip can be configured for coupling to the cap's rim.

Further understanding of various aspects of the invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the associated drawings, which are described briefly below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a headgear shield according to an embodiment of the present teachings, which is coupled to a billed cap,

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a clip of the headgear shield coupled to the cap, and

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a face shield of the headgear shield in a flat configuration prior to its coupling to the clip of the headgear shield.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present teachings generally provide a headgear shield comprising a clip that can be removably and replaceably attached to a headgear (e.g., a baseball cap) and an optically transparent face shield that can be, in turn, replaceably and removably attached to the clip. In many such embodiments, the clip can provide full-face coverage. In many embodiments, the face shield can provide an optically clear barrier that can substantially inhibit aerosol and droplet contact with the user's face. Further, a headgear shield according to the present teachings can be fabricated at a low cost and can be easily coupled to a headgear, which can increase the likelihood of its use. Further, a headgear shield according to the present teachings can be coupled to different headgear sizes, and as such, in many embodiment, it does not require adjustable components. In addition, in some embodiments, informational and/or advertising messages, e.g., a company's website and/or telephone number for reordering the headgear shield, can be molded onto the clip.

The term “headgear” as used herein refers to any covering and/or protective device for the head, which can include, without limitation, hats, helmets, and other items worn on the head. In some embodiments disclosed herein, such a headgear can be a billed cap, such as a baseball cap, but it should be understood that the present teachings are not limited to any particular headgear and a shield according to the present teachings can be employed with a variety of different types of headgear. The term “about” as used herein indicates a maximum variation of 10% around a numerical value. The term “substantially” as used herein indicates a maximum variation of at most 10% from a complete state or condition. The term “optically clear” and “substantially transparent” are used herein interchangeably to indicate that visible radiation (e.g., radiation with wavelengths in a range of about 400 (nm to about 700 nm) can pass through the face shield so as to allow a wearer to be able to see the external environment. For example, in some embodiments, at least about 90 percent of the light energy incident on the face shield can pass through it.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a headgear shield 100 according to an embodiment of the present teachings, which is shown as being coupled to the rim of a cap, includes a clip 102 that is configured for removable and replaceable coupling to the cap's rim. In particular, in this embodiment, the clip 102 includes a plurality of snap-fit connectors 103 that can be used to removably and replaceably attach the clip to the cap's rim.

The clip can be formed of any suitable material. For example, in some embodiments, the clip can be formed of a plastic material, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, ultem, PVC, polycarbonate, etc. (glass filled or not). In some embodiments, the clip can be formed via injection molding, though any other suitable manufacturing technique can also be employed.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 as well as FIG. 3, the headgear shield 100 further includes a face shield 104 that can be removably and replaceably coupled to the clip 102 via a snap-fit mechanism. In particular, in this embodiment, the clip 102 includes a plurality of protrusions 105 that can be snapped into a plurality of openings 107 provided in the face shield 104.

In many embodiments, the face shield 104 provides an optically transparent barrier that can substantially protect the wearer's face from environmental contaminants, e.g., aerosol and droplet contact with the wearer's face. By way of example, the face shield 104 can be formed of polycarbonate, though other suitable materials can also be employed.

In this embodiment, the face shield 104 is in the form of a flat sheet that is sufficiently flexible to have a curved form when attached to the clip so as to provide a substantial, and preferably complete (full-face), coverage of the wearer's face, thereby providing maximum protection from environmental contaminants.

The face shield 104 can have a variety of different dimensions, By way of example, the face shield 104 can have a length (I) in a range of about 5 inches to about 10 inches, a width (w) in a range of about 3 inches to about 6 inches, and a thickness (t) in a range of about 0.020-0.040 inches, though other dimensions can also be employed.

In some embodiments, an ultra-violet (UV) protection layer can be deposited on the outer and/or inner surface of the face shield to protect the wearer's eyes from ambient UV radiation.

In some embodiments, informational and/or advertising messages can be printed on any of the clip or the face shield. For example, a company's tradename and/or logo can be printed on the clip.

In some embodiments, the clip and the face shield can be sold as a kit in an unassembled form, e.g., placed in a sealed plastic bag. Such an arrangement can provide for a flat package that can be easily shipped singularly or in multiples.

Those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various changes can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A headgear shield, comprising:

a clip for removable and replaceable coupling to a headgear, and

a face shield configured for coupling to said clip for at least partially providing a barrier between a face of an individual wearing the headgear and an ambient environment.

2. The headgear shield of claim 1, wherein said face shield is configured to be coupled to said clip via a snap-fit mechanism.

3. The headgear shield of claim 2, wherein said snap-fit mechanism comprises a plurality of protrusions provided on said clip and a plurality of depressions provided on said face shield, where the protrusions are configured to be snap fitted into said depressions for coupling said shield to said clip.

4. The headgear shield of claim 1, wherein said clip comprises one or more connectors for coupling said clip to the headgear.

5. The headgear shield of claim 4, wherein said one or more connectors comprise snap-fit connectors.

6. The headgear shield of claim 1, wherein said face shield comprises a plastic material that is substantially transparent to visible light.

7. The headgear shield of claim 1, wherein said face shield comprises polycarbonate.

8. The headgear shield of claim 1, wherein said face shield is flexible so as to be flexed into a curved form when coupled to said clip for providing an enhanced barrier between said wearer's face and the ambient environment.

9. The headgear shield of claim 1, wherein said face shield is configured to provide full face coverage.

10. The headgear shield of claim 1, wherein said comprises a plastic material.

11. The headgear shield of claim 1, wherein said headgear comprises a cap and said clip is configured for coupling to cap's brim.