ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT ASSEMBLIES

Abstract

An accessory attachment assembly includes a strap, a clip coupled with adjustable strap, and an accessory configured to be removably coupled with the clip. The accessory includes a base portion and an attachment portion, and the attachment portion extends from a surface of the base portion. The clip includes a hook portion configured to be removably inserted through an aperture of the attachment portion of the accessory, and the hook portion and the attachment portion are coupled together with an interference fit relationship to prevent removal of the accessory from the clip.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/040,366, filed Jun. 17, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to accessory attachment assemblies. In some embodiments, the accessary can be used to hold a protective mask that generally covers the nose and mouth of a user.

BACKGROUND

Medical type masks are used to protect the wearer from environmental factors such as dust and pollution. Masks are also often worn by patients who are immunocompromised as a result of sickness or disease in order to protect themselves from biological pathogens that may prove harmful to their health. Conversely, masks help protect healthcare workers and the general public from possible contamination by an ill individual via oral or nasal discharge as is a common result of coughing and sneezing.

A common issue faced by a user of a medical mask, particularly for extended periods of time, is that the elastic straps of the mask which are secured around the ears, becomes irritable and uncomfortable. For healthcare workers working long shifts, or immunocompromised patients required to wear a mask during all daily activities, the “ear-fatigue” caused by the straps of a mask can become unbearable. Likewise, when members of the general public are required to wear medical masks because of government imposed restriction such as may be the case during a pandemic or environmental crises, the ear fatigue experienced is likely to discourage them from adhering to such restrictive measures.

When masks are worn, they can inhibit both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication and personal expression. When healthcare providers wear face masks, particularly in the pediatric healthcare applications, it can inhibit their ability to connect with and relate to their patient on an emotional and psychological level because their ability to communicate non-verbally through smiling and other facial expressions is impacted.

It may be desirable to provide an accessory attachment assembly that can be removably attached to a strap while permitting an accessory to be added to and/or removed from the strap. Also, there is an outstanding need to provide an accessory attachment assembly for holding a mask that eliminates the discomfort experienced when traditional masks are used. It may be desirable to provide an adjustable accessory attachment assembly that permits the assembly to be used by persons of different size.

SUMMARY

In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, an accessory attachment assembly includes a strap configured to be removably placed about a user's head, a clip coupled with the strap, and an accessory configured to be removably coupled with the clip. The clip includes a hook portion configured to be removably inserted through an aperture of the accessory, the accessory includes a retaining feature configured to receive and hold an ear loop of a face mask worn by the user, and the hook portion of the clip is configured to receive and hold the ear loop of the face mask worn by the user.

According to various aspects of the disclosure, an accessory attachment assembly includes a strap, a clip coupled with adjustable strap, and an accessory configured to be removably coupled with the clip. The accessory includes a base portion and an attachment portion, and the attachment portion extends from a surface of the base portion. The clip includes a hook portion configured to be removably inserted through an aperture of the attachment portion of the accessory, and the hook portion and the attachment portion are coupled together with an interference fit relationship to prevent removal of the accessory from the clip.

The accessory may include any proprietary shapes or artwork such as animals, characters, logos, or other artwork, that configure to a semi-circle hook so that a mask may be attached to the accessory, in addition to the clip itself. The accessory may be a single monolithic piece of unitary construction or may be made of separate components such as an accessory charm and accessory backing. Accessories may be made of materials such as, but not limited to, soft rubbers such as silicone and PVC, thermoplastics, TPV, plastic (Polypropylene, Fluoropolymer), and the like.

The foregoing and other features of construction and operation of the disclosure will be more readily understood and appreciated from the following disclosure, taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary accessory attachment assembly in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the accessory attachment assembly of FIG. 1 in a partially assembled configuration.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the accessory attachment assembly of FIG. 1 with a mask.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a partially assembled configuration of the accessory attachment assembly of FIG. 1 with a mask.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of clips and a strap of the accessory attachment assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the assembled strap and clips of the accessory attachment assembly of FIG. 1

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an exemplary accessory attachment assembly in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure in a partially assembled configuration.

FIG. 8 is a rear view of the accessory attachment assembly of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of accessory attachment assembly of FIG. 7 with a mask.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are front views of two exemplary implementations of the accessory attachment assembly of FIG. 7.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the implementation of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-5 illustrate an exemplary accessory attachment assembly 10 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, the assembly 10 may include a clip 12, a strap 14, and an accessory 16. The clip 12 is configured to hold the accessory 16 as described in more detail below. The clip 12 includes slots 18, 19 configured to receive the strap 14 in order to couple the clip 12 to the strap 14, as would be understood by persons skilled in the art. The clip 12 also includes a hook portion 20 terminating in a hook end 22. As illustrated, the hook portion 20 may be configured in a J shape. The accessory 16 includes an aperture 26 and a retaining feature 28. The aperture 26 is configured to receive the hook portion 20 of the clip 12, and the retaining feature 28 is configured to receive and retain a strap 34 of a mask 30 (FIGS. 3 and 4).

Referring to FIG. 5, the strap 14 may be configured as an open-ended strap having two free ends 24. A clip 12 is attached at each end of the strap 14 by inserting the free end 24 through slot 18 in one direction and through slot 19 in a reverse direction such that the strap 14 can be pulled through the slots 18, 19 to adjust a length of the strap 14 that extends between the two clips 12. The strap 14 with the two clips 12 can be worn as a headband and may accommodate various head sizes. The strap 14 may, in some aspects, be configured as an elastic band as is commonly used for various headwear and clothing applications. Alternatively, a cloth headband with an adjustable Velcro closure may be implemented to accommodate various head sizes. After the clips 12 are attached at each end of the strap 14, the free ends 24 may be sewn to together to form a closed loop, as shown in FIG. 6. It should be appreciated that the strap 14 can be worn on a user's head or outside of a cap or hat on a user's head. It should also be appreciated that the strap 14 can be folded in half with the clips 12 disposed at opposite ends of the folded strap 14, as would be understood by persons skilled in the art.

In some aspects, after the free ends 24 of the strap 14 are fed through the slots 18, 19 of the clip 12, the free ends 24 can be folded back onto the strap 14 and sewn to the strap 14 to form an open loop, as would be understood by persons skilled in the art.

The clip 12 and the accessory 16 can include, but are not limited to, nylon, plastic, wood, acrylic, and the like. The strap 14 can include, but is not limited to, nylon, plastic, elastic, fabric, and the like.

Before or after the clip 12 is attached to the strap 14, the accessory 16 can be removably attached to the hook portion 20 by aligning the aperture 26 of the accessory 16 with the hook end 22 so that the hook end 22 can be pushed through the aperture 26 of the accessory 16. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the hook end 22 may include a portion 23 having an enlarged cross-section that is slightly larger than a cross-sectional dimension 27 of the aperture 26 of the accessory 16. The accessory 16 may be made of a material that is more flexible than a material of the hook portion 20 such that when the enlarged cross-section portion 23 of the hook end 22 is inserted through the aperture 26, the aperture 26 is configured to expand due to the larger cross-section portion 23 of the hook end 22. After the larger cross-section portion 23 of the hook end 22 exits an opposite end of the aperture 26, the cross-sectional dimension 27 of the aperture 26 of the accessory 16 can return to a smaller dimension 27, thus preventing the accessory 16 from being removed from the clip 12 without a positive force being applied by the user that would be sufficient to push the enlarged cross-section portion 23 of the hook end 22 backward through the aperture 26. In other words, the aforementioned configuration prevents the accessory 16 from being accidentally or unintentionally removed from the clip 12.

In some aspects, a curved portion 25 of the hook portion 20 adjacent to the hook end 22 may have a cross-sectional dimension 21 that is smaller than, equal to, or larger than the cross-sectional dimension 27 of the aperture 26 to provide various degrees of an interference fit between the curved portion 25 and the aperture 26.

As shown in FIG. 3, once the clips 12 are attached to the strap 14 and the strap 14 is configured as a headband for an individual, the mask straps 34 can be looped into the retaining feature 28 of the accessory 16. As illustrated, the retaining feature 28 of the accessory may also be curved and configured to receive the mask strap 24 at a base 29 of the curve to prevent the mask strap 34 from inadvertently sliding out of the accessory 16 when being worn by a person. In some aspects, the accessory 16 may have one or more additional retaining features 28′.

In some aspects, the clip 12 may not include an attached accessory, as shown in FIG. 4. In such aspects, the hook 20 of the clip 12 may also be curved and configured to receive the mask strap 34 at a base of the curved portion 25 to prevent the mask strap 34 from inadvertently sliding out of the clip 12 when being worn by a person. It should be appreciated that even in an embodiment where the accessory 16 is attached to the clip 12, the mask strap 34 may be coupled with the hook 20 of the clip 12 rather than being attached directly to the accessory 16.

By attaching the mask ear loop 34 to the hook 20 of the clip 12 or into the retaining feature 28 of the accessory 16, the mask ear loops 34 are removed from their traditional position on a user's ears, consequently eliminating ear fatigue and discomfort due to prolonged pulling of the mask ear loops 34 against the ears.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate another exemplary accessory attachment assembly 110 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. This exemplary assembly 110 includes a clip 112, a strap 114, and an accessory 116. The strap 114 may be a headband, a lanyard, a keychain, a pet collar, or the like. The clip 112 is configured to hold the accessory 116 as described in more detail below. The clip 112 includes slots 118, 119 configured to receive the strap 114 in order to couple the clip 112 to the strap 114, as would be understood by persons skilled in the art. The clip 112 also includes a hook portion 120 terminating in a hook end 122. As illustrated, the hook portion 120 may be configured in a J shape.

The accessory 116 includes a base portion 150 and an attachment portion 152. The base portion 150 has a first surface 154 and a second surface 156, and the attachment portion 152 extends from the second surface 156. The first surface 154 may include an arbitrary design, a company logo, a bar code, personal or pet identification information, etc., and the second surface 156 may be a planar surface.

The base portion 150 and the attachment portion 152 of the accessory 116 may be a single monolithic piece of unitary construction or may be made of separate components. If provided as separate components, the attachment portion 152 may be affixed to the base portion 150 with an adhesive such as, for example, cyanoacrylate (CA) glue, polyethylene (PE) glue, or the like. Also, if provided as separate components, the base portion 150 and the attachment portion 152 may be made of different materials or the same material. In either case, the attachment portion 152 may be integral to the base portion 150. As illustrated, the attachment portion 152 defines an aperture 153 sized and configured to receive the hook portion 120 of the clip 112.

FIG. 8 shows the accessory 116 attached to the clip 112. The aperture 153 of the attachment portion 152 is configured to receive the hook portion 120 such that the hook portion 120 remains attached to the clip 112 while in use. Before or after the clip 112 is attached to the strap 114, the accessory 116 can be removably attached to the hook portion 120 by aligning the aperture 153 of the base portion 150 with the hook end 122 so that the hook end 122 can be pushed through the aperture 153 of the base portion 150. For example, referring to FIG. 7, the hook portion 120 may include a portion 123 having an enlarged cross-section that is slightly larger than a cross-sectional dimension 155 of the base portion 150 of the accessory 116. The accessory 116 may be made of a material that is more flexible than a material of the hook portion 120 such that when the enlarged cross-section portion 123 of the hook portion 120 is inserted through the aperture 153, the aperture 153 is configured to expand due to the larger cross-section portion 123 of the hook portion 120, thus providing an interference fit relationship that prevents the accessory 116 from being removed from the clip 112 without a positive force being applied by the user that would be sufficient to push the enlarged cross-section portion 123 of the hook portion 120 backward through the aperture 153. In other words, the aforementioned configuration prevents the accessory 116 from being accidentally or unintentionally removed from the clip 112.

In some aspects, a curved portion 125 of the hook portion 120 adjacent to the hook end 122 may be configured such that the hook portion 120 cannot be removed from the aperture 153 without be aligned at a particular angle. For example, a distance D from a bottom surface 125′ of the curved portion 125 to a top surface 122′ of the hook end 122 in a direction perpendicular to a tangent of the bottom surface 125′ and/or the top surface 122′ may be greater than a second dimension 155′ of the aperture 153.

FIG. 9. shows an aspect of the accessory attachment assembly 110 where the mask ear loop 34 of the mask 30 can be looped around the accessory 116 to hold the mask 30. If the accessory 116 is not attached to the clip 112, the mask ear loop 34 could be looped around the hook portion 120 of the clip 112. It should be appreciated that even in an embodiment where the accessory 116 is attached to the clip 112, the mask ear loop 34 may be coupled with the hook 120 of the clip 112 rather than being attached directly to the accessory 116.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate two additional uses for the accessory attachment assembly 110 described previously. The clip 112 may be configured to a strap 114 in different fashions wherein multiple clips 112 are disposed on the strap 114 to create various products such as a lanyard 160 or a keychain 162. The lanyard 160 and/or keychain 162 can be accessorized with one or more accessories 116 as desired.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary clasp 170 that can be used with the strap 114 to permit clips 112 and/or accessories 116 to be added to or removed from the strap 114 as desired. Of course, various other conventional clasps 170 can be employed for such a purpose.

While this disclosure has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents, which fall within the scope of this disclosure. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An accessory attachment assembly comprising:

a strap configured to be removably placed about a user's head;

a clip coupled with the strap; and

an accessory configured to be removably coupled with the clip,

wherein the clip includes a hook portion configured to be removably inserted through an aperture of the accessory,

wherein the accessory includes a retaining feature configured to receive and hold an ear loop of a face mask worn by the user, and

wherein the hook portion of the clip is configured to receive and hold the ear loop of the face mask worn by the user.

2. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the aperture has a first cross-sectional dimension and the hook portion includes a second cross-sectional dimension, and

wherein the second cross-sectional dimension is greater than the first cross-sectional dimension.

3. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein the accessory is more flexible than the hook portion such that the aperture is configured to expand to permit the hook portion to be inserted through the aperture.

4. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 2, wherein the accessory is configured to be coupled with the hook portion in an interference fit.

5. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the strap is configured as a closed loop.

6. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 5, further comprising a second clip coupled with the strap,

wherein the second clip includes a second hook portion configured to be removably inserted through an aperture of a second accessory,

wherein the second accessory includes a retaining feature configured to receive and hold a second ear loop of the face mask worn by the user, and

wherein the second hook portion of the second clip is configured to receive and hold the second ear loop of the face mask worn by the user.

7. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 6, wherein the clip and the second clip are movable along the strap.

8. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the accessory includes a base portion and an attachment portion,

wherein the base portion includes a first surface and a second surface that face away from one another,

wherein the second surface is a planar surface, and

wherein the attachment portion extends from the second surface.

9. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 8, wherein the attachment portion includes the aperture, and the aperture opens in a direction parallel with the planar surface.

10. An accessory attachment assembly comprising:

a strap;

a clip coupled with adjustable strap; and

an accessory configured to be removably coupled with the clip,

wherein the accessory includes a base portion and an attachment portion, the attachment portion extending from a surface of the base portion,

wherein the clip includes a hook portion configured to be removably inserted through an aperture of the attachment portion of the accessory, and

wherein the hook portion and the attachment portion are coupled together with an interference fit relationship to prevent removal of the accessory from the clip.

11. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 10, wherein the surface is a planar surface, and

wherein the base portion includes a second surface that faces away from the planar surface in an opposite direction.

12. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 11, wherein the aperture opens in a direction parallel with the planar surface.

13. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 12, wherein the aperture has a first cross-sectional dimension and the hook portion includes a second cross-sectional dimension, and

wherein the second cross-sectional dimension is greater than the first cross-sectional dimension.

14. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 13, wherein the accessory is more flexible than the hook portion such that the aperture is configured to expand to permit the hook portion to be inserted through the aperture.

15. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 10, wherein the strap is configured as a closed loop and the clip is movable along the strap.

16. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 15, further comprising a second clip movably coupled with the strap,

wherein the second clip includes a second hook portion configured to be removably inserted through an aperture of a second accessory,

wherein the second accessory includes a retaining feature configured to receive and hold a second ear loop of the face mask worn by the user, and

wherein the second hook portion of the second clip is configured to receive and hold the second ear loop of the face mask worn by the user.

17. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 10, wherein the strap has two free ends.

18. The accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 17, wherein the clip is movable along the strap.

19. A lanyard comprising the accessory attachment assembly as defined in claim 17, the lanyard further comprising:

a clasp,

wherein the clasp is configured to couple the two free ends together to form the lanyard.

20. The lanyard as defined in claim 19, further comprising:

a second clip; and

a second accessory,

wherein the second accessory includes a base portion and an attachment portion, the attachment portion of the second accessory extending from a surface of the base portion of the second accessory,

wherein the second clip includes a hook portion configured to be removably inserted through an aperture of the attachment portion of the second accessory,

wherein the hook portion of the second clip and the attachment portion of the second accessory are coupled together with an interference fit relationship to prevent removal of the second accessory from the second clip, and

wherein the clip and the second clip are movable along the strap.