HEADBAND

Abstract

A headband with a connecting strap extending between opposite ends of the body of the headband. The width of the connecting strap is narrow, and the length of the connecting strap is short relative to the width and length of the body of the headband. The strap extends beneath the wearer's hair between the wearer's ears and is preferably formed of a soft fabric material. The strap thereby comfortably secures the headband in position without the wearer's hair bunching over it.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/212,183, filed Jun. 18, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improvement in headbands and more particularly, to a headband having a relatively narrow fabric strap that extends across the back of the wearer's neck, under their hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Headbands are commonly worn around the head as a decorative fashion accessory or for utilitarian purposes such as to keep the wearer's hair or perspiration out of the eyes. Headbands come in assorted shapes and sizes. Generally, a headband consists of a strip of cloth or curved plastic worn in the hair that fits closely over the top of the head and behind the ears and under the hair across the top of the back of the wearer's neck. Headbands can take the form of a loop of elastic material or a horseshoe shaped piece of flexible plastic or metal that fits closely over the top of the head and behind the ears. Other headbands may take the form of a bandana type cloth extending beneath the hair that ties at the top of the wearer's head. These traditional headbands can be bulky, uncomfortable and slip or easily dislodge from the desired position on the wearer's head.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, the headband of the present invention includes a connecting strap or strip extending between opposite ends of the body of the headband. The connecting strap is narrow relative to the body of the headband and is preferably formed of a soft fabric material. The connecting strap comfortably secures the headband in position without the bulk of other headbands and can be concealed by the wearer's hair.

In one aspect, the headband of the present invention provides a combination of a headband body and a connecting strap for securing the headband in a desired position on the wearer's head.

In another aspect, the headband of the present invention provides a headband which does not dislodge from its preferred position on the wearer's head. In a further aspect, the headband of the present invention prevents hair or perspiration from getting into the wearer's eyes. In yet another aspect, the headband of the present invention extends beneath the wearer's hair without unnecessary bulk and creates an aesthetically pleasing appearance. In yet another aspect, the headband of the present invention comfortably maintains its position on the wearer's head.

Other advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings with reference to various exemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrative image of a first embodiment of the headband in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the headband of FIG. 1 worn on a wearer's head;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the headband of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the headband of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative image of a second embodiment of the headband in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the headband of FIG. 5 worn on a wearer's head; and

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the headband of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of select embodiments of the invention are described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. But the description itself is not intended to necessarily limit the scope of embodiments thereof. Rather, the subject matter might be embodied in other ways to include different components, steps, or combinations thereof similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described. The terms “about” or “approximately” as used herein denote deviations from the exact value in the form of changes or deviations that are insignificant to the function.

Looking to FIG. 1, in an exemplary embodiment the headband 100 has an elongated body 110 extending between first and second ends, with a relatively narrow (as compared to the width of the headband body) connecting strap 120 attached between the first and second ends of the body, thus presenting a continuous ring, loop or circular configuration.

Turning to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the headband 100 is depicted as worn on the wearer's head 102, extending beneath the wearer's hair 104 and behind the wearer's ears 106, to hold the hair 104 back away from the wearer's face 108.

The body 110 of the headband 100 is an elongated, substantially rectangular strip preferably formed of cloth fabric having a width of approximately 3½ inches, a length of approximately 16 inches, a first end 134 and a second, opposite end 136. The body 110 may be sized differently to accommodate larger or smaller head sizes. The fabric is preferably a soft, flexible, cotton fabric or cotton blend, such as 100% cotton, or an 80%/20% polyester cotton blend. Preferably, the body 110 includes two layers of the fabric, assembled by folding the fabric lengthwise and stitching it together inside-out with a ¼ inch seam from the fabric edge on the long, unfolded side. The first and second ends 134 and 136 are initially left open and not stitched closed. The finished size of the headband after folding and seaming is preferably approximately 1.5 inches wide, with a nominal length of 16 inches, sized to fit most adults. In alternative embodiments, the length of the headband can be varied to provide other sizes, such as shorter lengths for children or longer lengths for larger adults.

Connecting strap 120 is preferably formed from a single layer of a soft, cotton fabric of the type typically used for t-shirts. This fabric selection enhances the fit and comfort of the headband while still providing adequate structure. The strap 120 is substantially rectangular with a width of approximately no more than 1 inch and a length of approximately 6½ inches, with a first end 154 and a second opposite end 156. Thus, the length of the strap 120 is less than the length of the body 110, and similarly, the width of the strap 120 is less than the width of the body 110, i.e., the strap 120 is shorter and narrower than the body 110. As can be seen in FIG. 1, while the nominal width of the connecting strap is approximately 1 inch, in use the center portion of the connecting strap may curl or fold such that the apparent width is less.

The strap ends 154 and 156 are secured to the first and second body ends 134 and 136 preferably by stitching. More specifically, in assembly each strap end 154 and 156 is inserted between the layers of the body 110 at the open ends 134 and 136 thereof and then the body ends 134 and 136 are stitched closed while also securing the strap ends 154 and 156 thereto to form a continuous loop or ring. In alternative embodiments, any means of securing the ends together may be used, such as adhesive, staples, Velcro®. The strap size may be adjusted to conform to different head sizes for optimum fit and comfort.

This combination of fabrics offers excellent quality of wear, ease of care such as machine-washing, comfort, stretch, durability and absorption. In other exemplary embodiments, other materials, such as flexible plastic, may be used.

Looking to FIGS. 3 and 4 in conjunction, the strap's length and width allow the strap 120 to extend under the wearer's hair without being visible and providing comfort and good fit without the wearer's hair bunching up over the strap 120. More particularly, as seen in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 in use the headband 100 is worn with the strap 120 under the wearer's hair 104 at the back of the neck with the strap ends 154 and 156 terminating at the wearer's ears 106, so the strap 120 of the headband 100 is not visible by observers.

Turning to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, a second embodiment of the headband is depicted generally by the numeral 200. Headband 200 is very similar to headband 100 but includes a body 210 formed of two fabric segments or strips 224 and 226. Preferably, each segment 224, 226 is shaped identically to the other, although in alternative embodiments segments 224 and 226 can be shaped differently. Preferably, each segment 224 and 226 is substantially rectangular with the same width and length, a first end 234 and second, opposite end 236.

As assembled and best seen in FIG. 5, headband 200 presents one unitary elongated strip, including the first and second segments 224 and 226 of the body 210 secured together by connecting strap 220. The ends 254 and 256 of the strap 220 are secured to the second ends 236 of each of the segments 224 and 226. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first ends 234 of the segments 224 and 226 are free to be tied together. These first ends 234 can be rounded or curved to facilitate tying them together and to create a more favorable aesthetic effect. This tie feature allows for additional adjustability of fit by the wearer. Additional features of headband 200 are similar to headband 100 as described above, such as the preferred sizing and material.

Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without departing from the scope of the description provided herein. Embodiments of the technology have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this disclosure after and because of reading it.

Alternative means of implementing the aforementioned can be completed without departing from the scope of embodiments of the invention. Identification of structures as being configured to perform a particular function in this disclosure is intended to be inclusive of structures and arrangements or designs thereof that are within the scope of this disclosure and readily identifiable by one of skill in the art and that can perform the particular function in a similar way. Certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations and are contemplated within the scope of embodiments of the invention described herein.

Claims

1. A headband, comprising:

an elongated main body extending between first and second ends; and

a connecting strap extending between and attached to the first and second ends such that the main body and connecting strap form a continuous loop.

2. The headband of claim 1, wherein the main body has a length of approximately 16 inches and a finished width of approximately 1.5 inches and wherein the connecting strap has a length of approximately 6.5 inches and a nominal width of approximately 1 inch.

3. The headband of claim 1, wherein a width of the connecting strap is less than approximately two-thirds of a width of the main body.

4. The headband of claim 1, wherein the main body comprises two layers of materials attached along lengthwise edges to form openings at the first and second ends to allow insertion of the connecting strap.

5. The headband of claim 4, wherein each end of the connecting strap is inserted into a corresponding open end of the main body and secured therein.

6. The headband of claim 1, wherein the connecting strap comprises a single layer of material.

7. The headband of claim 1, wherein the main body and connecting strap are formed of soft fabric.

8. A headband, comprising:

an elongated main body comprising first and second segments, wherein each segment extends between first and second ends; and

a connecting strap attached to the second end of the first segment and to the first end of the second segment such that the first and second segments of the main body can be tied together to secure the headband to the head of a wearer.

9. The headband of claim 8, wherein first and second segments of the main body have a finished width of approximately 1.5 inches and wherein the connecting strap has a nominal width of approximately 1 inch.

10. The headband of claim 8, wherein a width of the connecting strap is less than approximately two-thirds of a width of the main body.

11. The headband of claim 8, wherein the first and second segments are similarly shaped.

12. The headband of claim 1, wherein opposite ends of the connecting strap are inserted into a corresponding open end of the first and second segments of the main body and secured therein.

13. The headband of claim 1, wherein the connecting strap comprises a single layer of material.

14. The headband of claim 1, wherein the main body and connecting straps are formed of soft fabric.