U.S. patent application number 11/571438 was filed with the patent office on 2008-11-06 for supporting means.
Invention is credited to Glenn Roche.
Application Number | 20080272161 11/571438 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35782401 |
Filed Date | 2008-11-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080272161 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roche; Glenn |
November 6, 2008 |
Supporting Means
Abstract
A supporting means to support various articles up to and against
a person's head comprising of a band (A) of suitably resilient
material that can be bent to approximate the shape of a person's
head and fitted with components (B1, B2) that interface with the
person's head and articles to be supported (B3) and by remaining
static in bent shape performs its function without clamping or
spring tightening to be worn by and remain upon a person's
head.
Inventors: |
Roche; Glenn; (Victoria,
AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BROOKS KUSHMAN P.C.
1000 TOWN CENTER, TWENTY-SECOND FLOOR
SOUTHFIELD
MI
48075
US
|
Family ID: |
35782401 |
Appl. No.: |
11/571438 |
Filed: |
June 24, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
June 24, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/AU2005/000904 |
371 Date: |
December 29, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/181 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R 1/1066 20130101;
H04R 5/0335 20130101; H04M 1/05 20130101; A61B 90/35 20160201; A61B
90/50 20160201; F21V 21/084 20130101; A61B 90/30 20160201; A61F
11/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/181 |
International
Class: |
A42B 1/24 20060101
A42B001/24 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 2, 2004 |
AU |
2004903612 |
Claims
1. A supporting means that supports various articles up to or
against a person's head that comprises of a band of suitably
resilient material that can be bent to approximate the shape of a
person's head, fitted with components that interface with the
person's head and articles to be supported and by being static in
bent shape, performs its function without clamping or
spring-tightening to be worn by and remain upon, a person's
head.
2. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the band of
suitably resilient material is curved to position the attached,
curve-end-approximated, head-interfacing components, at a distance
sufficient enough for it to be placed over the human head.
3. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the band of
suitably resilient material possesses subsequent bends to position
article-interfacing components, near or against a person's
head.
4. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the
inner-facing surfaces of the attached head-interfacing components
are substantially curved to follow the contour of a person's
head.
5. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the
inner-facing surfaces of the head-interfacing components posses
raised bumps or ribs of any pattern to engage with a person's scalp
or hair.
6. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the attachable
head and article-interfacing components can be of any shape.
7. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the attached
article and head interfacing components can be movable and
removable for size adjustability.
8. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the resilient
band performs its function by being made of any material able to be
bent to the shape of a person's head and is such as not to unbend
under the weight of attached articles.
9. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the head and
article-interfacing components can be permanently attached to the
resilient band during manufacture.
10. A supporting means according to claim 1, wherein the resilient
band and head interfacing components can be formed in one
piece.
11. A supporting means according to claim 1, onto which various
articles can be attached with either permanent or temporary
fasteners.
12. (canceled)
Description
[0001] The provided supporting means invention relates to a method
of supporting various articles near or against a person's head.
[0002] The supporting means comprises of a band of suitably
resilient material that can be bent to approximate the shape of a
person's head, fitted with components that interface with the
person's scalp and articles to be supported.
[0003] The supporting means applies the use of a resilient band
positioned across the person's head that does not use force of any
kind. It does not require scroll-tightening, spring-clamping
pressure, strapping or fastening to be retained upon the person's
head to perform its function.
[0004] At present, many things are held in position of use, near or
against the human head. They may be for example, a surgeon's
headlight, an assistance device for the disabled, a cyclist's
rear-view mirror, a watchmaker's magnifying glass, opera
binoculars, audio headphones, sound protective earmuffs, a wind
shield or sound deflectors or communication handsets such as
telephones or walkie-talkie.
[0005] Devices to hold various objects close to or against a
person's head are usually quite specialised. For example, an
elasticised cloth or plastic band around the head in a horizontal
plain to support a headlight or magnifying glass is not strong
enough to position a telephone handset or compress-fit protective
earmuffs and a spring-steel telephony headset is not strong enough
to support a walkie-talkie or small binoculars etc.
[0006] It is known that an elasticised band around the person's
head may hold heavier or imbalanced objects however the size of
contact area required by the band is indiscrete and the tightening
elastic force becomes uncomfortable.
[0007] It is also known that the sizable area of a
`scroll-tightened` plastic or leather band has provided support for
some articles though they negate ventilation to the areas they
contact the skin and are also indiscrete. It is also known that
spring loaded, telephony style headset head clamping bands exist to
hold earpiece and microphone components up to a person's ear and
mouth. The wearing of a spring-loaded, head-clamping headset band,
strong enough to hold heavier articles may also result in headache
for the user, as they would require more force than they presently
possess to support the imbalance of heavier articles. These
articles may descend from a required position or fall off the head
due to not enough spring clamping pressure.
[0008] It is also known that a cyclist's helmet with an article
attached provides an interface between the article and a person's
head, though is inconvenient by being highly indiscrete and may
still require subsequent fastening such as under-chin straps to
prevent slipping forward, backward or to either side.
[0009] It is an object of the provided supporting means invention
therefore, to act as an interface between various articles to be
supported and a person's head, without spring clamping, fasteners
or tightening force to secure the invention to the head.
[0010] The resilient band of the supporting means remains static in
shape while in use.
[0011] It can be made of any material strong enough to remain in,
and not depart from, it's pre-determined though malleable shape,
under the potential weight or imbalance of articles attached to it.
Attached articles would usually be limited by the weight a person
would be willing to hold up by and upon their head.
[0012] By being bent to approximate the person's head shape prior
to attachment of various articles, it remains comfortable by not
becoming looser by unbending under the weight of the attached
article and not becoming smaller or tightening under spring
clamping pressure.
[0013] The resilient band substantially resembles a head shaped
curved hook, that cannot unbend itself under the potential weight
of articles that have predominantly been head-approximated for use.
The more closely the resilient band is bent to the curve of a
person's head, the more comfort is attained for the duration of its
use.
[0014] The dimensional thickness of the resilient band is
sufficient enough to be rigid for the purpose of supporting
attached articles and sufficiently thin enough to allow hand
bending to adjust size, shape and attached article
repositioning.
[0015] The supporting means supplied resilient band possesses the
appropriate combination of rigidity, flexibility, malleability,
lightness of weight and colourability to perform its intended
function.
[0016] Components may be attached to the resilient band to allow
addition of or further interface to specific articles of a person's
choice.
[0017] The resilient band is made with specific bends during
manufacture to accommodate a majority use application and can be
worn facing any direction. Other uses may be accommodated by
unbending and re-bending adjustment to suit a person's preferred
application. Along the surface of the resilient band in the
preferred embodiment of the invention, many location dimples are
applied during manufacture that engage with components that
interface with the person's head and articles to be supported.
[0018] The resilient band can be coated or treated in any
colour.
[0019] An applicable material for the forming of the resilient band
in its preferred embodiment is aluminium as is any malleable
substitute possessing suitable rigidity.
[0020] The supporting means includes interfacing components that
possess bumps incorporated within them during manufacture that
deflect for the purpose of assembly and recover to engage with and
reside within the resilient band's location dimples.
[0021] An appropriate amount of interference fit would also suffice
to retain the position of head and article interfacing components
along the resilient band.
[0022] Assembly is achievable by inserting the resilient band into
through-holes as is preferable in the provided embodiment of the
invention or clipping the interfacing components on to the
resilient band via side-attaching latch grooves formed into
interfacing components during manufacture.
[0023] The temporary attachment of articles to an article
interfacing component in the most preferred embodiment form of the
supporting means is conveniently permitted via hook-loop fastener
material, while adhesion, plastic or metallic fasteners could
provide permanent attachment if required.
[0024] The interfacing components can be made of any material that
retains shape and resilience to perform their functions such as
moulded rubber or plastic.
[0025] The components can be any size, shape or quantity, though
for example hereinafter, the size and shape of the three components
referred to in this text, pertaining to the preferred embodiment of
the present invention, are for a majority-use application.
[0026] The three components primarily intended to be fitted to the
resilient band are formed in a way that, where they may possess
thicker sections they are rigid and where they may possess thinner
section they are flexible.
[0027] Where the components are connecting with the resilient band
they are thick in section to retain position, orientation and
curvature.
[0028] Where the components are thin in section is to allow
flexibility to curve to the profile of various articles to be
attached or to allow some conformance to the user's head shape. The
thin section flexibility also enables peeling or twisting motion to
separate the opposing counterparts of hook-loop fastening material
that may be applied to any articles and article interfacing
components.
[0029] For repeated attachment-orientation accuracy, the article
interfacing components provide advantage by being a shape other
than circular. Being a particular shape indicates alignment
similarities prior to for example, the pressing together of
hook-loop fastener counterparts cut to the same shape.
[0030] Two of the three interfacing components where they interface
and touch the person's head possess a pattern of bumps in close
proximity that are incorporated during manufacture. The pattern of
bumps represented in the preferred embodiment of the invention can
be any shape, though they are domed at their highest point to be
smooth to the touch and not scratch a person's scalp or hands while
handling or fitting.
[0031] The pattern of smooth bumps formed into the components that
contact the person's head above or behind the person's ears in a
non-injurious way perform two functions. Firstly if the user is
semi bald or without hair, the smooth bumps make contact with the
scalp allowing air to flow between the person's scalp and the
surface of the component adjacent the scalp. Secondly if the user
has a full head of hair the pattern of bumps key into the hair to
increase contact area between the hair and the head-interfacing
component. This results in grip, to restrict the article-attached
supporting means from slipping from the position upon the head at
which it was placed.
[0032] The supporting means in its preferred embodiment is
comprised of separate parts to facilitate adjustability when in the
person's possession, cosmetic difference possibilities between all
comprising parts and reduced volume of comprising parts when
packaged flat for storage, transit or display presentation.
[0033] The resilient band of the supporting means can have its head
and interfacing components moulded directly onto it via the common
over-moulding process.
[0034] The components fitted to the resilient band can be made with
raised or lowered lettering or designs on their surfaces during
manufacture or printed onto after manufacture.
[0035] Shapes of interfacing components may differ to more
purposely accommodate the support of particular items. Each can be
permanently or removably attached upon the resilient band of the
supporting means. The provision of hook-loop fastener upon article
interfacing components in the preferred embodiment of the invention
is to enable quick attachment and removal of various articles to
the interfacing components or the resilient band of the supporting
means.
[0036] Any of the interfacing components can be manufactured with
varying plasticity via dual polymer moulding to provide further
cosmetic variation, flexibility for support, orientation or
surface-conformance to attached articles and a person's head.
[0037] The hereinabove description should make evident that the
present invention provides an improved supporting means for
elevating and positioning of various articles on or near a person's
head and that it achieves its intended purpose by remaining static
in shape as opposed to actively spring-tightening or clamping via
mechanical tightening or fastening. In order for the invention to
be readily understood, a particular embodiment thereof will now be
described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0038] FIG. 1, Is a perspective view of a supporting means in
accordance with the first embodiment of the invention.
[0039] FIG. 1A, Is a view of the supporting means resilient
band
[0040] FIG. 1B, Is a view of the supporting means interfacing
components.
[0041] FIG. 2, Shows the supporting means with indication of
assembly.
[0042] FIG. 3, Shows the lamination of component B3, hook and loop
fastening materials.
[0043] FIG. 4, Shows examples of the head and article interfacing
components with varying thicknesses, shown as 4Z, 4Y and 4X.
[0044] FIG. 5, Shows pattern of bumps applied to inward facing
faces of head interfacing components.
[0045] FIG. 6, Shows dimples applied to resilient band, engaging
assembled component's `bumps` to provide repositionable
adjustability.
[0046] FIG. 7, Shows examples of the supporting means and various
attached articles.
[0047] FIG. 8, Is a view of the supporting means resilient band and
its adjustability bends.
[0048] Referring to the drawings, there is shown a supporting means
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0049] The supporting means resilient band `A`, is substantially
curved 25, is equipped with dimples A1, A2 & A3 that are formed
during manufacture and has two additional bends 11 to position a
minor length of the band further outward from the majority curve
circumference. One bend is outward and away from and the second
bend returns back from first bend direction to position the minor
length of the band substantially parallel to the projected
circumference of the majority curve. The minor length of the
resilient band can be bend-adjusted 26 to position articles it may
support nearer or farther from a person's head.
[0050] At position `A1` and `A3` are two dimples to aid the
retained location of insertion-assembled interfacing components B1
and B3.
[0051] Several dimples at position `A2` provide adjustable location
retainment for part B2.
[0052] The three interfacing components B1, B2 and B3, possess
within each through-hole or bore, 13 two bumps formed during
manufacture shown as dotted lines 14 that engage with the dimples
15 incorporated along the resilient band at position A1, A2 and
A3'. The supporting means as shown is assembled by the resilient
band `A` being inserted through interfacing components B1, B2 and
B3. The components then slip over and along the band 16 to their
intended though adjustable positions. eg, 17.
[0053] B1 and B2 are components shaped to follow the curve of and
provide interface to, the user's head 18 and 19.
[0054] Component B3, interfaces with attachable articles. FIG.
7.
[0055] Component B3, is equipped with the hook half of hook-loop
fastener material 20 applied during manufacture.
[0056] A portion of loop material 21 is supplied with part B3. This
loop material may be cut at the same moment as the hook material is
applied to part B3 and would thus be the same shape.
[0057] The portion of same-shape loop material 21 is adhered to
articles to be supported, to provide shape-consistent orientation
for periodically-attached articles eg, FIG. 7. Duty-pertinent,
average and increased thickness 4Z, provides shape retention and
structure that can deflect from and return to shape during assembly
or use.
[0058] A stiffening rib 4Y may be incorporated during manufacture
on any part to avoid weakness and to remain in shape after possibly
being flexed during each use.
[0059] Flexible properties in the thin section of component B3
formed during manufacture, 4X can curve 22 or flatten out 23 to
conform to the shape of various articles to be attached.
[0060] Head interfacing components B1 and B2 poses a pattern of
bumps 24 that provide air circulation between component and scalp
or key into the user's hair to provide non-injurious grip.
[0061] The interlocking of the resilient band's dimples formed
during manufacture with the interfacing component's internally
incorporated bumps provides position retention of components 15
upon assembly. Several dimples in a row afford repositionable size
adjustability.
* * * * *