U.S. patent application number 13/136424 was filed with the patent office on 2013-02-07 for ortho-sweatband head restraint for adjustable headrests.
The applicant listed for this patent is Robert Raymond Woda. Invention is credited to Robert Raymond Woda.
Application Number | 20130031697 13/136424 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47625968 |
Filed Date | 2013-02-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130031697 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Woda; Robert Raymond |
February 7, 2013 |
Ortho-sweatband head restraint for adjustable headrests
Abstract
The sweatband head support's unique features: Being designed
specifically to be attached to almost any adjustable headrest
without the need with any extra or special accessories. It allows
effortless freedom of movement within normal range, while still
providing adequate support and complete comfort even with long
periods of wear by the user. If attached to a wheelchair,
encountering rough terrain, the head can still comfortably maintain
a correct upright position on its own. Regardless of the activity
the user can remain focused for longer periods of time without
compromising comfort, therefore giving the user a better quality of
life. The sweatband portion's soft fabric covering can be provided
in an assortment of colors or patterns, making it even more
personalized for the user. It has the stylish appearance of a
regular sweatband, so it does not appear like a support device.
Inventors: |
Woda; Robert Raymond;
(Danville, KY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Woda; Robert Raymond |
Danville |
KY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
47625968 |
Appl. No.: |
13/136424 |
Filed: |
August 1, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/171.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D 20/00 20130101;
A42B 3/0473 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/171.2 |
International
Class: |
A42C 5/02 20060101
A42C005/02 |
Claims
1-10. (canceled)
11. A sweatband head support designed to aid persons having a
disability resulting in issues with head dropping, and said head
support compromising: a sweatband portion to be positioned on the
users head; two elastic straps positioned and attached to said
sweatband portion with means for attachment to each other as well
as adjustment and securement for the strap ends after adjustment,
this device is specifically designed for attachment to an
adjustable headrest; the sweatband portion being non-adjustable, so
as to be sized for the individual, providing maximized performance
of the head support; said sweatband portion and elastic straps
provide adequate support for the individuals head, while allowing
freedom of normal range movement and providing complete comfort,
even with long periods of wear.
12. the sweatband head support of claim 11 wherein said sweatband
portion having an inner band of elastic.
13. the sweatband head support of claim 12 wherein said inner band
of elastic is covered by a soft fabric material.
14. the sweatband head support of claim 13 wherein said inner band
of elastic covered by the soft fabric material has two elastic
straps positioned and attached to the sweatband portion.
15. the sweatband head support of claim 11 wherein said means of
attachment of the elastic straps to each other consists of buckles
placed at the strap ends.
16. the sweatband head support of claim 11 wherein said securement
of strap ends after adjustment consists of washable hook and loop
fasteners (brand name Velcro) attached to one of each of the strap
ends.
17. the sweatband head support of claim 11 wherein said head
support was designed to not appear like a support device at all,
but to have the appearance of any other normal sweatband, making it
a most stylish looking head support.
18. the sweatband head support of claim 11 wherein said head
support is very universal as it can be attached to almost any
adjustable headrest, without the need for any extra or special
accessories.
19. the sweatband head support of claim 11 wherein said head
support can be attached to a stationary chair or a wheelchair with
an adjustable headrest and can be used even if chair is in
motion.
20. the sweatband head support of claim 11 wherein said head
support provides adequate support for the users head while
maintaining complete comfort, even with long periods of wear so the
user can comfortably stay focused longer on various activities.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention pertains to an elastic sweatband type of head
support for adjustable headrests used to aid persons with "Dropped
Head Syndrome" in holding their heads up correctly while allowing
them freedom of movement, within the correct range, from side to
side, with minimal forward movement without compromising comfort
even with long periods of wear by the user.
[0002] Ross. U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,716 B1 patent date Oct. 16, 2001
describes a head support assembly to facilitate the care of a
physically disabled individual. The head support assembly includes
a headpiece and an attachment cord attached to the headpiece, which
is adapted to be attached to a high back chair, etc.
[0003] Swartz. U.S. Pat. No. 7,628,456 B1 patent date Dec. 8, 2009
describes a head restraint device and method therefore capable of
being coupled to an article of high back furniture, and capable of
comfortably securing the head of a user to an article of high back
furniture so that the user may rest in the article of high back
furniture, with his or her head secured in a substantially upright
position.
[0004] Whitmyer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,232 patent date Apr. 26, 1994
describes a head alignment system for a person having reduced
muscular or loss of muscular control of their neck and shoulders,
whereby the device maintains the head of the person in a generally
upright position. The device comprises of at least one pulley
attached to a support, a headband having two ends, and a cord
having two ends, each of the ends of the cord being adjustably
attached to a corresponding one of the ends of the headband. The
cord being received by the pulley and the headband, and the cord
forming an adjustable loop. The loop being adapted for placement
about the head of the person, whereby the cord is adjusted so that
the head of the person is held generally upright. The cord, by
moving about the pulley, permits the headband to move with the head
of the person as the person rotates their head about an axis
extending from their neck through the top of their head.
[0005] Scher. U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,245 B1 date of patent Aug. 19,
2003 describes a head restraint for supporting a users head with
respect to the high back headrest portion of a seat. The head
restraint has a headband strap for placing over the head across the
forehead of the user an anchor band is secured around the headrest
portion of the high back seat. A right hand securement strap is
affixed between the strap placed over the head of the user and the
anchor band. Similarly, a left hand strap is affixed between the
strap placed over the head of the user and the anchor band.
[0006] Some individuals have weak neck muscles, sometimes due to
Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson's, or other medical conditions often
resulting in "Dropped Head Syndrome" also sometimes known as
"Floppy Head Syndrome" or "Head Ptosis". These persons neck muscles
becomes sore and tired easily, which results in head dropping when
the neck muscles are relaxed. Some restraints are either too
restrictive or uncomfortable, therefore not suited for many
individuals.
[0007] My ten-year old grandson, Pheonix, has Cerebral Palsy, along
with an issue of "Dropped Head Syndrome". He is the main reason for
this invention, as I originally designed it to help him. He, like
many other people with weak neck muscles, can hold his head up on
his own for short periods and then his neck becomes sore and tired,
and when he relaxes his neck, it causes his head to drop, thus
having to turn his head in an uncomfortable manner in order to stay
focused on whatever activity he was involved in. My daughter has
tried other devices, one a more restrictive strap type, and the
other a pulley system type. He was not happy with either one. They
were either too restrictive or uncomfortable with long periods of
use, he threw fits. I live in a different state, but had an
opportunity to help care for him while my daughter went on
vacation, and it really saddened me to see him have to deal with
this problem. It was then I decided there had to be a way to
address this problem, so I put my mind to work.
[0008] After some trial and error, I came up with an idea that was
not only workable, but ended up being universal as well. As the
idea was to create a device that could be attached to his existing
adjustable headrest of his wheel chair, since he spends a good bit
of time in it, and I ended up with not only a device that provided
comfort and more freedom of movement even with long periods of
wear, comfort being one of my main concerns, but it ended up being
fairly universal as well as it can be attached to almost any
adjustable headrests without the need for any other accessories to
do so because the straps are elastic, as well as adjustable.
[0009] I have only had the finished product in complete functional
operation since June 2011, but he uses it at home quite frequently,
and does not mind wearing it at all, my daughter tells me, as well
as his grandmother who helps care for him on a daily basis. They
tell me that Pheonix loves it and even smiles more often now. You
have no idea how happy that makes the entire family; it gives him a
better quality of life, because he can now, comfortably stay
focused on watching T.V., sporting events, or just a walk around
the block. If it can help him that much, I can only pray that
sometime soon it could help many others with the same issue have a
better quality of life as well.
[0010] This device is meant to be custom fit for each individual,
so one size does not fit all. I felt that by making the headband
adjustable, it might infringe on the comfort aspect by having any
hardware near the head. The entire device is completely washable,
either by hand or in a machine on gentle cycle, lightweight, and
can be folded up to fit in the palm of the hand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] This invention addresses the previously mentioned problem by
means of an elastic sweatband type head support, which is intended
to be attached to an adjustable headrest, whether wheelchair or
otherwise. It can be used while the chair is at rest or in
motion.
[0012] The device includes an elastic sweatband type headpiece,
which is sized for each individual. I chose this method to not
infringe upon the comfort aspect of the invention by not having any
hardware near the head. Therefore, also giving it a more stylish
look, meaning it does not have the appearance of a support device
from the front or the sides, it simply has the appearance of a
regular sweatband. Two elastic straps are sewn down to the inside
of the sweatband portion itself. Each strap having parachute type
buckles at the end of the elastic straps, which enables it to now
be encircled around almost any adjustable headrest, making it
universal. The device is then snugged around the adjustable
headrest by means of adjustability at the male buckle ends of the
strap, the strap ends are then secured to the strap itself by means
of hook and loop fasteners (brand name Velcro). The sweatband
portion is then placed over the users head and positioned
correctly. If downward pull is required at the back of the
sweatband, this can be achieved by simply sliding straps forward on
the headrest to the desired degree, this will enable the sweatband
portion to stay in place on the users head. Now the users head can
remain in a correct upright position while still allowing them
complete freedom of movement from side to side (in the correct
range) with limited forward movement, without compromising comfort
even with long periods of wear by the user. During use, the device
offers a more stylish look by not having the appearance of a
support device from the front and sides; it simply has the
appearance of a regular sweatband. The entire device is completely
washable (either by hand or machine-wash on gentle cycle), is
lightweight (less than 21/2 ounces), and is compact (can folded up
to fit in the palm of the hand).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an embodiment of the
invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a view of user wearing the invention, attached to
an adjustable headrest.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The invention is shown in its entirety in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2,
and FIG. 3 shows the device attached to an adjustable headrest
being worn by user. The entire device includes an elastic sweatband
portion 9 which is comprised of a band of elastic 1 fashioned in a
circular manner, and covered with a soft fabric material 2 which is
sewn 12 so that the combination creates the sweatband portion.
Elastic straps 3A and 3B, are sewn 4A and 4B to the inside of the
sweatband portion 9, adequately apart from each other.
[0017] The ends of the elastic straps 3A and 3B have what is
commonly referred to as "parachute buckles"; the female ends being
5A and 5B and the male ends being 6A and 6B. The elastic strap ends
are sewn down 11 to the strap itself 3A and 3B after being looped
through the female buckle end 5A and 5B. They are looped through
the male buckle ends 6A and 6B (not sewn) to allow for adjustment.
Washable hook and loop type fasteners are sewn 7A and 7B near the
ends of straps 3A and 3B, where the male buckle end 6A and 6B are
so they can be secured after adjustment when encircled around the
adjustable headrest 10. A soft fabric material 2 was chosen for
maximized comfort. The choices of the elastic sweatband portion 9
in combination with the elastic straps 3A and 3B provide complete
freedom of side to side movement (within normal range) with limited
forward motion, even if chair is in motion and encounters rough
terrain, the elasticity of the invention allows the head to gently
remain in an upright position.
[0018] The invention was designed to not have the appearance of a
support device. It was intended to have the appearance of a regular
sweatband when viewed from the front and sides, thus giving it a
more stylish look, which can be personalized for the user 8 by
offering soft fabric covering 2 in an assortment of colors and/or
patterns aside from being custom fit for the individual user 8. The
entire device is completely washable, lightweight, and very
compact. The invention is also universal, as it can be attached to
almost any existing adjustable headrest, without the need for any
other accessories. Therefore, it has many advantages.
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