US20060054176A1

US20060054176A1 - Headband with compartment for accessories

Info

Publication number: US20060054176A1
Application number: US11/225,435
Authority: US
Inventors: Judith Buchman-Ziv
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-09-14
Filing date: 2005-09-13
Publication date: 2006-03-16

Abstract

A headband adapted to be worn on the head of a user and having a generally U shape in which a compartment is integrated in the headband and defines a cavity in which an item such as eyeglasses can be stored and not be visible from the outside. The compartment is conformed with the headband to present an appearance in which the compartment is not readily apparent.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to improvements of a headband worn on one's head having a stable compartment in the headband for storing an everyday accessory, such as foldable reading glasses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In today's world, people often carry various accessories. It is often bothersome to search through one's handbag or purse to find a small accessory such as a rubber band or key. It is often cumbersome to carry a handbag for personal belongings at all times, e.g., when attending a performance or when exercising.
The headband has been a fashionable hair accessory for decades, worn by young girls from a very young age and by men with long hair. Headbands are manufactured in various colors and designs (striped, leopard, glittered) and is often covered with fabric, or with a bow on the top. The headband is usually made of plastic, and when situated on the head, holds one's hair out of one's face. Over the years, various novelty items have been manufactured making use of the headband as a holder of sorts, e.g., with attached batteries to light up a part of the headband, or various objects on sticks protruding out of the headband.
In particular, reading glasses comprise a personal item that must be carried at all times. It can be extremely inconvenient to search through one's bag or purse to find glasses when reading is required, for example, to sign a document, read a menu, etc.
Various necklace chains have been manufactured to hold reading glasses around one's neck, however, this fashion accessory is not always flattering and has the association of being worn by the elderly population. Foldable reading glasses in various trendy cases have been created to make carrying them less cumbersome (e.g., metal “cigar case”, “lipstick” case, etc.). These items are sold at outdoor stands, department stores, drug stores and chain stores, and have become very popular.
Certain headgear and headbands have been manufactured that serve a purpose other than to hold or decorate hair.
WO 02/03897 refers to a headband made of plastic for cooling the human skull, having four compartments that can be filled with a cooling agent such as glycerol, but these compartments cannot hold an accessory. U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,837 refers to a wearable carrier such as an elastic band covered by fabric for the hair having a hidden pouch to hold belongings, the pouch being limited to what it may contain as it is made of soft fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,165 refers to headgear having a secret compartment for concealing small valuable items which is only know and accessible by the wearer. The compartment is attached to headgear such as, but not limited to, caps, hats, and headbands. Since, as the compartment is hidden, it has not been designed as an integral part of the headband suitable to the design of the headband in an aesthetic manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,496 refers to a headband for retaining and positioning an object by either encircling a user's head such that the object is retained on an exterior surface ready for use, or releasably engage a belt so as to form a holster for an object, thereby rendering both the object and the headband ready for rapid deployment, such as a flashlight. In this case, the retainer is not concealed. Here the compartment is clearly visible and could not be considered as being attractive in terms of a fashion accessory.
Thus, the above designs, do not provide a headband that is optimally attractive, trendy and stable. There is therefore a need in the art to provide a headband, whilst having an easily accessible (whether concealed or not) compartment to house a small personal belonging such as a rubber band or key, that would be attractive and acceptable in terms of fashion, yet structurally stable enough to house a pair of foldable reading glasses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fashionable and comfortable headband to be worn on one's head containing a stable compartment in which a small accessory, such as foldable eyeglasses can be stored.
Another object of the invention is to provide a headband incorporating a compartment serving as a carrying case for a personal accessory, the compartment being visible and an integral part of the headband so as to be fashionably acceptable.
The term “compartment” is used herein to refer to a portion of the headband large enough to store a small accessory therein.
According to one embodiment, the compartment is closed by means of but not limited to

- a snap on lid.
- a hinged lid
- the headband consisting of two separate portions that can be fitted together
- any other mechanism whereby the headband remains one unit

There is thus provided a wearable headband generally made of plastic (but not limited thereto) that can be enhanced maximally as a fashion accessory, i.e., dyed or decorated in accordance with fashion of the times (e.g., different colors, patterns, stripes, flowers, etc.).
According to one embodiment, the compartment is located in the rear of the top portion of the headband and has a removable lid to close the compartment.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the compartment is located at the rear of the top portion of the headband and the lid is an attached, hinge lid.
According to another embodiment, the compartment is located at the top portion of the headband, and has a removable lid.
According to another embodiment, the compartment is located at the top portion of the headband and has a hinged lid.
According to another embodiment, the compartment is a removable and fitted compartment located at the side portion of the headband, and the headband can be pulled apart.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a headband according to the invention, the front of the headband facing to the right.
FIG. 2 is an elevational view thereof from the rear.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view from above and the rear showing a compartment of the headband in open state.
FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 showing a modification of the headband in which the compartment is open.
FIG. 5 shows the modification of FIG. 4 in closed state.
FIG. 6. is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 showing another modification of the headband in an open state of the compartment of the headband.
FIG. 7 shows the headband of FIG. 6 in closed state of the compartment.
FIG. 8 shows the headband in use on the head of a wearer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 8 therein is shown an article 1 in the form of a headband worn on the head of a user 2. As is conventional the headband 1 is adapted to be selectively placed on the head of the user or removed therefrom. The headband is intended to keep the hair of the user in place and has become a fashion accessory in widespread use.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, therein the headband 1 of the invention is shown in greater detail. The headband is of generally U shape and has two arms 3 joined by a central portion 4. The headband 1 is made of relatively hard material preferably a plastic material, and it has sufficient resilience to enable the arms 3 to be mounted on the head of the user so that the central portion 4 rests on the top of the user's head.
In accordance with the invention, a compartment 10 is integrally formed with the headband and the compartment includes a portion 11 which is integrally molded with the material of the headband so as to form a continuous body with the headband. The portion 11 has an internal cavity 12 within the rounded portion 4 of the headband, the compartment 12 being configured to define the cavity 12 so that an item can be stored therein and not be visible from the outside. In particular, the cavity is formed to accommodate a pair of eyeglasses which can be of the foldable type. The compartment 10 has a lid 13 which is hinged to the portion 11 at the front of the compartment and open the compartment to provide access to the cavity therein or to close the compartment in which case it then forms an integrated appearance with the headband so that the compartment is not readily apparent. In this way the functional use of the compartment is retained and does not form an obtrusive portion of the headband but in fact is integrated with it as a unified design. The headband is intended to be worn with the compartment facing rearwards so that the headband will appear as a normal headband from the front and the compartment will have little visibility from the rear.
FIG. 4 shows a modified embodiment of the headband in which, instead of a hinged lid at the front of the compartment, the lid is formed as a removable cover 14. In this way, the compartment is accessible from above rather than from the back of the headband and as seen in FIG. 5 when the compartment is closed it forms an integrated cohesive appearance with the remainder of the headband.
FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the headband in which instead of an integrated compartment in the headband, the compartment is formed as a two piece compartment 20 which includes a hollow molded part 21 integral with the headband at the lower end of one of the arms thereof, and a separate part 22 which is also hollow. The parts 21 and 22 define a cavity 23 in which the article can be stored as seen in FIG. 6. Namely, the article, in the form of eyeglasses 24, is placed in the part 22 and after the eyeglasses have been so placed, the part 21 forming the cover of the compartment is secured on the top of the part 22. Thus installed in the compartment, the headband has the appearance as shown in FIG. 7 where the storage compartment for the glasses is formed at the lower end of one of the arms of the headband.
As previously described, the headband is intended to be worn with the compartment facing rearwardly as shown in FIG. 8. The headband can also be worn in reverse direction without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Namely, instead of the compartment being at the rear of the headband, the headband can be reversed so that the compartment faces forwards. The two part compartment in FIGS. 6 and 7 can be disposed so that the compartment is at the left side of the user's head instead of the right side as shown in the drawings.
The compartment has been integrated with the headband so that it can form a fashion accessory that can be enhanced, for example, by being dyed or decorated to provide different colors, patterns and the like. The compartment is integrated into the headband so that it is not obtrusive and presents an appearance in which the compartment is not readily apparent, namely, it occupies relatively little space and does not significantly alter the normal contour of the headband.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and variations can be made within the scope and spirit of the invention without departing from the claims.

Claims

1. An article adapted to be worn on the head of a user comprising a headband made of hard material of generally U shape to provide flexibility and enable the headband to be securely placed on the head of a user and removed therefrom, said headband being provided with an integral compartment defining a cavity in which an item can be stored and not be visible, said compartment being conformed with the headband to present an appearance in which the compartment is not readily apparent.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein the compartment includes a closable lid which enables access to the cavity in the compartment.

3. The article of claim 2 wherein said lid is supported from the compartment by a hinge.

4. the article of claim 1 wherein the cavity is of a size and shape to accommodate a pair of eyeglasses.

5. The article of claim 4 wherein said compartment is at a top portion of the headband.

6. The article according to claim 5 wherein said compartment faces outwardly of the headband.

7. The article according to claim 1 wherein the headband has a central rounded portion with two depending arms, said compartment being located atop said central rounded portion.

8. The article according to claim 7 wherein said compartment includes a cover which is removably attached to a top of the compartment.

9. The article according to claim 1 wherein said headband is formed by two separable connected parts cooperatively forming said compartment.

10. The article according to claim 9 wherein one of said two parts are hollow and one of said two parts forms a cover for the other.