US20140101822A1

US20140101822A1 - Adjustable wrap

Info

Publication number: US20140101822A1
Application number: US13/722,291
Authority: US
Inventors: Matthew Ray Womack
Original assignee: SUN SOUTH PRODUCTS LLC
Current assignee: SUN SOUTH PRODUCTS LLC
Priority date: 2012-10-11
Filing date: 2012-12-20
Publication date: 2014-04-17

Abstract

A wrap for use as user headwear includes a top end including a nose covering portion; a bottom end; and an adjustment mechanism. A method of using a wrap includes obtaining a wrap, the wrap including a nose covering portion, a sheet, and an adjustment mechanism; and arranging the wrap such that the nose covering portion covers a user's nose. A multifunction garment to be used as at least one of a headband, a head wrap, an ear warmer, a neck gaiter, a mouth particulate filter, a scrunchie, and a wrist band includes a sheet of material, the sheet including a nose contour; and an adjustability mechanism, the adjustability mechanism including snaps, wherein the sheet of material is made of polyester, and wherein the sheet of material is at least UPF 30.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/434,242, filed on Oct. 11, 2012, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to headwear. More particularly, this disclosure relates to adjustable headwear wraps.

BACKGROUND

In outdoor environments—particularly in work environment such as landscaping—people often struggle with sun exposure and with debris in the air. Although a person may use a hat or a mask, the use of both can be cumbersome and become expensive if items need to be continually replaced. Further, masks can often be uncomfortable for use and make breathing difficult in hot, sweaty conditions. Additionally, in cold environments, a separate apparatus may be required to keep a person's face warm, leading to expense in purchasing multiple apparatus.

SUMMARY

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures may be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wrap in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the wrap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front side view of the wrap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the wrap of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wrap of FIG. 1 in use as a face shield in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wrap of FIG. 1 in use as a hair tie in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the wrap of FIG. 1 in use as a head band in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the wrap of FIG. 1 in use as a head covering in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed is a wrap and associated methods, systems, devices, and various apparatus. It would be understood by one of skill in the art that the disclosed wrap is described in but a few exemplary embodiments among many. No particular terminology or description should be considered limiting on the disclosure or the scope of any claims issuing therefrom.
One embodiment of a wrap 100 is disclosed and described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 displays the wrap 100 in its fully expanded arrangement. The wrap 100 of the current embodiment is made of cloth and is not capable of self-support, although a fully supported wrap may be included in various embodiments. As seen in FIG. 1, the wrap 100 includes a single sheet 110 of material formed in a roughly cylindrical arrangement for use. In various embodiments, multiple ply sheets may be used in place of sheet 110, or various other configurations of mesh and sheets may be used. The sheet 110 includes a top end 112, a bottom end 114, and two abutting side ends labeled as first end 116 and second end 118. The wrap 100 includes a top fold 122 and a bottom fold (not seen in the current view) that provide strength to the wrap 100 and a finished end along top end 112 and bottom end 114. Stitching 126,128 can be seen holding the top fold 122 and bottom fold (not seen) in place, respectively. Although stitching is shown in the current embodiment, various joining means may be used, including glues, weaving methods, integral construction, and heat melting, among other methods. Similarly, the first end 116 is joined to the second end 118 by stitching, but may be joined of various joining methods or of integral construction in various embodiments.
In the current embodiment, the wrap is made of 100% polyester material to ensure it is light, breathable, and flexible for covering various parts of a user's head. The wrap 100 of the current embodiment is made with material with Ultraviolet Protection Factor of UPF 30. The wrap 100 of the current embodiment may be made in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and may include various designs, logos, or features along with the material. Various materials may be chosen depending on application. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to provide greater sun protection, greater breathability, greater particulate filtering, or greater heat retention than that of the current embodiment. One of skill in the art would understand that various material choices may be used to address these requirements.
As can be seen, a snap receiver pad 132 is oriented to provide adjustability in receiving snaps from a snap pad 134. In various embodiments, the first end 116 may be free from the second end 118 such that the interaction of the snap receiver pad 132 with the snap pad 134 maintains the wrap 100 in its most useful shape. In the current embodiment, however, the interaction of the snap pad 134 with the snap receiver pad 132 serves as an adjustment mechanism.
The snap receiver pad 132 includes three snap receivers 142 a,b,c located on and affixed to the snap receiver pad 132. The snap pad 134 includes three snaps 144 a,b,c (144 b,c not seen in FIG. 1). In use, the snaps 144 a,b,c align with the snap receivers 142 a,b,c such that a user may selectively cause the wrap 100 to become smaller in order to fit varying applications and/or head sizes. A user may choose to engage any, all, or none of the snaps 144 a,b,c with snap receivers 142 a,b,c in order to fit the wrap 100 to the desired application. In some embodiments, other adjustment mechanisms may be used and would be understood by one of skill in the art to be included as alternatives to the current disclosure. For example, in various embodiments, Velcro®, zip ties, string, laces, various glues and/or sticky materials, and other types of snaps may serve as an adjustability mechanism of the wrap 100, among other embodiments. In some embodiments, the wrap 100 may not include an adjustability mechanism.
As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the wrap 100 includes the sheet 110 wrapped into a roughly cylindrical shape. In various embodiments, the wrap 100 may include a taper either top to bottom or bottom to top. As can be seen, the sheet 110 includes a nose covering portion 210 to provide additional material near a user's nasal passage. The nose covering portion 210 in the current embodiment is unitary with and a portion of the sheet 110 and may be a nose contour of the sheet in various embodiments. However, in various embodiments, the nose covering portion 210 may be a separate portion affixed or adhered to the sheet 110. As can be seen, the sheet 110 includes a main body portion 205. In the current embodiment, the main body portion 205 is merely cylindrical. However, in various embodiments, the main body portion 205 may include features to provide relief for shoulders, ears, the nape of the neck, or other such body parts. FIG. 4 shows the location of each snap 144 a,b,c and snap receiver 142 a,b,c including the snap pad 134 and snap receiver pad 132.
As seen in FIG. 3, the nose covering portion 210 of the current embodiment is an extension of the sheet 110 upward. The nose covering portion 210 spans about one third of the circumference of the wrap 100 in the current embodiment, although other sizes should be considered included within the scope of this disclosure. The nose covering portion 210 of the current embodiment approximates the shape of a sine wave in the current embodiment, although no single shape should be considered limiting on the current disclosure.
FIGS. 5-8 show various methods of use of the wrap 100. A first method of use, shown in FIG. 5, includes placing the wrap 100 over the face—particularly including the nose covering portion 210 covering the nose—such that the wrap 100 provides a protective covering against breathable debris. The single-ply material of the wrap 100 is light and allows a user to breathe through the material. However, because the material provides a physical impediment between the user's face and the air, much airborne debris—such as pollution, pollen, and dust—can be filtered by the wrap 100. The wrap 100 also provides some wind resistance and can be used in cold environments to retain heat near the user's face. Seen in FIG. 5, the wrap 100 is placed below the user's ears and wraps around the back of the user's head, providing consistent tension to hold the wrap 100 snugly against the user's face. In this embodiment, the wrap 100 may be used as a filter for breathing or as a sun shade to help prevent sun damage to the user's face and neck. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the wrap 100 is situated so that its bottom end 114 contacts the user's shoulders. This arrangement provides sun shade of the user's neck, part of the user's shoulders, and part of the user's chest in addition to shading the lower portion of the user's face.
FIGS. 6 and 7 show the wrap 100 used as various embodiments of a hair tie. In one embodiment, the wrap 100 may be tied in a knotted arrangement for use as a hair band. In another embodiment, the wrap 100 may be used as a headband, preventing hair from falling in the user's face. FIG. 8 shows the wrap 100 in use as a hair covering. In this embodiment, the wrap 100 covers and restrains the user's hair from falling the in user's face. However, the wrap 100 also provides sun cover over the user's head—including the user's ears and forehead—helping prevent damage from sun exposure on those body parts. In various embodiments, the wrap 100 may be used as a headband, head wrap, ear warmer, neck gaiter, mouth particulate filter, scrunchie, or wrist band, among other applications.
In various embodiments, additional attachments may be included to facilitate uses of the wrap 100 as disclosed herein. Additionally, the wrap 100 may include various colors to make it easier to see and to make it fashionable.
One should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular embodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Any process descriptions or blocks in flow diagrams should be understood as representing modules, segments, or portions of code which include one or more executable instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process, and alternate implementations are included in which functions may not be included or executed at all, may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. Further, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any and all combinations and sub-combinations of all elements, features, and aspects discussed above. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure.

Claims

That which is claimed is:

1. A wrap for use as user headwear, the wrap comprising:

a top end including a nose covering portion;

a bottom end; and

an adjustment mechanism.

2. The wrap of claim 1, wherein the adjustment mechanism includes at least one snap and at least one snap receiver.

3. The wrap of claim 2, wherein the wrap includes a sheet, wherein the nose covering portion is a portion of the sheet.

4. The wrap of claim 3, wherein the bottom end of the wrap is arranged to contact shoulders of the user.

5. The wrap of claim 4, wherein the adjustment mechanism includes at least one snap pad and at least one snap receiver pad.

6. The wrap of claim 5, wherein the wrap includes two abutting ends, the two abutting ends secured together.

7. The wrap of claim 6, wherein the wrap is made of a breathable material.

8. The wrap of claim 7, wherein the breathable material filters debris.

9. The wrap of claim 8, wherein the breathable material shades against sunlight.

10. The wrap of claim 9, wherein the bottom end includes a bottom fold and the top end includes a top fold.

11. The wrap of claim 10, wherein each fold is secured with stitching.

12. The wrap of claim 9, wherein the material is at least UPF 30.

13. The wrap of claim 12, wherein the material is 100% polyester.

14. A method of using a wrap comprising:

obtaining a wrap, the wrap including a nose covering portion, a sheet, and an adjustment mechanism; and

arranging the wrap such that the nose covering portion covers a user's nose.

15. The wrap of claim 14, further comprising adjusting the adjustment mechanism to a selected size.

16. The wrap of claim 14, further comprising arranging the wrap such that a bottom end of the wrap contact's the user's shoulders.

17. A multifunction garment to be used as at least one of a headband, a head wrap, an ear warmer, a neck gaiter, a mouth particulate filter, a scrunchie, and a wrist band, the garment comprising:

a sheet of material, the sheet including a nose contour; and

an adjustability mechanism, the adjustability mechanism including snaps,

wherein the sheet of material is made of polyester, and

wherein the sheet of material is at least UPF 30.