Infant headgear assemblies

• US 9,402,769 B1
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Katherine Louise Hudson
• Original Assignee: Katherine Louise Hudson
• Inventors: Hudson, Katherine Louise
• Primary Examiner(s): Hawthorne, Ophelia A
• Application Number:
  US13/975,441
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/14 external, e.g. earcaps or earmuffs
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0633 with forehead support
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0683 Holding devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2240/00 Specially adapted for neonatal use
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0647 the applicator adapted to be worn on the head
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0616 Skin treatment other than tanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0621 Hyperbilirubinemia, jaundice treatment

Abstract

An infant headgear assembly includes elastic, nonslip anterior and posterior head straps on either side of an elastic, nonslip middle head strap that connect left and right earguard pads to provide noise suppression and ear protection. The left and right earguard pads and the anterior, posterior, and middle head straps cooperate to define a head-receiving volume to receive the head of an infant to position the left and right earguard pads over the left and right ears of the infant for noise suppression and ear protection purposes. The anterior, posterior, and middle head straps are to elastically stretch and extend across and nonslip contact frontal, occipital, and parietal regions, respectively, of the head of the infant to hold the left and right earguard pads in place, which are connecting points for operatively anchoring ventilation therapy devices relative to a face of the infant.

Claims

1. An infant headgear assembly for operatively anchoring infant therapy devices in an application of therapy to an infant, the infant headgear assembly comprising:

left and right earguard pads to provide noise suppression and ear protection, the left and right earguard pads are soft and cushiony and each includes an inner side, an opposed outer side, a top, a bottom, a front, and a rear;

an elongate anterior head strap, an elongate posterior head strap, and an elongate middle head strap between the anterior head strap and the posterior head strap all connected to the left and right earguard pads attaching the left earguard pad to the right earguard pad, the left and right earguard pads and the anterior, posterior, and middle straps cooperate to define a head-receiving volume;

the anterior head strap is connected to the top of the left earguard pad between the rear and the front thereof, and is connected to the top of the right earguard pad between the rear and the front thereof, and the anterior head strap is made of pliant, elastic, nonslip material;

the posterior head strap is connected to the rear of the left earguard pad between the top and the bottom thereof, and is connected to the rear of the right earguard pad between the top and the bottom thereof, and the posterior head strap is made of pliant, elastic, nonslip material;

the middle head strap is between the anterior head strap and the posterior head strap, the middle head strap is connected to the top of the left earguard pad between the rear thereof and the anterior head strap, and is connected to the top of the right earguard pad between the rear thereof and the anterior head strap, and the middle head strap is made of pliant, elastic, nonslip material;

the middle head strap extends vertically upward relative to the tops of the left and right earguard pads;

the posterior head strap extends horizontally rearward relative to the middle head strap from the rears of the left and right earguard pads;

the anterior head strap extends angularly upward relative to the tops of the left and right earguard pads, and extends angularly forward relative to the middle head strap;

the posterior head strap is connected to a majority of the rear of the left earguard pad from the bottom to the top thereof, and is connected to a majority of the rear of the right earguard pad from the bottom to the top thereof;

the posterior head strap is of maximum width nearer the rears of the left and right earguard pads and is of minimum width at a middle of the posterior head strap between the rears of the left and right earguards;

the posterior head strap includes a top edge and an opposed bottom edge, and the top edge is curved downwardly toward the bottom edge from the left and right earguard pads to the middle of the posterior head strap;

the inner side of the left earguard pad is configured to be positioned against a left side of a head of an infant for left ear noise suppression and left ear protection, the inner side of the right earguard pad is configured to be positioned against a right side of the head of the infant for right ear noise suppression and right ear protection, the anterior head strap is elastically stretched and is adapted to extend across and nonslip contact a frontal region of the head of the infant from the left earguard pad to the right earguard pad, the posterior head strap is elastically stretched and is adapted to extend across and nonslip contact an occipital region of the head of the infant from the left earguard pad to the right earguard pad, the middle head strap is elastically stretched and is adapted to extend across and nonslip contact a parietal region of the head of the infant from the left earguard pad to the right earguard pad, the inner sides of the left and right earguard pads and the outer sides of the left and right earguard pads are available to releasably connect therapy devices for operatively anchoring therapy devices relative to a face of an infant, the top edge of the posterior head strap curves downwardly toward the bottom edge from the left and right earguard pads to the middle of the posterior head strap so as to relate to a curvature of the occipital region of the head of the infant, the anterior, posterior, and middle head straps are configured to elastically constrict the headgear assembly to the left and right sides of the head of the infant, and the anterior, posterior, and middle head straps are adapted to nonslip contact the frontal, occipital, and parietal regions of the head of the infant, when the head of the infant is received in the head-receiving volume.

2. The infant headgear assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a first connector releasably connected between the posterior head strap and one of the left and right earguard pads taking up a first length of the posterior head strap so as to shorten the posterior head strap.

3. The infant headgear assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a second connector releasably connected between the posterior head strap and the other one of the left and right earguard pads taking up a second length of the posterior head strap so as to shorten the posterior head strap.

4. The infant headgear assembly according to claim 1, wherein the anterior and middle head straps each have a maximum width that is less than the minimum width of the posterior head strap.

5. An infant headgear assembly for operatively anchoring infant therapy devices in an application of therapy to an infant, the infant headgear assembly comprising:

left and right earguard pads to provide noise suppression and ear protection, the left and right earguard pads are soft and cushiony and each includes an inner side, an opposed outer side, and a parametric edge, the parametric edge includes an upper edge and a lower edge that extend between a rear edge and a front edge;

an elongate anterior head strap, an elongate posterior head strap, and an elongate middle head strap between the anterior head strap and the posterior head strap all connected to the left and right earguard pads attaching the left earguard pad to the right earguard pad, the left and right earguard pads and the anterior, posterior, and middle straps cooperate to define a head-receiving volume;

the anterior head strap is connected to the upper edge of the left earguard pad between the rear edge and the front edge thereof, and is connected to the upper edge of the right earguard pad between the rear edge and the front edge thereof, and the anterior head strap is made of pliant, elastic, nonslip material;

the posterior head strap is connected to the rear edge of the left earguard pad between the upper edge and the lower edge thereof, and is connected to the rear edge of the right earguard pad between the upper edge and the lower edge thereof, and the posterior head strap is made of pliant, elastic, nonslip material;

the middle head strap is between the anterior head strap and the posterior head strap, the middle head strap is connected to the upper edge of the left earguard pad between the rear edge thereof and the anterior head strap, and is connected to the upper edge of the right earguard pad between the rear edge thereof and the anterior head strap, and the middle head strap is made of pliant, elastic, nonslip material;

the middle head strap extends vertically upward relative to the upper edges of the left and right earguard pads;

the posterior head strap extends horizontally rearward relative to the middle head strap from the rear edges of the left and right earguard pads;

the anterior head strap extends angularly upward relative to the upper edges of the left and right earguard pads, and extends angularly forward relative to the middle head strap;

the posterior head strap is connected to a majority of the rear edge of the left earguard pad from the lower edge to the upper edge thereof, and is connected to a majority of the rear edge of the right earguard pad from the lower edge to the upper edge thereof;

the posterior head strap is of maximum width nearer the rear edges of the left and right earguard pads and is of minimum width at a middle of the posterior head strap between the rear edges of the left and right earguards;

the posterior head strap includes a top edge and an opposed bottom edge, and the top edge is curved downwardly toward the bottom edge from the left and right earguard pads to the middle of the posterior head strap;

the inner side of the left earguard pad is configured to be positioned against a left side of a head of an infant for left ear noise suppression and left ear protection, the inner side of the right earguard pad is configured to be positioned against a right side of the head of the infant for right ear noise suppression and right ear protection, the anterior head strap is elastically stretched and is adapted to extend across and nonslip contact a frontal region of the head of the infant from the left earguard pad to the right earguard pad, the posterior head strap is elastically stretched and is adapted to extend across and nonslip contact an occipital region of the head of the infant from the left earguard pad to the right earguard pad, the middle head strap is elastically stretched and is adapted to extend across and nonslip contact a parietal region of the head of the infant from the left earguard pad to the right earguard pad, the inner sides of the left and right earguard pads and the outer sides of the left and right earguard pads are available to releasably connect therapy devices for operatively anchoring therapy devices relative to a face of an infant, the top edge of the posterior head strap curves downwardly toward the bottom edge from the left and right earguard pads to the middle of the posterior head strap so as to relate to a curvature of the occipital region of the head of the infant;

the anterior, posterior, and middle head straps are configured to elastically constrict the headgear assembly to the left and right sides of the head of the infant, and the anterior, posterior, and middle head straps are adapted to nonslip contact the frontal, occipital, and parietal regions of the head of the infant, when the head of the infant is received in the head-receiving volume.

6. The infant headgear assembly according to claim 5, further comprising a first connector releasably connected between the posterior head strap and one of the left and right earguard pads taking up a first length of the posterior head strap so as to shorten the posterior head strap.

7. The infant headgear assembly according to claim 6, further comprising a second connector releasably connected between the posterior head strap and the other one of the left and right earguard pads taking up a second length of the posterior head strap so as to shorten the posterior head strap.

8. The infant headgear assembly according to claim 5, wherein the anterior and middle head straps each have a maximum width that is less than the minimum width of the posterior head strap.