Lighted hat

• US 9,526,287 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Waters
• Original Assignee: Michael Waters
• Inventors: Waters, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): NEILS, PEGGY A
• Application Number:
  US14/212,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20140268683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 1/04 Soft caps; Hoods
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 1/244 Means for mounting lamps
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/084 Head fittings

Abstract

Lighted headgear is described having a head-fitting portion with a light assembly mounted thereto. The light assembly includes a light source, a power source, and a switch device. The light source is mounted to the head-fitting portion to provide illumination forwardly and/or downwardly thereof. The head-fitting portion can include a loop of material so that the light assembly can be disposed therein to substantially conceal the light assembly from view with the light source thereof projecting through an opening the loop of material. A light module for mounting to the brim of headgear is also described that includes a housing sized to receive a light assembly therein including light sources, a power source, and a switch device. The light module includes a forwardly and downwardly projecting light mount having cavities therein to receive the light sources.

Claims

1. Lighted headgear comprising:

a head-fitting portion having inner and outer surfaces;

a through opening of the head-fitting portion extending between the inner and outer surfaces thereof;

a light source for projecting illumination forwardly from the head-fitting portion;

a power source mounted to the head-fitting portion and electrically coupled to the light source to provide power thereto;

a switch device mounted to the head-fitting portion and electrically coupled to the power source and the light source for selectively energizing the light source;

a light holder in which the light source is received and mounted to the head-fitting portion to orient the light source to project light forwardly from the head-fitting portion;

a rear portion of the light holder comprising a generally planar mounting base having a fore-and-aft axis extending thereacross, the mounting base extending along the inner surface of the head-fitting portion and generally parallel to the forehead of a user when the head-fitting portion is worn; and

a forward portion of the light holder having an annular cavity sized to receive the light source therein, the forward portion integral with and extending from the mounting base at a fixed angle of inclination with respect to the fore-and-aft axis thereof forwardly and downwardly from the mounting base through the through opening to orient the light source for projecting light forwardly and downwardly from the head-fitting portion.

2. The lighted headgear of claim 1 wherein the light holder forward portion comprises a bezel having the annular cavity therein.

3. The lighted headgear of claim 2 wherein the bezel comprises a plurality of laterally spaced bezels and the opening comprises a plurality of openings extending through the inner and outer surfaces of the head-fitting portion, each of the bezels projecting through a respective one of the plurality of openings.

5. The lighted headgear of claim 1 wherein the head-fitting portion further comprises a mounting patch having the through opening therein, the mounting patch configured to have the mounting base mounted thereto with adhesive.

6. The lighted headgear of claim 1 wherein the head-fitting portion includes a headband portion including a loop of material having interior and exterior portions, the exterior portion including the inner and outer surfaces and the through opening.

7. The lighted headgear of claim 6 wherein the power source and switch device are received in the loop of material to conceal the power source and switch device from view.

8. The lighted headgear of claim 7 wherein the headband portion further includes an access opening extending through the loop of material on the interior portion thereof, the access opening providing access to the power source housing and switch device.

9. The lighted headgear of claim 1 wherein the head-fitting portion comprises a stocking cap.

10. The lighted headgear of claim 1 wherein the power source comprises a power source housing sized to receive one or more batteries and the switch device therein.

11. The lighted headgear of claim 10 wherein the power source housing includes an outer wall with an opening extending therethrough;

the switch device comprises a pushbutton switch device having a switch base and a switch actuator depressible with respect thereto; and

the switch base is disposed within the power source housing so that the switch actuator extends through the opening to be accessible by a user.

12. The lighted headgear of claim 11 wherein the power source housing outer wall includes a recess with a bottom wall therein;

the opening is located in the bottom wall of the recess; and

the recess is sized so that a depression activation point of the actuator corresponds to an upper surface of the actuator being within the recess.

4. Lighted headgear comprising:

a head-fitting portion having inner and outer surfaces;

a light source for projecting illumination forwardly from the head-fitting portion;

a power source mounted to the head-fitting portion and electrically coupled to the one or more light sources to provide power thereto;

a switch device mounted to the head-fitting portion and electrically coupled to the power source and the light source for selectively energizing the light source; and

a light holder in which the light source is received and mounted to the head-fitting portion to orient the light source to project light forwardly from the head-fitting portion

wherein the head-fitting portion includes a through opening between the inner and outer surfaces thereof, and the light holder includes a rear portion that extends along the inner surface of the head-fitting portion and a forward portion that projects through the opening to orient the light source for projecting light forwardly from the head-fitting portion;

wherein the light holder rear portion comprises a generally planar mounting base having a fore-and-aft axis extending thereacross, and the mounting base extends generally parallel to the forehead of a user when the head-fitting portion is worn;

wherein the light holder forward portion comprises a bezel having an annular cavity therein sized to receive the light source, the bezel extending from the mounting base at a fixed, oblique angle of inclination with respect to the fore-and-aft axis of the mounting base forwardly and downwardly from the mounting base; and

wherein the light source comprises a plurality of light sources; and

the bezel includes a plurality of annular cavities therein where each of the annular cavities is configured to receive a respective one of the plurality of light sources therein, at least two of the plurality of annular cavities being oriented along different angles of inclination with respect to one another and with respect to the fore-and-aft axis of the mounting base to provide illumination to different areas forwardly of the head-fitting portion.

13. Lighted headgear comprising:

a headband portion including a loop of material extending about an interior space and sized to fit on the head of a user;

a light assembly mounted within the interior space of the headband portion;

an opening to the interior space in an outer surface portion of the headband portion;

a light source of the light assembly mounted to the headband portion so as to be oriented to extend through the opening to project light forwardly of the headband portion;

a power source of the light assembly configured to provide power to the light source;

a switch device of the light assembly comprising a pushbutton switch device having a switch base and a switch actuator depressible with respect to the switch base, actuation of the pushbutton switch device configured to switch the light source between on and off configurations;

a housing for the switch device mounted within the interior space of the headband portion so that the housing extends along the head of a user when the headband portion is worn and including an outer wall having a recess therein with a bottom wall portion and an opening in the bottom wall portion, wherein the switch base is disposed within the housing so that the switch actuator extends through the opening to be accessible by a user by depression of the headband portion adjacent to the actuator and the recess is sized so that with the actuator depressed to an activation height, an upper surface of the actuator resides within the recess below the outer wall to minimize inadvertent actuation of the pushbutton switch device; and

electrical connections of the light assembly configured to operably connect the light source, the power source, and the switch device, wherein the power source, the switch device, and the electrical connections are all disposed within the interior space of the headband portion to be concealed from view.

14. The lighted headgear of claim 13 further comprising a crown portion extending from an upper edge portion of the headband portion.

15. The lighted headgear of claim 13 wherein the power source comprises a power source housing configured to receive one or more batteries therein.

16. The lighted headgear of claim 15 wherein the power source housing includes a handle portion and the headband portion includes a strip of material having ends thereof attached thereto to create a loop configured to extend through the handle portion to secure the power source housing to the headband portion.

17. The lighted headgear of claim 15 wherein the light assembly further comprises a light holder formed of resilient material, the light holder having a base with a forward main surface and a rearward main surface and a bezel extending from the forward main surface of the base, the bezel being sized to receive the light source therein with the base rearward main surface mounted within the headband portion so that the bezel projects through the opening in the headband portion and fixes the light source to project light forwardly thereof.

18. The lighted headgear of claim 17 wherein the headband portion includes an applique attached thereto, the applique having the opening therein;

and the light holder base is secured to the headband portion using adhesive, the applique blocking the adhesive from view when the headband portion is worn.

19. A light module for mounting to headgear, the light module comprising:

an electronic assembly including a plurality of light sources, a power source, and a switch device;

a module housing for the electronic assembly having a fore-and-aft axis extending thereacross and including a main housing portion and a light holder portion extending outwardly therefrom, the light holder portion disposed generally centrally in a lateral direction relative to the main housing portion;

a plurality of cavities of the light holder portion sized to receive individual ones of the plurality of light sources and orient the light sources to product light forwardly and downwardly of the main housing portion, the plurality of cavities including a first cavity extending along a first angle of inclination with respect to the fore-and-aft axis of the module housing and a second cavity extending along a second angle of inclination with respect to the fore-and-aft axis of the module housing, where the second angle of inclination has a greater downward orientation with respect to the first angle of inclination;

a first, high beam light source of the plurality of light sources via the first cavity extending along the first angle of inclination; and

a second, low beam light source of the plurality of light sources via the second cavity extending along the second angle of inclination;

wherein the first, high beam light source disposed in the first cavity comprises a plurality of high beam light sources disposed in a plurality of first cavities; and

the second, low beam light source disposed in the second cavity comprises a plurality of low beam light sources disposed in a plurality of second cavities; and

wherein the power source includes a plurality of batteries received in the main housing portion so that the light holder portion extends laterally in an area between the batteries, and the switch device is disposed within the module housing with an actuator thereof extending to an exterior of the module housing to be accessible to a user.

20. The light module of claim 19 wherein the light sources comprise a first light source having a first lens size and a second light source having a second lens size, where the first lens size is larger than the second lens size;

and the first and second cavities have diameters sized to receive the first and second light sources respectively therein.

21. The light module of claim 19 wherein the switch device comprises a slide switch device.

22. The light module of claim 19 wherein the power source comprises four coin cell batteries disposed in two laterally-spaced stacked pairs.

23. The light module of claim 19 in combination with headgear, wherein the headgear comprises a head-fitting portion configured to be worn on a wearer'"'"'s head and a brim portion having upper and lower surfaces and extending forwardly from a lower edge portion of the head-fitting portion;

and the light module is mounted to the lower surface of the brim portion.

24. The combination of claim 23 further comprising a sealing member disposed between the light module and the brim portion to thereby minimize moisture passing through the brim portion from damaging the light module.