Lighted Headwear With Brim Sleeve

• US 20090193566A1
• Filed: 01/30/2009
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waters Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Waters Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Waters, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,753,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/209.13
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 1/244 Means for mounting lamps

Abstract

There is provided hands-free lighting, components thereof, and other accessories combined with the hands-free lighting. The hands-free lighting is preferably lighted headgear including hats and includes various accessories for use therewith, such as a protective switch guard associated with hat packaging surrounding an activation switch to prevent inadvertent activation while still allowing intentional actuation thereof.

Claims

1. A brim sleeve for a brim of a lighted hat having a light switch on a lower brim surface thereof, the brim sleeve comprising:

a thin body of generally flexible material;

an upper portion of the body being sized for extending across the lighted hat brim;

at least one lower portion of the body that is oriented for extending adjacent to the light switch; and

a switch guard associated with the body lower portion configured for extending around the light switch to avoid unintentional actuation thereof and having an opening for allowing intentional and direct access to the switch for actuation thereof.

2. The brim sleeve of claim 1, wherein the switch guard is a separate molded plastic member secured to the lower portion of the thin body.

3. The brim sleeve of claim 1, wherein the switch guard includes an upstanding flange portion configured for extending about the light switch and extending away from the brim lower surface to provide a spacer for avoiding unintentional actuation thereof.

4. The brim sleeve of claim 3, wherein the switch guard includes an annular flat base surface thereof for seating the switch guard on the lower brim surface.

5. The brim sleeve of claim 1, wherein the upstanding flange portion of the switch guard has a tapered cross-sectional profile including an inner wall and an outer wall thereof that extend toward each other for providing rigidity to the flange portion extending about the light switch.

6. The brim sleeve of claim 1, wherein the switch guard includes an annular wall for extending about the light switch to have a diameter of the wall so that an item spanning the wall diameter and moved toward the light switch will engage the wall at separate spaced locations to keep the item from unintentionally actuating the light switch.

7. Lighted headgear comprising:

a crown to be received on a wearer'"'"'s head;

a brim extending from a forward, lower edge of the crown;

at least one light source and a power source mounted to the lighted headgear for providing illumination therefrom;

a switch mounted to the brim;

a plunger actuator of the switch that extends away from the brim and which is depressable towards the brim to selectively turn the light source “

on”

or “

off”

;

a packaging cover configured to be secured to the brim;

a switch guarding portion of the packaging cover for guarding the switch against unintentional activation; and

a wall of the switch guarding portion arranged and configured so that with the packaging cover secured to the brim, the switch guarding portion wall is disposed adjacent the plunger actuator and extends away from the brim beyond the plunger actuator to allow for intentional and direct access to the plunger actuator by a potential purchaser and to avoid unintentional actuation of the plunger actuator.

8. The lighted headgear of claim 7, wherein the wall of the switch guard adjacent the switch substantially surrounds the plunger actuator.

9. The lighted headgear of claim 8 switch through the access opening.

10. The lighted headgear of claim 7, wherein the plunger actuator is on a lower surface of the headgear'"'"'s brim portion and the packaging cover includes a top major portion having opposite sides and positioned to extend along an upper surface of the headgear'"'"'s brim, and flap portions extending from each side of the top major portion and arranged to be folded about an outer edge of the brim to extend along an underside of the brim to position the packaging cover to conform to upper and lower surfaces of the lighted headgear brim to form a sleeve thereabout so that the packaging cover substantially maintains a profile similar to the brim.

11. The lighted headgear of claim 10, wherein each flap portion includes an extending tab arranged and configured to be inserted into an inner cavity formed by the crown so that the packaging cover can be detachably fastened to the lighted headgear in a concealed manner.

12. The lighted headgear of claim 11, wherein the tabs are overlapped and fastened to an inner sweatband extending about a lower inner surface of the crown cavity.

13. The lighted headgear of claim 7, wherein the packaging cover is a fiberboard material and the switch guarding portion is a separate piece of molded plastic fastened to the fiberboard material with a fastener.

14. The lighted headgear of claim 13, wherein the plastic switch guarding portion includes a flange extending outwardly from an edge of the wall, the flange having a mating surface for fastening the plastic switch guarding portion to one of the fiberboard flap portions of the packaging cover.

15. The lighted headgear of claim 7, wherein the wall of the switch guarding portion has a height greater than a distance the plunger actuator protrudes beyond the surface of the brim so that a gap is formed between the plunger actuator and an outer edge of the switch guarding wall.

16. A packaging assembly including a plurality of nested lighted hats, the packaging assembly comprising:

a plurality of lighted hats with each hat having a crown and a brim extending outwardly from a lower edge of the crown and having brim upper and lower surfaces thereof, a light source for providing illumination therefrom, a power source for energizing the light source, and a switch extending down from the lower surface of the hat brim operable for selectively energizing the light source;

a nested arrangement of the plurality of lighted hats with a lower one of the lighted hats being nested with an upper one of the lighted hats so that the crown of the lower lighted hat is inserted into the crown of the upper lighted hat and the brim of the upper lighted hat overlaps at least a portion of the brim of the lower lighted hat; and

an insert spacer device positioned between the brim upper surface of the lower lighted hat and the brim lower surface of the upper lighted hat and being configured so that the brim lower surface of the upper lighted hat adjacent to the downwardly extending switch of the upper hat brim remains spaced from the brim upper surface of the lower hat with the hats in the nested arrangement to avoid unintentionally actuating the upper hat switch with the brim upper surface of the nested lower hat.

17. The packaging assembly of claim 16, wherein the insert spacer device is fastened to a packaging cover detachably mounted to each of the plurality of lighted hats.

18. The packaging assembly of claim 16, wherein the packaging cover includes a top cover portion having opposite sides and positioned to extend along an upper surface of the hat brim, and flap portions extending from each side of the top cover portion and arranged to be folded about an outer edge of the brim to extend along an underside of the brim to position the packaging cover to conform to upper and lower surfaces of the hat brim so that the packaging cover substantially maintains a profile similar to the brim.

19. The lighted headgear of claim 18, wherein each flap portion includes an extending tab arranged and configured to be inserted into an inner cavity formed by the hat crown so that the packaging cover can be detachably fastened to the each of the hats.

20. The lighted headgear of claim 19, wherein the tabs are overlapped and fastened to an inner sweatband extending about a lower inner surface of the crown cavity.

21. The lighted headgear of claim 16, wherein the packaging cover is a paperboard material and the insert spacer is a separate molded plastic piece fastened to the paperboard material with a fastener.

22. Headgear having a brim sleeve packaging cover comprising:

a hat having a brim including upper and lower surfaces and a perimeter edge extending thereabout with the brim upper and lower surfaces having a lateral curvature thereacross;

a packaging cover for the brim configured for being detachably mounted thereto;

an upper portion of the packaging cover sized to substantially cover the brim upper surface and configured to conform to the curvature thereof; and

side arm portions folded down from opposite sides of the packaging cover upper portion to extend about the brim perimeter edge and laterally toward each other across and along the brim lower surface and configured to conform to the curvature thereof so that the cover upper and folded side arm portions have a profile similar to that of the brim.

23. The headgear of claim 22, wherein the hat includes a crown having an inner surface forming a cavity therein, and the side arm portions each include a tab that extends rearwardly from the respective side arm portions to be inserted into the inner cavity of the crown so that the packaging cover can be secured to the hat in a concealed manner.

24. The headgear of claim 23, wherein the crown includes an inner sweatband extending about the inner surface thereof and the tabs of the side arm portions are overlapped and secured to the inner sweatband.

25. The headgear of claim 23, wherein the upper portion and the side arm portions of the packaging cover have a fold line therebetween for folding of the side arm portions thereabout to extend around the brim perimeter edge.

26. The headgear of claim 23, wherein the hat includes a light source, a power source, and an activation switch, and the packaging cover includes a switch guard for extending about the activation switch to avoid unintentional actuation thereof.

27. The headgear of claim 22, wherein the packaging cover is of a paperboard material, and the switch guard is a separate molded plastic wall connected to one of the side arm portions of the paperboard packaging cover and having an upstanding flange to surround the switch.