HEAD STRAP SYSTEM FOR EYEWEAR

Abstract

A head strap system is designed to secure eye wear, such as a sleep mask, with optimal fit, comfort, and stability. The system provides over-ear straps and under-ear straps. On each side of the head, the over-ear strap and under-ear strap are each connected to a strap attachment, which is detachably and adjustably secured to a temple pad on the eye wear. The over-ear straps are each connected to an adjustable central elastic band. The under-ear straps are connected to left and right neck straps, which are temporarily secured together in order to wear the head strap system. The over-ear straps may be configured as arcs. An optional chin strap and/or hairline strap further secure the eyewear.

Claims

1. A head strap assembly for securing eye wear, comprising: a central band with a left end and a right end; a left over-ear strap connected to the left end of the central band, and a right over-ear strap connected to the right end of the central band; a left strap attachment connected to the left over-ear strap at substantially a right angle, and a right strap attachment connected to the right over-ear strap at substantially a right angle; a left under-ear strap connected to the left strap attachment, and a right under-ear strap connected to the right strap attachment; a left neck strap connected to the left under-ear strap, and a right neck strap connected to the right under-ear strap; and detachable securing means on the left neck strap and the right neck strap, for temporarily securing the left neck strap to the right neck strap.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the left over-ear strap and the right over-ear strap are each configured in an arc.

3. The invention of claim 2, further comprising a left temple pad and a right temple pad; detachable securing means on the left strap attachment and the left temple pad, for temporarily securing the left strap attachment to the left temple pad; and detachable securing means on the right strap attachment and the right temple pad, for temporarily securing the right strap attachment to the right temple pad.

4. The invention of claim 3, further comprising eye wear connected to the left temple pad and to the right temple pad.

5. The invention of claim 3, further comprising a chin strap; detachable securing means on the chin strap; detachable securing means on the left temple pad for temporarily securing the chin strap to the left temple pad; and detachable securing means on the right temple pad for temporarily securing the chin strap to the right temple pad.

6. The invention of claim 5, further comprising a hairline strap; detachable securing means on the hairline strap; detachable securing means on the left temple pad for temporarily securing the hairline strap to the left temple pad; and detachable securing means on the right temple pad for temporarily securing the hairline strap to the right temple pad.

7. The invention of claim 6, further comprising adjustment means in the central band, for adjusting the central band longer or shorter.

8. The invention of claim 2, wherein the central band, the left under-ear strap, and the right under-ear strap are each made of elastic material; and the left neck strap and the right neck strap are each made of neoprene.

9. The invention of claim 6, wherein the detachable securing means on the left strap connector, the right strap connector, the left temple pad, the right temple pad, the chin strap, and the hairline strap are made of hook-and-loop fabric.

10. The invention of claim 9, wherein the detachable securing means on the left neck strap and the right neck strap are made of hook-and-loop fabric.

11. The invention of claim 9, wherein the left neck strap and the right neck strap are snapback straps.

12. The invention of claim 8, in which the left over-ear strap and the right over-ear strap are each made of a plastic insert with a foam cover.

13. The invention of claim 8, in which the left over-ear strap and the right over-ear strap are each made of fabric.

14. The invention of claim 8, in which the left over-ear strap and the right over-ear strap are each made of silicone.

Description

5. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1A shows the present invention assembled and positioned on a human head

[0008] FIG. 1B is an exploded view of FIG. 1, with the components separated for easier visualization and to illustrate the points of attachment/separation.

[0009] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the innovative head strap system.

[0010] FIG. 3 shows the points of attachment connecting the eyewear, temple pad, and head strap system.

[0011] FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention that includes a strap arc and a hairline strap.

[0012] FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are three alternative depictions of the head strap system juxtaposed to demonstrate its adjustability.

[0013] FIG. 6 is a rear view of the head strap system with snapback straps.

6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The major components of the sleep mask invention are most clearly seen in FIG. 1B: the eyewear 1, the head strap system 2, the temple pad 3, and the chin strap 4. Detachable securing means, such as hook-and-loop fabrics or snapback straps, enable these four components to be assembled together on the face, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0015] The head strap system 2 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. A central elastic band 21 is designed for placement at the back of the head. The central elastic band may include adjustment means 211, such as an adjustment buckle, to make the band longer or shorter.

[0016] A left over-ear strap 22L and a right over-ear strap 22R are attached end-to-end to the central elastic band. When properly placed, the over-ear straps are designed to protrude forward on the head and over the ears. Each over-ear strap may be configured with a strap arc 222, as shown in FIG. 4. The strap arcs position the over-ear straps completely over the ears, instead of passing between the sides of the head and the pinnae (like the stems of eyeglasses). This presents obvious advantages for comfort, especially when one side of the head is resting on a pillow. The over-ear straps may be formed of any suitable construction material such as plastic, silicone, or fabric, or any combination of such materials. For example, each over-ear strap may have an internal plastic insert covered by a strap cover, 221, optimally a cotton memory foam or other soft material. Alternatively, the over-ear straps may be constructed entirely of silicone or entirely of fabric.

[0017] Each over-ear strap is attached to a strap attachment (23L and 23R) at approximately a right angle to the over-ear strap. The strap attachments will be positioned in front of the ears, at the temples. They are designed to attach to the temple pad 3 with detachable securing means 231 such as hook-and-loop fabric.

[0018] Continuing along the length of the head strap system 2, around the ears, each strap attachment (23L and 23R) is attached end-to-end to an under-ear strap (24L and 24R). The under-ear straps are ideally made of a heavy elastic material.

[0019] Each under-ear strap (24L and 24R) is joined end-to-end with a neck strap (25L and 25R). The neck straps are designed to lead around the back of the neck. The neck straps are ideally made of neoprene or a similar material. The left neck strap 25L is attachable to the right neck strap 25R with temporary attachment means 251, such as hook-and-loop fabric, a clasp, or snapback straps, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows the overlap of one strap attachment 23, one temple pad 3, and one end of the eyewear 1. These components are ideally secured with temporary attachment means such as hook fabric 231 on the strap attachment 23 and loop fabric 31 on the temple pad 3. Snapback fasteners may also be used, for example with male snaps on the strap attachment and female snaps on the temple pad.

[0021] The use of temporary attachment means allows great variation in the placement and orientation of the strap attachments 23, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C. The head strap assembly 2 may be positioned further back on the eyewear 1 for smaller heads (FIG. 5A), or further forward for larger heads (FIG. 5B). The head strap assembly can also be attached to the eyewear at various angles to accommodate ears of different sizes and placements. FIG. 5C shows the head strap assembly 2 angled higher to the rear compared to FIG. 5A or 5B.

[0022] An optional chin strap 4 can also be secured to the temple pad 3 with removable attachment means 41 such as hook-and-loop fabric. The chin strap provides extra stability for the eye mask 1. An optional hairline strap 5 (FIG. 4) may also be used.