APPARATUS, METHODS AND WEARABLE DEVICES FOR DELIVERING COOLED FILTERED AIR FOR BREATHING TO USERS THEREOF

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing cooled clean filtered air to the wearer of this device while allowing them to remain inconspicuous and to do so using inexpensive easily obtainable filtration supplies.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to be mounted on a hat wearable on a human head and provide filtered air in an area adjacent to the face of a wearer of the hat, the hat having a crown portion with a concave surface and a brim having an upper side and a lower side, the lower side being adjacent to the area adjacent to the face, said apparatus comprising: a) an inner housing defining an upper side, lower side, a side wall, and a cavity therein, the upper side forming an engagement with the crown portion of the hat whereby the inner housing is supported within the crown portion, wherein the upper side includes a first opening in contact with the concave surface of the crown portion and in fluid communication with the cavity, and wherein the side wall includes a second opening in fluid communication with the cavity; b) a fan mounted in the cavity; and c) a duct including a first opening and a second opening, the first opening being operatively associated with the second opening of the inner housing for enabling fluid communication from the cavity into the duct, the duct including a second opening adjacent to the lower side of the brim, wherein the engagement of the upper side of the housing and the crown portion of the hat is further configured to receive a filter cover configured to cover the first opening.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duct is constructed of a substantially flexible material.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the flexible material is a fabric.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the inner housing is generally disc-shaped.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the inner housing is constructed of a substantially flexible material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third opening in the lower side of the inner housing, wherein the third opening is in fluid communication with the cavity.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the inner housing is mounted for rotational motion within an outer housing.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the outer housing includes a first opening in fluid communication with the third opening in the lower side of the inner housing and a second opening in fluid communication with the second opening in the side wall of the inner housing, the second opening of the outer housing being connected with the first opening of the duct, wherein the rotational motion of the inner housing relative to the outer housing alternately restricts and derestricts one or both of (i) fluid communication between the first opening of the outer housing and the third opening in the lower side of the inner housing and (ii) fluid communication between the second opening of the outer housing and the second opening in the side wall of the inner housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power source in electrical communication with the fan.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the engagement of the upper side of the housing and the crown portion of the hat further comprises a raised edge defined around the first opening in the upper side of the inner housing and a frame member configured to engage with the rim.

11. An apparatus configured to be mounted on a hat wearable on a human head and provide filtered air in an area adjacent to the face of a wearer of the hat, the hat having a crown portion with a concave surface and a brim having an upper side and a lower side, the lower side being adjacent to the area adjacent to the face, said apparatus comprising: a) an inner housing defining an upper side, lower side, a side wall, and a cavity therein, the upper side forming an engagement with the crown portion of the hat whereby the inner housing is supported within the crown portion, wherein the upper side includes a first opening in contact with the concave surface of the crown portion and in fluid communication with the cavity, and wherein the side wall includes a second opening in fluid communication with the cavity; b) a fan mounted in the cavity; c) a duct including a first opening and a second opening, the duct being substantially constructed of a fabric material, the first opening being operatively associated with the second opening of the inner housing for enabling fluid communication from the cavity into the duct, the duct including a second opening adjacent to the lower side of the brim; and d) a power source in electrical communication with the fan, wherein the engagement of the upper side of the housing and the crown portion of the hat is further configured to receive a filter cover configured to cover the first opening, the engagement of the upper side of the housing and the crown portion of the hat comprising a raised edge defined around the first opening in the upper side of the inner housing and a frame member configured to engage with the rim.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the inner housing is generally cylindrical.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the inner housing is constructed of a substantially flexible material.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a third opening in the lower side of the inner housing, wherein the third opening is in fluid communication with the cavity.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the inner housing is mounted for rotational motion within an outer housing.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the outer housing includes a first opening in fluid communication with the third opening in the lower side of the inner housing and a second opening in fluid communication with the second opening in the side wall of the inner housing, the second opening of the outer housing being connected with the first opening of the duct, wherein the rotational motion of the inner housing relative to the outer housing alternately restricts and derestricts one or both of (i) fluid communication between the first opening of the outer housing and the third opening in the lower side of the inner housing and (ii) fluid communication between the second opening of the outer housing and the second opening in the side wall of the inner housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] While the disclosure concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming specific embodiments, various features and advantages of embodiments within the scope of this disclosure may be more readily ascertained from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, some or all of which may or may not be drawn to scale, in which:

[0037] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the filtered air delivery system (i.e., the CAP (Covid Active Protection)) shown provided with certain apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

[0038] FIG. 2 is an encompassed view of the filtration mechanism integrated into a baseball cap of FIG. 1 showing the ball cap with the fan and air plenum combined;

[0039] FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, wherein the surgical mask is shown ready to be installed with an additional option of a clear protective visor integrated into the sun shield;

[0040] FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 but wherein we see the surgical mask ready to be installed with an additional option of a clear protective visor integrated into the sun shield and a pad addition;

[0041] FIG. 5 is another embodiment of the invention, which is generally a more compact, lighter and thinner version of the invention with surgical type tubing to be used as conduit to transmit the air flow making it more comfortable to wear;

[0042] FIG. 6 is a close-up of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5, illustrating that the off-the-shelf inexpensive surgical mask is inserted in between the body and the upper retaining clamping ring;

[0043] FIG. 7 is a more skewed view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5 showing this variant more clearly in and exploded view;

[0044] FIG. 8 is a generalized view of an embodiment of the invention showing the air flow over a mannequin to demonstrate how the airflow attaches itself to the face and where it begins to delaminate;

[0045] FIG. 9 is a more elongated variation of an embodiment of the invention which can be nested close to the chest on the rib cage area below the chin used to generate an upward clean air-flow used alone or in conjunction with the upper variant;

[0046] FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 describing additional potential components in the assembly; and

[0047] FIG. 11 is another isometric view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 describing additional potential components in the assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0048] The embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown. The embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In general, like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0049] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes”, “including”, “comprises”, and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

[0050] References to “one embodiment,” “at least one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one example,” “an example,” “for example,” and so on indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0051] Methods of the present invention may be implemented by performing or completing manually, automatically, or a combination thereof, selected steps or tasks. The term “method” refers to manners, means, techniques, and procedures for accomplishing a given task including, but not limited to, those manners, means, techniques, and procedures either known to or readily developed from known manners, means, techniques, and procedures by practitioners of the art to which the invention belongs. The descriptions, examples, methods, and materials presented in the claims and the specification are not to be construed as limiting but rather as illustrative only. Those skilled in the art will envision many other possible variations within the scope of the technology described herein.

[0052] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0053] In this description, various aspects of selected embodiments are described. However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and others that alternate embodiments may be practiced with only some or all of the aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and others that alternate embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. In some instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrated embodiments.

[0054] Various operations may be described herein as multiple discreet steps in turn, in a manner that is helpful to understanding of the embodiments. However, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order of presentation.

[0055] FIG. 1 show shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 10. Apparatus 10 comprises an integrated mechanism consisting of a clean filtered air delivery system integrated into a head apparel whereby air is pulled through an opening in the apparatus 10 at location 12 pulled through filter media via a fan 14 into a plenum 16 which changes the direction of the air 90 degrees within a cylindrical receptor 18 capable of rotating within the main structure 20. The cylindrical receptor 18 maintains a clearance from a filter media (not shown) which is held above the fan 14 with a plurality of stand-offs 22 which keep the filter material from physically adhering to the intake fan 14. These standoffs 22 can also be slits or gaps allowing air to freely pass into the intake fan 14. One of the main purposes for this configuration is to increase the available surface area to maximize air to cloth ratio. The air is primarily directed towards an integrated plenum 16 the purpose of which is to direct the air 90 degrees towards one of two discharge location within the fixed body 20 the first being 24 in-line with the brim 25 of a hat apparel 34 concealed at the edge of the brim 25 and used to transmit clean filtered air to the discharge location 26 discharging this air at the top of a person's hairline parallel to the forehead. In addition, there exists the possibility of rotating the cylindrical receptor 18 clockwise or counter-clockwise a certain angular distance, example 30 degrees with this apparatus either manually or electronically using a potentiometer on top of the cap to proportionally rotate 18 to any desired position on apparatus 10 allowing an analog percentage of the airflow to be diverted from discharge location 25 via an plurality of discharge nozzles 28 into the area below the apparatus 10 depictured by arrows 30 but above the head of a wearer 54. This analog variation allows the wearer 54 to choose depending on conditions example within a bank safety is important therefore supply air over the forehead then outside walking to the car switch to air conditioning mode. The possibility exists that this switching could be automatic based on temperature and feedback such as detection of sunlight or wind.

[0056] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 110 with partial integrated numeral 10 showing a simplified of apparatus with fan 14 pulling air through a filter (not shown) into the fan body delivering this air into plenum 24 within ballcap 34 to the discharge nozzle location 25 at the brim of the ballcap 34 just above the brim where the air is discharged the sun shield 36 which has within it and residing just below this sun shield a clear plastic second shield 38 depicted in the nested position which can be lowered to help keep air within the breathing zone (that is, optionally rotated 90 degrees) on top of the ballcap there is a knob 12 which can rotate in this configuration clockwise or counter clockwise, by for example about 30°, to adjust the ratio of air that can be diverted into the area above the ballcap verses that which is flowing over the face. Control of this rotation occurs through the use of an electric servo controlled by the potentiometer on top of the ballcap to change this air flow. This air can be optionally further cooled by wetting a felt pad with bottled or tap water to generate natural cooling though the evaporative cooling cycle. This works particularly well in areas with low humidity such as Arizona and New Mexico and parts of Texas.

[0057] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 110 with full integration of FIG. 2 and all of the numeral 10 (minus the servo control, batteries and any other electronics required for specific variations of the invention here we see the cap visor 38 deployed using two hinge points 42 on either side of the sun shield 36 attached to the ballcap 34.

[0058] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 110 with full integration of FIG. 3 and all of the numeral 10 (minus the servo control, batteries and any other electronics required for specific variations of the invention here we see the cap visor 38 deployed using two hinge points 42 on either side of the sun shield 36 attached to the ballcap 34. As well this version of the invention has a felt pad 66 which can be use in place of filter 40 or in addition to this filter. This pad can be felt to allow for addition of essential oils such as lavender or it could be infused with salt water to help kill pathogens within our sinuses or even prescription aerosols that again could help keep pathogen infection to a minimum.

[0059] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 210 this is a simplified variation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 that provides for a potentially less expensive lighter weight version. The invention consists of a fan 14 contained within a housing 48 with a discharge plenum 46 directing the inlet air 12 pulled from above the ball cap 34 through the fan 14 and directed 90° to the plenum 46 into either a surgical tubing type conduit 50 shown here or a fabric plenum integrated into the ballcap 34 also feeding power to the fan are one or more batteries 52 ideally flat type shown here to power the fan 12. We also see filter 40 held in place with a press-on clamp 48 used to secure the entire assembly. In this configuration control know 32 is not needed or used and serves only cosmetically however this version of the invention may or may not contain a flip down visor 38.

[0060] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 210 this is a simplified variation of numeral 10 that allows for a less expensive lighter weight version of numeral 10. FIG. 6 shows a generally simplified view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 with the ballcap removed to better show the workings of this variant air 12 is pulled through the filter 40 into a fan 14 powered by one or more batteries 52 and held within a housing 48 delivering air to a plenum discharge 46 into a discharge plenum 50 to deliver clean filtered air 26 to the user.

[0061] FIG. 7 show shows a side view of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 210 and depicted within FIGS. 5 and 6. This view shows how the assembly comes together with the filter 40 trapped between the housing 48 held in place by the clamping ring 44 delivering unfiltered air 12 to the plenum discharge 46 into the plenum delivery tubing 50 to discharge clean filtered air 26.

[0062] FIG. 8 show shows a side view of an apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 310 and depicted with a simplified embodiment of numerical 10 contained within a ballcap 34 with a conventional sun visor 36 and an integrated clear plastic visor 38 sitting on a mannequin 54 delivering clean filtered air 26 across the nose and mouth of the mannequin 54 depicting the change that occurs when air goes from laminar depicted and shown at location 26 to turbulent air flow shown at location 27. It must be noted that there is a second trip zone not shown at the nose at the nostril area where most of the air intake occurs.

[0063] FIG. 9 show shows another variation of the apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 410 and depicted within FIG. 9 this variation of the invention operates in a similar fashion as the previous FIGS. 1-8 in that air enters the apparatus 12 through the filter 40 into the fan 12 held within a housing 62 that has a power source such as AAA or AA batteries 58 held within a cavity 60 directly pushing filtered air 26 out location 64. Filter 40 is secured in place over the opening of housing 62 of apparatus 12 by frame 56. Housing 62 and frame 56 may include features which interlock or snap-fit, such as raised edge, rim or flange, or otherwise enable the formation of a non-permanent engagement between frame 56 and housing 62.

[0064] FIG. 10 show shows an isometric view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 illustrating the apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 410 and depicted within FIG. 9 this variation of the invention operates in a similar fashion as the previous FIGS. 1-8 in that air enters the apparatus 12 through the filter 40 into the fan 12 held within a housing 62 that likely has AAA or AA batteries 58 held within a cavity 60 directly pushing filtered air 26 out location 64.

[0065] FIG. 11 show shows an isometric view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-10 showing the apparatus constructed according to the principles of the invention generally designated by the reference numeral 410 and depicted within FIG. 9 this variation of the invention operates in a similar fashion as the previous FIGS. 1-8 in that air enters the apparatus 12 through the filter 40 into the fan 12 held within a housing 62 that likely has AAA or AA batteries 58 held within a cavity 60 directly pushing filtered air 26 out location 64 as well the variation of the invention shown in FIG. 11 includes the addition of a felt pad 66 which can be use in place of filter 40 or in addition to this filter. This pad can be felt to allow for addition of essential oils such as lavender or it could be infused with salt water to help kill pathogens within our sinuses or even prescription aerosols that again could help keep pathogen infection to a minimum.

[0066] The systems and methods described herein may be a standalone system, device or machine, or incorporated in an existing system, device or machine. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art following the disclosure provided herein, the present invention can be facilitated or integrated with a data processor, or other hardware and software. A system, method or apparatus of the invention may therefore include various computer and network related software and hardware, such as programs, operating systems, memory storage devices, data input/output devices, data processors, servers with links to data communication systems, wireless or otherwise, and data transceiving terminals. It should also be understood that any method steps discussed herein may further include or involve the transmission, receipt and processing of data through conventional hardware and/or software technology to effectuate the steps as described herein. Aspects of the embodiments which include process steps and instructions described herein may be in the form of an algorithm. It should be noted that the process steps and instructions of the embodiments can be embodied in software, firmware, or hardware, and when embodied in software, could be downloaded to reside on and be operated from different platforms used by a variety of operating systems.

[0067] In some embodiments, the methods, systems, and media disclosed herein include software, server, and/or database modules, or use of the same. In view of the disclosure provided herein, software modules are created by techniques known to those of skill in the art using machines, software, and languages known to the art. The software modules disclosed herein are implemented in a multitude of ways. In various embodiments, a software module comprises a file, a section of code, a programming object, a programming structure, or combinations thereof. In further various embodiments, a software module comprises a plurality of files, a plurality of sections of code, a plurality of programming objects, a plurality of programming structures, or combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the one or more software modules comprise, by way of non-limiting examples, a web application, a mobile application, and a standalone application. In some embodiments, software modules are in one computer program or application. In other embodiments, software modules are in more than one computer program or application. In some embodiments, software modules are hosted on one machine. In other embodiments, software modules are hosted on more than one machine. In further embodiments, software modules are hosted on cloud computing platforms. In some embodiments, software modules are hosted on one or more machines in one location. In other embodiments, software modules are hosted on one or more machines in more than one location.

[0068] In some embodiments, the methods, systems, and media disclosed herein include one or more databases or use of the same. In view of the disclosure provided herein, those of skill in the art will recognize that many databases are suitable for storage and retrieval of player and game information. In various embodiments, suitable databases include, by way of non-limiting examples, relational databases, non-relational databases, object-oriented databases, object databases, entity-relationship model databases, associative databases, and XML databases. In some embodiments, a database is internet-based. In further embodiments, a database is web-based.

[0069] In still further embodiments, a database is cloud computing-based. In other embodiments, a database is based on one or more local computer storage devices.

[0070] A controller, computing device, or computer, such as described herein, may include at least one or more processors or processing units and a system memory. The controller typically also includes at least some form of computer-readable media. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology that enables storage of information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Communication media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and include any information delivery media. Those skilled in the art should be familiar with the modulated data signal, which has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0071] In some embodiments, a controller may include a processor, which as described herein, includes any programmable system including systems and microcontrollers, reduced instruction set circuits (RISC), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic circuits (PLC), and any other circuit or processor capable of executing the functions described herein. The above examples are exemplary only and thus are not intended to limit in any way the definition and/or meaning of the term processor.

[0072] The order of execution or performance of the operations in the embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwise specified. That is, the operations described herein may be performed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and embodiments of the invention may include additional or fewer operations than those disclosed herein. For example, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particular operation before, contemporaneously with, or after another operation is within the scope of aspects of the invention.

[0073] This written description uses examples to disclose the invention and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Other aspects and features of the invention can be obtained from a study of the drawings and the disclosure. The invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. It should also be noted, that the steps and/or functions listed herein, notwithstanding the order of which steps and/or functions are listed, are not limited to any specific order of operation.

[0074] While exemplary apparatus, systems and methods of the invention have been described herein, it should also be understood that the foregoing is only illustrative of a few particular embodiments with exemplary and/or preferred features, as well as principles of the invention, and that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the described embodiments should not be considered as limiting of the scope of the invention in any way. Accordingly, the invention embraces alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth herein, in the claims and any equivalents thereto.