US 6,173,447 B1Granted

Demountable protective eye shield assembly for cap visor

OwnerGary L. Arnoldinventor

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Abstract

A demountable protective eye shield assembly is provided which shields and person's eyes and/or eyeglasses from rain water, salt water, and other foreign matter. The eye shield assembly is adapted for removable clamping engagement with the visor of a baseball cap or other item of headgear having a visor and includes a clamp body with upper and lower jaws for clamping onto the outermost edge of a visor. The clamp body includes a gutter means which traps water flowing generally to the front of the visor and redirects such water to either side of the clamp body for draining substantially out of the wearer's field of vision. Finally, the eye shield assembly includes an eye shield which is pivotally attached to the clamp body for pivotal movement between a first, primary operative position in which it shields a person's eyes or eyeglasses from rain. spray or other foreign matter, and a second non-operative position in which it is disposed substantially over the visor of the headgear and out of the user's field of vision. The shield includes an upper edge which is curled over backwards to form a lip that straddles the clamp body's gutter means when the shield is in its first, primary operative position. The shield's lip serves to force water impinging onto it from generally above to drain either forward and down the front face of the shield or backwards and onto the gutter means of the clamp body where it will then be directed to either side of the assembly for draining as described above. Included in the assembly are means for locking the eye shield in at least its second, non-operative position to retain the same out of the user's field of vision when desired by the user.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A demountable protective eye shield assembly for engagement to the visor of an independent item of headgear having a headband and a visor, with the visor of said headgear having an upper surface and a lengthwise outermost edge extending from a right side end point of attachment with the headband of the headgear to a left side end point of attachment with the headband of the headgear, said demountable protective eye shield assembly comprising:

a clamp body having upper and lower jaws with outer surfaces and inner surfaces for removable clamping engagement to at least said upper jaw, said clamp body being of a shape which is adapted to conform with the outermost edge of a visor lengthwise along said upper jaw and extending from a right end to a left end, said inner surface of said upper jaw being adapted for substantially water tight engagement with the upper surface of a visor adjacent its outermost edge when said jaws are in clamping engagement with the visor;
gutter means attached to said upper jaw, said gutter means being substantially coextensive with said upper jaw such that water impinging on the visor, which water would, in the absence of said gutter means, drain off the visor generally into a wearer's field of vision, is trapped by said gutter means and redirected to either side of said clamp body for draining off the visor substantially out of the wearer's field of vision;
an eye shield having a top edge, a bottom edge, a right side, a left side, and front and rear faces bounded by said sides and edges;
and
eye shield attaching means pivotally attaching said eye shield to said clamp body such that eye shield is pivotable between a first, primary operative position in which it shields a wearer's eyes and a second, non-operative position in which it is disposed substantially above the visor of the headgear.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.