Headwear having a brim with illumination device

#This invention relates to headwear with a forwardly extending brim, bill or visor such as caps, hats and helmets.

#The use of lights and other illuminating devices with headgear is known. However, prior illuminated headgear particularly of the soft baseball cap variety, have not been particularly well designed in terms of substantially maintaining the original cap configuration without intrusive alterations and/or additions for the lights, while at the same time being able to provide optimized illumination in the field of view of the wearer without changing the comfort and fit of the hat on the wearers head.

#Incandescent light bulbs commonly have been proposed for use with lighted headgear. Unfortunately, such lighting devices generate a significant amount of heat, and are relatively heavy. Smaller, less powerful incandescent lights still may make the wearer feel quite uncomfortable after even a short while due to the proximity of the light source and the wearer's face. Further decreasing the size of the incandescent lights, to the point where the wearer is comfortable, may cause light output to be very dim and therefore unusable for illuminating areas forwardly of the wearer. In one aspect of the present invention, this area can be at distances that reading material is commonly held forward from a reader's eyes, e.g. on the order of ten to eighteen inches from the eyes. A light that is capable of brightly illuminating the filed of view within that range of distances is necessary for ensuring comfort in reading in dimly lighted areas. However, a lower intensity light bulb or lamp, which may be preferable to reduce heat or increase battery life, may result in less than optimal lighting causing eyestrain and discomfort. Alternatively, where illumination is desired at further distances forwardly from the hat wearer, such as when the hat is being worn during sport's activities undertaken in dim light conditions, e.g. jogging at night, incandescent bulbs, particularly those of the size and weight suitable for use with hats, cannot provide the desired illumination far enough forwardly from the hat wearer.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lighted hat in accordance with the present invention showing LEDs at the front of a brim portion for directing light forwardly therefrom;

#FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the lighted hat of FIG. 1 showing a rear mounted power module with leads interconnecting the LEDs and power module shown in phantom;

#FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the lighted hat of FIG. 1 showing the power module attached to an adjustment strap of the hat;

#As will be seen herein, the present invention is directed to a wide variety of headgear, preferably headgear having a forwardly extending member commonly referred to as a bill, brim or visor, referred to herein as a brim or brim portion. The brim extends forwardly from a head-fitting portion and is typically provided to shield the wearer from incident light bright enough to interfere with the wearer's vision. Brims are also provided to shield a wearer from rain or other objects such as leaves or other lightweight debris which may be falling about the wearer. When substantial contact is anticipated, the brims (and the remainder of the headgear, as well) may be made rigid so as to avoid deflection when impacted by more substantial objects. Over the years, a great variety of headgear with forwardly extending brims has been proposed and the present invention contemplates use with this great variety of headgear. For purposes of illustration and not limitation, the present invention is described with respect to a number of well-known headgear types. For example, in FIGS. 1-3 and 15 a soft athletic or sports cap commonly referred to as a “baseball cap” is shown. While the brim of the baseball cap is generally rigid or shape retentive, the crown is more flexible for a more relaxed fit on a persons' head. FIG. 27 shows a conventional “hard hat” or safety helmet according to principles of the present invention, while FIG. 28 shows a traditional composite firemen's helmet according to principles of the present invention. The present invention could also be implemented in a visor where the head fitting portion does not entirely cover the wearer's head like that of the crown of a baseball cap.

#Referring now to FIGS. 1-16 the invention is showed embodied in a baseball cap generally indicated at 500. Cap 500 is constructed with a soft head covering portion or crown 502 defining an interior space 502a for being placed onto a person's head and comprising a number of panels 504 sewn or otherwise joined together and terminating at a button 506. A brim 510 is joined to crown 502 so as to extend in a forward direction when the cap is fitted to the wearer's head. Brim 510 includes a forward peripheral edge 512 and continuously extending side edges 514. As seen in FIG. 15, brim 510 is illustrated as having a curved shape so as to be concave when viewed from below. If desired, brim 510 can have a flat or non-curved horizontal shape.

#Referring to FIG. 12, the lower portion 521 of crown 502 from which the brim 510 projects has an inner band 520 which may be employed as a stiffening member and/or as a sweatband. In this matter, the crown 502 has two layers of material, specifically along the lower, large diameter portion 521 thereof. Referring to FIG. 3, the back of crown 502 has an opening 524. A conventional adjustment band or strip 526 spans opening 524 and provides an adjustable girth to fit wearers having different head sizes. Visible in FIG. 3 is a housing 105, shown for example in FIG. 4, which is attached to adjustable band 524 using conventional means such as rivets or adhesives. A pair of wire conductors 111, 115 extend from housing 105, traveling through the space between inner band 520 and the lower portion 521 of crown 502, as can be seen in FIG. 12. With reference to FIG. 13, the conductors 111, 115 extend within brim 510, i.e. between stiff core or insert 530 and attached fabric material, such as along one of the side edge portions 514 and the forward edge portion 512 to the rear of a pair of lights or lamps 108 (FIG. 2).