Abstract:
A headband for the treatment or relief of headaches having a means for attaching said headband to the head thereby producing variable pressure to the head, said headband having one or more pockets for the insertion of treatment elements including cold, heat, vibration, and magnetism; wherein said headband is attached to the head in an annular fashion and headaches are treated or relieved by applying pressure, cold, heat, vibration, or magnetism, or any combination thereof intermittently or continuously.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to the therapeutic treatment of pain. In particular, this invention relates to a device for the treatment and relief of headache pain. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Most headaches are generated by brain and surrounding tissues. These headaches can be caused by neuro-vascular, or skeletal muscle abnormalities. Dilation and distention of the extra cranial arteries produce “vascular headaches.” Sustained contraction of skeletal muscles of the face, scalp, and neck produce “tension headaches.” Headache pain is a very common condition in humans, and a common treatment is the use of oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin. Other treatment may include muscle relaxants. Such pharmacologic therapy may be ineffective and can be associated with side effects. 
     Nonpharmacologic treatment in the past has included acupuncture and acupressure as well as message therapy. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,382,446 and 4,765,338 disclose that the combination of hot and cold applied to the scalp may be beneficial in the treatment of headache. The headband disclosed in these patents can be used to heat or cool but not both simultaneously. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,248,215, 4,944,289, and 5,419,758 disclose a headband for headache relief using pressure but not heat or cold. U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,981 discloses a headband that uses pressure plus cold for the relief of headaches. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,314,456 and 4,781,193 disclose headache treatment devices which use both heat and cold but not pressure. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,456 further discloses the use of vibration to relieve headache pain and U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,569 further discloses the use of magnetism to relieve headache pain. In general, the prior art suggests that pressure can compress dilated blood vessels, cold can cause dilated blood vessels to constrict, heat can cause contracted muscles to relax, vibration can interfere with the normal sensory transmission of pain, and magnetism may release natural pain-killers. 
     The present invention makes use of the application of pressure, heat, and cold simultaneously or individually, with or without vibration or magnetism to provide a highly effective, versatile, and practical headband for the treatment or relief of headache pain. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a headband to treat or relieve headache pain, worn around the head above the ears, covering the forehead, the sides of the head and the back of the head. The headband has a belt on a first end and a loop on a second end, and by inserting the belt through the loop a user can cinch or tighten the headband around the head to produce a desired degree of pressure. In one embodiment, the headband is composed of an inner layer and an outer layer forming one or more inner pockets that can be accessed through one or more closeable openings. One or more heating, cooling, magnetic, or vibratory elements can be removably inserted in the inner pocket to provide heat, cold, vibration, magnetism, or a combination thereof to the head and neck. In another embodiment, the headband has an outside surface and an inside surface, with means for removably attaching one or more pockets on the inside surface. A heating, cooling, vibratory, or magnetic element can be inserted into the pocket to provide heat, cold, vibration, magnetism, or a combination thereof to the head and neck by attachment of one or more pockets to the inside surface. 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a treatment or relief of headache pain. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a headband that is easy to place around the head, is comfortable, and will relieve the pain of headaches. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a headband that fits all head sizes. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive headband that can apply pressure, heat, cold, vibration, or magnetism to the head. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide continuous treatment or relief of headache pain. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide pressure, heat, cold, vibration, or magnetism, or any combination thereof simultaneously to the head. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows the outer layer and outside surface of the headband. 
     FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the headband in an annular configuration as when used on the head. 
     FIG. 3 shows the inner layer of one embodiment of the headband. 
     FIG. 4 shows a top view of the headband, showing a closeable opening in the top portion of the headband. 
     FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of the headband. 
     FIG. 6 shows treatment means being inserted into the inner pocket of the headband. 
     FIG. 7 shows the inside portion of an alternate embodiment of the headband, showing attachment means for removable pockets. 
     FIG. 8 shows the inside and outside portions of removable pockets, with attachment means on the outside portion and a mesh wall forming the inside portion. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While the following description details the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of the parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced in various ways. 
     The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a headband  10  for the treatment or relief of headaches shown in FIGS. 1 through 8. 
     FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the headband  10  of the present invention, which has an outer layer  13  and an inner layer  14 , viewed from the surface  36  of outer layer  13  which faces away from the head when in use. Headband  10  has a top portion  11  positioned towards the top of the head and a bottom portion  12  positioned towards the bottom of the head when in use. Headband  10  is preferably rectangular in shape but may be fashioned in any suitable shape. Headband  10  is also annular, encircling the head above the ears when in use. A first end of headband  10  has belt-like structure  15  and a second end of headband  10  has a loop or D-ring  16 . Belt  15  has a means for attaching belt  15  to headband  10 , comprising a hook  19  and pile  20  arrangement. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, when the headband  10  is looped around the head so that the ends are near the forehead, belt  15  is passed through loop  16  and pulled back towards headband  10  to produce desired pressure or tension uniformly around the head. This pressure or tension is maintained when belt  15  is folded over and reversibly attached to the surface  36  of outer layer  13  by hook  19  and pile  20  attachment means. The attachment means are preferably Velcro. The second end of headband  10  also has a pull tab  5  which facilitates pulling belt  15  to create pressure and to complete the attachment of belt  15  to headband  10 . 
     Bottom portion  12  of headband  10  has an elastic strip  17 . Elastic strip  17  conforms to the back of the head and applies pressure to the neck region at the back of the head when in use. 
     FIG. 3 shows inner layer  14  which faces toward the head when headband  10  is in use. Inner layer  14  is formed in part of a mesh or grid-like structure  6  which defines numerous apertures. Mesh  6  is flexible and cloth-like. Adjacent to outer layer  13  is material for insulation  7  covered with a liner  8 . Inner layer  14  is permanently attached to outer layer  13  at the ends of headband  10  and along the entire length of bottom portion  12 . Inner layer  14  and outer layer  13  thereby form one or more longitudinal inner pockets with one or more closeable openings  18 FIG. 4 positioned longitudinally along top portion  11 . Closeable opening  18  is used to insert one or more various treatment elements  9  for treating or relieving headaches, including, but not limited to, cold, heat, vibration and magnetism. Closeable opening  18  may be reversibly closed by means of one or more zippers or any other suitable means. FIG. 4 shows a top view of belt  10  and top portion  11 , showing closeable opening  18 . FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of belt  10  and bottom portion  11 . FIG. 6 shows treatment elements  9  being inserted into the inner pocket formed by inner layer  14  and outer layer  13 . 
     One or more various treatment elements  9  such as heating, cooling, vibratory, or magnetic elements can be removably placed within the inner pocket through closeable opening  18  and retained therein by closing closeable opening  18 . Heating or cooling elements may include appropriate fluidic chemicals that are permanently sealed in plastic malleable pouches or containers, adapted to be refrigerated for cooling or heated for heating. Gel or reusable fluid materials employable in the pouches of packets of the present invention for heat exchange are well known in the art. For example, one reusable, heatable/chillable gel employable in the pouches could be composed of approximately 40% glycerine, 52% distilled water, and 8% starch. It is further well known in the art to provide plastic film pouches, packages, and containers, and heating or refrigerating package constructions of plastic film material. Typical materials making up such films include polyethylene, cellophane, polypropylene, polyester, etc., and laminations thereof. Vibratory treatment elements may include a plastic pouch with material encasing therein a battery operated vibratory motor, with a motor counter weight whose oscillating motion imparts a vibratory motion to the pouch. The degree of vibration may be made variable. Magnetic treatment elements are well known in the art and may include a plastic pouch with material encasing magnets therein. The degree of magnetism may be made variable. 
     In order to use the headband  10  of the present invention, a gel pack treatment element  9 , for example, is rendered cold by placing it in a freezer or hot by placing it in a microwave oven to produce any desired temperature useful for the treatment or relief of headache pain. One or more cold gel packs, hot gel packs, or a combination thereof are placed as treatment elements  9  in the inner pocket of headband  10  and retained therein by reversibly closing closeable opening  18 . They can be positioned in any arrangement desired to apply heat or cold to various regions of the head simultaneously. Further, one may substitute one or more vibratory elements or magnetic elements for a gel pack so that one may apply a combination of heat, cold, and vibration or magnetism. Headband  10  is wrapped in an annular fashion around the head above the ears with, preferably, the ends of headband  10  at the front of the head. Belt  15  is passed through loop  16  and headband  10  is tightened around the head by pulling belt  15  towards its origin on headband  10  and folding it over on itself to secure it to attachment means  19  and  20  (See FIG.  2 ). The more headband  10  is tightened by this means, the more pressure will be exerted to the head by headband  10 . A user can create any desired level of pressure to the head by this means. Thus, the headband  10  of the present invention can apply heat, cold, vibration, magnetism or pressure to the head and can also apply any combination thereof simultaneously. For example, one effective application would be to fasten the headband  10  to the head with suitable pressure and apply vibration to the back of the head and heat or cold to the sides of the head. Treatment elements may be replaced continuously without removing the headband so that the headband may be used in the treatment or relief of headache pain continuously. 
     Mesh  6  forming the inner layer  14  provides a barrier between the heat or cold pouches and the user&#39;s head, but allows heat transfer between the pouch and the head because of the net- or grid-like structure of mesh  6 . Mesh  6  also facilitates, among other things, the evaporation of moisture. 
     An alternative embodiment of the present invention which does not have an internal pocket or closeable opening  18  is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this embodiment the outer layer  13  and inner layer  14  seen in FIGS. 1-4 form one unit so that headband  10  has an inner surface  35  facing towards the head and an outer surface  36  (see FIG. 4) facing outwards from the head. Belt  15 , loop  16 , attachment means  19  and  20 , pull-tab  5 , elastic strip  17 , material for insulation  7 , and liner  8  are similar to those shown in FIGS. 1-5. The inner surface  35  has a means for attaching one or more detachable pockets  30 , said attachment means comprising hook  31 . The detachable pocket  30  has an outside portion  33  that contains a means for attachment, said attachment means comprising pile  32 , whereby the detachable pocket can be removably attached to inner surface  35  at attachment means  31 . Attachment means  31  and  32  are, preferably, Velcro@. Detachable pocket  30  has an inside portion  34  formed, in part, by outer surface  36  which defines numerous apertures. Detachable pocket  30  also has a closeable opening  37  which can be reversibly closed by a zipper or any other suitable means. A treatment means  9  such as a hot, cold, vibrating, or magnetic treatment element is placed in detachable pocket  30  through closeable opening  37  and can be retained therein by reversibly closing closeable opening  37 . One or more detachable pockets  30  are then attached to headband  10  on inner surface  35  by attachment means  31  and  32  and headband  10  is used as described previously. This embodiment of the present invention is particularly useful where heat and cold are used simultaneously and it is desirable to isolate and prevent heat exchange between hot and cold pouches. 
     The foregoing description has been limited to specific embodiments of this invention. It will be apparent, however, that variations and modifications maybe made by those skilled in the art to the disclosed embodiments of the invention, with the attainment of some or all of its advantages and without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the headband and its components may be constructed of plastic, cloth, or leather, or any combination thereof. Attachment means may include various kinds of hooks, snaps, ties, or ligatures, or combinations thereof. The closeable opening may be reversibly closed by hooks, snaps, ties, or Velcro arrangements, or combinations thereof. The treatment elements for heat or cold may be composed of ceramics, metals, or plastics. Material for insulation may be made of various plastic forms or any other suitable insulation materials. 
     It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated above in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle and scope of the invention as recited in the following claims.