180 DEGREE LIGHT

A 180 degree light that includes a belt for wear around a persons head or waist whereto is releasably mounted band that mounts an array of individual LED lights arranged in a straight line, that are equally spaced apart, where the individual LED lights are battery powered to illuminate an area ahead of and off to the sides of the wearer, forming approximately a half circle of light projected outwardly, and includes a sleeve that is attached to the belt, back from the stip ends to maintain the battery that includes a button switch that the wearer operates with their finger to turn the array of LED lights on and off.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

A 180 degree LED light that includes a strip of individual LED lights arranged side by side on a strip that is mounted onto a band for coupling onto a belt for wear by a person mounted around their waist or head where, when the individual LED lights are lit they will provide illumination to an area of approximately a half circle in front of the wearer.

Prior Art

The invention is in a battery operated LED light consisting of a strip of individual LED lights mounted to a belt worn around a person's head or waist to provide illumination of an area of approximately 180 degrees to the front of the person to illuminate a path, trail, or the like, that the wearer is walking, bicycling or riding on. Heretofore, belt and head band lights have incorporated a spot light or a group of lights that provide a cone shaped illumination to the front of a wearer only, that does not illuminate the sides of the wearer's and requires a lifting or lowering of the spot light to illuminate near and far distances ahead of the wearer. Where such head lights have utilized an LED light or grouping of LED lights, the illumination they provide has been frontal only. Within the knowledge of the inventions, prior lighting arrangement have not provided a belt or head band mounting a side by side arrangement of LED lights to both illuminate the wearer's path in a half circle that provided for near and far illumination, as does the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a strip of LED lights that are mounted to head or waist band where the strip of LED lights are powered by a battery, such as a cell phone type battery, that is fitted into a sleeve secured to a rear or side of the head or waist band and is electrically connected to the strip of LED lights, and where the battery is activated by a push button switch maintained on the outer surface of a battery housing for easy access by the wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a strap that incorporates electrically connected LED lights arranged side by side on a strip that is for releasable attachment to the head or waist band that, when turned on, will illuminate approximately 180 degrees in front of the head or waist band wearer, such that the light from the LED lights will move naturally, without appreciable bounce, with the movement of the wearer.

The invention is in a strip of LED lights belt whose length is adjustable to connect around a forward half of a waist or head band that is length adjustable to fit around the head or waist of a wearer. The strip mounts a number of side by side electrically connected LED lights that are connected to a battery, such as a cell phone battery, that is maintained in a holder connected to the rear or side of the waist or head band and includes a switch, that is finger activated by the wearer, to turn on or off the LED light array. So arranged, the number of the array of LED lights is selected such that, when turned on, will illuminate approximately a 180 degree of arc ahead of the wearer with little or no bounce as the wearer walks or rides a bicycle, or the like, along a road, path or trail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1shows a side elevation perspective view of a 180 degree light10of the invention as including a belt11having a slide end12on one end of the belt11and a length adjustment slide13on the other belt11end. Which slide end12and length adjustment slide13allow for an adjustment of the belt11length to fit comfortably around a wearer's head. A sleeve17is shown attached by threads18to the belt11that is to receive a battery20maintained therein that is electrically connected to a strip30of LED lights31, providing power to which LED lights, as set out below.

The slide end12, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, has a rectangular shape with a center bar12aextending between parallel top and bottom ends14aand14b,respectively, and which center bar12a, from a clockwise perspective, is spaced equidistantly apart from first and second straight bar ends12band12c,respectively of the slide end12, providing gaps therebetween. As shown, the belt11end11a,after travel through the slide end12, is fitted through the gap between the slide end12center bar12aand straight bar end12b,and is bent back upon itself and coupled to the belt11surface with stitches16athat permanently couple the slide end12to the belt end11a.

Also shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the end11bof belt11has been passed through the slide end12gap between the center bar12aand second straight bar end12c,has then been fitted through the length adjusting slide13, traveling beneath itself, and is fitted through the gap between a center bar13aof the length adjusting slide13and a first straight bar end13b.The belt11end11bis then shown as having traveled above and across the center bar13a,and has passed through a gap between the center bar13aand a second straight bar end13c.So arranged, for adjusting the length of the belt11to fit around a wearer's head, as shown inFIGS. 3A and 3B, the belt end11b,that has been folded upon itself and stitched at16bto provide an end that is easily gripped, is threaded through the length adjusting slide13, passing over the center bar13a,and, from a clockwise perspective, is passed through the slide end12gap between the second straight bar end12c,is bent upon itself, is fitted through the length adjusting slide13, and travels through the gap between the center bar13aand the first straight bar end13b,passing across the center bar13a,and out of the gap between the center bar13aand the second straight bar end13c.So arranged, by loosening the belt11, as by pulling it appropriately through the respective length adjusting slide13and slide end12, to first loosen the belt11between with length adjusting slide13and slide end12, the belt11can then be pulled through the length adjusting slide13. Where, when a desired length of belt11is obtained, a pulling of the length adjusting slide13away from the slide end12, re-tightens the belt through the length adjusting slide and slide end12, so as to maintain the desired length of belt11to fit around the wearer's neck.

With the belt11adjusted, as set out above, to fit the wearer's head, and before the belt is positioned onto the wearer's head, as shown inFIGS. 3A and 3B, the battery20, that is preferably a rechargeable cell phone type battery, is electrically coupled to the strip30of LED lights31by fitting an electrical plug22into a socket21mounted to the battery20end. Whereafter, the battery20is fitted into sleeve17, as shown inFIG. 2. Which electrical coupling provides for a transmission of electrical current through cable23and into the array of LED lights31that are each mounted, in a single line, at equal spaced intervals, along the strip30that are individually connected to simultaneously illuminate when a button26, that is mounted onto the battery20end20a,is depressed as by the wearer's finger. Thereafter, after a first depression of the button26to turn on the LED lights31, a second depression of the button26will turn off the array of LED lights31.

In practice, as shown isFIG. 1andFIG. 6, the strip30is flexible and is preferably arranged to be water tight to protect the electrical junctions of the individual LED lights31with the wires contained within the cable23. To maintain a water tight environment to the electrical connections of the LED lights31, a the cover24is connected to the strip30to cover over and protect which electrical connections to the individual LED lights31, with a like cover24afitted over the opposite strip30end. Which mountings of the cover24to the strip30end protects the electrical connection of wires within the cable23junction with the straight line of individual LED lights31, as set out inFIG. 6. Which covers24and24a,as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, are mounted over the strip ends by sewing the covers24and24aedges to the strip30ends by stitches25. In practice, the strip30is fitted onto the band32for releaseable fitting to the belt11forward face that has a first section of a fastener material35, such as a Velcro type matt material fixed thereto, that, as indicated by a broken arrow, is to receive a second section of a fastener material36, such as a Velcro type hook material connected to the back of the band32. So arranged, the band32is releasably attached to the belt11forward face when the second section of fastener material36is aligned with, and pressed against, the first section of fastener material35, as illustrated by an arrow A. With the arrangement of the band32, strip30and end covers24and24aproviding a water tight sealing of the wires that connect to each of the array of individual LED lights31, as shown inFIG. 6.

FIG. 2is a view like that ofFIG. 1only showing the strip30mounted to the forward face of the band32that includes the second section of fastener material36secured to its rear face, as shown inFIG. 1, has been pressed into the first section of fastener material35, coupling the band32and strip30to the first section of fastener material secured to the forward face of the belt. Additionally, the plug22on the end of cable23is shown connected into the socket21on the end of the battery20that, as shown by arrow B, is fitted into the sleeve17, completing the assembly of the 180 degree light10such that, with the depression of the button26, the individual LED lights31of the 180 degree light10can be turned off and on.

FIG. 3Ashows a front view of a man40wearing the 180 degree light10around his forehead, showing the positioning of the strip30of LED lights31in a horizontal line parallel to the ground, with the cable23and covers24, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2.FIG. 3Balso shows the man40who has turned to his left and the straight line of individual LED lights31are illuminated sending out rays of light35. The covers24forward ends are positioned over the ends of the strip of LED lights31and, as shown inFIG. 2, approximately align with the mans' ear lobe, providing, as illustrated by rays of light35from the straight line of individual LED lights31as illuminating the ground below and in front of the man40, providing a lighting of approximately a full half circle in front of and to the sides of the man40. In practice, as the length of the strip30is constant and with differences in head circumference the area of illumination of the single line of equally spaced LED lights31will vary from one hundred ninety degrees to one hundred seventy degrees in ahead and in front of and of the sides of the man40.

FIG. 4shows a second embodiment of the LED light50of the invention as being worn around the waist of a woman49. Rather than the head belt30ofFIGS. 1 through 3B, the LED light50is shown as incorporating a waist belt51that includes the strip30that has a cover24on one end, includes the cable23and battery20that has the cable23with connector22that fits into an electrical socket22on the end of the battery20that includes the button26. Functionally, the single straight line of individual LED lights31is the same for the LED light10and50with the distinction between the two being the belt51arrangement for length adjustment. Specifically, as shown inFIG. 5, the belt51is in two sections that are joined behind the wearer's back with male and female connectors55and56, respectively, that couple when pushed together. For adjusting the length of the belt51sections an end of each is attached to the band30, beneath the cover24, and the opposite end of each belt51is threaded through a center opening of, respectively, slides57and58that are each connected to ends, respectively, of the male and female connectors55and56, respectively. So arranged, the belt51ends are each fitted into one each of the slides of the male and female connectors, passing over and around center bar of each slide and back upon itself to set a desired length of the two belts51such that, when the male and female connectors55and56, respectively, are pushed together the combined length of the two belts51, will provide a comfortable fit around a wearer's waist, as illustrated inFIG. 4.

FIG. 6shows an electrical schematic of the electrical components of the 180 degree light30. Shown therein, The individual LED lights31are shown as a single line or equal spaced individual LED lights31that are connected between conductive wires60and61, as a parallel connection, whereby, should one or more of the individual LED light31burn out, the remaining LED lights31will continue to illuminate when electrical current is passed through wires60and61. Also therein the cable23is shown as containing the conductive wires60and61that connect to the plug22that is aligned for fitting into the socket21, shown in broken lines. Which socket21is shown as connecting to wires that connect to a circuit board71that is wired to a system light20aand back to a conductive wire. The system light20ais thereby arranged to illuminate when power is passing to the strip of LED lights30. Which circuit board71it also shown connected to a battery core70for powering the array of individual LED lights31. Also, the button26is shown as being spring biased by a coil spring27away from poles26aand26bwhereby, when the button26is pressed a connection is made to the circuit board to pass electrical current from the battery core71into the wires60and61. Which connection to pass electrical current is maintained until the button26is pressed again, breaking the connection in the circuit board. With a depression and release of the button26to provide for turning on and turning off the array of LED lights31.

Herein above has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of the 180 degree light of the invention. It should, however, be understood that the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which subject matter we regard as out invention.