Improvements relating to headwear

Abstract: Headwear comprising shielding means in the form of two flap members (12, 14) to shield both sides of the sports person's face, and support means in the form of a peaked cap (10) to connect the two flap members to the sports person's head.

Description: IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO HEADWF.AR This invention relates to the art of judging distance by means of headwear. There are many sporting activities which call for the skill of being able to judge distances easily and accurately. Golf, archery, tennis, bowls, target rifle shooting, darts, are just a few sporting activities which rely on the skill of the "player" to judge the distance between himsel /herself and the target accurately, and in some cases as quickly as possible. There are also numerous other activities, including non-sporting, which rely on the skill of the participant to accurately determine the distance between himself/herself and the point at which it is necessary to calculate the total distance between the two points, ie the person, Point A and the object, or target, Point B. The usual problem when trying to judge distance is to block out distractions such as objects or movement inside the field of vision of the person A and the perceived object B. In the game of golf, as one example, it is common practice for a player attempting to judge the distance between himself and the target, being the flag stick, or the hole, to shield distractions to the right or left by using his hands. This practice involves holding both hands forward of the eyes in a perpendicular or screening position at eye level so as to block out the view to the right and the left of the target. This action may be carried out with reasonable effectiveness without headwear, however, it has been determined that a more effective way of limiting the field of vision by use of the hands only is when the person involved is also wearing headwear. such as sun visor, cap, hat, or other form of headwear which features also a forward portion, commonly referred to as the peak or brim. It is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement which limits the field of vision. In accordance with the invention, an accessory for a person comprises shielding means to shield at least one side of the person's face, and support means to connect the shielding means to the person's head. Such an arrangement substantially limits the field of vision of the wearer without the need for hands, thereby providing a number of advantages. Suitably the accessory is in the form of headwear, the support means being a cap or the like which is placed on the top of the wearer's head, whilst the shielding means comprises at least one shield member connected to the cap which shields at least one side of the wearer's face. Preferably the headwear is provided with a front shield member, and the shielding means is supported by this front shield member. Such provides shielding on three faces (ie top and the two sides), and thus gives substantial and effective "tunnel vision". Advantageously the shielding means is pivotably connected to the support means whereby the shielding means can be pivoted between a stored and inoperative position and a shielding and operative position. Suitably the shielding means can be an additional device, or devices, attached to the peak or brim of headwear so that when required such devices may be lowered. The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a piece of headwear in accordance with the invention, with side shield members in the operational position; Figure 2 is a front view of the headwear of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the headwear of Figure 1 with the side shield members in the stored position; and Figure 4 is an underneath view of the headwear of Figure 1 with the side shield members in the stored position (as in Figure 3). Headwear, in particular a sun visor, or peaked cap 10 is shown in the drawings. The visor is provided with shielding members in the form of flaps 12 and 14 shown in the operating or shielding position in Figures 1 and 2, and in the stowed position in Figures 3 and 4. The visor 10 is provided with a front peak 16 which acts as a shield member projecting outwardly over the top of the wearer's face. In Figures 1 and 2, the flaps 12 and 14 are substantially parallel to each other and the front peak 16 is substantially transverse to the flaps 12 and 14. In Figures 3 and 4, however, the flaps 12 and 14 are substantially adjacent to the front peak 16. The flaps 12 and 14 may be attached to the visor by any suitable means, such as stitching, gluing, stapling, or by a hinged connecting member, so as to allow easy stowing, or operating. The shielding devices may be made from woven cloth type material, foam plastic or rubber, or other suitable material available for the purpose. It should be noted that certain variations to the visor may be made to accommodate ease of manufacture without altering the ambit of the invention, the main usage of which is to restrict the field of vision to the right and left of the wearer. The front peak 16, or brim, of the headwear will automatically restrict the field cf vision in the upward direction. Particular advantages and uses achieved bythe visor are as follows: 1. Concentration With both side flaps of the visor down, the golfer has the ability to completely block out all peripheral vision enabling him to focus only on the ball. Any activity surrounding the golfer in the immediate vicinity of his swing path cannot be seen. This, therefore, focuses the attention of the golfer solely on the ball. 2. Practice Range On the practice range, using the visor with both flaps down, the golfer will know immediately if he is moving his head as on the backswing, the left hand flap will obscure his vision completely blocking out all sight of the ball. 3. Putting Green On the putting green, a golfer who wears the visor with both flaps down, will sense any immediate head movement, therefore, enabling the user to practise putting by keeping the head steady and keeping the head down until the conclusion of the stroke. 4. On The Golf Course On the golf course during play, the main distraction for all golfers happens on the tee with people moving during the backswing. With the left hand flap in the up stored position and the right hand flap in the down operational position, the golfer has the ability to see clearly his intended target line and also be safe in the knowledge that his vision is controlled on his backswing, therefore, blocking out all activity such as moving fee, etc. 5. Addition Putting Green Benefits On the putting green during normal play, some golfers hold their hands up to shield their eyes so as to determine the line of the putt. By using the visor with both flaps down, the same effect can be achieved without using hands. 6. Versatility As both side flaps are hinged, the golfer has the choice of several combinations to suit particular needs during the golf game. 7- Rieht Hand and Left Hand The visor has the ability to be used by both right hand and left hand players. 8. Usable for Spectacle Wearers Golfers who wear spectacles can also use the visor. 9. Usable for All Headwear The visor concept can be used on all types of headwear, visors, caps, baseball hats, etc. 10. Other Sporting Activities Other sports such as rifle and pistol shooting, archery, lawn bowls and darts, can also benefit from the visor. 11. Sun Protection Asian ladies, particularly Japanese lady golfers, do not like direct sunlight on their faces. The visor will protect them from the sun. The invention can be achieved without the use of "covering" headwear. By this is meant that the kind of shielding devices so described may be worn independent of a visor, cap, hat or other headcover and be attached to a system similar to spectacle frames, elastic attachment around the wearer's head, or other suitable means of holding the shielding devices in place when required for judging distance purposes. In this regard, there are numerous devices which may be used effectively to position the shielders.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An accessory for a person comprising shielding means to shield at least one side of the person's face, and support means to connect the shielding means to the person's head. 2. An accessory as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the shielding means comprises at least one shield member which is substantially planar. 3. An accessory as claimed in either Claim 1 or 2 -wherein the shielding means comprises at least two shield members, one shield member shielding one side of the person's face, and the other shield member shielding the other side of the person's face. 4. An accessory as claimed in Claim 3 wherein at least two shield members are substantially parallel to each other, when both shield members are in use. 5. An accessory as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the support means includes a shield member projecting outwardly over the top of the person's face. 6. An accessory as claimed in Claim 5 as dependent on any one of Claims 2 to 4 wherein the shield member projecting outwardly over the top of the person's face is substantially transverse to the shield member(s) on the side of the person's face, when the side shield member(s) is in use. 7. An accessory as claimed in either Claim 5 as dependent on any one of Claims 2 to 4, or Claim 6 wherein the shield member(s) on the side of the person's face is positioned substantially adjacent to the shield member projecting outwardly over the top of the person's face, when the side shield member(s) is not in use. 8. An accessory as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the shielding means is pivotably connected to the support means. 9. An accessory as claimed in any preceding claim in the form of headwear. 10. An accessory as claimed in any preceding claim in the form of a sun visor. 11. Headwear substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

Inventors: SLATER IAN, SLATER, IAN
Applicants: GOLF TECHNOLOGY FAR EAST LTD, SLATER IAN
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A42B1
IPC codes: A42B1