Abstract:
Lighted headwear having a brim and a light unit located within the brim. The light unit includes: a holder with a front end and a back end; at least one lens located within the holder at the front end of the holder; and at least one light source located within the holder and axially spaced from the at least one lens such that light produced by the light source projects along the holder, through the lens, and out the front end of the holder. The lighted headwear produces a narrower, longer-distance beam of light than typical lighted headwear, more akin to the light produced by a flashlight or torch, while maintaining the look of a normal hat or cap.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/602,801 filed Sep. 4, 2012 which is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/531,065 filed Sep. 5, 2011. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to lighted headwear, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a lighted cap with at least one recessed light source and at least one lens. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Current lighted headwear typically incorporates multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) into the brim of a hat to illuminate an area in front of a wearer. A primary drawback of such current lighted headwear is that they do not provide sufficient light for many activities. The lights typically provide a pool of diffuse illumination extending five (5) to twenty (20) feet in front of the wearer, as shown in  FIG. 13 . This is insufficient to illuminate objects at a distance or to function as a flashlight or torch, as is often expected by consumers. 
         [0006]    Current lighted hat designs typically use light emitting diodes (LEDs) because they deliver the brightest light relative to the LEDs small size, require less power to operate for longer periods of time, and provide light that can be directed in a particular direction. Incandescent light bulbs, argon bulbs, krypton bulbs, and xenon bulbs require much more battery power to operate for any length of time, which is undesirable as C and D size batteries do not fit in a hat very well, and require some sort of cone shaped device to direct the light coming from the bulb, which would be difficult to fit into a brim of a hat without destroying the integrity of the basic hat/cap design. 
         [0007]    Based on the foregoing, it is desirable to provide lighted headwear that provides a narrow beam of light that is focused in one area. 
         [0008]    It is further desirable to provide lighted headwear that provides illumination to objects at a further distance than is currently offered. 
         [0009]    It is further desirable to provide such illumination via LED or similar miniaturized light technology. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    In general, in a first aspect, the present invention relates to lighted headwear having a brim and a light unit located within the brim. The light unit comprises: a holder with a front end and a back end; at least one lens located within the holder at the front end of the holder; and at least one light source located within the holder and axially spaced from the at least one lens such that light produced by the light source projects along the holder, through the lens, and out the front end of the holder. The lighted headwear may further comprise a crown to which the brim is attached, where the brim has an edge proximate to the crown and an edge distal from the crown and where the light unit is located within the brim such that the lens is proximate the edge distal from the crown and the light produced by the light source projects away from the crown. 
         [0011]    The lens may be capable of converging light from the light source to produce a beam of light that is narrower than a beam of light produced by the light source without the lens. At least one lens may be a Fresnel lens and/or a rectangular lens. 
         [0012]    The brim may comprise a middle layer, a top layer atop the middle layer, and a bottom layer below the middle layer. The light unit may be located between the top layer and the bottom layer. Alternately, the light unit may extend downward from the brim at an oblique angle such that light produced by the light source is directed through the lens and downward from the brim at the oblique angle. 
         [0013]    The holder may be cylindrical, may be shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped, or may have an interior surface and an exterior surface where the interior surface is cylindrical and where the exterior surface is shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped. The holder and the lens may be separate elements, or they may be a single integral unit formed contemporaneously. 
         [0014]    The holder may comprise a plurality of chambers, where adjacent chambers are separated by walls and where each chamber houses one of the at least one light source. The chambers may be parallel to each other and the light sources may direct light along parallel paths. A first chamber housing a first light source may be adjacent a second chamber housing a second light source and the first light source may be offset from the second light source such that no part of the first light source laterally overlaps any part of the second light source. The multi-chamber holder may have a single lens, or each chamber may house one of the at least one lens. 
         [0015]    The holder may be conical and may have a reflective inner surface such that light from the light source reflects off the reflective inner surface and projects through the lens and out the front end of the holder. The light source may be a wide angle LED and the light unit may further comprise a heat sink. 
         [0016]    The lighted headwear may further comprise a second light unit located within the brim and spaced laterally from the light unit. The second light unit may comprise: a second holder with a front end and a back end; at least one lens located within the second holder at the front end of the second holder; and at least one light source located within the second holder and axially spaced from the at least one lens such that light produced by the light source projects along the second holder, through the lens, and out the front end of the second holder. 
         [0017]    In another embodiment, the lighted headwear may comprise: a brim comprising a middle layer, a top layer atop the middle layer, and a bottom layer below the middle layer; a void in the middle layer located at an edge of the brim distal from a wearer&#39;s head; at least one lens located within the void proximate the edge; and at least one light source located within the void and axially spaced from the at least one lens such that light produced by the light source projects along the void, through the lens, and out the edge of the brim. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of lighted headwear with a single recessed light source and lens constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2   a  is a perspective view of the light source and lens in a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped holder apart from the head wear; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2   b  is a perspective view of the light source and lens in a cylindrical holder; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2   c  is a side view of the light source and lens in a holder; 
           [0022]      FIG. 2   d  is a front view of a simple lens in a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped holder; 
           [0023]      FIG. 2   e  is a side view of the light path produced by a single recessed light source and a simple lens; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2   f  is a front view of a rectangular lens in a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped holder; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2   g  is a side view of the light path produced by a single recessed light source and a rectangular lens; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2   h  is a front view of a Fresnel lens in a cylindrical holder; 
           [0027]      FIG. 2   i  is a side view of the light path produced by a single recessed light source and a Fresnel lens; 
           [0028]      FIG. 3  is a side cross section view of a hat brim with a holder housing a light source and lens therein; 
           [0029]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of lighted headwear with three recessed light sources and three lenses; 
           [0030]      FIG. 5  is a top cross section view of a hat brim with a three-light, three-lens holder showing resulting lighted areas; 
           [0031]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of lighted headwear with four recessed light sources and a single lens; 
           [0032]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of lighted headwear with a single recessed light source and lens but no holder; 
           [0033]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of lighted headwear with two recessed light sources and two lenses spaced laterally from each other; 
           [0034]      FIG. 9  is a side cross section view of a light source/lens holder with a conical reflective interior; 
           [0035]      FIG. 10  is a side view of a light source and lens in a holder mounted to the underside of a hat brim; 
           [0036]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the range of illumination of the lighted headwear with a single light source; 
           [0037]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the range of illumination of the lighted headwear with three light sources; and 
           [0038]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the range of illumination of current lighted headwear. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0039]    The devices and methods discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific manners in which to make and use this invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting in scope. 
         [0040]    While the devices and methods have been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be noted that many modifications may be made in the details of the construction and the arrangement of the devices and components without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. It is understood that the devices and methods are not limited to the embodiments set forth herein for purposes of exemplification. 
         [0041]    Understanding how LEDs work and how a lens works has enabled the lens technology of the present invention to maximize the performance of an LED in lighted headwear. LEDs come in a variety of shapes and sizes; in addition, they also have various brightness amounts measured in millicandela (mcd) and various beam angles that determine the amount of light that is focused in any one direction. The problem with this is that even if you have an LED with a 12 degree angled light in one direction, the amount of light that comes from that 12 degree angle is only 50% of the total LED light output. The other 50% is a wide spray/glow (180 degree spray) that is always present in LEDs. Thus, even if you have an LED with a 60 degree angle directed light, 30 degree angle directed light, or even as narrow as a 12 to 15 degree angle directed light, there is a portion of light that is not being utilized (more or less depending on the percent of degree angle you are using). For example, a 20,000 mcd LED with a 120 degree directed light LED will have approximately 20% of the light wasted that illuminates beyond the 120 degree angle direction of the light. This 120 degree angle directed light will illuminate a two foot area. If you were to use a 20,000 mcd LED with a 15 degree directed angle light, you will have 50% of the LED light output wasted that illuminates beyond the 15 degree directed light. The same 20,000 mcd LED with a 15 degree directed light would appear to provide more light because it has a narrower direction and will illuminate a narrower area. It will also provide light at a greater distance for approximately ten feet. 
         [0042]    Taking what is known about LEDs and flashlights, the addition of a separate lens, such as a simple optical lens or something more complex such as a Fresnel type lens, makes it possible to capture all the light and focus this into a beam or any other desired lighting effect. A simple lens is basically an optical device which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the light into a focused narrow beam with no spray of light outside the desired area. A more complex lens design can be achieved with other lenses, such as a Fresnel, which will magnify the intensity of the light even more, or a rectangular lens that will deliver a rectangular-shaped beam of light. 
         [0043]    In general, in a first aspect, the present invention relates to lighted headwear comprising a hat  15  and a light unit  18 , where the light unit  18  may comprise at least one light source  8 , at least one lens  6 , and a holder  7 . The holder  7  may hold the lens  6  in place and maintain a precise distance between the light source  8  and the lens  6 . The hat  15  may provide illumination for the user of the hat while substantially maintaining the appearance of a traditional hat, cap, or visor. 
         [0044]    As seen in  FIG. 1 , the light unit  18  may be located within a brim  14  of the hat  15 , where the brim  14  may be attached to a crown  1  of the hat  15  and the hat  15  may further include a sweatband  2 . The crown  1  may be contoured for covering a part of the user&#39;s head when worn, and the sweatband  2  may allow more comfort for the user. The brim  14  may be disposed exteriorly of and attached to the crown  1  at a lower edge such that the brim  14  extends outwardly from the crown  1 . The hat  15  may be typically worn such that the brim  14  is most proximal to the forehead of the user and extends distally from the forehead of the user. The brim  14  may comprise a top layer of brim material  3 , a bottom layer of brim material  4 , and a middle layer of brim  5  between the top layer  3  and bottom layer  4 . The middle layer  5  may be flexible but stiffer than the top layer  3  and bottom layer  4 . The top layer  3  and bottom layer  4  may be attached to the middle layer  5  via stitching, adhesive, or other appropriate attachment mechanisms. The brim  14  may further comprise sandwich/rim/edge material  16  along the edge of the brim  14  most distal from the crown  1 . 
         [0045]    The light unit  18  may be secured within the brim  14  between the top layer  3  and bottom layer  4 . The light unit  18  may be located within a void  19  in the middle layer  5 . Alternately, the at least one light source  8  and at least one lens  6  may be located within the void  19 , without a holder  7 , as seen in  FIG. 7 . The light unit  18  may be located within the brim  14  such that the lens  6  is proximate to the front of the brim  14  and proximate to the sandwich/rim/edge material  16 , distal from the crown  1 , as seen in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 1  also shows a switch  9 , which may be located within the brim  14  and may control the at least one light source  8 . The switch  9  may be connected to the light source  8  via wires  10 , which may also connect the light source  8  to a power source  11 , such as a battery pack. The light source  8  may be connected to the wires  10  via a circuit board  17 . The light unit  18 , switch  9 , and power source  11  may be covertly incorporated into the hat  15  so as to preserve the shape and comfort of a traditional hat, cap, or visor that does not contain a light source. In this manner, an individual may wear the lighted hat  15  that maintains the characteristics and appearance of an unlighted hat. 
         [0047]    The at least one light source  8  may be one or more LEDs or other miniature light sources. The holder  7  may be cylindrical, as seen in  FIG. 2   b , or shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped, as seen in  FIG. 2   a , or any other appropriate shape that holds the light source  8  and the lens  6  in place within the brim  14 . For example, the holder  7  may have a rectangular outside and a cylindrical inside. The holder  7  may be made of any appropriate material, such as Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a polycarbonate plastic, or synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids that are moldable. The holder  7  may alternately be made of metal or glass. The lens  6  may be made of polycarbonate or glass type material. The holder  7  and the lens  6  may be a single unit, or may be separate. If separate, the lens  6  may be attached to the holder  7  via adhesive. If a single unit, the lens  6  and holder  7  may be molded at the same time, making the lens  6  and holder  7  one unit instead of two pieces. 
         [0048]    The light source  8  may project light forward through the holder  7  and through the lens  6 , as indicated by the arrow in  FIG. 2   c . The lens  6  may be a regular lens, as seen in  FIG. 2   d , which may produce a light path as indicated by arrows in  FIG. 2   e ; a rectangular lens, as seen in  FIG. 2   f , which may produce a light path as indicated by arrows in  FIG. 2   g ; a Fresnel lens, as seen in  FIG. 2   h , which may produce a light path as indicated by arrows in  FIG. 2   i ; or any other appropriate lens. The Fresnel lens divides the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. 
         [0049]    The unit  18  may comprise a single light source  8  and a single lens  6  within a single chamber holder  7 , as seen in  FIG. 1 . Alternately, as seen in  FIG. 4 , the unit  18  may comprise multiple light sources  8 , as indicated by letters A, B, and C, each of which is in individual holders  7  and has a separate lens  6 , but where the three holders  7  are connected and part of a single unit. The walls of the holders  7  separate the light sources  8  and ensure the light from each travels only through its own lens, although the holders  7 , lights  8 , and lenses  6  form a single unit  18 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , these walls may produce dark areas  22  between the respective beams of light produced by each light source  8 . Each of the light sources  8  may be located at a different location within their respective holders  7 , such as in  FIG. 5 , wherein light sources A and C are closer to their respective lenses  6  than light source B. The distance from light source B to its lens  6  may produce a narrow beam of light  20 , whereas the shorter distance from light sources A and C to their lenses  6  may produce wider pools of light  21 . Another optional configuration is seen in  FIG. 6 , which incorporates four light sources  8  with a single lens  6 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 9  shows a holder  7  that is in the shape of a cone. A surface mount light source  8  may be positioned to the rear of the holder  7 . The light source  8  may be a wide angle beam LED, such as a 120 degree angle beam LED. This particular type of LED may have a much brighter illumination capability than a 3 mm or 5 mm LED. This type of LED may become hot and thus may require a heat sink  12  to disburse the heat evenly and enable it to run cool and not heat up. A chrome or mirror material  13  may cover the inside of the holder  7  to reflect the wide angle beam from the light source  8  and focus the light to the front of the holder  7  through the lens  6  to form a desired light effect. 
         [0051]    As seen in  FIG. 10 , the light unit  18  may be located below the brim  14  rather than within the brim  14 , directing light in a downward direction. The holder  7  may extend from the bottom of the brim  14  at a distance from the edge of the brim  14 , rather than proximate the edge as described above. 
         [0052]    The lighted headwear may illuminate an area at night like a true torch flashlight. The lights  8  may be placed in a variety of configurations to produce different lighting effects, such as a narrow cylindrical beam of light just like that of a flashlight/torch or a rectangular beam of light. As seen in  FIG. 11 , a single light configuration may produce a narrow flashlight/torch beam of light that does not spray any light from side to side or above and below. It may be a single beam of light that can project effectively up to 60 feet.  FIG. 12  shows a three light configuration, which likewise can project light up to 60 feet but produces a wider range due to its three beams of light. This is an improvement on present lighted hat technology, which never produces a focused beam and always has a spray of light to both sides and a spray of light projected above and below with a limited range, as shown in  FIG. 13 . This old technology is limited to providing only pools of light or, at best, a very wide cone shape of light that has no definitive beam in a narrow line of sight. 
         [0053]    A single lens, holder, and LED unit  18  may be used with the present invention, or multiple units  18  may be utilized in a single hat to deliver multiple lens effects. For example, two separate units  18  may be placed at separate locations within the brim, providing two separate beams of light, as shown in  FIG. 8 . As noted above, each lens unit  18  may have one or multiple light sources  8  and each may have one or multiple lenses  6 . There are numerous combinations and effects that can be created with multiple lens designs and multiple LEDs. 
         [0054]    Because the light is being controlled by a lens  6  and is not reliant solely on the current LED/miniature light technology in the market, the present invention may be used to enhance and maximize not only presently available miniature lights, but any miniature light source that may be developed in the future. The present invention allows for countless lens designs that can be directed to many different markets and types of headwear. The present invention offers greater brightness than ever before and can be built into other headgear such as bicycle helmets and safety helmets where the brighter torch/flashlight beam is required. 
         [0055]    Whereas, the devices and methods have been described in relation to the drawings and claims, it should be understood that other and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention.