Patent Publication Number: US-2022226154-A1

Title: Swim goggle

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from the co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/205,957, filed on Jan. 20, 2021 and titled “GOGGLE.” The co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/205,957, filed on Jan. 20, 2021 and titled “GOGGLE” is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to swimming equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates swim goggles. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Swim goggles are used to protect a swimmers eyes while swimming or diving. A soft strap that encircles a portion of the swimmers head is useful for keeping the goggles securely positioned and over the swimmers eyes. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an attachment mechanisms for securing a goggle frame with one or more lenses to a soft head strap that encircles a portion of a swimmers head. A goggle with a soft head strap that encircles a portion of a swimmers head is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,267 to Hahn. 
     In accordance with the embodiments of the invention, the attachment mechanism includes brackets with slotted features for attaching to strap ends. The strap ends can include two-part hook and loop fabric, wherein portions of the end straps thread through the slotted features of the brackets and then fold back onto themselves with adjacent surfaces of the strap ends having pieces of the two-part hook and loop fabric attached thereto. 
     In an alternative embodiments of the invention, portions of strap ends are secured to or through the slotted features of the brackets through two-part snap features, elastic bands, clips or any other suitable means. 
     In accordance the embodiments of the invention a goggle frame that includes one or more lenses has raised clip structures side portions of the goggle frame. The raised clip structures can have any suitable shape but are preferably substantially round in circumference. The brackets include apertures that also have any suitable shape including, but not limited to, round, oval, triangular, rectangular and star-shaped, but are preferably “matched” to the circumference shape of the raised clip structures. 
     In operation the brackets with the strap ends attached thereto, such as described above, are debatably attached to the goggle frame by placing the matched apertures on the brackets over the raised clip structures and are then pressed onto and/or rotated onto the to raised clip structures to thereby secure the clip structures, and thus the strap ends, onto the goggle frame. 
     While the strap ends can be attached any type of head strap, preferably the strap ends are part of a soft head strap with a circular cupping or open bucket portion that encircles a back portion of a swimmer&#39;s head with the goggle frame and goggle lens or lenses secured over the swimmer&#39;s eyes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic representation of an attachment mechanism for attaching a head strap to a goggle frame, in accordance with the embodiments of the invention. 
         FIGS. 2A-C  illustrates views of a goggle with a head strap attached to goggle frames, in accordance with the embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a goggle includes an attachment mechanism  100  for attaching a head strap end  107  to a goggle frame  111  through a bracket  103 . The bracket  103  has a slotted feature  105  for attaching to the head strap end  107  to the bracket  103 . The head strap end  107  can include two-part hook and loop fabric, wherein a portion of the head strap end  107  is thread through the slotted feature  105  of the bracket and is folded back onto itself with adjacent contact surfaces of the strap end  107  having pieces of the two-part hook and loop fabric attached thereto. In addition to, or in place of, two-part hook and loop fabric, the head strap end  107  can be secured to the bracket  103 , or through the slotted feature  105  of the bracket  103 , through two-part snap features, elastic bands, clips or any other suitable means. The bracket  103  also has an aperture aperture  109  that is shown here as being substantially round, but can have any suitable shape. 
     The attachment mechanism  100  also includes a raised clip feature  115  that is attached to a side portion  117  of a goggle frame  111 . The goggle frame  111  also has one or more lenses  113  attached thereto. The raised clip structures  115  can have any suitable shape but is matched to the shape of the aperture  109  on the bracket  103  such that the aperture  109  can be placed over the raised clip structure  115  and pressed on to raised clip structure  115  and/or rotated on to raised clip structure  115  to secure the clip structure and the bracket  103  together, and thus secure the head strap end  107  on to the goggle frame  111 . 
     In an alternative embodiment of the invention a raised clip structure, such as the raised clip structure  115 , protrudes from a surface of the bracket  103  and is configured to engage a matched aperture, such as the aperture  109 , positioned on a side surface  117  of the goggle frame  111  to achieve attachment of the head strap end  107  to the goggle frame  111 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2A-C  a goggle includes lens frames  211  and  211 ′ for holding lenses  213  and  213 ′. The lens frames  211  an  211 ′ are secured together through a nose bridge  218 . Preferably, the lens frames  211  and  211 ′ also include flexible skirts  214  and  214 ′ for creating water-tight seal with the frames  211  and  211 ′ positioned over eyes of a swimmer and secured to the head of the swimmer with a head strap, such as described below. 
     The goggle includes attachment mechanism  201  and  201 ′ on each side of the goggle for attaching head strap ends  207  and  207 ′ to the goggle frames  211  and  211 ′ through brackets  203  and  203 ′. The brackets  203  and  203 ′ each have a slotted features  205  and  205 ′ for attaching to the head strap ends  207  an  207 ′ to the brackets  203  and  203 ′. The head strap ends  207  and  207 ′ can include two-part hook and loop fabric, wherein portions  208  and  208 ′ of the head strap ends  207  and  207  thread through the slotted features  205  and  205 ′ of the brackets  203  and  203 ′ and are folded back onto itself with adjacent contact surfaces of the strap ends  207  and  207 ′ having the pieces of the two-part hook and loop fabric attached thereto. In addition to, or in place of the two-part hook and loop fabric, the head strap ends  207  and  207 ′ can be secured to the brackets  203  and  203 ′ or through the slotted feature  205  and  205 ′ of the bracket  203  and  203 ′ using two-part snap features, elastic bands, clips or any other suitable means. The brackets  203  and  203 ′ also have apertures  209  and  209 ′ that engage with and attach to raised clip feature  215  and  215 ′ that are attached to and protrude from side portions  217  and  217 ′ of the goggle frames  211  and  211 ′. The raised clip structures  215  and  215 ′ can have any suitable shapes but are matched to the shape of the aperture  209  and  209 ′ such that the apertures  209  and  209 ′ can be placed over the raised clip structures  215  and  215 ′ and pressed on to the raised clip structures  215  and  215 ′ and/or rotated on to the raised clip structure  215  and  215 ′ to thereby secure the brackets  203  and  203 ′, and thus the strap ends  207  and  207 ′ to the goggle frames  211  and  211 ′. 
     Attached to the strap ends  207  and  207 ′ is a soft head strap with a circular cupping or open bucket portion  219  that encircles a back portion of a swimmers head with the goggle frames  211  and  211 ′ and the lenses  213  and  213  secured over and in front of a swimmers eyes. 
     The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of the principles of construction and operation of the invention. As such, references herein to specific embodiments and details thereof are not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications can be made in the embodiments chosen for illustration without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.