Patent Publication Number: US-11039674-B2

Title: Breakage resistant light bulb headband

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a headband that supports multiple light bulbs and a battery compartment. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
       FIGS. 1-4  show a conventional light bulb headband  1 . The light bulb headband  1  is intended to be positioned in a generally vertical orientation on a person&#39;s head, with each of the sides  2  extending downwardly against a side of the head between the person&#39;s cheeks and ears to hold the headband  1  in place. A central section  3  extends across the top of the head and includes four cylindrical light bulb cover supports  4 , to which four decorative light bulb covers  5  are respectively attached. 
     Extending through the cylindrical light bulb cover supports  4  are wires  6  connected in parallel to four light sources  7 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Light sources  7  are situated in an interior of the light bulb covers  5  when the light bulb covers  5  are attached to the supports  4 . The wires  6  pass from the supports  4  through a passage  8 , shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , which is formed in the interior of the central headband section  3 . The wires  6  extend through the passage  8  to an integrally-molded battery compartment  9 , where they are electrically connected to a circuit board  10  on which are mounted and electrically connected a first battery terminal  11 , a flasher circuit (not shown), and an on/off switch  13 . A second battery terminal  12  in the form of a coil spring connected by a wire to the circuit board  10  is fixed to a sidewall of the battery compartment  9  to engage a first electrode of a disc battery (not shown) when the disc battery is positioned on the circuit board  10  so that a second electrode of the battery is in contact with the first battery terminal  11 . 
     In order to provide access to the passage  8 , the central section  3  is made up of a part  17  that is formed integrally with sides  2  of the headband  1 , and a separate part  18  configured to be joined by screws (not shown) and corresponding internally threaded bosses  19  to part  17  in order to form the central section  3 . When parts  17  and  18  are assembled together, the passage  8  is formed by a space between a top wall  15  and a bottom wall  16  of the central section  3  of the headband  1 , with the supports  4  extending from the top wall  15 . In addition, the supports  4  are made up of halves  4 ′ and  4 ″ integrally formed with respective parts  17  and  18 . 
     Parts  17  and  18  may further include alignment pins and corresponding holes (not shown) to ensure that the parts are aligned before they are fastened together by screws  19 . Although  FIG. 3  shows the circuit board  10  positioned outside the battery compartment  9  for illustrative purposes, it is actually positioned inside the compartment  9  when the central section part  18  shown in  FIG. 3  is assembled to the part  17  shown in  FIG. 2 . In addition, in the assembled position, the side of the circuit board  10  visible in  FIG. 3  is flipped over to face the central section part  18 , terminal,  12  and opening  20  through which the on/off switch  13  extends to allow the switch to be operated from outside the battery compartment  9 . Switch  13  turns the headband on and off and, optionally, can be arranged to provide input to a circuit on the circuit board  10  that controls flashing, an/d or a flashing rate, of the light sources  7 . 
     Because of the double-wall construction of the central section  3 , and the integral nature of battery compartment  9 , the central section  3  is substantially more rigid than the sides  2  of the headband. The rigidity results from the geometry of the central section  3 , and is necessary to prevent damage to the circuit board  10 . However, as shown in  FIG. 4 , this creates stress lines  20  at the joints between the flexible sides  2  and the rigid central section  3 , resulting in areas where the headband is vulnerable to breakage. 
     In addition, the rigidity of the central section  3  has the effect of narrowing the range of head sizes onto which the headband  1  can be fitted, while the limited size of the central section  3  also limits the number of lights that can be supported by the central section. If the central section  3  were to be expanded around the sides of the headband to accommodate more lights, the headband would be even more difficult to fit, and would become increasing uncomfortable for the wearer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is accordingly an objective of the invention to provide a light bulb headband that is comfortable and fits a variety of head shapes and sizes. 
     It is a second objection of the invention to provide a light bulb headband that is durable and unlike to break. 
     It is a further objective of the invention to provide a light bulb headband that is capable of supporting a large number of light bulbs. 
     These objectives are achieved, in accordance with the principles of a preferred embodiment of the invention, by a light bulb headband having a single rather than multiple piece main body, and in which wires connecting the lights are routed along a top outside surface of the main body of the headband rather through a passage in a top central section of the headband. The term “top” refers to the location of the central section when the head band is worn on a user&#39;s head. 
     According to another feature of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the light bulb headband includes a battery compartment that is removable from the headband, and that is optionally located on a side of the headband. The removable compartment provides protection for the circuit board, space for multiple disc-shaped batteries or cells, and easy access to the battery or batteries without the need to disassemble the headband in order to change batteries. 
     According to yet another feature of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the light bulbs are arranged not only on a top of the headband, but also on portions of the downwardly extending sides of the headband, thereby increasing a number of light bulbs that can be provided on the headband. 
     Because the main body is made of a single piece, it can be made in an injection molding process without the having to screw together multiple pieces. Further, by running the wires on an exterior surface of the headband, the light bulbs and battery compartment can be pre-wired together and snapped into place, without having to position and hold the wires and light sources while assembling the separate parts of the headband, simplifying the assembly procedure and reducing assembly costs. 
     Finally, because the entire headband is flexible, it can conform to a greater variety of head shapes and sizes, resulting in increased comfort despite the increased resistance to breakage resulting from the elimination of rigid/flexible section stress lines, and the ability to support greater number and variety of light bulbs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a conventional light bulb headband. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the conventional light bulb headband of  FIG. 1 , after removal of one of the pieces that make up the central section of the conventional headband. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear view of the removed piece of the central section of the conventional headband. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the headband of  FIGS. 1-3 , illustrated in an over-stressed condition. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are front views of a light bulb headband constructed in accordance with the principles of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with  FIG. 5A  show in the headband in an unflexed state and  FIG. 5B  showing the headband in a flexed state. 
         FIG. 5C  is a close-up perspective view of the top of the headband of  FIGS. 5A and 5B . 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the headband of  FIGS. 5A-5C , with battery case and one of the light bulbs removed 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the headband of  FIGS. 5A-5C , showing the opposite side of the battery case. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 6, and 7 , a light bulb headband constructed in accordance with the principles of a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a single piece main body  30  made, for example, by injection molding. Main body  30  has the shape of a conventional non-illuminated headband that does not include light bulbs, and that is instead designed simply to hold a wearer&#39;s hair in place, except that the main body  30  of the preferred embodiment has a plurality of projecting light-bulb holding structures  31  (shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 ) that serve to hold light bulbs in place, and a section  32  having reduced thickness and width onto which a battery case  33  is clipped. Except for section  32 , the main body  30  has a uniform thickness and flexibility. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the light bulb holding structures are made up of inwardly flexible prongs  34  integrally molded with the main body body  31  and having latch hooks  35  at distal ends. The latch hooks include a top cam surface  36  that causes the prongs  34  to bend inwardly as they are inserted into a cylindrical base of a light bulb  37  until the hooks are inserted far enough into the bulb to clear the cylindrical base  37  and latch onto a surface within the bulb to latch the bulb onto the headband after a light source  38  is positioned between the prongs  34  so that the light emitting top portion of the light source extends into the interior of the bulb  37 . 
     Although the illustrated embodiment includes latching structures that extend from and are molded into the headband main body  31 , it will be appreciated that the prongs  34  may may be replaced by structures that extend from the base of the bulb, or a bulb cover, so as to latch onto cylindrical structures extending from the headband, in a manner similar to the arrangement shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . The shape and manner in which the bulbs  50  are latched onto the headband may therefore be varied in a variety of ways without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     Preferably, in the illustrated embodiment, at least two notches are formed in the cylindrical base  37  of each bulb  50 , at a point where the bulb base contacts the headband, or in each bulb-holding structure extending from the main body  31 , so as to permit passage into the respective bulb bases  37  of wires  39  connecting the light sources  38  and batteries included in the battery case  33 . The wires  39  extend along the top surface of the main body  31 , as best seen in  FIGS. 5B and 5C , without the need for an internal passage, in order to connect the light sources and battery in parallel. 
     The battery case  33  includes a rigid housing  40  containing a battery compartment  41  (shown in  FIG. 7 ), a battery compartment cover  42 , terminals  43  on opposite ends of the battery compartment, a circuit board  44  situated in a space below the battery compartment  41  that is separated from the battery compartment  41  by a divider wall (not shown) and that is accessible from the opposite side of the battery case from the side on which battery compartment cover  42  is placed. An on/off switch  45  is mounted on the circuit board  44  and positioned to extend through an opening in a cover  48  (shown in  FIG. 5A ) that is screwed onto the case  33  on the side opposite battery compartment cover  42 , after positioning of the circuit board  44 . The battery compartment  41  includes space for, by way of example, three button cells  46  that may be stacked and positioned between the terminals  43  so as to provide a series-connected power source accessible by the user through the battery compartment cover  42  when the battery case  33  has been removed from the headband main body  31 . 
     Removable attachment of the battery case to the headband main body  31  is by a clip  47  that fits over the reduced-thickness-and-width section  32  to clip the battery case  33  onto the main body  31 . The configuration of the clip  47  may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention, for example by integrating the clip into the headband main body  31  rather than battery case, and providing a clip-receiving mating structure on the battery case  33 . In addition, it will be appreciated that the illustrated button cell battery configuration may be replaced by other power power source configurations including, for example, a compartment adapted to receive batteries other than button or disc-shaped cells. 
     Although the illustrated embodiment includes Christmas tree shaped bulbs, which may come in a variety of colors, it will be appreciated that the shapes and sizes of the bulbs or bulb covers may be freely varied, including shapes appropriate for holidays other than Christmas such as the jack-o-lantern shaped bulb covers illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 , star shapes, candy corn shapes, and any other shape of bulb that a consumer might want to wear on his or her head. In addition, the headband of the preferred embodiment may be varied to include additional decorative or ornamental features, such as reindeer antlers. 
     Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. Variations and modifications of the preferred embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.