Patent Publication Number: US-11035555-B1

Title: Device attached to hat visor

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Fields of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a lighting device, and more particularly, to a lighting device that is removably attached to underside of a hat visor. 
     2. Descriptions of Related Art 
     A hat includes a visor and a crown, and the visor extends from the front end of the crown so as to be located above the user&#39;s eyes to at least block light from directly shining into the user&#39;s eyes. Some users wear baseball caps to jog in the night, in order to illuminate the roads, a lighting device is developed to be attached to the hat visor. However, most of the lighting devices require a revised visor which affects the appearance of the hat. Furthermore, some lighting devices are too heavy and not suitable to be attached to the visors. 
     The present invention is intended to provide a lighting device that is easily attached to the underside of a hat visor and eliminates the drawbacks mentioned above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a lighting device and comprises a lighting unit having a snapping member formed on each of two ends thereof. A lighting portion is formed to the front side of the lighting unit and located between the two snapping members. A room is defined in the lighting unit, and a light emitting unit is located in the room and includes a light emitting member which is located corresponding to the lighting portion. The light emitting member emits a light beam which passes through the lighting portion. A charging port is formed to the top of the lighting unit and electrically connected to the light emitting unit. A switch is connected to the underside of the lighting unit and electrically connected to the light emitting unit so as to control the operation of the light emitting member. Two clip members are respectively connected to the two snapping members on two ends of the lighting unit. Each clip member is connected to the snapping member from one of two ends thereof. Each clip member includes a groove defined through the two ends thereof. Each clip member clamps the peripheral edge of the visor by the groove. The lighting unit is located to the underside of the visor, and the lighting portion faces forward of a user who wears the hat. 
     Alternatively, the present invention relates to a lighting device and comprises a lighting unit which has two connection portions respectively formed on the top of two ends of the lighting unit. The two connection portions are to be attached to the underside of a visor. A lighting portion is formed to the front side of the lighting unit and located between the two connection portions. A room is defined in the lighting unit. A light emitting unit is located in the room and includes a light emitting member which is located corresponding to the lighting portion. The light emitting member emits a light beam which passes through the lighting portion. A charging port is formed to the top of the lighting unit and electrically connected to the light emitting unit. A switch is connected to the underside of the lighting unit and electrically connected to the light emitting unit so as to control the operation of the light emitting member. The lighting portion faces forward of a user who wears the hat. 
     The lighting device is completely attached to the underside of the visor so that the hat and the visor are maintained the same. 
     The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view to show the lighting unit of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the lighting unit of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an cross sectional view, taken along line III-III of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows that the lighting unit of the present invention is attached to the underside of a visor; 
         FIG. 5  shows that the lighting unit of the present invention and the visor to which the lighting unit of the present invention is to be attached; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view to show that the button is pushed to activate the light emitting member; 
         FIG. 7  shows that the clip member clips the visor; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates that the lighting unit of the present invention is charged; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the second embodiment of the lighting unit of the present invention, and 
         FIG. 10  shows that the lighting unit of the present invention shown in  FIG. 9  is attached to the underside of a visor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 6 , the lighting unit  1  of the present invention comprises a lighting unit  1  which is an elongate unit and has a thicker portion at the middle and a thinner portion at each of two ends thereof. The lighting unit  1  includes a snapping member  2  formed on each of the two ends thereof. A lighting portion  11  is formed to the front side of the lighting unit  1  and located between the two snapping members  2 . A room  12  is defined in the lighting unit  1 , and a light emitting unit  3  is located in the room  12  and includes a light emitting member  31  which is located corresponding to the lighting portion  11 . The light emitting member  31  emits a light beam which passes through the lighting portion  11 . A charging port  4  is formed to the top of the lighting unit  1  and electrically connected to the light emitting unit  3 . A switch  5  is connected to the underside of the lighting unit  1  and electrically connected to the light emitting unit  3  so as to control an operation of the light emitting member  31 . Two clip members  6  are respectively connected to the two snapping members  2  on two ends of the lighting unit  1 . Each clip member  6  is connected to the snapping member  2  from one of two ends thereof. Specifically, each clip member  6  includes a groove  61  defined through the two ends thereof, so that each clip member  6  clamps the peripheral edge of the visor  20  by the groove  61  thereof such that the lighting unit  1  is located to the underside of the visor  20  and close to the rear portion of the visor  20 . The lighting portion  11  faces forward of a user who wears the hat  10 . The light emitting member  31  illuminates the front area for the user who wears the hat  10 . The lighting device  1  is completely attached to the underside of the visor  20  so that the hat  10  and the visor  20  are maintained the same. 
     When attaching the lighting unit  1  to a visor  20 , the user clamps the clip members  6  that are connected to the lighting unit  1  to two lateral positions of the visor  20  and insert the visor  20  into the grooves  61  of the clip members  6 . The lighting unit  1  is located to the underside of the visor  20  and the lighting portion  11  faces forward. By pressing the switch  5  to activate the lighting member  31 , and the lighting member  31  emits a light beam to illuminate the front area of the user. By pressing the switch  5  again, the lighting member  31  is shut off. 
     When the lighting unit  1  needs to be charged, the lighting unit  1  can be separated from the two clip member  6  or the lighting unit  1  is still connected with the clip members  6 , and the lighting unit  1  can be connected to the receptacle on a wall or a mobile charger by the charging port  4  as shown in  FIG. 8 . It is noted that the lighting unit  1  is located close to the rear portion of the visor  20  to prevent the visor  20  from being bent. 
     In order to ensure that the clip member  6  to securely clamp the visor  20 , at least one tooth  62  protrudes from the inside of the groove  61  of each clip member  6 . The at least one tooth  62  extends between the two ends of each clip member  6  so that the at least one tooth  62  contacts the visor  20  and provides friction with the visor  20  to prevent the visor  20  from separating from the clip member  6  as shown in  FIG. 7 . Furthermore, each of the clip members  6  includes a pin  63 , and each of the snapping members  2  includes a hole  21  in which the pin  63  of the clip member  6  corresponding thereto is inserted. Of course, other connection means such as magnets can also be used to connect the clip member  6  and the snapping members  2 . 
     In order to ensure that the light beam from the lighting member  31  is not blocked or covered, the lighting portion  11  includes a bore  111  which communicates with the room  12 . The light emitting member  31  of the light emitting unit  3  partially protrudes through the bore  111 . A case  7  is mounted to the lighting portion  11  and covers up the bore  111  and the light emitting member  31  of the light emitting unit  3  that partially protrudes through the bore  111 . The case  7  is made of plastic or glass which can be translucent or transparent. The light emitting unit  3  further includes a circuit board  32  and a button  33 . The button  33 , the light emitting member  31  and the charging port  4  are electrically connected to the circuit board  32 . The switch  5  includes a recess  51  and the button  33  is partially inserted into the recess  51 , so that when the switch  5  is pressed, the button  33  is pushed as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6 . A dust cover  8  is pivotably connected to the top of the lighting unit  1  and covers up the charging port  4 . That is to say, the charging port  4  is accessed by pivoting the dust cover  8 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , a charging cable is used to connect the charging port  4  and the power source. The switch  5  and the dust cover  8  are made of deformable rubber. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the present invention provides another embodiment of the lighting device, wherein the clip members  6  can be replaced by two connection portions  13  respectively formed on the top of two ends of the lighting unit  1 . The two connection portions  13  are attached to the underside of the visor  20 . Each of the two connection portions  13  can be a hook-and-loop strip which is adapted to be attached to another similar hook-and-loop strip on the visor  20 . Each of two connection portions  13  may also be a male or a female connector, a female or a male connector is adapted to be connected to the visor  20 . 
     The present invention is easily installed to the visor  20  and because the lighting unit  1  is located close to the rear portion of the visor  20 , so that the visor  20  does not bent or deformed by the weight of the lighting unit  1 . The lighting unit  1  of the present invention is made to be matched  10  with the curvature of the underside of the visor  20 . 
     While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.