Abstract:
The present invention relates to articles, devices, methods, and systems for securing a hat to a wearer. In certain non-limiting embodiments, it includes the use of a hat lanyard including a lower strap having a first end and a second end and a lower strap fastening mechanism that is adapted to releasably fasten the lower strap to a use&#39;s article of clothing: an upper strap comprising a first end and a second end with a first and second fastening section that are adapted to releasably attach to form a loop; and a connector strap having a first end a second end that connects the upper strap to the lower strap.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/754,388, filed on Jan. 18, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates, in part, to lanyards for use in connection with apparel worn for personal protection, particularly, thought not exclusively, with hard hats. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]    Hard hats are a mandatory safety item used in or around many electrical power plants, chemical plants, construction sites, warehouses, and other industrial sites. The requirements are often mandated through safety programs due to overhead hazards associated in these types of industries. Hard hats are intended to be a type of safety equipment that will protect the wearer from overhead hazards as well as from Bumping one&#39;s head in areas Where there are low clearances. There are, however, instances when the hard hat can act as a hazard, in itself For instance, in most industrial work places where overhead work is being performed, workers are typically wearing a hard hat. If a worker leans over or bumps his or her head, the hard hat can, in many instances, fall off of the head of the wearer. This may cause the hard hat to become falling object and a hazard to personnel or vital plant equipment below. 
         [0004]    A chin strap used with a hard hat is one method to keep the hard hat on a wearer&#39;s head. This method, however, can be uncomfortable and sometimes a bit cumbersome. Another issue is that the chin strap is in direct contact with exposed skin. When working in contaminated or chemical environments, items that are in direct contact with exposed skin should be laundered prior to donning. However, hard hats, even with chin straps, are not typically laundered. Therefore, if the hard hat is used in a harsh or contaminated environment, it can spread to the wearer&#39;s exposed skin. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 701,639 to Stamm discloses a hat guard device that prevents a straw hat from blowing away. One end of the retainer is hooked through the hat, and the other end is hooked into the lapel button hole. This system may have been acceptable for straw hats, however, it is not readily adaptable for use with hard hats. For example, without modification of existing hard hats, one cannot insert a hook into a hard hat because the hard hat material is too hard by its very nature and drilling a hole through the hat could compromise the integrity of the material. Also, the weight of the hard hat could pull through a lapel button hole, if the hat fell off of the wearer&#39;s head. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,236 to Pritchett discloses a hat retaining device that attaches at one end to a hat and at the other end around the wearer&#39;s neck. Such a design, however, would be undesirable for use with a hard hat because of the danger of attaching a loop around the wearer&#39;s neck when working in an industrial environment. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,887 to Yagi discloses a hat and retaining device having a permanent stopper affixed to the crown of the hat on one end and a clip on the other. This would also be unsuitable for use with a hard hat because it would require modifying standard safety equipment made to a particular standard. Adding devices to the crown of a hard hat may make it unsafe in an accident or otherwise compromise the integrity of the hard hat material. 
         [0008]    SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
         [0009]    In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a hat lanyard including a lower strap, an upper strap and a connector strap therebetween. The lower strap includes a first end and a second end. A fastening mechanism (such as but not limited to a clip, a hook and loop fastener, a hook, snap, button, and combinations thereof) is coupled to the lower strap second end, wherein the fastening mechanism is adapted to fasten the lower strap second end to a user&#39;s article of clothing. 
         [0010]    The lanyard upper strap also includes a first end and a second end. A first and second fastening section are coupled to the upper strap and are adapted to releasably attach together to form a loop. In certain non-limiting aspects, the first fastening section is coupled to the upper strap at or about the first end of the upper strap and a second fastening section is coupled to the upper strap at or about its second end such that the loop is for along the length of the upper strap. 
         [0011]    The connector strap is provided to couple the upper strap to the lower strap. It includes a first end a second end, where the first end of the connector strap is coupled to the second end of the upper strap and the second end of the connector strap is fastened to the first end of the lower strap. In certain embodiments, the connector strap is manufactured from a flexible or stretchable material, which may allow for flexibility and improved safety with the lanyard. 
         [0012]    In certain non-limiting embodiments, each aspect of the lanyard, i.e. each of the components provided herein, are non-conductive and/or non-corrosive. 
         [0013]    The foregoing embodiments of the lanyard (or any other embodiment herein) may be used in a method to secure a hat to a wearer by the steps of (a) optionally adjusting a length of the lower strap: (b) securing the upper strap to a portion of a hat by way of its first and second fastening sections; and (c) securing the lower strap to a portion of an article of clothing worn by the wearer. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the hat to be secured to the user is a hard hat. 
         [0014]    The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. Additional embodiments and advantages will be readily apparent to the skilled artisan on the basis of the disclosure provided herein 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a top down plan view of an embodiment of the lanyard of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the embodiment of the lanyard shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a bottom plan view of a portion of the embodiment of the lanyard shown in FIG. 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the embodiment of the lanyard shown in  FIG. 1  attached to a hard hat. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0019]    In certain aspects, the present invention relates to a hat lanyard for securing a hat to a wearer. Particularly, in certain embodiments the present invention relates to a lanyard for securing a hard hat to a wearer. Such an embodiment, however, is not considered limiting to the invention, and the present invention contemplates that the teachings herein are readily adaptable to include any type of hat or headwear or any other type of similar application that would be readily apparent to one of skill in the art. 
         [0020]    In certain embodiments, the lanyard includes a lower strap for securing the lanyard to the wearer or, in certain embodiments, to the wearer&#39;s clothing and an upper end for securing the lanyard to the hat. The lower strap includes a first end and a second end and an associated fastening mechanism for securing the lower strap second end to the wearer or an article of a wearer&#39;s clothing. The upper strap also includes a first end and a second end and all upper strap fastening mechanism for fastening the strop to the hat. In certain embodiments, lanyard also includes an intermediate elastic section coupling the lower strap first end to the upper strap second end and providing for flexibility in the lanyard. 
         [0021]    One non-limiting embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . With reference to  FIG. 1 , the hat lanyard  10  includes an upper strap  12  and a lower strap  22 . The straps are illustrated as a substantially flat material, which may be manufactured from a flexible woven fabric, such as nylon or some other similar polymeric material. One of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the shape of the straps and the materials used to manufacture them is no not necessarily limited to such embodiments. Rather, the lanyard straps may be constructed from any other suitable material and in any other shape otherwise known or readily apparent to the skilled artisan. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the upper and lower straps are made from non-conductive and/or non-corrosive material(s). 
         [0022]    The lower strap  22  has a first end  38  and a second end  40 . It includes a medial loop  20 , which may be positioned at or about the first end  38  (or anywhere along the lower rap a terminal loop  28 , which may be positioned at or about the second end  40  of the lower strap. The medial loop  20  forms a single or multiple orifices through the lower strap  22 , which may be sized to receive items that the user may wish to secure to the lanyard. By way of non-limiting. example, the medial loop  20  may allow the user to place repeatedly used items, such as earplugs, glasses, personal protective equipment (PPE), writing instruments, or the like, at an easily accessible location. 
         [0023]    In certain aspects, and as shown in  FIG. 2 , a safety clip  26  is attached at the second end of the  40  of the lower strap  22  through use of the terminal loop  28 . The clip  26  may be removably attached or otherwise permanently affixed to the lower strap  22  via loop  28 . The safety clip  26  is adapted to clip on to an article of clothing of the user so as to secure the lanyard to the user. By way of example, the clip may operate to pinch or otherwise frictionally engage a portion of the wearer&#39;s clothing, such as a shirt, jacket, collar, sleeve, or the like. It may lock into place or otherwise include any mechanism for ensuring the retention of the clothing within the clip such that the clip is not easily or inadvertently dislodged from the material. The foregoing embodiment, and that depicted in the  FIGS. 1-4 , provides only one embodiment of the safety clip. Any suitable alternative fastening mechanism known in the art may be used for the same or similar purposes. Non-limiting examples of such alternatives include a hook and loop fastener, a hook, snap, button, or the like, including combinations thereof. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the clip  26  is made from non-conductive and/or non-corrosive material(s). 
         [0024]    In certain embodiments, the length of the lower strap  22  may be adjustable to suit the desires of the user. As depicted in  FIGS. 1-4 , this adjustability may be performed by providing the lower strap  22  of a sufficient length such that it can be folded through the clip  26  and secured upon itself through the use of a slide buckle  24 . The slide buckle  24 , and length of the lower strap  22 , can then be adjusted by sliding the lower strap  22  through the slide buckle  24 , such that the length of the strap becomes longer or shorter. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the slide buckle (or any other portion used to adjust the length of the lower strap) is made from non-conductive and/or non-corrosive material(s).The present invention, however, is not limited to this embodiment and any other suitable means known in the art for allowing adjustability of straps may also be used. 
         [0025]    The upper strap  12  has a first end  14  and a second end  16 . The second end  16  of the upper strap  12  is connected to the first end  38  of the lower strap  22  by an intermediate connector section  18 . The intermediate connector section  18  is preferably formed from a stretchable or elastic fabric or material, such as rubber, an elastomeric polymer, or the like. In certain preferred aspects, the material is not electrically conductive and/or is manufactured from non-corrosive materials. Use of a stretchable material can provide flexibility in the lanyard and can also dampen, or soften, the initial shock of impact of the hat against the wearer or some other surface when it has fallen from the wearer&#39;s head. Although a non-stretchable fabric can be used, the trauma to all the components of the hat lanyard, clothing attached to the hat lanyard, and the hat itself would be much greater when the hat falls from the wearer&#39;s head. This could accelerate wearing, or even tearing of components of the hat lanyard, as well as the clothing or hat attached to the hat lanyard. Thus, in certain embodiments, it is preferred that the intermediate connector section  18  be made, at least in part, from the flexible or stretchable material. 
         [0026]    As best shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the underside of the upper strap  12  includes a first fastening pad  34  located towards the first end  14  and a second fastening pad  36 . The second fastening page  36  is illustrated as being at or about the second end  16  of the upper strap  12 , however, it is not limited to this position may be provided at any point along the length of the upper strap  12 . The first fastening pad  34  and second fastening pad  36  are adapted to removably attach to one another to form a loop  42  out of upper strap  12 . For example, the fastening pads  34 ,  36  comprise a hook-and-loop fastener system, such as VELCRO®. This allows the user to adjust the size of the loop  42  based on the desired distance or for comfort. It should be understood, however, that in carrying out the present invention, the ends  14 , 16  of the upper strap may be removably attached to each other using other means, such as, but not limited to, adhesives, snaps, buttons, clips, or the like, including combinations thereof Additional or alternative fastening mechanisms will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the fastening mechanism is made from non-conductive and/or non-corrosive material(s). 
         [0027]    Use of the hat lanyard  10  in conjunction with a hard hat  30  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The underside of the hard hat  30  generally has a permanently attached head support structure (not shown), which includes an inner brim  32 . The user of the presently described hat lanyard  10  wraps the upper strap  12  around the inner brim  32  and affixes the first fastening pad  34  to the second fastening pad  36  so as to cause upper strap loop  42  to encircle the inner brim  32 . The user then attaches safety clip  26  to an article, or a portion of an article, of the user&#39;s clothing. Optionally, prior to or after attaching the safety clip  26 , the user may adjust the lower strap  14  to a desirable length by using the buckle  24 . 
         [0028]    In one aspect, the hat lanyard  10  is attached to a portion of the hat or an opening of the hat that cannot be separated. For instance, in certain embodiments, hat lanyard  10  is connected to a non-separating portion of inner brim  32  or directly to the head support structure. Because hard hats have a relatively large amount of mass in comparison to other headwear such as baseball caps and the like, with hard hats it is preferred that the hat lanyard  10  not be connected to a separable portion of the hard hat, such as an adjustment band. In the unfortunate event that the hard hat falls off of one&#39;s heat, the hat lanyard functions to prevent the hard hat  30  from falling away from the user and potentially causing injury to a person below, damage to expensive equipment, contamination to a process, and/or any number of unfortunate side effects caused by the falling hard hat  30 . If the hat lanyard  10 , however, is connected to a separable portion of hard hat  30 , the stress imparted on this separable portion caused by the hat lanyard  10  stopping the fall of the hard hat  30  may, at times, cause the hard hat to separate and detach from the hat lanyard  10 , thus defeating the purpose of the hat lanyard  10 . 
         [0029]    Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.