Abstract:
An improved head gear with ear guard inserts integrated into a hair covering cap, particularly for amateur wrestlers, comprising a single, jaw strap, attachment and two ear guard inserts that have unique features and enhance comfort and natural hearing when held in a position appropriate for use by the cap material and methods of construction.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates generally to protective headgear and, in particular, to a head worn article including an ear guard assembly that fulfills hearing and ventilation functions. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The outer ears of wrestlers and athletes involved in other contact sports are subjected to contact of a nature that can cause hemorrhaging and permanent damage (Giffin). As a primary means of protecting against such injury, competitors commonly wear head gear that holds ear guards in place. 
         [0003]    Ear guard positioning methods should require low effort with little or no impact to other ear guard functions and the act of wrestling. Furthermore, head gear must remain attached for a contest to continue. 
         [0004]    Headgear designs that employ a plurality of individual straps, each attached to ear guards have a long and widespread presence in prior art (Johnson) (Purnell). These ear guards provide a protective enclosed space positioned over each outer ear, and incorporate a method of positioning and limiting slippage of each ear guard. The designs protect the ears from impact, have comfort cushioning, provide air paths for hearing and ventilation, are cleanable, and limit the impact of the headgear on the activity of grappling to varying degrees. 
         [0005]    A less developed area of development involves the employment of a one piece (e.g., knit or elastomeric) elastic web (Reese) (Dobbs and Empero). In these examples, appropriately flexible one-piece elastic web type of headgear addresses difficulties of adjustment. 
         [0006]    An additional role of headgear is to limit the effect of athlete&#39;s hair on competition—the hair of wrestlers must meet a grooming standard (e.g., length and abrasive quality) or a legal hair cover must be worn (National Federation of State High School Associations). This has typically been accomplished through use of a separate covering (e.g., The “Slicker” (Cliff Keen), “Hair Cap” (Matman) or Hair Cover (Brute, Adidas)). To address any difficulties with maintaining the position of these hair covers during contests, hair covers have recently become required by rule (National Federation of State High School Associations) to be attached in some manner to the headgear to maintain their intended position during matches. 
         [0007]    To meet requirements as a hair cover, equipment must provide continuous coverage of the hair and hold it in a position that complies with the grooming standard. Headgear with gapless coverage that conceals the hair of the wearer is not very common in prior art (Ihnat) (Dobbs and Empero). Ihnat presents an invention constructed of an elastic material that eliminates fasteners altogether and relies on a seamless elastic cover to adjust and secure the headgear at the chin. The elastic cover has rigid (or semi-rigid) plate/pad assemblies held securely in pockets over the user&#39;s ears. The Dobbs, et al. headgear uses a hook and loop fastener closure for adjustment and attachment and a foam ring surrounding the ear of the wearer. 
         [0008]    Individual contestants may prefer different levels or qualities of sound while participating in events and it has been stated that some designs in the prior art muffle, attenuate, or reverberate the sound in an objectionable manner. Ear guard assemblies in the prior art address sound include apertures of various shapes, sizes, quantities, and arrangements on the outer portion of the ear guard that result in varied effects on perception of sound level and quality. 
         [0009]    It is common practice for sports teams and individuals to bolster support through the application of graphic design (e.g., colors, logos, slogans) on sports equipment. However, the nature in which the decoration can be executed can be limited by the methods chosen to fulfill the hearing, ventilating and material durability functions of the ear guard assembly. 
         [0010]    It is recognized that keeping wrestling gear clean may be the most effective means of preventing outbreaks of skin infections (William L. Dienst, Dightman and Dworkin). Therefore it is desireable to minimize effort required to keep the headgear clean. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    In broad and general terms, this invention provides an ear guard assembly that fulfills hearing and ventilation functions. The invention reduces adjustment effort to a single buckle at the jaw strap, maintains or improves—hearing and ventilation functions by positioning semi-rigid ear protection elements within the pockets of a breathable, stretchable cap that completely covers a contestant&#39;s hair. Encapsulation of the ear guard inserts in the material of the cap makes wearing the headgear more comfortable and protects competitors from contact with headgear straps or hard edges. The construction of the head gear cover enables the use of custom materials and graphics to foster individual and team spirit. The headgear may be disassembled more easily for laundering of the cap and washing of the insert or alternatively may be worn into the shower and cleaned when showering to reduce the build-up of soil and/or infectious biological matter. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a headgear  1  (as worn), illustrating the cap  2  and orientation of the inserts  3  within the cap; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a view illustrating the tension-transfer  8  from the jaw strap  4  through the bands  7  and  27  to the panels  30 - 32  to the insert pocket perimeter stitching  5 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a view showing the interior of the cap  2  and insertion of inserts  3 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a view looking out from the wearers head at one of the inserts  3 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of one insert  3  taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a side view of a headgear  1  illustrating the airflow through cap  2  and around inserts  3 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a partial view illustrating the jaw strap  4  of the head gear  1  shown in  FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 6 ; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of one insert  3  taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0020]    One embodiment of the invention incorporated into an improved head gear assembly  1  particularly adapted for a wrestling ear guard is shown pictorially in  FIGS. 1 through 8 . Head gear  1  comprises a cap  2  and two (2) ear guards  3 . The cap  2  may be formed from any of various materials that provide the elastic and breathability characteristics necessary to hold the inserts  3  in place. A preferred embodiment includes an arrangement of a center panel  30  and side panels  31  and  32 . First, this construction method uses highly breathable material provides comfortable, porous layer between the non-porous ear guards  3  and the user&#39;s ears and allows for the free exchange of air and water vapor through the panels  30 ,  31 , and  32 . Secondly, the panels simultaneously offer enough stretch to retain long hair and passive adjustment yet enough resistance to maintain the position of the ear guards  3  on the user&#39;s head. In addition, the fabric used to construct the covering does not irritate the skin of fellow competitors. 
         [0021]    Cap  2  includes pockets  6  that are sized to provide only enough positional freedom  24  for the cap  2  and insert  3  to position the insert  3  as is appropriate when jaw strap  4  is adjusted for use by the wearer. The perimeter of the flaps  25  and  26  that create the pocket  6  are attached to the main body of the cap with a stitch  5  that allows the necessary flexibility for cap performance without overstressing the material. The jaw strap  4  adjustment limits the amount that the cap  2  material must stretch to be functional—reducing the requirements placed on the material and increasing freedom for fabric selection. The face band  7  and neck band  27  are formed in such a manner as to be of greater stiffness than the outer surface of the cap  2  so as to more effectively transmit attachment loads and retain the user&#39;s hair in space  28 . The insert  3  “floats”  24  ( FIG. 2 ) within the pocket  6  due to space  29  to accommodate the location of the wearer&#39;s ear while being held against the head by the outer layer  10 , face opening band  7 , and neck band  27  of the cap  2  and jaw strap  4  due to the set of tensile forces  8 . 
         [0022]    Best seen in  FIG. 3 , the direction of the overlap  11  in insert pocket  6  is preferentially in the same direction as the primary line of force used to attach headgear  1  to head with jaw strap  4  to resist opening when stressed during use. The flaps of overlap  11  may or may not be secured with a fastener that is appropriate for use next to the wearer&#39;s ear. 
         [0023]    Alternatively, portions of the cap  2  may be omitted to allow added ventilation (if hair covering is not required) and still represent this invention. 
         [0024]    Each insert  3  comprises a rigid or semi-rigid structural reinforcement  12 , spacer pads  13 - 16  as best illustrated in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 . The inner surface  17  of the structural reinforcement  12  is concave in shape so as to provide space for the ear of the wearer and has preferentially elongated slot  18  to provide an air path  19  ( FIG. 8 ) to convey sound to the ear from a multitude of directions and ventilate the wearer&#39;s head. Inserts  3  are supported against the head at discrete skeletal areas surrounding the elongated area of the ear rather than in a continuous annular area as in previous art. The perimeter of structural reinforcement  12  is shaped to support a multitude of resilient pads  13 - 16  at locations appropriately positioned to nest over the wearer&#39;s cranium, cheekbones, and jaw to cushion loads from the outside (e.g., during wrestling contests). 
         [0025]    In addition to providing purchase at areas of the wearer&#39;s skull and jaw, pads  13 - 16  create additional paths  20 - 23  for air to circulate through the insert from a multitude of directions rather than only in and out of the insert along the direction of the wearer&#39;s ear canal, providing additional airflow from that found provided in prior art. This modification improves comfort by offering greater opportunity for evaporation of perspiration and allows sound to flow through the headgear from a multitude of directions to improve quality of hearing. 
         [0026]    In a preferred embodiment, the inserts  3  are subsequently coated with vinyl  28  in a manner sufficient to smooth any abrupt edges on the structural plate  12  that may have resulted from manufacturing or handling and protect the pads  13 - 16  from absorbing substances that could encourage growth of biologicals. 
         [0027]    The preferred arrangement of components for the jaw strap  4  are shown in  FIG. 7 . The D-rings  33  are sewn into the cap  2  through flaps  34 . Strap  35  is preferably constructed of nylon webbing and attached to d-ring  33  by any of various means (i.e., sewn, heat fused) and hook or loop fastener  38  is attached to strap  35  by similar means. The end  36  of strap  35  is overcast-sewn or heat-cut in such a manner as to minimize edge roughness. Pad  39  is fabricated from a cushioning material and preferably coated with a non-porous, flexible material (e.g., vinyl). 
         [0028]    To reduce transmission of communicable skin conditions, the nature of all materials and constructions used are such that the entire headgear may be quickly and easily disassembled for cleaning in the shower following practices or contests.