Patent Document

CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority of U.S. Ser. No. 61/558,592 filed on Nov. 11, 2011, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a sport headgear with an audio player, and more particularly to a sport headgear with an audio player securely attached to an attachment assembly that is steadily fastened or fully integrated to the sport headgear, providing easy enjoyment of music or other audio programs to the wearer. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Some sports require the participants to wear protective headgears as a precaution against injuries. Such sports include, but are not limited to: motorbike riding, bicycling, American football, and amateur boxing. Wearing the headgear protects the user from severe impacts and reduces the chance of concussions and brain damage. The headgear, however, gets in the way when a participant of the sport wants to listen to music or other audio programs for entertainment or motivational purposes. Moreover, putting an audio player such as an iPOD in a pocket of clothes when one is engaged in rigorous sport activities may prove to be cumbersome and dangerous to the participant. Unfortunately, the commercially available sports headgears are generally not equipped with audio devices suitable for entertainment purposes. While professional football players wear helmets that include communication devices, those are designed to facilitate exchange between players and the coaching staff, not for the purpose of entertaining or motivating the wearer with music or other programming. 
         [0004]    Most sport participants, however, would welcome headgear that is equipped with an assembling structure, to which an audio player can be easily attached and removed. The wearer of the headgear would be able to listen to music or other audio programs while enjoying the thrill of their sport. Moreover, the tumultuous nature of the sports and possibility of sudden impacts require the audio player to be attached to the headgear in a secure manner. The audio player should also be protected from direct physical impact, such as a first punch when the headgear is a boxing helmet and the wearer is in a contest, or at least such chances should be minimized. The current invention addresses these issues by providing a sport headgear with audio player, plus particular designs of an audio player attachment assembly with specific locations for the attachment. In addition, the current invention maximizes the audio effects by well placed earphones, which allow the wearer to enjoy the music or audio program to the fullest extent. Another feature of the current invention is that the audio player is well protected from possible weather damages, prolonging the time period the player can be used. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
       [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,381 discloses a sports helmet that would include features such as an mp3 player, a radio, and a cellular telephone. The sports helmet includes a body member that is adapted for receiving a portion of the head of the user. The body member is adapted for protecting the head of the user from impacts. A strap assembly is coupled to the body member. The strap assembly is adapted for extending around a chin to the user for securing the body member to the head of the user. A communication assembly is coupled within the body member. The communication assembly is adapted for providing audio signals to the user when the body member is positioned on the head of the user. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,430,300 discloses methods for generating a directional sound environment include providing a headgear unit having a plurality of microphones thereon. A sound signal is detected from the plurality of microphones. A transfer function is applied to the sound signal to provide a transformed sound signal, and the transformed sound signal provides an approximation of free field hearing sound at a subject&#39;s ear inside the headgear unit. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,657 discloses a helmet having a sound device therein, includes a shell of a rigid material for protecting the head of a wearer, a liner mounted inside the shell and filled with a buffer material, and a speaker mounted inside a lower end portion of the shell or inside of the chin guard of the helmet. The speaker may be facing inwardly or outwardly. A plurality of speakers may also be employed. The positioning of the speaker enable the wearer of the helmet to hear the sounds from the speaker without altering the shape of the helmet shell to position the speaker near the ears. 
         [0008]    Various apparatus are known in the art, but their structures are distinctively different from the current invention. Moreover, the prior arts fail to address all of the problems solved by the invention described herein. One embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The invention discloses a sport headgear with audio player to be used in a sport. The sport headgear with audio player comprises: a sport headgear; an audio player; an audio player attachment assembly affixed to the sport headgear, the audio player attachment assembly being positioned to minimize the chance of direct impact as a result of the sport, the audio player attachment assembly removeably holding the audio player to the sport headgear, preventing the audio player from being detached unintentionally and protecting the audio player from weather damage; and a plurality of at least one earphone affixed to the sport headgear, the earphones being connected to the audio player. 
         [0010]    The current invention enables a sport participant to enjoy himself/herself by listening to music or other audio programs, even if the safety of the sport or other personal preferences require a headgear that normally does not include any entertainment device. A separate audio player may be easily lost or accidentally damaged if a sport participant holds one in his/her pocket. Moreover, the audio wires and earphones attached to a separate audio player can be cumbersome and easy to detach. The sport headgear with audio player introduced by the current invention deals with such problems. 
         [0011]    The sport headgear has an audio player attaching assembly that holds an audio player to the sport headgear. With multiple earphones that may be attached to the headgear, the wearer may enjoy music or other audio programs without worrying about the audio player or the earphone wires inhibiting his/her maneuvers. Moreover, the audio player is positioned to avoid direct impact due to the nature of the sport. For example, for a boxing helmet, the audio player can be attached to the back of the helmet, avoiding a direct punch from the opponent. In addition, the actual usage of the sport headgear dictates that the audio player should be securely fastened to the headgear, even in random swift movements and precarious positions. In the mean time, the audio player should be easy to attach and detach with deliberate methods, allowing the wearer to adjust the programs being played or the volume. 
         [0012]    An additional concern for preventing damages to the audio player is the weather. As many sports can be played or practiced in conditions such as rain and snow, the audio player may be damaged while the headgear is in use. Therefore, the audio player attachment assembly is designed to reduce possible harm to the audio player by severe weather conditions. 
         [0013]    In summary, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sport headgear with audio player that entertains the wearer of the headgear with music or other audio programs. 
         [0014]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a sport headgear with audio player that is easy to attach and detach the audio player with deliberate methods. 
         [0015]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sport headgear with an audio player that has the audio player securely attached to the sport headgear to avoid unintentional detachment due random movements in the sport. 
         [0016]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sport headgear with an audio player that has the audio player attached to a location of the sport headgear to minimize the chance of direct impact due to the sport. 
         [0017]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sport headgear with an audio player that has an audio player that is shielded from weather damage. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a top-back exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a boxing helmet. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2A  is a back view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a boxing helmet. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2B  is a top view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a boxing helmet. 
           [0021]      FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C are detailed illustrations of the audio player attachment assembly. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4A  is a back view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a motorcross helmet. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4B  is a close depiction of the audio player attachment assembly when the headgear is a motorcross helmet. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a top view of one embodiment of the present invention when the headgear is a motorcross helmet. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals. 
         [0026]    Reference will now be made in detail to embodiment of the present invention. Such embodiments are provided by way of explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited thereto. In fact, those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate upon reading the present specification and viewing the present drawings that various modifications and variations can be made thereto. 
         [0027]    Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. 
         [0028]      FIG. 1  shows a top-back, exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the current invention when the headgear is a boxing helmet. Shown are a boxing helmet  100 , a back protective pad  110  of the boxing helmet  100 , a back side  120  and a top side  140  of the boxing helmet  100 , a back inner surface  125  of the boxing helmet  100 , a right side  130  of the boxing helmet  100 , an audio player  10 , an audio player attachment assembly  170 , an audio wire  150 , and an earphone plug  160 . 
         [0029]    Although  FIG. 1  shows the sport headgear as a boxing helmet, it should be clear that the sport headgear with audio player may be any headgear that is required or necessitated by safety concerns involved in any particular sport. The sports include but are not limited to: boxing, motorcycling, bicycling, American football, lacrosse, motorcross, hockey, fencing, and cricket. In addition, in some sports, it is only necessary for certain participants to wear headgear. One example is baseball, where only the catcher and hitter, having the concern of being hit by a flying ball, wear protective headgear. The current invention covers headgear used in such situations as well. 
         [0030]    The audio player may be any device that provides an audio signal. The devices that can be used may be but not limited to: MP3 players, iPods™, Satellite Receivers such Sirius™, and AM/FM radio receivers. The audio player is preferably small in size because it is desirable that the audio player does not add too much weight to the sport headgear. 
         [0031]    By their nature, sports, at least those that necessitate the use of a headgear, involve movements and change of positions. For example, in boxing, the wearer may move constantly and tilt his/her head frequently to dodge punches. The movements increase the possibility that the audio player may be detached from the headgear unintentionally, causing damage to the audio player and possibly interrupting the wearer&#39;s participation in the game or match. To minimize the likelihood of un-intentional dislodging of the audio player, the current invention discloses a specially designed audio player attachment assembly  170  that is integrated with the sport headgear, as shown in  FIG. 1 . One detailed structure of the audio player attachment assembly  170  is shown in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 1  demonstrates that the audio player attachment assembly  170  is located at the back inner surface  125  of the boxing helmet  100  and that once anchored, the audio player  10  is connected with earphone plug  160 , which sends audio signals to earphones that are not shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 2A  is a back view of a boxing helmet with an audio player. Shown are the boxing helmet  100 , the audio player  10 , the audio player attachment assembly  170 , and the back side  120  of the boxing helmet  100 . The audio player  10  here is shown to demonstrate the positioning of the audio player attachment assembly  170 . For illustrative purposes, part of the back protective pad  110  of the boxing helmet  100  is shown as transparent, where as the actual device would have a non-transparent back protective pad  110 , which blocks the view of the audio player  10 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 2B  is a top view of a boxing helmet with an audio player. Shown are the boxing helmet  100 , the audio player  10 , the top side  140  of the boxing helmet  100 , and the audio player attachment assembly  170 . Again, the audio player  10  here is shown to illustrate the positioning of the audio player attachment assembly  170  relative to the boxing helmet  100 . For illustrative purposes, part of the back protective pad  110  and the boxing helmet  100  are made transparent to make the audio player  10  visible. Since the audio player attachment assembly  170  is completely surrounded by the boxing helmet  100  and the back protective pad  110 , an actual top view of the boxing helmet  100  will probably show the audio player  10  being blocked. 
         [0034]    The fact that a headgear is required implies that the sport participant&#39;s head may be subject to direct impact, such as punches in a boxing match or head collision in a motorcycle crash, increasing the chance that an audio player may be damaged under direct impact. From  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A, and  2 B, it is clear that the preferred location of the audio player attachment assembly  170  is at the back of the boxing helmet  100  under the back protective pad  110 . Such a design not only reduces the chance of un-intentional dislodging of the audio player  10 , but also minimizes the possibility of the audio player  10  being damaged by a punch in a boxing contest. The back of the helmet is the least likely position that may be hit by a direct blow. 
         [0035]    The positioning of audio player attachment assembly on other sport headgears follows the same rationale to reduce possible direct impact. Take a motorcycle helmet as example, the audio player attachment assembly may be located on the lower back side of the helmet. The lower back side of the helmet is the most unlikely position to bump into the ground or other objects in a crash, minimizing the chance that the audio player attached to the helmet may be damaged. In many circumstances, the preferred location is on the back side of the sport headgear, which the location least likely to be impacted. However, it should be clear that the concern for direct blow should be balanced with other needs, such as the aesthetic appearance of the headgear with audio player, the ease to attach, and the arrangement of wires and earphones. 
         [0036]      FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C show the audio player attachment assembly  170  in more detail.  FIG. 3A  depicts the audio player attachment assembly  170  when the audio player  10  is not asserted. Shown in  FIG. 3A  are the audio player attachment assembly  170  having an audio player attachment recess  175 , an audio player attachment cover  180 , an audio player attachment strap  190 , and a hinge  195 . The earphone plug  160  is also shown in  FIG. 3A .  FIG. 3B  illustrates the audio player attachment assembly  170  when the audio player  10  is asserted. Shown in  FIG. 3B  is the audio player  10 , and the audio player attachment assembly  170  having audio player attachment recess  175 , the audio player attachment cover  180 , the audio player attachment strap  190 , and the hinge  195 .  FIG. 3C  shows the audio player attachment assembly  170  when the audio player attachment cover  180  is closed. Also shown in  FIG. 3C  is the audio player attachment cover opening strap  197 . 
         [0037]    The audio player attachment assembly  170  may take many forms.  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C, in combination, show only one form of audio player attachment assembly  170  that secures the audio player  10  to a sport headgear. The audio player  10  is inserted in an audio player attachment recess  175  and kept secure by an audio player attachment strap  190 . Then the audio player attachment cover  180  is closed to provide further anchoring and shielding of the audio player  10 . The audio player attachment recess  175  is an alcove-like structure in the body of the boxing helmet  100 . Since the audio player is preferably small, the audio player attachment recess  175  does not need to be too big. In general, a length-width-depth of approximately 15-8-2 centimeters would be big enough to enclose most of the commercially available audio players. Preferably, the audio player attachment recess  175  may be smaller and may be custom made to fit some most popular audio players. 
         [0038]    One clear benefit of the present design is that it would not affect the general appearance of the sports headgear because the outside surface of the audio player attachment cover  180  may use the same color, pattern, and texture as the close surrounding materials of the sport headgear. Moreover, the current design conceals the presence of the audio player  10 , avoiding the possible disruption to the conformity of the appearance of the sport headgear caused by an audio player. However, it should be noted that the audio player attachment cover  180  do not necessarily have to be used to shield the audio player  10  from view. The audio player attachment cover  180  may be made from transparent material such as clear plastic. The benefit of such design is the wearer may see the display of the audio player without opening the audio player attachment assembly  170 . Moreover, the audio player attachment cover  180  may be made from rigid or flexible materials. The choice of a rigid cover improves the toughness of the audio player attachment assembly  170  and reduces the chance that the audio player  10  would be damaged. Using a soft or flexible cover, on the other hand, allows the user of the sport headgear to adjust the audio player  10  without opening the audio player attachment assembly  170 . 
         [0039]    Using an audio player attachment recess  175  and audio player attachment cover  180  also allows the audio player attachment assembly  170  to be weather-proof and prevents the audio player  10  from being damaged by rain or snow. Some sports may be performed in weather that is far from ideal. The current design of the audio player attachment assembly  170  may ensure that the audio player  10  would not be exposed to severe conditions. The audio player  10  is enclosed in the audio player attachment recess  175 , covered by the audio player attachment cover  180 , not being subjected to water damage that may result from bad weather. 
         [0040]    The current design also ensures that the audio player  10  is securely attached to the sport headgear. The audio player attachment strap  190  binds the audio player  10  to the audio player attachment recess  175 . The audio player attachment strap  190  may be directly stitched to the audio player attachment recess  175 . In addition, other methods may be adopted to attach the audio player attachment strap  190  to the audio player attachment recess  175  as long as the attachment is secure and not too bulky in size. The ends of the audio player attachment strap  190  may be attached to each other in various designs. One approach is to use a loop-and-hook structure to allow the ends of the audio player attachment strap  190  to be adjustably connected to secure the audio player  10  in place. Similar structures, such as belt-buckle connection or a magnetic connection may also be used as long as the methods achieve the goal of easy attachment and detachment. 
         [0041]    The audio player attachment cover  180 , when closed, shields the audio player  10  from view and helps to secure the audio player  10  in the audio player attachment recess  175 . The audio player attachment cover  180  may be closed in various ways. Shown in  FIGS. 3A and 3B  is a design that requires a hinge  195 . The audio player attachment cover  180  may bend from the hinge  195  and close on the audio player attachment cover  180 . However, the hinge  195  is not absolutely necessary. The audio player attachment cover  180  may be closed while it is connected to the audio player attachment assembly  170  with a connecting fabric. As long as the audio player attachment cover  180  may be easily bent over the audio player attachment recess  175 , the design is acceptable. 
         [0042]    To prevent the audio player attachment cover  180  from unintentional opening, the cover may be attached to the edge of the audio player attachment recess  175  with a detachable connection design, such as a loop-and-hook structure, a snap-fastener, or small magnetic strips. To open the audio player attachment cover  180 , a user may take hold of the audio player attachment cover opening strap  197  and pull up the cover. The key to the opening and closure of the audio player attachment cover  180  is that the cover should be opened with deliberate force, but not random interference. 
         [0043]    It should be reiterated that the audio player attachment assembly may adopt different designs from what is shown in  FIGS. 3A ,  3 B, and  3 C. For example, it is not absolutely necessary to have an audio player attachment recess, nor is it indispensible to include an audio player attachment cover  180 . The key to the design of the audio player attachment assembly is that an audio player may be securely attached to a sport headgear at a specified location. As long as such a goal can be achieved, the design may be used. 
         [0044]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  show another embodiment of the sport headgear with audio player. Shown in  FIG. 4A  are motorcross helmet  200  having a back side  210 , an audio player attachment assembly  170 , an audio player  10 , and an audio player attachment cover  180 .  FIG. 4B , a more detailed depiction of the audio player attachment assembly  170 , shows the audio player attachment assembly  170 , the audio player attachment cover  180 , an audio wire  150 , an earphone plug  160 , and a hinge  195 . 
         [0045]    When an audio player  10  is asserted into the audio player attachment recess  175 , the audio player  10  may be plugged in by an earphone plug  160 . The audio wire  150  is connected to one of more earphones that are not shown herein. The earphones are positioned close to the ears of the wearer of the sport headgear with audio player. The earphone plug  160  may, but does not have to, be integrally connected to the audio player attachment assembly  170 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 5 , a top view of a motorcross helmet with audio player, illustrates the positioning of the earphones. Shown are the motorcross helmet  200 , audio player  10 , audio player attachment assembly  170 , and multiple earphones  20 . Normal view will not allow the audio player  10  and the earphone  20  to be visible, because these structures are shielded by the motorcross helmet  200  and the audio player attachment assembly  170 . The earphones may be placed at the interior of the sport headgear and close to where the wearer&#39;s ears may be. The number of the earphones must be one or more. The most common arrangement is to have two earphones, one for each ear. However, for better sound effect and enjoyment by the wearer, the number of earphones may be more than two. As shown in  FIG. 5 , six earphones are placed with three on each side for maximal surround sound effect. 
         [0047]    Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

Technology Category: 1