US20250331591A1

US20250331591A1 - Blackout hoodie

Info

Publication number: US20250331591A1
Application number: US18/646,533
Authority: US
Inventors: David Bret Sternlight
Original assignee: Azurous Inc
Current assignee: Azurous Inc
Priority date: 2024-04-25
Filing date: 2024-04-25
Publication date: 2025-10-30
Also published as: WO2025226501A1

Abstract

A blackout hoodie for blocking transmission of light to a user's eyes having a body portion with an upper front portion and a front section opening, a rear section forming the back, right and left sides of the hoodie and covering the neck of a user, a portion of the interior upper front portion being a material which blocks the transmission of light through the hoodie, the upper front portion being capable of being pulled down over the user's forehead to cover the user's eyes, a passage around the perimeter of the front section opening through which a cinching mechanism may be threaded to allow the user to adjust the size of the front section opening, a flexible nose bridge, positioned in the passage at the midpoint of the perimeter of the front section opening allowing the bridge to conform to the shape of the user's nose blocking transmission of light from beneath the nose bridge portion.

Description

BACKGROUND

Passengers in an airplane, automobile or other type of vehicle often lack control of their environments and the ability to be comfortable in such environments. In particular, passengers who wish to sleep or rest have sleep masks, eye masks, or eye pillows, devices that are designed for use by all but are not adjustable to the contours of the individual user's facial features. In addition, there are prior art devices that include hoodies, namely, sweatshirts with a hood, neck pillows with a hood, or stand-alone hoods to provide coverage of the head of users. While the prior art devices provide partial assistance to control the head area environment of the users, they do not provide full assistance to the users in controlling and blocking light from entering through the upper or lower portions of the devices.
Eye masks to assist travelers in sleeping and resting are shown in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,572,718 to Sternlight on Feb. 21, 2017 teaches an eye mask with a forward portion including a malleable nose bridge for conforming to the user's nose. The forward portion may include an opaque outer layer and an inner malleable layer with side straps to secure the eye mask to the user's head. While this mask has a malleable nose bridge, light may still come through to the user's face in both the upper and lower portions of the eye mask.
U.S. Pat. No. D465,234 to Gordon on Nov. 5, 2002 and U.S. Pat. No. D489,749 to Landvik on May 11, 2004 both teach eye masks that appear to be deformable around the nose area and fixes with a hook-and-loop fastener around the back of the user's head. These devices are relatively large on the head and are relatively heavy, hot and uncomfortable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,217 to Kitayama on Oct. 10, 1989 teaches an eye mask that has a fixed shape around the nose. This nose bridge is not malleable so it is not adaptable to the user's face and may allow ambient light to seep in between the user's face and the mask.
U.S. Pat. No. D302,167 to Sherman on Jul. 11, 1989 teaches an eye mask with a pliable internal perimeter having elastic straps to hold the mask on the user's face. The elastic straps apply a pressure against the user's face that may be uncomfortable and result in a claustrophobic feeling against the face of the user.
Hoodies, namely sweatshirts with hoods, or neck pillows with a hood, or stand-alone hoods provide coverage of the head of users when traveling or are used in everyday life to provide coverage to the heads of users and control the environment of users' head areas. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,521,873 to Mignone on Dec. 20, 2016 and U.S. Pat. No. 11,412,787 to Galustyants both teach sweatshirts with hoodies and face masks configured to protect the face of a user from the environment and to absorb perspiration, while permitting breathing through the facemask.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,863,826 to Schneider on Dec. 15, 2020 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,657,954 to Bunkers on Feb. 9, 2010 both teach neck pillows with detachable hoods to block light while the user is resting in public environments such as on airplanes.
U.S. Des. Pat. D744,207 to Donner et al. on Dec. 1, 2015 teaches a hood which includes a head-covering sized and shaped to at least partially cover the head of a user, leaving the user's face exposed. It has a collar portion coupled to and extending downward from a rear portion of the head-covering portion with the collar portion not coupled to any other garment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present device is a black-out hoodie that is a head covering designed to assist the user in blocking the transmission of light to the user's eyes when attempting to rest, meditate or sleep in familiar environments or sleep or relax when traveling. The black-out hoodie also provides a head covering to protect the user's head area from variations in the temperature of the area surrounding the user's head. The black-out hoodie provides a hood which covers the top and sides of the user's head and neck with a upper front portion that can be extended over the user's forehead and eyes to the bridge of the user's nose to cover the eyes. The upper front portion of the hoodie is provided with a flexible nose bridge which can be manipulated to form around the nose and block openings through which light may be transmitted to the eyes upwardly from the area beneath the eyes. Transmission of light from the area above the eyes is blocked by the portion of the hoodie that covers the user's forehead and eyes.
The black-out hoodie includes a body portion having an upper front portion and a front section which is open to allow the face of the user to initially remain uncovered. The rear section of the body portion forms the back side and the right and left sides of hood and covers the neck. Around the perimeter of the front section, the material of the hoodie overlaps to provides a passage through which a cinching mechanism, such as a drawstring, may be threaded from one side to the other through the passage to allow the user to pull on the exposed drawstring to adjust the size of the opening of the front section. At the midpoint of the perimeter of the front section, a flexible nose bridge is provided.
After the black-out hoodie is placed over the head to be worn by the user, the hoodie may then be adjusted so that the upper front portion is pulled forward over the forehead of the user and further adjusted to align the flexible nose bridge with the user's nose and conform the nose bridge to fit across the user's nose. When the black-out hoodie is positioned in this manner, the user pulls on the ends of the drawstring on each side of the hoodie causing the front opening of the hoodie to decrease and cover the eyes and the upper portion of the face to at least partially block the transmission of light to the eyes. The ends of the drawstring may be allowed to dangle loosely, or they may be tied together, or they may be locked in place by use of a cordlock. The user may essentially block transmission of most, if not all, light to the eyes from the area below the eyes by adjusting and fitting the flexible nose bridge to conform across the user's nose and pulling on the ends of the drawstring to decrease the front opening of the hoodie.
Any soft, pliable clothing materials may be used for the blackout hoodie, with the preferred materials being polyester for the exterior and a smooth soft material for the interior of the upper portion of the hoodie. The material used on the interior of the upper portion should be capable of blocking the transmission of light through it.
The blackout hoodie is a garment designed to be worn over the head without the need for any other garments. The hoodie may also be provided with clips to be detachably joined to an upper body garment, such as a shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket. The hoodie may also be an integral part of an upper body garment, such as a shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket.
Taking into consideration the foregoing features and objectives, the invention provides a hoodie having a head covering portion that at least partially covers the head of the user with an open front section which allows the face of the user to initially remain uncovered. Around the perimeter of the front section of the hoodie, the material of the hoodie overlaps, providing a passage through which a cinching mechanism, such as a drawstring, may be threaded for one side to the other to allow for an adjustment in the size of the opening of the front section. At the midpoint of the perimeter of the front section, a flexible nose bridge is provided.
When worn by the user to block out the transmission of light, the hoodie is placed over the head of the user and then may be adjusted so that the upper front portion is pulled forward over the forehead of the user and further adjusted to align the flexible nose bridge with the user's nose and conform the nose bridge to fit across the user's nose to provide partial coverage over the eyes. The hoodie is further adjusted to align the flexible nose bridge portion located front section with the user's nose and to conform the nose bridge to fit across the user's nose. When deployed, the user pulls on the ends of the drawstring on each side of the hoodie to cause the front opening of the hoodie to further close and cover the eyes and the upper portion of the face to at least partially block the transmission of light to the eyes of the user.
The transmission of light above the eyes of the user may be essentially fully blocked from the area by the coverage provided by the upper portion of the hoodie. The transmission of light in the area below the eyes of the user may be essentially fully blocked by adjusting and fitting the flexible nose bridge to conform across the user's nose. The front opening of the hoodie is decreased by pulling on the ends of the drawstring. For a loose fit, the user may allow the ends of the drawstring to dangle. For a tighter fit, the ends of the drawstring may be pulled and tied together or pulled and cinched together using a cordlock.
The blackout hoodie may be made of any soft, pliable clothing material, including for example, cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, or any combination thereof with the preferred material being polyester for the exterior. Smooth, soft materials, capable of blocking the transmission of light, may be used for the interior of the upper portion of the hoodie.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a elevational front view of an example of the blackout hoodie of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational left-sided view of the hoodie of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a flat plan view of the interior of the hoodie of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a flat plan view of the exterior of the hoodie of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5A is a top plan view of a portion of the hoodie of FIG. 1 showing the flexible nose bridge portion located in the upper portion of the hoodie.

FIG. 5B is a top plan view of the nose bridge portion of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the blackout hoodie of FIG. 1 worn by a user with the hoodie pulled over the forehead and eyes of the user and the ends of the drawstring dangling after being pulled to have the hoodie cover the eyes of the user.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the hoodie of FIG. 6 with the ends of the drawstring tied to firmly seal the hoodie to cover the eyes of the user.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of another example of the hoodie of FIG. 1 having a cordlock device on the ends of the drawstring on each side of the hoodie.

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the hoodie of FIG. 8 worn by a user with the hoodie pulled down over the forehead and eyes of the user utilizing a cordlock on the ends of the drawstring on each side of the hoodie to adjust and maintain the size of the front opening of the hoodie to that selected by the user.

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the hoodie of FIG. 9 where the cordlock on the ends of the drawstring on each side of the hoodie is adjusted so that the hoodie covers the eyes of the user and is locked in place to maintain the size of the front opening of the hoodie to that selected by the user.

FIG. 11 is an exterior flat view of the hoodie of FIG. 1 with clips that can be used to attach the hoodie to other articles of clothing or a neck pillow.

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of a portion of the hoodie of FIG. 11 showing one of the clips.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of example implementations of a blackout hoodie. It is to be understood that the implementations described below are examples and that this disclosure is not intended to limit the invention to any example described below.
FIG. 1 is a elevational front view of the blackout hoodie of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an elevational left-sided view of the hoodie of FIG. 1 . The blackout hoodie 100 as shown in FIG. 1 may be used by a person traveling in any vehicle, or relaxing at home or elsewhere, to block the transmission of light to the eyes of the user. The exterior of the blackout hoodie may be made of any soft, pliable clothing material, including for example, cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, or any combination thereof with the preferred material being polyester. Smooth, soft materials, capable of blocking the transmission of light, may be used for the interior of the upper portion of the hoodie. It is to be understood that any suitable material may be used without limiting the scope of the invention.
It is to be understood that the term “front” in relation to the view or to parts of the blackout hoodie 100 shall refer to the portion of the hoodie that initially surrounds the face of the user. The term “back” in relation to the view or parts of the blackout hoodie 100 shall refer to such views that are on the side that contacts the back of the head of the user while the hoodie is in use.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the blackout hoodie 100 in FIG. 1 includes a head covering portion 110 that at least partially covers the head of the user with an open front section 150 which allows the face of the user to initially remain uncovered. Around the perimeter 130 of the front section of the hoodie, the material of the hoodie overlaps, providing a passage 140 through which a cinching mechanism, such as a drawstring 120, may be threaded for one side to the other to allow for an adjustment in the size of the opening of the front section. At the midpoint of the perimeter of the front section 160, a flexible nose bridge 170 is provided. The flexible nose bridge may be made of rubber, vinyl, metal, soft plastic or any other material known in the art to be pliable under the conditions for which the blackout hoodie is to be used.
FIG. 2 illustrates an elevational left-sided view of the hoodie of FIG. 1 . The hoodie 200 has an upper portion 210, a rear portion 212, and a left side 214 and right side (not shown), and a lower portion 240 which covers the user's neck. The drawstring 220 is threaded through the passage 240 to allow the ends 225 to dangle from the front of the hoodie. The exterior portions of the hoodie 200 may be made of any soft, pliable clothing material, including for example, cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, or any combination thereof with the preferred material being polyester. At least the interior of the front section of the upper portion 210 may be made of smooth, soft materials, capable of blocking the transmission of light.
FIG. 3 is a flat plan view of the interior 300 of the hoodie of FIG. 1 . a flexible nose bridge 370 is located at the midpoint of the perimeter of the front section 360. At least the front section 360 of the upper portion of the interior 300 of the hoodie may be made of smooth, soft materials, capable of blocking the transmission of light. The ends 325 of the drawstring dangle from dangle from the left and ride sides of the front portion of the hoodie.
FIG. 4 is a flat plan view of the exterior 400 of the hoodie of FIG. 1 . The exterior portion of the hoodie 400 may be made of any soft, pliable clothing material, including for example, cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, or any combination thereof with the preferred material being polyester. Flexible nose bridge 470 is located at the midpoint of the perimeter of the front section 460. The drawstring 425 dangles from the left and right sides of the front portion of the hoodie.
FIG. 5A is a top plan view of a portion of the hoodie of FIG. 1 showing the flexible nose bridge portion 570 located in the upper portion of the hoodie. FIG. 5B is a top plan view of the nose bridge portion 570 of FIG. 5A. The nose bridge portion 570 of FIG. 5B is made from a flexible material that allows the user to bend and shape the nose bridge to conform to the shape of the user's nose and block out the transmission of light from beneath the nose bridge portion 570 of the hoodie.
FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the blackout hoodie of FIG. 1 worn by a user. In FIG. 6 , the hoodie 600 covers the head of the user and the front of the upper portion 615 is pulled down over the forehead and eyes of the user. The ends 625 of the drawstring are pulled to decrease the front opening of the hoodie and have the hoodie cover the eyes of the user. The ends of the drawstring are left dangling so that the lower portion of the front opening of the hoodie is open.
FIG. 7 shows a front perspective view of the hoodie of FIG. 6 with the ends 725 of the drawstring pulled tightly and tied 780 to firmly seal the hoodie and cover the eyes of the user.
FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of another example of the hoodie of FIG. 1 having a cordlock device 855 on the ends of the drawstring on each side of the hoodie 800. Hoodie 800 has a head covering portion 810 that at least partially covers the head of the user with an open front section 850 which allows the face of the user to initially remain uncovered. Around the perimeter 830 of the front section of the hoodie, the material of the hoodie overlaps, providing a passage 840 through which a cinching mechanism, such as a drawstring 820, may be threaded for one side to the other to allow for an adjustment in the size of the opening of the front section. At the midpoint of the perimeter of the front section 860, a flexible nose bridge 870 is provided.
The hoodie of FIG. 8 as worn by a user is shown in FIG. 9 . The hoodie 900 is pulled down over the forehead and eyes of the user to cover the eyes, A cordlock 955 is provided on the ends 925 of drawstring 920 on each side of the hoodie to adjust and maintain the size of the front opening of the hoodie to that selected by the user. The fit of the hoodie in FIG. 9 is loose because the cordlock has not fully tightened the ends 925 of drawstring 920 to firmly seal the hoodie and cover the eyes of the user.
FIG. 10 shows the hoodie of FIG. 9 where the cordlock 1055 on the ends 1025 of the drawstring 1020 is adjusted so that front opening of the hoodie 1000 is decreased and the hoodie 1000 covers the eyes of the user and the position of the hoodie is locked in place by the cordlock 1055 to maintain the size of the front opening of the hoodie to that selected by the user.
FIG. 11 is an interior flat view of the hoodie of FIG. 1 with clips that can be used to attach the hoodie 1100 to other articles of clothing or a neck pillow. The clips 1118 are located on the lower portion of the hoodie 1100 and may be sewn onto to the hoodie or attached with double-sided clips, one side clipped to the hoodie and the other side clipped to the other article clothing or pillow. The clips may be plastic, silicone, soft clips or metal clips. The distal portions 1122 of the ends of the drawstring 1125 may be protected from unraveling by using plastic, silicone, or metal tips.
FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of a portion of the hoodie of FIG. 11 showing one of the clips 1118. The clips may be plastic, silicone, soft clips or metal clips.
The blackout hoodie of the present invention is a garment designed to block the transmission of light to the eyes of a user when traveling or relaxing to allow for ease in sleeping and rest without being disturbed by light. The hoodie is designed to be worn on or over the head without the need for any other garments. The hoodie may also be provided with clips as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 to be detachably joined to an upper body garment, such as a shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket. The hoodie may also be an integral part of an upper body garment, such as a shirt, sweatshirt, or jacket.

Claims

We claim:

1. A blackout hoodie for blocking the transmission of light to the eyes of the user comprising:

a body portion having an upper front portion and a front section having a perimeter forming an opening to allow the face of the user to initially remain uncovered;

a rear section of the body portion forming a back side and right and left sides of the hoodie and covering the neck of a user;

a portion of an interior of the upper front portion being made of a material which blocks the transmission of light through the hoodie to the user's eyes:

the upper front portion being capable of being pulled down over the user's forehead to cover the eyes of the user;

the front section provided with a passage around the perimeter through which a cinching mechanism may be threaded from one side of the passage to the other side of the passage to allow the user to adjust the size of the front section opening;

a flexible nose bridge positioned adjacent the passage at the midpoint of the perimeter of the front section opening;

the nose bridge being flexible to allow the user to conform the bridge to the shape of the user's nose to block out the transmission of light from beneath the nose bridge portion of the hoodie;

wherein the user may adjust the size of the front section opening by pulling on the ends of the cinching mechanism to pull the upper front portion of the hoodie over the eyes of the user to block out the transmission of light from beneath the nose bridge portion of the hoodie.

2. The blackout hoodie of claim 1 wherein the exterior of the rear section of the body portion is made from any soft, pliable clothing material, including for example, cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, or any combination thereof.

3. The blackout hoodie of claim 1 wherein a portion of the interior upper front portion is made of a smooth soft material capable of blocking the transmission of light.

4. The black-out hoodie of claim 1 wherein the cinching mechanism is a drawstring.

5. The black-out hoodie of claim 4 wherein the cinching mechanism is a drawstring with a cordlock movably attached to each end of the drawstring.

6. The black-out hoodie of claim 1 wherein the hoodie is an integral part of another apparel item.

7. The black-out hoodie of claim 1 wherein the hoodie is provided with clips to attach the hoodie to another apparel item or a pillow.