Reusable headband adaptable for support of various personal protective headgear and accessories

Abstract

A reusable personal headband is configured for removable interchangeable support of a variety of PRE and other attachments / accessories, including disposable and reusable face shields, a head shield, lights, cameras and magnifiers. An optional stiffener yoke can be added to improved retention of the headband in position on the wearer's head to optimal support of the one or more attachments / accessories. Flip-up face shields of both reusable and disposable designs are compatible with the headband, in directly mounted relation thereto or via an overhead bow attached thereto, which can also accommodate an accompanying head shield. Couplers on the headband include relocatable couplers movable into different positions according to the mounting / support needs of different attachments / accessories.

Description

[0001] REUSABLE HEADBAND ADAPTABLE FOR SUPPORT OF VARIOUS PERSONAL PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR AND ACCESSORIES

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates generally to personal protective equipment, and more particularly to solutions for supporting face-shields and other head-borne equipment and accessories in various environments or scenarios requiring or warranting protection against potential pathogens or contaminants.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] In response to the COVID-19 pandemic that demonstrated the importance of supplying adequate and effective personal protective equipment (PPE) to medical practitioners, emergency responders, as well as a variety of others working or volunteering in fields involving potential exposure to such an airborne pathogen, Applicant has been developing a robust line of PPE and associated products intended at addressing shortcomings not just of existent PPE products themselves, but also addressing problems that can arise from inventory shortages and supply chain interruptions during such a pandemic.

[0006] Applicant’s novel products include the combined head and face shield disclosed in Applicant’s Published PCT Application WO2021 / 195766 to improve the cranial coverage of conventional PPE face shields, the head shield disclosed in Applicant’s Published PCT Application WO2022 / 1 15961 which can be combined with a conventional PPE face shield to achieve the same substantive cranial coverage of Applicant’s combined head and face shield, the filter adaptation system disclosed in Applicant’s Published PCT Application WO2023 / 044571 by which a powered airpurifying respirator (PAPR) or full-face respirator can be adapted to use disposable face masks and various filter types as their air filtration means to solve inventory or supply chain shortages, the inclusive full-face hooded respirator disclosed in Applicant’s pending Canadian Patent Application 3,170,758 capable of use by wearer’s of religious beards and head-coverings on whom conventional respirators cannot achieve adequate air tightness, and the modular PAPR system disclosed in Applicant’s Canadian Patent Application 3,179,734 with battery and mains power operability, auxiliary power ports for accessory power, and an air cooling module, in addition to the aforementioned adaptability to various air filtration means. All of Applicant’s prior applications cited above, and any other applications or references cited elsewhere herein, are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0007] Though protection of medical personnel during the COVID pandemic was an original motivation for such developments, Applicant’s prior and ongoing contributions to the art, including the novel contributions disclosed in the present application, are useful not only for protection of health care workers, but can also be put to use any variety of other environments or industries where face shields or respirators and the like are useful or required, including industrial applications, agricultural applications, pharmaceuticals, petro-chemical and other chemical applications, mining, metal fabrication, oil and gas, military, law enforcement, and firefighting.

[0008] Continuing to build upon Applicant’s own prior works cited above, Applicant has developed a novel reusable headband that serves as a customizable platform by which a variety of PPE shields and other useful headgear and accessories can be selectively installed according to the needs of the particular user, the particular scenario they find themself in at any given time, and the available on-hand inventory of one or more types of face shield. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a headwearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; a plurality of inner couplers configured for non-adhesive engagement with the headband at respective working positions spaced apart therealong so as to reside at circumferentially discrete locations relative to the user’s head in said head-borne position of the flexible headband; and one or more outer couplers each attached or attachable to one or more of the inner couplers at one or more coupling points of external relation to the headband, for supportive receipt of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said one or more outer couplers in a worn position of external relation to said headband; wherein at least one of the inner couplers is a relocatable inner coupler arranged for selective user-relocation thereof on the headband between a plurality of possible engagements sites thereon for said one of the inner couplers, thereby enabling user-adjustability of the respective working position of at least said one of the inner couplers.

[0010] In some embodiments, the one or more outer couplers may be configured to secure the additional equipment or accessorization in adhesive free fashion, though in other embodiments, adhesive may included or applied to one or both of the outer coupler(s) and / or the additional equipment or accessorization for direct adhesive bonding thereof to one another, or for adhesively bonding of one or more intermediary fasteners to one or both thereof to effect a coupling therebetween.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a headwearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; one or more elongated slots in the headband in orientations running lengthwise thereof; a plurality of relocatable couplers received or receivable in said one or more slots in working positions protruding outwardly through the slot to the exterior side of the headband for use in supporting at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; wherein the relocatable couplers are selectively relocatable along said one or more elongated slots to enable user-adjustability of the respective working positions of said relocatable couplers.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a headwearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; and a plurality of couplers supported or supportable on the headband in working positions usable in support of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; wherein said headband comprises an elevated forehead crest at which a height of the headband is locally greater than at other non-crested regions, with the crest occupying a greater elevation than that at which the plurality of couplers reside.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a headwearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; and a plurality of couplers supported or supportable on the headband in working positions usable in support of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; wherein the headband comprises a thickened region of greater thickness that other thinner regions of the headband, and at a least a subset of the couplers reside at said thickened region.

[0014] According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a headwearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; a supportive structure of greater rigidity than the flexible headband and configured both for external mounting to headband, and for selective receipt of at least one of: a head shield couplable to the supportive structure in a position arching laterally over a scalp region of the user’s head and posteriorly from the forehead of the user’s head toward a crown thereof; and / or a face shield couplable to the supportive structure in a manner movable relative thereto between a face covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head, and a retracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

[0015] According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a headwearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; one or more couplers supported or supportable on the headband in working positions usable in support of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; and a comfort pad removably coupled or couplable to the flexible headband at the internal side for wearing of said comfort pad in skin contact against a forehead of the user’s head as an intermediary between the flexible headband and the user’s head.

[0016] According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provide a headwearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; and a plurality of couplers supported or supportable on the headband in working positions usable in support of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; and a face shield support frame configured for selective pivotal mounting thereof onto a pair of said couplers at opposing sides of the flexible headband to pivotally support a face shield thereon for pivotal movement between face covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head, and a retracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

[0017] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0019] Figure 1 A shows a reusable adaptable headband of the present invention in a worn position thereof with three inner couplers installed thereon, in preparation for mounting of a substantially conventional disposable face shield of a type normally equipped with an accompanying disposable headband arrangement composed of a foam bar and an elastic band secured with plastic rivets, which are unnecessary and thus absent in the context of the presently disclosed invention.

[0020] Figure 1 B illustrates mounted support of the conventional disposable face shield of Figure 1 A on the reusable adaptable headband using three inner couplers on the headband, and a matched set of three outer couplers mated therewith through holes provided in the substantially conventional disposable face shield, again without the conventional foam, elastic or rivets of a disposable headband arrangement.

[0021] Figure 2A is front perspective view of the reusable adaptable headband of Figures 1 and 2, but shown with only one mated pair of inner and outer couplers for illustrative purpose.

[0022] Figure 2B is a rear perspective view of the reusable adaptable headband of Figure 2A, once again shown with only one mated pair of inner and outer couplers for illustrative purpose.

[0023] Figure 2C is an assembled cross-sectional view of the headband and mated coupler pairing of Figure 2A, as taken along line C - C thereof.

[0024] Figure 2D is an exploded cross-sectional view of the headband and coupler pairing of Figure 2C in the same cross-sectional plane thereas.

[0025] Figure 2E is a cross-sectional view of the mated inner and outer coupler pairing of Figure 2C, as taken along line E - E thereof.

[0026] Figure 3A is another rear perspective view of the headband of Figure 3A, but with a removable comfort pad installed thereon on the interior side of a thickened and slotted forehead region thereof.

[0027] Figure 3B is a front elevational view of the comfort pad of Figure 3A. Figure 4A is another front perspective view of the headband of Figure 2A, but with the mated couplers omitted and with a headband stiffener ready for coupling to an elevated forehead crest of the headband.

[0028] Figure 4B is a front side perspective view of the headband and stiffener of Figure 4A in a worn position.

[0029] Figure 4C is a rear elevational view of the worn headband and stiffener of Figure 4B.

[0030] Figure 5A is another front side perspective view of the worn headband of Figure 4B, but with the stiffening yoke removed from the elevated forehead crest, and a camera instead installed thereon as a non-limiting example of an accessory mountable thereto.

[0031] Figure 5B is another front side perspective view of the worn headband of Figure 5A, but with a light source installed on the elevated forehead crest as another non-limiting example of an accessory mountable thereto

[0032] Figure 6A is a top front perspective view of the headband of Figure 2A in a closed-loop state thereof in which it would be worn around a user’s head, and with an overhead bow installed on the headband for use in supporting additional headgear thereon.

[0033] Figure 6B is a top plan view of the assembled headband and overhead bow of Figure 6A.

[0034] Figure 6C is a cross-sectional view of the assembled headband and overhead bow of Figure 6B as viewed along line C - C thereof to illustrate one of two identically coupled connections therebetween.

[0035] Figure 6D is another top front perspective view of the headband and overhead bow of Figure 6A with a head shield installed thereon. Figure 7A is another top front perspective view of the headband, overhead bow and head shield of Figure 6D, but with a fully framed face-shield also assembled therewith in movable fashion.

[0036] Figure 7B is another top front perspective view of the headband, overhead bow and fully framed face shield of Figure 7A, but with the head shield removed to illustrate the user-optional inclusion or exclusion thereof.

[0037] Figure 8A is an isolated front perspective view of the fully framed face shield of Figures 7A and 7B.

[0038] Figure 8B is an isolated front perspective view of the fully framed face shield of Figure 8A.

[0039] Figure 9A is a side elevational view of the same assembled combination as Figure 7A, showing the fully framed face shield in a face-covering position for working use thereof in front of a wearer’s face.

[0040] Figure 9B is another side elevational view of the same assembled combination as Figure 9A, but with the fully framed face shield shifted forward to an intermediate position in preparation for pivotal lifting thereof to a retracted position.

[0041] Figure 10A is another side elevational view of the same assembled combination as Figure 9B, with the fully framed face shield pivoted into the retracted position of raised relation to the face-covering position, retracted upwardly from the user’s face, and instead overlying the user’s head in elevated and laterally arching relation thereto.

[0042] Figure 10B is another side elevational view of the same headband, overhead bow and framed face shield as Figure 10A, with the head shield omitted, demonstrating the same retractability of the fully framed face shield, regardless of the presence of lack of an accompanying head shield. Figure 1 1 A is a side perspective view of a use of the same headband and overhead bow of Figures 6A through 6C, shown with optional inclusion of the head shield of Figure 6D, to movably support a partially framed face shield, which is shown in the retracted position, and comprises a reusable support frame and a disposable face shield similar to that of Figures 1 A and 1 B.

[0043] Figure 1 1 B is a front side perspective view of the same headband, overhead bow and face shield of Figure 1 1 A, but without the head shield, and with the partially framed face shield lowered into the face-covering position.

[0044] Figure 12 is a front side perspective view of the same assembled components as Figure 7A, illustrating accompaniment thereof by a rimmed gasket of flexible sheeting installable around a rear perimeter of headspace cooperatively delimited by the head and face shields to achieve a more enclosed and comprehensive head covering usable as a PAPR hood.

[0045] Figure 13A illustrates optional inclusion of matable ridges on tails of the headband for added frictional holding thereof in a closed-loop around the wearer’s head, and illustrates optional installation of a mounting rail to headband using the inner couplers.

[0046] Figure 13B shows the headband of Figure 13A with the mounting rail installed thereon.

[0047] Figure 14 illustrates optional inclusion of similar matable ridges as those of Figure 13A on the stiffening yoke.

[0048] Figure 15A is a front perspective view of the headband showing an alternative type of outer coupler installed on a pair of the inner couplers for cooperation with an illustrated pair of disposable snap members attachable to the inside of a PPE shield. Figure 15B is another front perspective view of the headband of Figure

[0049] 15A with the disposable snap members mated to the alternative outer couplers.

[0050] Figure 15C is a front elevational view of a PPE shield installed on the headband of Figure 15B using the alternative coupler couplers and disposable snap members.

[0051] Figure 15D is a front side perspective view of the headband and PPE shield of Figure 15C in a worn position on a user’s head.

[0052] Figure 16A is a front elevational view of a variant of the comfort pad from Figures 3A and 3B.

[0053] Figure 16B is a top perspective view illustrating the comfort pad of Figure 16A installed on the headband in coupled relation thereto.

[0054] Figure 16C illustrates a movability of the comfort pad in its installed position on the headband to enable user relocation of inner couplers thereon without removal of the comfort pad.

[0055] Figure 16D is an enlarged partial top view of the headband and variant comfort pad of Figures 16A to 16C, illustrating coupled installation of the comfort pad to the headband.

[0056] Figure 17 is a front perspective view of the headband of Figure 1 in combination with a variant of the reusable support frame of Figure 1 1 B, which in this variant is configured to pivotally mount directly to the headband instead of to the overhead bow.

[0057] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] Figure 1 A shows a reusable adaptable headband 10 of the present invention of a design capable of accommodating installation thereon of a variety of different attachable equipment and accessories, including face shields of different designs, a cooperating head shield for expanding the coverage of such face shields, and a light source, camera, magnifier or other accessorization wearable in combination with any one of such face shields and optional head shield. Figure 1 A shows the headband being worn in a head-borne position that spans circumferentially around a user’s head at a forehead elevation thereon, whereby a front half of the headband 10 spans laterally across the user’s forehead, and wraps anteriorly therefrom around to the temples and over the user’s ears, from which a rear half of the headband 10 continues anteriorly to the back of the head, and spans laterally thereacross. It will be appreciated that the term “half” is used herein in a general sense, to mean two parts of an overall whole, and not to specifically mean that each half embodies a precise 50% of that whole. The illustrated example of the headband 10 is a single-piece molded band 12 composed of a reusable, sanitizable material, typically of polymeric composition, for example composed of polyethylene vinyl acetate (often abbreviated as PEVA or EVA) or other closed cell foam, thus having sufficient flexibility to be formed into a closed loop around the user’s head in generally conforming fashion to the contours thereof in a comfortable but f nationally self-supporting fashion, while providing sufficient strength to bear the weight of various attachable equipment and accessories of the non-limiting types disclosed herein, all while lacking the pores of an open-cell foam that would render it challenging or impossible to fully disinfect the headband between uses, and instead require disposal thereof. This headband is intended to replace the requirement for the conventional dedicated device-specific support required by many stand-alone devices (Head lights, loops, cameras, etc.) that typically have their own fastening system (e.g., straps, bands, fasteners, braces) to hold the devices in place on the head. These straps are often difficult to clean and are designed to only work with their intended device. Whereas the headband and fastener system of this invention is intended (amongst other things) to replace the need for these straps, etc.

[0059] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B of the illustrated embodiment, the headband 10 itself is a two-ended band having two terminal ends 14A, 14B, whereby the rear half 14 of the headband 10 is embodied by two rear tails 16A, 16B, each of which is a seamlessly integral extension of the front half of the headband and embodies a respective one of the two terminal ends 14A. 14B thereof. Closure of the two-ended band into a closed loop wearable circumferentially around the user’s head involves coupling together of the two rear tails 16A, 16B of the headband 10, for example using a separately embodied closure device 18, such as the non-limiting example of the cam buckle visible in the worn rear elevational view of the headband Figure 4C. Preferably, the closure device 18 is also composed of a sanitizable material to enable re-use thereof, albeit a more rigid material than the constituent material of the headband itself, in order to serve as a robustly secured closure of the headband, for example being composed of a rigid polymer or sanitizable metal, of which a rigid polymeric coupler is likely preferable in the interest of cost efficiency. The illustrated closure device 18 is reflective of a prototype using a relatively bulky cam buckle, which will in practice will be replaced with a smaller device of lesser height profile. In an alternative closure arrangement, one tail of the strap may be provided with one or more securement loops into which the other tail is tucked, in comparable structure and function to the fixed and sliding loops of a conventional wristwatch band.

[0060] The front half of the headband is at least partially embodied by a thickened and slotted forehead region 20 of the headband that is of greater thickness than other thinner regions thereof, such as those embodied by the two rear tails 16A, 16B. As used herein, the thickness dimension denotes that which is measured in radial relation to the user’s head when worn thereon, the length dimension of the headband denotes that which is measured in circumferential relation to the user’s head when worn thereon, and a width, heigh or elevational dimension of the headband denotes one of axial orientation relative to the user’s head when worn thereon. The forehead region 20 is preferably long enough to span at least fully across the forehead of a typical user from at least one temple thereof to the other, if not from one ear to the other. Referring momentarily to Figure 13A, the two rear tails 16A, 16B of the headband may have matable sets of ridges hereon 17A, 17B thereon, of which first ridge set 17A on first tail 16A resides on the exterior side 10A of the headband 10, while second ridge set 17B resides on the interior side 10B thereof. The ridges of each set 17A, 17B run cross-wise of the headband 10 of the headband’s elevational width. In formation of the headband into a closed looped, tail 16B is overlapped with tail 16A at the exterior side thereof so that the ridges of second ridge set 17B fit between the ridges of first ridge set 17A, whereby they form a frictional interlock between the two tails 16A, 16B when clamped together by closure device 18, thus supplementing the clamped holding force imparted thereby to resist inadvertent opening of the headband 10, or supplementing the frictional hold of a securement loop closure of the type referenced above.

[0061] The length of the forehead region 20, for example, may embody thirty to fifty percent of an overall length of the headband, as measured from one terminal end 14A thereof to the other. The increased thickness at the forehead region 20 of the headband 10 provides an increased robustness of the headband across the forehead and temple area of the user’s head, where the headband is designed to accommodate a set of couplers in adjustable fashion thereon so that the working positions of such couplers can be adjusted in order to best suit a head size or head shape of the user, and / or best suit the size or geometry of a particular piece of equipment or accessorization to be worn on the headband 10. To achieve such adjustable accommodation of couplers on the headband 10, the forehead region 20 of the illustrated embodiment is provided with a plurality of elongated slots 22 therein, each running lengthwise of the headband 10, so as to lie circumferentially of the wearer’s head when worn. Each slot 22 spans a respective fraction of the headband’s overall length, and thus spans a respective fraction of the wearer’s head circumference when worn. In the illustrated example, the plurality of slots 22 are laid out in two subsets, each offset to a different respective side of a lengthwise midpoint of the forehead region 20 of the headband. Each subset of slots 22 features two such slots in the illustrated example, whose respective positions relative to the lengthwise midpoint of the forehead region 20 are symmetric to those of the slots in the other subset. In the illustrated example, the slots 22 all reside at a common widthwise elevation of the headband.

[0062] Figure 2A shows an exterior side 10A of the headband that faces outwardly away from the wearer’s head when worn, while Figure 2B shows an opposing interior side 10B of the headband 10 that faces toward the wearer’s head when worn. Each slot 22 penetrates through the full thickness of the headband 10 from the exterior side 10A to the interior side 10B. Each slot 22 has a stepped elevational width, by which the slot 22 has a greater elevational width where it penetrates the interior side 10B of the headband than where it penetrates the opposing exterior side 10A thereof. In a slot-depth direction, denoting the direction in which the slot 22 penetrates the headband thickness, the slot 22 thus has an elevationally wider interior region 22B of penetrating relation to the interior side 10B of the headband 10, and an elevationally narrower exterior region 22A of penetrating relation to the exterior side 10A of the headband. As best revealed in the cross-sectional views of Figures 2C and 2D, the narrower exterior region 22A of the slot 22 is bound between a downturned upper shoulder 24 that resides at the exterior side 10A of the headband 10 in downwardly jutting relationship to a top wall of the wider interior region 22B of the slot, and an upturned lower shoulder 26 that also resides at the exterior side 10A of the headband 10, but in upwardly jutting relationship to a bottom wall of the wider interior region 22B of the slot. In the illustrated embodiment, each shoulder 24, 26 has a respective guide rib 24A, 26A that juts therefrom toward the interior side 10B of the headband, but only a short distance part way into the wider interior region 22B of the slot 22.

[0063] In the illustrated example, the narrower exterior regions 22A of the two neighbouring slots 22 in each subset of slots occupy discretely separate fractions of the headband’s overall length, and are separated from one another by an outer joining wall 28 that, at the exterior side 10A of the headband, joins together the upper and lower shoulders 24, 26 of the two slots. This joining wall 28 has an hourglass shape that imparts a concavely rounded shape the adjacent ends of the two neighbouring slots. In the slot-depth direction, this joining wall 28 is thinner than the guide ribs 24A, 26A, for example instead being of equal width, and flush alignment, to the upper and lower shoulders 24, 26 from which those guide ribs 24A, 26A project inwardly. On the other hand, the wider interior regions 22B of the two neighbouring slots in each subset are interconnected to one another in the lengthwise direction of the headband 10 in which the slots are elongated, whereby the two neighbouring slots separated by the joining wall 28 at the exterior side 10A of the headband nonetheless have the appearance of a singular slot at the opposing interior side 10B of the headband 10. The wider interior regions 22B of the two neighbouring slots 22 thus connect end-to-end across the interior side of the outer joining wall 28, and the guide ribs 24A, 26A of the two slots are likewise interconnected, and span across this interior side of the outer joining wall 28.

[0064] Each slot 22 is selectively occupiable by any selected one of a plurality of slidably relocatable inner couplers 30, for each of which there is provided a compatible outer coupler 32 of selectively matable relation to that relocatable inner coupler 30. Each slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 is referred to as such, as it can be slidably displaced along any selected one of the slots 22 in which it is placed, for the purpose of enabling adjustment a respective working position at which the inner coupler 30 resides on the headband in relation to the lengthwise direction thereof. Via sliding adjustment of the slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 along any selected slot 22 in which said slidably relocatable inner coupler is placed, the user can select an optimal working position for that relocatable inner coupler 30, which likewise sets the installed location of a corresponding outer coupler 32 when mated to the positionally adjusted inner coupler 30. The working position is set, at the user’s discretion, according to where the user needs to achieve coupled support of an attachable piece of equipment or accessorization (which may be abbreviated herein as simply an “attachment”) to the thickened and slotted forehead region 20 of the headband’s front half. The optimal position for such coupled support may vary depending on a variety of factors, such as the type, size or geometry of the attachment in question, and / or the size and shape of the user’s head.

[0065] Each of the identical plurality of slidably relocatable inner couplers 30 comprises a slide-base 34 shaped for sliding receipt thereof in the wider interior region 22B of any one of the identical headband slots 22. The illustrated example of the slidebase 34 has an oblong shape whose length lies lengthwise of the slot 22 when received therein, whose lesser width lies widthwise of the slot 22 when received therein. The length of the oblong slide-base 34 exceeds the elevational width of the wider interior region 22B of the slot, while the width of the oblong slide base 34 exceeds the elevational width of the narrower exterior region 22A of the slot 22, but does not exceed the elevational width of the wider interior region 22B of the slot 22. Projecting perpendicularly from the base 34, each slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 has an externally protruding stem 36 that, when the base 34 is inserted into the wider interior region 22B of the slot 22 from the interior side 10B of the headband 10, projects outwardly through the narrower exterior region 22A of the slot 22 to the opposing exterior side 10A of the headband 10. A distal end of the stem 36 carries an enlarged head 38 thereon of greater diameter than the stem 36. The diameter of the enlarged head 38 may exceed a default, unstretched elevational width of the narrower exterior region of the slot 22, necessitating a manually-effected stretching of the slot to a momentarily widened state (enabled by the flexible character of the headband) during insertion of the slidably relocatable inner coupler into engaged relation with the slot. This way, once the slot is relaxed back to its unstretched state, the enlarged head 38 at the exterior side 10A of the headband 10 prevents the slidably relocatable inner coupler from falling out of the slot 22 at the interior side 10B of the headband 10. Once inserted into the slot 22 in such fashion, each slidably relocatable coupler 30 is then self-supporting on the headband 10, requiring a similar momentary widening of the slot 22 by the user if or when removal of the coupler 30 is desired.

[0066] The stem 36 and enlarged head 38 of the slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 form a protruding male feature thereof to which a respective one of the outer couplers 32 is selectively and removably couplable using a compatibly matable female feature provided thereon. This female feature, in the illustrated example of Figure 2D, is embodied by a keyhole-shaped slot 40 provided on an interior side of the outer coupler 32 that faces toward the headband 10 when the inner and outer couplers 30, 32 are installed thereon. While in the illustrated example, the outer couplers 32 are closed at the exterior sides thereof of opposing relation to the keyhole-shaped slot 40, and thus “cap off” the inner couplers, in other embodiments, the outer couplers may be of more open character at the exterior sides thereof for improved cleaning access to the interior surfaces of the coupler 32. A larger lobe 40A of the keyhole-shaped slot 40 has a diameter exceeding the enlarged head 38 of the slidably relocatable inner coupler 30, while a smaller lobe 40B of the keyhole-shaped slot 40 has a diameter less than that of the enlarged head 38, but capable of accommodating the smaller diameter stem 36 of the slidably relocatable coupler 30.

[0067] To attach the outer coupler 32 to the slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 that has been engaged in one of the slots 22 such that its enlarged head 38 resides externally outwardly of the headband 10, the outer coupler 32 is placed with the larger lobe 40A of its keyhole-shaped slot 40 facing toward, and aligned with, the enlarged head 38 of the slidably relocatable inner coupler 30, and the outer coupler 32 is advanced over the stem 36 of the slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 toward the base 34 thereof in a direction that is of axial relation to the stem 36, and that therefore corresponds to a direction of radial relation to the wearer’s head in the worn state of the headband. Once the enlarged head 38 passes axially through the larger lobe 40A of the keyhole-shaped slot 40, the outer coupler 32 is then slid in a different direction of radial relation to the stem 36, to shift the stem 36 into the smaller lobe 40B of the keyhole-shaped slot 40. The arcuate boundary of the smaller lobe 40B spans more than 180-degrees, such that this shifting of the stem 36 into the smaller lobe 40B involves a small outward deflection of two inwardly pointed apex points possessed by the boundary of the keyhole-shaped slot 40 where the two lobes 40A, 40B thereof intersect. Such momentary deflection, and subsequent relaxation thereof once the stem 36 fully enters the smaller lobe 40B, thus achieves a snap-fit engagement between the inner and outer couplers 30, 32, to prevent inadvertently decoupling thereof. The figures show outer couplers 32 of similar, albeit larger, oblong shape to the bases 34 of the slidably relocatable inner couplers 30, and illustrate installed orientations of the outer couplers 32 where the longer dimension of the oblong shape thereof, along which the two lobes 40A, 40B of the keyhole-shaped slot 40 neighbour one another, lies lengthwise of the headband 10. This means that the keyhole-slide coupling action between the inner and outer coupler pairing 30, 32 is performed in a direction of lengthwise relation to the headband 10, thus corresponding to a direction of circumferential relation to the wearer’s head in the worn state of the headband. That said, the outer couplers 32 need not be oblong, nor need the coupling action be performed in this lengthwise / circumferential relation to the headband / head, which could instead for example be performed in widthwise relation to the headband, corresponding to an axial (i.e. anatomically superior / inferior) relationship to the wearer’s head, or even at an angled direction of oblique relation to the headband / head. In another embodiment, instead of a keyhole-slide coupling where the snap-fit coupling action is of radially oriented relation to the stem 36 (non-radially of the wearer’s head), a different style of snap-fit coupling could alternatively be used, such as a snap-button coupling whose coupling action is oriented axially of the stem (radially of the wearer’s head), an example of which is given later herein with reference to Figures 15A to 15D. That said, an axial snap-button style of coupling may be less preferable, on the notion that a face shield borne by the coupler pairing is more likely to be subjected to loads of radial relation to the wearer’s head, which could potentially cause an unintentional decoupling of a face shield held by snap-button couplings, than to be subjected to loads of circumferential relation to the wearer’s head that would be needed to decouple the illustrated keyhole-slide coupling.

[0068] Referring to Figure 2D, the base 34 of each slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 includes a pair of guide slots 42, 44 therein running parallel to the longer dimension of the base’s oblong shape, of which upper guide slot 42 resides above the stem 36 in alignable relation with the guide rib 24A on the upper shoulder 24 of the slot 22, and lower guide slot 44 resides below the stem 36 in alignable relation with the guide rib 26A on the lower shoulder 26 of the slot 22. Mating of such slots and guide ribs in the coupler’s inserted state in the slot 22 increases the overall area of surface contact between the headband 10 and the base 34 of the slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 for stronger frictional holding of the slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 at a user-selected position along one of the slots 22 once set thereat, compared to if the exterior side of the base 34 and the interior sides of the shoulders 24, 26 were just flat surfaces without guide slots 42, 44 and guide ribs 24A, 26A. That being said, such guide ribs 24A, 26A and mating guide slots 42, 44 are optional, and may be omitted in other embodiments. The oblong shape of the base 34 of each slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 is preferable to prevent rotation of the inner coupler within the slot 22 in which it is received, but is likewise optional, and may vary in other embodiments. Use of multiple slots in each subset of slots 22 is also preferable, but likewise optional, as is the interconnection of the wider interior regions 22B of such multiple slots 22, the interconnection of which allows the oblong shape of the base 34 to be accommodated at the end of either slot in a manner overlapping the joining wall 28 that separates the narrower exterior regions 22A of the two neighbouring slots.

[0069] At the midpoint of the forehead region 20 of the headband, between the two subsets of slots 22 therein, a central round coupling hole 46 is also provided for selective therein of a round inner coupler 30A, which can be seen in Figure 1 A. The central coupling hole 46 is of round shape profile, rather than the elongated shape profile of the slots 22 intended for the slidably relocatable inner couplers 30. Like the slots 22, the central coupling hole 46 wider where it penetrates the interior side 10B of the headband 10 than where it penetrates the exterior side 10A of the headband 10. The central coupling hole 46 is thus of a counterbored shape, with a larger diameter interior region 46B (Fig. 2B) of penetrating relation to the interior side 10B of the headband 10 and a smaller diameter outer region 46A (Fig. 2A) of penetrating relation to the exterior side 10A of the headband 10. The smaller diameter outer region 46A is delimited by an annular shoulder of inwardly jutting relationship to a cylindrical boundary wall of the larger diameter inner region 46B. The round inner coupler 30A is of the same general configuration as the slidably relocatable inner couplers 30, thus having a base, a stem and an enlarged head 38, but differs in that its base is circular in shape, rather than oblong, as it is intended for static non-slidable receipt in the round central coupling hole 46, rather than for slidable receipt in one of the elongated slots 22. That said, the round inner coupler 30A may optionally be insertable into the one of the elongated slots 22 for slidable relocatability therealong to a desired working position, but without the rotation-preventing benefit of the oblong-shaped base 34 of the slidably relocatable inner couplers 30 of the illustrated embodiment, which are intended specifically for use in the elongated slots 22, and not in the round central coupling hole 46.

[0070] In addition to the slots 22 and central coupling hole 46, a first set of or more additional round coupling holes 48A, of the same type as central round coupling hole 46, may be provided in a first one of the headband’s two tails 16A, with a second such set of one or more additional round holes 48B likewise being provided in the second one of the headband’s two tails 16B. This way, one or more additional round inner couplers of the same type as round inner coupler 30A may be selectively insertable into any one or more of these additional round coupling holes 48A, 48B in the tails 16A, 16B of the headband 10 for use in support of any various attachments thereto. Any such round inner coupler 30A is thus, at the user’s discretion, selectively relocatable between a variety of possible working positions on the headband 10, via user-selection of which of the various round coupling holes 46, 48A, 48B is chosen for insertion of the round inner coupler 30A thereinto. As shown, each tail 16A, 16B of the headband may optionally include a declined angulation 50A, 50B therein that slopes downward from the forehead region 20 of the front half of the headband toward the respective terminal end 14A, 14B of the headband. Of the respective set of round holes 48A, 48B in each of the two tails 16A, 16B of the headband, a first subset of one or more holes may reside adjacent a front end of the tail 16A, 16B at equal or comparable elevation to the slots 22, and to the central coupling hole 46 that is situated therebetween at preferably matching elevation thereto. Another subset of the holes 48A, 48B may reside elevationally lower than the first subset, at one or different elevations on the angulation 50A, 50B of the tail 16A, 16B, and / or distally therebeyond toward the respective terminal end 14A, 14B of the headband 10.

[0071] Yet another round coupling hole 48C is provided in shared central alignment with the central round coupling hole 46, but in elevated relation thereabove at an elevated forehead crest 52 of the headband 10. At this crest 52, the elevational width of the headband is locally greater, for example over only a partial and central lengthwise span of the forehead region 20, than at than at other non-crested regions of the headband, including at the remaining fractional span of the forehead region 20, and at the two tails 16A, 16B extending therefrom. This elevated coupling hole 48C in the forehead crest 52 can receive a round inner coupler 30A of the same type receivable by the other coupling holes 46, 48A, 48B, whereby any one or more of the less elevated coupling holes 46, 48A, 48B lower down on the headband 10 may be equipped with one or more respective round inner couplers 30A for use in supporting a first attachment at a first elevation on the headband, and the elevated coupling hole 48C at the elevated forehead crest 52 may be equipped with another such round inner coupler 30A for use in simultaneous support of a second attachment at a second higher elevation on the headband 10. Some non-limiting examples of such crest-mountable attachments are shown in later figures and described in more detail below.

[0072] Each of the round coupling holes 48A-48C in the headband tails 16A, 16B and the elevated forehead crest 52 is of the same general counterbored shape of the central round coupling hole 46, though with a shallower depth in the thickness direction of the headband 10, given a reduced thickness of the tails 16A, 16B and forehead crest 52 relative to the thickened forehead region 20 in which the slots 22 reside. Each round inner coupler 30A, once inserted into one of the round coupling holes 46, 48A-48C to occupy a working position protruding externally from the headband 10, is engageable with a respective one of the outer couplers 32, again at the enlarged head 38 of the inner coupler 30A that serves as a coupling point of external relation to the headband 10. In the illustrated example of Figures 1 A and 1 B, the round inner coupler 30A installed at the central round coupling hole 46 (Fig. 1 A) is equipped with an oblong shaped outer coupler 32 (Fig. 1 B) of the same type used on the slidably relocatable inner couplers 30, as this oblong shape accommodates the keyhole-shaped slot 40 and corresponding coupling action, whereas a round outer coupler would not, unless it was of comparatively larger diameter to accommodate such a keyhole-shaped slot 40 therein. As mentioned above however, other coupling types (e.g. snap-button coupling), and thus varying coupler shapes, may alternatively be employed in relation to the round inner couplers 30A used at any of the coupler holes 48A-48C.

[0073] Having thoroughly described the headband 10 and the inner and outer couplers useable therewith, use of the combination thereof to support various attachments is now described. Figures 1 A and 1 B show one example, particularly a conventional disposable face shield 54 of unframed construction composed of a singular transparent sheet of unimaterial composition with exposed perimeter edges uncontained and unobscured by any surrounding perimeter frame. This disposable face shield 54 is attached to the headband 10 of the present invention at the forehead region 20 thereof in static relation thereto and hanging position therefrom for wearing in a facecovering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head. In the illustrated example, such hanging support of the face shield 54 relies on use of three coupler pairings installed on the headband: a round inner coupler 30A installed in the central round coupling hole 46 and mated with a respective outer coupler 32, and two slidably relocatable couplers 30 each installed in one slot 22 of a respective one of the two slot subsets on opposing sides of the central round coupling hole 46, and each likewise mated with a respective outer coupler 32. The face shield 54 is of a type to which an open-celled foam bar is normally adhered along a top margin of the shield 54 on an inner side thereof that faces the wearer’s head, for wearing of the foam bar against the forehead thereof, and typically equipped with an elastic band whose two ends are coupled to the shield near respective upper corners thereof. The foam bar and elastic thus conventionally denote disposable headband componentry to be disposed with the shield 54 itself, after one-time use of the entire set. In the context of the present invention, the conventional foam band and elastic are omitted entirely, and the disposable shield 54 alone is instead modified to have three apertures 56A, 56B, 56C therein at the upper margin thereof in spaced apart relation to one another across the width of the shield 54. The three apertures 56A-56C are each of sufficient size to accommodate passage of the enlarged head 38 of one of the inner couplers 30, 30A therethrough.

[0074] A central one of the apertures 56C is slid axially over the enlarged head 38 of the round inner coupler 30A installed the central coupling hole 46 of the headband 10, and each of the outer two of the apertures 56A, 56B is slid axially over the enlarged head 38 of a respective one of the two slidably relocatable inner couplers 30 received in two of the headband’s slots 22. To prepare the headband for receipt of the shield 54, each of these slidably relocatable inner couplers 30 is adjustable back and forth in the selected slot 22, and / or movable from one slot 22 of the respective subset of slots to another slot 22 thereof, so that the inter-coupler spacing between the inner couplers 30, 30A on the headband 10 matches the inter-aperture spacing between the couplerreceiving apertures 56A-56C on the face shield 54. Once the face shield 54 has been slid over all three inner couplers 30, 30A of the headband 10, each inner coupler is then fitted in snap-fit fashion with a corresponding outer coupler 32 that externally caps off the enlarged head 38 of the inner coupler at the outer side of the face shield. Each outer coupler 32 is of oversized relation to the respective aperture 56A-56C in the shield, whereby the coupling of the outer couplers 32 to the inner couplers 30, 30A secures the face shield 54 to the headband 10 for worn support of the face shield 54 in the facecovering position via donning of the headband 10. Removal of the face shield 54 form the headband 10 after use first requires decoupling the outer couplers 32 from the inner couplers 30, 30A, whereafter the disposable face shield 54 can be withdrawn from over the enlarged heads 38 of those inner couplers 30, 30A, and then disposed of. The headband 10, being intended for repeated use rather than one-time use and disposable, is sanitized to kill any pathogens with which it may have been contaminated during wearing of the face shield 54, and then re-used, for example with a fresh face shield 54, or with a different style of face shield or other attachment likewise selectively supportable in adaptive fashion using one or more of the relocatable inner couplers 30, 30A and one or more respective outer couplers 32. The inner and outer couplers may be made of a sufficient rigid polymer of non-porous character capable of thorough sanitization for re-use thereof, or may be intended for one-time use and disposal thereof. Though the inner and outer couplers are not limited to polymeric composition, such composition is likely preferable in the interest of cost efficiency.

[0075] While the illustrated example includes apertures 56A-56C in the disposable face shield 54 for penetrative receipt of the heads 38 of the inner fasteners 30, 30A through the face shield 54 for mated receipt of the outer couplers 32 on the outside of the face shield 54, other embodiments may instead involve attachment of the outer couplers 32 to the inside of the face shield 54, for example in purely adhesive fashion using double sided tape, or using hook and loop fasteners adhered to the inside of the face shield 54 and to the outer surfaces of the outer couplers 32 for a combination of adhesive and mechanical coupling. In another example, low cost matable snap closures, for example of thermoformed PET, of the snap-closed type used in clam shell packaging of the type used for salads and other foodstuffs, may be provided in two part form embodied by a male part and female part, of which one is adhesively attached , for example with two sided tape, to an outer coupler 32 and the other likewise adhesively attached to the inside of the face shield 54, by which the face shield 54 can then be snapped onto the outer couplers 32. In these contemplated embodiments, the outer couplers 32 would be engaged onto the inner couplers 30, 30A before placement of the disposable face shield 54, instead of first penetratively mounting the face shield 54 to the headband’s externally protruding inner couplers 30, 30A, and then attaching the outer couplers 32 to the inner couplers 30, 30A at the outside of the disposable face shield 54. Alternatively, rather than half of such a snap closure being adhesively attached to an outer coupler, an alternative outer coupler of different snap-capable shape may instead be employed for direct mating of such outer coupler with a snap member adhered to the shield, as contemplated in more detail in the later example of Figures 15A-15D.

[0076] Figures 3A and 3B illustrate optional accompaniment of the headband 10 by a removable comfort pad 58 selectively engageable to the interior side 10B of the forehead region 20 of the headband 10 for wearing of the comfort pad 58 in skin contact against the user’s forehead. The pad 58 thus serves as a comfort-improving intermediary between the flexible headband 10 and the user’s skin, and for example is composed at least partially of an absorbent material to absorb sweat from the wearer’s forehead. In the illustrated example, an outer side 58A of the comfort pad 58, referring to that which faces away from the user’s forehead and toward the interior side 10B of the headband’s forehead region 20, has a set of elongated male protrusions 60 thereon for mated receipt thereof in the wider internal regions 22B of at least a subset of the slots 22 in the headband 10. With reference to Figure 2C, this is accommodatable even in any slot 22 occupied by one of the slidably relocatable inner couplers 30, as the thickness of the base 34 of each such slidably relocatable inner coupler 30 in the slotdepth direction is less than the depth of the wider interior region 22A of the slot 22, whereby both the base 34 of such inner coupler 30 and the male protrusion 60 of the comfort pad are both receivable in the wider interior region 22B of the slot 22, which thus serves both as a slidable adjustment path for selective relocation of the inner coupler 30, and as a female receptacle for the male protrusions 60 of the comfort pad 58.

[0077] During user-installation of the comfort pad 58 on the headband, the mating of male protrusions 60 into the female receptacle slots 22 serves to properly align the comfort pad 58 onto the headband 10, and when the combination is worn, the mated protrusions 60 and headband slots 22 retain the comfort pad 58 in place on the wearer’s forehead, preventing the comfort pad 58 from sliding out from between the user’s forehead and the headband 10. An alternative example of male protrusions on the comfort pad into other female receptacles on the headband is contemplated in more detail below with reference to Figures 16A to 16D.

[0078] An inner side 58B of the comfort pad, of opposing relation to the outer side 58A thereof, is comparatively flat for flush fit thereof against the skin of the wearer’s forehead. The material composition of one or more exposed surfaces comfort pad 58, at least at the inner side 58B thereof intended for wearing against the user’s skin, may vary, for which non-limiting material options including paper, terry towel, soft fabric, etc., and the manufacturer may provide a plurality of different user-selectable comfort pad options, characterized by varying material composition, and or other characteristics. At least one such comfort pad option may have one or more biometric sensors 62 embedded or otherwise embodied therein or thereon, for taking biometric measurements of the user via the skin contact of the comfort pad with the user’s forehead. Enablement of workable embodiments of a forehead worn comfort pad with biometric sensing capabilities is incorporated herein by reference from U.S. Patent No. 9,642,574, assigned to Guardhat, Inc. of Southfield, Michigan, in which a sweatband of a hard hat harness is equipped with biometric sensors that are communicatively coupled to associated electronics elsewhere on the hard hat assembly, which teachings may be similarly applied to the headband and comfort pad combination of the present invention.

[0079] In one non-limiting example of a useful application for the elevated forehead crest 52 and the elevated coupling hole 46C located thereon, Figures 4A through 4C illustrate use thereof in fastened attachment of a removable headband stiffener 64 to headband 10. The stiffener 64 of the illustrated example is of adjustable two-part form, comprising a front attachment strap 66 and a bifurcated rear attachment yoke 68. The front attachment strap 66 has a coupling aperture 70 therein adjacent a front end thereof for alignment with the elevated coupling hole 46C in the elevated forehead crest 52 of the headband 10 at the exterior side 10A thereof. This way, a round inner coupler can be inserted through the aligned coupling hole 46C and coupling aperture 70 from the opposing the interior side 10B of the headband 10, at which point an outer coupler 32A is then snap-fit onto the externally exposed coupling point of the inner coupler in front of the attachment strap 66, thus securing the front attachment strap 66 to the elevated forehead crest 52 of the headband 10.

[0080] In the illustrated embodiment, the forehead crest 52 is thinner than the thickened forehead region 20, and the interior sides of the two thereof are flush with one another, whereby the front attachment strap 66 is receivable against the exterior side of the forehead crest 52 in a position of non-protruding, and optionally flush, relation to the exterior side of the underlying thickened forehead region 20 of the headband 10. The outer coupler 32A is labelled as such, rather than the using the same reference character 32 as the other outer couplers, only because, in the illustrated example, it is of the different aforementioned snap-button style of snap-fit coupler, where the coupling action is oriented axially of the inner coupler’s stem, and so coupler 32A lacks the keyhole-shaped slot and associated oblong shape of the other outer couplers 32. That being said, the outer coupler 32A used at the elevated forehead crest 52 to secure the front attachment strap 66 of the stiffener 64 may instead be of the same keyhole slotted type used at the slidably adjustable inner couplers.

[0081] The rear attachment yoke 68 of the stiffener comprises a singular front branch 72 of similar or equal width to the front attachment strap 66, from which a pair of rear branches 74A, 74B symmetrically diverge for respective attachment to the two tails 16A, 16B of the headband 10 at locations situated anteriorly of the wearer’s ears and spaced apart across the back of the user’s head. For such rear attachment, the two rear branches 74A, 74B of the yoke 68 each feature a respective coupling aperture 76A, 76B therein, for alignment with one of the coupling holes 48A, 48B in the respective tail 16A, 16B of the headband 10 at the exterior side 10A thereof, for coupling thereto in the same manner described for the coupling of the front attachment strap 66 to the forehead crest 52, hence the visible presence of two outer couplers 32A on the outside of the two rear attachment branches 74A, 74B of the stiffener yoke 68 in Figure 4C. For adjustable sizing of the stiffener 64, the degree of overlap between the front attachment strap 66 and the front branch 72 of the bifurcated rear attachment yoke 68 is user-adjusted, and then locked at a selected degree of overlap using suitable locking device 78, which in the illustrated example of Figures 4B and 4C is embodied by another cam buckle of the same type used as the closure member 18 of the headband, but again may be varied to another type of device, and or reduced in size and height profile, and may be embodied by one or more securement loops of the type conventionally found on wristwatch bands.

[0082] The installed stiffener 64, in the worn position of the headband 10, spans in arching fashion over the scalp and crown of the wearer’s head from the elevated forehead crest 52 to the two tails 16A, 16B of the headband’s rear half in a manner helping retain a conforming fit of the headband 10 to the wearer’s head, and preventing downward slipping of the headband 10 from the properly worn forehead elevation on the wearer’s head. The stiffener 64 is thus referred to as such, as it contributes to steadfast support of the headband in a properly worn position circumscribing the wearer’s head at forehead elevation thereof. Though Figures 4B and 4C do not show inclusion of the headband-supported disposable face shield 54 of Figures 1 A and 1 B, it can bee seen how the elevated forehead crest 52 enables optional attachment and wearing of the headband stiffener 64 in a manner of non-interfering relation to the mounted coupling of such a face shield 54 lower down on the headband 10 at the slots 22 and central coupling hole 46 thereof. Figure 14 illustrates how the front attachment strap 60 and the front branch 72 of the rear attachment yoke 68 of the headband stiffener 64 may have matable ridging 17C thereon for frictional interlock thereof in the same manner described of the tails 16A, 16B of the headband of Figures 13A and 13B to supplement the holding force of the locking device 78’, which is shown to be of a more compact and low-profile form than that of earlier protype illustrated in Figures 4B and 4C.

[0083] Figures 5A and 5B illustrate other non-limiting examples of the usefulness of the elevated forehead crest 52 by illustrating optional coupling of a camera holder 80 thereto to support a camera 82 thereon in Figure 5A, or optional coupling of a light source 84 to the forehead crest 52, whether directly (in the case of a light source having a specific mounting geometry compatible with the inventive headband 10), or indirectly via a light source holder 86. Similarly, a camera specialized with a specific mounting geometry compatible with the inventive headband 10 may be mounted to the forehead crest 52 directly, without an intervening camera holder 80. Though the schematic example of the camera 80 and camera holder 82 in Figure 5A is somewhat oversized, and thus partially obstructing the exterior side 10A of the forehead region 20 of the headband, the smaller light source 84 and light source holder 86 of Figure 5B illustrate how the elevated forehead crest 52 can again be used to accommodate a light source, camera or other accessory in a manner of non-interfering relationship to the forehead 20 of the headband for simultaneous wearing of the accessory with a face shield 54, whether of the type shown in Figures 1 A and 1 B, or another type, such as those described further below with reference to Figures 7A-1 1 B. The headband design with its multiple fasteners and fastener types allow wearers to avoid other dedicated fasteners, straps, and mounting configurations of the type typically needed for wearing of such accessories. Many of these conventional supportive devices are made from hard-to-clean materials. This novel head band removes the requirement for these added support materials which will reduce the challenges of cleaning, storage and adjustability.

[0084] Figure 6A illustrates the headband 10 in combination with an overhead bow 88 that arches laterally across the crown of the user’s head in the worn position of the headband 10, and thereby imparts a headband stiffening function in comparable fashion to the stiffener 64, but also serves as a supportive structure for one or more other attachments, including a head shield 90 (Figures 6D, 7A, 9A-10A), a fully framed face shield 92 (Figures 7A-10B), or in the alternative, a partially framed face shield 94 (Figures 11 A-1 1 B), which itself is composed partially of a disposable face shield 54’ of the type described above in relation to Figures 1 A and 1 B, but is configured for movable support thereof on the overhead bow 88 for selective user-manipulation of the partially framed face shield 94 between different positions, in a same manner in which the fully framed face shield 92 can likewise be movably supported on the overhead bow 88.

[0085] The overhead bow 88 is composed of a notably more rigid constituent material than the headband, for example a non-porous, non-foamed polymeric composition of sanitizable character given an intended reusability of the overhead bow 88, rather than a disposable one-time use. The overhead bow 88 has a main arch 96 that spans in arching fashion over the rear scalp or crown of the wearer’s head when worn. The main arch 96 has two opposing ends 98A, 98B, each residing externally of the headband 10 at one of two opposing lateral sides thereof, at or near where a respective one of the headband tailsl 6A, 16B joins up with the thickened forehead region 20. At each end 98A, 98B of the main arch 96, the bow 88 features a respective shield support 100A, 100B. Each shield support 100A, 100B is composed of a respective pair of shield support lugs 102, 104 jutting forwardly from the main arch 96. Of these two lugs 102, 104, one is an inner lug 102 that is situated nearer to the shield support at the opposing end of the main arch 96, and the other is an outer lug 104 residing laterally outward of the inner lug 102, and thus further from the other shield support. When the overhead bow 88 is assembled to the headband 10, each inner lug 102 resides adjacent the exterior of the headband 10 in abutted relation thereto at a position overlying one of the slots 22. In the illustrated example, each inner lug 102 particularly overlies the outermost / rearmost slot of the respective subset of slots 22, referring to the slot thereof that is situated furthest from the midpoint of the forehead region 20 of the headband 20, at least in the illustrated example where the rear tails 16A, 16B of the headband have coupling holes 48A, 48B instead of elongated slots 22. This way, the inner lug 102 of each shield support 100A, 100B can be attached to the headband 10 using a slidably relocatable inner coupler installed in that respective slot 22.

[0086] In the illustrated example, this coupling of the inner lug 102 of each shield support 100A, 100B to the headband uses a modified bow-specific inner coupler 30B that, instead of mating in snap-fit or other locking fashion with a respective outer coupler, is configured to mate in snap-fit or other locking fashion directly to the inner lug 102 of the overhead bow 88. Figure 6C shows an example of such mating of a bow-specific inner coupler 30B with an inner lug 102 of the overhead bow, where the bow-specific inner coupler 30B again has a base 34 and stem 36’ of same relation to one another as described earlier of the slidably relocatable inner couplers 30, but instead of an enlarged head 38 for mating with a keyhole-shaped slot 40 in an outer coupler 32, has a circumferential groove 106 in the stem 36’ near the distal end thereof for snap-fit engagement by an annular rib 108 in a mounting hole 110 of the inner lug 102. The stem 36’ of this bow-specific inner coupler is not circular in cross-section, instead being oblong in cross-section, as is the mounting hole 1 10 of the inner lug 102, whereby the overhead bow 88 is preventing from pivoting about the oblong stem 36’ of the bow-specific inner coupler 30B.

[0087] A lateral gap 1 12 resides between the inner and outer lugs 102, 104 of each shield support 100A, 100B, and in the illustrated is a tapered gap 1 12 that narrows rearwardly toward the main arch 96, for reasons explained further below. An inner side of the outer lug 104 that faces toward the inner lug 102 has a guide slot 1 14 therein for receiving a follower 1 16 on a support frame 122 of either the fully framed face shield 92 or the partially framed face shield 94, whereby such face shield 92, 94 is slidable back and forth in the guide slots 114 in rearwardly and forward relation to the headband 10 and the main arch 96 of the overhead bow 88. A front side of the main arch 96 has a slot therein 1 18 that runs a full arch length of the main arch 96 from one shield support 100A to the other, and is dimensioned for selectively receipt in this slot 1 18 of a rear boundary edge of the head shield 90, whereby the overhead bow 88 can be used not only as a supportive structure for one of the face shields 92, 94, but also as a supportive structure for the head shield 90 to hold same in a position cooperating with the face shield 92, 94 to provide continuous coverage over the face, forehead and scalp region of the user’s head.

[0088] The head shield 90, when worn with the headband 10 and overhead bow 88, arches laterally over the front and rear scalp of the user’s head, from the gap space 1 12 between the lugs 102, 104 of one shield support 100A to the gap space 1 12 between the lugs 102, 104 of the other shield support 100B. The worn head shield 90 also spans posteriorly from in front of the forehead, at the exterior side 10A of the forehead region 20 of the headband 10, in rearwardly arching fashion toward the crown of the wearer’s head, above which the rear boundary edge of the head shield is supportively received in the front slot 1 18 of the main arch 96 of the overhead bow 88. In the illustrated example, this rear boundary edge of the head shield 90 resides in an inclined plane of rearwardly inclined slope, and so the main arch 96 is likewise of a rearwardly inclined orientation toward its central uppermost apex. The head shield 90 may be of the same general geometry, composition and various other character described in Applicant’s Published PCT Application WO2022 / 1 15961 , but, as illustrated, may forego a fastener-equipped front lower margin below the forehead depressions thereof, in favour of a small brim 120 of forwardly projecting orientation.

[0089] Figures 8A and 8B illustrate a fully framed face shield 92 optionally installable on the overhead bow 88, whether in absence of the head shield 90, as shown in Figures 7B and 10B, or in presence of the head shield 90, as shown in Figures 7A and 9A. This face shield 92 features a U-shaped upper support frame 122 that bounds a top U-shaped perimeter edge of a relatively rigid transparent viewing pane 123 of the shield, which optionally may be of greater strength and thickness than the comparatively flexible and thin sheet of the disposable face shield 54 of earlier Figures 1 A and 1 B. The span of the U-shaped upper support frame 122 exceeds that of the U- shaped top perimeter edge of the shield’s viewing pane 123, such the upper support frame’s 122 U-shape terminates in each end with a support lug 124A, 124B of rearwardly projecting relation from the rear end of the viewing pane 123. Each support lug 124A, 124B has a tapered width that narrows rearwardly, at matching taper angle to the tapered gap space 112 between the inner and outer lugs 102, 104 of each shield support 100A, 100B of the overhead bow 88.

[0090] To support the face shield 92 on the overhead bow 88, the two support lugs 124A, 124B are inserted rearwardly into the two shield supports 100A, 100B of the overhead bow 88 in the tapered gap spaces 1 12 thereof, whether between the inner and outer lugs 102, 104 thereof in absence of the head shield 90, or between the head shield 90 and the outer lugs 104 in instances where the head shield 90 is present. Each support lug 124A, 124B has one of the aforementioned followers 1 16 thereon at an exterior side thereof that faces away from the other support lug, for engagement of this follower 1 16 in the guide slot 114 of the outer lug 104 of the respective shield support 100A, 100B of the overhead bow 88. The guide slots 1 14 in the outer lugs 104 of the shield supports 100A, 100B form tracks on which the two followers 1 16 of the support frame 122 of the fully framed face shield 92 are slidable forwardly and rearwardly. As described further below, the available range of sliding movement allows the face shield 92 to be brought out from the face to a distance where, when pivotally lifted, the face shield 92 will have enough clearance to pivotally lift over any equipment or devices that may be mounted to atop the head shield 90, or atop the headband stiffener 64, which may optionally be worn in combination with the overhead bow 88 and face shield 92, in absence of the head shield. At the same time, the followers 1 16 are also round, whereby the fully framed face shield 92 is also pivotable upwardly and downwardly about a horizontal pivot axis that is shared by the two followers 116 and lies perpendicularly of the two guide slots 1 14.

[0091] Figures 7A, 7B and 9A show the fully framed face shield 92 in a facecovering position thereof in which the viewing pane 123 hangs down in front of the wearer’s facial region in a relative close working proximity thereto, from the U-shaped upper support frame 122 which resides closely adjacent the forehead region 20 of the worn headband 10. The upper support frame 122 of the face shield 92 may have a rear lip 126 thereon (Fig. 8B) that, in this face-covering position, projects a short rearward distance into overlying relation to the aforementioned front brim 120 of the head shield 90, if present, whereby this placement of the support frame’s rear lip 126 over the front brim 120 of the head shield 90 provides a physical stop to block downward / rearward pivoting of the face shield 92 past this face-covering position into closer proximity or contact with the wearer’s face.

[0092] Another, or alternative, physical stop may be embodied at each shield support 100A, 100B, where each end 98A, 98B of the main arch 96 of the overhead bow 88 reaches downwardly past the elevation of the respective guide slot 1 14 at a rear end of the shield support 100A, 100B to form a stop body 128 that mates with a stop feature 130 on the face shield 92 to likewise block downward / rearward pivoting of the face shield 92 past this face-covering position. In the illustrated example this stop feature 130 is a rounded rear upper corner of a gusset-shaped upper rear terminus of an outside perimeter frame member 132 of the face shield 92, where this outside perimeter frame member 132 meets up with the upper support frame 122. The outside perimeter frame member mates with an inside perimeter frame member 134, for example being clipped-thereto in snap-fit fashion, for the beneficial purpose of enabling easy installation, removal and replacement of a cooperating flexible sheet, as described in more detail below. These two mated perimeter frame members 132, 134 cooperatively frame all edges of the viewing pane, other than the U-shaped top edge thereof that is instead framed by the U-shaped upper support frame 122 by which the face shield is pivotably and slidably supported by the shield supports 100A, 100B of the overhead bow 88. In addition to the physical stops that prevent pivoting of the face shield 92 downward / rearwardly past the face-covering position, frictional resistance to upward / forward pivotal movement of the face shield is provided by a frictional wedging of the tapered support lugs 124A, 124B of the face shield’s upper support frame 122 in the tapered gap spaces 1 12 of the two shield supports 100A, 100B of the overhead bow 88.

[0093] As discussed in Applicant’s Published PCT Application WO2022 / 1 15961 , the head shield 90 includes external troughs 135 in the top thereof, which may optionally be used to externally mount one or more accessories (e.g. light source, camera, etc.) to the head shield 90, which is useful in the context of the present invention, where the optional wearing of the head shield 90 for improved cranial coverage over that offered by the face shield 92 alone may limit or prevent the usability of the forehead crest 52 of the headband 10 for direct mounting of such accessories directly on the headband 10 itself. In the event such accessories are mounted to the head shield 90, upward pivoting of the face shield 92 directly from the face-covering position into a raised position retracted from the wearer’s facial region may run into interference problems between the one or more accessories mounted atop the head shield 90, and attempted lifting of the face shield.

[0094] Accordingly, instead of such direct, purely pivotal movement of the shield 92 to raise the same into retracted position above the wearer’s head, the illustrated embodiment instead uses the forward / rearward slidability of the face shield 92 in the guide slots 1 14 of the shield supports 100A, 100B to enable a compound movement of the face shield from the face-covering position (Figures 7A, 7B, 9A) to a raised retracted position above the wearer’s head (Figuresl OA, 10B). From the face-covering position shown in Figure 9A, the user pulls the shield 92 forwardly, for example using two pull knobs 136 that project laterally outward from the upper support frame 122 just in front of the two support lugs 124A, 124B thereof, thereby slidably displacing the face shield 92 forwardly along the guide slots 114 of the shield supports 100A, 100B, until the followers 1 16 reach the terminal front ends of those guide slots 114, thereby achieving a forwardly-shifted intermediate position of the face shield 92, shown in Figure 9B. Here, the framed viewing pane 123 is offset further forward from the wearer’s face, whereupon the face shield 92 can then be pivoted upward into the raised retracted position shown in Figures 10A and 10B, in a manner leaving notable clearance space 137 between the top of the head shield 90 and the upper support frame 122 and viewing pane 123 of the fully framed face shield 92. This clearance space 137 accommodates optional presence of any accessories (not shown) that may be installed atop the head shield 90. While not shown in the illustrated embodiment, one or more matable male protrusions and recesses may be provided on one or more surfaces of each support lug 124A, 124B and one or both lugs 102, 104 of the respective shield support 100A, 100B in positions that align and mate specifically when the face shield 92 is lifted into the raised position, thus providing a lock or frictional hold against inadvertent falling of the face shield 92 back down from this raised position.

[0095] As illustrated, the main arch 96 of the overhead bow 88 may include an air hose fitting 138 thereon at a rear side thereof at central upper apex of the arch 96, whereby this fitting 138 is positioned to align with a likewise centrally located internal airflow channel 140 of the head shield 90 that is delimited between the external troughs 135 in the topside thereof, as described of the similar head shield 90 in Applicant’s Published PCT Application WO2022 / 1 15961 . This way, connection of a powered air supply to the air hose fitting 138 of the overhead bow 88 will blow air into the airflow channel 140, and forwardly therethrough to the forehead and facial area of the wearer protected beneath and behind the head shield 90 and face shield 92 that cooperatively shield the face, forehead, and scalp of the wearer.

[0096] Figures 11 A and 1 1 B illustrate the same slide and pivot capability enabling compound movement of the fully framed face shield 92 between face-covering and retracted positions via a forward-shifted intermediate position, but embodied in a partially framed face shield 94 that features a similar upper support frame 122’ with follower-equipped support lugs 124A, 124B for slidable and pivotable mating with the outer lugs 104 of the same shield supports 100A, 100B on the same overhead bow 88, whether such shield 94 is used in combination with a head shield 90 also installed on the overhead bow 88 (Fig. 1 1 A), or used in absence of such a head shield 90 (Fig. 1 1 B). The difference between the fully framed head shield 92 and the partially framed head shield is that the viewing pane 123’ of the partially framed head shield 94 is a disposable viewing pane formed of a relatively thin, flexible sheet like the disposable face shield 54 of Figures 1 A and 1 B, which is fitted into the upper support frame 122’, but is unaccompanied by any additional perimeter frame members (such as the inner and outer frame members 132, 134 of the fully framed face shield) spanning the remaining perimeter of the viewing pane 123’. This partially framed face shield 94 lacks the stop features 130 of the framed face shield 92 at the rear upper corners thereof, but may include the aforementioned rear lip 126 on the upper support frame 122’ to rest atop the brim 120 a head shield when used therewith, in supplement to the frictional hold of the face shield’s tapered mounting lugs 124A, 124B in the tapered gaps of the shield supports 100A, 100B of the overhead bow 88. So, whereas the fully framed face shield 92 is intended to be reusable in its entirety, using relatively rigid, non-pourous, sterilizable materials for both its viewing pane 123 and frame components 122, 132, 134, the partially framed face shield comprises a reusable frame component 122, to which a separate disposable viewing pane 123’ is selectively attached for one-time disposable use.

[0097] Figure 12 illustrates how the use of separately, snap-fit matable inner and outer perimeter frame members 132, 134 on the fully framed face shield 92 may be accompanied by similar snap-together two-piece construction of the main arch 96 of the overhead bow 88 for use of these multi-piece snap-together components in similar fashion to the snap-together dual-rim assembly described in Applicant’s Canadian Patent Application 3,179,734 to secure an elastically rimmed upper piece of flexible sheeting 142A in place along the inclined rear edge of the head shield 90 using the snap together components of the arch 96, and secure an elastically rimmed lower piece of flexible sheeting 142B along the side / rear perimeter edges of the face shield 92 and the front bottom edge thereof that interconnects those side / rear perimeter edges using the snap together inner and outer frame members 132, 134 of the framed face shield 92. The two pieces of flexible sheeting 142A, 142B secured in such fashion serves to substantially enclose a headspace that is cooperatively bound by the head shield 90, face shield 92 and the sheeting 142. The two pieces of sheeting 142A, 142B are sized and shaped to leave an unsheeted head opening 144 to enable admission of the user’s head into this headspace. Through the addition of the rimmed sheeting 142A, 142B to the assembled headband 10, overhead bow 88, head shield 90 and fully framed head shield 92, this assembled headgear is transformed into a more hood-like headgear that more comprehensively encloses the entirety of the user’s head, and can be connected to a PAPR blower via the air hose fitting 138 of the overhead bow 88. Each flexible sheeting 142A, 142B is composed of impermeable material, preferably embodied by a singular flexible sheet of such material, so that each sheeting is a seamless unitary sheet of continuous uninterrupted span in all direction. In one non-limiting example, the flexible sheeting may be composed of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

[0098] The various attachments illustrated and described in coupled relationship to the adaptable headband 10 denote a small non-limiting sample of equipment and accessories that may supported thereon via relocatable and customizable couplers, among which an interchangeable variety of such couplers may be provided in different shapes, sizes, and fastening configurations for matable or otherwise compatible relationship to the various types of equipment and accessories they are intended to support on the reusable / adaptable headband 10.

[0099] While in the preceding examples, outer couplers are installed in one-to- one relation to the installed inner couplers 30, 30A, Figures 13A and 13B illustrate an alternative option, where an elongated mounting rail 150 is mounted externally to the headband at the thickened slotted forehead region 20 thereof in a manner engaged by multiple inner couplers installed thereat, for example by two slidably relocatable couplers 30 installed in two of the slots 22 and a singular round inner coupler 30A installed in the central coupling hole 46, whereby this mounting rail serves as a larger outer coupler that spans, and is engaged by, multiple inner couplers for shared support thereby on the headband 10. This larger outer coupler may therefore be referred to as a shared outer coupler, owing to this shared support thereof by multiple inner couplers. The mounting rail 150 may have a different material composition than the headband, for example formed of a more rigid material to help bear the weight of heavier equipment or accessorization than bearable by the headband alone. For example, the earlier contemplated camera, light source or holders thereof may be equipped with additional bracing designed to mate with the mounting rail 150 and prevent deflection of the headband’s elevated forehead crest 52 under the weight of such accessorization.

[0100] Figures 15A through 15D illustrate another alternative type of outer coupler, that, more like the earlier outer couplers 32, 32A, is intended for installation in a one-to-one ratio with a singular respective inner coupler, unlike the shared outer coupler embodied by the mounting rail 150 of Figures 13A and 13B that attaches to a plurality of inner couplers. In this variant, each outer coupler selectively installable on one of the inner couplers 30, 30A is an annular male snap-receiver 152 that is mountable onto the enlarged head 38 of the respective inner coupler 30, 30A in a position enlarging the effective diameter thereof, or alternatively is similarly mountable to the stem 36 of a headless variant of either style of inner coupler 30, 30A to effectively define an enlarged head thereon. In the non-limiting context of the illustrated example, two such male snap-receivers 152 are shown for respective installation on two slidably relocatable inner couplers 30 installed in two of headband’s slots 22, on opposing sides of the central coupling hole 46.

[0101] Two disposable cap-shaped female snap members 154, for example composed of thermoformed PET, are provided for matable and removable snap-fit mounting thereof onto the two male snap-receivers 152 at an open inner side of the female snap member 154. An opposing closed outer side of each female snap member 154 is equipped with a piece of double sided tape 156, by which the female snap member 154 can be attached to the inside of a PPE shield, typically in the form of a lightweight disposable shield, for example like the face shield 54 of Figures 1 A and 1 B (without the need for coupling apertures 56A-56C thereof), or, as shown in Figure 15D, a combined head and face shield 156 of the type disclosed in Applicant’s Published PCT Application WO2021 / 195766. In Figure 15D, the adhesively installable female snap members 154 are adhesively coupled to such combined head and face shield 158 at the two forehead depressions thereof. As yet another alternative, instead of the male snap receivers 152 being embodied by outer couplers selectively installable onto the inner couplers 30, the male snap receivers 152 may be embodied by the enlarged heads 138 of the inner couplers 30 themselves, in which case the disposable female snap members 154 adhered to the shield 158 denote the outer couplers of this scenario. Alternatively, in the case of a disposable thermoformed PPE shield, the female snap features 154 may be embodied within the shield itself.

[0102] Figures 16A through 16D illustrate a variant of the comfort band 58’ shown in Figures 3A and 3B. Here, the elongated male protrusions 60 from the earlier example, of matably shaped relation to the elongated slots 22 of the headband 10, are replaced with two peg-like pad couplers 160 each residing proximate a respective one of the pad’s two terminal ends. Each pad coupler 160 is engageable with the headband 10 one of the round coupling holes 48A, 48B in a respective one of the headband’s two tails 16A, 16B, typically at the one of these coupling holes 48A, 48B nearest the slotted / thickened forehead region 20 of the headband 10. These pad couplers 160 once again protrude from the outer side of the comfort pad 58’, but unlike the prior protrusions 60 that merely fit into the slots 22 of the headband without protruding therethrough, these pad couplers 160 are instead dimensioned to protrude fully through the coupling holes 48A, 48B of the headband, and furthermore have enlarged heads 160A at distal ends of the couplers 160 that exceed a default unstretched diameter of those holes 48A, 48B. When installing this variant of the comfort pad 58’, the pad couplers 160 are pushed through the coupling holes 48A, 48B in a manner momentarily expanding the diameter of same, until the enlarged heads 160A of the pad couplers 160 pass fully through the holes 48A, 48B, whereupon those holes 48A, 48B return to their normal unstretched diameter. This achieves a positively coupled state between the comfort pad 58’ and the headband 10, in which the enlarged heads of the pad couplers 160 resist inadvertent pulling thereof back out from the holes 48A, 42B in which they are now engaged, thus coupling the pad 58’ to the headband 10 in a self-retaining fashion thereon.

[0103] This way, the comfort pad 58’ is positively coupled to the headband 10 near the two terminal ends of the pad 58’, yet a majority central span of the pad 58’ between the coupler-equipped terminal end regions of the pad 58’ is not positively coupled to the headband 10. This way, when the headband 10 is not being worn, this majority central span of the comfort pad 58’ remain pliable away from the headband, as shown in Figure 16C, so that the user can access the interior side of the thickened / slotted forehead region 20 of headband 10 for the purpose of changing or adjusting the working positions of the slidably relocatable inner couplers 30 engaged in the slots 22, all without having to remove the installed comfort pad 58’ from the headband 10. At a lengthwise midpoint of the comfort band, a central non-coupling protrusion 60’ of round cylindrical shape may be included, for mating receipt thereof in the central coupling hole 46 of the headband 10, so that this mating receipt of male protrusion 60’ in the female receptable denoted by central coupling hole 46 still helps prevent the majority central span of the comfort pad 58’ from sliding out of place on the user’s forehead in the worn state of the headband 10 and comfort pad 58’, like the slot- mated protrusions 60 of the earlier comfort pad example 58.

[0104] Figure 17 shows a variant 122” of the reusable upper support frame 122’ of Figures 1 1 A & 11 B, which in this variant is design for direct pivotal mounting to the headband 10 itself, rather than to the optional overhead bow 88. In this case, instead of the support frame 122” having followers 116 thereon for engagement in guide slots 1 14 in the shield supports 100A, 100B of the overhead bow 88, the support frame 122” instead has a pair of pivot receivers 1 16’ therein at locations disposed respectively adjacent the two opposing ends of the support frame’s U-shape, whereby these pivot receivers 116’ reside externally alongside the headband 10 at opposing side’s of the user’s head in the installed relation of the support frame 122” on the worn headband 10. The pivot receivers 1 16’ are thereby each positioned to enable receipt therein of a round portion of either a respective one of the inner couplers 30 installed at the respective side of the headband 10, or a round portion of a respective outer coupler (not shown in Figure 17) installed on such inner coupler 30, which round portion serves as a pivot on which the support frame 122” can thus pivot up and down to move an attached face-shield (not shown) between the face covering and retracted positions described above, in similar fashion to the face shields of Figures 7A through 1 1 B.

[0105] The particular two couplers 30 on which the support frame 122” is installed may reside in either two of the slots 22 of the headband 10 (such as the outermost two of those slots 22 in the illustrated example of Figure 17), or in two of the round coupling holes 48A, 48B in the tails of the headband, depending on the particular slot and coupling hole layout which thereof are suitably located to accommodate two couplers 30 in positions aligned with one another on opposite sides of the user’s head on a common axis serving as a pivot axis of the support frame 122”. In the illustrated example, the round stems 36 of two of the inner couplers 30 serve as the two pivots for the support frame 122”, and the two pivot receivers 1 16’ are two pivot receiver holes that penetrate through the main U-shaped body of the support frame 122”, though in other embodiments, the pivot receivers may reside elsewhere on the support frame 122”, such as on a pair of support lugs ears of protrusive relation to a rest of the support frame 122”.

[0106] This variant of the support frame 122” is once again designed to removably support a disposable viewing pane formed of a relatively thin, flexible sheet like the disposable face shield 54 of Figures 1 A and 1 B, this case by way of a set of removable shield securement clips 170 that removably are engageable with a top edge 172 of the U-shaped main body of the support frame 122”, and are thereby operable to hold the disposable face shield 54 against an outer wall surface 174 of the U-shaped body. The support frame 122” may have an in-turned stop flange protruding inward from an inside wall surface of the U-shaped body, for example at the top edge 172 thereof, which in-turned stop flange can catch over the top edge of the headband 10 in the lowered face covering position of the face shield 54, whereby this in-turned stop flange or a comparable stop feature is operable to prevent downward pivoting of the support frame 122” and face shield 54 past the face covering position. This variant enables similar flip-up / flip-down pivot capability of a face shield like those shown in Figures 7A through 11 B, but without the increased part count of the overhead bow 88 used in those embodiments.

[0107] To enable insertion through the respective pivot receiver hole 116’, the stem 36 and enlarged head 38 of each inner coupler 30 used for the pivotal mounting of the support frame 122” on the headband 10 may be of a split character, allowing a user-squeezing thereof to temporarily reduce the effective diameter of the enlarged head 38 down to a reduced size capable of insertion through the pivot receiver hole 1 16’. Alternatively, the enlarged head inner couplers 30 of the illustrated example may be replaced with headless inner couplers like the bow-specific inner couplers 30B described earlier, in which case the pivot receivers 1 16’ may be equipped with a similar annular rib 108 to that possessed by each of the mounting holes 110 of the overhead bow 88 described earlier, whereby the support frame 122” would be mountable to the headband’s inner couplers in snap-fit fashion. As another alternative, headless inner couplers with round stems usable as pivots for the upper support frame 122” for a disposable face shield 54 may have their headless round stems inserted through the pivot receiver holes 1 16’, and then equipped with an outer coupler 32 to secure the support frame 122” to the headband 10. In any event, the support frame 122” may be selectively installed onto the headband 10 in a pivot capable fashion, and selectively removed therefrom, for example for thorough cleaning / sterilizing, or for substitution by another attachment or accessory to be worn on the headband 10.

[0108] Instead of round pivot receiver holes 116’, the support frame 122” may instead have elongated pivot slots like the guide slots 1 14 in the shield supports 100A, 100B of the overhead bow 88, by which the coupler-defined or coupler-carried pivots on the headband could be used to permit not only pivotal motion of the support frame on the headband 1 12, but also sliding displacement of the support frame 122” forwardly and rearwardly of the headband 1 12, as described of the support frames 122, 122’ installed on the optional overhead bow 88, for similar beneficial purpose of providing increased clearance during raised retraction of the face shield from the face covering position, for example to accommodate any attachment optionally mounted to the crest 52 of the headband 10. While the illustrated example of the support frame 122” is one designed for temporarily clipped support thereon of a disposable face shield 54, a fully framed face shield 92 like that of Figures 7A through 10B may be similarly modified for direct pivotal wearing thereof on the headband 10 without the overhead bow 88.

[0109] Since various modifications can be made in the invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

CLAIMS:1 . A head-wearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; a plurality of inner couplers configured for non-adhesive engagement with the headband at respective working positions spaced apart therealong so as to reside at circumferentially discrete locations relative to the user’s head in said head-borne position of the flexible headband; and one or more outer couplers each attached or attachable to one or more of the inner couplers at one or more respective coupling points of external relation to the headband, for supportive receipt of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said one or more outer couplers in a worn position of external relation to said headband; wherein at least one of the inner couplers is a relocatable inner coupler arranged for selective user-relocation thereof on the headband between a plurality of possible engagements sites thereon for said one of the inner couplers, thereby enabling user-adjustability of the respective working position of at least said one of the inner couplers.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein at least two of said inner couplers are relocatable inner couplers arranged for selective user-relocation thereof on the headband between a multiple of possible sites for each of said relocatable inner couplers, thereby enabling user-adjustability of the respective working positions of saidrelocatable couplers.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said plurality of inner couplers includes a third inner coupler whose respective working position resides between the respective working positions of said relocatable inner couplers.

4. The device of claim 3 said third inner coupler is also relocatable to different sites on the headband.

5. The device of any preceding claim wherein at least the relocatable coupler comprises a base from which said inner coupler protrudes through an opening in the headband to reach the respective coupling point of extremal relation to the headband.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said opening in the headband is one of a plurality of openings in the headband, each of which defines at least one of the possible sites for at least one of the inner couplers.

7. The device of claim 5 or 6 wherein said opening in the headband is an elongated slot, along which the relocatable inner coupler is slidable to effect said userrelocation thereof.

8. The device of any preceding claim wherein each outer coupler is selectively attachable to and detachable from the one or more inner couplers.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein any preceding claim wherein each outer coupler is non-adhesively attached or attachable to the one or more inner couplers.

10. The device of any preceding claim wherein each outer coupler and the one or more inner couplers are cooperatively arranged for selective coupling together thereof via a coupling action effected in a direction of non-radial relation to the wearer’s head.1 1 . The device of claim 10 wherein said direction of non-radial relation tothe wearer’s head is of circumferential or axial relation thereto.

12. The device of any preceding claim wherein each outer coupler and the one or more inner couplers are cooperatively arranged for selective coupling together thereof via engagement of a keyhole-shaped female feature in one thereof with a cooperating male feature in the other thereof.

13. The device of any preceding claim wherein the headband comprises a thickened region of greater thickness that other thinner regions of the headband, and at a least a subset of the possible sites are defined at said thickened region.

14. The device of any preceding claims wherein said headband comprises an elevated forehead crest at which a height of the headband is locally greater than at other non-crested regions.

15. The device of claim 14 in combination with a first piece of additional equipment or accessorization coupled to the headband via the inner and outer couplers, and a second piece of additional equipment or accessorization coupled to the elevated forehead crest of the headband.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein said first piece of additional equipment or accessorization comprises a face-shield.

17. The device of claim 15 or 16 wherein said second piece of additional equipment or accessorization comprises a camera, light or combination thereof.

18. The device of claim 15 or 16 wherein said second piece of additional equipment or accessorization comprises a headband stiffener having a front end coupled to the elevated forehead crest of the headband, and a rear end coupled to a rear half of the headband residing distally of the elevated forehead crest.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein said headband stiffener comprises a bifurcated yoke coupled to said rear half of the headband at two spaced apart pointsthereon.

20. The device of any preceding claim further comprising an overhead bow arranged for selective coupling to the headband at opposing lateral sides thereof to span in arching fashion over a crown or scalp of the user’s head.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein said overhead bow is arranged to achieve said selective coupling to the headband relying, at least in part, on a same site on the headband at which one of said inner couplers may alternatively be used to host a different piece of equipment or accessorization.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein said same site comprises a slot in the headband.

23. The device of claim 21 or 22 wherein said overhead bow is arranged to achieve said selective coupling to the headband relying, at least in part, on a bowspecific coupler that engages said same site in matching fashion to that by which said one of the inner couplers is engageable to said site.

24. The device of any one of claims 20 to 23 in combination with a head shield received or receivable by said overhead bow in an installed position in which a rear end of said head shield is braced by said overhead bow.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein said overhead bow comprises an air hose fitting thereon to which an air supply hose is couplable to feed air into the head shield at said rear end thereof.

26. The device of any one of claims 1 to 24 in combination with a head shield selectively couplable to the headband at opposing lateral sides thereof to arch laterally over a scalp region of the user’s head and posteriorly from the forehead of the user’s head toward a crown thereof.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein said head shield terminates in a rearend whose orientation is arranged to arch laterally over the crown or a rear scalp of the user’s head.

28. The device of any one of claims 25 to 27 in further combination with a face shield coupled or couplable to the headband, through at least a subset of the inner and outer couplers, for use in a face-covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head and cooperating with the head shield to provide continuous coverage over the facial region, the forehead and the scalp region of the user’s head.

29. The device of any one of claims 1 to 27 in combination with a face shield coupled or couplable to the headband, through at least a subset of the inner and outer couplers, for use in a face covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head.

30. The device of claim 28 or 29 wherein said face shield is arranged for indirect coupling to the headband via another component that is coupled to the headband by said at least a subset of the inner and outer couplers.

31. The device of claim 30 wherein said face shield is coupled or couplable to said another component in a manner movable relative thereto between said face covering position, and a retracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

32. The shield of any one of claims 20 to 23 in combination with a face shield for wearing in a face covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head, wherein said overhead bow comprises, at opposing ends thereof, shield supports residing respectively adjacent to the opposing lateral sides of the headband, and the face shield is movably mounted to said shield supports for movement relative to the overhead bow between said face-covering position and aretracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

33. The device of claim 31 or 32 wherein said retracted position is a lifted position of raised relation to the face covering position.

34. The device of claim 33 wherein said retracted position is of overlying relation to the user’s head.

35. The device of any one of claims 31 to 34 wherein said face shield is pivotably supported for pivotal movement thereof during transition of the face shield between the face covering and retracted positions.

36. The device of claim 35 wherein the face shield is supported for compound movement thereof that involves both said pivotal movement of the face shield, and a sliding displacement thereof, during said transition of the face shield between the face covering and retracted positions.

37. The device of claim 36 wherein the face shield comprises a support frame having a follower thereon engaged in a guide slot along which the follower can slide during said sliding displacement, and in which the follower can pivot during said pivotal movement.

38. The device of claim 37 wherein the support frame comprises a stop feature thereon the blocks pivoting of the face shield past the face covering position from the retracted position.

39. A head-wearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head;one or more elongated slots in the headband in orientations running lengthwise thereof; a plurality of relocatable couplers received or receivable in said one or more slots in working positions protruding outwardly through the slot to the exterior side of the headband for use in supporting at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; wherein the relocatable couplers are selectively relocatable along said one or more elongated slots to enable user-adjustability of the respective working positions of said relocatable couplers.

40. The device of claim 39 further comprising one or more outer couplers each attached or attachable to one or more of the inner couplers at one or more coupling points of external relation to the headband, for supportive receipt of said at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said one or more outer couplers.41 . The device of claim 39 or 40 wherein said one or more elongated slots comprises a plurality of elongated slots, each of which embodies a respective range of user-adjustable working positions for at least one of the relocatable couplers.

42. The device of any one of claims 39 to 41 wherein said headband is thicker at regions at which said slots are defined than at one or more other non-slotted regions of the headband.

43. A head-wearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with aninternal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; and a plurality of couplers supported or supportable on the headband in working positions usable in support of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; wherein said headband comprises an elevated forehead crest at which a height of the headband is locally greater than at other non-crested regions, with the crest occupying a greater elevation than that at which the plurality of couplers reside.

44. The device of claim 43 in combination with a first piece of additional equipment or accessorization coupled to the headband via the couplers, and a second piece of additional equipment or accessorization coupled to the elevated forehead crest of the headband.

45. The device of claim 44 wherein said first piece of additional equipment or accessorization comprises a face-shield.

46. The device of claim 44 or 45 wherein said second piece of additional equipment or accessorization comprises a camera, light or combination thereof.

47. The device of claim 44 or 45 wherein said second piece of additional equipment or accessorization comprises a headband stiffener having a front end coupled to the elevated forehead crest of the headband, and a rear end coupled to a rear half of the headband residing distally of the elevated forehead crest.

48. A head-wearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with aninternal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; and a plurality of couplers supported or supportable on the headband in working positions usable in support of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; wherein the headband comprises a thickened region of greater thickness that other thinner regions of the headband, and at a least a subset of the couplers reside at said thickened region.

49. A head-wearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; a supportive structure of greater rigidity than the flexible headband and configured both for external mounting to headband, and for selective receipt of at least one of: a head shield couplable to the support frame in a position arching laterally over a scalp region of the user’s head and posteriorly from the forehead of the user’s head toward a crown thereof; and / or a face shield couplable to the supportive structure in a manner movable relative thereto between a face covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head, and a retracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

50. The device of claim 49 wherein the supportive structure is configured for selective receipt thereby of both said head shield and said face shield, and to position said head and face shield relative to one another such that, in said facecovering position of the face shield, the face and head shields cooperatively provide continuous coverage over the facial region, the forehead and the scalp region of the user’s head.

51. The device of claim 49 or 50 wherein said supportive structure comprises an overhead bow arranged for selective coupling to the headband at opposing lateral sides thereof to span in arching fashion over a crown or scalp of the user’s head, and arranged to brace a rear end of the head shield.

52. The device of claim 51 wherein the supportive structure further comprises shield supports residing respectively adjacent to the opposing lateral sides of the headband at opposing ends of the overhead bow, and the face shield is mounted to the supportive structure at said shield supports.

53. The device of claim 52 wherein and the face shield is movably mounted to said shield supports for movement relative to the overhead bow between said face-covering position and a retracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

54. A head-wearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; one or more couplers supported or supportable on the headband inworking positions usable in support of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; and a comfort pad removably coupled or couplable to the flexible headband at the internal side for wearing of said comfort pad in skin contact against a forehead of the user’s head as an intermediary between the flexible headband and the user’s head.

55. The device of claim 54 wherein said flexible headband has one or more female receptacles therein at the interior side thereof, and said comfort pad has a corresponding one or more male protrusions on an outer side thereof that face toward the headband and away from the user’s when worn, of which said one or more male protrusions are shaped for mating receipt thereof in said one or more female receptacles for positioning and retention of said comfort pad.

56. The device of claim 55 wherein said one or more female recesses or openings are embodied by one or more penetrative openings in the headband that penetrate both the interior and exterior sides thereof, and through which at least a subset of said couplers are inserted or insertable through the headband from the interior side thereof into protruding relationship from the outer side thereof.

57. The device of claim 56 wherein said penetrative openings are wider at the interior side of the headband that at the exterior side thereof.

58. The device of any one of claims 54 to 57 wherein the comfort pad has one or more biometric sensors embodied therein for taking biometric measurements of the user via the skin contact of the comfort pad with the user’s head.

59. The device of any one of claims 54 to 58 wherein the comfort pad and the headband are cooperatively configured for positively coupled retention of the comfort pad at tail regions of the headband that reside beyond opposing ends of aforehead region thereof, with a central span of the comfort pad lacking such positive coupling being pliable away from the headband at the forehead region thereof.

60. The device of any one of claims 20 to 25, 32 and 51 to 53 in combination with a piece of flexible sheeting sized and shaped for cooperative engagement to the overhead bow for use of said piece of sheeting to partially enclose a headspace containing the user’s head during wearing of the device with said flexible sheeting.

61. The device of claim 32 and 51 to 53 in combination with a first upper piece of flexible sheeting sized and shaped for cooperative engagement to the overhead bow and a second lower piece of flexible sheeting sized and shaped for cooperative engagement to the face shield along perimeter edges thereof for use of said pieces of flexible sheeting to substantially enclose a headspace containing the user’s head during wearing of the device with said pieces of flexible sheeting.

62. The device of any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein a respective snapreceiver is embodied by at least one of the inner couplers or at least one of the outer couplers, and the device further comprises a respective snap member selectively engageable to said snap-receiver.

63. The device of claim 61 wherein said snap member comprises double sided adhesive thereon for adhesive mounting thereof to said at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization.

64. The device of any one of claims 1 to 15, 62 and 63 further comprising a face shield support frame configured for selective pivotal mounting thereof onto a subset of said inner and outer couplers at opposing sides of the flexible headband to pivotally support a face shield thereon for pivotal movement between face covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head, and aretracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

65. The device of any one of claims 39 to 44, 48, 49, and 54 to 59 further comprising a face shield support frame configured for selective pivotal mounting thereof onto a pair of said couplers at opposing sides of the flexible headband to pivotally support a face shield thereon for pivotal movement between face covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head, and a retracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

66. A head-wearable support device for support of one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization thereon, said device comprising: a flexible headband configured to be wearable in a head-borne position spanning circumferentially around a user’s head at forehead elevation thereon, with an internal side of said flexible headband facing the user’s head and an opposing external side of the flexible headband facing outwardly away from the user’s head; and a plurality of couplers supported or supportable on the headband in working positions usable in support of at least one of said one or more pieces of additional equipment or accessorization on said headband in a worn position of external relation thereto; and a face shield support frame configured for selective pivotal mounting thereof onto a pair of said couplers at opposing sides of the flexible headband to pivotally support a face shield thereon for pivotal movement between face covering position hanging anteriorly over a facial region of the user’s head, and a retracted position withdrawn from the facial region of the user’s head.

67. The device of claim 66 wherein said face shield support frame is adapted to removably receive said face shield.

68. The device of claim 67 comprising shield securement clipsengageable with the face shield support frame and said face shield for removable support thereof on said face shield support frame.

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