The present invention relates to a three dimensional headware device, config ured for being placed on the head of a person and including a body part con- nected to an upper pair of first limbs/members and to a lower pair of second limbs/members. The limbs/members may be elongated and tubular or essen tially tubular in form.

US patent 5,561 ,864 discloses a headwear including an attachment that has a shape resembling that of a toy doll with a head part, a body part and two pairs of limbs representing arms and legs, respectively.

US patent 5,393,257 discloses a stuffed toy figure with a head part, a body part and two pairs of limbs representing arms and legs, respectively, and con- figured to dangle from an earphone headset.

US patent 8,144,913 discloses a travel pillow with opposite head supporting members and a set of ear buds allowing a user to listen privately to an audio source.

US patent application 2012/0309256 discloses a computer tablet carrier in the shape of a teddy bear with a head part, a body part and two pairs of limbs representing arms and legs, respectively, and with an internal skeleton allow ing the arms to be bend and held maintained in a selected position relative to a body part of the teddy bear, for the purpose of securing the tablet to the teddy bear, for use of the tablet by a person sitting in front of the teddy bear. The teddy bear may include speakers located at any one of various alternative lo cations, such as at the ears, legs, or arms. US patent 8,827,760 discloses a mobile phone holder also configured as a teddy bear and having ear buds connected to the teddy bear head via cables. The object of the present invention is to provide an improved headware device as mentioned in the opening paragraph, providing head support for the user, including when he/she is lying in bed or sitting on a chair, allowing the user to listen privately to an audio source, and even allowing for the device in some embodiments be used as a toy for comforting a child user thereof.

In view of this object, according to the invention each of the first limbs or mem bers include, preferably integral therewith, an ear phone with a speaker, the pair of first limbs or members forming at least a portion of a behind-the-neck or over-the-head headset keeping the ear phones over, or inserted into, the ears of the user, wherein the limbs or members of each pair are configured for extending along a respective side of the head of the person wearing the device. The limbs and the body part preferably are soft, such as by including a soft stuffing or being made from a soft material, such as a resilient foamed synthetic material.

The ear phones may be designed to allow the person using the device to con nect with an audio source via Bluetooth or any other wireless connectivity known in the art, or even using a wired connection. To weigh down the device onto the user wearing the device, to better secure the device in position when the user is moving around, the second limbs may include near the free end thereof a body having a suitable mass. This body may comprise a chargeable battery pack for running the ear phones and, optionally, for discharging by con nection with an external power consuming unit.

In an embodiment, the headset comprises a biasing structure for biasing the upper limbs from a first orientation relative to each other towards a second, inoperative orientation wherein the ear phones are closer to one another. Pref erably, the biasing structure extending inside the body part and the upper limbs, and may be in the form of an elongated structure connected at a respec tive end thereof to one of the ear phones to provide the biasing. Preferably, the ear phones are arranged on, or attached to, a first side of a respective upper limb, the first sides of the two upper limbs being oriented generally towards each other.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the device, carried by a person,

Fig. 2 is a front view of the device, with the upper limbs assuming a first orien tation, corresponding to the orientation they assume when the device is carried by a person,

Fig. 3 is a front view of the device, with the upper limbs assuming a second orientation, corresponding to the orientation they assume when the device is not worn, and

Fig. 4 shows components of a headset of the device shown in fig. 1 .

Detailed description

The invention will now be explained in more detail below by reference to one embodiment.

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing a person P wearing a stuffed three dimensional headware device 10 of the present invention and resting against a backrest B. The inside stuffing (not visible) serves to keep the overall shape of the device 10 and to provide a degree of softness; the stuffing may be a material similar to that typically used to fill a pillow, cushion, etc., such a com prising cotton or a synthetic material, such as a foamed material, such as in particular a memory foam. In the shown embodiment the device 10 has a shape resembling that of a toy doll, such as a teddy bear or other animal character, with a head portion 18. The device generally includes a body portion 15 with two pairs of forwardly extending flexible limbs, the upper or first pair - of which only one limb 20 is visible - representing in the shown embodiment arms or front limbs while the lower or second pair - of which only one limb 40 is visible - represents legs or rear limbs of the doll. The stuffing may allow a child person P to hug the device 10 for comfort when not carried as a headwear, thus allowing the device 10 to serve also the function of a toy.

The limbs of each pair are generally configured for extending along a respec tive side of the head H of the person P wearing the device 10. Thus, when in use as a headwear the limbs 40, 45 of the second pair of limbs will generally rest on the shoulders S of the person P and preferably also extend down along a part of the front of the person P’s torso T, with the body portion 15 extending in the shown embodiment upwards beyond the area where the limbs 20, 25 of the first pair of limbs are attached to the body portion 15, to connect with the head portion 18. To keep the device 10 better in position the distal, free end of the second limbs 40, 45 may include a body W of a certain weight, to weigh down the free end, thereby holding the device 10 better in position. The head portion 18 and body portion 15 may include a soft stuffing, and a lower, con- tigous portion defining the two second limbs 40, 45 and extending below the body portion 15 may include or be defined by an internal, relatively hard stuff ing, such as a memory foam.

As shown, the body part 15 of the device 10 worn by the person P provides a headrest for the person P when sitting in a chair with backrest B, or a pillow when lying on his/her back in a bed with an upper face B. The second pair of limbs 40, 45 also provides a sideways support for the head H of the person P when sitting upright, in a manner similar to that of a travel pillow, such as dis closed in US 8, 144,913. Each of the first limbs 20, 25 include at a distal end thereof an ear phone 3 with a speaker, in the shown embodiment including a soft pad 4 surrounding the speaker and defining a portion of each of the first limbs 20, 25. In this manner, the pair of first limbs 20, 25 form in the shown embodiment a behind- the-neck headset 1 for wearing each ear phone 3 over or inserted into the person P’s ear (not visible in fig. 1 ), for the person P to listen privately to an audio source. Depending on the angle at which the first limbs 20, 25 extend from the body part 15 to meet the person P’s ears the pair of first limbs 20, 25 may alternatively form an over-the-head headset 1 where the limbs 20, 25 ex tend generally upwards from the ears and along a part of the side of the head H, towards the top of the head H of the person P.

As shown in broken line in figs. 1 and 2, the headset 1 may comprise an elon- gated biasing structure 8 arranged inside the limbs 20, 25 and across the body part 18, for biasing the first limbs 20, 25 from a first orientation relative to each other pressed against the person P’s ears, as is shown in figs. 1 and 2, towards a second orientation shown in fig. 3 wherein the ear phones 3 with speakers 5 are closer to one another, as would be the case where the person P has taken off the headwear. Preferably, the biasing structure 8, which may be an elon gated elastically deformable metal or plastic band, or be defined by a memory foam, is connected at a respective end thereof to one of the ear phones 3, to provide the biasing. A similar biasing structure 8’ may also be provided in the lower limbs 40, 45, for pressing the lower limbs 40, 45 against the person P’s neck.

In the shown embodiment each of the first limbs 20, 25 and, optionally, the second limbs 40, 45 comprise an outer skin 27 or cover, such as a fabric skin, enclosing the compressible stuffing. The ear phone 3, such as a housing thereof or the pad 4, is preferably attached or anchored directly to the skin 27, such as by gluing, at a portion of the skin 27 defining a first or inner side FS of the respective first limb 20, 25, the first sides FS of the two first limbs 20, 25 being oriented generally towards each other. As seen in fig. 1 the ear phones 3 may be placed spaced from the ends E of the first limbs 20, 25. As may be understood, for using the device 10 as a headwear the body part 15 is placed against an upper portion of the back of the person P’s head H, the second limbs 40, 45 being arranged supported by a respective shoulder of the person P, and the first limbs 20, 25 are arranged extending along the sides of the head H of the person P with an ear phone 3 speaker 5 over or inserted into a respective ear of the person P.

Fig. 4 shows the aforementioned biasing structure 8 in the form of an elongated flexible band connected at a respective end with an ear phone 3 and config ured for defining together with the stuffing and the outer skin 27 the headset 1.

In the drawings the ear phone 3 is shown as including a soft sound insulating pad 4 surrounding the speaker 5 to ensure private audio listening; the ear phones 3 integral with the upper limbs 20, 25 may be around-the-ear ear phones, over-the-ear ear phones or in-ear ear phones, or even of the bone conduction type.

It is noted that in a further embodiment the device may include vibrators (not shown) or similar, such as to provide a physical sensation accompanying the audio to which the person wearing the device is listening.