Flexible nose guard with nostril coverage

Abstract

A flexible nose guard is provided for protecting the entire nose from sunlight, cold, and other outdoor elements. In a preferred embodiment, the nose guard has a pentagonal body that covers the bridge and sides of a user's nose, resembling an upside-down pentagon with rounded corners. The top portion of the nose guard is substantially flat and conforms to the bridge of the nose. The bottom portion of the nose guard is rounded and configured to rest on top of the bridge of the nose. The bottom portion has two perforated triangular extensions that connect to form a nostril covers that provide protection from the elements while allowing the user to breath. Alternatively, a nostril cover can be provided by a single piece of triangular fabric that is connected with the bottom of the nose guard. The nose guard offers numerous means of attachment to the user's face.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A nose guard comprising:
 a flexible body configured to cover the bridge, sides, and nostrils of a user's nose;   a pair of nostril extensions connected with the body that can be reversibly connected to form a nostril cover;   a pair of nose pad cuts, located on the upper center portion of the nose guard, configured to receive the nose pads of a user's eyewear;   a hook patch, located on the upper center portion of the nose guard, configured to attach to a user's eyewear;   a detachable eyewear-fastening strap having a hook fabric on one end and a loop fabric at the other end, the hook and loop fabrics forming a reversible bond when brought into contact; and   a pair of fastening slits located to the top and bottom of the hook patch, said slits configured to receive the eyewear-fastening strap.   
     
     
         2 . The nose guard of  claim 1 , further comprising a reinforcing strip that facilitates shape retention and conformance to the user's nose. 
     
     
         3 . The nose guard of  claim 1  whose flexible body is comprised of:
 an outer first layer of fabric having a sun protective factor; 
 a intermediate second layer of material; and 
 a skin-facing third layer of material that contacts the nose. 
 
     
     
         4 . The nose guard of  claim 3  wherein the outer first layer of fabric is a spandex material. 
     
     
         5 . The nose guard of  claim 3  wherein the intermediate second layer is an open-cell foam material. 
     
     
         6 . The nose guard of  claim 3  wherein the third layer is a perforated micro-suede material. 
     
     
         7 . The nose guard of  claim 3  wherein the nose guard is made by flame bonding and thermoforming the first, second, and third layers together. 
     
     
         8 . The nose guard of  claim 3  wherein the edge of the nose guard is defined and sealed by laser cutting. 
     
     
         9 . The nose guard of  claim 3  wherein the nose guard features a plurality of perforations or holes configured to allow air exchange between the inside of the nose guard and the environment. 
     
     
         10 . The nose guard of  claim 3  wherein the layers of fabric are embossed, printed, silkscreened, or sublimated with a logo or design. 
     
     
         11 . The nose guard of  claim 1  wherein the reinforcing strip has an adhesive surface that facilitates adhesion to the user's nose. 
     
     
         12 . A nose guard comprising:
 a flexible body configured to cover the bridge, sides and nostrils of a user's nose;   a pair of nose pad cuts, located on the upper center portion of the nose guard, configured to receive the nose pads of a user's eyewear; and   a hook patch, located on the upper center portion of the nose guard, configured to attach to   a loop patch affixed to the user's eyewear.   a detachable eyewear-fastening strap having a hook fabric on one end and a loop fabric at the other end, the hook and loop fabrics forming a reversible bond when brought into contact;   a pair of fastening slits located to the top and bottom of the hook patch, said slits configured to receive the eyewear-fastening strap; and   a pair of nostril extensions that reversibly connect to form a nostril cover.   
     
     
         13 . The nose guard of  claim 12  further comprising an adhesive strip on the skin-facing side of the nose guard. 
     
     
         14 . The nose guard of  claim 12  further comprising a thin reinforcing strip on the skin-facing side of the nose guard that facilitates shape retention and conformance to the user's nose. 
     
     
         15 . A nose guard comprising
 a flexible body configured to cover the bridge, sides, and nostrils of a user's nose;   a triangular piece of fabric connected with a bottom portion of the body to form a nostril cover; and   a reinforcing strip that facilitates shape retention and conformance to the user's nose.   
     
     
         16 . The nose guard of  claim 15 , whose flexible body is comprised of:
 an outer first layer of fabric having a sun protective factor;   a intermediate second layer of material; and   a skin-facing third layer of material that contacts the nose.   
     
     
         17 . The nose guard of  claim 16  wherein the outer first layer of fabric is a spandex material. 
     
     
         18 . The nose guard of  claim 16  wherein the intermediate second layer is an open-cell foam material. 
     
     
         19 . The nose guard of  claim 16  wherein the third layer is a perforated micro-suede material. 
     
     
         20 . The nose guard of  claim 16  wherein the reinforcing strip has an adhesive surface that facilitates adhesion to the user's nose.