Headband facilitating free airflow

Abstract

A headband facilitating free airflow to the scalp is disclosed, comprising a support structure and a plurality of spacers. The spacers extend between the support structure and the wearer's scalp, creating a hair space for ventilation and defining scalp touch zones for comfortable support. The support structure can be a belt, a ring, or integrated directly into the hat body. Spacers may be helical (spiral), posts, or other shapes. In a preferred embodiment, spacers in the forehead region are modified for enhanced sweat absorption, such as by wrapping a portion of a helical spacer with an absorbent material. A jig is also disclosed for facilitating assembly of the headband. The headband provides improved ventilation and comfort compared to traditional headbands.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A headband for reducing sweat accumulation and increasing airflow to a wearer's scalp when worn on the wearer's head, the headband comprising:
 a support structure configured to be positioned adjacent to the wearer's head; and   a plurality of spacers attached to the support structure,   wherein each spacer is configured to extend between the support structure and the wearer's scalp and to penetrate the wearer's hair, if any, when the headband is worn,   wherein each spacer has a contact portion defining a scalp touch zone configured to contact the wearer's scalp, and   wherein the spacers are arranged to define an air space between adjacent spacers, the air space extending from the support structure to a plane representing the wearer's scalp, excluding the scalp touch zones, and wherein the air space has at least 70% open area.   
     
     
         2 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spacers are discrete spacers. 
     
     
         3 . The headband of  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the plurality of discrete spacers comprises a post. 
     
     
         4 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of spacers are formed by a helical structure. 
     
     
         5 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the spacing structure located in a forehead region of the support structure is wrapped with an absorbent material. 
     
     
         6 . The headband of  claim 5 , wherein the absorbent material is soft. 
     
     
         7 . The headband of  claim 1 , further comprising an absorbent pad attached to the support structure in a forehead region. 
     
     
         8 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein each scalp touch zone has a surface area between 0.1 mm 2  and 25 mm 2 . 
     
     
         9 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein each scalp touch zone has a surface area between 0.5 mm 2  and 10 mm 2 . 
     
     
         10 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein the air space has at least 50% open area. 
     
     
         11 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein the support structure is a substantially circular band. 
     
     
         12 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein the support structure is a substantially flat ring. 
     
     
         13 . The headband of  claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises a portion of a hat body, and wherein the plurality of spacers are attached directly to the hat body. 
     
     
         14 . The headband according to  claim 1 , wherein the spacers are made of a material selected from the group consisting of: plastic, rubber, silicone, foam, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The headband according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of spacers has a cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of: circular, oval, rectangular, and semi-circular. 
     
     
         16 . A jig for assembling a headband, the jig comprising a base with a channel sized to receive a portion of a helical spacer, and a surrounding skirt configured to support a ring-shaped support structure. 
     
     
         17 . A method of making a headband comprising:
 providing a support structure; and   attaching a plurality of spacers to the support structure according to  claim 1 .   
     
     
         18 . A method of wearing a headband comprising placing the headband of  claim 1  on a wearer's head, wherein the spacers penetrate the wearer's hair, if any, and contact the wearer's scalp. 
     
     
         19 . A hat, comprising:
 a crown; and   a headband according to  claim 1 , wherein the headband is secured to the crown.