Ergonomic facemask for an athletic headpiece

Abstract

An ergonomic facemask for a headpiece, including a wire cage having a plurality of horizontal wires and a plurality of vertical wires. The plurality of horizontal wires includes a horizontal wire configured to extend forward of a user's face at a height between the user's nose and the user's upper lip, and the plurality of vertical wires includes a center vertical wire that extends along the sagittal line of a user's face. The mutual arrangement of the center vertical wire together with the horizontal wire adequately shields a user's face while avoiding interference with, the user's field of view.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An athletic headpiece, comprising:
 a headband for contacting a user's forehead;   a harness for contacting the back of a user's head;   a plurality of straps for securing the harness to the headband;   a facemask secured to the headband; and   a chin pad for contacting a user's chin;   wherein the facemask comprises a wire cage comprising a plurality of horizontal wires and a plurality of vertical wires,   wherein the plurality of horizontal wires comprises a first horizontal wire secured to the headband, and a second horizontal wire that is configured to extend forward of a user's face at a height between the user's nose and the user's upper lip,   wherein the plurality of vertical wires comprises a center vertical wire that is configured to extend along the sagittal line of a user's face,   wherein a space between the first horizontal wire and the second horizontal wire is a sight window that is configured to align with a user's eyes, and the center vertical wire divides the sight window into a right-eye opening configured to align with a user's right eye and a left-eye opening configured to align with a user's left eye.   
     
     
         2 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 1 , wherein
 the sight window between the first horizontal wire and the second horizontal wire excludes additional horizontal wires.   
     
     
         3 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 1 , wherein
 a length of the center vertical wire that extends between a point on the first horizontal wire and a point on the second horizontal wire is between 1.25 inches and 6 inches.   
     
     
         4 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 3 , wherein
 the length of the center vertical wire that extends between the point on the first horizontal wire and the point on the second horizontal wire is between 1.5 inches and 5 inches.   
     
     
         5 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 1 , wherein
 the wire cage further comprises:
 a third horizontal wire that is the bottom perimeter of the wire cage; and 
 lateral ends at opposite sides of the wire cage that extend between the first horizontal wire and the third horizontal wire, and 
   the second horizontal wire is affixed at its end points to the lateral ends of the wire cage, and the second horizontal wire extends horizontally between the first horizontal wire and the second horizontal wire.   
     
     
         6 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 5 , wherein
 the second horizontal wire is affixed at its end points to the lateral ends of the wire cage at locations between locations where the lateral ends are affixed to the first horizontal wire and the third horizontal wire.   
     
     
         7 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 5 , wherein
 a difference in height, as measured when the headpiece is worn by a user and the user levels their head relative to the transverse plane, between the end points of the second horizontal wire and an anterior point of the second horizontal wire is between 0.5 inches and 6 inches.   
     
     
         8 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 7 , wherein
 the difference in height between the end points of the second horizontal wire and the anterior point of the second horizontal wire is between 1.5 inches and 2.5 inches.   
     
     
         9 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 1 , wherein
 the wire cage further comprises a pair of lateral vertical wires that are configured to extend vertically on opposite sides of a center line of the wire cage, and   a horizontal width of the sight window is defined by the lateral vertical wires.   
     
     
         10 . The athletic headpiece of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the wire cage further comprises a third horizontal wire that is the bottom perimeter of the wire cage, and   the center vertical wire extends from the first horizontal wire to the third horizontal wire.   
     
     
         11 . A facemask for an athletic headpiece comprising:
 a wire cage comprising a plurality of horizontal wires and a plurality of vertical wires,   wherein the plurality of horizontal wires comprises a first horizontal wire secured to the headband, and a second horizontal wire that is configured to extend forward of a user's face at a height between the user's nose and the user's upper lip,   wherein the plurality of vertical wires comprises a pair of lateral vertical wires arranged on opposite sides of a center line of the wire cage, and a center vertical wire that is configured to extend along the sagittal line of a user's face,   wherein a space between the first horizontal wire and the second horizontal wire is a sight window that is configured to align with a user's eyes, and the center vertical wire divides the sight window into a right-eye opening configured to align with a user's right eye and a left-eye opening configured to align with a user's left eye.   
     
     
         12 . The facemask of  claim 11 , wherein
 the sight window between the first horizontal wire and the second horizontal wire excludes additional horizontal wires.   
     
     
         13 . The facemask of  claim 11 , wherein
 a length of the center vertical wire that extends between a point on the first horizontal wire and a point on the second horizontal wire is between 1.25 inches and 6 inches.   
     
     
         14 . The facemask of  claim 13 , wherein
 the length of the center vertical wire that extends between the point on the first horizontal wire and the point on the second horizontal wire is between 1.5 inches and 5 inches.   
     
     
         15 . The facemask of  claim 11 , wherein
 the wire cage further comprises:
 a third horizontal wire that is the bottom perimeter of the wire cage; and 
 lateral ends at opposite sides of the wire cage that extend between the first horizontal wire and the third horizontal wire, and 
   the second horizontal wire is affixed at its end points to the lateral ends of the wire cage, and the second horizontal wire extends horizontally between the first horizontal wire and the second horizontal wire.   
     
     
         16 . The facemask of  claim 15 , wherein
 the second horizontal wire is affixed at its end points to the lateral ends of the wire cage at locations between locations where the lateral ends are affixed to the first horizontal wire and the third horizontal wire.   
     
     
         17 . The facemask of  claim 15 , wherein
 a difference in height, as measured when the facemask is worn by a user and the user levels their head relative to the transverse plane, between the end points of the second horizontal wire and an anterior point of the second horizontal wire is between 0.5 inches and 6 inches.   
     
     
         18 . The facemask of  claim 17 , wherein
 the difference in height between the end points of the second horizontal wire and the anterior point of the second horizontal wire is between 1.5 inches and 2.5 inches.   
     
     
         19 . The facemask of  claim 11 , wherein
 the wire cage further comprises a pair of lateral vertical wires that are configured to extend vertically on opposite sides of a center line of the wire cage, and   a horizontal width of the sight window is defined by the lateral vertical wires.   
     
     
         20 . The facemask of  claim 11 , wherein
 the wire cage further comprises a third horizontal wire that is the bottom perimeter of the wire cage, and   the center vertical wire extends from the first horizontal wire to the third horizontal wire.