Patent 12550958

Prior art

Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.

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Prior art

Earlier patents, publications, and products that may anticipate or render the claims unpatentable.

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To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 12550958, I will examine the "Citations" and "Patent Citations" sections of the patent document. These sections list the prior art considered by the patent examiner and cited by the applicant.

US patent 12550958 was published on 2026-02-17, and its priority date is 2015-04-14. Therefore, any prior art must have a publication or filing date before 2015-04-14 to potentially anticipate its claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

Based on the provided patent text, here are the most relevant prior art documents cited and their potential relevance to the claims of US12550958:

Patent Citations (Examiner Cited):

  • US4815144A

    • Full Citation: US4815144A, Cooled headwear
    • Publication Date: 1989-03-28 (Filed: 1987-06-04)
    • Brief Description: This patent describes headwear, such as a cap or visor, with pockets designed to hold cooling packets. While not directly protective inserts for impact, the concept of a headband with pockets/pouches for inserts is relevant.
    • Potential Anticipated Claims: This could potentially anticipate aspects of Claim 1, particularly "a headband having a plurality of pouches attached to an outer surface of the headband" and "a plurality of protective inserts enclosed within the plurality of pouches respectively". The novelty would depend on the protective nature of the inserts and their fixed positions.

  • US5826277A

    • Full Citation: US5826277A, Sweat band
    • Publication Date: 1998-10-27 (Filed: 1997-12-29)
    • Brief Description: This patent describes a sweatband with pockets to hold absorbent pads. Similar to US4815144A, the idea of a headband with pockets for inserts is present.
    • Potential Anticipated Claims: Similar to US4815144A, this could potentially anticipate aspects of Claim 1 related to the headband with pouches and enclosed inserts.

  • US20160058084A1 (also cited as US20180317579A1)

    • Full Citation: US20160058084A1, Athletic headband with removable cooling elements
    • Publication Date: 2016-03-03 (Filed: 2014-08-28)
    • Brief Description: This describes an athletic headband with removable cooling elements. Although the publication date is after the priority date of US12550958 (2015-04-14), its filing date (2014-08-28) is before the priority date, making it valid prior art. It explicitly mentions "removable cooling elements" as "inserts" in "pockets" or "pouches" of a headband.
    • Potential Anticipated Claims: This is highly relevant to Claim 1, especially the "headband configured to fit around a head of a person, the headband having a plurality of pouches attached to an outer surface of the headband; and a plurality of protective inserts enclosed within the plurality of pouches respectively." The "protective inserts" aspect would be the distinguishing feature, as this reference focuses on "cooling elements." However, the general structure and the concept of inserts in pouches are present. The fixed position of the inserts in claim 1 could be a distinguishing feature.

  • US8739316B1

    • Full Citation: US8739316B1, Protective headgear and inserts
    • Publication Date: 2014-06-03 (Filed: 2010-06-09)
    • Brief Description: This patent describes protective headgear (not necessarily a headband) that uses various inserts for protection. This broadly covers the idea of "protective inserts" in headgear.
    • Potential Anticipated Claims: This reference is relevant to the overall concept of "protective headgear comprising... protective inserts." The specific combination of a headband with pouches and fixed inserts would be key to distinguishing Claim 1.

  • US8613114B1

    • Full Citation: US8613114B1, Head guard
    • Publication Date: 2013-12-24 (Filed: 2012-07-25)
    • Brief Description: This patent describes a head guard for athletic activities. Similar to US8739316B1, it deals with protective headgear and could be broadly relevant to the concept of protective inserts.
    • Potential Anticipated Claims: Similar to US8739316B1, the distinction for Claim 1 would lie in the specific headband-pouch-fixed insert configuration.

  • US8789212B2

    • Full Citation: US8789212B2, Protective athletic headwear with open top
    • Publication Date: 2014-07-29 (Filed: 2011-09-13)
    • Brief Description: This patent describes protective athletic headwear, specifically with an open top design. Claim 7 of US12550958 specifies "wherein the headband has an open top." This reference is highly relevant to that feature.
    • Potential Anticipated Claims: This patent could potentially anticipate Claim 7, which specifies a headband with an open top. The specific arrangement of pouches and fixed protective inserts (as per Claim 1 and its dependencies) would be the distinguishing factor for US12550958.

Family Cites Families (Applicant Cited):

  • US8458820B2

    • Full Citation: US8458820B2, Form-fitting protective headwear
    • Publication Date: 2013-06-11 (Filed: 2011-09-13)
    • Brief Description: This patent describes form-fitting protective headwear. The "form-fitting" aspect could relate to Claim 10 of US12550958, which states that "at least one of the plurality of protective inserts is curved to substantially fit the shape of a corresponding portion of the head of the person."
    • Potential Anticipated Claims: This could potentially anticipate Claim 10. The specific combination with fixed inserts in pouches of a headband, as per earlier claims, would differentiate US12550958.

  • US9907346B2

    • Full Citation: US9907346B2, Protective helmet cap
    • Publication Date: 2018-03-06 (Filed: 2012-01-10)
    • Brief Description: While the publication date is after US12550958's priority date, the filing date (2012-01-10) makes it prior art. It describes a protective helmet cap with padding.
    • Potential Anticipated Claims: This is relevant to the general concept of protective headgear with inserts/padding. The specific headband configuration of US12550958 would be the differentiator.

Note: The analysis above focuses on potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (i.e., whether a single piece of prior art discloses every element of a claim). An obviousness analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103, which considers combinations of prior art, would be a more extensive undertaking.

Generated 5/31/2026, 6:48:34 AM