Patent Grant
10212985
This continuation-in-part application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/486,525 filed Jun. 1, 2012, entitled Headgear with Stretchable Headband and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/209,782 filed on Mar. 13, 2014, entitled Cap Having Unique Head Conforming Qualities, which applications are incorporated in their entirety by this reference.
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to caps worn on the heat. In particular, it relates to adjustable caps that can be worn by users having heads of varying circumferences wherein unique features allow for ease of comfort, wherein one of the features is a hidden pocket formed by an interior pouch formed on the interior of the headband making up the cap. The present invention also relates generally to exercise accessory equipment and particularly to headbands worn by persons engaged in aerobic activities.
Background of the Invention—Caps
Headgear comes in various forms and sizes and inlude, but is not limited to, baseball caps, visors, hats with rims, beanies, etc. which are pre-skied to fit certain circumferences of heads or are adjustable so that they can be worn by persons having heads of various circumferences. Adjustable headgear may incorporate a mechanism that may be located at the back edge thereof proximate the nape of the neck of the wearer when it is worn which can adjust the size of the lower circumference of the portion that surrounds the head. For example, a common means of adjusting the size of a baseball type cap may employ a cut out area located proximate the nape o the neck and have variable lengths of overlapping plastic, or other material, straps on each side of the cut out area which may be attached to each other according to the desired circumference of the cap. One of the straps may include a plurality of protrusions and the corresponding other strap may include a plurality of corresponding holes. By snapping at least one of the protrusions into at least one of the apertures, the circumference of the cap may be adjusted. Alternatively, the cap may have a buckle at the back thereof which may be loosened or tightened depending on the desired circumference. Yet another alternative is the use of straps having hook and loops thereon located on opposite sides of the cutout area.
More recenty, caps may incorporate headbands or sweatbands that are circumferentially attached to the inside lower edge of the main interior portion of the cap. Some of these headbands are complicated to manufacture and are unnecessarily bulky. Some headbands also are not stretchable in all directions as one of more layers thereof restrict the expandability. Further, because some headbands are formed solely of cloth or other material, they deform over time and lose some stretchability. Some such headbands lack the ability to remove moisture from the brow of a wearer.
It is an object of the present invention to provide headgear that overcomes some or all of the construction and bulkiness of prior art headgear designs while still reducing the number of headgear necessary for a supplier to carry due to the adjustability of the headgear of the presentvention.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a conventional baseball cap design with are interior expansible or stretchable sweatband that has a unique physical structure which overcomes many of the prior art design disadvantages and which has a hidden pocket or pouch formed on the interior of the sweatband for receiving small objects such as a key. An alternative embodiment of the sweatband presents a multi-component sweatband having a combination of fiber types to enhance sweat wicking or removal action.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a baseballcap having a sweatband structure using specifically designed thread stitching that allows for maximum adjustability conformability and case of comfort for the wearer thereof.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds herein. It one exemplary embodiment, it is contemplated that a stretchable or comfortable band, for a cap, be provided which utilizes stretchable threads or yarn that is woven in such a manner as to provide, in the at-rest or non-stretched state, that the threads that make up the band are woven diagonally as opposed to conventional rectangular weaving and wherein the intersecting woven threads form diamond-shaped figures. The diamond-shaped figures establish a better fit which does not cause pressure discomfort to the wearer of the cap and facilitates superior sweat absorbent features. Also, in one embodiment, an interior placed pocket or pouch is secured the interior of the sweatband which is open at the lateral sides thereof to receive small objects, such as paper currency or the like.
Background of the Invention—Sweatbands
With regard to sweatbands, the benefits of regular strenuous aerobic activities have been well documented and various aerobic sports have been taken up by a variety of Americans, Running, basketball, jazzercise, bicycling, hiking, and the like are but a few of the aerobic activities in which individuals regularly engage in order to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle. A byproduct of strenuous aerobic exercise is that it generates significant perspiration.
It is well known that the region of maximum heat transfer of the human body is the head and scalp and when a perm is exercising, the perspiration that is formed in the head and scalp area will condense into droplets of perspiration. These droplets of perspiration will tend to run down over the face and into the eyes of the person exercising, thus causing irritation to the eyes and blurring vision. Both of these byproducts of the exercise routine can be annoying and when one is engaging in sports which require close tracking of balls in play such as tennis, racquetball, baseball and basketball, it can be dangerous to have blurred vision. To remedy this byproduct of strenuous aerobic exercise, many people wear sweatbands in the form of headbands about their forehead to try to soak up the perspiration and keeping it from running onto the face and into the eyes.
Prior art sweatbands, while effective to some degree, have proven to be deficient in other areas. Specifically, in the past, in order to get a sweatband that is sufficiently absorbent to hold a significant amount of perspiration generated during the course of an exercise routine sweatbands have been required to be so large and cumbersome that they in some ways interfere with the exercise routine. Smaller, thinner sweatbands which are better suited and more compatible with an exercise routine do not have sufficient absorption capacity to soak up all the perspiration that is generated during a vigorous workout. Therefore, there is room in the art for a sweatband that works differently from those of the prior art. Ideally, such a sweatband would wick perspiration from the surface of a wearer's skin, which would correspond to an inside surface of the sweatband, to an outside surface or fibers of the sweatband where the sweat could removed from the headband or sweatband by evaporative cooling.
The present invention cap is an article of headwear that is conformable so as to accommodate a wide range of head sizes. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an article of headgear or cap is comprised of at least a crown portion that substantially covers the head of the wearer. In some embodiments, the headgear also may have a substantially rigid curved visor portion extending from the front of the crown portion so as to shade all or part of the wearer's face. Proximate the lowest edge of the crown'portion is a sweatband permanently affixed thereto. In an embodiment of the present invention, the sweatband is comprised of elastic threads which are woven in an intersecting diagonal pattern so that it is more evenly stretchable in all directions. In an embodiment, the elastic is woven in an essentially uniform diamond patterned elongated band. In a preferred embodiment, the sweatband is attached to the crown portion of the headgear along the circumferential edge thereof. In all embodiments of the present invention, the ends of the sweatband may be attached together so as to make a complete circumference around the lowest edge of the crown portion of the cap and the abutting ends of the sweatband may be covered by a label so as to provide additional comfort and label placment. The label has open lateral sides to receive and hold objects therein.
Summary of an Alternative Sweetband and Embodiment
The present invention sweatband provides a sweat absorbing band that is constructed of a combination of elements. The innermost or base layer for the sweatband comprises polyester fabric having a longitudinal length that is capable of stretching both axially and transversely, which allows the sweatband to achieve a snug fit about a user's head. (Generally, throughout this application the terms sweatband and headband will be used interchangeably. It should be understood however, that a sweatband, in addition to be being a head band, could be a wrist band (popular with tennis players) or even an ankle band.) Sewn into the longitudinal length of the base layer of the sweatband are longtiudinal bands comprised of fibers having specific properties different from that of the material of the base layer.
The exemplary embodiment of the present invention sweatband is believed to be suitable for use as a headband for a variety of sport or exercise activities. The exemplary sweatband comprises six vertically stacked, longitudinal bands comprised of special fibers. The upper two bands of fibers are “wicking” bands which are made from relatively loosely spaced polyester yarn, called wicking yarn, where each strand of wicking yarn extends perpendicularly from the base layer in a
As discussed, each individual wicking yarn extends perpendicularly from the base layer. Experimentation has shown that a height for the wicking yarn of about 2.4 mm from the base layer to the top of the yarn to be well suited for wicking sweat from the base layer to the top of wicking yarn where convection cooling occurs.
In the exemplary embodiment, below the first two upper bands of wicking yarn, are two intermediate bands of “coffee” yarn. Coffee yarn is, as the name suggests, a type of yarn made from the residue of coffee, i.e. coffee grounds. Coffee yarn is believed to have odor reducing and antibacterial properties which makes it a useful material for use in sweat bands. The chemical composition and production process for producing coffee yarn is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,834,753 entitled “Process of Making Yarns with Coffee Residue,” which issued on Sep. 16, 2014.
Similar to the wicking yarn, each strand of the coffee yarn extends perpendicularly from the polyester base in a
Similar to the wicking yarns, each individual coffee yarn extends perpendicularly from the polyester base layer. The inventor's experience has. suggested that a height for the coffee yarn of about 2.3 mm from the base layer to the top of the yarn to be well suited for making use of the yarn's anti-odor and anti-bacterial functions.
The final two rows of longitudinal wicking bands sewn into the base layer are identical in all respects to the first two rows of wicking bands described above.
The inventors of the sweatband of the present invention believe that the band operates substantially more efficiently than those of the prior art because during vigorous athletic activity it is believed that a pressure differential due to the heat and sweat production of vigorous exercise arises between the base of the band and the outermost fibers of the wicking and coffee bands. As will be discussed in more detail below, the pressure differential increases the wicking or sweat removal effect of the present invention sweatband.
The above and other features of invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description.
A detailed description of the invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals of reference depict like elements throughout and in which:
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently-preferred embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and utilizing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. However, it is to be understood that other applications of the cap of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.
In the following descriptions of the invention, terms such as “top”, “bottom,” first “end” and second “end”, “horizontal”, “longitudinal”, and the like are used herein merely for ease of description and refer to the orientation of the components shown its the figures. Further, the figures herein are not drawn to scale and should be considered to present an illustration of various embodiments of the present invention. Some features of the invention may have been distorted or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Generally, the present invention may be briefly described as follows. Referring first to
The baseball cap 10 comprises a crown portion 12 fabricated so that it substantially fits over the crown of a wearer's head. In a preferred embodiment the crown portion has a lower peripheral, circumferential edge 14 and a visor 16 extending from the front peripheral edge of the crown portion 12 so as to substantially shade the face and/or the eye area of the person wearing the cap 10 when the cap is properly placed upon the head.
A headband or sweatband 18 extends around the entire peripheral opening 14 of the crown portion 12 and is affixed to the crown portion 12 such that it is fully located within the crown portion 12 as shown in
The crown portion 12 may be fabricated from several gores, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, comprising gores 20a, 20b, 20c, 20e, and 20f that are made of either synthetic or natural materials, such as polyesters, cotton, woven and non-woven material, felt, cotton with spandex, and other similar stretchable or non-stretchable materials. In addition, the gores may be made entirely or partially out of material that allows airflow to the scalp of the wearer. The number of gores 20 comprising the crown portion is dependent on the size of the final crown 12, the size of the gore, and the tensile strength of the material being used. In an embodiment, the gores contain one or more air holes 22 to allow the passage of air and moisture through the crown portion 12. In an embodiment, seam tape 24 or other material is used to cover the interior surfaces of the crown 12 where the gores 20 are affixed to each other to hide the seams created by attaching the gores to each other. In an embodiment of the present invention, a button 23 is placed upon the spot where the gores 20 converge at the top of the crown 12.
In the figures, the headband 18 of the present invention is shown. Headband 18 is comprised of an elongated woven band of elastic yarns wherein the yarns are woven in a diamond or diagonal pattern 19 as shown in the drawing. The diamond or diagonal pattern of the weave of the band allows it to be repeatedly stretched in a circumferential direction around the head of the wearer and repeatedly to substantially return to its original unstretched position, while still stretching as showing in
As those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, the headband 18 is affixed to the peripheral edge of the crown portion of the cap and the peripheral edge of the visor 16 of the cap as shown in
In one embodiment, the label 48 is constructed so as to form a pocket 47 of a size to accommodate the insertion of a human finger wherein secret retention of a monetary bill or other item may be secretly stored.
The pocket 47 may also be used as a means of hanging the cap 10 on a hook or other securing means.
The diamond or diagonal weave on the sweatband or headband 18 in the relaxed or unconfirmed state is capable of stretching in all directions as shown in
A baseball cap is fabricated of fabric gores with a stiff visor. A sweatband or headband of approximately 1.35 to 1.5 cm in width and about 16 to 25 cm in length, having been fabricated using threads that, are woven in an intersecting, diagonal pattern such that in the relaxed state, the threads form a plurality of diamonds in side-by-side configuration.
By of the example and not limitation, the material contents of the band (per 1′=23.9 g/yd.) is as follows: Vertical yarns: 13.7 g, 57%; Horizontal yarns: 3.6 g, 15%; Elastic materials (spandex): 6.6 g, 28%; Thickness of yarn: 300D Number of yarns needed: Vertical: 154 polyester yarns and 40 spandex yarns; Horizontal: 1 combined yarn with polyester and spandex as one yarn.
The weaving is specially designed to weave diagonally instead of traditional rectangular weaving.
The alternative eembodiment of the sweatband of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
With reference to
Generally, throughout this application the terms sweatband and headband will be used interchangeably. It should be understood however, that a sweatband, in addition to be being a head band, could be a wrist band (popular with tennis players) or even an arm band or an ankle band, or other like band.
In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention sweatband 100, the plurality of longitudinal bands of fibers 106 comprises six specific bands of longitudinal fibers 108, 110, 112, 114, 116 and 118. (See
The above pattern of one set 126 of wicking yarns comprising 5 yarns per 4 mm of cross-sectional width with a gap width 132 of 1 mm between the next set 126 of wicking yarns 120 is repeated between cross-sectional lengths of wicking yarn bands.
As will be discussed below, the spacing of sets 126 of wicking yarns and of sets 128 of coffee yarns differs, but in all cases a gap width 132 of 1 mm with is maintained between each band (108, 110, 112, 114, 116 and 118) of wicking and/or coffee yarns.
As discussed each individual wicking yarn 120 extends perpendicularly from the polyester base layer 102. Experimentation has shown that a height 124 of about 2.4 mm for the wicking yarn 120 from the base layer 102 to the top of the yarn to be well suited for wicking sweat from the base layer 102 to the top of wicking yarn where convection cooling is believed to occur.
In the exemplary embodiment from the perspective of
Similar to the wicking yarn 120, each strand of the coffee yarn 130 extends perpendicularly from the base layer 102 in a
As shown in the exemplary embodiment, although the cross-sectional width of each set of wicking and coffee yarns differs, i.e. 4 mm for each set 126 of wicking yarns and 4.5 mm for each set 128 of coffee yarns, the gap width 132 between the adjacent bands of yarns is maintained at one (1) mm across the entire cross-sectional width 136 of the base layer 102, regardless of yarn type.
Similarly to the wicking yarns 120 , each individual coffee yarn 130 extends perpendicularly from the base layer 102. The inventor's experience has suggested that a height 124 (see
The bottom two rows, from the perspective of
In further alternative embodiments, the number and placement of the wicking and coffee bands of the sweatband may by changed depending upon the particular sport for which the sweatbands will be used and for the specific purpose that the sweatbands will be used. The two wicking bands, two coffee bands and two wicking bands construction of the exemplary embodiment described above is believed to be well suited for use as a headband. However, in a wrist band application, other arrangements such as one wicking band, one coffee band and another wicking band may also be suitable. Yet other applications may use other combinations of fiber bands.
The inventors of the sweatband of the present invention believe that the band operates substantially more efficiently than those of the prior art because during vigorous athletic activity it is believed that a pressure differential arises between the base of the sweatband and the outermost fibers of the wicking and coffee bands. A region of higher than ambient pressure is believed to be created at the base of the sweatband which is in contact with the wearer's skin. During vigorous workouts, a wearer's skin tends to get hot and produce sweat, the combination heat and sweat production is believed to locally increase pressure at the base of sweatband above that of the ambient conditions. As a result, sweat is wicked by the wicking and coffee fibers to the tops of the fibers which are believed to be at near ambient conditions, i.e. are slightly cooler and at slightly less pressure than the conditions at the base of the sweatband.
The foregoing detailed description and appended drawings are intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and are not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed and/or utilized, Those skilled in the art will understand that modifications and alternative embodiments of the present invention which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the foregoing specification and drawings, and of the claims appended below are possible and practical. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications and alternative embodiments.
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