The present invention relates generally to configurable caps.
Caps come in different shapes and styles with a variety of different intended uses and with the wearer's sense of fashion. Although the principal purpose of a cap is to protect the wearer's head from the elements and shield the wearer's eyes from the glare of the sun, often the caps are provided with no effective manner of retaining the cap on the wearer's head and storing the retaining mechanism on the cap. For those engaged in vigorous activities, such as walking, biking, golfing, snowboarding, auto racing, skiing, it is desirable that the cap does not readily become detached from the wearer's head. While chin straps exist for caps, and especially baseball caps, they tend to be difficult to use and difficult to maintain in a desirable configuration when not in use as a chin strap.
In general, a cap 100 is fabricated having a crown 110 and a visor 120, where the crown 110 is generally hemispherical in shape. The crown 110 has a hollow interior, this hollow interior being the portion of the cap which fits about the upper portion of the head of the wearer. The crown 110 has an interior surface 130 and an exterior surface 140, which is provided with an apex 150 and overlies and confronts the interior surface 130 of the crown 110 adjacent to a circular base 160.
The crown 110 of the cap is also provided with an interior band 170 which results from the inward folding of the peripheral edge of the crown. The interior band 170 extends upward toward the apex 150 and overlies and confronts the interior surface 130 of the crown 110 adjacent to the circular base 160.
The interior band 170 has a terminal or free edge 180 and a fold edge 190, wherein the fold edge 190 of the interior band 170 consists of the portion of the crown 110 which corresponds to the folding of the peripheral edge of the crown 110. The exterior surface 140 of the crown 110 immediately adjacent to the fold edge 190 defines the generally circular base 160.
The interior band 170 terminates within the hollow interior of the crown 110 at a free edge 180, the free edge 180 being adjacent to but spaced apart from the fold edge 190. This spacing of the free edge 180 and the fold edge 190 defines the height of the interior band 170.
The cap 100 includes the visor 120 which extends laterally outwardly from a position of the exterior surface 140 of the generally circular base 160 of the crown 100. When the cap 100 is worn, the visor 120 is placed adjacent to the forehead of the wearer, and is intended to shield the wearer's eyes from the sun or other weather elements.
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Elongate flexible strands 220A and 220B have a first end 230A, 230B and a second end 240A, 240B with a mid portion 250A, 250B which extends between the first end 230A, 230B and the second end 240A, 240B. The strands 220A, 220B are preferably formed from a durable natural or synthetic twine. Other materials may likewise be used, such as plastic, leather, wire, webbing, etc. The strands preferably have a diameter of generally 2-4 mm and an approximate collective length of 15 inches. The length should be sufficient such that it permits the wearer to readily pass the strands 220A, 220B around his neck so that the cap 100 may be more readily retained on the head of the wearer. Other lengths and sizes of the strands 220A, 220B may likewise be used, as desired. The first ends 230A, 230B of the respective strands 220A, 220B preferably pass through the openings 200, 210 and the first ends 230A, 230B are secured to the cap 100. One manner of securing the first ends 230A, 230B is by including a knot in the end of the first ends 230A, 230B. Alternative securement techniques may likewise be used, as desired. The second ends 240A, 240B of the respective strands 220A, 220B are preferably extended through a bead 260.
Referring to
Rather than removing the strands 220A, 220B from the cap 100 while the wearer does not need the strands 220A, 220B to secure the cap 100 to his head, such as during extreme sports or windy conditions, the wearer may reconfigure the strands 220A, 220B in an alternative configuration. Preferably the reconfiguration is achieved without the need to remove the strands 220A, 220B from the bead 260.
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It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components illustrated above. Various modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the systems, methods, and apparatus described herein without departing from the scope of the claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/751,608, filed Jun. 26, 2015, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 62/078,301, filed Nov. 11, 2014.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14751608 | Jun 2015 | US |
Child | 15420079 | US |