Patent Grant
7945971
This application claims the benefit of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/897,336 filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Aug. 30, 2007.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a combination article which may function as both a hat and a hair-gathering device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hat having hair-gathering features for forming ponytail or pigtail type structures via the hat construction.
2. Description of Related Art
A number of prior art patents disclose a head covering which may also function as ponytail-forming or pigtail-forming headwear. Some of the more pertinent prior art relating to headwear of this type are briefly described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,753,566 ('566 patent), which issued to Perelman, discloses a Headpiece. The headpiece according to the '566 patent comprises a generally circular crown including a plurality of radially and upwardly extending flexible leaves joined at the base of the crown and having tapered upper free ends, a snap fastener element disposed near the upper free end of each leaf, a generally circular member carrying a plurality of uniformly spaced snap fastener elements near it periphery, and a snap fastener element disposed near the base of each lead, said fastener elements on said circular member and at the bases of said leaves being engageable with the fastener elements at the free ends of said leaves, whereby the headpiece has the configuration of a closed cap when the circular member is attached to the free ends of all of the leaves by means of the fastener elements at said free ends of the leaves and the fastener elements on said circular member, and whereby the headpiece has a selected degree of opening in the crown when at least one lead is curled and its free end is attached to the snap fastener element at the base of the leaf by means of the fastener element at the free end of said leaf.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,070 ('070 patent), which issued to Sloan, discloses certain Accessories for Hairdos and Articles of Apparel. The '070 patent describes a flexible disk-like sheet member having a plurality of slits extending radially from a point centrally of the member to provide a plurality of triangular fingers which extend in one direction from flexure of the disk as a pony tail or object to be clamped is passed through the disk in a direction opposite to the direction of it flexure so that the fingers firmly grip the pony tail or object when the disk-like member springs back to is unstressed and the device is removable by flexing the disk in the opposite direction causing the fingers to unleash the pony tail or object.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,854 ('854 patent), which issued to Kronenberger discloses a Headwear Piece with Opening to Accommodate Wearer's Hair. The '854 patent describes a headwear piece having a crown defining an opening to accept the head of a wearer, with the crown having a top and bottom, front and back, and a peripheral wall having an annular configuration. An opening is provided through the peripheral crown wall to allow passage therethrough of an accumulation of hair on the head of a wearer with the headwear piece in place on the wearer's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,145 ('145 patent), which issued to Stevenson et al., discloses a Cap with Opening having a Removable Closure. The '145 patent describes a headwear item, more particularly a baseball-style cap, having a hole at the top of the crown for a ponytail or braid to pass through and a removable closure that conceals the hole at the option of the wearer. The cap also has a pocket sewn on the inside of the crown to allow the stowage of the removable closure when it is not in use. This arrangement allows the cap to be worn by men and women with short hair as well as by those who wear their hair in a ponytail or braid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,249 ('249 patent), which issued to Higgins, discloses a Cap with Crown Opening. The '249 patent describes a head cap having an opening on its upper central or crown portion of the cap body, the opening being for receiving a “ponytail” hair style, with the walls around the opening providing lateral support to the ponytail. A neat and trim appearance of the ponytail extending through the opening is achieved, and the attractive vertical support is given to the ponytail even though given only by lateral support. In another embodiment, at least two openings are provided, spaced laterally of the median line of the cap body, accommodating a dual ponytail style.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,454 ('454 patent), which issued to Ryan, discloses a Protective Helmet with Hair Entraining Aperture. The '454 patent describes a protective helmet suitable for safe use by a person having long hair. The helmet includes an outer dome-shaped shell of impact-resistant material configured to fit on the head of a wearer. A liner affixed to the inside of the shell snugly positions the helmet on the head and dissipates impact forces received by the outer shell. An aperture formed through the rear portion of the helmet is sized to enable the wearer's hair to be gathered and entrained therethrough, but is sized small enough to prevent harmful impact penetration of an object such as a ball, hockey puck or the like with the wearer's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,799 ('799 patent), which issued to Armenta et al., discloses a Headgear Accessory. The '799 patent describes a headgear accessory adaptable to an existing cap, hat, hood, or other article worn on the head, to cover a hole or passage formed therein to provide for the passage of the hair of the wearer therethrough. Using the present headgear accessory, a hole may be placed in the headgear at a location comfortable for the passage of longer hair (e.g., ponytail, braid, etc.) therethrough, and the accessory sewn or otherwise secured to the headgear to provide a decorative closure for the hole. The accessory is preferably formed of a resilient, flexible material such as neoprene sheet, with a synthetic fabric overlay for additional strength and to provide a more attractive appearance. A series of slots are formed in the neoprene/fabric sheet, through which the wearer's hair is passed. The resilient nature of the sheet material biases the material to each side of each of the slots against the hair, thereby providing greater security for the headgear on the wearer's head and yet providing for ease of removal of the headgear. The periphery and edges of the slots of the accessory may be stitched for greater durability and to provide an attractive appearance, if desired. The accessory may be provided separately, or in combination with various types of hats, caps, hoods, and/or other headgear of virtually any type.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,334 ('334 patent), which issued to Griffith et al., discloses a Baseball cap for pigtail hairstyles. The '334 patent describes a baseball cap to accommodate pigtail and non-bundled hairstyles comprises a head covering portion formed from a front panel spaced-apart from a back panel by a plurality of side panels. Each side panel includes an opening bound by elastic. The openings are formed by overlapping tabs and selectively covered by a flap. Each opening is sized to accept a bundle of hair passed therethrough. A light deflecting brim extends outward from the front panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,494 ('494 patent), which issued to Garnier et al., discloses a Headwear with Closable Hair Opening. The '494 patent describes a baseball-type cap with a closable opening that extends down the crown seam at the back of the cap. The opening is held closed by means of snaps attached to the overlapping portions of material at the seam edges, and is opened by separating the snaps. The opening extends from the top center of the cap to the rear vent, but does not intersect the adjustment strap opening. This maintains the ability of the cap to be adjusted to fit different head sizes. A wearer can open the closure, allowing a ponytail to extend through it with the cap in place on the wearer's head. The cap functions as normal with the opening snapped shut.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,933,872 ('872 patent), which issued to Lema, discloses a Pony Tail Cap. The '872 patent describes a head cap having a substantially hemispherically shaped portion intended to be worn over hair on the head of a wearer and including at least one opening therein large enough to accommodate a bundle of hair passing through the opening and means for securing the cap to the bundle of hair. A gathering mechanism is attached to the cap body around the perimeter of the opening to compressively engage the bundle of hair and hold the bundle of hair and the cap body in a fixed relationship. The gathering mechanism includes a sleeve attached to the cap body along the perimeter of the opening and a drawstring passed through the interior of the sleeve. The drawstring may be drawn to gather the sleeve to compressively engage the bundle of hair. A clamp is provided for holding the drawstring in a drawn disposition to hold the sleeve gathered about the bundle of hair.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,571 ('571 patent), which issued to Kelly, discloses a Ponytail Cap. The '571 patent describes an apparel item comprising: a cap, a plurality of cooperating fastening means located within the cap interior, and a hair accessory piece which simulates the appearance of human hair.
United States Patent Application No. US 2004/0006809, which was authored by Crenshaw et al. describes an adjustable aperture containing hat apparatus comprising a head-covering portion, an aperture portion defined by the head-covering portion, and an aperture size adjustment assembly attached to the head-covering portion, adjacent to the aperture portion, for adjusting the size of the aperture portion. Preferably, the aperture portion is located at a top central portion of the head-covering portion. Ordinarily, a hat brim is attached to the head-covering, but can be brimless. With using the adjustable aperture containing hat apparatus, a person's hair braids (ponytail or dreadlocks) can be threaded through the aperture portion, and the aperture size adjustment assembly contracts around the bases of the hair braids (ponytail or dreadlocks).
United States Patent Application No. US 2005/0066421 which was authored by Brundage, describes a hat which comprising a hole surrounded by stitching that provides a barrier from unraveling or unweaving of the hat. The hat provides a hole for a ponytail to extend through such that the wearer's hair does not cause air gaps which would otherwise reduce the hat's effectiveness in protecting the wearer from environmental elements.
United States Patent Application No. 2006/0277658 which was authored by Marsh et al., describes caps and hats which are constructed to focus attention on one of two somehow related but different subjects. A baseball-style cap may have two identical fixed visors or bills positioned opposite to each other, a harlequin type of color scheme (front versus rear) and permanently affixed front and rear indicia that depict two opponents or contenders in a competition. It may also commemorate a competition or game, as by one or more laterally placed event indicia, and it may be adjustable to promote the fitting of different head sizes through the use of stretchable material in the lateral aspects of both the crown and the headband. By a simple front to rear rotation of the cap, the wearer might reverse his or her loyalty as, for example, should the team of preference suffer defeat in the contest. Openings allow a ponytail to be routed through either crown at a location centrally above the visor.
It may be seen from an inspection of the prior art that the art is silent on a hat construction having hair-receiving or hair-gathering notches formed in the body of the hat for guiding or channeling hair during hat adornment for easing ponytail or pigtail formation via the hat construction. The prior art thus perceives a need for such a combination article, the particulars of which are set forth in more detail hereinafter.
In view of the fact that the prior art is silent on a hat construction having hair-receiving or hair-gathering notches formed in the body of the hat for guiding or channeling hair during hat adornment for easing ponytail or pigtail formation via the hat construction, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a versatile article of the sort here introduced, which may be manufactured in a convenient, durable and inexpensive manner. To achieve these and other readily apparent objectives, the hair-gathering hat construction of the present invention essentially discloses a hair-gathering hat construction for effecting a hair-gathering aperture, which hat construction essentially comprises a crown portion, a brim portion, and means for cinching the crown and brim portions against the head of a user for effecting a proper fit therebetween.
The crown portion defines a head-receiving opening and comprises superior, inferior, anterior, posterior, and lateral crown sections. The superior crown section is generally peripherally continuous, and the inferior crown section is peripherally discontinuous at the posterior crown section or lateral crown sections for defining one or more upper hair outlet(s) or hair-receiving notches. The brim portion defines certain head-receiving structure and comprises a superior brim section, a posterior brim section, an anterior brim section, lateral brim sections, and brim termini or brim flaps.
The superior brim section integrally extends from the inferior crown section at a crown-to-brim junction. The superior and posterior (or lateral) brim sections define a lower hair outlet or lower hair-receiving notch. The upper and lower hair outlets or notches together define a hair gathering aperture. The brim termini form annular head-receiving structure when juxtaposed one another. The brim termini may preferably overlap when juxtaposed one another, and the cinching or retainer means may well function to retain the brim termini in overlapped relation when juxtaposed one another. The hair-gathering aperture may be further bound by elastic for effecting an enhanced hair-gathering function.
Other features of my invention will become more evident from a consideration of the following brief description of patent drawings:
Hats may be worn for any number of reasons. Most typically, hats may be worn for fashion and for providing certain head-containing, head-covering, or hair-concealing means, or for maintaining the user's head in a preferred temperature state (i.e. the hat may be worn to keep the head warm or cool), or for protecting the user's head from the elements. Ponytail holders also help the user maintain certain anatomy in a preferred temperature state by lifting hair off of, or away from, the neck area thereby providing the user with an effective means of neck ventilation at minimal cost. The present invention concerns a hair-gathering hat construction 10 comprising both a hair-concealing hat portion with an incorporated hair-gathering, ponytail-enabling feature. The preferred hair-gathering hat construction 10 according to the present invention is generally illustrated and referenced in
It is contemplated that the hair-gathering hat construction 10 primarily functions to enables the wearer to gather or entrain hair into a ponytail or pigtail type structure(s) by way of a hair-gathering aperture or opening made integral with the hat construction. To achieve this primary function, the hat construction 10 according to the present invention essentially comprises a crown portion 11 as illustrated and referenced in
The crown portion 11 of the preferred embodiment defines a head-receiving opening which receives the crown portion of a user's head and comprises a superior crown section 13, an inferior crown section 14, an anterior crown section 15, and a posterior crown section 16. From an inspection of the drawings, it may be seen that the inferior and posterior crown sections of the preferred embodiment together define or comprise an upper hair outlet or upper hair-receiving notch 21. The upper hair outlet or hair-receiving notch 21 may be defined by the upper boundary or structure surrounding the opening or aperture as referenced at 101 in
It is contemplated that the opening or aperture 101 may be defined by any number of shapes, including, but not limited to diamond shaped or rectangular shaped aperture as depicted in
Further, it is contemplated that the opening or aperture 101 may be optionally bound by, or may optionally comprise certain elastic media for enabling the user to expand the aperture 101 to a hair-receiving, actuated configuration from a relaxed, hair-gathering configuration. In other words, the upper portions of brim termini 25 that define the lower hair-receiving notch 23 and those portions of the inferior (and posterior) crown section(s) that define the upper hair-receiving notch 21 may be elastically actuable. The hair-receiving, actuated configuration is generally depicted in
The brim portion 12 defines a ring shaped structure or head-receiving annulus integrally extending from the inferior crown section 14 and comprises a superior brim section 17, and inferior brim section 18 (i.e. that section which lies in a plane initially broken when the hat is donned), an anterior brim section 19, and a posterior brim section 22. It may be readily seen from an inspection of the figures that the superior brim section 17 is integrally formed with or extends from the inferior crown section 14 at a crown-to-brim junction as generally referenced at 102.
Crown-to-brim junction 102 is generally depicted with a solid line 102 in
Notably, the ring-shaped brim portion or head-receiving annulus is discontinuous or broken such that the brim portion comprises brim termini as referenced at 25 in
It is contemplated that the overlapping brim termini 25 may well function to provide a one size fits all type hat construction 10 insofar as the termini may enable adjustment of the hat construction 10 to accommodate heads of various sizes without detracting from the overall appearance of the hat construction 10. In this regard, it will be recalled that hat wearers don hats for fashionable reasons as well as utilitarian reasons.
The overlapping brim termini 25 feature enables the user to effectively expand or contract the diameter of the head-receiving annulus for receiving variously sized heads and provides a relatively uniform overall appearance from diameter to diameter. The hair-gathering hat construction 10 thus comprises lapping brim termini 25 at the point of annular discontinuity or adjacent the discontinuous annulus.
As earlier introduced, the hat construction 10 further preferably comprises certain cinching means for cinching the crown and brim portions 11 and 12 against a head as received via the brim and crown portions. In this regard, it is contemplated that the cinch means may be preferably defined by certain strap structure 24 as referenced in
In either case, it is contemplated that the cinching means are attached to the hat construction adjacent the brim termini 25 so as to enable the user to pull the brim termini 25 toward one another for contracting the head-receiving annulus and crown portions of the hat construction 10. Further, as generally depicted in
Certain accessories are further contemplated that may be utilized in conjunction with the hat construction 10 in order to enhance its utility and/or fashionable appeal. In this regard, it is contemplated that certain aperture-patching means and/or certain moisture-wicking means may be cooperatively associated with the hat construction 10. The aperture-patching means may well function to patch the aperture or close the opening 101 when the user does not wish to utilize the hat as a hat-gathering device, but rather don the hat in the conventional manner with no obviously apparent or evident hair letting apertures. The moisture-wicking means may well function to wick moisture or perspiration away from the head as received within the hat construction 10 so as to enhance the comfort of the hat when donned.
The aperture-patching means may be preferably defined by patch or patch-like structure 27 is generally illustrated and referenced in
The moisture-wicking means may be preferably defined by a sweat band 30 comprising moisture-wicking and washable material as generally illustrated and referenced in
As earlier stated, an alternative embodiment of the hat construction 20 is generally depicted in
Whether hat construction 10 or 20 is practiced, it is contemplated that the hat construction may well function to gather hair via certain elasticity at the site of the aperture 101. As introduced earlier, aperture 101 may be bound by an elastic structure for enabling a hair-receiving, actuated configuration as generally depicted in
The hair-gathering hat construction 20 may thus be said to effect a hair-gathering aperture such that the crown portion is peripherally discontinuous at a section thereof for forming a hair-gathering site, into which may be received a certain hair gathering assembly 40, which assembly 40 is generally illustrated and referenced in
When in a relaxed configuration as generally depicted in
Prior art disclosures generally state that entrained hair must be in a ponytail configuration before installation through prior art hat-borne hair outlets. With the present invention, however, the actual headgear itself functions to cinch the gathered or entrained hair into a tail-like configuration. It is contemplated that the opening 101 of hat construction 20 may be situated on the crown of the head, the side of the head, or the back of the head, or in multiple locations about the head (as might be the case, for example, if the wearer desired a pigtail type configuration).
Thus, while the above description contains much specificity, this specificity should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of the invention. For example, as is described hereinabove, it is contemplated that the present invention essentially discloses a hair-gathering hat construction for effecting a hair-gathering aperture, which hat construction essentially comprises a crown portion, a brim portion, and certain cinching means.
The crown portion defines a head-receiving opening and comprises superior, inferior, anterior, and posterior crown sections. The superior crown section is peripherally continuous, and the inferior crown sections are peripherally discontinuous at or adjacent certain crown sections for defining at least one upper hair-receiving notch. The brim portion defines certain discontinuous head-receiving structure and comprises superior, inferior, anterior, and posterior brim sections, as well as brim termini in view of the discontinuous structure.
The superior brim section integrally extends from the inferior crown section from a crown-to-brim junction. Certain of the brim sections define at least one lower hair outlet. Together, the upper and lower hair outlets define a hair gathering aperture. The brim termini, which may optionally overlap, form an annular head-receiving structure when juxtaposed one another. The cinching means may be defined by means for retaining the brim termini in overlapped relation when juxtaposed one another, and further may be defined by certain tying means or strapping means for cinching the crown and brim portions against a head as received via the brim and crown portions.
Notably, when the head-attached hair 105 is pulled through the hole or opening 101 defined by the annulus 41, there should be hardly any hair visible by the neck as generally depicted in
With regard to the embodiments generally shown in
In this last regard, it should be noted that the crown-to-brim junction is not necessarily pronounced or demarcated with a clear boundary. In other words, the demarcation line intermediate the two sections 14 and 17 is not necessarily structurally clear. The brim portion 12 thus slants incrementally away from the crown portion 11, which crown portion is contemplated to primarily follow the contour of the upper portions of a user's head. Thus, the brim portion 12 may be defined by that portion not immediate in contact with the crown portion of the head, or as that portion comprising the brim termini 25.
It is further contemplated that the essential concepts may be extended to virtually any style of hat, including sunhats, ski hats, cap, skull caps, and hats with brims of all sizes) and that the materials may include any fabric (including, but not limited to fleece, jersey, cotton, linen, denim, synthetic straw, hemp, leather, suede, etc) so long as the material is pliable enough to support essence of the invention, as set forth hereinabove is practiced. If the hat were to be made from straw or synthetic straw and collar blends, then the stitch will naturally have to be repeated to remain more secure. This way it is more durable.
It is contemplated that the patch 27 may preferably attach to the inner hat surface via cooperable snaps, V
Other detachable elements such as washable sweatbands and the like may be further included in the design as a means to absorb moisture. It is contemplated that the sweatband 30 as generally depicted in
The overlapping nature of the brim termini 25 functions to allow for adjustability. If that hat construction requires adjustment for receiving bigger or larger heads, then the brim portion 12 may be loosened via the cinching means and the overlapping brim termini 25 allow for the hat construction 10 so that the construction visually appears well fit to the head (or as if the construction is a one-size-fits all type garment). It is contemplated that the brim termini 25 are preferably mirror images of one another so that overlapping may be done via either brim terminus 25.
It is further contemplated that the foregoing specifications support certain hair-gathering methodology for gathering head-attached hair 105 via a hat construction 10. In this regard, it is believed that the hair-gathering method according to the present invention may be said to comprise the steps of: receiving a head into the crown portion 11 of a hat construction 10, the head having hair 105 extending radially therefrom, which hair 105 may be manually (and posteriorly or laterally) entrained into one or more tail-like structure(s). Notably, the entrainment of hair 105 may occur before the step of receiving the head into the crown portion 11, and thus the actual sequential placement of language in a claim structure should not necessarily be construed as limiting.
The entrained hair 105 may then be (manually) lifted (as at vector arrow 106 in
The sequential steps are perhaps more clearly illustrated with reference to
The entrained hair 105 may then be (manually) lifted (as at vector arrow 106 in
The brim termini 25 of the hat construction 10 may thereafter be juxtaposed (as referenced at arrow 115) in inferior adjacency to the lifted hair 105, which brim termini 25 may overlap and may be fastened (by way of strap structure 24 or cord-like structure 26) if desired. The lifted hair 105 may then be aligned over a lower hair-receiving notch (as at 23) as defined by superior sections of the brim termini 25. A hair-gathering hair outlet (as at 101) is formed via the upper and lower hair-receiving notches 21 and 23, and the entrained hair 105 may then be released at which time it falls under its own weight as at vector arrow 116 and thus becomes supported via the hair-gathering hair outlet 101 and/or the lower hair-receiving notch 23 for gathering head-attached hair 105 via the hat construction 101.
Although the invention has been described by reference to several embodiments and certain methodology, it is not intended that the hat construction and hair gathering method be limited thereby, but that modifications thereof are intended to be included as falling within the broad scope and spirit of the foregoing disclosure and the appended drawings.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| D173620 | Krieger et al. | Dec 1954 | S |
| 2753566 | Pereleman | Jul 1956 | A |
| 3357070 | Sloan | Dec 1967 | A |
| 4998544 | Obergfell | Mar 1991 | A |
| 5170509 | Leopold | Dec 1992 | A |
| D343274 | Paterek | Jan 1994 | S |
| 5321854 | Kronenberger | Jun 1994 | A |
| 5325540 | Kronenberger | Jul 1994 | A |
| D350427 | Vig et al. | Sep 1994 | S |
| 5509145 | Stevenson | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5511249 | Higgins | Apr 1996 | A |
| 5535454 | Ryan | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5539929 | Revson | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5598585 | Stroup | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5644799 | Armenta et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
| 5799334 | Griffith et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5875488 | Milani | Mar 1999 | A |
| 5875494 | Garnier et al. | Mar 1999 | A |
| 5933872 | Lema | Aug 1999 | A |
| 6401255 | Douglas | Jun 2002 | B1 |
| 7047571 | Kelly | May 2006 | B1 |
| 20030009813 | Dreher | Jan 2003 | A1 |
| 20040006809 | Crenshaw et al. | Jan 2004 | A1 |
| 20050066421 | Brundage | Mar 2005 | A1 |
| 20050108810 | Yan | May 2005 | A1 |
| 20060117461 | Kelly | Jun 2006 | A1 |
| 20060168712 | Maxxoccoli et al. | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060191057 | Lynn | Aug 2006 | A1 |
| 20060277658 | Marsh et al. | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20070250987 | Adkins | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| 20090199323 | Zakarian | Aug 2009 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090151047 A1 | Jun 2009 | US |
