Patent Application
20190174854
The invention lies in the field of hats, such as baseball hats. The invention pertains, more particularly, to a hat having a bill that may be rotated around the periphery of the crown portion of the hat.
Hats with rotatable bills are well known. The hats have different constructions for providing the rotatable bill feature.
The following published documents represent pertinent prior art:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,267/US20040055073 to Ahn et al. describes a hat with a rotatable brim that includes respective sliding members that are provided in the crown portion and the brim. The construction of the sliding members is bulky and uncomfortable for a person wearing the hat.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,373 to Ahn et al. attempts to provide improvements to the above-noted sliding members. However, the construction remains bulky and thus uncomfortable. Likewise, the movement of the brim is not smooth and is not easy to adjust.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a hat with a rotable brim which overcomes a variety of disadvantages, including those mentioned above, of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which provides for a hat with rotatable bill that is more compact, more comfortable and for which the brim is easily adjustable.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a hat including a crown with a base. An outer headband layer is affixed to the crown at the base by a base seam that extends around a circumference of the crown. An inner headband layer is affixed to the outer headband layer at a position opposite the base to define a circumferential pocket between the outer headband layer and the inner headband layer. A rail has a T-shaped cross section disposed in the pocket. The T-shaped cross section is defined by a stem and an arm. The rail is affixed to the outer headband layer and the inner headband layer by a first rail seam through the stem, the outer headband layer, and the inner headband layer. The rail is further affixed to the outer headband layer by a second rail seam only through the outer headband layer and the stem. A bill has a track with a figure four shaped cross section affixed thereon. The track has a channel that receives and retains the rail therein to guide the bill around the crown.
In accordance with another advantageous feature of the device of the invention, the figure four shaped cross section has a track stem that defines an overall height of the track. The track is affixed on the bill to present the track stem towards the inner headband layer and the track stem has a flat surface disposed along the inner headband layer.
In accordance with a further feature of the device of the invention, the bill has a substrate sandwiched between fabric layers. The fabric layers have turned up portions at the track that abut an end of the track stem.
In accordance with an added preferred feature of the device of the invention a fabric band encircles the track stem to affix the track to the bill. A track seam is provided through the track stem and opposing layers of the band. A bill seam is provided through the turned up portions and the opposing layers.
In accordance with an added preferred feature of the device of the invention one of the layers of the band extends substantially entirely over the flat surface of the track stem.
In accordance with an additional particularly advantageous and thus preferred feature of the device of the invention, the track seam is adjacent the channel.
In accordance with yet another advantageous feature of the device of the invention, the bill seam is disposed between the substrate and a base of the track stem.
In accordance with still yet another advantageous feature of the device of the invention, the first rail seam is disposed at a base of the stem.
In accordance with still another advantageous feature of the device of the invention, the rail has two ends opposite one another in the pocket and spaced apart from one another for defining a gap therebetween. The gap receives the channel and allows the channel to be fed onto the rail.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention there is also provided a hat including a crown having a base. An outer headband layer is affixed to the crown at the base by a base seam that extends around a circumference of the crown. An inner headband layer is affixed to the outer headband layer at a position opposite the base to define a circumferential pocket between the outer headband layer and the inner headband layer. A rail has a T-shaped cross section disposed in the pocket. A bill has a track with a figure four shaped cross section affixed thereon, the track having a channel that receives and retains the rail therein to guide the bill around the crown. The figure four shaped cross section has a track stem defining an overall height of the track, the track stem having a flat surface. The track is affixed on the bill to present the flat surface towards the inner headband layer. The flat surface is disposed along the inner headband layer.
In accordance with another advantageous feature of the device of the invention, the bill has a substrate sandwiched between fabric layers, the fabric layers have turned up portions at the track that abut an end of the track stem.
In accordance with yet another advantageous feature of the device of the invention, a fabric band encircles the track stem to affix the track to the bill.
A track seam is provided through the track stem and opposing layers of the band, and a bill seam is provided through the turned up portions and the opposing layers.
In accordance with still yet another advantageous feature of the device of the invention, one of the layers of the band extends substantially entirely over the flat surface of the track stem.
In accordance with yet a further advantageous feature of the device of the invention, the T-shaped cross section is defined by a rail stem and an arm. The rail is affixed to the outer headband layer and the inner headband layer by a first rail seam through the rail stem, the outer headband layer. The rail is further affixed to the outer headband layer by a second rail seam only through the outer headband layer and the rail stem.
In accordance with yet still a further advantageous feature of the device of the invention, the track stem defines a side of the channel.
Any desired combination of the invention described above and the advantageous embodiments of the invention described above likewise forms an advantageous embodiment of the invention.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in hat with a rotatable bill, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which like elements and components bear like reference symbols, and first, particularly, to
The section is taken at a position where a point stitch 11 affixes the top of the headband 6 to the crown 2. The head band 6 may be provided with several of the point stitches 11 around the perimeter of the crown 2. The point stitches 11 are provided at a discrete location, such as along a seam that joins individual panels of the crown 2 or at an embroidered logo that is provided on the crown 2 so that the stitches 11 are not seen on an exterior of the crown 2. The point stitches 11 hold the head band 6 in the crown 2 and prevents the headband 6 from being pulled down out of the crown 2 when the bill 3 is rotated about the crown 2.
A rail 12 having a T-shaped cross section is disposed in the pocket 10. A seam 13 through the outer and inner headband layers 6a and 6b at a base of a stem 12s of the âTâ holds the rail 12 in the pocket 10. A second seam 14 through the outer headband layer 6a and the stem 12s adjacent a transverse arm 12a of the âTâ serves to bias the rail 12 to and outer headband layer side of the pocket 10. This assist in allowing the bill 3 to rotate more freely about the crown 2. A base of the inner headband layer 6b is shown with an additional seam (not numbered) that affixes a bent over end (not shown) of the inner headband layer 6b.
The bill 3 of the hat includes a substrate material 30 that is sandwiched between fabric layers 31. At an end of the bill 3 that is attached to the crown 2, the fabric layers 31 are brought together at a turned up portion of the fabric layers 31. The turned up portion is substantially perpendicular to the substrate material 30. The bill 3 has a track 15 with a figure four shaped cross section or an inverted h cross section affixed thereto. Ends of the turned up portions of the fabric layers 31 abut a stem 15s of the track 15.
The track 15 is affixed to the bill 3 by a fabric band 16 that extends around the stem 15s of the track 15 via a first track seam 17 through the band 16 and the stem 15s and by a second track seam 18 through the band 16 and the bent portion of the fabric layers 31. The stem 15s defines an overall height of the track 15 and is disposed to provide the track 15 with a flat surface that is disposed along the inner headband layer 6b and thus to the head of a wearer to make the construction of the track/rail assembly more comfortable for a person to wear. Furthermore, it is preferable for the band 16 to extend up a majority of the length of the stem 15s in order to maintain a flat face against the inner headband liner 6b. On the opposite side of the stem 15s, the band 16 extends substantially up to an underside of a channel 15c of the track 15. The channel 15c has opposing inwardly directed flanges 15f that retain the arm 12a of the rail 12 in the channel 15c as the stem 12s passes through a space defined between the flanges 15f and allows the bill 3 to rotate about the crown 2.
The rail 12 is manufactured by extrusion molding and the rail 12 has the characteristics of a rail that is extruded. The rail 12 is provided from a continuous reel of rail 12 and is cut to length according to a corresponding crown size. The rail 12 is affixed in the pocket 10 around the crown 2 so that rail ends 12e are spaced apart at a small distance (less than 3 mm) a gap therebetween, the gap receives the track and allows the track channel 15c to be fed onto the rail 12.
This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 15/332,529, filed Oct. 24, 2016; which was a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 14/254,100, filed Apr. 16, 2014, now abandoned; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15332529 | Oct 2016 | US |
| Child | 16276159 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14254100 | Apr 2014 | US |
| Child | 15332529 | US |
