Patent Application
20250134198
This invention relates to headwear and, more particularly, to a headwear piece with a moisture controlling component to reduce staining of visible surfaces on the headwear piece.
It is well known in the logo baseball-type hat market, the immense frustration of buying a hat and wearing it on a hot day, or doing an activity that causes the wearer to perspire or sweat. Often the hat is desired to identify a particular place or event that the wearer wishes to remember and savor for a lifetime. It is well known that on a hot day or a day when the wearer is active, the hat can be soiled or contaminated in minutes and may never be treatable to regain its original look or form. Many people choose to avoid or bypass wearing the hat for fear that it will be ruined after only a very short time wearing.
There have been attempts to mitigate this problem by having replaceable terry cloth sweatbands, and by applying (installing) a supposedly liquid absorbing pad in the front panels of the hat. It was discovered that these methods were less than effective. The sweatband became dirty and soiled quickly and generally did not provide enough coverage to protect the headwear crown from sweat and perspiration migrating from the forehead or hair in areas not shielded by these previous designs. One version was found to deform the hat while placing it in position on front panels 1 and 2. It was found that the pad would slide around and not stay in position. It also had a serious drawback of not covering the majority of the crown, and thus sweat from the areas not shielded would progressively migrate to many multiple times the original area amount of liquid in contact with the crown wall. The seepage and damage was discovered to be extreme-growing up to five times the original area of liquid seepage. In other words, a 1-inch square water mark could migrate and stain up to a 5 square inch area. The flow was not ever effectively shut down and it was discovered that much of the liquid flow migrated not only to the crown but also through to the top side of the hat bill and the underside. Further, the entire pocket between the crown and sweatband often became a reservoir for excessive liquid accumulation, almost like a pool of liquid.
The prior art never effectively addressed the problem of flow to the pocket, as it was not effective at absorbing and draining the perspiration seepage. It was discovered that only by using highly absorbent fabrics lined with waterproof barrier, in an area shielding most of the six panels (five panels on a five-panel constructed hat), could the flow be appreciably stopped from migrating to the outer face of the crown or bill or under-bill. After years of study of sweat flows, it was learned that an absorbent layer needed to cover almost the entire circumference of the sweatband (typically almost 21 inches circumferential). The absorbent layer would need to arc upwardly into the crown void to almost the area where the eyelets are located. Anything lower than this would inevitably cause the sweat from the forehead to directly contact the inside of the crown and pass through, leaving sweat stains on some or all of the hat crown panels. Further, it was learned that the sweat did migrate in abundant flow into the pocket between the sweatband and the crown, because the liquid if not absorbed had to flow somewhere, and that proved to be at the pocket between the crown and behind the sweatband, and then flow radially outwards onto the bill.
Another problem in the hat industry has been that the hat shape deforms away from its original shape at purchase. This is especially true on soft crown hats (known as unstructured). These hats get crushed, wrinkled, and flat if not carefully mounted after wearing on a structure designed to fill the void of the hat crown interior. Few wearers go through the process of filling the space after wearing and the hat panels eventually weaken and slump.
The invention is directed to a headwear piece comprising: a crown with a wall having an inside surface and an outside surface; and an accessory to control migration of moisture from a wearer's head to and through the crown wall and thereby tending to alter an appearance of the crown at the outside wall surface. The inside wall surface extends around a receptacle into which a user's head is directed with the headwear piece in an operative position. The crown wall extends at least partially around a wearer's head with the headwear piece in the operative position. The accessory includes a flexible moisture absorbing component that is attached to the inside wall surface and extends upwardly from at or adjacent a bottom edge of the crown, that defines an entry opening for a wearer's head, and extends through at least 180° around a circumference of the entry opening. The accessory further includes a stabilizer strip that is joined with the flexible moisture absorbing component and exerts a force on the inside wall surface tending to maintain a convex shape of the outside surface of the crown.
In one form, the stabilizer strip extends through at least 180° around the circumference of the entry opening.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component is fixed to the inside wall surface.
In one form, the crown wall has an inside layer that is folded upwardly and defines a part of the inside wall surface. The flexible moisture absorbing component overlies the inside layer and extends to above the inside layer.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside surface of the crown wall.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside surface of the crown wall continuously through at least 180° around the circumference of the entry opening.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside layer.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside layer through at least 180° around the circumference of the entry opening.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component is not fixed to the inside surface at a region above the inside layer.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component directly engages a wearer's head with the headwear piece in the operative position.
In one form, a second flexible moisture absorbing component is fixed to the inside wall surface so that the flexible moisture absorbing component and second flexible moisture absorbing component cooperatively extend substantially fully around the bottom edge of the crown.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component is made from an absorbent fabric layer with opposite sides exposed directly to the inside surface of the crown and the head of a wearer with the headwear piece in the operative position.
In one form, the stabilizer strip is spaced above the inside layer.
In one form, the stabilizer strip is spaced above the inside layer over a majority of a length of the stabilizer strip.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component and second flexible moisture absorbing component are cooperatively adhered to the inside wall surface fully along the bottom edge of the crown.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component and second flexible moisture absorbing component cooperatively define a continuous ring shape.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside wall surface so as to be substantially flush with a bottom edge of the crown wall over a substantial length of the bottom edge of the crown wall.
In one form, the flexible moisture absorbing component has a vertical height that varies over a length of the flexible moisture absorbing component.
In one form, the stabilizer strip has a width greater than ¼ inch.
In one form, the stabilizer strip has a width less than one inch.
The inventive headwear piece/cap was designed to address the described existing problems with one installation. An absorbent layer is designed and positioned in the hat void in such a manner as to cover the sweatband circumference almost in its entirety or in its entirety, and in the area rising above the band deeper into the crown towards the eyelets. It can lay as a single layer of fabric from the supplier with no additional layers of backing. Suitable material, in one preferred form, is commercially available under the trademark “ZORB”. This commercially available fabric is highly absorbent and is lined with a waterproof barrier. Generally, this fabric, or a preferred like suitable fabric, is made from non-allergenic, durable, and easy to sanitize materials. It has fibers from a mix of bamboo, cotton, viscose, and poly microfiber. All suitable fibers can be naturally found in cloth diapers. This particular composition, while desirable, is not specifically required. Beyond the sweatband upward towards the eyelets, conventionally the absorbent fabric will add little or no rigidity, and it was discovered that the absorbent material laying against the crown walls in the absence of some appreciable rigidity, might fold or winkle, potentially causing areas to go uncovered. Further, the absence of rigidity on the absorbent would not cause the hat to maintain its original shape free from deformation, wrinkles, fold, or safe from accidental crushing.
The inventive headwear addresses the second problem of hat shape deformation and full coverage of the absorbent layer by applying a stabilizer strip to the upward portion of the absorbent layer for most or all of its circumference. This strip, in one exemplary form, is made of a styrene plastic which when flexed generates residual forces that add outward rigidity to the absorbent layer, causing it to tend to hug the inner crown panels in all areas of contact. Not only does it give more complete coverage of the absorbent layer inside the hat but it also fills out the hat by applying just enough force to expand it outward in a convex shape.
The stabilizer strip can be applied at a location that can affect the breaking point of the hat, where it transitions from smooth curvature to hard break. For smooth curvature throughout, the absorbent layer may extend beyond the stabilizer strip and that extension should remain soft and floppy, not backed with a rigid material.
In one form, there are four features of the inventive cap.
In
The headwear piece 10 has a crown 12 which may take a limitless number of different forms. The crown may be cup-shaped as in a conventional baseball-style cap. Alternatively, the headwear piece 10 may be in the shape of a visor that does not extend fully around a wearer's head with the headwear piece 10 in an operative position. The crown 12 may be interrupted to incorporate an adjustment feature, typically at the rear region thereof.
The headwear piece 10 may have a bill or a rim or may be made without any outwardly projecting structure from the crown.
The crown 12 has an inside surface 14 that bounds a receptacle 16 for a wearer's head, as seen additionally in
As seen in
In its basic form, the invention is directed to an accessory 22, as shown in
As noted above, the composition of the moisture absorbing component 24 may vary considerably with it, in one preferred form, being a single layer made from the aforementioned fibers. Typically, the moisture absorbing component 24 will have a relatively easily collapsed/floppy construction.
In
An inside layer 20 is attached at the bottom edge of the crown and is folded upwardly to define part of the inside surface 14. The gores 30 and inside layer 20 cooperatively define an upwardly opening pocket 31.
The component 24 is shown as a strip of the aforementioned fabric with a width that may vary along the length thereof. A single length extends at least 180° around the circumference of the bottom edge 18 with a portion of its height bonded to the inside surface 14, preferably along its full lengthwise extent. The bonding depicted occurs over a majority of the height of the layer 20 and potentially at a region thereabove.
An adjustment opening 32 is provided on the crown wall 28. In this form, the component 24 extends fully around the bottom edge 18 and is interrupted at the adjustment opening 32.
A separate moisture absorbing component 24a is attached at the adjustment opening 32 so that the moisture absorbing components 24, 24a cooperatively produce a continuous loop shape that effectively extends along the full extent of the bottom edge in a manner so as to engage a wearer's head fully around the circumference thereof with the headwear in the operative position.
As seen in
An adhesive, that may be in the form of a double-sided tape, is applied so that a surface 34 on the component 24 is stably bonded to the inside layer 20.
The component 24 extends upwardly beyond the inside layer 20.
In one preferred form, the component 24 extends upwardly from at, or adjacent, the bottom edge 18 to overlie a substantial portion of the inside surface 14 above the inside layer 20.
That portion of the component 24 extending above the inside layer by itself has little shape retention capability. The stabilizer strip 26 is bonded to the surface 34 on the component 24 and is shaped so that with the component 24 pressed into the receptacle 16, the strip 26 tends to bear the inside surface 34 conformingly against the inside crown wall surface 14 and at the same time residual forces tend to create a convex shape for the coextensive crown region which is a natural optimal relaxed state for the crown 12.
The width W1 preferably is adequate to allow application of a logo, shown generically at 36, at the surface 38 of the component 24 facing oppositely to the surface 34. For example, W1 may be adequate to allow the logo 36 to have a height of approximately 1.5 inches.
While a single layer of the material making up the components 24, 24a is described, it is also contemplated that one or more additional layers and/or a waterproof backing may be placed on the surface 34, on the component 24 and a like surface on the component 24a. This ensures against liquid seeping through the entire layer and contaminating the crown 12.
The accessory 22 may be pre-installed or may be sold separately from the headwear piece 10 to be put in place by an end user or a purveyor of the headwear.
It is common in existing designs to use bulky stabilizers in flexible headwear to maintain shape. This may prevent stacking of the headwear pieces.
The accessory 22 may significantly assist in imparting a desired shape to the crown 12 without blocking the receptacle 16 to any significant extent, whereby stacking is permitted. This allows for more efficient storing and transportation.
The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is intended to be illustrative of the broad concepts comprehended by the invention.
This application is a non-provisional application claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/595,212 filed Nov. 1, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63595212 | Nov 2023 | US |
