The present invention relates generally to headwear, more specifically headwear that may, at the wearer's option, appear, fit, and feel like a common baseball cap, or serve to protect the wearer's head, ears, and neck from uncomfortable, unfavorable, or otherwise personally damaging surrounding conditions which the wearer may be exposed to, regardless of whether the wearer is outdoors or in a climate controlled space.
Baseball caps, or baseball hats, generally consist of a bill or visor; a crown; and a reinforced or “double thickness” material (a band or sweatband) which extends around the bottom circumference of the cap's crown, providing the wearer with a secure, yet comfortable fit. The crown of a baseball cap is typically made up of multiple sewn together material gores, but alternatively, the crown can be made up of one piece of material. This application acknowledges baseball caps as prior art.
Additionally, the prior art includes several caps and attachments for baseball caps which drape over a wearer's head, ears, and/or neck. However, the prior art does not disclose a baseball cap with the advantages of the present invention. The advantages include the option of wearing the present invention in a manner appearing as a common baseball cap or deploying a protective material which securely fits over and protects the wearer's head, ears, and neck.
The invention disclosed herein comprises a common baseball cap with an additional section of material permanently attached to the rear of the baseball cap. In a preferred embodiment, the section of material may either be tucked up into and concealed under the baseball cap or selectively deployed over the head, ears, and neck of the wearer. The present invention makes significant improvements upon a common baseball cap by offering the wearer the option to selectively transform the baseball cap by deploying the section of material from the rear of the baseball cap and securely fitting the section of material over the wearer's head, ears, and neck.
The selectively deployable material is configured to include an elastic edge, which provides the secure fit over the wearer's head, ears, and neck. The elastic edge is accomplished either because of stretchy properties of the material itself or via the attachment of an elasticized band to the edge of the material. Optionally, tufts may be sewn into the selectively deployable material to gather the material in a manner to ensure that the section of material would not “blouse away” from the wearer's head, providing a further secured fit. The securely fitted material provides protection to the wearer's head, ears, and neck from uncomfortably cool, hot, and/or wet climatic conditions and from uncomfortable, unfavorable, or otherwise personally damaging surrounding conditions to which the wearer may be exposed. The present invention is configured to protect the wearer from surrounding conditions regardless of whether the wearer is outdoors or in a climate controlled space. Additionally, the sewing method for attaching the selectively deployable material to the baseball cap provides a comfortable fit and feel to the wearer whether the section of material is concealed under the baseball cap or deployed from the rear of the baseball cap.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrating various objects and features thereof.
As required, detailed aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up, down, front, back, right and left refer to the invention as orientated in the view being referred to. The words, “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the aspect being described and designated parts thereof. Forwardly and rearwardly are generally in reference to the direction of travel, if appropriate. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning.
The disclosed invention comprises headwear including a common baseball cap plus a section of material permanently attached to the rear of the baseball cap which may be selectively deployed from the rear of the baseball cap. The headwear may be worn in the form of a common baseball cap, with the selectively deployable material tucked within the crown of the baseball cap, or with the material deployed from the rear of the baseball cap and securely fitted around the wearer's head, ears, and neck. When deployed, the section of material provides the wearer with protection from uncomfortable, unfavorable, or personally damaging surrounding conditions to which the wearer may be exposed. Such damaging surrounding conditions could be outdoors or in a climate controlled space. Most typically, the selectively deployable material is used to protect the wearer from uncomfortably cool, hot, and/or wet climatic conditions. However, a wearer may selectively deploy the material to protect from exposure to other uncomfortable, unfavorable, or personally damaging conditions, such as direct sunlight, high wind velocity, windblown sand, other windblown particles, or any other surrounding condition. The headwear of the present invention could also be used as an alternative to a hairnet for food-related services.
When deployed, the attached protective material is also configured to decrease the loss of body heat from the wearer's head, ears, and neck due to convection. The deployable material shields or protects the wearer's head, ears, and neck from air movement generated either from external sources or from the wearer's movement. Additionally, the deployable material decreases the loss of body heat from the wearer's head, ears, and neck due to radiation, conduction, and/or evaporation of sweat. When the selectively deployable material is tucked into the crown of the baseball cap, the present invention provides an additional layer of protection from heat loss through the top of the wearer's head.
The method of attaching the section of protective material to the rear of the crown portion of the baseball cap ensures a comfortable fit both when the material is deployed outside the baseball cap and when the material is folded up into the crown of the cap. The edge of the selectively deployable material to be sewn onto a rim of the rear portion of the baseball cap is cut significantly longer than the circumference of the rear portion of the baseball cap. To bring the length of this edge of the deployable material into conformance, an elastic edge is cut to match the circumference of the rear portion of the baseball cap where the deployable material will be attached. The elastic banding is then stretched to match the longer length of the selectively deployable material. The elastic edge, while stretched, is sewn onto the edge of the deployable material. Once sewn to the deployable material, the elastic edge is allowed to return to its original, non-stretched length, which exactly matches the circumference of the rear portion of the baseball cap. The deployable material is, thereby, reduced to the proper length and is uniformly gathered, ensuring a comfortable fit whether the deployable material is concealed or deployed by the wearer. Additionally, an elastic edge may or may not be sewn onto the outer edge of the deployable material to ensure a secure fit over the wearer's head, ears, and neck.
Referring to the drawings in more detail, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a cap including a selectively deployable section of protective material 2. The cap 1 includes a crown portion 8 and a bill or visor 10, like a common baseball cap. The crown 8 may be comprised of multiple sewn together material gores or one material piece. The bill 10 is connected to the front of the crown portion 8 of the cap 1 and designed for shielding sunlight from the wearer's face. The crown portion of the cap optionally may be fitted to a particular cap size, may include stretching or “flex-fit” properties allowing the cap to fit several head sizes, or may be adjustable. The embodiments shown in
The headwear embodying the present invention may or may not include accessories, appurtenances, or items affecting the baseball cap's appearance, including but not limited to vent holes; sweat bands; crowns of varying shapes and sizes; bills of varying shapes and sizes; and adornments or additions of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. Embodiments may or may not include, as part of the ornamental design of the baseball cap, names, logos, insignias, symbols, or other lettering, designs, or artwork which identify a sports team, school, locality, group, society, membership, or any other entity which may be interested in or otherwise perceived to be served by displaying their identifying name, logo, insignia, symbol, or other lettering, designs, or artwork on a baseball cap. The selectively deployable material may also include names, logos, insignias, symbols, or other lettering, designs, or artwork which identify a sports team, school, locality, group, society, membership, or any other entity which may be interested in or otherwise perceived to be served by displaying their identifying name, logo, insignia, symbol, or other lettering, designs, or artwork on the section of material.
It is to be understood that the invention can be embodied in various forms, and is not to be limited to the examples discussed above. The range of components and configurations which can be utilized in the practice of the present invention is virtually unlimited.
This application claims priority in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/172,585, filed Jun. 8, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62172585 | Jun 2015 | US |