This invention relates to novelty items, and more particularly to novelty hats.
It is big business in the sports industry to sell and distribute novelty items that capitalize on fan enthusiasm. Sports novelty items not only sell as products themselves but also serve as collector items and excellent marketing tools. Many companies distribute free novelty items as a marketing technique to associate their product with the enjoyment of the sporting event experience. In order to be effective, the novelty item must accurately capture important aspects of the sporting event and provide high visibility marketing opportunities.
Motor sport racing is one of the most popular sports and a perfect environment for the selling and distributing of novelty items because racing fans in particular enjoy high quality collector items. Fans have begun wearing novelty items in the form of sports garments and paraphernalia as an enjoyable method of demonstrating their support and enthusiasm for their favorite driver or racing team. Headgear has become popular among fans and distributors because novelty hats are highly visible in the sporting stands and provide excellent marketing space for sponsors and companies looking to advertise.
A form of headgear popular among racing fans is the novelty hat shaped and designed like a racecar. Fans appreciate these racecar novelty hats because the hats provide welcomed shade as well as identifying fans with their favorite driver or racing team. Unfortunately, existing racecar novelty hats employ bulky single element construction that make the existing hats heavy, uncomfortable, problematic for detailed printing, and troublesome to distribute in a volume efficient manner.
An example of a traditional novelty hat for fans and companies is described in U.S. Design Pat. No. 393,536 issued to Buffer et al. This patent discloses a racecar hat formed of a single molded element, shaped like a racecar, and having an aperture in the bottom for resting on a fan's head. The curved surfaces and awkward shape have limited printing capabilities for placing designs, drivers, and details of racing teams and sponsors on the outside of the novelty hat.
Another example of a traditional novelty hat is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,174, issued to Rech et al. The novelty hat of this patent is molded from solid foam and shaped like a racecar. The patent acknowledges that the coarse granular surface of foam makes the foam novelty hat difficult to paint or print. To overcome this problem, the novelty hat is covered with a smooth outer surface such that stickers and decals may be applied. However, detailed printing is still unavailable because of the lack of flat surfaces to print on.
Like other racecar novelty hats, the novelty hats taught by Buffer et al. and Rech et al. employ a bulky single element molded construction and do not collapse or disassemble for shipping and distribution. As such, traditional racecar novelty hats can be uncomfortable to wear and expensive to ship because of their heavy and bulky construction.
In general, novelty hats in the shape of racecars are not suitable for detailed printing of sponsor information and detailed vehicle characteristics on their outer surface because the uneven and curved surfaces of a racecar novelty hats make detailed printing impossible.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a novelty hat that substantially obviates one or more of the problems arising from the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
The object and purpose of the present invention is to provide an economical and attractive novelty hat for distribution at motor sport events.
Another object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a novelty hat assembled out of inexpensive flat members, which stack and package easily for shipping and distribution.
Another object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a novelty hat enabling the packaged novelty hat to occupy significantly less volume than the assembled novelty hat.
Another object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a novelty hat that is significantly less weight than traditional single element construction novelty hats and therefore is more comfortable to wear and less expensive to ship.
Another object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a novelty hat constructed out of foam and capable of detailed printing on the outer surface of the novelty hat.
Another object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a novelty hat with detailed printing of sponsor information, detailed vehicle characteristics, or other information on the flat members before the novelty hat is assembled.
Another object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a thin layer or laminate on the flat members of the novelty hat for enabling enhanced printing.
Another object and purpose of the present invention is to provide a cloth laminate on the flat members for enabling photo quality printing on the novelty hat.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description as follows, and in part will be apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the methods and apparatus particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof together with the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purposes of the invention, as embodied and broadly described, the invention is a novelty hat formed of flat members with fasteners connecting the flat members into the shape of a racecar or other racing vehicles. The flat members of the novelty hat package flat against each other, allowing the novelty hat to be shipped and distributed in a significantly reduced volume. The flat member construction also provides a lightweight novelty hat, which is comfortable to wear and less expensive to ship. Furthermore, because the flat members present a flat surface to print on, extremely detailed printing can be done on the flat members before the novelty hat is assembled. Cloth laminates or other thin layers may also be used on the flat members to enhance the print quality. For example, upon assembly, the racecar novelty hat will not only have the form of a racecar, but also will have the realistic details of a racecar printed onto the outside surface. Such details could include, but are not limited to, headlights, tires, windshields, roll bars, window netting, and drive shaft.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrating one embodiment of the invention. The drawings, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiment is a novelty hat in the shape of a stock car racecar constructed out of flat members of foam. The details of a racecar are printed on the laminated surfaces of foam pieces before being die cut into shaped members and assembled into a novelty hat in the shape of a racecar. It will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the racecar shape of the preferred embodiment is of a representative nature and that the novelty hat disclosed in this invention applies to other racing vehicles like trucks and boats. Furthermore, novelty hats in the shape of automobiles, trucks, boats, or other vehicles may be formed.
The preferred embodiment of the novelty hat is shown in
As shown in
The members 200 and 300 of the assembled novelty hat 100 form the key elements of a racecar and particularly resemble a stock car due to the specific shape and proportions of these key elements. The top member 300 forms the roof 310, the windshield 320, the first side and second side windows 330, 340, and the rear window 350. The body member 200 forms the hood 210, the wheels 220, the first side and second side body panels 230, 240, and the rear 250 of the racecar.
Note that the novelty hat 100 provides many typical locations where sponsors and teams print their logos and racing information. Although not shown in
Racecar enthusiasts will appreciate the printing capabilities of the novelty hat 100. Details like axels, wheels, drive shafts, transmissions, exhaust pipes, and other similar vehicle and engine details may be printed on the bottom member 400, giving the novelty hat 100 a realistic look and a collector's item feel. Although the vehicle details are preferred, many other printed designs may work depending on the marketing goals.
Note that the first side body panel 230 provides printing space for both vehicle details and racing team logos. Likewise the roof and windows can be printed with vehicle details like window nets and an image of the driver in the racecar. Preferably, all exterior surfaces would be printed with vehicle details and sponsor information giving the novelty hat 100 a realistic look and marketing capabilities.
The female parts 620, shown primarily located near the exterior of the body member 200, connect with male parts 610 from members 200, 400. In the preferred embodiment, the positioning of the male parts 610 and the female parts 620 of the fasteners 600 are strategically placed to bend and fold the flat members 200 and 300, in the shape of a stock car. The fasteners 600 may, however, be modified in their location and number to facilitate the novelty hat 100 resembling other racing vehicle shapes.
When connecting one member to another, the male part 610 is inserted through the female part 620. The projection 612 extends from one side of the member being connected, through the opening of the female part 620, and allows the locking tip 614 to protrude out of the female part 620 on the opposite side. Once the locking tip 614 has passed through the female part 620, the extensions 613 expand beyond the opening of the female part 620 such that the locking tip 614 will not pull back through the female part 620.
Although the preferred embodiment discloses the use of the male and female parts 610, 620 for connecting the member to one another, the connection may be accomplished with other fastening elements known to those in the art such as, but not limited to, hook and loop, buttons and etc. More permanent fastening means such as sewing and chemically bonding the members together could also be used.
In the preferred embodiment, detailed printing will be placed on the surface 730 of the laminate 740. The surface 730 will become the exterior surface of the novelty hat 100 while the surface 720 will become the unseen, inside surface of the assembled novelty hat 100.
Although in the preferred embodiment, the laminate 740 is only applied to the surface 750 and not to the surface 720, the laminate 740 may, however, be applied to both surfaces 720 and 750. It will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that laminates could be used to cover all exposed surfaces, including the edge surfaces, of the members 200, 300, and 400. It will also be obvious to one of ordinary skill that by applying laminates and/or printing on both surfaces 720 and 750, the novelty hat 100 would be reversible with different printed designs on the inside and outside surfaces of the assembled novelty hat 100.
The preferred embodiment includes the use of a cloth laminate for the laminate 740 in
The foam rubber 710 may also be used without laminates. In this embodiment, detailed designs may be printed directly on the surface 750 and/or on surface 720 of the foam rubber 710 before assembly of the novelty hat 100.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the novelty hat of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050268376 A1 | Dec 2005 | US |