The present disclosure relates generally to headwear, and more specifically to a cap that allows removable decorative items to be attached at different location on the cap to change the appearance of the cap.
Embroidered patches and decorative accessories such as golf ball markers for golf themed caps are popular elements of sports caps or hats and have been used for many years. Most embroidered caps have permanent decorative elements that are sewn or otherwise adhered to the exterior of the cap. This requires the purchase multiple caps in order to wear caps of different decorations.
Certain solutions have been proposed to increase the flexibility of a single cap to show different decorative elements. For example, various pins may be offered that may be stuck into a cap. However, such pins are often limited in size and may damage the cap if they are moved often. Tactical caps use Velcro as an attachment mechanism to provide a user with the ability to change patches. However, tactical caps are tied to the placement of a Velcro footprint pre-sewn onto the cap for attaching the decorative items. Thus, the appearance of the cap is fixed by the placement of the Velcro footprint(s) as decorative items may only be attached to the areas with the Velcro footprint.
There is a need for a cap that includes the ability to place decorative items in different locations. There is also a need for headwear having a pocket for a utility belt for holding different decorative icons. There is also a need for headwear that includes the ability to make removable decorative items appear to be permanently attached to the headwear.
One disclosed example is a headwear system. The headwear system includes a fabric head covering having a securing mechanism on an interior surface of the fabric. A utility belt is inserted in the securing mechanism. The utility belt has a magnet. A decorative element having a ferrous material is provided. The decorative element is attached to an exterior area of the head covering by the magnet of the utility belt, corresponding to a location of the magnet.
Another disclosed example is a cap with a selectable appearance. The cap includes a fabric material having an exterior surface and an interior surface. A utility belt having a plurality of magnets arranged in a pattern is provided. The utility belt is attached to the interior surface under a side and a front of the cap. A first decorative element, having a ferrous material, is attachable on the exterior surface of the fabric material on the side or the front of the cap via any one of the plurality of magnets
The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the foregoing summary merely provides an example of some of the novel aspects and features set forth herein. The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of representative embodiments and modes for carrying out the present invention, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
The disclosure will be better understood from the following description of exemplary embodiments together with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. Some representative embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
The present inventions can be embodied in many different forms. Representative embodiments are shown in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail. The present disclosure is an example or illustration of the principles of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosure to the embodiments illustrated. To that extent, elements and limitations that are disclosed, for example, in the Abstract, Summary, and Detailed Description sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, by implication, inference, or otherwise. For purposes of the present detailed description, unless specifically disclaimed, the singular includes the plural and vice versa; and the word “including” means “including without limitation.” Moreover, words of approximation, such as “about,” “almost,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and the like, can be used herein to mean “at,” “near,” or “nearly at,” or “within 3-5% of,” or “within acceptable manufacturing tolerances,” or any logical combination thereof, for example.
The present disclosure relates to a method of changing the external appearance of headwear via replaceable decorative elements attached to the headwear through magnetic force. A magnetic utility belt is inserted into an interior securing mechanism of a cap. The utility belt provides structure and a method of attachment for decorative elements such as patches, markers, and other exterior elements. Exterior elements such as patches and markers remain in position on the headwear through magnetic attraction between the magnetic utility belt and ferrous elements on the decorative element.
The present decorative system for a cap or other headwear includes an interior utility belt on the interior of the cap and external decorative elements that may be affixed to the front or sides of the cap. Magnetic force joins the decorative elements to the utility belt through the material of the cap. To create the utility belt, magnets are placed on a neoprene foam material and encased with heat applied material such as vinyl. External decorative elements such as patches are created by adhering a flexible ferrous material between fabric layers. The external decorative elements may therefore be placed in different areas of the cap backed by the utility belt.
The example interchangeable decoration system allows the display of multiple surface embellishments on a cap. The attachment system is an improvement to existing cap decorations via its flexible magnetic canvas upon which users may remove and replace decorative elements of different designs, shapes, and locations. Embellishments remain in place through magnetic force along a template of strong magnets. The foam utility belt insert has multiple magnets in an array to allow attachment of decorative elements on a larger surface area in comparison to traditional embroidered headwear and tactical hats. The utility belt is stabilized by an interior pouch in the cap. Decorative elements may be removed and interchanged from the cap by the user.
The cap 100 includes decorative items that may be placed in different exterior surfaces of the cap 100. The cap 100 includes a brim 110, and multiple triangular panels 112. The panels 112 may be constructed from any appropriate natural or synthetic fabric material such as twill. The panels 112 are each sewn to each other via seams on respective lateral angled sides. A side between the lateral angled sides forms a generally circular open end 120 defined by a bottom rim 122. An interior semi-circular sweat band 123 backs the rim 122 at the open end 120. The ends of the rim 122 on the opposite end of the brim 110 are attached to straps 126 and 128. In this example, the strap 126 has holes and the strap 128 has matching pins that allow them to be attached each other in an adjustable fashion in order to adjust the circumference of the open end 120 to accommodate different head sizes. A proximal end of each of the panels 112 are joined at a button 124 that defines the top of the cap 110. The brim 110 is attached to a front end of the cap 100 as defined by the panels 112 in the front.
Different decorative items may be attached to the exterior of the cap 100 as defined by the panels 112. For example,
A securing mechanism such as an interior pouch 210 is formed behind the front panels 112 of the cap 100. The pouch 210 may be part of the sweat band 123 and thus encircles the sides and the front of the cap 100. Other structures may hold the utility belt 200 such as a belt loop structure. A bottom closed edge 212 of the pouch 210 is attached to the front panels 112. As shown in
The utility belt 200 slides into the interior of the cap 100 and rests in the pouch 210 that is connected to the sweat band 123 of the cap 100. From a rear view, the bottom foam layer of the utility belt 200 faces the user's forehead. Thus, the utility belt 200 sits behind the front of the cap 100 and wraps around each side. The utility belt 200 thus is concealed by the panels 112. Decorative items such as the decorative items 140, 142, 144, and 146 that have ferrous material magnetically adhere to the utility belt 200 through magnetic force.
Similarly, as shown in
The system incorporates strong magnets permanently affixed in a pattern inside a foam insert 238 in the magnet array layers 232 of the utility belt 200. The decorative elements contain a critical mass of ferrous material in order to adhere to the magnets 236 or 256 under the exterior of the cap 100 through the weight of the fabric of the cap 100. Different sized decorative elements may be attached to like sized magnets in the utility belt 200. For example, as shown in
Machinery ensures positive placement of the magnets 236 and 256 in a predetermined array on the foam layers 238 and 258 in
By utilizing the above described cap 100 and utility belt 200, patches and other ferrous elements will adhere to the front and sides of a hat and are held in place by the force of magnetic attraction with a sufficient strength so as to remain attached despite the cap material construction and normal movement while wearing the cap 100. Decorative patches remain stabilized in place through magnetic attraction until a user pulls the decorative item from the cap 100 at a force strong enough to clear the magnetic field. Thus, a user may change the appearance of the cap 100 by replacing some or all of the decorative elements, moving the location of some or all of the decorative elements, or adding or taking off some or all of the decorative elements.
Different sets of decorative elements may be provided to allow the cap 100 to be used for branding or other purposes. For example, a golf company may provide the cap 100 where the decorative patch 140 at the front of the cap 100 in
The appearance of the cap 100 may be changed by providing another set of decorative elements with a different common theme. Further, the appearance of the cap 100 may also be changed by changing the locations of the decorative elements. For example, the cap 100 with the decorative elements 142, 144, and 146 may be altered with the addition of another decorative element. Alternatively, the appearance of the cap 100 with the decorative elements 142, 144, and 146 may be altered with another patch that replaces the decorative logo patch 140.
As explained above, the decorative elements may be moved, replaced or other decorative elements may be added to the cap 100 to change the appearance of the cap 100.
The utility belt 200 may be used with a known cap such as a baseball cap and allow decorative elements to be attached to the exterior of the cap. For example, the utility belt 200 may be inserted in a sweat band on the interior of a normal cap. Alternatively, the utility belt 200 may be attached to the interior of a normal cap by means of connection mechanisms such as straps, tape or similar devices.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “including,” “includes,” “having,” “has,” “with,” or variants thereof, are used in either the detailed description and/or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”
The term fabric, as used herein, is to be construed in its broadest sense of any thin, expansive, flexible, or supple material of the type typically utilized in the construction of apparel and decorative arts such as embroidery.
The term vinyl applies to heat transfer vinyl, decorative vinyl, and other flexible, thin, expansive materials such as plastic sheet material.
The term foam applies to neoprene, rubber, silicone, felt, and other flexible cast materials.
The ferrous material may be a flexible sheet or infused layer of fabric, rubber, or flexible metal.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Although the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur or be known to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the invention should be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
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Entry |
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Definition of “patch” (Year: 0000). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210177080 A1 | Jun 2021 | US |