Patent Application
20140298567
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Outdoor activities, such as hunting, skiing, camping and certain outdoor professions, such as construction, require individuals to be outside in sometimes extreme weather conditions, such as very cold or very hot temperatures. As such, there is a large market for clothing specifically geared towards individuals subject to extreme conditions for an extended period of time. This invention relates to a survival device in the form of a hat that comprises pockets and/or openings to hold heating, cooling or hydration devices while protecting and shielding the user's head and neck from weather conditions. This hat also provides a convenient way for the user to stay hydrated.
Hats with pockets, such as that seen in U.S. Pub. 2008/0016602 and U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0143776 are known in the prior art. However, these hats are geared towards an athlete who, for example, needs to store car keys, identification, or other personal items. These other hats merely act as a pocket in circumstances when a user does not have physical pockets on their clothing to use.
This survival device differs from the prior art in that it serves to warm, cool, or hydrate a user through the pockets. Where the prior art hats are focused on the user's convenience, the survival hat takes that concept one step further by enhancing the user's comfort, body temperature, and hydration levels.
Furthermore, this survival hat also contains an opening for a means to consume a liquid beverage, such as a straw or a tube, to be passed through from a container holding the liquid beverage to the user's mouth. The container can also be placed in one of the survival hat's pockets.
The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.
This invention relates to a survival device, namely a hat that has pockets and/or openings to warm or cool and hydrate the user. Generally, this hat is comprised of weather and/or situation-appropriate material. For example, the material may comprise a durable cotton or vinyl material but it is anticipated that any material suitable to wear is anticipated. The material may be weather treated to prevent moisture. The material may also be patterned depending on a user's situation. Such patterns include, but are not limited to, camouflage, bright colors for visibility, or decorative patterns including names, logos, etc.
The hat comprises a crown portion that covers the entire head. It is generally preferred that a visor or brim be included to shield a user's face from the sun or rain but there may be some settings where this is undesirable so this is not required. Extending past the crown portion to cover a user's neck is at least one pocket. Preferably there will be many pockets, such as a pocket covering each side of the head as well as one covering the back of the neck. It may be preferable to have the pocket be located on the inside of the survival hat as this is closer to a user's skin. The pockets comprise a similar material to that of the crown portion of the hat. However, in some settings it may be anticipated that other materials different from the crown portion may be preferred. The pockets may also be elastic in nature.
The pockets may also include a closure. Such closures include, but are not limited to, buttons, Velcro, snaps, zippers, or other suitable forms of a closure.
At least one pocket may also include a hydration vessel to hold a liquid beverage of the user's choice for drinking. The hydration vessel will be suitable for both warm and cool beverages. Preferably, this hydration vessel will be insulated to ensure that the beverage contained therein maintains its desired temperature.
The hat will also include a removable means for transporting the liquid beverage from the hydration vessel or other external container to the user's mouth. This removable means may be a straw or tube. The straw or tube will feed into the hat and be held into place within hat. The tube will exit the hat through small holes in a position convenient to a user's mouth. The straw or tubes may extend past this hole to a length convenient to a user's mouth. It is also desirable to include openings within the pockets so that the pockets could also provide a point to hold a straw or tube. Preferably, the straw or tubes will be insulated to ensure that the liquid passing through from the hydration vessel to the user's mouth maintains its desired temperature and, in the case of use in extreme cold weather, does not freeze within the straw or tube.
In a survival setting, it is anticipated that the pockets hold warming or cooling devices. Such devices include a warming pack, ice pack, or a hydration vessel holding either a warm or cool liquid for consumption. While it is anticipated that the user will add these devices to the pockets it is also anticipated that these devices may be built into the pockets.
One skilled in the art will recognize that a chin strap may be added to ensure a secure fit of the hat.
This and other embodiments will be more thoroughly realized in the drawings and detailed description below.
Possible and preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the broad scope of the invention. In the drawings:
Turning first to
The at least one pocket 6 will preferably be multiple pockets 6a, 6b. Such pockets 6a, 6b may be located on each side of a user's head (6a) as well as at the back of a users neck (6b).
The hat 14 has a crown portion 8 adapted to fit a user's head. This crown portion 8 may be adjustable or may be sized to fit a particular user. The hat 14 may also include a visor 4 to shield a user from rain or sun.
The pockets 6a, 6b are flexible and may include a closure 10 such as the button seen in
Turning to
The hat 14 will also include a removable means for transporting the liquid beverage from a beverage container to the user's mouth; such as a straw or tube 13. This beverage container (not shown) may be external to the hat 14 or may be held within one the pockets 6a, 6b.
Throughout the specification and claims the word “comprise” and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word “comprise” and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims priority to the earlier filed U.S. Provisional Application 61/809,982 entitled Survival Hat filed on Apr. 9, 2013.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61809982 | Apr 2013 | US |
