US20030093851A1

US20030093851A1 - Cap with two visors

Info

Publication number: US20030093851A1
Application number: US09/988,909
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank Maya
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-11-19
Filing date: 2001-11-19
Publication date: 2003-05-22

Abstract

Headgear has a band means for engagement around a wearer's head, the band having a front portion, a rear portion and a pair of opposite side portions connecting the front to the rear portions. The front and rear portions have a lower perimeter with a first rigid visor having an attachment edge fixed to the lower perimeter of the front portion of the band, and extending outwardly from the band in a first direction and a second rigid visor having an attachment edge fixed to the lower perimeter of the rear portion of the band and extending outwardly from the band in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction.

Description

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to headgear in general and caps or sweat bands in particular.

A certain type of loose fitting flexible hat with side flaps which was associated with Sherlock Holmes, had a flexible visor at the front and the back. While an interesting design, this old form of headgear, to the knowledge of the inventor, had no adjustment mechanism and was provided in specific sizes. The presence of extraneous structures such as ear flaps and a soft floppy design also makes this structure inappropriate for modern sports type caps.

Sports type caps of known design either come in specific sizes or have an adjustment mechanism at the back perimeter of the hat opposite from the visor for adjusting the circumference of the band. A variety of known adjustment mechanisms have been utilized which may all be used with the present invention, in embodiments of that invention which use adjustment mechanism.

Visors are also known which include a sweat band for engaging around the wearer's head, but no crown or covering over the top of the wearer's head. A visor extends from the front of the band to shield the user's face and eyes from the sun.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,540 discloses a cap having elastic parts which provide the function of adjustment means so that one cap can fit a variety of head sizes. An elastic band such as that used in this patent can also be used in some embodiments of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a cap or visor which has front and rear portions each equipped with a rigid visor. When the headgear of the invention is a cap, separate related or unrelated logos can be provided at the front and the back so that the wearer can, in effect, reverse the cap and still have a visor while displaying a different decorative or informational feature of the hat. In one embodiment of the inventive headgear, an American flag can be provided on the front portion or crown with the letters USA on the rear portion or crown.

The inventor has found that since adjustment means now provided on what would be the back of the cap, would interfere with the second visor, alternate provisions had to be made for adjusting the circumference of the headband portion of the cap or the headband of the visor. Adjustment means, in one embodiment of the invention, are provided on only one side portion of the band means, between the front and rear portions of the band. Advantageously, this can be in the form of tabs extending from each of the front and rear portions with a variety of fasteners for removably connecting the tabs to each other to change the effective length of the side or both sides of the headgear, such as hook and loop fasteners, button and aperture fasteners, buckle type fasteners or other fasteners conventionally used in sports caps or other headgear. The same type of adjustment mechanisms can be used where the headgear of the invention is in the form of only a double visor structure with band means for engagement around the head of the wearer and front and rear rigid visors and a second adjustment means can be provided on the other side of the band as well for symmetry and a more extensive adjustment range. Otherwise the opposite side of the band can simply span the space between the two visors with no adjustment capacity.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide headgear comprising: band means for engagement around a wearer's head, the band means having a front portion, a rear portion and a pair of opposite side portions connecting the front to the rear portions, the front and rear portions each having a lower perimeter; a first rigid visor having an attachment edge fixed to the lower perimeter of the front portion of the band means, and extending outwardly from the band means in a first direction; and a second rigid visor having an attachment edge fixed to the lower perimeter of the rear portion of the band means and extending outwardly from the band means in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings: [0010]
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of headgear according to the present invention with a central part or crown of the headgear generalized to indicate that it may be a cap or other structure such as merely a headband and where either the cap or the headband are adjustable or not; [0011]
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; [0012]
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of FIG. 1, the opposite view being identical; [0013]
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a second embodiment of the invention where the headgear is a sports cap, the opposite side being identical thereto; [0014]
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 4; [0015]
FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 4, the rear elevational view being identical; [0016]
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the headgear of the invention in the form of a headband; [0017]
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of the headband version of the invention; [0018]
FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 8; [0019]
FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIGS. [0020] 7 or 8, the rear elevational view being identical thereto; and
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the invention using tabs as adjustment means at the side portions of the band means of the invention, the opposite side being identical in one embodiment of the invention or the opposite side being as shown in FIG. 4 where adjustment means are provided on only one side of the hat and where the front and rear elevational views are identical to FIG. 6.[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention as illustrated in FIGS. [0022] 1-3, is a headgear 10 comprising band means 12 for engagement around a wearer's head, the band means having a front portion 14, a rear portion 16 and a pair of opposite side portions 18, 20 connecting the front to the rear portions to each other.
The front and rear portions each having a [0023] lower perimeter 15, 17 and a first rigid visor 22 of conventional known construction having an attachment edge is fixed to the lower perimeter 15 of the front portion 14 of the band means 12. The first visor 22 extends outwardly from the band means in a first direction. A second rigid visor 24, constructed in that same way or differently from the first visor 22, has an attachment edge fixed to the lower perimeter 17 of the rear portion 16 of the band means 12 and extends outwardly from the band means in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction.
FIGS. [0024] 4-6 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention which is a cap 30 having a head-covering crown 32 made of a plurality of gores that are sewn or otherwise attached to each other and a bead 34 which may be present in some designs or absent in others. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to designate the same or functionally similar parts.
The headgear of FIGS. [0025] 4-6 includes adjustment means 34 in at least one of the side portions 18 for adjusting a circumferential dimension of the band means 12. The opposite side 20 in FIG. 4 may be place and covered without adjustment means, or contain the same type or a different adjustment means as side 18.
The adjustment means can alternatively comprise at least one of the [0026] side portions 18 and/or 20, being elastically extendible or having an elastically extendable band 12 at the side or sides of the cap.
The adjustment means can be a pair of [0027] tabs 36 and 38, each connected to one of the front and rear portions 14, 16 of the band means and forming the at least one side portion, and fastener means on each of the tabs for detachably connecting the tabs to each other to adjust an effective length of the side portion 18 and/or 20.
The fastener means can be hook and loop fasteners (FIG. 4) or can comprise, as illustrated in FIG. 11, [0028] buttons 42 on one of the tabs 40, and apertures 44, for receiving the buttons, on the other tab 46.
As with the other embodiments of the invention two, opposite [0029] rigid visors 14 and 16 are attached to the front and the rear of the lower perimeter of the crown 32 or band 12.
The fastener means may alternatively comprise a buckle on one of the tabs for engaging the other tab as schematically shown at [0030] 50 in FIG. 7.
As shown in FIGS. [0031] 7-10, headgear 60 according to another embodiment of the invention comprises a sweatband or headband 62 for engagement around a wearer's head having an upper open perimeter spaced upwardly from the lower perimeter of the front and rear portions 64, 66. Rigid visors 14 and 16 and attached to these front and rear portions as n the other embodiments of the invention.
The sides or side portions in FIG. 7 may be elastic to provide adjustment, or have other adjustment means such as tabs with fasteners, in one of the side portions for expanding and contracting a circumference of the headband, or in both sides of the headgear. [0032]
FIG. 8 illustrates the embodiment where the adjustment means comprises a pair of tabs extending respectively from the front and rear portions and attachment means between the tabs for removably attaching the tabs to each other to adjust an effective length of the side portion of the at least one side portion. The adjustment means may comprise the at least one side portion being elastically expandable or tabs with openings and matting buttons or hook and loop fasteners. [0033]
In FIG. 11 a plurality of gores are connected to each other and to the band means to form the [0034] crown 32 of cap 30. At least one gore above the elastic side portion where that is used as the adjustment means, may also be elastic.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. [0035]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. Headgear comprising:

band means for engagement around a wearer's head, the band means having a front portion, a rear portion and a pair of opposite side portions connecting the front to the rear portions, the front and rear portions each having a lower perimeter;

a first rigid visor having an attachment edge fixed to the lower perimeter of the front portion of the band means, and extending outwardly from the band means in a first direction; and

a second rigid visor having an attachment edge fixed to the lower perimeter of the rear portion of the band means and extending outwardly from the band means in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction.

2. Headgear according to claim 1, including adjustment means in at least one of the side portions for adjusting a circumferential dimension of the band means.

3. Headgear according to claim 2, wherein said adjustment means are provided in both side portions of said band means.

4. Headgear according to claim 2, wherein said adjustment means comprises said at least one of said side portions being elastically extendible.

5. Headgear according to claim 2, wherein said adjustment means comprises a pair of tabs, each connected to one of the front and rear portions of the band means and forming the at least one side portion, and fastener means on each of the tabs for detachably connecting the tabs to each other to adjust an effective length of said side portion.

6. Headgear according to claim 5, wherein said fastener means comprise hook and loop fasteners.

7. Headgear according to claim 5, wherein said fastener means comprise buttons on one of said tabs and apertures for receiving said buttons on the other of said tabs.

8. Headgear according to claim 5, wherein said fastener means comprise a buckle on one of said tabs for engaging the other of said tabs.

9. Headgear according to claim 1, wherein said band means comprise a sweatband for engagement around a wearer's head having an upper open perimeter spaced upwardly from the lower perimeter of the front and rear portions.

10. Headgear according to claim 1, including a crown connected to said band means for covering a wearer's head.

11. Headgear according to claim 10, including adjustment means in at least one of the side portions for expanding and contracting a circumference of the band means.

12. Headgear according to claim 11, wherein said adjustment means comprise a pair of tabs extending respectively from the front and rear portions and attachment means between the tabs for removably attaching the tabs to each other to adjust an effective length of the side portion of the at least one side portion.

13. Headgear according to claim 11, wherein said adjustment means comprise the at least one side portion being elastically expandable.

14. Headgear according to claim 13, wherein said crown comprises a plurality of gores connected to each other and to the band means, at least one gore above the elastic side portion also being elastic.

15. Headgear according to claim 1, including a pair of adjustment means at each of the side portions for adjusting a distance between the front and rear portions changing the effective circumference of the band means.

16. Headgear according to claim 15, wherein said adjustment means comprise a pair of tabs extending respectively from the front and rear portions and attachment means between the tabs for removably attaching the tabs to each other to adjust an effective length of the side portion of the at least one side portion.

17. Headgear according to claim 15, wherein said adjustment means comprise the at least one side portion being elastically expandable.

18. Headgear according to claim 15, wherein said fastener means comprise hook and loop fasteners.

19. Headgear according to claim 15, wherein said fastener means comprise buttons on one of said tabs and apertures for receiving said buttons on the other of said tabs.

20. Headgear according to claim 15, wherein said fastener means comprise a buckle on one of said tabs for engaging the other of said tabs.