Environment control system for the head and neck
A system of head and neck garments and components that allows the wearer to control the environment around the wearer's head and neck is disclosed. The system requires that the wearer carry minimal additional gear while providing the wearer with the ability to cool, warm, waterproof, camouflage, and protect his or her head and neck areas against sun, wind, rain, snow, insects, blowing sand, etc.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/795,278, entitled “All-in-one Climate Control Hat/Flap and Accessories (CCH)” and filed on Sep. 18, 2006, which is specifically incorporated herein by reference for all that it discloses and teaches.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe invention relates generally to articles of manufacture worn about the head and neck and more particularly to a system of components worn about the head and neck that allow the wearer to better control his or her environment.
BACKGROUNDHats, scarves, facemasks, and other head and neck garments have been utilized by mankind for millennia. Originally, head and neck garments were primarily functional items that served to protect the wearer from the vagaries of a changing environment—from the pre-dawn chill, to the blistering noon-day sun, to the evening downpour. Later, style and design became important considerations in such garments as well. However, regardless of whether a garment is worn because of its ‘look’ or because of its utility and functionality, the person wearing the garment often finds that he or she must constantly add, remove, change, or replace head and neck garments as weather conditions and other environmental factors change. For example, a standard baseball-style cap can be extremely useful to reduce the glare and sunburn that can be caused by bright sunshine. However, if clouds suddenly move in and an unexpected rain shower occurs, the baseball cap may have no waterproofing or other features which would allow it to protect the wearer from the rain. Similarly, a waterproof hat is little help once a rain ends and swarms of mosquitoes appear.
Currently, such changing environmental conditions require the savvy outdoors-person to carry a number of different head and neck garments. For example, a hunter may need a baseball cap to keep the sun out of his eyes in the morning and a head-net to keep the pestering insects at bay after noon. Climbing up and down the mountains pursuing game can cause a lot of heat to build-up and the hunter needs something to help keep him cool, so he might don a neck pouch containing a cooling gel packet. Then, later in the evening, a warm scarf and knit hat may be necessary to protect the hunter's head and neck as a cold front moves into the area.
Clearly, constantly carting around even the small sampling of head and neck garments mentioned above is impractical. Thus, there is a need for a garment system that allows a garment wearer to control the environment around his or her head and neck without carrying a large number of differing head and neck garments at all times.
SUMMARYEmbodiments described and claimed herein address the foregoing problems by providing a complete system of head and neck garments that allows the wearer to control the environment around his or her head and neck. The system requires that the wearer carry minimal additional gear while providing the wearer with the ability to cool, warm, waterproof, camouflage, and protect his or her head and neck areas against wind, rain, snow, insects, blowing sand, etc.
The aforementioned and other features and objects of the present invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment and other embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In one embodiment, an environment control system (hereafter, “ECS”) can be utilized with a standard baseball-style cap. The cap is modified in order to allow attachment of the various components of an ECS. In alternate embodiments, an ECS can be utilized with a variety of other hat types and styles. Furthermore, an ECS can include one or more hats (of similar or varying styles) as component(s) of the system or an ECS can be added to an existing hat. The term “hat” as used herein can refer to any piece of headgear or other item that is worn, suspended, or otherwise held in close proximity to a person's head. Examples include, but are not limited to, baseball caps, cowboy hats, straw hats, helmets, visors, etc. In addition, the term “cap” can be interchangeably used for the term “hat”, and vice versa.
A CCF 110 can be attached to a cap 170 by a myriad of means, including, but not limited to: hook-and-loop material (e.g., those sold under the trademark VELCRO®), snaps, buttons, zippers, magnets, ties, etc. As shown in the embodiment of
In addition to the attachment means described above, a CCF 110 can have a belt loop 111. In the embodiment utilizing a baseball-style cap, the cap 170 has an adjustment band 171. The adjustment band 171 can be threaded through the belt loop 111 to provide an additional means of attachment and minimize movement of the CCF 110 relative to the cap 170.
As shown in the left side perspective view in
The AWF's 130 left side vertical attachment means 133 is shown using dashed lines as the exemplary hook-and-loop attachment means is also on the inside front face of the AWF 130, and so is not otherwise visible in
The CCF 110 has a drawstring 115 and a push-button clasp 114. The drawstring 115 serves multiple purposes. As shown in
The CCF 110 can be manufactured using a number of different materials. In one embodiment, a breathable yet water-retaining material is used. Such a material has the dual benefits of allowing perspiration to escape while helping to retain cool water to enhance the cooling benefits of the ECS. In addition to holding water, the material can be infused with water-retaining crystals such as cross-linked polyacrylamide crystals or any of a number of other non-harmful cooling chemicals or materials. Another example of water-retaining/cooling materials that can be utilized is natural jute fiber. Such materials, when wetted, help to cool the wearer by utilizing the cooling effects of evaporation. As shown in
The exemplary AWF 130 shown in
The materials used to construct the CCF 110, the AWF 130, and the FP 150 can be selected based on the advantages and disadvantages they offer. Further, the materials can be colored as desired. For certain applications, camouflage colorings may be desired. For others, such as in very hot, sunny locations, all white colorings may be used. The ECS 100 is not limited to certain colors or fabric/material combinations.
The hat cover 134 has at least two additional subcomponents: the elastic or stretchable portion 135 at the front of the hat cover 134 and the adjustable attachment means or drawstring 136, in the embodiment shown in
The FP 150 shown in the embodiment in
The FP 150 has an upper attachment means 152 which provides a means for attaching the FP to the cap 170. In the embodiment shown in
In addition to the attachment means described above, the CCF 210 can have a belt loop 211. In the embodiment utilizing a baseball-style cap, the cap 270 has an adjustment band 271. The adjustment band 271 can be threaded through the belt loop 211 to provide an additional means of attachment and minimize movement of the CCF 210 relative to the cap 270.
As shown in the left side perspective view in
The CCF 210 has a drawstring 215 and a push-button clasp 214, as described under
The cap 270 shown in
An embodiment of a CCF 310 is shown in
The eyelets briefly discussed above are shown in more detail in
Three vertical stays are embedded within the embodiment of the CCF 310 shown in
In the top center area of the CCF 310 is an elastic band or stretchable area 324. The stretchable area 324 allows the CCF 310 to easily adjust to wearers with different size heads. Further, the stretchable area 324 provides for a comfortable and snug fit.
At the very top of the CCF 310 are two horizontal attachment tabs 325 and 326. The tabs extend beyond the top of the CCF's 310 main body and are flexible so they can be folded over and attached inside the sweat-band of a hat. The attachment means are not visible in this embodiment; they reside on the outside surface of the tabs and so may be seen in
An embodiment of a CCF 410 is shown in
The eyelets, which include a top pair 416 and 466, a middle pair 417 and 467, and a bottom pair 418 and 468 in the CCF 410, are as described under
Both the left and the right horizontal attachment means 412 and 482 are shown in
In addition to acting as a point of attachment for the AWF, the vertical attachment means 413 and 483 also receive the corresponding vertical attachment means on the FP and thereby help to hold the FP in place.
In the top center of the AWF 530 is an elastic band or stretchable area 537. The stretchable area 537 allows the AWF 530 to easily adjust to wearers with different size heads. Further, the stretchable area 537 provides for a comfortable and snug fit.
Yet another exemplary implementation of the AWF 630 is illustrated in
The AWF 630 attaches to the CCF 110 via the left horizontal attachment means 632 and the left vertical attachment means 633. Both attachment means are illustrated using dashed lines as they are on the inside, front-facing surface of the AWF 630 and so are not directly visible in the current view. The CCF 110 has a left horizontal attachment means 112 placed so as to accept the AWF's 630 left horizontal attachment means 632. The AWF's 630 left vertical attachment means 633 attaches to the corresponding CCF's 110 left vertical attachment means 113. Both the CCF 110 and the AWF 630 also have corresponding right vertical and horizontal attachment means (not shown) that are mirrors of the left attachment means.
The hat cover 634 has at least three additional subcomponents shown in the embodiment in
The FP storage tab 656 shown in the embodiment in
The FP 750 shown in the embodiment in
The FP 750 has an upper attachment means 752 which provides a means for attaching the FP 750 to a hat. In the embodiment shown in
The storage tab 755 provides a means of securing the FP 750 out of the way when it is not in use. Storage is accomplished by folding the FP 750 over the top of the head and attaching the storage tab 755 to a corresponding attachment means on the rear of the hat. Given the exemplary hook-and-loop attachment means and using the baseball-style hat as an example, the FP 750 would be folded over the top of the hat and attached via the storage tab 755 to a corresponding hook-and-loop material previously affixed to the hat directly above the adjustment band 171, on the back center of the hat, as shown in
The FP 750 has vertical attachment means 753 and 754 which also utilize hook-and-loop material in the embodiment shown in
The above specification, examples and data provide a description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of the described articles of manufacture and methods. Many embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. An environment control system for the head and neck, comprising:
- a climate control flap having an upper edge, a lower edge, a left edge, and a right edge;
- the climate control flap further having an outside surface and an inside surface wherein the outside surface is joined to the inside surface by the upper edge, the lower edge, the left edge, and the right edge;
- a means of attaching the climate control flap to a hat such that the climate control flap hangs generally downwards from the hat and wherein the upper edge is in proximity to the hat, the lower edge is in proximity to the nape of the neck of a wearer of the hat, the left edge is in proximity to the left cheek of a wearer of the hat, the right edge is in proximity to the right cheek of a wearer of the hat, the inside surface faces inwardly towards the neck and head of a wearer of the hat, and the outside surface faces outwardly away from the neck and head of a wearer of the hat;
- a plurality of pockets integrated within the climate control flap between the outside surface and the inside surface, the plurality of pockets accepting cooling agents or warming agents; and
- a plurality of vertically oriented stays attached to the climate control flap.
2. The environment control system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a vertical attachment means positioned on the climate control flap to facilitate attachment of a face protector.
3. The environment control system of claim 2, further comprising:
- a face protector having a means of removably attaching to the climate control flap.
4. The environment control system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a horizontal attachment means positioned on the climate control flap to facilitate attachment of an all-weather flap.
5. The environment control system of claim 4, further comprising:
- an all-weather flap having a means of removably attaching to the climate control flap.
6. The environment control system of claim 3, further comprising:
- a horizontal attachment means positioned on the climate control flap to facilitate attachment of an all-weather flap; and
- an all-weather flap having a means of removably attaching to the climate control flap.
7. The environment control system of claim 6, further comprising:
- a plurality of pairs of eyelets in the climate control flap having a drawstring and an adjustable clasp; and
- a belt loop attached to the outside surface of the climate control flap in proximity to the upper edge and forming a loop through which an adjustable hat band can be placed.
8. The environment control system of claim 5, further comprising:
- the all-weather flap having a hat cover removably attached to the all-weather flap and positioned so as to at least partially cover the hat; and
- the hat cover having an elastic area and a drawstring that facilitate adjustment of the all-weather flap.
9. An environment control system for the head and neck, comprising:
- a climate control flap having an upper edge, a lower edge, a left edge, and a right edge;
- the climate control flap further having an outside surface and an inside surface wherein the outside surface is joined to the inside surface by the upper edge, the lower edge, the left edge, and the right edge;
- a means of attaching the climate control flap to a hat such that the climate control flap hangs generally downwards from the hat and wherein the upper edge is in proximity to the hat, the lower edge is in proximity to the nape of the neck of a wearer of the hat, the left edge is in proximity to the left cheek of a wearer of the hat, the right edge is in proximity to the right cheek of a wearer of the hat, the inside surface faces inwardly towards the neck and head of a wearer of the hat, and the outside surface faces outwardly away from the neck and head of a wearer of the hat;
- a plurality of vertically oriented stays attached to the climate control flap;
- a horizontal attachment means positioned on the climate control flap to facilitate attachment of an all-weather flap;
- an all-weather flap having a means of removably attaching to the climate control flap.
10. The environment control system of claim 9 wherein the climate control flap has a plurality of pockets integrated within the climate control flap between the outside surface and the inside surface, the plurality of pockets accepting cooling agents or warming agents.
11. The environment control system of claim 10, further comprising:
- a plurality of pairs of eyelets in the climate control flap having a drawstring and an adjustable clasp; and
- a belt loop attached to the outside surface of the climate control flap in proximity to the upper edge and forming a loop through which an adjustable hat band can be placed.
12. The environment control system of claim 10, wherein the all-weather flap has a hat cover removably attached to the all-weather flap and positioned so as to at least partially cover the hat.
13. The environment control system of claim 12 wherein the hat cover has a storage tab.
14. The environment control system of claim 9, further comprising:
- a vertical attachment means positioned on the climate control flap to facilitate attachment of a face protector; and
- a face protector having a means of removably attaching to the climate control flap.
15. An environment control system for the head and neck, comprising:
- a climate control flap having an upper edge, a lower edge, a left edge, and a right edge;
- the climate control flap further having an outside surface and an inside surface wherein the outside surface is joined to the inside surface by the upper edge, the lower edge, the left edge, and the right edge;
- a means of attaching the climate control flap to a hat such that the climate control flap hangs generally downwards from the hat and wherein the upper edge is in proximity to the hat, the lower edge is in proximity to the nape of the neck of a wearer of the hat, the left edge is in proximity to the left cheek of a wearer of the hat, the right edge is in proximity to the right cheek of a wearer of the hat, the inside surface faces inwardly towards the neck and head of a wearer of the hat, and the outside surface faces outwardly away from the neck and head of a wearer of the hat;
- a plurality of vertically oriented stays attached to the climate control flap;
- a vertical attachment means positioned on the climate control flap to facilitate attachment of a face protector; and
- a face protector having a means of removably attaching to the climate control flap.
16. The environment control system of claim 15 wherein the climate control flap has a plurality of pockets integrated within the climate control flap between the outside surface and the inside surface, the plurality of pockets accepting cooling agents or warming agents.
17. The environment control system of claim 16, further comprising:
- a plurality of pairs of eyelets in the climate control flap having a drawstring and an adjustable clasp; and
- a belt loop attached to the outside surface of the climate control flap in proximity to the upper edge and forming a loop through which an adjustable hat band can be placed.
18. The environment control system of claim 17, further comprising:
- a horizontal attachment means positioned on the climate control flap to facilitate attachment of an all-weather flap; and
- an all-weather flap having a means of removably attaching to the climate control flap.
19. The environment control system of claim 18, further comprising:
- the all-weather flap having a hat cover removably attached to the all-weather flap and positioned so as to at least partially cover the hat.
20. The environment control system of claim 19 wherein the hat cover has a storage tab.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2007
Publication Date: Mar 20, 2008
Inventor: Denis Patrick O'Hare (Berthoud, CO)
Application Number: 11/900,472
International Classification: A42B 1/06 (20060101); A41D 27/00 (20060101); A42B 1/18 (20060101); A42B 1/24 (20060101); A42B 1/00 (20060101);