Feminized Baseball Caps

Abstract

A feminized baseball cap may include a cap having a crown that may be worn on a user's head, the cap having a front and a rear as well as a circumference. A band may be placed around the circumference of the cap. A band also may be placed across an extending visor at a lower portion of the crown covering a seam where the extending visor and the crown meet. At least one feather may be included on the cap, and a brooch-like component may be affixed to the at least one feather.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to caps, and more specifically, to feminized baseball caps.

BACKGROUND

Headwear of various styles and shapes have for some time been worn for protection. For example, headwear may be part of a uniform worn for a particular athletic activity, such as baseball. This headwear often worn in athletic activities may be comfortable and provide protection from the weather or the sun; however, such headwear generally has not been desirable for many women to wear when they are not engaging in athletic activity.

SUMMARY

Feminized baseball caps may change the use from athletic and casual wear to more sophisticated fashion accessories for women to wear with an expanded wardrobe, such as with suits and dresses.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide a feminized baseball cap that may include a crown that fits about a user's head, a band across an extending visor at a lower portion of the crown, wherein the band may cover a seam where the extending visor and the crown meet, and at least one feather and a brooch-like component may be attached to the cap. The crown may be formed from a material selected from the group comprising cloth, velvet, fabrics, upholstery fabrics, moisture-wicking fabrics, lightweight wools, cotton, cotton blends, jersey, mesh, acrylic/wool blends, felt, synthetic material, plastic and leather. The at least one feather may be attached to the band or to the crown. The at least one feather and the brooch-like component may be removably attached to the cap. The band may be formed from at least one material selected from the group comprising fabric, cotton, ribbon, netting, leather, suede, gossamer, gauze, satin, and grosgrain. The band may include at least one bow. The at least one feather may be selected from the group comprising hackle feathers, ostrich feathers, guinea feathers, pheasant feathers, peacock feathers, rooster feathers, and synthetic feathers. The at least one feather may be dyed. The brooch-like component may be selected from the group comprising cabochon glass accents, gemstones, brooches, charms, covered buttons, and decorative pins.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure may provide an apparel item that may include a cap having a crown that may be worn on a user's head, the cap having a front and a rear as well as a circumference. The item also may include a band placed around the circumference of the cap, at least one feather attached to the band, and a brooch-like component may be affixed to the at least one feather. The cap may have a forwardly extending visor disposed at the front of the cap. The cap may include means for adjusting the size of the cap to various head sizes and the band may be placed over the means for adjusting. The band may be attached to an elasticized material, wherein the elasticized material may be placed around the circumference of the cap. The band may be removably placed around the circumference of said cap. The at least one feather may be selected from the group comprising hackle feathers, ostrich feathers, guinea feathers, pheasant feathers, peacock feathers, rooster feathers, and synthetic feathers. The brooch-like component may be selected from the group comprising cabochon glass accents, gemstones, brooches, charms, covered buttons, and decorative pins. The band may be formed from at least one material selected from the group comprising fabric, cotton, ribbon, netting, leather, suede, gossamer, gauze, satin, and grosgrain.

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a feminine headwear item that may include a portion conforming to the shape of a user's head, the portion having a visor, at least one feather, a band, and a brooch-like component. The band may be a ribbon and the brooch-like component may be a cabochon glass accent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a feminized baseball cap according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts a front elevational view of the feminized baseball cap of FIG. 1 including a band around the circumference of the visor; and

FIG. 3 depicts a back elevational view of the feminized baseball cap of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide baseball caps that feminize more traditional baseball caps that are often worn for athletic activity. Caps formed according to embodiments of the present disclosure may provide warmth, screening from sunshine, identification for teams or functional groups and/or a fashionable or stylish accessory. Caps formed according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a crown portion that fits about the user's head. These caps may include a forwardly extending visor or bill. A band may be formed across the visor of the caps covering at least in part the seam where the visor and the lower portion of the crown meet. A band also may be included around the periphery of the caps just above the extending visor at the lower portion of the crown. Feathers as well as a brooch-like component may be incorporated on feminized baseball caps formed according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 1-3 depict views of baseball cap 10 formed according to embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that FIGS. 1-3 depict only one type of cap that may be used according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Caps other than baseball caps may be substituted for baseball cap 10 without departing from the present disclosure.

Baseball cap 10 may have a variety of baseball cap profiles. A baseball cap profile may refer to the structure on the front of cap 10 above visor 101. For example, cap 10 may have a structured high-crown profile, a mid-crown profile, a mid-to-low crown profile, or an unstructured low-crown profile. The profile selected for cap 10 may vary depending on the needs or preferences of the user.

Cap 10 may include crown 105 that may rest on the upper part of the head of a user. Crown 105 may be constructed of any suitable material, including cloth, velvet, fabrics such as upholstery fabrics or moisture-wicking fabrics, lightweight wools, cotton, cotton blends, jersey, mesh, acrylic/wool blends, felt, synthetic material, plastic, leather, and/or any combination of these materials. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, crown 105 may be formed from brushed cotton twill material. Crown 105 also may be constructed of a plurality of panels of a flexible material that may be employed in constructing caps. Such panels may be secured together by stitching to form crown 105. However, crown 105 may be formed in other manners without departing from the present disclosure. Crown 105 also may include eyelets or small holes in crown 105 that may allow a user's head to breathe when cap 10 is worn. Eyelets may be formed with metal, reinforced stitching, or through other methods that may be known in the art.

Cap 10 may be single-colored or may include more than one color. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, cap 10 may have a black color. However, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, cap 10 may be khaki, white, pale gray or another color that may be desired by a user. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure may provide caps including colors that may be compatible with a given sports team or to coordinate with one or more elements of a woman's wardrobe as will be described in more detail later in this disclosure.

Baseball cap 10 may include bill/visor 101 that may extend forwardly from the front of cap 10. Bill/visor 101 may be relatively rigid, and when cap 10 is worn, bill/visor 101 may occupy the position just above the eyes of a user. However, it should be appreciated that variations of baseball cap 10 may be formed without bill/visor 101 without departing from the present disclosure.

Band 102 may be formed across bill/visor 101 of cap 10 covering at least in part the seam where bill/visor 101 and the lower portion of crown 105 meet as depicted, for example, in FIG. 1. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, band 102′ may extend around the periphery or circumference of crown 105 as depicted in FIG. 2. Band 102 or 102′ may be formed from one or more materials, such as fabric, cotton, ribbon, netting, leather (either real or synthetic), suede, gossamer, gauze, satin, grosgrain, and/or combinations of these materials. Band 102 or 102′ may be any color or combination of colors. Further, band 102 or 102′ may have a variable thickness depending on the type of material forming the band and/or preferences of the user.

Band 102 or 102′ also may include ruffles, bows, and/or other decorative elements according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Such decorative elements may be formed from the same material as band 102 or 102′ or a different material. In an embodiment of the present disclosure as depicted in FIG. 2, a ribbon may be used to form band 102′ of cap 10. Before fastening ribbon to cap 10, the ribbon may be tied into bow 102a positioned at any point around the ribbon that forms band 102′, and band 102′ formed from the ribbon may then be affixed to cap 10.

Band 102 or 102′ may be affixed to one or more points of cap 10 in a variety of manners. Band 102 or 102′ may be glued or otherwise adhered directly to the material forming crown 105 of cap 10, for example. In another embodiment, the material, such as fabric or gauze, forming band 102 or 102′ may be affixed to a piece of elastic that may stretch and contract to align around the circumference of cap 10 just above visor 101 or around visor 101. Accordingly, such band 102 or 102′ may be removable and interchangeable with other bands as the user desires.

Band 102 or 102′ may be secured to visor 101 and/or crown 105 of cap 10 by stitching, adhering using glue, or other conventional means. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, band 102′ may be secured by tying the material that comprises band 102′ around crown 105, for example, to form bow 102a. However, it should be appreciated that bow 102a may be separately adhered to band 102′ either before or after band 102′ has been secured to crown 105. Band 102 or 102′ may be removably fastened to cap 10 through fasteners, such as snap fasteners or hook and loop-type fasteners according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, cap 10 may be a cap that is fitted to a certain head size and is not adjustable. However, in other embodiments, cap 10 may include closure 107 on the back of cap 10 extending across opening 106 (as depicted in FIG. 3) allowing a user to adjust the size of cap 10. Closures for adjustable caps may include plastic snaps, adjustable hook/loop tape (such as Velcro), adjustable fabric tuck straps with slide closures, and/or leather straps having a buckle. If cap 10 includes a closure, such as a strap around the rear of cap 10 to allow a user to adjust the size of cap 10, if band 102′ of FIG. 2 is incorporated into cap 10, band 102′ may be positioned so that it remains in place when the strap is adjusted. In other embodiments, band 102′ may be removed and then replaced to allow for adjustment of cap 10.

Feathers 104 may be attached to baseball cap 10 at one or more points, such as at band 102 or 102′ or on crown 105. Feathers 104 may be comprised of one or more different types of feathers arranged in a desired combination on cap 10. Feathers 104 that may be used according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include animal feathers, such as hackle, ostrich, guinea, pheasant, peacock and/or rooster. While “real” feathers from animals, such as birds, may be used on cap 10, it should be appreciated that synthetic feathers may be used in place of or in addition to these “real” feathers according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, feathers 104 utilized according to embodiments of the present disclosure may retain their natural colors; however, it should be appreciated that feathers 104 may be dyed so as to take on a desired color or colors according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, other components, such as netting or ribbon (not shown in FIGS. 1-3) may be incorporated into the arrangement of feathers 104 on cap 10 to enhance the visual appearance of feathers 104 on cap 10 according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Feathers 104 may be stitched, glued, or otherwise attached to baseball cap 10. As an example, feathers 104 may be attached to band 102′ at the time when band 102 is placed around the circumference of cap 10. Feathers 104 may be removably attached to band 102′ through use of snaps, pins, or other fasteners, thereby permitting a user to substitute different feathers on cap 10 as desired to provide a change in color, texture, and/or general appearance of cap 10. However, feathers 104 also may be permanently affixed to band 102′, for example, through use of adhesives.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, feathers 104 may be attached to another area of baseball cap 10 other than band 102′. For example, feathers 104 may be removably or permanently attached to crown 105 of cap 10 above band 102′. In other embodiments, feathers 104 may be attached to an area around bill/visor 101 of cap 10, such as on band 102. Additionally or alternatively, feathers 104 may be attached to more than one area on cap 10 at the same time.

Feathers 104 may be affixed to crown 105 or band 102 or areas around bill/visor 101 of cap 10 using brooch-like component 103. Brooch-like component 103 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include cabochon glass accents, gemstones, brooches, charms, covered buttons, decorative pins, and/or combinations of these materials. Such brooch-like component 103 may include a pin that extends through feathers 104 to secure feathers 104 to band 102 or crown 105 or areas around bill/visor 101. It should be appreciated that brooch-like component 103 need not serve a fastening function in embodiments of the present disclosure. Rather, brooch-like component 103 may be included to serve a more decorative function by its association with feathers 104. In these embodiments of the present disclosure, brooch-like component 103 may be adhered to feathers 104, band 102, bill/visor 101, and/or crown 105 without achieving a fastening function.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a woman may elect to wear baseball cap 10 as a comfortable fashion accessory. In this respect, cap 10 may be worn with regular attire (i.e., outside of a sporting-related context), and even with dressy business or church attire. Accordingly, the colors of feathers 104, band 102 or 102′, crown 105 and brooch-like component 103 may be selected to coordinate with a woman's attire for a given occasion. Further, the types of feathers 104, band 102 or 102′ and/or brooch-like component 103 also may be selected in a coordinating manner according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, although a woman may support a certain sports team, such as the Dallas Cowboys, she may not have a desire to wear a traditional baseball cap offered that bears the logo of a sports team. Further, she may desire to wear a cap that would provide the comfort of a baseball cap while allowing her to show support for the team in a more feminine manner. Accordingly, a woman may elect to wear cap 10 formed according to embodiments of the present disclosure bearing the blue, white and/or silver colors associated with the Dallas Cowboys, even though the cap may not specifically include the Dallas Cowboys name or logo. The team colors may be incorporated into one or more of feathers 104, band 102 or 102′, bow 102a, crown 105 and/or bill/visor 101. It should be appreciated that a team's logo may be incorporated, for example, into the band of a cap or a brooch-like structure associated with feathers on a cap formed according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, cap 10 may be comfortable for a woman and/or useful depending on the weather, while allowing the woman to make a fashion statement and/or support her team.

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and steps described in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be utilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

Claims

1. A feminized baseball cap, said cap comprising:

a crown that fits about a user's head;

a band across an extending visor at a lower portion of said crown, wherein said band covers a seam where said extending visor and said crown meet; and

at least one feather and a brooch-like component attached to said cap.

2. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1, wherein said at least one feather is attached to said crown.

3. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1, wherein said at least one feather and said brooch-like component are fixedly attached to said cap.

4. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1, wherein said at least one feather and said brooch-like component are removably attached to said cap.

5. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1, said crown formed from a material selected from the group comprising:

cloth, velvet, fabrics, upholstery fabrics, moisture-wicking fabrics, lightweight wools, cotton, cotton blends, jersey, mesh, acrylic/wool blends, felt, synthetic material, plastic and leather.

6. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1, wherein said band is formed from at least one material selected from the group comprising:

fabric, cotton, ribbon, netting, leather, suede, gossamer, gauze, satin, and grosgrain.

7. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1, wherein said at least one feather is selected from the group comprising:

hackle feathers, ostrich feathers, guinea feathers, pheasant feathers, peacock feathers, rooster feathers, and synthetic feathers.

8. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1, wherein said at least one feather is dyed.

9. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1 wherein said cap includes closure means for adjusting the size of the cap to various head sizes.

10. The feminized baseball cap of claim 1, wherein said brooch-like component is selected from the group comprising:

cabochon glass accents, gemstones, brooches, charms, covered buttons, and decorative pins.

11. An apparel item, said item comprising:

a cap having a crown which is to be worn on a user's head, said cap having a front and a rear as well as a circumference;

a band placed around the circumference of said cap;

at least one feather attached to said band; and

a brooch-like component affixed to said at least one feather.

12. The apparel item of claim 11 wherein said cap has a forwardly extending visor disposed at the front of the cap.

13. The apparel item of claim 11 wherein said cap includes means for adjusting the size of the cap to various head sizes and said band is placed over said means for adjusting.

14. The apparel item of claim 11 wherein said band is attached to an elasticized material, wherein said elasticized material is placed around said circumference of the cap.

15. The apparel item of claim 11 wherein said band is removably placed around the circumference of said cap.

16. The apparel item of claim 11, wherein said at least one feather is selected from the group comprising:

hackle feathers, ostrich feathers, guinea feathers, pheasant feathers, peacock feathers, rooster feathers, and synthetic feathers.

17. The apparel item of claim 11, wherein said brooch-like component is selected from the group comprising:

cabochon glass accents, gemstones, brooches, charms, covered buttons, and decorative pins.

18. The apparel item of claim 11, wherein said band is formed from at least one material selected from the group comprising:

fabric, cotton, ribbon, netting, leather, suede, gossamer, gauze, satin, and grosgrain.

19. A feminine headwear item, said item comprising:

a portion conforming to the shape of a user's head, said portion having a visor, at least one feather, a band, and a brooch-like component.

20. The feminine headwear item of claim 19, wherein said band is a ribbon and said brooch-like component is a cabochon glass accent.