Adjustable cap

Abstract

An adjustable cap having a crown having a bottom edge, said bottom edge having an interior and an exterior; a brim attached to said crown at a portion of said bottom edge; a non-elastic material attached to the interior of said bottom edge, wherein said non-elastic material is coextensive with the brim and/or the wearer's forehead; and an elastic material attached to substantially all of the remaining portion of said bottom edge.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to an adjustable cap, more particularly to a cap having a crown portion including elastic and non-elastic portions in a prescribed placement and proportion.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Hats and caps are a popular accessory for men, women and children. Baseball caps, in particular, allow the wearer to advertise allegiance to a sports team, a designer or even a specific product, as well as provide protection for the head. Often, baseball caps are given away as promotional items or sold for mass consumption. Consequently, many baseball caps available today are capable of being adjusted to the size of the wearer's head. Such caps are popular due to the flexibility they offer the manufacturer and the adjustability in fit they provide for the wearer.

[0005] There are a number of different types of adjustable baseball caps that have been the subject of patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in recent years. Some prior art caps provide elastic material only at the back of the cap or at the sides of the cap. Other prior art caps provide elastic material that stretches circumferentially around the entire crown portion of the cap. Although a cap incorporating elastic material is preferable to a cap not incorporating elastic material, in terms of fit and comfort, the prior art caps still have disadvantages compared to the cap of the present invention.

[0006] In the prior art caps that provide elastic material only at the back or side of the cap, the amount of elastic material is relatively small, and the elastic that is provided must bear all the strain of stretching, leading to accelerated wearing of the elastic. In the prior art caps that provide elastic around the entire circumference of the crown of the cap, the elastic must be tight enough to provide a snug fit to the smallest head size intended to be encompassed by the cap, as well as fit the largest head size intended to be encompassed by the cap. Consequently, those with larger heads may find the fit of the cap to be uncomfortably snug.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,415 discloses an adjustable cap in which a band is stretched across the back of the cap adjacent the base of the inside circumference of the hemispherical crown portion. The stretchable band forms a sweat band to engage the head of the user and allows the cap to stretch circumferentially. The stretchable band of the '415 cap is only adjacent the rear portion of the cap, and does not address the fit at the side of the wearer's head.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,742 discloses a cap in which the rear portion of the band around the circumference of the crown is a single layer of bi-axially stretchable fabric and the front portion of the band can be of any other construction. Similar to the cap of '415, the stretchable band of the '742 cap is only located at the rear portion of the cap, and does not address the fit at the side of the wearer's head.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,911 discloses an adjustable cap that has a sweatband extending between the two ends of the opening in the back of the cap. The cap of '911 contains only a sweatband at the rear of the cap, and, similar to the cap of '415, does not address the fit at the side of the wearer's head.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,086 discloses an adjustable cap that has a stretchable material completely covering an opening on the rear end of the crown portion. The opening, or cutout, separates the left side and the right side of the crown portion, and the material covering the opening allows for both halves of the crown portion to either be drawn together or spread apart. The cap of '086 only has stretchable material covering the rear cutout portion.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,224 discloses a cap having elastic bands sewn alternately with two sweatbands to allow for adjustment of the cap. The two elastic bands are sewn on two elastic middle panels of the crown of the cap. U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,844 also discloses a cap including front and back fixed length sections separating elastic sections of the band. The elastic band sections take up about half the length of the band, and provide for head size adjustment while the fixed length band sections control the length of the elastic sections. The caps of '224 and '844 include elastic material only at the sides of the crown.

[0012] All of the above caps attempt to address the adjustability of the cap by constructing only the rear or side portion of the cap with stretchable material. None include a stretchable material covering a substantial portion of the circumference of the crown, and, thus, do not provide a close fit for the sides of the head of the wearer.

[0013] In addition, none of these caps allows for the possibility of making the non-stretchable, front or brim-adjacent portion of the cap of a different material. The front interior band portion of the cap is the only portion that makes direct contact with the wearer's skin, i.e., the forehead. No prior art cap teaches the use of a different material specifically designed for this most sensitive portion of the wearer's head, such as a sweat-absorbing or skin-soothing material, to provide extra comfort for the wearer, as well as a better fit.

[0014] Accordingly, there is a need for a cap that provides superior fit and adjustability to caps in the prior art, and also provides for the possibility of making the front portion of the cap of a different material to provide extra comfort for the wearer, as well as a better fit.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] It is an object of the adjustable cap of the present invention to provide a cap that has a superior fit.

[0016] It is another object of the adjustable cap of the present invention to provide a cap with added adjustability as compared to caps of the prior art.

[0017] It is a further object of the adjustable cap of the present invention to provide a cap having an inner-band construction that allows for the portion of the inner band adjacent to the brim to be constructed of an advantageous, non-elastic material.

[0018] It is an advantage of the adjustable cap of the present invention that it provides a close fit to the head of the user.

[0019] It is another advantage of the adjustable cap of the present invention that it enables a manufacturer to provide a multitude of users with a cap of superior fit without having to customize the cap in an array of sizes.

[0020] It is a feature of the adjustable cap of the present invention that it provides increased comfort in the fit.

[0021] It is another feature of the adjustable cap of the present invention that it has increased longevity as compared to the caps of the prior art.

[0022] It is another feature of the adjustable cap of the present invention that it may be worn by those having sensitive skin, due to the fact that it may be manufactured such that the front inner-band portion is constructed of a skin-friendly or soothing material.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is an adjustable cap comprising a crown having a bottom edge, said bottom edge having an interior and an exterior; a brim attached to said crown at a portion of said bottom edge; a non-elastic material attached to the interior of said bottom edge, wherein said non-elastic material is more or less coextensive with the brim; and an elastic material attached to substantially all of a remaining portion of said bottom edge.

[0024] In the cap of the present invention, preferably, the non-elastic portion covers substantially all of the forehead-contacting portion of the interior of said bottom edge.

[0025] In the cap of the present invention, preferably, the non-elastic material is a fluid absorbent, or some other material that provides extra comfort to the wearer's forehead.

[0026] The present invention is also for a method of forming an adjustable cap comprising forming a crown portion that is substantially hemispherical, said crown portion having a bottom edge, said bottom edge having an interior and an exterior; forming a brim portion; attaching said brim portion to the bottom edge of said crown portion; attaching an elastic material to an interior of said bottom edge of said crown portion, wherein said elastic material is attached to substantially all of the interior bottom edge that is not in contact with the brim; and attaching a non-elastic material to substantially all of the interior bottom edge that is in contact with the brim.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0027] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cap of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the adjustable cap 1 of the present invention. The cap has a crown 4 with a bottom edge 6 having an interior side 8 and an exterior side 12. The interior bottom edge of the crown is composed of a combination of an elastic 16 and a non-elastic material 20 attached to it. The elastic portion 16 may be of any material that is stretchable, such as, but not limited to, knitted lycra and jaquarded elastic. The non-elastic material 20 may be of any material that is not stretchable, such as, but not limited to twill fabrics and knitted fabrics, made of cotton and jersey material respectively. Both the elastic 16 and non-elastic 20 material may be attached to the interior 8 of the cap via any known method, such as by sewing or by hook and loop closures.

[0029] With reference to FIG. 1, the elastic portion of the bottom edge 6 of the crown 4 should preferably cover that entire portion of the bottom edge that is not attached to the brim 24 of the cap. However, at the very least, the elastic portion should cover substantially all of the forehead-contacting portion of the bottom edge of the crown, but generally coextensive with that portion of the bottom edge of the crown that is not attached to the brim of the cap. The non-elastic portion of the bottom edge of the crown should preferably cover that portion of the bottom edge of the crown that is attached to the brim.

[0030] The proportion and placement of the elastic and non-elastic materials on the interior of the bottom edge of the crown has been found to be advantageous in terms of fit, longevity and comfort of the adjustable cap of the present invention.

[0031] In terms of fit, the cap of the present invention, by providing an elastic material for the portion surrounding the sides and back of the wearer's head, as well as a non-elastic material in the front portion, allows for a fit proximate to a custom fit. The elasticity of the back and sides allows for a snug, yet not uncomfortable, cap. Furthermore, by providing elastic in a greater proportion of the bottom of the crown, the wearable life of the cap is extended. The non-elasticity of the front portion allows for adherence of the cap to the most comfortable position on the wearer.

[0032] With regard to longevity, in the adjustable cap of the present invention, because a greater portion of the interior of the bottom edge of the crown is elastic, relatively less stress is placed on each individual portion of the elastic. Thus, because there is more material to absorb the stretch, the wearable life of the elastic, and also the cap, is increased. Furthermore, the elastic material is of a sweat-absorbing capacity, and, as such, prevents the elastic from accelerated degradation due to exposure to fluids. Similarly, by making the non-elastic portion of a sweat-absorbent material, the degradation of the crown of the cap is slowed, and the longevity of the cap is increased.

[0033] With respect to comfort, the brim adjacent or forehead contacting portion of the inner band of the cap is constructed of a different, non-elastic material than that of the rest of the interior of the bottom edge of the crown. The reason for this differentiation in fabric between the forehead-contacting portion and the rest of the crown is twofold. The caps of the prior art do not distinguish between that portion of the inner band of the cap that contacts the forehead of a wearer and that portion that does not. Clearly, material that may not cause an allergic or adverse reaction when in contact with the forehead, particularly where the wearer has sensitive skin, is preferable. In addition, by providing a non-elastic material to be in contact with the forehead, the fit of the cap is actually more secure than that of a cap having elastic around the entire circumference. This is because the non-elastic portion adheres to the forehead in a more secure fashion than an elastic component. Furthermore, and as discussed above, the cap having a fully elasticized crown may be too snug for wearers at the larger end of the size spectrum, or too loose for wearers at the smaller end of the size spectrum. The cap of the present invention eliminates all of these problems in fit by providing elastic around the side and rear portion of the crown and non-elastic material for the forehead-contacting portion.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the forehead-contacting portion of the inner band is constructed of a non-elastic, sweat-absorbing material. However, other skin-friendly materials such as a quick dry material, a silk-like material, a basic cotton material or any other material that may be advantageous to the wearer may be substituted.

[0035] Thus, there has been disclosed a novel adjustable cap including an elastic and non-elastic material attached to the interior band of the crown in a prescribed manner and proportion. The elastic portion generally covers the back and sides of a wearer's head, thereby providing a snug, but not an uncomfortable, fit. The non-elastic portion generally covers the forehead portion of the wearer's head, and is constructed of a material that is well-suited to make direct contact with skin. The concept disclosed herein may also be used in conjunction with caps comprised of gores that are themselves constructed of an elasticized or stretchable material, thereby resulting in superior flexibility and stretchability in fit.

[0036] While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth. It is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable cap comprising:

a crown having a bottom edge, said bottom edge having an interior and an exterior;

a brim attached to said crown at a portion of said bottom edge;

a non-elastic material attached to the interior of said bottom edge, wherein said non-elastic material is generally coextensive with the brim and/or the wearer's forehead; and

an elastic material attached to substantially all of a remaining portion of said bottom edge.

2. The cap as recited in claim 1, wherein said non-elastic material is a fluid absorbent material.

3. The cap as recited in claim 1, wherein said elastic material is a fluid absorbent material.

4. The cap as recited in claim 1, wherein said non-elastic material is at least one selected from the group consisting of twill fabrics and jersey fabrics.

5. The cap as recited in claim 1, wherein said elastic material is at least one selected from the group consisting of jaquarded elastic and knitted lycra.

6. A cap comprising:

a crown having a bottom edge, said bottom edge having an interior and an exterior;

a brim attached to said crown;

a non-elastic material attached to the interior of said bottom edge, wherein said non-elastic material covers substantially all of the forehead-contacting portion of the interior of said bottom edge.

7. A method of forming an adjustable cap comprising forming a crown portion that is substantially hemispherical, said crown portion having a bottom edge, said bottom edge having an interior and an exterior;

forming a brim portion;

attaching said brim portion to a portion of the bottom edge of said crown portion;

attaching an elastic material to an interior portion of said bottom edge, wherein said elastic material is attached to substantially all of the interior bottom edge that is not in contact with the brim and/or forehead; and

attaching a non-elastic material to substantially all of the interior bottom edge that is in contact with the brim and/or forehead.

8. A method of forming an adjustable cap comprising forming a crown portion that is substantially hemispherical, said crown portion having a front, sides, back, and a bottom edge, said bottom edge having an interior and an exterior;

forming a brim portion;

attaching said brim portion to the bottom edge of said crown portion;

attaching an elastic material to an interior of said bottom edge of said crown portion, wherein said elastic material covers substantially all of a non-forehead-contacting portion of the circumference of said bottom edge; and

attaching a non-elastic material to the front of said interior of said bottom edge of the crown, wherein in said non-elastic material and said elastic material are contiguously joined.