Cap having comfortable elastic band

Abstract

A cap includes a hemispherical portion, a visor portion, and an elastic band attached to the bottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion, to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users, and to adjustably accommodate a number of various sized heads. The elastic band includes a number of elastic straps and a number of cloth straps alternatively arranged and secured to each other. The elastic straps are made of resilient materials to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users. The cloth straps include a stretchability less than that of the elastic straps, to allow the elastic band to be mostly stretched circumferentially at the elastic straps, and to allow air to ventilate into and out of the cap.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cap, and more particularly to a cap having an elastic band for comfortably engaging onto heads of users.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical caps, such as baseball caps comprise a hemispherical portion for fitting onto heads of users and formed of a number of rectangular panels that are joined to each other by seams, and comprise a visor portion extended forwardly from the hemispherical portion.

For allowing the caps to be snugly fitted onto the heads of the users, the caps normally include an opening formed in the back of the hemispherical portion, opposite to the visor portion, and two straps extended from the rectangular panels and adjustably secured to each other with projection-and-orifice engagements, to allow the bottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion to be adjusted in size to fit various size heads.

However, the straps are normally made of plastic materials, and may not be easily secured onto the rectangular panels of the hemispherical portion, such that the caps may not be easily manufactured by factories, and may not be easily used by users.

For avoiding the straps of plastic materials, and for allowing the caps to be easily fitted onto the heads of the users, the other caps have been developed and comprise an endless stretchable band attached to the bottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion, to adjustably accommodate a number of various sized heads.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,415 to Beckerman, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,831 to Park disclose two of the typical caps each also comprising a hemispherical portion for fitting onto heads of users, and a visor portion extended forwardly from the hemispherical portion, and an endless stretchable band attached to the bottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion, to adjustably accommodate a number of various sized heads.

However, the endless stretchable bands are attached all around the bottom peripheral portions of the hemispherical portions, and may also tightly engaged onto and around the outer peripheral portions of the heads of the users, such that air may not be easily ventilated through the stretchable bands and may not be easily ventilated into and out of the caps, and such that the heads of the users may not feel comfortable.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional caps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a cap including an elastic band for comfortably engaging onto heads of users, and for allowing air to be easily ventilated through the elastic band and to be easily ventilated into and out of the cap.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a cap comprising a hemispherical portion for fitting onto heads of users, and including a bottom peripheral portion, a visor portion extended forwardly from the hemispherical portion, and an elastic band attached to the bottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion, to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users, and to adjustably accommodate a number of various sized heads. The elastic band includes a number of elastic straps and a number of cloth straps alternatively arranged and secured to each other, to allow the elastic straps to be alternatively arranged and secured between the cloth straps, and the elastic straps are made of resilient materials to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users. The cloth straps include a stretchability less than that of the elastic straps, to allow the elastic band to be mostly stretched circumferentially at the elastic straps.

The cloth straps are made of woven or non-woven cloth materials. The elastic band is attached to the bottom peripheral portion of the hemispherical portion with at least one seam. The hemispherical portion includes a number of rectangular panels joined to each other by seams.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cap in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial plan view of the elastic band of the cap; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view illustrating the operation of the cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cap in accordance with the present invention comprises a hemispherical portion 10 for fitting onto heads of users and formed of a number of rectangular panels 11 that are joined to each other by seams 12, a visor portion 13 extended forwardly from the hemispherical portion 10.

The cap further includes an elastic band 20 attached or secured into an inner portion of a bottom peripheral portion 14 of the hemispherical portion 10, to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users, and to adjustably accommodate a number of various sized heads. For example, the elastic band 20 may also be secured onto the bottom peripheral portion 14 of the hemispherical portion 10 with one or more seams 15.

The elastic band 20 is preferably a sweat band and includes a number of elastic straps 21 and a number of cloth straps 22 alternatively arranged and secured to each other with such as stitches or seams 23, to allow the elastic straps 21 to be alternatively arranged and secured between the cloth straps 22. The elastic straps 21 are made of resilient or elastic materials for snugly and tightly and resiliently engage onto the heads of the users.

The cloth straps 22 are preferably made of woven or non-woven cloth materials, and include a stretchability less than that of the elastic straps 21, such that the elastic band 20 is mostly stretched circumferentially at the elastic straps 21 as indicated by the arrows 24, best shown in FIG. 3.

It is to be noted that the cloth straps 22 will not be resiliently or tightly engaged onto the heads of the users as the elastic straps 21, to allow air to easily ventilate through the cloth straps 22 of the elastic band 20 and to easily ventilate into and out of the cap, such that the users may feel more comfortable.

Accordingly, the cap in accordance with the present invention includes an elastic band for comfortably engaging onto heads of users, and for allowing the air to be easily ventilated through the elastic band and to be easily ventilated into and out of the cap.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A cap comprising:

a hemispherical portion for fitting onto heads of users, and including a bottom peripheral portion, and including a plurality of rectangular panels joined to each other by seams,

a visor portion extended forwardly from said hemispherical portion, and

an elastic band attached to said bottom peripheral portion of said hemispherical portion with at least one seam, to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users, and to adjustably accommodate a number of various sized heads,

said elastic band including a plurality of elastic straps and a plurality of cloth straps alternatively arranged and secured to each other, to allow said elastic straps to be alternatively arranged and secured between said cloth straps, and said elastic straps being made of resilient materials to resiliently engage onto the heads of the users, and

said cloth straps including a stretchability less than that of said elastic straps, to allow said elastic band to be mostly stretched circumferentially at said elastic straps, said cloth straps being made of woven or non-woven cloth materials.

2-4. (canceled)