Hangable golf hat, cap, visor and the like

Abstract

At least one reenforced eyelet is provided on a hat, cap or visor to receive one end of a removably securable clip having a second end fastenable to any user selected location in reducing the possibility of losing such head covering when it is not being worn.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

NONE

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

NOT APPLICABLE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the recreational sport of golf, in general, and to the wearing of the conventional hat, cap or visor typically used by a player thereof, in particular.

2. Description of the Related Art

As will well be appreciated, just about every person playing a round of golf—whether professional, amateur, or the occasional duffer—wears a hat, cap or visor during the round. Worn in an attempt to keep one's hair in place in the presence of the occasional puffs of wind which blow across a course, or to keep the glare and glint of the sun from distracting the golfer during a swing, these types of head coverings are oftentimes taken off—even if momentarily—when walking towards one's ball, when sizing up a next shot, and when walking from green to tee. Many are the times, however, that in so doing, the hat, cap or visor is forgotten, misplaced, or otherwise lost. Because of this, it is not unusual for one to walk or ride a course and see these “lost” hats, caps and visors strewn about, only to be retrieved and trashed by a grounds crew. What with “signature” hats, caps and visors becoming more expensive in identifying a wearer's identity with a premier course, club or association, many of these “owners” of lost headcoverings later rue their previous flippancies of not taking the bother to seek out and retrieve such items when first discovered that they were left about the golf course.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a manner of preventing these hats, caps and visors from being momentarily “lost” to begin with.

It is an object of the invention, also, to provide this manner of “loss prevention” applicable to such headcoverings as are already now owned by the public, as well as to hats, caps and visors to be manufactured and sold in the future.

It is another object of the invention to provide these manners of protection to mostly all such hats, caps and visors worn just as a spectator of, or as a participant in, various athletic activities (whether they be baseball, tennis, rowing, whatever), without being limited to the game of golf.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As will become clear from the following description, the present invention applies to all hats, caps and visors of fabric composition. One or more eyelets is provided—and, in accordance with the invention, at least one of the eyelets is reenforced for strength, along its extremities, so as to be able to receive in non-fraying manner a clip having a first end removably securable with the eyelet, and a second end which can be fastened to any user selected location when the hat, cap or visor is not being worn. In such an arrangement, therefore, when the hat, cap or visor is taken off, it can be clipped to a wearer's belt, or to the belt loops about a man's trousers, or to just about any place on a wearer's article of clothing. Fastenable instead to a player's pull-cart or in the basket of a riding cart, the hat, cap or visor can thereafter be disconnected, the clip removed, and the head covering put back on.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reenforcement for the eyelet can be provided in a new manufacture through the use of a grommet added along the periphery of the eyelet. Whether the grommet be one of a rubber, metal or plastic composition, or whether the protection is to be afforded for a newly manufactured or already existing hat or cap, the clip could be secured to any of the several eyelets provided in their skull coverings included for purposes of air ventilation. In a new manufacture of a hat or cap, the eyelet for receiving the clip could be provided in a brim as well as in a skull covering, while in a new manufacture of a visor, the eyelet could be provided in the brim. In such manner, the teachings of the invention would be applicable for the wearing of visors, where no skull covering generally exists. And, as will be appreciated, the clipping to these eyelets could be had whether the hat, cap or visor is provided with a rearwardly extending strap adjustable in length for tightening when worn, or where such adjustable strap is not available. Any appropriate type of clip could be employed, and the utilization of a reenforcement of the eyelet will be seen to reduce any tendency for the long time coupling of the clip to fray the surrounding fabric in detracting from the overall appearance of the head covering worn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a visor embodying one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a hat or cap helpful in an understanding of the principles of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a top view of a second hat or cap with which the teachings of the invention are particularly applicable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the Drawings, the clip for fastening the hat, cap or visor to any user selected location when not being worn is shown at 10, as having a first end 12 removably secured to the head covering and a second end 14 to be fastened wherever the golfer or other user selects. As shown in FIG. 1, the clip 10 secures to the brim 13 of a visor 15 through an eyelet 16 reenforced for strength along its extremities. In FIG. 2, on the other hand, the clip 10 secures to the skull covering 17 of a hat or cap 18 through a reenforced eyelet 19—one of several provided about the hat or cap for air ventilation. In FIG. 3, the clip 10 is removably securable either to a reenforced eyelet 20 in the brim 21 of a hat or cap 22, as shown by the dotted lines, or to an eyelet 23 in its skull covering 24. Each visor, hat or cap is preferably of a fabric composition, with the reenforcement for the eyelet being by way of a grommet 25 of rubber, metal or plastic composition.

The hat or cap 22 of FIG. 3 also shows an eyelet 27 reenforced for strength as being included within a rearwardly extending strap 28 (adjustable in length for tightening), so that the clip 10 can be removably secured there as well. Where the visor 15 of FIG. 1 is provided with a rearwardly extending strap similarly adjustable in length for tightening, its reenforced eyelet could be located there, either instead of, or in addition to, the eyelet 16 in the brim 13. In any event, once the hat, cap or visor is removed from the head, the clip 10 can be utilized to fasten the head covering to any user selected location to prevent its being forgotten, misplaced, or lost. A hangable golf hat, cap or visor thus results—but one whose teachings would apply to any similar kind of head covering whether worn for golf or otherwise.

While there have been described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. For at least such reason, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the invention.

Claims

1. In combination:

one of a hat, cap and visor of fabric composition having an eyelet extending through said fabric and reenforced for strength along extremities thereof;

and a clip having a first end removably securable with said eyelet and a second end for fastening to a user selected location when said hat, cap or visor is not being worn.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said eyelet is reenforced for strength with a grommet along a periphery of said eyelet.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said grommet is of one of a rubber, metal or plastic composition.

4. The combination of claim 1 for one of a hat and cap of fabric composition having brim and skull covering portions respectively, and wherein said eyelet is included within one of said two brim and skull covering portions.

5. The combination of claim 1 for one of a hat and cap of fabric composition having brim and skull covering portions respectively and a rearwardly extending strap adjustable in length for tightening when worn, and wherein said eyelet is included within at least one of said brim and skull covering portions and said strap.

6. The combination of claim 1 for one of a hat and cap of fabric composition having brim and skull covering portions respectively, and wherein said eyelet is one of a plurality of eyelets included within said skull covering portion for air ventilation when said hat or cap is worn.

7. The combination of claim 6, wherein said hat and cap also includes a rearwardly extending strap adjustable in length for tightening when worn.

8. The combination of claim 1 for a visor of fabric composition having a brim, and wherein said eyelet is included within said brim.

9. The combination of claim 1 for a visor of fabric composition having a brim and a rearwardly extending strap adjustable in length for tightening when worn, and wherein said eyelet is included within at least one of said brim and said strap.