Cap with detachable hairpiece

Abstract

A cap includes fasteners mounted in the crown which removably attach a base member to the inside of the crown. The base member includes a net portion and a binding. Segments of hair are sewn onto both the net portion and the binding. Fasteners are mounted near an upper edge of the base member for attachment of the base member to the fasteners which are mounted in the crown.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of apparel and more particularly, to a cap with a detachable hairpiece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art related to simulated hair accessories includes the following U.S. patents.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,735 to Rice for a Cap With Hair Piece Attachments shows a cap in which an interior band at the lower periphery of the cap includes a fastener. A hairpiece accessory piece has a fastener which cooperates with the fastener on the cap to attach the hairpiece accessory to the inside of the cap. The mating fasteners have adjustment regions which allow the user to vary the position and the extent of exposure of the hair piece accessory below the lower peripheral edge of the cap.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,319 to Spurs for a Hat With Detachable Hair shows a hat with an elastic band encircling the interior of the hat. The elastic band carries patches of loop material of the type known as hook-and-loop material. A hair strip is provided which extends from temple to temple of the user. The hair strip includes an elastic strip on which a plurality of hook-type patches are mounted in a spaced apart relationship. Hair segments are sewn to the elastic strip which extends between the hook-type fastener patches. At the ends of the elastic strips, the hair strips are sewn parallel to the axis of the elastic strip while other hair strips are sewn perpendicular to the axis of the elastic strips.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a hat with detachable hairpiece which includes a hairpiece adapted for use with a cap having an adjustment strap mounted on the back of the cap.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hat with a detachable hairpiece in which the hairpiece has a net backing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hat with a detachable hairpiece in which the hairpiece may be attached to the hat in a secure manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hat with a detachable hair piece in which the hair piece completely covers an adjustment aperture which is formed on the back of the hat.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a hat with a detachable hairpiece which includes a relatively small number of relatively simple components which can be easily manufactured resulting in a relatively low unit cost.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made clear hereinafter.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a hat with a detachable hairpiece in which a cap has an adjustment strap which is used to adjust the size of the cap to suit a range of users. The adjustment strap in part defines an aperture formed in the rear of the cap. A plurality of loop-type fastener patches are mounted on the inside surface of the cap. The hairpiece has a backing which is made of a net material; a cloth binding is sewn on the periphery of the binding. The backing has a curved portion which complements and extends past the curved upper edge of the aperture in the cap. Hair segments are sewn onto a first surface of the backing and a plurality of hook-type fastener patches are attached to the backing enabling the backing to be attached to the inside of the cap. The hair segments cover the aperture and extend past the edge of the cap thereby providing a realistic appearance.

Other important objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a cap with detachable hairpiece made according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the cap with detachable hairpiece of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the inside of the cap of FIG. 1 with the hairpiece removed and showing the location of the hook and loop fastener pads;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the detachable hairpiece with the hairpiece shown removed from the cap;

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of the detachable hairpiece taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 showing the locations of the hook and loop fastener pads; and

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of the detachable hairpiece taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4 showing the binding and the mesh layer which form the base of the hairpiece and showing selected hair segments removed to reveal details of construction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1-6 a cap with detachable hairpiece 10, made according to the present invention, which includes a cap 12 and a hairpiece 14.

The cap 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is of conventional construction and includes a brim 16, a crown portion 18 and an adjustment strap 20 which in part defines the perimeter 22 of an aperture 24 which is formed in the rear portion 26 of the crown portion 18. The length of the adjustment strap 20 may be adjusted using the buckle 28 in order to adjust the hat size of the crown 18 to suit various users. The cap 12 is of conventional construction and a range of caps of varying appearance and construction may be utilized as described below.

As is best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the base 30 of the hairpiece 14 includes a mesh or net layer 32, the peripheral edge 34 which has a clothing binding 36. Sections of real or artificial hair 38 are sewn onto the surface 40 of the net layer 32 and the surface 42 of the binding 36 as shown in FIG. 6. Patches 44, 46, 48 of hook-type material which form part of a hook and loop-type of fastener system are attached to the base 30 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. The base 30 of the hairpiece 14 has a specific shape as will be presently described which allows the sections of hair 38 to project below the edge 50 of the cap 12 along the sides 52, 54 and rear 56 of the cap 12. In addition, the base 30 allows the hair 38 to cover the aperture 24 thereby providing a realistic appearance.

As is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the base 30 includes a pair of spaced apart top edge portions 58, 60 which are in general alignment. A centrally located upper curved portion 62 connects the two top edge portions 58, 60. The upper curved portion 62 is advantageously in the form of a generally circular arc.

The outer portions 64, 66 of the top edge portions 58, 60 are connected to generally straight side edge portions 68, 70. The lower portions 72, 74 of the side edge portions 68, 70 are connected one each to a pair of generally straight lower edges 76, 78. The lower edges 76, 78 are inclined with respect to the top edge 58, 60 thereby resulting in central portion 80, the base 30 being relatively wider than the end portions 82, 84.

The central portion 86 of the lower edge 88 of the base 30 is defined by a lower curved portion 90 which forms a generally circular arc. The radius of curvature of the lower curved portion 90 is preferably greater than the radius of curvature of the upper curved portion 62.

The various curvatures of the upper and lower portions 62, 90 and the specific shape of the base 30 enables the base 30 to fit closely within the cap 12 as is shown in FIG. 2. This results in a realistic appearance combined with comfort for the user.

The base 30 is removably attached to the inside of the cap 12 by aligning the hook-type fastener patches 44, 46, 48 on the base 30 with loop-type fastener patches 92, 94, 96 which are mounted on the inside surface 98 of the crown 18 as is best shown in FIG. 3. The location of the hook and loop-type fastener patches may be interchanged with the hook-type fastener in patches 44, 46, 48 mounted on the crown 18 and the loop-type fastener patches 92, 94, 96 mounted on the base 30.

The sections of hair 38 may be attached to the base 30 by conventional sewing techniques which have not been described in detail. The use of the net layer 32 as a substrate for the sections of hair 38 combines the advantages of flexibility, light weight and cooling.

The net layer 32 enables the hairpiece 14 to conform both to the cap 12 and to the user's head. The net layer 30 is extremely flexible and provides a minimum of bulk. The net layer 32 also allows air to pass through the hairpiece 14 to the user's head thereby enhancing the comfort level of the user.

The foregoing specific embodiment of the present invention as set forth in the specification herein is for illustrative purposes only. Various deviations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention without departing from the main theme thereof.

Claims

1. A cap with a detachable hairpiece comprising:

a cap having an inside portion and a rear portion;

first fastener means mounted on the inside of said cap;

a hairpiece;

second fastener means mounted on said hairpiece with said first and said second fastener means detachably connected thereby detachably mounting said hairpiece on said inside portion of said rear portion of said cap.

2. A cap with a detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hairpiece comprises a base member and a plurality of hair segments with said plurality of hair segments sewn to said base member.

3. A cap with a detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 2 wherein said base member comprises a net portion having a periphery, and a binding covering said periphery of said net portion.

4. A cap with a detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 3 wherein said base member further comprises a first surface and a second surface with said second fastener means mounted on said first surface and with said hair segments sewn on said first surface.

5. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first fastener means comprises a hook-type fastener.

6. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second fastener means comprises a loop-type fastener.

7. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first fastener means comprises a loop-type fastener.

8. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second fastener means comprises a hook-type fastener.

9. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 2 wherein said base member comprises an upper edge and a lower edge with said lower edge having a central portion and with said central portion convexly curved.

10. A cap with a detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 9 wherein said base further comprises a pair of tapered portions forming a relatively wider portion and a relatively narrower portion.

11. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 10 wherein said pair of tapered portions are each disposed with a relatively wider portion leading to said convexly curved central portion.

12. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 9 wherein said upper edge comprises a pair of generally aligned portions.

13. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 9 wherein said second fastener means are disposed proximate to said upper edge.

14. A cap with detachable hairpiece as claimed in claim 3 wherein selected segments of said plurality of hair segments are sewn on said net portion and selected segments of said plurality of hair segments are sewn onto said binding.