Hat With Storage Pockets

Abstract

A contoured hat including a basket portion, a first pocket having a first elastic opening arranged on an outer surface of the basket portion, a brim portion extending outwardly in a first direction away from the basket portion, and a second pocket having a second elastic opening arranged on a surface of the brim portion. The pockets may be contoured and may include a elastic cord for adjustability. The pockets may also be elastically deformable and may contour objects contained therein to inhibit movement of the objects. The hat may be made from a flexible and breathable material throughout.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/820,019, which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to hats having storage devices. More particularly, the invention relates to baseball style caps used by athletes which comprise pockets for storing items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be described with reference to a baseball style cap used by runners, but persons skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is applicable to other types of hats and caps for use by athletes and non-athletes.

It is desirable for a runner or other athlete to easily and conveniently store and retrieve items which may be needed during a workout or other activity. What is needed is a storage device for holding such items as energy bars, keys, identification, personal music devices, etc.

Although other hats with pockets are known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,935) there are no hats specifically designed for the endurance athlete that provides secure, convenient storage for items. Access to items should offer minimum interruption to the workout.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a hat having form-fitting pockets. The invention described herein has 2-5 pockets, but other numbers of pockets may be provided. The pockets may be made of a breathable material that may allow sweat and/or heat to dissipate from the wearer's head. The pockets may offer convenient, secure storage for personal and other items used by an athlete during a workout. The pockets may also be made of a stretchable material for keeping items in place while running, and preferably have elastic openings. The contour of the pockets should make for easy access to items while running. One pocket may be provided with a small hole so that a headphone wire may pass through the hole while storing the remaining wire out of the way preventing tangling. An absorbent headband may keep sweat out of the runner's eyes and face. An adjustable strap on the back of the hat may make re-sizing the cap easy while running. An elastic pocket may be provided under the brim of the hat. A waterproof card, containing emergency information, contacts, allergies, blood type, or other of the wearer's vital information, may be provided within the elastic pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side view of a hat with pockets according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view the hat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the hat shown in FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 4 is a side view of a hat with pockets according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a hat having multiple form-fitting pockets. A hat 10 may be a baseball style cap having a crown or basket portion 14 and a bill or brim portion 16, as shown in FIGS. 1-4. The hat 10 may be constructed of lightweight material as known in the art. The hat 10 may also have a portion 18 made of lightweight material in a contrasting color to the remainder of the hat. The hat 10 may also have piping 20 and a logo (not shown) made with a reflective material. An adjustable tab 24 having a quick-release type fastener, such as a Velcro® fastener, may also be provided on the back side of the hat 10 for easy adjustment by the wearer during a workout.

The hat 10 may contain pockets 12 located on each side of the hat. In FIGS. 1-2, the right side of the hat 10 is shown having one pocket 12. The pockets may be made of a breathable material that may allow sweat and/or heat to dissipate from the wearer's head.

The pockets 12 may also be made of a stretchable material able to keep items in place while running or during a workout. The top edge 30 of the pockets, as best shown in FIGS. 1-2, may also comprise an elastic cord 32 between a first end 36 and a second end 38 for securing items in the pockets 12. The cord 32 may also be adjusted by means of a quick-release buckle 34. The contour of the pockets make for easy access to items while running. Various items (not shown) such as energy bars, energy gels, keys, identification, credit cards, personal music devices, etc., may be easily and conveniently stored in the pockets 12. The pockets 12 may be made with varying lengths and widths depending upon the items to be stored. Also, the hat 10, as depicted in FIG. 4, may also include two pockets 12 on each side of the hat, without an adjustable quick-release buckle 34.

As best shown in FIGS. 2-3, pockets 12 may be designed specifically for storing a personal music device. As depicted in FIG. 3, at least one of the pockets 12 may have a hole 42 between an interior portion 40 of the basket 14 and the inside of a pocket 12, such that headphone wires may pass through the hole 42 to the wearer's ears. The desired amount of wire may be run through the hole 42 and the remaining wire, along with the personal music device, may be securely stored in the pocket thereby preventing tangling of the wire. It should be readily appreciated that each of pockets 12 may include a hole 42 or several holes 42 in any combination to accommodate the specific wiring needs of various electronic devices.

The inside of the hat 10 may also have a sweat band 26 positioned about an interior perimeter of the basket 14, specifically the interior portion 40. Sweat band 26 may be made of absorbent material for preventing sweat from running in the wearer's eyes and face.

A stretchable or elastic pocket 28 may be provided on the underside of the brim portion 16 of the hat 10. A waterproof card (not shown) may be provided in the stretchable flap which contains emergency information, contacts, allergies, blood type, or other of the wearer's vital information. The stretchable pocket 28 can further include an elastic opening 50 for the secure holding of a card therein. Also, the opening 50 can be arranged substantially in an outward direction, substantially perpendicular to the perimeter of the basket portion 14 such that the card therein can be easily removed and inserted without having to remove the hat. This arrangement also promotes a secure fitting of the card and any other card that can be readily accepted by pocket 28 such as a credit card. The front to back motion of running, or the head-bobbing of athletic activity, can result in the card being easily dislodged from the pocket 28 if the elastic opening 50 is not positioned in this direction. It should be appreciated that the pocket 28 can also accommodate money and any other thin object.

Pockets 12 and 28 are preferably elastically deformable and constructed of an elastically deformable material so as to inhibit the movement of objects contained therein. To this extent, the elastic deformability the material may substantially contour the object so that the object does not move within the pocket during athletic activities.

Alternative embodiments of the invention not shown in the figures should be readily appreciated. For example, alternative pocket arrangements, seamless stitching and the use of piping 20 are optional features of the invention.

The present invention has been described in connection with a baseball style cap suitable for use by an athlete during a workout. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is applicable for use with other types of hats or caps.

Claims

1. A hat, comprising:

a basket portion;

a first pocket having a first elastic opening arranged on an outer surface of the basket portion;

a brim portion extending outwardly in a first direction away from the basket portion; and,

a second pocket having a second elastic opening arranged on a surface of the brim portion.

2. The hat recited in claim 1, wherein the first pocket is elastically deformable.

3. The hat recited in claim 2, wherein the elastically deformable first pocket is operatively arranged to inhibit movement of a first object placed within the elastically deformable first pocket.

4. The hat recited in claim 3, wherein the elastically deformable first pocket substantially contours the first object.

5. The hat recited in claim 1, wherein the second pocket is elastically deformable, the elastically deformable first pocket is operatively arranged to inhibit movement of a first object placed within the elastically deformable first pocket, and the elastically deformable first pocket substantially contours the first object.

6. The hat recited in claim 1, wherein the first elastic opening comprises an elastic cord secured to a front portion of the elastic opening and slidably secured to a rear portion of the elastic opening.

7. The hat recited in claim 6, wherein the elastic cord is further slidably secured to a quick-release buckle operatively arranged to open and close the first pocket.

8. The hat recited in claim 1, further comprising a third pocket having a third elastic opening arranged on the outer surface of the basket portion.

9. The hat recited in claim 8, wherein the first and third elastic openings are operatively opened and closed by means of an elastic cord and a quick-release buckle.

10. The hat recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second pockets are constructed primarily of an elastic breathable material.

11. The hat recited in claim 1, wherein the basket portion is elastically deformable.

12. The hat recited in claim 1, wherein the second elastic opening of the second pocket extends along a direction substantially parallel to the first direction.

13. The hat recited in claim 1, further comprising an additional opening arranged between an interior portion of the basket and an interior portion of the first pocket and operatively arranged to pass-through electronic cabling.

14. The hat recited in claim 1, further comprising a sweatband positioned about a perimeter of the basket.

15. A hat, comprising:

a basket portion;

first and second pockets having respective first and second adjustable elastic openings arranged on an outer surface of the basket portion; and,

a brim portion extending outwardly in a first direction away from the basket portion having a personal identification label,

wherein the first and second adjustable elastic openings are operatively adjusted by means of an elastic cord and a quick-release buckle.

16. The hat recited in claim 15, wherein the personal identification label includes at least one identification item selected from a list consisting of Name, Phone Number, Address, Emergency Contact Information, Blood Type, Health Insurance Information, Medical Problems, Medication, and Allergies.

17. A hat, comprising:

a contoured and elastically deformable basket portion;

at least two contoured elastically deformable pockets positioned on opposing sides of the basket portion, each of the at least two pockets having elastically deformable first openings on an outside surface of the basket portion; and,

a brim portion extending outwardly in a first direction away from the basket portion having a personal identification label.

18. The hat recited in claim 17, further comprising an additional opening between an interior of one of the at least two pockets and an interior of the basket portion, wherein the additional opening is operatively arranged to pass through an electronic cable.

19. The hat recited in claim 18, wherein the electronic cable is a headphone cable.