CAP OR HAT WITH VISOR
A cap has a rounded body for fitting over a wearer's head, the body having a lower rim, a front portion, a rear portion, a left side and a right side, and a visor permanently or adjustably secured to extend across the front portion of the cap body at an angle to the lower rim, with the visor extending across part or all of a front portion of the cap body at an upward angle from the left side towards the right side or from the right side towards the left side of the cap body.
1. Related Field
The subject matter discussed herein relates generally to headwear or caps such as baseball caps or the like which have brims or visors.
2. Related Background
Baseball caps and the like typically have a rounded, generally dome-shaped portion which fits over the wearer's head and a visor or brim (also known as a bill) which projects straight forward from a lower front rim of the cap to shield the wearer's eyes.
SUMMARYAccording to one aspect, a cap is provided which has a rounded body for fitting over a wearer's head, the body having a lower rim, a front portion, a rear portion, a left side and a right side, and a visor permanently or adjustably secured to the front portion of the cap body at an angle to the lower rim, with the visor extending at an upward angle from the left side or right side of the front portion of the cap body, and across at least part of the front portion of the cap.
In one example, the visor is permanently secured to the cap and two alternative caps are provided, specifically a cap in which the visor extends at an upward angle from the left towards the right side of the cap, and a cap in which the visor extends at an upward angle from the right towards the left side of the cap. In another example, the visor is adjustably mounted on each cap to allow the angle to be adjusted for better shielding of the wearer's eyes and face from the sun or artificial lights (for example when playing sports such as baseball at night). In another alternative, a visor is adjustably or pivotally mounted on a cap above the lower rim at the front of the cap, and can be angled up or down to the left or the right to shield a selected side of the wearer's face from sun and the elements.
The angled visor not only protects the wearer's head from sunlight or glare from one side, but also enhances the wearer's field of view from the other side, as compared to a conventional visor. This is very helpful when viewing or participating in outdoor sporting activities, when driving, or the like.
Other features and advantages will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
The subject matter described herein is taught by way of example implementations. Various details have been omitted for the sake of clarity and to avoid obscuring the subject matter. The examples shown and described below are directed to a cap or baseball cap with an angled visor to protect the face and eyes of the wearer from the sun and from dirt.
After reading this description it will become apparent to one skilled in the art how to implement the invention in various alternative embodiments and alternative applications. However, although various embodiments of the present invention will be described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and not limitation. As such, this detailed description of various alternative embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope or breadth of the present invention.
As illustrated in
The bill or visor 13 or 15 is of generally arched shape, as best seen in
When the visor of either cap 10 or cap 14 is permanently attached to the cap body, additional caps with visors at different angles may be provided. Where the visor is adjustably mounted on each cap, the angle may be adjusted for better shielding of the wearer's eyes and face on one side from the sun or artificial lights (for example when playing sports such as baseball at night) or from dust or dirt, while the field of view of the wearer on the other side is enhanced. This is potentially of great benefit in sporting activities, driving and the like. In one embodiment, the rear end at one side of the visor may be pivotally attached to the cap at one end via a pivot comprising a button or the like extending from the interior of the cap, and may be pivoted about the pivot to a desired angle before releasably securing the visor at the desired angle via mating fasteners on the cap and visor, for example opposing Velcro® bands, buttons, snaps or the like on the rear of the visor and front of the cap. For example, button holes or snaps may be provided at different heights and one or more buttons or mating snaps may be provided on the visor to engage with selected button holes or snaps on the front of the cap to hold the visor at a desired angle, depending on the amount of shade and protection needed so as to better shield the face from sun or artificial lights and from dust or dirt from one side, while increasing the field of view for better visibility on the other side.
The symmetrical angled right visor of
An asymmetrical right or left face shielding cap may also be provided in which a selected asymmetrical visor can be attached by means of mating strips of hook and loop fastener material, snaps, buttons, or the like to convert between right and left shielding orientations. In this way, the visor can be arranged to shield and protect either the left or right side of a wearer's face or head with an increased protection area.
In another embodiment, the visor may be adjustable up and down relative to the rim so as to protect the head from above while allowing light rays to reach parts of the wearer's face from the sides. The cap with angled visor as described above can be worn so as to shield parts or all of the face depending on the position of the wearer relative to the sun's angle or artificial lights, reducing the effects of glare and the like. The angled visor also better protects the face from dirt or debris, for example in windy conditions. The visor can be suitably angled against the wind direction.
It will be understood that the cap or headwear body of the previous embodiments is just one example of many different possible cap body designs on which a visor which is angled up to the right or left may be permanently or adjustably secured in the manner described above. A similar angled or adjustable visor may be provided on other types of caps or headwear which normally has a bill or brim extending from a lower edge of the main body of the cap or headwear. The angled visor replaces the conventional horizontal bill or visor on such headwear. The cap with angled visor is suitable for wear outdoors or in indoor sports venues by individuals seeking shade or protection for their face or eyes from the sun or from artificial lights, and from wind-blown debris or the like. The angled visor protects a selected side of the head or face from sunshine or the elements, while providing an enhanced field of view over a conventional visor on the other side. This is potentially of great benefit to the wearer when engaged in sporting activities, watching outdoor sporting activities, driving, cycling, or the like. The adjustable visor of
Accessories may be provided on the cap, such as a tab, snap-on band or metal clip to hold sunglasses or other items, or a fit tab sewn on the edge of the cap to allow the wearer to pull the cap down for a snug fit.
The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is to be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent a presently preferred embodiment of the invention and are therefore representative of the subject matter that is broadly contemplated by the present invention. It is further understood that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the art and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly limited by nothing other than the appended claims.
Claims
1. A hat, comprising:
- a rounded, generally dome shaped cap body configured for fitting over a wearer's head, the body having a lower rim, a front portion, a rear portion, and opposite first and second sides; and
- a visor attached to the front portion of the cap body at an angle to the lower rim, with the visor extending at an upward angle from a first side towards the second side of the cap body, and across at least part of the front portion of the cap.
2. The hat of claim 1, wherein the visor is permanently secured to the front portion of the cap.
3. The hat of claim 2, wherein the first side of the body is the right hand side and the second side is the left hand side of the body when the hat is worn.
4. The hat of claim 2, wherein the first side of the body is the left hand side and the second side is the right hand side of the body when the hat is worn.
5. The hat of claim 1, wherein the upward angle of the visor is in the range from about 10 degrees to about 45 degrees.
6. The hat of claim 1, wherein the visor is adjustably attached to the front portion of the cap body, whereby the angle of the visor to the lower rim of the cap body is adjustable.
7. The hat of claim 6, further comprising a pivot connection between the visor and a central area of the front portion of the cap body, whereby the visor is tiltable between an upward angle towards the first side of the cap body and an upward angle towards the second side of the cap body.
8. The hat of claim 7, wherein the first side of the front portion is the left hand side and the second side of the front portion is the right hand side of the cap body, and the front portion has a first line of releasable fasteners extending at an upward angle across at least part of the front portion of the cap body from the left hand side of the front portion towards the right side of the cap body, and a second line of releasable fasteners extending at an upward angle across at least part of the front portion of the cap body from the right hand side of the front portion towards the left side of the cap body, and the visor has a rear edge and fasteners extending along the rear edge for releasable mating engagement with the first or second line of releasable fasteners to secure the visor selectively at an upward tilt to the right or an upward tilt to the left.
9. The hat of claim 8, wherein the first and second lines of releasable fasteners comprise first and second strips of hook or loop fastener material and the fasteners along the rear edge of the visor comprise a corresponding strip of loop or hook fastener material for selective mating engagement with the first or second strip of fastener material on the cap body.
10. The hat of claim 1, wherein the visor has a curved forward edge, opposite first and second side edges, and a rear edge extending between a rear end of one side edge and a rear end of the opposite side edge, the rear edge having a concave curvature which substantially matches a convex curvature of the front portion of the cap body at the upward angle along which the visor extends.
11. The hat of claim 10, wherein the visor has a central axis between the forward and rear edges and opposite side portions of the visor are symmetrical.
12. The hat of claim 10, wherein the visor has a central axis between the forward and rear edges and opposite side portions of the visor are asymmetrical.
13. The hat of claim 12, wherein the first side edge of the visor is longer than the second side edge.
14. The hat of claim 13, wherein the rear end of the first side edge is secured to a first side of the cap body and the rear end of the second side edge is secured to the front portion of the cap at a location spaced from the second side of the cap body.
15. The hat of claim 14, wherein the rear end of the first side edge is secured to the right side of the cap body.
16. The hat of claim 14, wherein the rear end of the first side edge is secured to the left side of the cap body.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 4, 2016
Publication Date: Aug 18, 2016
Inventor: Mohammad Karimi (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 15/016,099