Securable Hat
The present invention provides hats with attachment assemblies allowing them to be detachably secured in an exterior-side out configuration to a belt of medium width worn around the wearer's waist, without requiring the hats to be inverted, reversed, or folded in a complex fashion, and without any need for pockets, linings, zippers or the like. The hats may also be provided with retention members for holding the hats in a simple folded configuration when carried on a belt.
The present invention relates to hats and, in particular, to hats that can be secured to articles of clothing. More specifically, the invention relates to hats that can be secured to the body for storage; in preferred examples the hats of the present invention are structured to be secured to a belt worn on the person, for example, around an individual's waist.
BACKGROUNDHats are a valuable defense against the sun and inclement weather. Available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and styles, they may shield the wearer's eyes from glare, may protect the head from excessive heat and cold, and may reduce the risk of skin cancer. However, a perennial question remains concerning how and where one is to store or carry a hat that is not currently being worn; for example, when the wearer is indoors or at nighttime. Hats are constantly lost or misplaced as a result of their owners simply forgetting where they set them down or left them, or when a hat slips onto the floor unnoticed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,335 to Ethier and U.S. Pat. No. 7,257,845 to Conner disclose convertible hats that can be reassembled into handbags, shoulder bags, satchels, fanny packs or the like. However, each of these hat designs is somewhat complicated and requires that the hat be folded, collapsed, turned inside out, or otherwise inverted in a way that would not be intuitive or convenient to most users. Furthermore, although Ethier and Conner disclose embodiments in which the hat may be converted in form, for example, to a fanny pack or a self-containing bag or other container, and worn joined to an elastic cord or strap that is incorporated as part of the convertible hat for use in one or more of these other, “non-hat” forms. Furthermore, none of these convertible hats is structured and designed to be fastened to a separate, medium-width belt of the type normally worn with slacks, jeans or similar casual clothing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,317,892 to Galigani, U.S. Pat. No. 7,036,155 to Rugg, U.S. Pat. No. 6,320,331 to Aguilar et al., and international patent application US20060048279 by Bartos, all show hats provided with hard fasteners such as clasps, clips, or rings for attachment to a belt. These rigid fasteners can be problematic, however, in that their hardness makes them uncomfortable if they rub against the user's head. They also may be somewhat costly, prone to breakage, bulky, and easily lost.
Accordingly, there is a long-felt need for hats that can easily be secured to belts of a wide variety of width in a simple and intuitive fashion, are inexpensive to manufacture, and do not require separate extra parts.
SUMMARYThe present invention provides hats with attachment assemblies allowing them to be detachably secured, for example, in an “exterior-side out” configuration; that is, a normal configuration as the hat is to be worn. The attachment assembly is configured to be joined to a standard belt worn around the wearer's waist, preferably without requiring the hats to be inverted, reversed, or folded in a complex fashion, and without the need for pockets, linings, zippers, bags, or the like.
In its simplest, most basic form, a hat according to the present invention may comprise a crown portion, an optional brim portion, and an attachment assembly including at least one strip of suitably flexible material, for example, a fabric material, a leather material, a polymeric material and/or an elastomeric material, having at least one of a first end and a second end attached to the exterior side of the crown portion, with the unattached end, if any, being attachable by any suitable fastener (such as, without limitation, a snap fastener, a button fastener, and/or a hook and loop VELCRO®-type fastener). Preferably, but not necessarily always, the first and/or second ends and any fasteners are arranged to permit the ends of the strip to be attached to the exterior side of the crown portion along a substantially vertical axis relative to the orientation of the hat while it is being worn. A substantially vertical axis shall mean an axis within about 45° of the vertical. The strip is of sufficient length, preferably at least about 1.25″, or at least about 1.50″, or at least about 1.75″ in length, to enable an ordinary belt of at least medium width to be extended through it.
In one example, a single strip is provided, in the form of a length of material that is joined (e.g., by sewing) and/or fastened (i.e., by a suitable fastener) to the exterior of the hat crown in such a way as to define a loop. In another exemplary example, the strip is defined in the form of material located between two closely spaced, similarly oriented slits in the crown portion material. In this latter example, the first end and second end of the strip are joined to and continuous with the material of the crown portion. In some examples, the attachment assembly may be joined to the brim portion. Additionally and independently, however the attachment assembly may otherwise be configured, the attachment assembly may in a particular case comprise a plurality of strips, such as two, three, four or more strips.
As disclosed above, in some examples, one end of the strip is detachably fastened to the crown portion, so that the loop can easily be opened up, wrapped around the wearer's belt, and then fastened, without requiring the user to unfasten the belt from around his or her body or fold the hat into another form. In other examples, the attachment assembly may be joined to the brim portion of a hat.
In addition, in some examples, the hat is formed of sufficiently flexible material to allow it to be folded, for example, in one or more pleat when the hat is attached to a belt using the attachment a assembly. Optionally, the hat may also have at least one retention member comprising one or more suitable fastener for holding the hat in a folded position when secured to the belt.
In certain examples, the securable hat of the present invention may be affixed to a belt, for example, in an inverted fashion, to provide a convenient carrying pouch for keys, cell phone and other items.
Additional aspects and examples of the present invention will become evident upon reviewing the non-limiting examples described in the specification and the claims, which may be taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures. Herein, like numerals in the drawings and specification designate like elements, and:
In accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the invention,
In the example shown in
In an alternate example shown in
A useful feature of attachment assemblies such as those shown in
The strip or strips 18 in each of the examples shown
That is, the strip should extend at an angle of no more than about 45° away from a straight line extending between the bottom edge 30 and the apex 28 of the hat 10. In this way, a hat, particularly a soft, foldable hat, may be oriented when worn on a belt in a manner permitting the hat to take up less bulk room on the belt than it might otherwise do.
In an optional configuration,
The flexible strips 18 in each of the examples shown in
Alternatively, the hat of
As in the embodiment of
Turning now to
In this manner, when the belt 136 is cinched up and fastened, for example, as shown in
Turning now to
Although the hat shown, for example, in the exemplary embodiments of
Similarly, various modifications could be made in the types of fasteners used, the materials used, and so forth, without departing from the spirit of the invention. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A securable hat comprising:
- a crown portion for covering a wearer's head, the crown portion including an interior side for engaging the head and an exterior side for facing away from the head;
- a brim portion extending outwardly from a lower edge of the crown portion, the brim portion including an interior side and an exterior side; and
- an attachment assembly for detachably securing the hat in an exterior-side out configuration to a belt worn on the wearer's waist, the attachment assembly comprising at least one strip of flexible material having at least one of a first end and a second end attached to either the brim portion or the crown portion of the hat;
- wherein the strip has a length sufficient to extend transversely over a waist belt of at least medium width.
2. The securable hat according to claim 1, wherein the first end of the strip is permanently secured to the exterior side of the crown portion of the hat.
3. The securable hat according to claim 2, wherein:
- the hat and the strip are formed of fabric; and the first end of the strip is sewn to the crown portion of the hat.
4. The securable hat according to claim 2, wherein the attachment assembly further comprises:
- a first fastener element of a releasable connection mounted on the second end of the strip; and
- a second fastener element of a releasable connection mounted on the crown portion of the hat;
- wherein said first fastener element and second fastener element are configured to releasably engage one another to detachably secure the second end of the strip to the crown of the hat; and
- wherein the strip and a portion of the crown underlying the strip cooperate to define a loop.
5. The securable hat according to claim 1, wherein the strip is at least about 1.75 inches long.
6. The securable hat according to claim 1, wherein the at least one strip comprises at least two closely spaced-apart slits.
7. The securable hat according to claim 6, where the at least two slits are spaced no more than about 4 inches from one another.
8. The securable hat according to claim 1, wherein:
- the attachment assembly includes at least one pair of spaced-apart slits formed in the crown of the hat; and
- the flexible strip comprises an integral portion of the crown disposed between the two slits.
9. The securable hat according to claim 4, wherein:
- the hat is formed of sufficiently flexible material to enable to the hat to be folded across an axis; and
- the attachment assembly further comprises at least one fastener member for maintaining the hat in a folded configuration when secured to the belt.
10. The securable hat according to claim 9, wherein the at least one fastener member comprises a third fastener element of a releasable connection mounted on the exterior side of the crown of the hat at a location approximately diametrically opposite the second fastener element of a releasable connection.
11. The securable hat according to claim 9, wherein the at least one fastener member comprises:
- at least one male member mounted on the crown of the hat; and
- at least one female fastener located on the crown of the hat at a position approximately diametrically opposite the male fastener when the hat is unfolded, and configured to engage the male fastener element when the hat is folded.
12. The securable hat according to claim 11, wherein one of the male and female fastener elements is located on the exterior side of the crown and the other of the male and female fastener elements is located on the interior side of the crown.
13. The securable hat according to claim 1, wherein the strip extends in a generally radial direction relative to the top of the crown portion.
14. The securable hat according to claim 10, wherein:
- the second fastener element is located generally circumferentially of the first end of the strip;
- the third fastener element is located generally radially of the first end of the strip; and
- the strip is formed of sufficiently flexible material to allow the second end to be pivoted from a first orientation wherein the strip extends in a generally circumferential direction toward the second element to a second orientation wherein the strip extends in a generally radial direction toward the third fastener element.
15. The securable hat according to claim 1, wherein the crown and brim portions are unlined.
16. A method for retaining a hat on a person's body comprising fastening a hat comprising an attachment assembly in an exterior side-out configuration to a waist belt worn, or to be worn, by said person; said fastening step comprising a step selected from the group consisting of: wherein said hat is maintained in an exterior side-out configuration while being retained on the person's body.
- a) inserting an end of said waist belt through an attachment assembly comprising at least one strip of flexible material having a length sufficient to extend transversely over a waist belt of at least medium width, said strip having first and second ends joined to the exterior side of a crown portion of the hat, and
- b) inserting an attachment assembly component around said waist belt, said attachment assembly component comprising a strip of flexible material having a first end including a first fastener element and a second end joined to a crown portion of said hat, and releasably securing the first fastener element of said first end to a second fastener element disposed on the crown portion of said hat;
17. The securable hat of claim 1 wherein said at least one of a first end and a second end is attached to the brim portion of the hat.
18. The securable hat of claim 17 wherein the attachment assembly includes at least one pair of spaced-apart slits formed in the brim portion of the hat; and
- the at least one strip of flexible material comprises an integral portion of the brim portion disposed between the two slits.
19. The securable hat of claim 17 wherein the attachment assembly further comprises:
- a first fastener element of a releasable connection mounted on the second end of the strip; and
- a second fastener element of a releasable connection mounted on the brim portion of the hat;
- wherein said first fastener element and second fastener element are configured to releasably engage one another to detachably secure the second end of the strip to the crown of the hat; and
- wherein the strip and a portion of the brim portion underlying the strip cooperate to define a loop.
20. The securable hat according to claim 19, wherein:
- the hat is formed of sufficiently flexible material to enable to the hat to be folded; and
- the attachment assembly further comprises at least one fastener member for maintaining the hat in a folded configuration when secured to the belt.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 22, 2015
Publication Date: Jan 26, 2017
Inventor: Richard Stanley Plon (Irvine, CA)
Application Number: 14/806,377