APPARATUS FOR USE WITH HAT
An apparatus is for use with a hat configured to be operatively received by the head of a user. The apparatus includes (and is not limited to) a head-contact assembly being configured to be operatively supported by the hat in such a way that the head-contact assembly operatively contacts the head once the hat is operatively received by the head. The head-contact assembly includes a moisture-management media configured to: (A) receive, at least in part, moisture from the head once the head-contact assembly is positioned to operatively contact the head, and (B) convey, at least in part, moisture away from the head-contact assembly and from the head in such a way that moisture accumulation in the head-contact assembly is reduced, at least in part.
This document relates to the technical field of (and is not limited to) an apparatus for use with a hat.
BACKGROUNDA hat is a head covering. The hat can be worn for protection against the elements, for safety reasons or as a fashion accessory. Some hats have a protective function. As examples, the hard hat protects construction workers' heads from injury by falling objects.
Headbands, or sweatbands, are worn around the forehead during physical activity to absorb sweat and keep sweat from reaching the eyes of the user. Sweatbands are often made of a continuous loop of terrycloth, as it is a particularly absorbent fabric. Folded bandanas, usually knotted behind the head, also serve this purpose.
SUMMARYIt will be appreciated that there exists a need to mitigate (at least in part) at least one problem associated with existing hats. After much study of the known systems and methods with experimentation, an understanding of the problem and its solution has been identified and is articulated as follows:
To mitigate, at least in part, at least one problem associated with existing hats, there is provided (in accordance with a major aspect) an apparatus. The apparatus is for use with a hat configured to be operatively received by the head of a user. The apparatus includes (and is not limited to) a head-contact assembly configured to be operatively supported by the hat in such a way that the head-contact assembly (at least in part) operatively contacts the head of the user once the hat is operatively received by the head of the user. The head-contact assembly includes a moisture-management media configured to: (A) receive, at least in part, moisture from the head of the user once the head-contact assembly is positioned to operatively contact the head of the user, and (B) convey, at least in part, moisture away from the head-contact assembly and from the head of the user in such a way that moisture accumulation in the head-contact assembly is reduced, at least in part.
Other aspects are identified in the claims.
Other aspects and features of the non-limiting embodiments may now become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments with the accompanying drawings.
The non-limiting embodiments may be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The drawings are not necessarily to scale and may be illustrated by phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details unnecessary for an understanding of the embodiments (and/or details that render other details difficult to perceive) may have been omitted.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several figures of the drawings. Elements in the several figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not been drawn to scale. The dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be emphasized relative to other elements for facilitating an understanding of the various disclosed embodiments. In addition, common, but well-understood, elements that are useful or necessary in commercially feasible embodiments are often not depicted to provide a less obstructed view of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
LISTING OF REFERENCE NUMERALS USED IN THE DRAWINGS
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- 100 apparatus
- 102 head-contact assembly
- 103 voids
- 104 moisture-management media
- 105 textured surface
- 106 attachment assembly
- 107 fluid inlet
- 108 laminate portion
- 109 fluid outlet
- 110 moisture barrier
- 112 contact portion
- 113 contact portion
- 114 tapered end
- 116 angle
- 118 attachment mechanism
- 120 moisture-wicking material
- 122 thermal-management assembly
- 124 antimicrobial assembly
- 126 air bladder
- 128 moisture-drainage channel
- 130 moisture-travel direction
- 132 angular perforation channel
- 136 adhesive layer
- 138 clip
- 140 u-shaped attachment
- 142 logo
- 144 moisture-travel direction
- 146 moisture-drainage channel
- 148 moisture-travel direction
- 149 moisture-drainage channel
- 150 moisture-travel direction
- 152 moisture-drainage channel
- 154 side portions
- 156 vertically-extending moisture channels
- 158 horizontally-extending moisture channels
- 900 hat
- 902 head
- 903 scalp section
- 904 user
- 905 hard hat suspension system
- 906 sideways sweat path
- 908 downwardly aligned sweat path
The following detailed description is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims. For the description, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “rear,” “right,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the examples as oriented in the drawings. There is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory in the preceding Technical Field, Background, Summary or the following detailed description. It is also to be understood that the devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are exemplary embodiments (examples), aspects and/or concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. It is understood that the phrase “at least one” is equivalent to “a”. The aspects (examples, alterations, modifications, options, variations, embodiments and any equivalent thereof) are described regarding the drawings. It should be understood that the invention is limited to the subject matter provided by the claims, and that the invention is not limited to the particular aspects depicted and described.
With reference to all of the FIGS, an apparatus 100 is depicted. The apparatus 100 is for use with a hat 900. The hat 900 is configured to be operatively received by the head 902 of a user 904. The apparatus 100 includes (and is not limited to) a head-contact assembly 102. The head-contact assembly 102 is configured to be operatively supported by the hat 900. This is done in such a way that the head-contact assembly 102 operatively contacts the head 902 of the user 904 once the hat 900 is operatively received by the head 902 of the user 904. The head-contact assembly 102 includes a moisture-management media 104. The moisture-management media 104 is configured to receive, at least in part, moisture from the head 902 of the user 904 once the head-contact assembly 102 is positioned to operatively contact the head 902 of the user 904. The moisture-management media 104 is also configured to convey, at least in part, moisture away from the head-contact assembly 102 and from the head 902 of the user 904 in such a way that moisture accumulation in the head-contact assembly 102 is reduced, at least in part.
More specifically, the moisture-management media 104 may also be configured to disperse, at least in part, moisture away from the head-contact assembly 102 and from the head 902 of the user 904 in such a way that moisture accumulation in the head-contact assembly 102 is reduced, at least in part.
A technical advantage of the moisture-management media 104 is that the concentration of moisture in the head-contact assembly 102 does not build up (the moisture does not remain entrapped in the liner material).
By way of example, the moisture-management media 104 includes a foam material (foam material layer) and/or a non-foam material. The foam material may include a porous foam and/or a non-porous foam. The foam material may include a polymeric foam. The polymeric foam is a foam, in liquid or solidified form, formed (created) from polymers. Examples include a polyurethane foam, a polyvinyl chloride foam, a STYROFOAM™ material, a polyimide foam, a silicone foam or a microcellular foam, etc. The foam material may include a memory foam. The memory foam is polyurethane with additional chemicals that increase its viscosity and density. It is also referred to as a viscoelastic polyurethane foam, or a low-resilience polyurethane foam. Higher-density memory foam softens in reaction to body heat, allowing it to mold to a warm body in a few minutes. After a weight (pressure) is removed from the hat, the foam may return to its original shape (resiliently compressible foam).
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For instance, the hat 900 may include a baseball cap (as depicted in
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The head-contact assembly 102 may be removable (detachable) from the hat 900 and disposable in such a way that a replacement instance of the head-contact assembly 102 may then be mounted to the hat 900 (such as to the hard hat suspension system 905 for the case where the hat 900 includes a hard hat).
The hat 900 of
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The laminate portion 108 is configured to contact (at least in part) the scalp section 903. The laminate portion 108 is also configured to seal (at least in part) the scalp section 903 to stop sweat from running down the face and neck of the user 904 (depicted in
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Some sections of the head-contact assembly 102 do not have to provide an instance of the moisture-management media 104 (such as on the right side of the head-contact assembly 102 as depicted in
Air flow through the voids 103 (also called channels) is possible. The voids 103 are configured to convey moisture to zones where the moisture may be dispersed through evaporation to the air. The amount of air flow through the void 103 may be increased by changing dimensions of the void 103 (as desired). The void 103 may be called a sweat-collection channel.
It will be appreciated that the head-contact assembly 102 may provide a contact portion 112 configured to contact the hat 900. The moisture-management media 104 may provide a contact portion 113 configured to contact the hat 900.
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The head-contact assembly 102 (or the moisture-management media 104) defines a moisture-travel direction 130 aligned along the moisture-drainage channel 128. The moisture-drainage channel 128 may extend through the laminate portion 108.
The head-contact assembly 102 (or the moisture-management media 104) defines an angular perforation channel 132 (also called a dispersion channel) that is aligned along a skewed direction. The angular perforation channel 132 may extend through the laminate portion 108.
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In accordance with some embodiments, the head-contact assembly 102 is configured to seal and/or disperse moisture from the head of the user 904 (depicted in
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.
It may be appreciated that the assemblies and modules described above may be connected with each other as required to perform desired functions and tasks within the scope of persons of skill in the art to make such combinations and permutations without having to describe each and every one in explicit terms. There is no particular assembly or component that may be superior to any of the equivalents available to the person skilled in the art. There is no particular mode of practicing the disclosed subject matter that is superior to others, so long as the functions may be performed. It is believed that all the crucial aspects of the disclosed subject matter have been provided in this document. It is understood that the scope of the present invention is limited to the scope provided by the independent claim(s), and it is also understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to: (i) the dependent claims, (ii) the detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments, (iii) the summary, (iv) the abstract, and/or (v) the description provided outside of this document (that is, outside of the instant application as filed, as prosecuted, and/or as granted). It is understood, for this document, that the phrase “includes” is equivalent to the word “comprising.” The foregoing has outlined the non-limiting embodiments (examples). The description is made for particular non-limiting embodiments (examples). It is understood that the non-limiting embodiments are merely illustrative as examples.
Claims
1. An apparatus for use with a hat configured to be operatively received by the head of a user, the apparatus comprising:
- a head-contact assembly being configured to be operatively supported by the hat in such a way that the head-contact assembly, at least in part, operatively contacts the head of the user once the hat is operatively received by the head of the user; and
- the head-contact assembly including a moisture-management media being configured to: receive, at least in part, moisture from the head of the user once the head-contact assembly being is positioned to operatively contact the head of the user; and convey, at least in part, moisture away from the head-contact assembly and from the head of the user in such a way that moisture accumulation in the head-contact assembly is reduced, at least in part.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the moisture-management media is configured to disperse, at least in part, moisture away from the head-contact assembly and from the head of the user in such a way that moisture accumulation in the head-contact assembly is reduced, at least in part.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly provides: a laminate portion configured to contact a scalp section of the user; and the moisture-management media extends between the hat and the laminate portion.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly is positioned along an opening edge forming an entrance leading to an interior section formed by the hat, and
- the head-contact assembly is positioned (at least in part) between the interior of the hat and the head of the user.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly defines voids.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly defines at least one or more voids; and
- the voids are configured to manage an amount of sweat dispersion ability of the head-contact assembly.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:
- the voids are positioned in such a way to increase, at least in part, the elasticity of the head-contact assembly.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the hat includes a hard hat suspension system, and
- the hard hat suspension system is configured to be connected (mounted) to the interior of the hat, and
- the head-contact assembly is mounted to a section of the hard hat suspension system.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly has an elongated rectangular shape.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly provides a textured surface configured to extend from the head-contact assembly, and the textured surface is configured to reduce contactable surface area of the head-contact assembly.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly intermittently extends along a circumferential zone of a scalp section of the user, and the head-contact assembly is formed into spaced-apart sections that are positioned along the circumferential zone of the scalp section; and
- the head-contact assembly includes an attachment assembly configured to attach the spaced-apart sections of the head-contact assembly together.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly includes a laminate portion, and the laminate portion is configured to face the head of the user.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly is configured to be stretch adjustable.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly is configured to provide the moisture-management media,
- the moisture-management media is configured to disperse sweat away from a scalp section, and
- the moisture-management media is also configured to prevent, at least in part, travel of moisture from the scalp section to the hat.
15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the moisture-management media is configured to facilitate adjustment to the head of the user.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly provides: a laminate portion configured to contact a scalp section of the user; and the laminate portion is configured to contact the scalp section, and the laminate portion is also configured to seal, at least in part, the scalp section to stop sweat from running down the face and neck of the user.
17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly includes a moisture barrier positioned between the hat and the moisture-management media, and the moisture barrier is configured to prevent, at least in part, travel of moisture from a scalp section to the hat.
18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly provides: a laminate portion configured to contact a scalp section of the user;
- the head-contact assembly defines a fluid inlet extending from the laminate portion and fluidly connects with a void that is defined by the head-contact assembly; and
- the head-contact assembly also defines a fluid outlet that extends from the void and connects with the atmosphere located exterior of the head-contact assembly.
19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly is configured to form, at least on part, a tapered end, and also forms an angle; and
- an attachment mechanism is configured to attach the head-contact assembly to an interior zone of the hat.
20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the head-contact assembly includes any one of: a moisture-wicking material received in the interior of the head-contact assembly; a thermal-management assembly received in the interior of the head-contact assembly; an antimicrobial assembly received by the head-contact assembly; and an air bladder received in the interior of the head-contact assembly.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 27, 2015
Publication Date: Feb 2, 2017
Inventors: Luke Wilson (Okotoks), Chad Gaudry (Okotoks)
Application Number: 14/810,061