CAP AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A CAP
A baseball cap and method of assembling thereof is provided. The cap includes a crown that is formed from a single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric, such as using heat pressing techniques. The cap further includes a support layer, such as made from buckram, which is attached to an interior, front portion of the crown, and a visor and a band which are attached to the crown. The crown has a hemispherical shape. In one example, the crown can include a back portion thereof which has been removed to form an open area across which an adjuster is attached. In another example, a front portion of the single-panel crown can be removed and replaced with a front panel made of a different material to form a modified crown.
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The present application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 16/316,380, filed Jan. 9, 2019, as a 371 of the Continuation-In-Part International Application No. PCT/2017/092671, filed Jul. 12, 2017, which claims priority to PCT/CN2016/089914 filed on Jul. 13, 2016, of which all of the applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
FIELDThe present disclosure is related to a method of assembling or manufacturing headwear such as a cap, and more particularly, to a cap assembly that incorporates a single-panel crown formed of stretchable fabric.
BACKGROUNDHeadwear can include various components, such as a crown and a visor (e.g., bill). One type of headwear is a hat, such as a cap or a baseball cap, in which the crown is traditionally formed of six (6) crown panels or 5/4/3/2 crown panels because the fabric is flat, unless the crown is specially hand-crocheted with yarn. However, the multiple crown panels are connected together using conventional attachment techniques, such as stitching or sewing. Such conventional manufacturing techniques increase the time, complexity and cost of assembling or manufacturing components of a cap together. These types of conventional caps also are restrictive in terms of head size ranges, and thus, must be made in many different sizes to accommodate different wearers. Furthermore, the materials used for the flat crown panels in these caps are susceptible to wrinkling, particularly those which use heavier fabrics.
SUMMARYIn accordance with example embodiments, a cap and method of assembling thereof is provided, which employ a single-panel crown formed of a stretchable fabric. The method of assembling a cap, such as for example a baseball cap, involves forming a single-panel crown for a cap from a single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric, removing a back portion of the crown to form an open area, attaching a support layer to an interior, front portion of the single-panel crown with an adhesive, and attaching a visor and a band (such as an elastic (or stretchable) band, inelastic band or a sweatband) to the crown with the attached support layer. The single-panel crown can be formed by heating and stretching the single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric to form a hemispherical shape on a portion of the stretchable fabric, and cutting any extra edge portion or portions of the stretchable fabric that extend from or beyond the hemispherical shaped portion in order to form the single-panel crown for the cap. Heat can be applied to one or both sides of the stretchable fabric, and as heat is applied, a pressing force can be applied to the stretchable fabric using a hemispherical shaped fabric mold to stretch the portion of the stretchable fabric into the hemispherical shape. In one example, only a male mold part is utilized to apply the press force to press and stretch the fabric. The stretchable fabric can be made of a woven or non-woven material, and can be an elastic fabric (or fabric with elastic properties) that includes 2% to 5% spandex, preferably around 3%. of spandex.
The back portion, which is removed, can have an arcuate shape or a triangular shape. A layer of material can be attached along an edge of a back of the crown which is formed by the removal of the back portion. This layer of material can be formed of a material which is different than, e.g., more rigid than, the material of the crown, and can reinforce the edge of the crown around the open area. Furthermore, the removing operation can involve attaching a layer of material to a back of the crown where the layer of material has a predefined shape corresponding to a desired shape of the open area; and removing a portion of the layer of material along with the crown to form the open area with the desired shape so that a strip of the layer of material runs along an edge of a back of the crown around the open area.
The support layer can be made of buckram. To attach the support layer to the single-panel crown, a coat of an adhesive can be applied to a surface of the buckram or an interior, front portion of the single-panel crown. The buckram can then be pressed (e.g., heat pressed) against the interior, front portion of the single-panel crown so that the adhesive bonds the buckram to the interior, front portion of the single-panel crown. Furthermore, bonding tape can be applied over one or more seams that are formed between an edge of the buckram and an interior surface of the single-panel crown. Each of the one or more seams extends radially from an interior, central portion to a bottom edge of the single-panel crown, and the bonding tape covers the one or more seams and further connects the buckram to the single-panel crown.
The cap can also include an adjuster which is attached to a bottom of the crown across the open area at a back of the crown, or utilize a band such as an elastic band which extends across the open area.
In accordance with a further example embodiment, a cap and method of assembling thereof is provided, which modifies a single-panel crown formed of a stretchable fabric by incorporating a different front panel to form a modified crown. In this example, the method of assembling a cap, such as for example a baseball cap, involves forming an initial single-panel crown from a single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric, removing a front portion of the initial single-panel crown, attaching a front panel to the crown to replace the removed front portion and to form a modified crown for a cap, and attaching a visor and a band to the modified crown. The front panel can be smaller than the initial single-panel crown with the removed front portion, can be formed of a different material than the initial crown, and can have a support layer attached on an interior side thereof. The support layer can be attached to the front panel prior to attaching the front panel to the initial single-panel crown with the removed front portion. The stretchable fabric can be made of a woven or non-woven material, or include 2% to 5% spandex. An edge of the initial single-panel crown with the removed front portion can be attached over an edge of the front panel (or vice-a-versa).
The various example caps with a single-panel crown or a modified crown using an initial single-panel crown are designed to provide numerous benefits over conventional caps. For example, the single-panel crown can be formed from a stretchable fabric in a manner that requires substantially less labor in comparison to conventional crowns such as those formed by connecting multiple flat crown panels or by hand crocheting yarn. Thus, with a single-panel crown design as described herein, it is possible to assemble or manufacture a cap (e.g., a baseball cap) in a more efficient, faster and less costly manner in comparison to conventional caps. Furthermore, a cap with such a single-panel crown is able to cover a larger range of head sizes, has increased or improved tear strength by eliminating the need for stitching ordinarily employed to connect multiple flat crown panels together in conventional caps, and is less susceptible to wrinkling particularly when employing light or lighter stretchable fabric for the crown.
The description of the various exemplary embodiments is explained in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:
As further shown in
The support layer 230 can be formed as a single panel or by connecting multiple support panels. For example, as shown in
The support layer 230 can be attached to the interior or inside of the single-panel crown 110 through heat transfer techniques using an adhesive (e.g., a fabric adhesive), as well as using bonding tape. As shown in
The elastic band 260 is attached around an interior of the bottom edge 114 of the single-panel crown 110 with the attached support layer 230. The elastic band 260 can be a sweatband. The visor 120 and the elastic band 260 can be attached to the single-panel crown 110 by sewing or stitching them to the single-panel crown 110 (see e.g., stitches or stitching 116 in
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As shown by reference 700 in
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At reference 904, the stretchable fabric is heated and stretched so at least a portion thereof forms a hemispherical shape (e.g., a dome or half-sphere shape). A hemispherical-shaped fabric mold or other suitable fabric mold of a heat press transfer machine or heat pressing system can be used to heat press, and thus, stretch the stretchable fabric into a desired shape (or dimensions). The stretchable fabric can be heated on one or both sides when stretching the fabric.
At reference 906, any extra edge portion or portions of the stretchable fabric that extend from or beyond the hemispherical-shaped portion is cut or trimmed off in order to form a single-panel crown for a cap.
At reference 908, a support layer is attached to an inside or interior surface of the single-panel crown. For baseball or similar caps, the support layer can be attached to an interior, front portion of the single-panel crown. As previously discussed, the support layer can be made of buckram, and can be formed of one or more support panels which are attached together such as by sewing or stitching, adhesive (e.g., fabric adhesive), bonding tape or a combination thereof, or by other conventional attachment techniques. For example, the support layer can initially be attached to the single-panel crown with an adhesive, and then bonding tape can be applied over the seams between outer edge or periphery of the support layer and the interior of the single-panel crown.
At reference 910, the visor and the elastic band (e.g., a sweatband) is attached to the single-panel crown, such as by sewing or stitching. The visor and the elastic band can be attached separately to the single-panel crown or attached together (e.g., at the same time or simultaneously) to the single-panel crown.
At reference 912, other cap manufacturing processes may be performed to customize the cap. For example, these and other conventional cap manufacturing processes may include embroidering a logo(s) or printing a logo(s), e.g., a print logo, on the cap.
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As further shown in
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The support layer 230 can be formed as a single panel or by connecting multiple support panels, and can be attached to the interior or inside of the single-panel crown 110 through heat transfer techniques using an adhesive (e.g., a fabric adhesive), as well as using bonding tape. For example, as with the example in
The band 1260 is attached around or along an interior of the bottom edge 114 of the crown 110 with the attached support layer 230. The band 1260 can be a sweat band, which is an elastic or inelastic band. The visor 120 and the band 1260 can be attached to the crown 110 by sewing or stitching them to the crown 110 (see, e.g., stitches or stitching 116 in
In this example, the layer 1300 has a predefined shape such as, for example, an arcuate shape (e.g., semi-spherical shape, dome shape, or the like), which corresponds to a desired shape of an open area to be provided on the crown 110. After the layer 1300 is aligned and then attached to a back portion of the crown 110 (see, e.g., dotted outline of the crown 110), a portion 1310 of the layer 1300 along with a corresponding portion of the crown 110 are removed (e.g., cut out). As shown in
As shown in
The above describes one example process of assembling or manufacturing the cap 1600. The various components of the cap 1600, however, can be assembled in a different order and/or different operations can be combined in the process. For example, the visor 120 and the elastic band 260 can be attached to the crown 110 by sewing or stitching them together to the single-panel crown 110 (see e.g., stitches or stitching 116 in
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Thereafter, as shown in
The above describes one example process of assembling or manufacturing the cap 2400. The various components of the cap 2400, however, can be assembled in a different order and/or different operations can be combined. For example, the visor 120 and the elastic band 260 can be attached to the crown 110 by sewing or stitching them together to the single-panel crown 110 (see e.g., stitches or stitching 116 in
The headwear and method of assembling thereof, which are shown and described above with reference to the figures, are simply provided as examples. It should be understood that the headwear can include a crown having a different or varying size, shape and configuration. Although the headwear in
As discussed herein, a stretchable fabric can be heated and stretched into a desired shape with a heat press transfer machine or heat pressing system that employs fabric mold. The fabric mold can include a male mold part (e.g., mold 10 in
Words of degree, such as “about”, “substantially”, and the like are used herein in the sense of “at, or nearly at, when given the manufacturing, design, and material tolerances inherent in the stated circumstances” and are used to prevent the unscrupulous infringer from unfairly taking advantage of the invention disclosure where exact or absolute figures and operational or structural relationships are stated as an aid to understanding the invention.
While particular embodiments and applications of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations can be apparent from the foregoing descriptions without departing from the invention.
Claims
1. A method of assembling a cap comprising:
- forming a single-panel crown for a cap from a single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric;
- removing a back portion of the crown to form an open area;
- attaching a support layer to an interior portion of the single-panel crown; and
- attaching a visor and a band to the crown with the attached support layer.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
- attaching a layer of material along an edge of a back of the crown which is formed by the removal of the back portion.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the band comprises an elastic band, the elastic band extending along an interior rim of the crown across the open area of the crown.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the band comprises a sweatband, the method further comprising:
- attaching an adjuster to a bottom of the crown across the open area, the adjuster being configured to adjust a size of the cap.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the back portion, which is removed, has an arcuate or triangular shape.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the removing comprises:
- attaching a layer of material to a back of the crown, the layer of material having a predefined shape corresponding to a desired shape of the open area; and
- removing a portion of the layer of material along with the crown to form the open area with the desired shape so that a strip of the layer of material runs along an edge of a back of the crown around the open area.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the stretchable fabric comprises a woven or non-woven material, the stretchable fabric including 2% to 5% spandex.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the support layer comprises buckram, the attaching a support layer comprising:
- applying an adhesive to a surface of the buckram or an interior, front portion of the single-panel crown;
- pressing the buckram against the interior, front portion of the single-panel crown so that the adhesive bonds the buckram to the interior, front portion of the single-panel crown; and
- applying bonding tape over one or more seams that are formed between an edge of the buckram and an interior surface of the crown, each of the one or more seams extending radially from an interior, central portion to a bottom edge of the crown, the bonding tape covering the one or more seams and further connecting the buckram to the crown.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attaching a visor comprises stitching the visor and the band to the crown, the band attached around an interior, bottom edge of the crown.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric comprises a fabric blank of the stretchable fabric, wherein the forming a single-panel crown comprises:
- heating and stretching the fabric blank of the stretchable fabric to form a single-panel crown having a hemispherical shape.
11. Headwear comprising a cap that includes:
- a single-panel crown formed from a single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric and having a hemispherical shape, the crown having a back portion which is cut out to form an open area;
- a support layer attached to an interior portion of the single-panel crown; and
- a visor and a band that are attached to the single-panel crown.
12. The headwear according to claim 11, wherein a layer of material is attached to a back of the crown, and has a predefined shape corresponding to a desired shape of the open area, and
- wherein a portion of the layer of material is removed along with the crown to form the open area with the desired shape so that a strip of the layer of material runs along an edge of a back of the crown around the open area.
13. The headwear according to claim 12, wherein the stretchable fabric comprises a woven or non-woven material, the stretchable fabric including 2% to 5% spandex.
14. The headwear according to claim 11, wherein the support layer comprises buckram, which is heat bonded to an interior, front portion of the single-panel crown using an adhesive, the headwear further comprising:
- bonding tape applied over one or more seams that are formed between an edge of the buckram and an interior surface of the crown, each of the one or more seams extending radially from an interior, central portion to a bottom edge of the crown, the bonding tape covering the one or more seams and further connecting the buckram to the single-panel crown,
- wherein the visor and the band are stitched to the single-panel crown, the elastic band being attached around an interior, bottom edge of the single-panel crown.
15. The headwear according to claim 11, further comprising:
- a layer of material attached along an edge of a back of the crown which is formed by the removal of the back portion.
16. The headwear according to claim 11, wherein the band comprises an elastic band, the elastic band extending along an interior rim of the crown across the open area of the crown.
17. The headwear according to claim 11, wherein the band comprises a sweatband, the headwear further comprising:
- an adjuster to adjust a size of the cap, the adjuster being attached to a bottom of the crown across the open area of the crown.
18. The headwear according to claim 11, wherein the back portion, which is cut out, has an arcuate or triangular shape.
19. A method of assembling a cap comprising:
- forming an initial single-panel crown from a single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric;
- removing a front portion of the initial single-panel crown;
- attaching a front panel to the crown to replace the removed front portion and to form a modified crown for a cap, the front panel being formed of a different material than the initial crown and having a support layer attached on an interior side of the front panel; and
- attaching a visor and a band to the modified crown.
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the support layer is attached to the front panel prior to attaching the front panel to the initial single-panel crown with the removed front portion.
21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the stretchable fabric comprises a woven or non-woven material.
22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the stretchable fabric includes 2% to 5% spandex.
23. The method according to claim 19, wherein an edge of the initial single-panel crown with the removed front portion is attached over an edge of the front panel.
24. The method according to claim 19, wherein the front panel is smaller than the initial single-panel crown with the removed front portion.
25. Headwear comprising:
- a crown having an initial single-panel crown formed from a single sheet or single piece of stretchable fabric with a front portion of the initial single-panel crown being removed, and a front panel attached to the initial single-panel crown to replace the removed front portion, the front panel being formed of a different material than the initial crown and having a support layer attached on an interior of the front panel; and
- a visor and a band attached to the modified crown.
26. The headwear according to claim 25, wherein the support layer is attached to the front panel prior to attaching the front panel to the initial crown.
27. The headwear according to claim 25, wherein the stretchable fabric comprises a woven or non-woven material.
28. The headwear according to claim 27, wherein the stretchable fabric includes 2% to 5% spandex.
29. The headwear according to claim 25, wherein an edge of the initial single-panel crown with the removed front portion is attached over an edge of the front panel.
30. The headwear according to claim 25, wherein the front panel is smaller than the initial single-panel crown with the removed front portion.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 8, 2019
Publication Date: Jun 20, 2019
Applicant: Shanghai Pacific Hat Manufacturing Company, LTD (Shanghai)
Inventor: Zhen MAO (Shanghai)
Application Number: 16/270,939