LOW FITTING HAIRLINE CAP

Abstract

A low-fitting hairline cap is disclosed. The cap includes an indentation on each side that extends upward relative to the body. The indentations enable a wearer of the cap to seat the cap in a lower position on the head without being obstructed by the upper ears.

Description

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates generally to caps, and in particular to caps that can be worn low without unnaturally pushing against the upper ears.

Background

It is commonplace for wearers of baseball, trucking and other caps to don them in a lower position on the head than the cap naturally lends itself to being worn. For example, certain wearers may prefer anonymoty. Others prefer stylistically to wear the hat in a low position on the head.

One problem with conventional caps is shown in FIG. 7, which illustrates a conventional cap 700 including a round body 704 for seating on the head, and a bill 706 coupled to body 704. Assuming, as is often the case, that additional room exists between the head of the wearer and the body 704 to wear the cap 700 in a lower position, the body edges 711 tend to interfere with, and even push out, the upper ears. Thus the wearer who desires to position the cap 700 lower on the head must either wear the cap 700 with the edge 704 of the body over the ears, or with the body edge 704 pressing against a ridge of the upper ear defined by the ear and a side of the head. Both alternatives are uncomfortable, and feel and look unnatural. Further, where the body edge 704 is worn flush against the ridge of the ears, the ridge conventionally acts as an obstruction that prevents the cap 700 from being worn any lower, which can be an undesirable restriction for certain people.

SUMMARY

Various aspects of the disclosure are set forth herein. According to one aspect of the disclosure, a cap includes a bill, and a body coupled to the bill, the body having indentations arranged on opposite sides thereof, the indentations extending upward into the body for alignment around at least a portion of respective upper ears of a wearer to enable the wearer to don the cap in a lower position on a wearer's head without obstruction between edges of the body and the upper ears.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a cap includes a bill, and a body coupled to the bill, the body including indentations in left and right sides thereof extending upward into the body, the indentations being contoured to provide room for upper ear regions of a wearer to enable the wearer to don the cap in a lower position on the head that would otherwise cause the upper ear regions to obstruct the body without the indentations.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method for assembling a cap comprising a bill and a body includes forming the body to include a pair of upward indentations contoured to fit proximate upper ears of a wearer, and coupling the body to the bill, wherein the indentations are configured to enable a wearer to don the cap in a lower orientation on the head by providing additional spacing for the upper ear regions.

Other aspects will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is shown and described only several embodiments by way of illustration. As will be realized by those skilled in the art, concepts herein are capable of other and different embodiments, and several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the low fitting cap and features thereof in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the low fitting cap in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view of a person wearing the low fitting cap in a forward orientation.

FIG. 4 is a view of a person wearing the low fitting cap in a backwards orientation.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flow diagram of a method for making a low fitting cap in accordance with an embodiment.

FIGS. 6A-C are exemplary views of different shapes of indentations in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a conventional cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended to provide a description of various exemplary embodiments of the concepts disclosed herein and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. The term “exemplary” used in this disclosure means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments presented in this disclosure. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough and complete disclosure that fully conveys the scope of the concepts to those skilled in the art. However, the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components may be shown in block diagram form, or omitted entirely, in order to avoid obscuring the various concepts presented throughout this disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the low fitting cap 100 and features thereof in accordance with an embodiment. Cap 100 includes a body 104, and a bill 106 coupled to the body. Traversing the perimeter of the body are body edges 111, a front portion of which is generally coupled to the bill 106 via a stitching process or other suitable assembly technique. Cap 100 may be a baseball cap, for instance, or another type of cap.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, cap 100 includes indentations 102 (one obscured from view) formed into the body 104 at opposite sides of the cap. The indentations 102 may be contoured to extend in an upward and curved position into the body for achieving an alignment around respective upper ears of a wearer. Indentations 102 thus enable the wearer to seat the cap in a lower position on a wearer's head while avoiding interference that would otherwise occur between the body edges and the upper ears in the absence of the indentations. In the example shown, the indentation 102 extends from about the brim of the cap to a seam, although narrow or broader indentations are possible.

A lower position on the user's head may, for example, include a position in which the cap 100 can be seated on a wearer's head with at least a portion of the body edges 111 at any point on a circumference of the body 102 being positioned lower on the head than a top surface of the wearer's ears, or alternatively, positioned lower than the ridges of the upper ears. In this way, indentations aligned with a wearer's ears enable the cap to be seated lower without the body edges 111 causing uncomfortable pressure to the ridges or otherwise pushing against the upper ears. As described herein, the ridges of the upper ears include the inner surface region connecting the head to the ear, such as where eyeglass are often seated. Thus, for instance, the body edges 111 that are coincident with (i.e., that border) the indentations 102 on each side of the cap may be behind the upper ears, and either gently seated on the ridges of the ears between the head and upper ears, or positioned above the ridges of the ears as the user desires. In either case, the cap can be worn lower on the head without the body edges 111 pressing against the ridge of the ear as in conventional caps, causing discomfort, pushing out of the ears, and possible contortion of the cap material.

In other embodiments, the body edges coincident with the indentations need not necessarily be obscured by the upper ears or even in contact with the ridges of the ears, provided that the user can wear the cap in a lower position as desired because of the extra room accorded the user's ears via the indentations (see, e.g., FIG. 4). Among other advantages, the indentations 426 obviate the need for the user to attempt to fold the excess cap material (including the body edges 111 or portions thereof) on a conventional cap to achieve a lower fitting of the cap, or to seat the fabric over the ears, in order to obtain the lower fitting, both alternatives of which look and feel unnatural.

Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the indentations are curved upward into the body for the purpose of allowing the wearer to seat the cap lower than would otherwise be comfortably possible. In various embodiments, the indentations 102 are broadly formed in the cap 100 such that the indentations 102 begin at the forward portion 108 adjacent the bill 106, gradually rise to a maximum and then ultimately fall towards a seam 121 adjacent the end portion of the indentation 102. This broadly shaped indentation 102 may be used, for example, to enable a wearer to don the cap on backwards and to still achieve a similar low orientation of the cap without undue interference from the ears. However, it should be understood that the indentations 102 need not take on the shape as shown in FIG. 2, as other shapes may be equally suitable (see, e.g., FIGS. 6A-C).

FIG. 2 is a side view of the low fitting cap 200 in accordance with an embodiment. As before, cap 200 includes bill 206, body, 204, and lower edges 225 of body traversing a perimeter of body 204. In some embodiments, the rear of the body 204 may be an open area that includes a strap (e.g., FIG. 4) with small apertures or a clip to adjust sizing (not shown for simplicity). This open area may interrupt the lower edges 225 of the body from continuously traversing the perimeter.

Indentation 202 corresponding to a right side of a wearer's ear (or left side, if the cap is worn backward, are shown in FIG. 2, as similar to FIG. 1. That is, in the embodiment shown, the indentation are initially curved inward beginning at a forward section 208 at a brim of cap 200 adjacent the bill 206, and may continue to curve inward to a maximally upward portion 226, where the indentation proceeds to curve back down until it terminates, such as at or adjacent a seam as shown in FIG. 1. The size of the indentations may be proportional to the amount of room available in the body for a user to lower the profile of the cap 200 while worn, or the indentation may be sized using other considerations. In other embodiments, the width of the indentations 202 may be smaller or longer, and the indentations 202 may be shaped differently without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The indentations 202 enable the wearer to don the cap and seat it in a low position while maintaining a streamlined and comfortable fit around the ears. In addition, the indentations 202 can be used on different sized heads with similar results. The wearer can simply adjust the strap in the back of the hat to make the hat smaller or bigger, and the indentations 202 can remain in place to accord the wearer additional room around the ear region.

The identified maximally upward portion 226 may fit between the upper ear and the head above the ridge, such that the upper ear at least partially obscures maximally upward portion 226. In other embodiments, the maximally upward portion 226 may reside just above the ears, thereby freeing the ears from the impediment of the lower edges 225 when the wearer dons the cap. The maximally upward portion 226 may, but need not, be a single point or region. Rather, in some embodiments such as where rectangular indentations or indentations having other shapes are used, maximally upward portion 226 may be associated with a straight line, diagonal line, and the like. In still other embodiments, the indentation 202 may be shaped to conform with the general shape of an average person's ridge, so as to provide a snug but comfortable fit when the cap 200 is worn low.

FIG. 3 is a view of a person wearing the low fitting cap 300 in a forward orientation. Cap 300 includes a pair of indentations to enable the wearer to seat the cap in a lower position 341 wherein the body is generally lower than the wearer's hairline, and the bill is positioned over the forehead instead of at the hairline. For example, the bill may be closer to the eyes of the wearer.

FIG. 3 shows an upper ear region 363 that includes the upper ear 392 and an inner ear region marked by the symbol A. The inner ear region A includes the ear ridge (obscured from view). As noted above, when the hat worn in a lower position 341, the edge of the indentation may seamlessly fit underneath the upper ear 392. Notably, if the indentation were absent from the cap 300, the body edge 311 would significantly obstruct the inner ear region A, thereby preventing the wearer from wearing the cap 300 in a low position below the hairline at least because the cap fabric would push against the ears of the wearer. In various embodiments, the indentations in FIG. 3 may be placed at different locations above the upper ear region 392 to prevent this obstruction and to enable the wearer to comfortably wear the cap 300 in the desired low position.

In other embodiments, the indentations may be configured such that the cap can be flipped around. FIG. 4 is a view of a person wearing the low fitting cap in a backwards orientation. As can be seen, the orientation of the cap in FIG. 4 is angled downward relative to the forward positioning shown in FIG. 3. The indentations 402 in FIG. 4 nevertheless provide the wearer additional room to seat the cap in a lower position that is at or below the hairline. For example, in the front of cap 400 where the sizing strap 409 is positioned, the cap 400 may be worn higher depending on wearer preference. Conversely, the cap 400 may be worn lower than usual in the mid and rear areas. Maximally upward portions 426 of indentations 402 are shown for exemplary purposes as being above the upper ears. However, this leaves room for the wearer to seat the hat lower in alternative embodiments such that the maximally upward portion 426 is between the upper ear region 463 and thus obscured from view by the upper ear region 463. Bill 406 can also be placed very low relative to the remaining portions of cap 400, which is consistent with the preferences of various users.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary flow diagram of a method for making a low fitting cap in accordance with an embodiment. The cap may be assembled using a variety of techniques, including automated stitching processes, or in some embodiments, using adhesives to connect together elements of the hat. At exemplary step 527, the body of the cap is formed, such as by stitching together a plurality of fabric elements at the designated seams. The body is formed to include upward indentations as heretofore described. The indentations may be pre-cut into the body, for example, or in other embodiments the indentations may already be formed in the fabric that is stitched together to form the body. In other embodiments, the indentations are cut into the finished body and the loose fabric is stitched or otherwise adhered to the body to create a neat, refined look. As in exemplary step 578, the edges of the body portion may be formed to fit a wearer in a lower position by an amount that may be proportional to the additional spacing that is accorded a typical upper ear region by the indentations. Stated differently, the body edges may be adjusted accordingly to enable the cap to be seated lower on a user's head as desired, limited primarily by the width of the indentations. It should be noted that most or all of step 578 may be performed simultaneously to, or immediately thereafter, the forming of the body in step 577. Alternatively, the edges may be adjusted in more detail in step 578 after the initial formation of the body and upper ears in step 577, for example.

In step 579, the body formed in previous steps may be connected or otherwise coupled to the bill to form the remainder of the cap. This step may include stitching of the cap and the bill, or fixably applying the two parts together using adhesives or other fastening means. In some embodiments, the bill is formed prior to or contemporaneous with the formation of the body, in which case step 579 may temporally occur prior to one or both steps 577 and/or 578.

FIGS. 6A-C are exemplary views of different shapes of indentations in accordance with various embodiments. As noted above, while the indentations are primarily contoured by the use of curves extending upward such as half ellipses or similar shapes, including indentation 602a in FIG. 6A, other shapes are possible. For example, an indentation 602B having a generally rectangular shape for alignment about the upper ear region is shown in FIG. 6B. Similarly, FIG. 6C shows a longer indentation 602C that may be more suitable for use with larger caps. It should be understood that the shapes in FIGS. 6A-C may vary, and any number of other shapes are possible that can provide for a low profile hat on the head with a streamlined fit.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to the exemplary embodiments presented throughout this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the concepts disclosed herein may be applied in other contexts and for different purposes. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the exemplary embodiments presented throughout the disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), or analogous law in applicable jurisdictions, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”

Claims

1. A cap, comprising:

a bill; and

a body coupled to the bill, the body having indentations arranged on opposite sides thereof, the indentations extending upward into the body on each side of the body for alignment around at least a portion of respective upper ears of a wearer, the indentations enabling the wearer to obtain a low profile fitting of the body while avoiding obstruction between edges of the body and the upper ears.

2. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations comprises an upward curve.

3. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations extend at a forward portion of the cap from a region proximate where the body and bill meet.

4. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations is shaped to conform with a shape of a ridge of an upper ear region.

5. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations is configured to extend underneath an outer portion of the respective upper ear when a wearer dons the cap.

6. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations is configured to enable the wearer to wear the cap in a backwards orientation without obstruction between the body and the upper ears.

7. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations is configured to fit into a ridge between an outer ear and a head of the wearer when the cap is in the lower position.

8. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations comprises a semi-rectangular or an oval shape.

9. The cap of claim 1, wherein each of the indentations comprise a maximally-upward portion relative to the body, the maximally-upward portions being configured for positioning proximate respective upper ears of a wearer.

10. A cap, comprising:

a bill; and

a body coupled to the bill, the body comprising indentations in left and right sides thereof extending upward into the body, the indentations being contoured to provide room for upper ear regions of a wearer to enable the wearer to don the cap in a lower position on the head that would otherwise cause the upper ear regions to obstruct the body without the indentations.

11. The cap of claim 10, wherein the indentations are contoured to fit in ridges defined by the upper ear regions and a head of the wearer.

12. The cap of claim 10, wherein the bill and body are configured to sit in a lower position on a wearer's head than would otherwise fit the wearer absent the indentations.

13. The cap of claim 10, wherein the indentations are further configured to provide room for the upper ear regions when the wearer dons the cap in a backwards orientation.

14. The cap of claim 10, wherein the indentations comprise upward curves in the body proximate the upper ear regions when the wearer dons the cap.

15. The cap of claim 10, wherein the indentations are bordered with material on the body that is contoured to fit into a ridge between each outer ear and the head when the wearer dons the cap in the lower position.

16. A method for assembling a cap comprising a bill and a body, the method comprising:

forming the body to include a pair of upward indentations contoured to fit proximate upper ears of an anticipated wearer; and

coupling the body to the bill,

wherein the indentations are configured to enable a wearer to don the cap in a lower orientation on the head by providing additional spacing for the upper ear regions.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the coupling the body comprises stitching the body to the bill.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming the lower edges of the body to fit lower on the head by an amount proportional to the additional spacing accorded the upper ears by the indentations.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising forming the body to fit the wearer in the lower orientation when the cap is worn in a backwards orientation by the wearer.