FLOATABLE HEADWEAR

Abstract

Floatable headwear comprises a head engaging portion adapted for placement on the head of a wearer and a bill having a proximal end attached to the head engaging portion. The bill comprises a rigid layer having a upper surface and a lower surface, an upper fabric layer covering the upper surface of the rigid layer, a lower fabric layer covering the lower surface of the rigid layer, and a neoprene layer between the rigid layer and the lower fabric layer configured to cause the headwear to float when in a body of water with the distal end of the bill extending above the surface of the body of water such that it is visible and graspable by a user.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/716,414 filed on Apr. 8, 2022 entitled FLOATABLE HEADWEAR, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/246,453 filed on Sep. 21, 2021 entitled FLOATABLE HEADWEAR, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates generally to headwear, especially baseball-style caps and sun visors that are floatable.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Floatable headwear in accordance with one or more embodiments comprises a head engaging portion adapted for placement on the head of a wearer and a bill having a proximal end attached to the head engaging portion. The bill comprises a rigid layer having a upper surface and a lower surface, an upper fabric layer covering the upper surface of the rigid layer, a lower fabric layer covering the lower surface of the rigid layer, and a neoprene layer between the rigid layer and the lower fabric layer configured to cause the headwear to float when in a body of water with the distal end of the bill extending above the surface of the body of water such that it is visible and graspable by a user.

Floatable headwear in accordance with one or more further embodiments comprises a head engaging portion adapted for placement on a head of a user and a bill having a proximal end attached to the head engaging portion. The bill has an original curved or straight shape. The bill includes a rigid plastic shape retainer board comprising High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) having a thickness of about 1.5 mm to 3 mm, which is able to sufficiently resist bending or collapsing of the bill to maintain the original curved or straight shape of the bill in a singular fixed configuration. The rigid plastic shape retainer board has an upper surface and a lower surface. An upper fabric layer covers the upper surface of the rigid plastic shape retainer board. The bill also includes a lower fabric layer and a neoprene layer between the rigid plastic shape retainer board and the lower fabric layer and covering substantially all of the lower surface of the rigid plastic shape retainer board. The neoprene layer has a thickness of about 1 mm to 3 mm, which provides sufficient buoyancy to the headwear such that the headwear floats when in a body of water with the distal end of the bill extending above the surface of the body of water and graspable by the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a floatable cap in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cap.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the cap.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-section view of a portion of the bill of the cap.

FIG. 5 illustrates floatability of the cap.

FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded view of components of the bill of the cap.

Like or identical reference numbers are used to identify common or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an example of floatable headwear in accordance with one or more embodiments. The headwear can be a baseball-style cap 10, which includes a crown 12 attached to a bill 14. The crown 12 is adapted for placement on the head of a wearer. In the example embodiment, the crown 12 is made from a plurality of panels that are sewn together. The bill 14 is designed to block sunlight from the wearer's eyes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower portion of the interior side of the crown 12 is lined by an interior band of fabric 16. The band 16 is designed for placement circumferentially about the head of the wearer. In some embodiments, the band 16 functions as a sweatband.

As shown in FIG. 2, the back of the crown 12 includes an adjustable closure 18. The adjustable closure 18 in the illustrated embodiment is a hook-and-loop closure (e.g., VELCRO® brand fasteners) made up of two straps 18a and 18b (shown in FIG. 3) that releasably connect together. The wearer can adjust the size of the cap by moving the straps 18a, 18b relative to one another in an overlapping arrangement and then releasably locking them together by pressing the hook portion of one of the straps and the loop portion of the other of the straps together. In other embodiments (not shown), the adjustable closure can be another type of closure such as, e.g., a plastic snap closure comprising two connectable plastic straps.

The cap 10 floats if dropped in a body of water. Floating is achieved through use of a neoprene (or a similar synthetic rubber material) lining in the bill 14 of the cap 10. Neoprene, which is also known as polychloroprene, is a synthetic rubber product. It has been found that using a neoprene layer in the bill 14 of the cap 10 (and optionally in the closure 18 as discussed below) provides the cap 10 with sufficient buoyancy allowing for easy retrieval if dropped in a body of water as discussed below.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of a portion of the bill 14 illustrating its construction. (The drawing is not necessarily to scale.) FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded view of the primary components of the bill 14. The bill 14 includes a rigid or semi-rigid layer 20, which can be, e.g., a stiff plastic layer that allows the bill to retain its shape. The bill can have a curved or straight shape.

An upper fabric layer 22 is secured to and covers the upper surface of the rigid layer. A lower fabric layer 24 forms the opposite lower surface of the bill 14.

A neoprene layer 26 is located between the rigid layer 20 and the lower fabric layer 24. The neoprene layer 26 is disposed under all or substantially all of the rigid layer 20.

In one or more embodiments, the layers 20, 22, 24, and 26, which are formed individually, are connected together using one or more lines of stitching. In one or more alternate embodiments, the layers 20, 22, 24, and 26 are connected together by bonding or gluing adjacent layers.

In one or more embodiments, the rigid or semi-rigid layer 20 comprises a plastic visor board insert.

In one or more embodiments, the plastic visor board insert comprises High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

In one or more embodiments, the plastic visor board insert has a generally uniform thickness between about 1.5 mm to 3 mm, and more preferably about 2.4 mm.

It has been found that a plastic visor board comprising HDPE and having a thickness of at least 1.5 mm is sufficiently resilient and resistant to bending and to maintain the original curved or straight shape of the bill (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 1) in normal usage. In one or more embodiments. The plastic visor board also resists collapsing of the bill.

In one or more embodiments, the plastic visor board has a generally uniform construction without any points or lines of weakness where the plastic visor board can be more easily bent or otherwise deformed. Consequently, the resiliency of the plastic visor board has a uniform resistance to bending and maintains the original curved or straight shape of the bill in a singular fixed configuration in normal usage. For example, the plastic visor panel does not contain weakened lines therein enabling the bill to be incrementally bent and maintained in the bent shape.

It has been found that this particular combination and arrangement of features of the cap 10 causes the cap 10 to float when in a body of water in such a way that at least the distal end of the bill 14 extends above the surface 30 of the body of water into the air above as shown in FIG. 5. In this orientation, the bill 14 is visible and can be easily grasped by a user and removed from the water. The features providing such floatability include the neoprene layer 26, its location beneath and attachment to the rigid layer 20, and the upper and lower fabric coverings 22, 24. It has been found that a neoprene layer having a thickness of about 1 mm to 3 mm is sufficient to provide buoyancy to the headwear as discussed above.

Thus, the combination of the neoprene layer 26 and the rigid layer 20 above it allows the bill 14 is able to retain its curved or flat shape like a traditional cap, while also providing floatability. In addition, it gives the cap the aesthetic look and feel of a traditional cap by visually hiding the soft neoprene layer. Furthermore, the neoprene layer, in addition to floatability, provides a soft compliant undersurface allowing the bill to be securely held even when wet.

The thickness of the neoprene layer 26 can vary. In some embodiments, the neoprene layer thickness is about 1 mm to 3 mm.

In one or more embodiments, the closure 18 can also include a neoprene lining. For instance, if the closure comprises hook-and-loop fastener elements 18a, 18b, one or both of the fastener elements 18a, 18b can include a neoprene lining.

In addition to base-ball style caps, other headwear can also incorporate the features providing floatability discussed above including, e.g., sun visors, which comprise a headband (instead of a crown) and a bill.

Having thus described several illustrative embodiments, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to form a part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. While some examples presented herein involve specific combinations of functions or structural elements, it should be understood that those functions and elements may be combined in other ways according to the present disclosure to accomplish the same or different objectives. In particular, acts, elements, and features discussed in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from similar or other roles in other embodiments.

Additionally, elements and components described herein may be further divided into additional components or joined together to form fewer components for performing the same functions.

Accordingly, the foregoing description and attached drawings are by way of example only, and are not intended to be limiting.

Claims

1. Floatable headwear, comprising:

a head engaging portion adapted for placement on a head of a user; and

a bill having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end being attached to the head engaging portion, said bill having an original curved or straight shape, said bill comprising: a rigid plastic shape retainer board comprising High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) having a thickness of about 1.5 mm to 3 mm sufficient to resist bending or collapsing of the bill to maintain the original curved or straight shape of the bill in a singular fixed configuration, said rigid plastic shape retainer board having an upper surface and a lower surface; an upper fabric layer covering the upper surface of the rigid plastic shape retainer board; a lower fabric layer; and a neoprene layer between the rigid plastic shape retainer board and the lower fabric layer and covering substantially all of the lower surface of the rigid plastic shape retainer board, said neoprene layer having a thickness of about 1 mm to 3 mm sufficient to provide buoyancy to the headwear such that the headwear floats when in a body of water with the distal end of the bill extending above the surface of the body of water and graspable by the user.

2. The floatable headwear of claim 1, wherein the rigid plastic shape retainer board, the neoprene layer, the upper fabric layer, and the lower fabric layer comprise separate individual components joined together by one or more lines of stitches.

3. The floatable headwear of claim 1, further comprising a closure having a neoprene lining on the head engaging portion opposite the bill.

4. The floatable headwear of claim 3, wherein the closure comprises a hook-and-loop fastener.

5. The floatable headwear of claim 1, wherein the headwear comprises a baseball style cap.

6. The floatable headwear of claim 1, wherein the headwear comprises a sun visor.

7. The floatable headwear of claim 1, wherein the neoprene layer comprises polychloroprene.

8. The floatable headwear of claim 1, wherein the rigid plastic shape retainer board has a thickness of about 2.4 mm.

9. The floatable headwear of claim 1, wherein the neoprene layer has a thickness of about 2 mm.

10. A floatable hat or visor, comprising:

a head engaging portion comprising a crown or a headband adapted to be worn on a user's head, said head engaging portion including a closure having a neoprene lining; and

a bill having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end being attached to the head engaging portion, said bill having an original curved or straight shape, said bill comprising: a rigid plastic shape retainer board comprising High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) having a generally uniform thickness of about 1.5 mm to 3 mm sufficient to resist bending or collapsing of the bill to maintain the original curved or straight shape of the bill in a singular fixed configuration, said rigid plastic shape retainer board having an upper surface and a lower surface; an upper fabric layer covering the upper surface of the rigid plastic shape retainer board; a lower fabric layer; and a neoprene layer between the rigid plastic shape retainer board and the lower fabric layer and covering substantially all of the lower surface of the rigid plastic shape retainer board, said neoprene layer having a thickness of about 1 mm to 3 mm sufficient to provide buoyancy to the headwear such that the headwear floats when in a body of water with the distal end of the bill extending above the surface of the body of water and graspable by the user.

11. The floatable hat or visor of claim 10, wherein the rigid plastic shape retainer board, the neoprene layer, the upper fabric layer, and the lower fabric layer comprise separate individual components joined together by one or more lines of stitches.

12. The floatable hat or visor of claim 10, wherein the closure comprises a hook-and-loop fastener or a snap fastener.

13. The floatable hat or visor of claim 10, wherein the neoprene layer has a thickness of about 2 mm.

14. The floatable hat or visor of claim 10, wherein the neoprene layer comprises polychloroprene.

15. The floatable hat or visor of claim 10, wherein the rigid plastic shape retainer board has a thickness of about 2.4 mm.

16. The floatable hat or visor of claim 10, wherein the bill is curved.

17. The floatable hat or visor of claim 10, wherein the bill is straight.

18. A floatable hat or visor, comprising:

a head engaging portion comprising a crown or a headband adapted to be worn on a user's head, said head engaging portion including a closure having a hook-and-loop fastener and a neoprene lining; and

a bill having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end being attached to the head engaging portion, said bill having an original curved or straight shape, said bill comprising: a rigid plastic shape retainer board comprising High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) having a generally uniform thickness of at least 1.5 mm sufficient to resist bending or collapsing of the bill to maintain the original curved or straight shape of the bill in a singular fixed configuration, said rigid plastic shape retainer board having an upper surface and a lower surface; an upper fabric layer covering the upper surface of the rigid plastic shape retainer board; a lower fabric layer; and a neoprene layer between the rigid plastic shape retainer board and the lower fabric layer and covering substantially all of the lower surface of the rigid plastic shape retainer board, said neoprene layer having a thickness of at least 1 mm sufficient to provide buoyancy to the headwear such that the headwear floats when in a body of water with the distal end of the bill extending above the surface of the body of water and graspable by the user.

19. The floatable hat or visor of claim 18, wherein the rigid plastic shape retainer board, the neoprene layer, the upper fabric layer, and the lower fabric layer comprise separate individual components joined together by one or more lines of stitches.

20. The floatable hat or visor of claim 18, wherein the floatable hat or visor is a baseball-style cap and the bill is curved.