Abstract:
An article of apparel to be worn about the head includes an elongate sleeve of material having an elongate pliable member extending at least partially through the sleeve. The ends of the article are securable about the head so that at least a portion of the head and ears are covered, with the pliable member providing all or a portion of the facilities for securing and maintaining the device about the head.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/770,459, filed Dec. 20,1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,833 entitled PLIABLE GARMENT TO BE WORN ABOUT THE HEAD by Eileen A. LeDonne. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to clothing apparel, and, specifically, to a garment which is both pliable and securable about the human head. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Numerous articles of clothing are available for wearing on or about the human head. Some articles, such as scarves, bandanas, headbands and hair clips may have both utilitarian function as well as fashionable appeal. Apparel used for winter clothing usually serves the functions of insulating all or a portion of the head. Items such as hats, scarves and headbands are marketed in a variety of sizes for adults as well as children. However, within a specific size category, the items have a “one size fits all” design which typically includes elastic to keep the article close to the head. As a result such items are often overly tight and difficult to fit around one&#39;s head, often disturbing one&#39;s hairstyle and, particularly for women, one&#39;s cosmetic makeup. In addition, children often times resist having such tight fitting garments pulled across their head and face. Other items, such as certain earmuff designs may be selectively sized to one&#39;s head by use of a telescoping mechanism connecting the two ear covering elements. Such articles, however, often times do not remain securely on an individual&#39;s head, especially during outdoor physical activity. As a result, the comfort and protection derived from the earmuffs is less than optimal. 
     Accordingly, a need exists for an article of clothing which can be custom fitted to the unique shape of an individual&#39;s head, which will not disturb an individual&#39;s appearance during dressing, and which provides a secure, comfortable, and protective covering to at least a portion of the head. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The above-described deficiencies of prior devices and previously described needs are fulfilled by the present invention which contemplates an article to be worn about the head comprising a pliable member capable of being shaped about the head and an external covering surrounding the pliable member. In one embodiment, the pliable member comprises a metal wire and the external covering comprises either a natural or synthetic material. In another embodiment, the movement of the pliable member within the external covering may be limited by partially partitioning the interior cavity formed around the pliable member by the external covering. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features, objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which: 
     FIG. 1A illustrates the components of the inventive article in a partially assembled relation; 
     FIG. 1B illustrates the article of FIG. 1A when assembled, with the pliable member illustrated in phantom; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inventive article of FIG. 1B as seen along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1B; 
     FIG. 3A illustrates a partial view of the unsecured ends of the article of FIG. 1B; 
     FIG. 3B illustrates a partial view of the article ends of FIG. 3A when secured; 
     FIG. 4A illustrates a partial view of an alternative embodiment of the article ends of FIG. 3A when unsecured; 
     FIG. 4B illustrates a partial view of the article ends of FIG. 4A when secured in accordance with the alternative embodiment; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the article as worn about the head, with the subject illustrated in phantom; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a cut away view of an alternative embodiment of the inventive article; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the article of FIG. 6 as seen along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8A is a partial view illustrating the article ends of FIG. 6 when unsecured; 
     FIG. 8B illustrates a partial view of the article ends of FIG. 8A when secured; 
     FIG. 9A illustrates a partial view of an alternative embodiment of the article ends of FIG. 6 when unsecured; 
     FIG. 9B illustrates a partial view of the article ends of FIG. 9A when secured; 
     FIG. 10A illustrates the components of an alternative embodiment of the inventive article in a partially assembled relation; 
     FIG. 10B illustrates the article of FIG. 10A when assembled, with the pliable member illustrated in phantom; 
     FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view of the inventive article of FIG. 10B as seen along line  11 A— 11 A of FIG. 10B; 
     FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the inventive article of FIG. 10B as seen along line  11 B— 11 B of FIG. 10B; 
     FIG. 12 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention with the pliable member illustrated in phantom; 
     FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view of the inventive article of FIG. 12 as seen along line  13 A— 13 A of FIG. 12; 
     FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view of the inventive article of FIG. 12 as seen along line  13 B— 13 B of FIG. 12; 
     FIG. 14 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the inventive article illustrated in FIG. 10B; and 
     FIG. 15 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the inventive article of FIG. 12, with the pliable member illustrated in phantom. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1A, the components of the inventive garment in accordance with the present invention, hereafter referred to as the “article”, are illustrated. Article  5  comprises an elongate member  12  contained within an external covering  10 . As illustrated in FIG. 1A, elongate member  12  extends substantially the length of external covering  10 . In the illustrative embodiment, elongate member  12  has pliable characteristics which allow it to be repeatedly bent or flexed without destroying the patency of the member. In the illustrative embodiment, member  12  comprises a metal wire  16 . Alternatively, member  12  may comprise one or more wires, such as a pair of wires housed in a plastic insulative sheathing  18 , as illustrated in FIG. 2, similar to standard electrical wire used with thermostats and other electrical devices. Such wire is commercially available from numerous hardware and building supply stores. The ends of the wire are bent to form a rounded surface for safety purposes. The gauge of the wire and the number of wires is a design choice dependent on the amount of pliability and flexibility desired within the article  5 . The article is manufactured by placing the member  12  within the external covering  10 , which, in the illustrative embodiment, is symmetrical in shape having a first end  10 A and a second end  10 B. The covering may then be folded in half and secured together, typically by stitching or other means, to form the article as illustrated in FIG. 1B, with member  12  being illustrated in phantom therein. Alternatively, external covering  10  may be formed from a plurality of pieces of material secured together. 
     In addition to metal having dimensions as previously described, other substances may be used for member  12  such as certain plastics which exhibit pliable characteristics similar to metal and which may have either a circular cross section, as illustrated in FIG. 2, or a rectangular cross section, as illustrated in FIG. 7, as described hereinafter. 
     External covering  10  may comprise any fabric or material which provides insulative properties, including but not limited to naturally occurring fibers such as cotton, wool, or mohair, or synthetic materials, such as Dacron, Rayon, or Polyester. In the illustrative embodiment, a synthetic fleece material known as Polartec commercially available from Malden Mills, Lawrence, Mass. is utilized for external covering  10 . The fleece material provides an enhanced degree of warmth to the body surfaces with which external covering  10  comes into contact. 
     It will be obvious to those reasonably skilled in the arts that other types of materials may be used and that different combinations of material may be used. For instance, the internal side of external covering  10 , the side worn next to the body, may comprise a knit material, while the other, external side may comprise a different material such as natural or synthetic animal fur. 
     To help stabilize the position of member  12  within the external covering, an optional sleeve  14  may be utilized to limit the movement of member  12  within external covering  10 , particularly during shaping. The sleeve may comprise a fabric material or a synthetic foam, such as urethane or polyurethane. The sleeve may be secured to the external covering  10  or may remain within external covering  10  through frictional forces. Alternatively, sleeve  14  may comprise one or more securing devices, such as strips of elastic attached to external covering  10 . In addition to, or in place of, sleeve  14 , a material such as synthetic or natural down or a natural or synthetic batt material may fill any interior cavity between pliable member  12  and external covering  10  to provide both increased insulative properties to article  5  as well as to stabilize the position of pliable member  12  within external covering  10 . 
     The article  5  is worn about the head of a subject as illustrated in FIG.  5 . First, the article is centered about the back of the neck. Next, the user forms the shape of member  12  about the head so that the article wraps comfortably along the sides of the head and partially around the ears so that ends  10 A and  10 B meet at the top of the head. Finally, article ends  10 A and  10 B are secured in a manner as illustrated with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. 
     Referring to FIG. 3A, first end  10 A and second end  10 B of article  5  are illustrated in an unsecured relation to one another. FIG. 3B illustrates the ends  10 A and  10 B bent into J-shapes and wrapped about each other in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 5 to ensure a secure fit about the head of the subject. The pliable member  12  facilitates securing of the ends about one another by simply bending one end around the other end without requiring a knot or other securing means. 
     As will be appreciated from the above description, the article of apparel as disclosed herein provides a garment which can be easily secured about the head to provide a comfortable protective covering to a portion of the head and ears, and which is custom fit to the unique shape of the individual&#39;s head. 
     An alternative embodiment to the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3 is illustrated in FIG.  4 . In this embodiment, end  10 B has a nontapered end with a hole or eyelet  20  extending therethrough. To secure end  10 A to end  10 B, the tapered end of  10 A is slipped through the eyelet  20  and bent backward as illustrated in FIG.  4 B. Pliable member  12  provides the means by which end  10 A is held in place, as illustrated. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, another alternative embodiment of the article of the present invention is illustrated. Article  25 , as illustrated, comprises an external covering  30  having a pliable member  32  extending substantially the length thereof, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG.  1 . Ends  30 A and  30 B of external covering  30 , however, do not have a tapered shapes. Further, the means by which ends  30 A and  30 B may be secured include additional securing means, as described hereinafter. In the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 6, pliable member  32  comprises an elongate metal or plastic element having a rectangular cross section. Optionally, one or more straps  34  may be attached to external covering  30  to facilitate stabilizing the position of the member  32  while still allowing movement of the member within external covering  30 . FIG. 7 illustrates a cross sectional view of article  25  as seen along lines  7 — 7  of FIG.  6 . Straps  34  may comprise elastic or other materials. 
     Article  25  is secured about the head of a subject in a manner similar to that previously described, with reference to FIG. 5 except that ends  30 A and  30 B are secured differently. Referring to FIGS. 8A-B, a VELCRO-like securing mechanism is illustrated. Specifically, element  36  may comprise a dense array of tiny nylon hooks while element  37  comprises a dense nylon pile. When pressed together, elements  36  and  37  frictionally engage, securing end  30 A and  30 B, as illustrated in FIG.  8 B. Alternatively, the means for securing ends  30 A and  30 B may comprise a button  40  attached to end  30 A and a hole or eyelet  42  extending through end  30 B, as illustrated in FIG. 9A, which may be joined in a conventional manner as illustrated in FIG.  9 B. Although not illustrated, other securing mechanisms such as snaps, hook/eyelet, etc., may be used in place of elements  36 - 37  of FIGS. 8A-B or button  40  and eyelet  42  of FIGS. 9A-B. 
     In the embodiments disclosed in FIGS. 6-9, although the pliable member  32  does not provide the means by which the respective ends remain secured, member  32  still serves to ensure a close fit about the head and ears of the subject and enables the respective ends to be brought into close contact for securing by the respective disclosed securing devices. 
     Alternative embodiments of the inventive article  5  are illustrated in FIGS. 10A-15. In these embodiments, the interior cavity between member  12  and external covering  10  is partitioned in a manner so as to limit the movement of member  12  within external covering  10 , as explained hereinafter. Referring to FIG. 10A, an alternative embodiment of the article in shown in FIG. 1A is illustrated. Specifically, FIG. 10A discloses an embodiment in which the optional sleeve  14  has been eliminated. In this embodiment, the article  5  comprises an external covering  10  having member  12  extending partially along the length of the external covering  10 . To stabilize the position of member  12  within the external covering, the external covering itself is secured onto itself by stitching  15 A to limit movement of member  12  within the external covering, particularly, during shaping. Such alternative embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 10B in which member  12  is illustrated in phantom. As shown in FIG. 10B, stitching  15 A is disposed adjacent member  12  for a portion of the length of member  12 . Stitching  15 A extends through the walls of external covering  10 , effectively partitioning the interior cavity defined by external covering  10  so as to confine member  12  between stitching  15 A and the edge of external covering  10 , along a portion of the article. As a result, the movement of member  12  in directions generally perpendicular to the long axis of member  12  is limited. 
     FIG. 11A is a cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 10B as seen along line  11 A— 11 A of FIG.  10 B. As illustrated in FIG. 11A, stitching  15 A secures the walls of external covering  10  together to form an interior cavity  7 A of reduced area through which member  12  extends. In this manner, the external covering  10  itself provides a pseudo “sleeve” which limits movement of member  12  within external covering  10  and thereby stabilizes the position of member  12  during bending. It will be obvious to those reasonably skilled in the art that the position of member  12  within external covering  10  as well as the length of stitching  15 A and its distance from member  12  are design choices dependent on the amount of flexibility and allowable movement desired for member  12 . For example, the point at which external covering  10  is secured against itself and adjacent member  12  may be placed toward the center of the sleeve, as illustrated in FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 11B is a cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 10B as seen along line  11 B— 11 B of FIG.  10 B. As illustrated in FIG. 11B, member  12  remains free to move within the unpartitioned interior cavity  7  formed by external covering  10  away from stitching  15 A. 
     Referring to FIG. 12, an alternative embodiment of the article in shown in FIG. 1A is illustrated. Specifically, FIG. 12 discloses another embodiment in which the optional sleeve  14  has been eliminated. In this embodiment, the article  5  comprises an external covering  10  having member  12  extending partially along the length of the external covering  10 . To stabilize the position of member  12  the external covering is secured onto itself by stitching  15 A and  15 B thereby limiting movement of member  12  within the external covering, particularly, during shaping. As shown in FIG. 12, stitching  15 A and  15 B extend adjacent member  12  for a portion of the length of member  12 . 
     FIG. 13A is a cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 12 as seen along line  13 A— 13 A of FIG.  12 . As illustrated in FIG. 13A, the stitching  15 A and  15 B secure portions of the external covering walls together to form an interior cavity  7 A of reduced area through which member  12  extends. In this manner, the external covering  10  itself provides a pseudo “sleeve” which limits movement of member  12  within external covering  10 , and, thereby stabilizes the position of member  12  during bending. It will be obvious to those reasonably skilled in the art that the position of member  12  within external covering  10  as well as the length of stitching  15 A and  15 B and their distance from member  12  are designed choices dependent on the amount of flexibility and allowable movement desired for member  12 . For example, the point at which the walls of external covering  10  are secured together and around member  12  by stitching  15 A and  15 B may be chosen away from the center of the interior cavity formed by covering  10 . In FIG. 13A, an optional piece of material  17 , not shown in FIG. 12, may be attached to the exterior of covering  10  by stitching  15 A and  15 B. In one implementation, material  17  may comprise a label which may be attached to external covering  10  by stitching  15 A or  15 B or both. 
     FIG. 13B is a cross sectional view of the article of FIG. 12, as seen along lines  13 B— 13 B of FIG.  12 . As illustrated in FIG. 13B, member  12  is free to move within the unpartitioned portion of the interior cavity  7  formed by defined by external covering  10 . 
     FIG. 14 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the article shown in FIG. 10A in which one or more stitchings  15 A-N, perpendicular to the longer axis of pliable member  12 , are used to partition the interior cavity defined by external covering  10  and to secure portions of the exterior walls of covering  10  together. 
     FIG. 15 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the article shown in FIG. 12 in which one or more stitchings  15 A-N, perpendicular to the longer axis of pliable member  12 , are used to partition the interior cavity defined by external covering  10  and to secure portions of the walls of covering  10  together. 
     In the embodiments of the inventive article illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, although the stitchings  15 A-N are disposed perpendicular to the long axis of pliable member  12 , an effective partitioning of the interior cavity between pliable member  12  and external covering  10  is accomplished. The stitches  15 A or  15 B do not have to extend parallel to either member  12  or external covering  10 , and, may be disparate lengths. It will be obvious to those reasonably skilled in the arts that the number, length, shape and pattern of stitching  15 A-N utilized to effectively partition the interior cavity of covering  10  may be selected depending on the amount of flexibility and allowable movement desired for member  12 . Stitches  15 , as illustrated in the figures may be implemented in a conventional manner using traditional textile sewing apparatus and may comprise either natural or synthetic thread or filament. Alternatively, or in addition to stitches  15 , other devices such as staples, adhesives, thermal fusing, etc. may be utilized to attach portions of the walls of external covering  10  together to partition the interior cavity  7  and stabilize the motion of member  12  within the cavity  7 . 
     A method of manufacturing the inventive article  5  as illustrated in any of FIGS. 10-15 comprises the steps of forming an exterior covering of material into a sleeve defining an interior cavity, disposing an elongate pliable member within the interior cavity and extending partially along the length of the sleeve, and partitioning a portion of the interior cavity by securing non-edge walls of the cavity together so as to limit movement of the pliable member within the interior cavity. As mentioned previously, the sleeve formed by external covering  10  may comprise multiple pieces of materials secured together. In addition, the means by which the interior cavity is partitioned, whether by stitching or other means, as well as the number, size and shape of the partitions may be chosen in accordance with the amount of flexibility and desired movement of member  12  within the external sleeve  10 . 
     Although various exemplary embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made which will achieve some of the advantages of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. These and other obvious modifications are intended to be covered by the appended claims.