Abstract:
The present invention relates to novelty hats and items of clothing in general, and particularly to novelty hats having one or more candles, lamps or light holders depicted thereon. The hats may also be provided with flame tips or light bulbs which may be releasably attachable above the candles, lamps or light holders. Such hats may be worn by children during the joyous celebration of religious holidays, such as the Jewish holiday of Chanukah or the Christian holiday of Christmas.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/999,196, filed on Dec. 29, 1997 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,407 on Apr. 11, 2000. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to novelty hats and items of clothing in general, and particularly to novelty hats having one or more candles, lamps or light holders depicted thereon. The hats may also be provided with flame tips or light bulbs which may be releasably attachable above the candles, lamps or light holders. Such hats may be worn by children during the joyous celebration of religious holidays, such as the Jewish holiday of Chanukah or the Christian holiday of Christmas. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     While there are many novelty hats and items of clothing of different varieties known in the art, there are no novelty hats or items of clothing particularly designed and configured for depicting the lighting of candles or lamps thereon. Additionally, there are no such hats or items of clothing having a Menorah depicted thereon for use during the celebration of the eight-day holiday of Chanukah. Nor are there any such hats having a Christmas tree, an Easter candle or an Advent wreath depicted thereon for use during Christmas, Easter and Advent, respectively. 
     While it is also well known that certain hats, such as yarmulkes worn by Jewish males, are worn in the practice of certain religions, the novelty hats of the present invention are in no way meant to be a replacement for or a mockery of any such religious hats. Rather, the hats of the present invention are hats which children may wear during times of religious celebrations or rituals which involve the lighting of candles in order to allow children&#39;s participation without the danger of fire. For example, such hats may be worn by children during their play time during the Chanukah celebration, such as when spinning their dreidels. 
     Among the novelty hats known in the prior art is the hat disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,235 wherein the hat has the shape of an automobile, a motorcycle or a boat. The hat is provided with an adjustable interior headband having VELCRO™ fasteners, i.e. detachably engaging plastic hook members and eye members, to allow the hat to fit on heads having various sizes and to permit the hat to be worn at various angles. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,708 discloses a golf cap with blinders pivoted to the sides of the visor. The blinder flaps are permanently attached to the cap along a portion of their length, and have one end releasably attached to the visor of the cap by VELCRO™ pads, so as to permit the blinders to be inconspicuously secured when not in use. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,451 disclosed a pair of eye glasses or a visor having several patches of VELCRO™ which are aligned to overlay several opposing patches of VELCRO™ provided on the exterior of a headband or hat so as to allow the eye glasses or visor to be releasably attached to the headband or hat. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a hat or item of clothing which has the shape of one or more candles, lamps and/or light holders either depicted on its exterior or provided for permanent or releasable attachment to the hat or item of clothing. One or more flame tips or light bulbs, which are preferably releasably attachable to the hat adjacent to the top of the one or more candles, are provided for attachment to the hat to depict the lighting of the one or more candles, lamps and/or lights as a symbolic gesture during a time of celebration or other occasion. The hat may be of any shape, and may either fully or partially cover the wearer&#39;s head or may be a headband. The one or more candles and corresponding flame tips may be of any size or shape. While, for the sake of simplicity the embodiments of the invention will be referred to herein as hats, it is understood that the invention includes any item of clothing, such as a shirt or vest. 
     In one embodiment, the hat may have nine candles depicted on its front and the candles may be configured in the general shape of a Menorah wherein the center candle extends upwardly above the other eight candles. This embodiment may be worn by children during the Jewish religious celebration of Chanukah. The tallest candle and one other candle have flame tips or light bulbs attached to their top ends on the first day of Chanukah, and on each of the next seven days of Chanukah a flame tip or light bulb is attached adjacent the top of one of the remaining seven candles. 
     In another embodiment, the hat may have one large Easter candle depicted on its front. A flame tip or light bulb may be attached adjacent the top of the candle during the celebration of the Christian religious holiday of Easter and whenever appropriate. 
     In another embodiment, the hat may have four candles depicted on its front in the general configuration of an Advent wreath. During each of the four weeks of Advent, a candle may symbolically be lit by attaching a flame tip or light bulb to the top of the candle. 
     While it is preferable for the candles to be permanently attached to the hat and the flame tips to be releasably attachable, both the candles and the flame tips may be releasably attachable. Additionally, both the candles and the flame tips may be permanently attachable to the hat. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a planar view of a Chanukah hat embodiment of the invention wherein nine candles in the general configuration of a Menorah are depicted on the front of the hat. 
     FIG. 2 is a planar view of an Advent hat embodiment of the present invention wherein the hat is in the form of a headband and is provided with four attachable candles and flame tips in the general shape of an Advent Wreath. 
     FIG. 3 is a planar view of a Christmas tree embodiment of the present invention wherein the hat is provided with one or more battery powered light sockets for insertion of a light bulb therein. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In one preferred embodiment, the novelty hat of the present invention is formed in the generally pyramid shape of the hat  10  of FIG.  1 . On the front face thereof, hat  10  has depicted nine candles  12  which are in the general shape of a Menorah. Candles  12  may be releasably attachable to hat  10 , however, they are preferably permanently attached thereto. If candles  12  are releasably attached, it is preferable to utilize interlocking plastic hooks and loops, such as VELCRO™ fasteners. 
     Nine flames  14  are provided for attachment adjacent the tops of candles  12 . Preferably, VELCRO™ means for attachment are provided on the front face of hat  10  and on the rear face of flame tips  14  for releasable attachment thereto. 
     During the joyous celebration of the Jewish feast of Chanukah, on day one, the center flame  14  and one adjacent flame  14  may be releasably attached to hat  10  above respective candles  12 . On each successive day during the celebration of Chanukah, a flame  14  may be releasably attached to the front face of hat  10  adjacent the top of a candle  12 . As such, in using the hat made in accordance with the invention, young children may actively participate in the symbolic lighting of the Menorah during the eight days of Chanukah without the danger of exposing the children to the risk of open flames. 
     With reference to FIG. 2, another preferred embodiment of the invention is a generally cylindrical hat in the form of a headband  16  having depicted on the face thereof the general configuration of an evergreen Advent Wreath  18  having four candles  20 . Preferably, and in the tradition of an Advent Wreath and the Christian religion, three of the candles are purple and one is pink. The candles  20  are preferably situated around the wreath in an evenly spaced manner. 
     Flame tips  22  are provided for releasable attachment to the front face of hat  16 . Preferably, VELCRO™ attachment means are provided for releasably attaching flame tips  22  matching portions of VELCRO™ attachment means may be provided on the front face of hat  16  adjacent the top of candles  20  and on the rear faces of flame tips  22 . During the Christian religious practice of lighting an Advent Wreath candle for each of the four weeks of Advent, children may wear this embodiment of a novelty heat made in accordance with the invention, thereby taking part by symbolically lighting the candles on the hat without any danger associated with open flames. 
     While the foregoing embodiments illustrate the preferred attachment means of VELCRO™ fasteners, any means of attachment for either permanent or releasable attachment may be used. For example, matching metallic pieces wherein one or both pieces is magnetized; matching male and female snap pieces wherein one piece has one or more protrusions and one piece has one or more matching cavities; adhesive of any type; and/or pins, such as safety pins or hat pins, may be utilized to affix the candles and/or flame tips to the hat. 
     Additionally, while the foregoing preferred embodiments illustrate a Chanukah hat having a Menorah depicted thereon and an Advent hat having an Advent Wreath depicted thereon, the present invention includes any hat having any number of candles in any configuration depicted thereon or permanently or releasably attachable thereto. 
     For example, one embodiment of a hat made according to the present invention may have a single large Easter candle depicted thereon. A flame tip is provided for releasably attaching to the hat adjacent the top of the Easter candle. Matching means for releasable attachment are provided on the front face of the hat adjacent the top of the candle and on the rear face of the flame tip. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 3, the hat  24  may be generally in the shape of an evergreen Christmas tree, such as a balsam fir tree. Hat  24  is provided with a battery housing  26  for holding a battery  28 , and electrical wiring connecting said battery  28  to light socket  30  located adjacent the top of tree  24  and/or light sockets at other locations. Light bulb  32  is provided for removable insertion into light socket  30  by either a press-fit or by screwing an approximately shaped light bulb base into an appropriately groove-shaped light bulb socket, as is well known. 
     Christmas tree hat  24  may also be provided with candles  34  on one or more of the faces of the hat. Flame tips  36  and means for releasably attaching flame tips  36  adjacent the tops of candle  34 . The hat  24  may have an interior layer of foam and an exterior layer of felt fabric. The candles and flame tips may be made of felt fabric, and the attachment means may be VELCRO™ fasteners. 
     Numerous other embodiments of novelty hats made in accordance with the invention may also be constructed. 
     Essentially any material may be used for the hat, candles and flame tips. For example, and without limitation, any type of plastic, fabric, felt, foam, compressible foam, cardboard or paper, or any combination thereof, may be used to construct a hat in accordance wit the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, felt fabric is used for the hat, candles and flame tips, and an inner layer of compressible foam may be used in constructing the hat. 
     Additionally, any colors may be used for the hat, candles and flame tips. In a preferred embodiment of a hat made in accordance with the invention, having a Menorah depicted thereon, the hat is royal blue, the candles are white and the flame tips are yellow. For the embodiment of the invention having an Advent Wreath depicted thereon, the hat may be red or white, the evergreen wreath green three candles may be purple and one candle pink, and the flame tips may be yellow.