Abstract:
A hat device configured to visually simulate a vehicle tire. The hat device is configured so that the visually simulated tire is worn transversely relative to a user&#39;s head.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a hat device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an amusement hat device configured to visually simulate a vehicle tire and/or wheel.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     In recent years, it has become popular for sports enthusiasts to wear hats configured to visually simulate a product or item associated with the team they desire to support. For example, it is widely known that fans for the Green Bay Packers National Football League (NFL) are known to wear hats configured to visually simulate a large wedge of cheese and are referred to as “Cheeseheads” when wearing these hats. These fans wear these particular hats to games in support of their teams.  
         [0003]     Over the past twenty years, car racing, in particular NASCAR Racing has gained a tremendous number of fans and is now the most highly watched sport in the United States. The popularity of NASCAR Racing is encountered in all aspects of our lives, including significant coverage on television, cable and direct TV, and has become immortalized by such films as Tom Cruise&#39;s Days of Thunder. Like football, fans of racing in particular NASCAR Racing may be interested in showing support for their sport by wearing hats that symbolize or suggest one or more aspects of the sport. Thus, this is the introduction of a unique tire hat device.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     A first object of the present invention is to provide an improved hat device.  
         [0005]     A second object of the present invention is to provide a hat device configured to visually simulate a vehicle tire.  
         [0006]     A third object of the present invention is to provide a hat device configured to visually simulate a vehicle tire and wheel.  
         [0007]     A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a hat device configured to visually simulate a vehicle tire, including a tire tread portion and at least one sidewall portion.  
         [0008]     A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a hat device configured to visually simulate a vehicle tire, and made of a soft resilient material such as foam, foam rubber, sponge or other similar product.  
         [0009]     A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a hat device configured to simulate a vehicle tire, including an inner hat portion made of a resilient material and an outer fabric cover or layer provided over the inner hat portion.  
         [0010]     A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a hat device configured to simulate a vehicle tire, including an inner hat portion and a removable outer cover or layer of fabric material.  
         [0011]     The present invention is directed to a hat device, in particular to an amusement hat device.  
         [0012]     The hat device according to the present invention is configured to simulate a vehicle tire. For example, the vehicle tire can be an automobile tire, truck tire, race car tire, NASCAR tire, Indy car tire, drag car tire, motorcycle tire, trailer tire, aircraft tire, or any other suitable vehicle type tire desired. For purposes of the present invention, it is even possible that an actual vehicle tire specifically designed or configured to meet or include the features or specifications of the hat device according to the present invention may be provided.  
         [0013]     A preferred embodiment of a hat device according to the present invention can also be configured to be used as a seat cushion, for example, at a racing event.  
         [0014]     The hat device according to the present invention can be made from a variety of different types of materials, and by various methods.  
         [0015]     For example, the hat device can be made of one or more soft pliable or resilient material, can be made of some rigid-or semi-rigid material, or a combination thereof. A preferred embodiment of the hat device according to the present invention is made from a soft resilient synthetic foam or sponge material covered by a fabric material such as a natural fiber, natural fiber blend, cotton, cotton blend, synthetic fiber, polyester, polyester blend or other suitable fabric material. The soft pliable foam or sponge material, for example, can be a polyurethane foam. Other embodiments of the hat device according to the present invention can be made of less expensive materials such as paper, paper stock, newspaper, paper mache, cardboard, plastic, plastic sheeting, vacuum form plastic, plastic resin, synthetic resin, injected molded plastic, molding material, molding synthetic clay, molding resin, fiber glass, composite materials, plastic composite materials, Kevlar, carbon graphite, or other suitable materials.  
         [0016]     The hat device according to the present invention can be made by one or more methods, including cutting, molding, vacuum forming, milling, molding, injection molding, weaving, or other suitable technique. For making a preferred embodiment of the hat device according to the present invention, a synthetic foam block is cut by a hot wire technique. For example, a doughnut-shaped inner hat portion is formed from the soft resilient foam material by using a hot wire to cut the outer cylindrical-shaped surface and inner cylindrical-shaped surface. Then an outer cover is made from a flat sheet or web of cotton blend fabric material cut and sewn so as to snuggly fit around the inner foam core.  
         [0017]     A further embodiment of the hat device according to the present invention can be an inflatable device. For example, a pair of plastic vinyl sheet material is cut and heat welded together to provide a hat device according to the present invention when inflated with air.  
         [0018]     The hat device according to the present invention is configured to be worn transversely on the user&#39;s head. Specifically, the hat device is configured to be worn transverse relative to a vertical centerline through a user&#39;s head. In this manner, an upper portion of the user&#39;s head fits within a recess provided on a lower side of the tire-shaped hat device. In a preferred embodiment in which the hat device according to the present invention is provided with a through hole to simulate the through hole of a vehicle tire, an upper portion of the user&#39;s head fits within a lower portion of the through hole of the simulated vehicle tire hat device. The size and shape of the through hole can be varied from circular to oval so that the hat device snuggly fits on an upper portion of the user&#39;s head. When a soft resilient material such as synthetic foam or sponge is utilized as the inner hat portion of the device, the resilient nature of the material tends to snuggly grip the user&#39;s head when properly fit.  
         [0019]     The hat device according to the present invention is worn mainly by humans, however with some modifications, can potentially be worn by animals when configured to fit the particular head shape and size of an animal and provided with the proper accommodations for a particular animal (e.g. holes to accommodate ears of a dog, cat, or horse).  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  is a prospective view of a tire device according to the present invention being shown worn on a person&#39;s head.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of the tire device shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is another side elevational of the tire device shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a top plainer view of the side of the hat device according to the present invention shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is a transversed cross-sectional view of the hat device as indicated in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a transversed cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the hat device according to the present invention.  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is a transversed cross-sectional view of a further embodiment of the hat device according to the present invention.  
         [0027]      FIG. 8  is a transversed cross-sectional view of an even further embodiment of the hat device according to the present invention.  
         [0028]      FIG. 9  is a transversed cross-sectional view of an even further embodiment of the hat device according to the present invention.  
         [0029]      FIG. 10  is a prospective view of another even further embodiment of the hat device according to the present invention.  
         [0030]      FIG. 11  is a transversed cross-sectional view of the hat device shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0031]     A hat device  10  according to the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-5 .  
         [0032]     The hat device  10  includes a tread portion  12 , a pair of side wall portions  14   a  and  14   b , a pair of tire bead portions  16   a  and  16   b , indicia  18 , and a through hole  20 .  
         [0033]     The hat device  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-5  is configured to visually simulate a NASCAR type vehicle tire. Specifically, the tread portion  12  is smooth and not provided with any tread pattern (i.e. a slick) and the sidewall portion  14   a  and  14   b  are substantially uncharacterized except for the bead portion  16   a  and  16   b  indicia  18 . (i.e. plain style or design). As shown in  FIG. 4 , the through hole  20  is shaped and sized to snuggly fit a person&#39;s head. For example, the through hole  20  can be a cylindrical-shaped through hole having a diameter D. In constructing a hat device  10  according to the present invention, if soft resilient materials are utilized in the construction thereof, the diameter D can be slightly undersized to allow expansion of the hat device  10  when fitted on a person&#39;s head. However, when rigid or substantially rigid materials are utilized in the construction of the hat device, the diameter D must be selected to be properly sized to fit the person&#39;s head. Alternatively, the through hole  20  can have other shapes such as oval-shaped or custom shaped while still visually simulating the through hole of a vehicle tire. Further the through hole  20  can be expanded outwardly within the center portion of the hat device  10  to simulate the inner surface profile and cavity of a vehicle tire to more closely visually simulate a real vehicle tire. (See  FIG. 6 ).  
         [0034]     The hat device  10  is constructed of an inner hat portion  22  made, for example, of a soft resilient foam or sponge material cut or molded to have a cylindrical-shape ring as indicated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . An outer hat portion or cover  24 , for example, made of a cotton blend fabric material is cut and sewn to provide a cover around the entire inner hat portion  22  (i.e. envelope). Specifically, the outer hat portion or cover  24  is configured as a toric-shaped article that is designed or configured to fit over and around the inner hat portion  22  by providing a seam  26  between an inner cylindrical-shaped portion  28  of the outer hat portion  24  and a bottom portion  30  of the cover  24 . For example, the seam can be an open seam having no fastener, or alternatively, a fastener such as a zipper, slide fastener and/or mechanical fastener can be provided to substantially close or seal the seam. The cover  24  is preferable removable and washable, and thus the provision of the seam  26 , (for example to allow cleaning or replacement of the cover  24 ). Alternatively, the seam  26  can be totally eliminated by sewing the seam  26  shut, preventing the later removal of the cover  24  without damage or destruction thereof making a more or less permanent cover.  
         [0035]     The inner hat portion  22  can be made from a soft resilient synthetic foam or sponge material that is cut (hot wired) or molded to have the particular configuration shown in  FIGS. 1-5 . Alternatively, the inner hat portion  28  can be made of a rigid or semi-rigid foam or sponge material, natural sponge, stuffing, foam peanuts, Styrofoam, paper, paper mache, plastic, injection molded plastic, wood, cardboard, or other suitable material or combination of materials that can be cut or formed to have the particular configuration shown in the drawings.  
         [0036]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , an alternative embodiment of the hat device  10 ′ is shown having an inner annular space or cavity  32 ′ to more closely visually simulate a vehicle tire. Further, this embodiment reduces the amount of material utilized in constructing the inner hat portion  28 ′. Alternatively, the inner hat portion  28  shown in  FIG. 5  can be modified to be hollow, configured to have hollow cells or cavities, or other techniques can be employed to reduce the amount of material utilized in the construction thereof.  
         [0037]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the cover  28 ′ is glued, adhered, welded or otherwise placed in direct contact with the inner hat portion  22 ′. In this manner, the cover  28 ′ is able to follow the inner contour of the through hole  20 ′ of the hat device  10 , to provide the inner annular space or cavity  32 ′ to more visually simulate a vehicle tire versus the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-5 .  
         [0038]     A further embodiment of the hat device  110  is shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0039]     The hat device  110  is an inflatable device provided with an air inflation nozzle or valve  134  to allow a person to inflate the hat device  110  with his or her mouth, or alternatively with a pump (e.g. hand pump). The walls of the hat device  110  can be made, for example, from vinyl sheet material and heat welded together at seams  136   a  and  136   b  as shown. In this embodiment, an upper sheet portion member is welded to a lower sheet portion.  
         [0040]     An even further embodiment of the hat device  210  is shown in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0041]     The hat device  210  is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , except that the through hole  20  has been replaced with a recess  238  sized and shaped to accommodate an upper portion of a person&#39;s head.  
         [0042]     The visual features of the tire such as the tread portion, sidewall portions, bead portions, and indicia is preferably visually simulated by printing on the outer cover or layer of the hat device. Preferable the outer cover is screen printed in color as a flat sheet or web of material prior to converting by cutting and sewing into the configuration of the cover to be placed over the inner hat portion. Alternatively, the vehicle tire can be simulated by other techniques such as painting, spray painting, coating, coloring, air brushing, stenciling, labels or other suitable techniques to visually simulate aspects or features of a real vehicle tire, and can be applied to the hat device during construction thereof. Further, the inner hat portion and/or the outer hat portion or cover can be textured to simulate in three (3) dimensions tread patterns, raised lettering, bead portions, indicia and other raised and/or contoured features of a vehicle tire to simulate the look and appearance thereof.  
         [0043]     An even further embodiment of the hat device  310  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 9 .  
         [0044]     The hat device  310  is configured to visually simulate all aspects of a vehicle tire. Specifically, the hat device  310  is constructed of an upper layer  350 , a lower layer  352 , a side layer  354  and a core  356  as shown. These are separate layers and/or components. Preferably, these layers or components are molded or cut from synthetic foam materials and glued or adhered together, or otherwise bonded together as indicated. Preferably the upper layer  350  and lower layer  352  are molded or contoured in three (3) dimensions to visually simulate a raised indicia  318  and contoured bead portions  316   a  and  316   b . Further the side layer  354  is preferably cut or contoured to visually simulate a three dimensional tread pattern  312   a . In this manner, the three (3) dimensional characteristics or features of a real vehicle tire are visually simulated in the hat device according to the present invention.  
         [0045]     Another even further embodiment of the hat device  410  according to the present invention shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 .  
         [0046]     The hat device  410  is provided with a tire portion  458  mounted on a wheel portion  460 . For example, the wheel portion can be a standard wheel, steel wheel, mag wheel, or other style configured to visually simulate a real vehicle wheel. The wheel  460  is provided with a recess  462  having a diameter D configured to fit an upper portion of a person&#39;s head. The tire portion  458  and wheel portion  460  can be made as one (1) piece, or can be made as separate components.