Abstract:
A hat with a built-in facemask mounted on the rear side of the hat. By reversing the hat so that the bill is in the back of the head, and the facemask over the hunter&#39;s face, a hunter can use one hand to install a camouflage facemask for hunting, and in the same motion move the bill of the hat to the rear of his head so that it would not interfere with the draw of a bow.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the priority date of the provisional application entitled Happy Hunter Hat filed by Warren Nichols on Jan. 24, 2006, with application Ser. No. 60/766520. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for hunting, and more particularly to hat with an attached face mask.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Camouflage is an important tool of a hunter. Camouflage serves to break up the outline of the hunter, and makes it harder for an animal to see the hunter. One situation in which camouflage is especially useful is when trying to cover a hunter&#39;s face. Not only are animals able to spot two eyes more readily than other features in the environment, but a hunter&#39;s light colored face can appear quite contrasting to the surrounding green and brown tones in the environment. What hunters sometimes do to prevent their light face from being easily visible to animals, is to put coloration on their skin in the form of black, green and brown, camouflage paint. One disadvantage with using camouflage paint is that it can be uncomfortable on the skin, and it tends to make a mess out of the hunter&#39;s hands and clothes.  
         [0004]     An alternative to camouflage paint on a hunter&#39;s face is the use of a facemask. The facemask has the disadvantage that it can obscure the hunter&#39;s vision when he is traveling and make it hard to see things at a distance. It also restricts the hunter&#39;s peripheral vision.  
         [0005]     In a typical hunting situation, disguising the face is only needed when an animal is at close range to the hunter. One situation is when a hunter is in a hidden position, and an animal either wanders close to him, or is called close to the hunter by a call used by the hunter. When the animal comes close to the hunter, the hunter would need to put on a facemask in order to disguise the bright appearance of his face. At that moment it is exactly the time that a hunter needs to put on a facemask, but it is also the worst time to put on a facemask because he has to put his weapon down, use both hands to put on the facemask, possibly take a hat off, then put it back on once the facemask is adjusted, pick up his weapon, look around and try to find animal again, and by that time the animal most likely has seen the hunter&#39;s movement, heard the hunter, and is long gone. Additionally the typical face mask is hot, cumbersome, bulky, reduces hearing, and is slow to put on.  
         [0006]     What is needed is a facemask to camouflage a hunter&#39;s face which can be instantly available to the hunter when needed, but which can be out of the way of the hunter&#39;s vision when it is not needed. Ideally it would allow the hunter to put a mask covering over his face at the same time as turning the bill towards the rear. The bill of a hat needs to be turned towards the rear in the case of archery hunting, because when the hunter pulls the bowstring it tends to be pulled against the bill of the hat, and either dislodge the hat or throw the aim of the bow off.  
         [0007]     Also needed is a facemask which is always ready to be used, but which can be tucked away inside a hat or removed from the hat so that the hat may be used when the hunter is driving or doing other non-hunting activities.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The invention is a clothing device for use by people in the outdoors. The clothing device includes a hat body, which can be a billed or baseball type hat, or can be a hat with a soft brim around the bottom edge of the hat. The hat has a bottom edge, to which the bill or brim is attached. The clothing device also includes a flexible facemask. The facemask is attached to the rear bottom edge of the hat, on the opposite side as the bill in the case of a baseball type hat. The facemask is configured to hang freely from the bottom edge of the hat body, and to be foldable into the hat body so that it can be worn in a storage configuration. In this way, a person may wear the hat with the facemask down when he is in the field, and tuck the facemask into the interior of the hat when he wears the hat driving or to town.  
         [0009]     The facemask shades the neck of the user, but its primary role is to serve as a facemask for hunting. When used by a hunter, the hat would be reversed when the hunter wanted to cover his face. When the hat is reversed, the bill of the hat would be over the hunter&#39;s neck, and the facemask would be over his face. The facemask is dimensioned so that it covers the user&#39;s entire face and neck.  
         [0010]     The facemask can be of a sheer material which is suitable for seeing through without the use of eyeholes. However, it can also be provided with eyeholes and the user can adjust the hat so that the eyeholes match the location of his eyes by adjusting the position of the hat on his head. One optional feature of the facemask is that it can include a moldable material which can be shaped into a form selected by the user. The moldable material would be positioned adjacent the rear bottom edge of the hat, along the edges of the facemask. The user could form the moldable material into ear scoops adjacent the user&#39;s ear. These ear scoops aid in directing sound to the user&#39;s ear and thus increases ability to hear.  
         [0011]     The invention can be configured so that the facemask is removable, and in this form would be attached or removed from the hat body by the user. One embodiment of the facemask includes positions for holding headphones in the facemask, so that the headphones are adjacent to the user&#39;s ear. These headphones can be used to listen to a radio, recorded music on a number of different types of devices or for wireless communication from one person to another. Similarly, a microphone may be built in to the facemask for wireless communication between users. The headphones and microphone can be separate from the facemask and be attachable to the facemask by the use of pocket snaps or hook and loop attachments. A version of the headphone can also include these devices built into the facemask.  
         [0012]     In those versions of the facemask which include eyeholes, the eyeholes can be provided with a way to close or cover the holes. The holes can be covered with a hook and loop closure, snaps or other devices. The eyeholes can also be covered by flaps of fabric which can be secured in place over the eyeholes by similar means. The purpose for covering the eyeholes is to provide further protection for the user when the facemask is positioned over the user&#39;s neck.  
         [0013]     When the hat utilized is a type of hat which includes a bill, the bill would contain a left and right side which join at the bottom edge of the hat. The facemask also includes a right and left side of the facemask which also join the bottom edge of the hat. A preferred configuration of the device is one in which there is a separation between the side of the bill and the side of the facemask of approximately ½ inch to 1½ inches. An optimal space between these two parts of the device is approximately 1 inch.  
         [0014]     The facemask preferably includes a mask border which is made of a heavier material than the facemask. This heavier border is provided to increase the mask resistance to movement in the wind.  
         [0015]     In the kit version of the device, a flexible facemask is provided for removable attachment to the rear bottom edge of the user&#39;s hat, and the flexible facemask is configured to hang freely from the rear bottom edge of the hat body. Like the facemask described above, the facemask of this version is configured to be foldable into the hat body so that it can be worn with the facemask out of sight. The facemask is dimensioned to cover the user&#39;s entire face and neck, so that when it is hanging down from the hat and moved to hang over the user&#39;s face, the user&#39;s entire face and neck are blocked from view by the facemask. Attachment strips are provided for this version of the facemask, so that the attachment strips may be attached to the hat. Once the attachment strips are attached to the hat, the facemask may be attached to the attachment strips. The attachment strips may be attached to the hat by adhesive means, or by other conventional means of attachment. The facemask would be attached to the attachment strips by hook and loop surfaces, or other similar methods. If the facemask is provided to be attached to a hat of the user, one version of the facemask would include an enlarged area in the forehead region of the face, which would cover the gap which is typically found around the adjustment strap in a baseball type hat. This area of the hat would be covered so that when the bill part of the hat is over the user&#39;s face, the facemask would block light from entering around the gap around the adjustment strap of the hat. Similarly, when this version of the hat is reversed so that the facemask is over the user&#39;s face, and the bill is over the user&#39;s neck, the mask would cover the skin of the user&#39;s forehead, so that would not appear as a white area to a game animal. It would also prevent sunburn of the forehead.  
         [0016]     The facemask is preferred to be in a generally parabolic shape, with a more or less straight edge opposite the parabolic curve. The straight edge would be attached to the brim or bottom edge of the hat.  
         [0017]     The hat and facemask can be made of a fabric which absorbs odor, such as Scentloc® or Scentblocker® fabric, or other commercially available scent reducing fabric brands. The hat is preferably made of a stretchable material. Mouth and nose holes are also optional features of the facemask, and may further include multiple fabrics so the user may mold the most comfortable shape around his face and nose.  
         [0018]     The purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the public, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.  
         [0019]     Still other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description describing preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive in nature. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the hat with mask in the hat position.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the hat with mask with the hat and mask rotated to a hunting position.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the hat showing the device in kit form with a detachable facemask.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4   a  is a version of the hat showing closeable eye holes and a coverage lobe.  
         [0024]      FIG. 4   b  is a view of the facemask showing the eye holes closed.  
         [0025]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a version of the hat and mask which includes additional devices and pockets. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]     While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.  
         [0027]     In the following description and in the figures, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The use of “or” indicates a non-exclusive alternative without limitation unless otherwise noted. The use of “including” means “including, but not limited to,” unless otherwise noted.  
         [0028]     Several preferred embodiments are shown in the figures.  FIG. 1  shows the hat and mask device of the invention, which is designated as  10  in the figures. The device includes a hat  12 , a facemask  14 . The hat  14  includes in the preferred embodiment a bill  16  and a periphery  18 . The periphery includes a front periphery and a rear periphery  20  and  22 , with the bill attached to the front periphery  20  of the hat and the facemask attached to the rear periphery  22  of the hat. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  is included a pair of eye holes  24 , but it is to be understood that eyeholes are not required for this device to work. There are many sheer fabrics which are available which can be provided as a facemask  14 , through which the user  26  can easily see with very little obstruction to his vision.  FIG. 1  shows the hat with mask device  10  of the invention in a position in which the bill  16  is over the user&#39;s face and the facemask  14  is over the user&#39;s neck.  
         [0029]     The hat can be made of a number of different materials, including cotton, cotton polyester blends, nylon, of other materials. The face mask can also be made of a number of materials, including those listed above, as well as Gore-Tex, lycra, cool max, Scentloc® or Scentblocker® fabrics, or any other fabric that met the physical needs of the mask. A generally stretchy material works best, so that a “one size fits all” mask configuration can be utilized.  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  shows the hat with mask  10  in a hunting position. In the hunting position, the facemask  14  is over the user&#39;s face, and the hat  12  is reversed so that the bill  16  is over the user&#39;s neck. The transition from the hat position to the hunting position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is accomplished merely by reversing the hat so that the bill points backwards instead of forwards. This allows a facemask to cover the user&#39;s face, neck and eyes, to reduce the user&#39;s visibility to animals. The facemask can be made of a number of different fabrics or color patterns, including various types of camouflage color patterns. Shown in  FIG. 1  is a mask edge  28  which is preferably made of a thicker and heavier material than the rest of the facemask  14 . The mask edge  28  is provided to add increased weight and stiffness to the facemask  14 , to resist deflection of the facemask  14  by wind. This weighted edge  28  can also be formed by rolling up the facemask material, and sewing it in place. The facemask  14  can include a moldable strip  30  which is a material which can be molded by the user to form either a flat area continuous with the mask edge  28 , or a scoop like region adjacent to the user&#39;s ears (not shown). When molded into the form of a scoop like feature, the moldable strip  30  can be used to create a shape which reflects sound into the user&#39;s ear, and thus improves hearing for the user. The facemask shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is preferably of a lightweight material which may easily be inverted into the hat  12 , so that the hat may be worn with the mask completely concealed inside the hat and on top of the user&#39;s head.  
         [0031]      FIG. 3  shows a version of the hat with mask in which the facemask  14  is attachable and removable from the periphery  18  of the hat  12 . This version of the invention can be provided in kit form, with one or more attachment strips  32  provided for attachment adjacent the periphery  18  of the hat. The attachment strips can be adhesive on the back, and hook and loop on the opposite side. The facemask  14  can have a strip of hook and loop fabric which corresponds to the attachment strips  34 . In this way, the facemask of the invention can be added to any of the user&#39;s hats by use of attachment strips  32 . One version of hat can be provided without a bill, or with a detachable bill  34 . The detachable bill  34  can be attached to the hat  12  by use of attachment strips  32  or by the use of snaps  36 , or other attachment devices. The facemask  14  can also be attached by the use of snaps  36 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 4  shows a version of the hat in which the eye holes  24  include cover flaps  38 . The cover flaps  38  can be fixed in an open position as shown  FIG. 4   a,  or can be closed to a closed position as shown in  FIG. 4   b.  Hook and loop fabric patches are one way to secure the cover flaps in the open or closed position, as shown in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b.  The purpose of the cover flaps  38  is to give the user the option of having a mask with or without eye holes, and also to allow the user to cover the eyeholes so that when the facemask is oriented over the user&#39;s neck, he will not be sunburned by sun coming through the eyeholes  24 . When the facemask of  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  is utilized as a kit in which the facemask is added to another hat, the facemask can include a coverage lobe  40 . The coverage lobe  40  is to cover the region of the hat adjacent to the adjustment strap. There is usually a gap in this area in many hats, and the coverage lobe blocks the sun from passing through that region of the hat. This has the advantage of providing sun protection when the face mask is in the hat position, and it covers an area that could be a glaring light spot on the user&#39;s face when the facemask is in the hunting position.  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  shows a version of the hat and facemask combination of the device in which the hat includes one or more pockets  42  adjacent to the periphery  18  of the hat. The facemask  14  can be attached to the hat as has been discussed above. The facemask can include pockets to hold a microphone  44  and earpieces  46 . The earpieces  46  and microphone can also be built into the fabric of the facemask  14 , or can be secured to the facemask either externally or internally. The pockets can be utilized for holding such articles as batteries, FM radio, mp3 player, music players of various types, two way radio transmitter and receiver, or other similar devices.  
         [0034]     In order to optimize the functionality of the facemask  14 , it is preferable that there be a gap  48  between the edge of the facemask  14  and the edge of the bill  16 . It is preferable that this gap be approximately ½ to 1½ inches in width. The facemask is configured so that it covers the entire face of the user, including the user&#39;s ears and the user&#39;s neck.  
         [0035]     A strap can be attached to the facemask for adjusting the facemask for fit on the user&#39;s face. The strap would store along the edge of the facemask, and when the face mask is in use in front of the user&#39;s face, could be used to secure the facemask to the users head by extending from one edge of the facemask to the other edge of the facemask, behind the users head and neck.  
         [0036]     Eye lenses or lens can also be added to the face mask, to users with the need for prescription glasses, so that they don&#39;t have to wear their eyeglasses. The covers for the eyeholes may also have the coloration of eyes, to serve as predator deterrent for a predator stalking the user from behind him. A further feature is a mirror which can be attached to the bill of the hat, and can be folded into a storage position, or folded into a position available for a user to use the mirror to see objects behind him.  
         [0037]     While there is shown and described the present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not limited thereto, but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.