Abstract:
An adjustable fit shower cap and method of use involving a hair covering; a protective overlay around the base; and, an adjustable band that is more comfortable, more durable, larger and that better protects elaborate hairdos.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The application claims priority to Bonnie Gelberg&#39;s provisional application Improved Comfort Oversized Shower Cap, Ser. No. 62/349,740 filed Jun. 14, 2016. 
     
    
       [0002]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       THE NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0004]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0005]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
       [0006]    The invention relates to an improved shower cap that is more comfortable, more enduring and adjustable. 
       Description of the Related Art 
       [0007]    Shower caps have existed for many years. They are used by people to protect their hairdos. Some people have extravagant hair styles that take many hours to create and they wish to protect them. For example, people in the public eye such as those attending weddings, photoshoots, filmings, political speeches or other events may engage a stylist to create the right look, but there may be several hours or even days before they may disturb their hair. In other cases, the hair treatments may require the hair to go undisturbed for an extended period of time. 
         [0008]    Existing shower caps solve these problems, enabling the wearers to protect their hair from the elements and in many cases bathe or shower without disturbing their hair. 
         [0009]    There have been many solutions and improvements for shower caps over the years. However, they remain uncomfortable. Existing bands on shower caps cause discomfort for the wearer particularly when a higher gauge plastic, waterproof fabric, and/or cellophane film is used for the cap material. Moreover, shower caps are only typically used for one or two uses and intended to be thrown away. It has long been desired to have a more environmentally conscious, multi-use and comfortable shower cap that avoids using ribs or bars to form its shape. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The instant invention that can protect the most extravagant of hairdos while providing the user with a comfortable fit and a reusable shower cap. The invention improves upon the prior art by providing a larger shower cap of a heavier gauge that retains its shape without the need to ribs and has an adjustable base that can be closed with a pull tie, push button slider, toggle spring stop, or other cinch and/or clasp mechanism enabling the cap to be adjusted to the different sized heads and hairdos. It is more economical to manufacture, durable and effective than other prior art shower caps and hair protectors. Yet it is inexpensive enough to be disposable and regularly replaced. 
         [0011]    Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in example adjustable shower cap the invention is not limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing from the invention and the equivalents of the claims. However, the construction and method of operation of the invention together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    Features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  depicts a side view of an embodiment of the instant invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  depicts a bottom up view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  depicts a side view of a prior art shower cap. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  depicts a bottom up view of a prior art shower cap. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  depicts a side view of the improved shower cap. The shower cap has a pull string  200 , a string closer  300 , a lower band covered with an overlay  100 , and a hair protecting bag  400 . The overlay  100  protects the inner band and the head of the user.  FIG. 2  shows a bottom up view of the shower cap, the pull string  200 , a string closer  300 , and overlay  100  enclosing a string. In some embodiments, enclosed in the overlay is an elastic band. The hair protecting bag  400  is preferably made out of a water-proof or water-resistant material of sufficient gauge/firmness that it retains its form without the need for ribs or wires. Polycarbonate PC with a thickness of 0125 MM and other materials containing about and near some of the following the physical properties of gravity g/cm3 ASTM D792 1.2 and Water absorption % ASTM D570&lt;0.40 and Mechanical Tensile strength MPa ASTM D882&gt;55 and Elongation at Break % ASTM D882&gt;90 and Young&#39;s modulus MPa ASTM D790 2000 and Thermal performance of the thermal expansion coefficient Cm/cm ° C. ASTM D696 7×10-5 and Thermal conductivity of W/m·K ASTM C117 0.19 and Shrinkage % ASTM D1204&lt;0.3 (135° C.) and Brittle transition temperature ° C. ASTM D746-130 and Vicat softening point ° C. ASTM D1525 150 and Flame retardant—UL-94 V-2 and Electrical Properties Dielectric strength kV/mm ASTM D149 30 and Dielectric constant 60 HZ/100 HZ ASTM D150 2.98/2.95 and Surface resistivity Ω ASTM D257&gt;1×1015 and Volume resistivity Ω·cm ASTM D257&gt;1×1016 and Arc resistance sec ASTM D495 have proven effective, but any material that is comfortable and has the water-resistant and shape conforming characteristics may be used. These characteristics only show particular desired embodiments and a wide range of attributes could easily be substituted for other embodiments of the invention. In some embodiments of the invention, the hair protecting bag  400  is able to surround a volume fifty percent or greater than the volume of the hair style intended to be protected. The hair protecting bag  400  is ideally large enough to avoid contact between the shower cap and the hair to prevent the shower cap altering the hair style while protecting the hair from the elements (e.g. heat, water, wind, dust and other contaminants, processes and things that might alter the hair or its styling). 
         [0018]    Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 3  depicts a side view of a prior art shower cap. The shower cap has a lower ridge  500 .  FIG. 3  depicts a bottom up view of the prior art shower cap it shows the lower ridge  500  is formed from an inner elastic band  600 . The invention improves upon the prior art by using the overlay  100  to protect the user&#39;s head from the ridge  500  and reinforcing the bottom edge of the shower cap. It also provides a channel for the adjustable pull string  200 . By adjusting the pull string the user is enabled to adjust the tension of the lower ridge  500  around the user&#39;s head. The overlay  100  may be made out of any comfortable material, but an anti-microbial and preferably water proof material should be used. The larger hair protecting bag  400  of an antibacterial/antifungal self supporting shape conforming material replaces the need in the prior art for more expensive ribs or wire to maintain the shape of the shower cap. Having a uniform surface  400  for the hair protecting bag and an overlay  100  for the bottom ridge makes the improved shower cap, amongst other things, more effective, easier to manufacture, clean and reuse. 
         [0019]    Thus, it is seen that the objects of the present invention are efficiently obtained, although modifications and changes to the invention should be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, which modifications are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. It also is understood that the foregoing description is illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting. Therefore, other embodiments of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.