Abstract:
Headwear having a crown portion and a headband attached to and extending around the lower inside edge of the crown portion. The sewing thread used on the headband includes rubber thread and nylon stretch thread sewn together in a chain-like pattern to provide expandability and thereby increase the number of different wearer head sizes that may be accommodated by the headband. With this construction, a wide range of automatic size adjustment is obtained without imposing undue elastic pressure on the wearer.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention is related to the field of headwear and, more particularly, to headwear able to accommodate a range of head sizes, automatically fitting the wearer&#39;s head while remaining comfortable for extended use.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    A baseball style cap generally includes a crown main body, a visor portion that is secured to the forward edge of the crown and extends outwardly therefrom, a headband attached to the lower part of the inside of the crown, and a size controller attached to an underside of the rear of the cap. The size of the cap is adapted to fit the wearer&#39;s head using the size controller. This can be inconvenient as the wearer often must adjust the size each time the cap is worn.  
           [0005]    To overcome this inconvenience, cap headbands have been constructed that include an elastic band made of fabric which includes spandex yarn, giving the headband size flexibility while eliminating the size controller. It has been found, however, that such a cap exerts pressure against the wearer&#39;s head which can become uncomfortable after the cap is worn for an extended period of time. In addition, the size adjustability of such a cap is limited by the lack of elasticity in the thread used to sew the headband and/or the joint between the headband and the crown.  
           [0006]    Accordingly, a need exists for a free-size cap having a headband that can accommodate a wider range of head sizes without imposing undue pressure on the wearer so as to remain comfortable over extended time periods.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In view of the foregoing, one object of the present invention is to provide headwear with a headband that can stretch to accommodate head sizes without a separate size controlling mechanism.  
           [0008]    Another object of the present invention is to provide automatic size-adjusting headwear that does not exert undue pressure on the head when worn.  
           [0009]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a cap having wider size range accommodation through the use of rubber thread and nylon stretch thread sewn in a chain-like pattern along the headband.  
           [0010]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cap in which the crown part and the headband are joined using rubber thread and nylon thread.  
           [0011]    In accordance with these and other objects, the present invention is directedFto headwear having a crown portion and a headband attached to and extending around the lowerFinside edge of the crown portion. A visor part may also be attached to the underside of the crown portion. The sewing thread used on the headband includes rubber thread and nylon stretch thread sewn together in a chain-like pattern to provide expandability and thereby increase the number of different wearer head sizes that may be accommodated by the headband. With this construction, a wide range of automatic size adjustment is obtained without imposing undue elastic pressure on the wearer.  
           [0012]    These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a partially sectioned view of a baseball-style cap with a headband according to the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a top view of a visor cap with the headband according to the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a top view of another hat style with the headband according to the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is an outer perspective view of the headband sewn with rubber and nylon stretch threads according to the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is an inner perspective view of the headband shown in FIG. 4;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional stitching pattern; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the chain-like stitching pattern according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]    In describing preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by way of illustration only. It is not intended that the invention be limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Also, in describing the preferred embodiments, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.  
         [0021]    The present invention is directed to headwear of various types, each having a headband sewn with rubber thread and nylon stretch thread in a chain-like pattern to provide automatic size adjustment to accommodate a wider range of head sizes and with greater comfort than is possible using prior art headwear structures and sewing methods.  
         [0022]    According to a first embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 1, the present invention is directed to a baseball-style cap including a crown main body, generally designated by the reference numeral  1 , a visor portion, generally designated by the reference numeral  2 , and a headband, generally designated by the reference numeral  3 . The crown part  1  is generally made of more than one piece of fabric. The visor portion  2  is secured to the forward edge of the crown main body  1 , and the headband  3  is secured to the lower peripheral edge of the interior of the crown  1 . The visor  2  may include a stiffening member  4  covered with the visor fabric. The headband  3  is folded to have a tunnel-like shape and is secured using a plurality of stitching lines  5 , each of which is composed of rubber thread and nylon stretch thread.  
         [0023]    In addition, the joint between the crown main body  1  and the headband  3  (not shown) is sewn using rubber thread and nylon thread, further enhancing the stretchability of the cap. The stitching of such joint may be sewn so as to be visible on the outer surface of the crown main body  1 , or may be sewn so as to be visible only from the inside of the cap such that the consistency of the outer appearance of the cap is not disturbed.  
         [0024]    A second embodiment of the headwear in accordance with the present invention, namely that of a visor, is shown in FIG.  2 . The visor includes a crown part, generally designated by the reference numeral  6 , a visor part  2  attached to the front side of the crown part  6 , and a headband, generally designated by the reference numeral  8 . The headband  8  is attached to the lower peripheral edge of the interior of the crown part  6 . The headband  8  is folded to have a tunnel-like shape and is secured using a plurality of stitching lines  9 , each of which is composed of rubber thread and nylon stretch thread. The elastic thread may be readily stretched in the direction of the periphery of the crown part  6  to accommodate various head sizes. As with the cap, the joint between the crown part  6  and the headband  8  is sewn using rubber thread and nylon thread.  
         [0025]    A third embodiment of the headwear in accordance with the present invention, namely that of a brimmed hat, is shown in FIG. 3. The brimmed hat includes a crown part, generally designated by the reference numeral  10 , a brim part, generally designated by the reference numeral  11 , and a headband, generally designated by the reference numeral  12 . The crown part  10  is generally made of more than one piece of fabric. The headband  12  and the brim part  11  are each attached to the lower peripheral edge of the interior of the crown part  10 . The headband  12  is folded to have a tunnel-like shape and is secured using a plurality of stitching lines  13 , each of which is composed of rubber thread and nylon stretch thread. As with the baseball-style cap and the visor, the elastic thread used to stitch the headband of the brimmed hat may be readily stretched in the direction of the periphery of the crown part  10  to accommodate various head sizes, and the joint between the crown part  10  and the headband  12  is sewn using rubber thread and nylon thread.  
         [0026]    As shown in each of FIGS.  1 - 3 , the respective headwear is constructed without a separate size controlling element so that, upon wearing thereof, the fabric of the headband and the stitching thereon are stretched as necessary to fit the wearer&#39;s head. The headband may be made of a textile containing no spandex yarn to limit the stretchability of such band or may, alternatively, be made of a textile which includes spandex yarn for increased size adjustability.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 illustrates the headband according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral  14 , as sewn with rubber thread and nylon stretch thread, shown from the outer side  18 , with “outer” referring to that side of the headband which directly contacts the wearer&#39;s head when the headwear bearing the headband is worn. Conversely, FIG. 5 illustrates a view of the inner side  19  of the headband  14 , with “inner” referring to that side of the headband opposite the outer side  18  and contacting the inner surface of the lower edge of the crown part of the headwear bearing the headband. The headband  14  shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is representative of each of the headbands  3 ,  8 ,  12  depicted in the various embodiments of FIGS.  1 - 3 .  
         [0028]    As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the headband  14  preferably includes four lines of stitching, generally designated by the reference numeral  15 . Each line of stitching  15  is formulated using at least two threads, which may be made of different materials, with only one of the threads being visible on one of the sides of the headband. Particularly, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer portion of the lines of stitching  15   a , namely that portion visible on the outer side  18  of the headband  14 , represents only an outer thread  20  and has an appearance like that of conventional stitching; an example of conventional stitching is shown in FIG. 6. However, according to the present invention, the inner portion of the lines of stitching  15   b , namely that portion visible on the inner side  19  of the headband  14 , shown in FIG. 5, includes both the outer thread  20  and an inner thread  21  which, as shown in greater detail in FIG. 7, are sewn together in a chain-like pattern.  
         [0029]    According to the conventional stitching method as shown in FIG. 6, an upper thread  16  and a lower thread  17  are interwoven in a tongue-and-groove type relationship to each other through the space between the outer fabric  18  and the inner fabric  19 . The resulting lines of stitching look the same on both the outer fabric  18  and inner fabric  19 , with a single one of the threads  16 ,  17  being visible on each fabric, respectively.  
         [0030]    According to the method of sewing with rubber thread according to the present invention, shown in FIG. 7, the outer thread  20  and the inner thread  21  are interwoven in a chain-like pattern. Starting at the outer fabric  18  (for purposes of description), the outer thread  20  goes through both the outer fabric  18  and the inner fabric  19 , and then weaves down and up through a double loop of the inner thread  21 , as shown, to form a chain-like pattern on the inner portion  15   b  of the lines of stitching. The outer thread  20  then goes back through the inner fabric  19  and the outer fabric  18  to form a generally linear pattern on the outer portion  15   a  of the lines of stitching  15 . As shown, only the outer thread passes through the outer and inner fabric layers  18 ,  19  of the headband, and the outer thread  20  goes through a double loop of said inner thread  21  in between each pass through such headband fabric layers  18 ,  19 .  
         [0031]    According to a preferred embodiment, the outer thread  20  is rubber thread and the inner thread  21  is nylon stretch thread. It is also possible to use rubber thread for both the outer thread  20  and the inner thread  21 , or to use nylon stretch thread for both threads, but best results are obtained with the rubber outer thread and the nylon stretch inner thread in accordance with the preferred embodiment.  
         [0032]    Through the use of elastic thread elements and the chain-like pattern as described and illustrated herein, the headband according to the present invention achieves good expandability, accommodating a wide range of head sizes with a high degree of comfort for the wearer.  
         [0033]    The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by the dimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For example, the headband may be incorporated into hats, caps and visors of other styles. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.