Abstract:
A hat with a rotatable and removable brim is provided with a better mechanism for attaching the visor to the crown portion of the hat, allowing the user to easily remove the brim while minimizing accidental separation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention is directed to a hat having a brim or visor which rotates with respect to the crown portion of the hat. Specifically, the invention is directed to improved means for attaching and detaching the rotatable brim or visor from the crown portion of the hat. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,471,684; 5,715,534; RE38,774; 6,789,267 and 7,240,373 teach hats having a movable brim. These patents are representative of the level of ordinary skill in the art and are incorporated by reference. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    In embodiments, a hat according to the invention consists of a crown portion having a lower periphery, a headband located inside the crown portion at the lower periphery of the crown portion, and a rotatable, removable brim. A track system attaches the brim to the crown portion of the hat. The track system comprises a first track (the “crown track”) which extends around the circumference of the crown portion of the hat and has an inside wall attached directly to the headband, while an outer wall of the track system is attached directly to an interior side of the crown portion of the hat without an intermediate fabric layer. A slot in which the visor slides is formed between the inside wall and the outer wall. The visor is supported in the slot on a runner which extends from the inside wall. The bottom runner is preferably a lip which is formed integrally with the inside wall. A gap formed between the bottom runner and the front wall extends the length of the crown track (preferably around the entire circumference of the crown portion) in which the visor slides to rotate about the crown portion. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  depicts views of a track system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  depicts a brim attached to a track system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  depicts an ejection port in a track system according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  depicts views of a hat style according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  depicts a visor with a visor track according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  depicts a track according to an embodiment of the invention 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]      FIG. 4  depicts a hat  200  including a crown portion  70  having an interior side  74 , toward the wearers head, and an exterior side  72 . A brim, including visor  40 , extends horizontally in a distal direction, away from the exterior side  72  of the crown portion  70 . Preferred embodiments include a more rounded shape crown portion. 
         [0013]    As described below in connection with  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . The brim  40  is attached to the crown portion  70  by a track  100  attached to the lower peripheral edge  80  of the crown portion. Track  100  is preferably comprised of plastic parts, formed by injection molding, extrusion, or other technique known in the art. The track includes a circumferential crown track  102  extending substantially the entire circumference of the crown portion. Preferably, the crown track extends around the entire circumference of the crown portion  70 , so that the gap  60  in which the visor  40  slides is continuous and the visor can rotate 360 degrees around the crown portion. 
         [0014]    A headband is attached to the inside surface of the crown portion and the inside wall  10  of the crown track is attached to the headband by adhesive, fusing or other means. 
         [0015]    The gap  60  in track  100  is formed between a bottom runner  32  on the crown track and outside wall  20  of the track. The bottom runner  32  extends in the distal direction, i.e., away from the wearers head, from the inside wall  10 . Preferably, the bottom runner is perpendicular to the inside wall and formed integrally therewith. The bottom runner  32  supports the visor in the gap  60 , which is an improvement over the prior art in which the visor was sometimes made so as to hang from the crown. 
         [0016]    The visor  40  has a visor track with a lip  42  extending about perpendicularly from the visor. The lip  42  of the visor track is received in a slot formed between the inside wall  10  and the outside wall  20  of the crown track. The lip  42  may have teeth, as shown in  FIG. 5 , or it may form a single edge. 
         [0017]    Outside wall  20  of the track system  100  is situated parallel to the inside wall  10 , forming a slot. This slot is substantially closed, except that an ejection port  50  is formed by a gap between opposite longitudinal ends of the outer wall  20  of the track system. This gap allows a first end of visor track  42  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) to slide into the slot at the ejection port  50 . An opposite end of the visor track slides into the opening of the slot on the opposite side of the ejection port  50  to complete installation. Similarly, to remove the brim, the user slides the brim until the lip of the visor track is positioned at the ejection port. 
         [0018]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , track  100  comprises head band support portion  92  and brim support portion  94 . Head band support is sewn into the head band of the crown portion of the hat and the brim support is sewn into the brim. Head band support has a flat back portion facing the crown of the head, with is designed to make the brim spin more smoothly. The absence of a T-shaped or rounded connection between the head band support  92  and the brim support  94  ensures that the brim is easily removed. In this embodiment, the head band support  92  of the track includes an angled protuberance which is an engagement feature facing away from the wearer&#39;s head. This engagement feature is received between converging runners, so that the connection between portions of the track is secure yet does not impact wearability. 
         [0019]    The above description of the preferred embodiments is not to be deemed limiting of the invention and variations and modifications that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art are encompassed within the invention.