Patent Publication Number: US-2006005302-A1

Title: Headgear having airflow characteristics

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to headgear. More specifically, it relates to headgear wherein the brim or sunshade portion of the hat is not connected directly to the front portion of the hat proximate the user&#39;s forehead, but is only attached at the sides of the hat, i.e. proximate the user&#39;s ears. This shading portion of the hat is angled to provide both protection from the sun and to prevent the cap or hat from being dislodged by the wind.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      One of the primary disadvantages of current hats or caps is their tendency to be blown off during periods of high wind. The brim of the hat, or the portion designed to protect the user&#39;s eyes and forehead from the wind, creates a lifting surface that tends to lift the hat off the head. One of the comic standards of the silent film era is that of the hatless man chasing the errant item of apparel down the street during a windstorm, coming tantalizingly close before nature again blows the hat out of reach.  
      A common solution to this problem, especially in the case of women&#39;s headgear is the hatpin that attaches the item to the user&#39;s hair. In the case of a man&#39;s shorter hair, or hair that is not sufficiently thick or piled up on the head, this will not work. Bands or cords that are tied or are elastically connected under the user&#39;s chin have also been used to address the problem, as in the case of many “cowboy hats”.  
      The present invention presents a novel solution to this problem, as it shields the eyes and forehead of the user from the sun, but this novel visor or brim is generally planar and a space is left between the body of the cap and the bill/visor. The leading and trailing edges of the brim are set at such an angle as to exert force on the cap in a downward direction; i.e. to press the cap more firmly onto the user&#39;s head. The angle is set between 25° and 65°, with the optimum angle being 45°. A wind dam is provided along the upper edge of the visor for stability and the visor is further slidable up and down in relation to the arms.  
      During a search at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a number of relevant patents were uncovered and they will be discussed below.  
      First is U.S. Pat. No. 264,574 issued to Joseph A Shone on Sep. 19, 1882. This is a device for holding spectacles wherein the hat brim or shade includes hooks so the glasses may either be stowed up under the brim or lowered on the user&#39;s nose. This is clearly dissimilar from the present invention in that no teaching of the detached visor.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 1,832,747 issued to John Spoljarich on Nov. 17, 1931 discloses a goggle attachment for hats. This is unlike the instant invention with no teaching of the novel air channel between the visor and the hat body.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,387 issued to Constance Bannister et al. on Feb. 24, 1959 discloses a visor cap in which a plurality of slats or panels is provided to redirect the flow of air, thus preventing the cap from being blown off by the pressure of the wind. Unlike the present invention, there is no teaching of the brim being substantially completely detached from the front portion of the cap body, creating a large single space or passage to direct the airflow.  
      In U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,115 issued to William R. Bohner on Sep. 20, 1971 a safety eye shield for a safety cap is disclosed. This is dissimilar from the present invention in that no novel detached visor is seen.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,753 issued on Dec. 25, 1979 to Sue Atonberg et al. Discloses eyeglass support mounted on headgear. The visor portion of the headgear is seen to be clearly attached to the front portion of the cap.  
      In U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,583 issued to Donald A. Birum on Dec. 20, 1994 there is disclosed positionable mount for eyewear mounted on headgear. Unlike the present invention, no teaching of the detached visor is seen.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,778 issued to Roland M. Bell on Dec. 12, 1995 discloses a sunglass/cap combination. As in other patents discussed above, no teaching of the directing airspace defined by the structure of the present invention can be seen.  
      Next is U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,191 issued to Robert L. Ridley on Jan. 30, 1996. This discloses a vented visor cap that is unlike the present invention in that the bill or brim of the Ridley cap is clearly attached to the body of the cap itself proximate the front thereof.  
      In U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,454 issued on Jul. 14, 1998 to Scott E. Oxman there is disclosed a visor cap having a cross-section that, from the front end to the rear end, resembles an inverted airfoil. This, like the Ridley patent above, is dissimilar from the present invention in that there is no teaching of the bill or visor being attached only at the sides of the body of the cap as is seen in the instant invention.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,935 issued to Michael B. Davis on May 4, 1999 discloses a cap having an adjustable and interchangeable visor. The novel construction of the visor or brim seen in the instant invention is not seen in this patent.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,704 issued on Aug. 31, 1999 to Scott E. Oxman, being a divisional case of the &#39;454 patent, above discloses a visor cap. This is an attachment to a visor cap that is itself an airfoil in cross-section. As in all the other patents discussed here, this also does not teach the unique structure of applicant&#39;s brim, which is located such that an air space is created between the brim and the cap body.  
      In U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,282 issued on Apr. 17, 2001 to Vincent G, Marzec there is disclosed combined sunglasses and headband apparatus. The visor portion of the device is attached at the front by hook and loop type fasteners, thus clearly differing from the instant invention.  
      And lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,159 issued to William L. Martin on May 29, 2001 discloses a hat modified to hold glasses in place. The visor in the described invention is clearly attached to the front portion of the main hat body and thus is dissimilar from the instant invention.  
      It should be noted that applicant has a U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,336 directed generally at the same subject matter as this application and that patent is hereby incorporated by reference.  
      Thus, while the foregoing overview of prior art indicates it to be well known to modify or shape visor bills or brims to allow air to flow through them, or to be deflected via an airfoil to prevent the hat from being blown off in a high wind, none of the inventions discussed above, either alone or in combination, describe the instant invention as claimed.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the present invention, briefly described, provides a visor or cap brim that prevents the pressure of the wind from blowing the cap off of the user&#39;s head. The visor portion is a generally planar surface that is held out away from the front of the cap portion that sits on the user&#39;s head. This creates a single large passage between the visor/bill and the cap and the visor/bill is held at such an angle that it acts a “spoiler” to press the hat down more firmly on the user&#39;s head in a high wind while at the same time shading the eyes and forehead from the sun. The visor portion of the cap is removably attached to a semi-rigid headband that encircles the base of the main body of the cap. This attachment is accomplished by a rivet-type attachment means at the terminal ends of a pair of arms attached to the visor portion.  
      Thus it is a principal object of the invention to provide an article of headgear having airflow characteristics that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.  
      It is a further object of the invention to provide an article of headgear having airflow characteristics wherein the brim or visor portion is a generally planar, rectangular surface.  
      Still yet a further object of the invention is to provide an article of headgear having airflow characteristics wherein the visor or brim portion is held in a spaced off relationship is respect to the main body of the cap creating a single air directing channel therebetween.  
      Yet another object of the invention is to provide a an article of headgear having airflow characteristics that, in the first embodiment of the invention, the brim or visor portion is removably attachable to the main body of the cap through a pair of arms that terminate with a pair of apertures that cooperate with rivet-type plastic inserts that extend through the headband portion of the hat.  
      Still yet another object of the invention is to provide an article of headgear having airflow characteristics wherein the arms attaching the brim or visor portion of the cap are attached to a semi-rigid headband portion that encircles the base of the main body of the cap.  
      These together with still other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The invention will be better understood and the above objects as well as objects other than those set forth above will become more apparent after a study of the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the instant invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view showing the rivet-type attachment between he arms and the semi-rigid headband.  
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the rivet-type connection in its assembled form and taken generally along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 4  is a side view of a second embodiment of the invention showing the slidability feature along the arms and the wind dam along the top of the visor portion.  
       FIG. 5  is a view taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 4  also showing the plastic clips attached to the arms to allow the visor to slide and showing the wind dam in dotted lines.  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring first to  FIG. 1  the invention is indicated generally at  10 . The main body of the cap  12  is a dome-shaped cap of the type sometimes referred to as a “beanie”. It should be understood at the outset, however, that the shape of this main body portion of the cap does not form part of the inventive structure of the instant invention and that the invention is not limited to this type and many other shapes for head covering would occur to the skilled practitioner. Included near the base of the cap body  12  is a semi-rigid headband, shown in  FIG. 1  in dotted outline and indicated at  14 . This headband  14 , which could be made out of any number of suitable materials such as plastic or paper, encircles the base  16  of the main cap body  12 .  
      The discussion, still referring to  FIG. 1  now turns to the visor portion of the headgear  10 . This visor portion is indicated generally at  18  and includes the main visor portion  20 , first arm  22 , and second arm  24 . Main visor portion  20  is generally planar and is also generally rectangular. It should be noted that many other shapes could be utilized to achieve the same purpose. The main visor portion could be triangular in shape or could be formed into a wide number of polygons that would essentially achieve the same result. The visor portion  18  is made of suitable materials, similar in properties as the semi-rigid headband  14 . The visor portion  18  could be made of paper, plastic, or other like material and could be covered by weatherproofing material if desired. Main visor portion  20 , by means of the arms  22 ,  24  is held in a spaced relationship with regard to the cap body  12 . This creates the air space  26 . The main visor portion  20  is held at angle in relation to the plane of the semi-rigid headband  14 . This angle could be anywhere from 25° to 65°, however experimentation has shown that an angle of around 45° is optimal. Additionally, though in the Figures the angle of the main visor portion  20  is shown as being fixed, it could easily be made adjustable in relation to the plane of the semi-rigid headband  14  to allow for varying conditions. Another feature that would occur to skilled practitioner that is not seen in the drawings would be optional apertures in the main visor portion  20 .  
      The discussion now turns to the attachment means of the instant invention. This is best seen in the exploded view of  FIG. 2  and the cross-sectional view in  FIG. 3  and is basically a pair of “pop-in” rivets, preferably made from a semi-rigid plastic material. The rivets, indicated at  34  fit through the apertures  32  in the semi-rigid headband portion  14  and also through the apertures  30  in the arms  22 ,  24 . It should be noted that though only the one arm  22  is seen in  FIG. 2 , the arrangement of the attachment means is essentially identical on the other side with arm  24 . The rivets  34  could either be manufactured to be removable, as mentioned above, or they could be permanent.  
      Tuning now to the second embodiment seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , there is seen a wing dam  50  that extends along the top edge  52  of the main visor portion  20 . This wing dam extends a sufficient length at right angles to the planar surface of the main visor portion  20  to provide added stability in high winds. Optimum length has been seen to be approximately one half of an inch. Wind dam  50  extends entirely along the top edge of the visor  20  as seen in dotted lines in  FIG. 5 . This wind or air dam extends above the top, trailing edge of the visor surface as seen in  FIG. 4 . The air dam in this configuration addresses a problem that the present invention may have in high winds. It was noted that in winds over 55 mph or thereabouts, the visor portion of the device had a tendency to be pushed down over the user&#39;s eyes. With the air dam in place as shown, a countering force is added to prevent this lowering. With the air dam in place, the visor of the present invention may be used in winds of up to 90 mph. Another feature of the second embodiment of the invention is the slidability of the main visor portion  20 . This slidability is denoted at directional arrows A 1  in  FIG. 4 . Turning to  FIG. 5 , it can be seen that the slidability is accomplished by the clips  54  made of the same material as the main visor portion  20  that are movably attached to the arms  22 ,  24 . It can be seen in the Figure that these clips are a configuration commonly known as a T-slot. This feature allows for the visor to be further adjusted according to the angle of the sun or the like.  
      Thus, in operation, when a user is wearing the novel hat or cap  10  and the wind blows, due to the angle of the main visor portion  20 , the body  12  of the hat is pressed more firmly onto the user&#39;s head and the hat  10  will not fly away. This is accomplished because the main visor portion  20  that shelters the user&#39;s eyes and forehead is not attached at the front  58  of the hat body  12 . Instead it is only attached at both lateral sides thus leaving a single air space  26  between the visor and the hat.  
      It should be emphasized that the instant invention is not in any way limited to the embodiments as they are described above but encompasses all embodiments as described in the scope of then following claims.