Patent Publication Number: US-2020297055-A1

Title: Head cover

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/575,366 filed on 19 Nov. 2017 as a 35 U.S.C. 371 national stage application of international application number PCT/IB2016/052932 with international filing date 19 May 2016; and additionally claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/857,275 filed on 4 Jun. 2019. 
     The contents of all the above applications are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to head covers and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to head covers with brims. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Head covers may include hats, caps, and visors which serve to protect a user&#39;s head and/or face from exposure to the sun. These head covers generally include a brim which may serve to protect the wearer&#39;s face from the sun, and optionally other upper body sections such as the shoulders and the upper back. Emblems, symbols, figures, writing, numbers, and other design patterns, hereinafter referred to as “logo”, may sometimes be attached to the brim, generally for promotion or advertising purposes, among other possible uses. These may be woven onto the brim, especially when the brim includes a fabric, or may be adhered usually in the form of a sticker, as is frequently the case when the brim is plastic. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There is provided, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a head cover including a brim formed from a plastic sheet suitable to project an image of a logo on the brim onto a distant surface. The plastic sheet may include a first area having a material with a first degree of transparency to light, and a second area at least partially surrounded by the first area and having a material with a second degree of transparency to light different from the first area, and further including a shape of the logo. At least one of the first area and the second area may project an image of the logo onto the distant surface when a light impinges on the brim. The head cover may be a cap, a visor, or a hat. 
     In some embodiments, the material in the second area may include a higher transparency to light relative to the first area. Alternatively, the material in the first area may include a higher transparency to light relative to the second area. The light may be solar light or electrical light. Optionally, the first area and the second area may be on an underside of the plastic sheet. 
     In some embodiments, the plastic sheet may include UV filtering in a range between 80%-99%. 
     In some embodiments, the first area may be opaque. Alternatively, the second area may be opaque. 
     In some embodiments, the logo shape may include a digitally printed shape, a flexographic printed shape, or a silk screen printed shape. 
     In some embodiments, the projected image of the logo on the distant surface may be an illuminated image. Alternatively, the projected image may be a shadow of the logo. 
     In some embodiments, the material on the first area may include an ink color different from that on the material on the second area. Optionally, the material on the first area includes a different thickness compared to the material on the second area. 
     In some embodiments, the second area may include a removable logo. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Details shown are for exemplary purposes and serve to provide a discussion of embodiments of the invention. The description and the drawings may be apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the invention may be practiced. 
         FIG. 1A  schematically illustrates a first method of generating a projected image of a logo from a brim section of a head cover such as hat, a cap, or a visor, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  schematically illustrates a second method of generating a projected image of a logo from a brim section of a head cover such as hat, a cap, or a visor, and which includes us of a negative printing technique, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  schematically illustrates an exemplary visor which may be worn to protect the face of a wearer from exposure to sunrays and suitable to project an image of a logo onto a remote surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  schematically illustrates an exemplary cap with a brim suitable to project an image of a logo onto a remote surface, for example a wearer&#39;s chest, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  schematically illustrates an exemplary cap with a brim suitable to project an image of a logo onto a remote surface, for example a wearer&#39;s upper back, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  schematically illustrates an exemplary cap with a brim suitable to project an image of a logo onto a remote surface and having a background area which is substantially transparent compared to the logo area, or of a different degree of transparency and/or color compared to the logo area, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  schematically illustrates an exemplary hat with a brim suitable to project an image of a logo onto a remote surface and having a background area which is substantially transparent compared to the logo area, or of a different degree of transparency and/or color compared to the logo area, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components and/or methods set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. 
     Applicant has realized that the teachings described in the now allowed parent application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/575,366, and in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/163,465 from which the parent application claimed the benefit of priority and which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, may be equally applied to head covers, for example, to hats, visors and caps. By using the printing methods described therein, Applicant is able to provide a head cover which provides a wearer with the required protection from the sunshine while allowing use of sunlight, optionally light from other light sources, to project an image of a logo on the head cover onto a distant surface. Accordingly, the present invention relates to a head cover including a logo on the brim which may be projected onto a remote surface when light impinges on the brim. The remote surface may include a body section of a wearer of the head cover, a garment section worn by the wearer, a body section or a garment section of a non-wearer (i.e. proximal to the user), an object, among other remote surfaces. 
     In some embodiments, the brim may be divided into a background area and one or more logo areas (each logo area may include a logo). The background area may be partially transparent or translucent, or alternatively opaque, with the one or more logo areas being substantially transparent to allow sunlight to pass through to cast the projected image of the logo as an illuminated image. Alternatively, the one or more logo areas may be partially transparent or translucent, or alternatively opaque, with the background area being substantially transparent to allow casting of the projected image of the logo as a shadow image. Optionally, the background area and/or the one or more logo areas may be colored to allow casting of colored projected images. 
     In some embodiments, the brim of the head cover may be formed from a plastic material which may include any suitable flexible, semi-flexible, or rigid plastic which may be printed on such as, for example, PVC, Polyethylene, and Polypropylene. Optionally, only sections of the brim may be formed from plastic, for example, the background area or alternatively the one or more logo areas, in order to allow these areas to cast the projected logo image while the other areas may be formed from other materials, for example, cardboard, fabric, and paper, among other materials. 
     In an embodiment of the present invention, the printing method may include digital printing to print onto a transparent plastic sheet which may be used to form the brim of the head cover. The size of the ink drops may range from 0-60 Pico liters or greater, for example 30 Pico liters. Ink coverage may range from 10-100%, depending on the degree of shading required surrounding the projected image or images, for example, 75%. A preferable thickness of the ink coat layer may range from 10-50 microns, although other thicknesses may be possible. 
     In some embodiments of the present invention, the printing method may include using flexographic printing. The flexographic printing may apply one or more coating of ink depending on the degree of shading and the color of the shading required for the brim and optionally for the projected image when the logo is formed using a negative print technique, for example, 3 coatings. Other printing methods may include silk screen printing. 
     In some embodiments, the logo may include letters, number, figures, symbols, colors, patterns, or any combination thereof. The printing may be applied to a side of the transparent plastic which will not be directly exposed to the UV radiation from the sun when used as the sunshade cover, for example, to the underside of the transparent plastic. Optionally, the plastic sheet may be UV-treated. UV filtering may range from 0%-99%, although preferably around 90%, for example, 80%, 82%, 86%, 89%, 90%, 92%, 94%, 95%. 
     Reference is now made to  FIG. 1A  which schematically illustrates a first method of generating a projected image of a logo  16  from a brim section  10  of a head cover such as a hat, cap, or visor, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Brim section  10  may include a background area  12  and a logo area  14 . 
     Background area  12  and logo area  14  may be formed from a plastic sheet, optionally UV-treated, which may be a same sheet or sections from different sheets which may be attached together. Background area  12  may be printed with an amount of ink to achieve a degree of transparency different from that of logo area  14 . Optionally, background area  12  may be translucent. Ink printing may include use of digital printing techniques, flexographic printing techniques, or silk screen printing techniques. 
     In some embodiments, logo area  14  may include an amount of ink, or optionally none at all, so that the area is substantially transparent to allow the light to pass through and project an image of logo  16  onto a remote surface. In some embodiments, logo area  14  may be formed with ink of a different color than that used for background area  12  to allow the projected image to have a different color from that which may be projected by the background area. In some embodiments, background area  12  may be opaque. In some embodiments, background area may include a fabric or other non-plastic material, and logo  16  may be formed by cutting the logo area  14  onto the fabric or other non-plastic material and covering the logo area with the plastic. 
     In some embodiments, background area  12  may include an amount of ink, or optionally none at all, so that the area is substantially transparent to allow the light to pass through. Logo area  14  may be printed with an amount of ink to have a lower transparency compared to background area  12 , and may be optionally opaque, to prevent light from passing through. Alternatively, logo area may not include printing and may be, for example, a sticker including a logo which may be adhered to the brim and may substantially prevent light from passing through. The effect of having the background area with a higher degree of transparency relative to the logo area may cast an image of the logo as a shadow. 
     Reference is now made to  FIG. 1B  which schematically illustrates a second method of generating a projected image of a logo  26  from a brim section  20  of a head cover such as a hat, cap, or visor and which includes use of a negative printing technique, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Brim section  20  may include a background area  22  and a logo area  24 . 
     Background area  22  and logo area  24  may be substantially similar to background area  12  and logo area  14  shown in  FIG. 1A , with the exception that logo area includes an inner area  28  which may be formed with an amount of ink which may be similar to that of the background area, and may optionally be translucent. Alternatively, the amount and/or color of inner area  28  may be different than that of background area  22 . 
     In some embodiments, the inclusion of inner area  28  may allow the sun to pass through a frame  25  formed between background area  22  and the inner area. In this case, inner area  28  may cast a shadow and the projected image of logo  26  may include the shadow. The projected image of logo  26  may be in contrast with the method of  FIG. 1A  where the projected image of logo  16  is substantially allowing all of the light to pass through logo area  14 . 
     Reference is now made to  FIG. 2  which schematically illustrates an exemplary visor  100  which may be worn to protect the face of a wearer from exposure to sunrays and suitable to project an image of a logo onto a remote surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Visor  100  may include a brim  102  with an edge  104 , a background area  106 , and a plurality of logo areas  108 . The arrangement of background area  106  and logo areas  108  shown in the figure is for exemplary purposes, and the skilled person may readily appreciate that the background area and the logo area may be implemented with any type of background and logo arrangement, as previously described with reference to  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
     As may be appreciated from the figure, logo areas  108  may include square shapes and may be distributed throughout the background area  106  in a checkerboard arrangement. Logo areas  108  may allow the sun rays to substantially pass through while background area  106  may partially or wholly prevent the sunrays from passing through, allowing visor  100  to cast a shadow which may include a projection of an image of the visor including the logo areas onto a remote surface, as may be seen by visor shadow  150 . 
     As may be further appreciated from the figure, visor shadow  150  may include a brim shadow  152  having an edge shadow  154  and a background shadow  156  due to the partial or whole blocking of light impinging on brim edge  104  and background  106 . Light passing through logo areas  108  may project logo images  158  on the remote surface, so that the combination of the background shadow  156  with the logo images  158  may generate a projected image of the checkerboard arrangement on brim  102 . 
     Any one of the methods described in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  may be used to generate logo images  158  and to project an image of visor  100 , that is, visor shadow  150 , on the remote surface. Furthermore, it may be appreciated that edge shadow  154  and/or background shadow  156  may not necessarily be shadows rather may also be contrasting images relative to logo images  158  (e.g. different color). 
     Reference is now made to  FIG. 3  which schematically illustrates an exemplary cap  200  with a brim  202  suitable to project an image of a logo onto a remote surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Cap  200  may include a brim  202  with an edge  204 , a background area  206 , and a plurality of logo areas  208 . 
     As may be appreciated from the figure, logo areas  208  may include square shapes and may be distributed throughout the background area  206  in a checkerboard arrangement. Logo areas  208  may allow the sun rays to substantially pass through while background area  206  may partially or wholly prevent the sunrays from passing through, allowing cap  200  to cast a shadow which may include a projection of an image of the visor including the logo areas onto a remote surface, for example, on the chest of a wearer  201 , as may be seen by cap shadow  250 . 
     As may be further appreciated from the figure, cap shadow image  250  may include a brim shadow  252  having a shadow edge  254  and a background shadow  256 . Light passing through logo areas  208  may project logo images  258  on the remote surface, so that the combination of background shadow  256  with logo images  258  may generate a projected image of the checkerboard arrangement on brim  202  onto the chest of wearer  201 . 
     As previously described in relation to  FIG. 2 , any of the methods described in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  may be used to generate logo images  258  and to project an image of cap  200 , that is, cap shadow  250 , on the remote surface. Furthermore, it may be appreciated that edge shadow  254  and/or background shadow  256  may not necessarily be shadows rather may also be contrasting images relative to logo images  258  (e.g. different color). Additionally, the arrangement of background area  206  and logo areas  208  shown in the figure is for exemplary purposes, and the skilled person may readily appreciate that the background area and the logo area may be implemented with any type of background and logo arrangement. 
     Reference is now made to  FIG. 4  which schematically illustrates an exemplary cap  300  with a brim  302  suitable to project an image of a logo onto a remote surface, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Cap  300  may include a brim  302  with an edge  304  and a background area  306  separated by a first logo area  308  which may form a first frame. Brim  302  may additionally include a second logo area  310  which may be formed by a second frame  312  separating between background area  306  and an inner area  314 , similar to that described in  FIG. 1B . First frame  308  and second frame  312  may allow the sun rays to substantially pass through while edge  304  and background area  306  may partially or wholly prevent the sunrays from passing through, allowing cap  300  to cast a shadow which may include a projection of an image of the visor including the logo areas onto a remote surface, for example, on the back of a wearer  301 , as may be seen by cap shadow  350 . 
     As may be further appreciated from the figure, cap shadow  350  may include a brim shadow  352  having an edge shadow  354  and a background shadow  356 . Light passing through first frame  308  may project a first logo image  358 . Light passing through second frame  312  may project a second logo image  360  which may include a frame image  362  surrounding an inner area shadow  364  on the remote surface. Consequently, an image of brim  302  including the first logo area  308  and the second logo area  310  is projected onto the remote surface (i.e. the back of wearer  301 ). 
     Any of the methods described with reference to  FIGS. 1A and 1B  may be used to generate first logo image  308  and second logo image  310 , and to project an image of cap  300 , that is, cap shadow  350 , on the remote surface. Furthermore, it may be appreciated that edge shadow  354  and/or background shadow  356  and inner area shadow  364  may not necessarily be shadows rather may also be contrasting images relative to the logo images (e.g. different color). Additionally, as previously mentioned with regards to  FIG. 2 , the arrangement of background area  306  and first logo area  308  and second logo area  310  shown in the figure is for exemplary purposes, and the skilled person may readily appreciate that the background area and the logo areas may be implemented with any type of background and logo arrangement. 
     Reference is now made to  FIG. 5  and to  FIG. 6  which schematically illustrate other exemplary implementations of the teachings of the present invention. In these exemplary implementations, as shown by the embodiments of  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the background area may be substantially transparent to allow the impinging light to pass through, and the logo area may be substantially opaque to cast a shadow, or of a different degree of transparency and/or color to project a contrasting image. 
     In  FIG. 5  may be seen a cap  400  including a brim  402  with a brim edge  404 , a substantially transparent background area  406 , and an opaque logo area  408 . As may be appreciated from the figure, impinging light on cap  400  projects a cap shadow  450  including a brim shadow  452  having an edge shadow  454 , a background image  456 , and a logo shadow  458 . 
     In  FIG. 6  may be seen a hat  500  including a brim  502  with a brim edge  504 , a substantially transparent background area  506 , and an opaque logo area  508 . As may be appreciated from the figure, impinging light on hat  500  projects a hat shadow  550  including a brim shadow  552  having an edge shadow  554 , a background image  556 , and a logo shadow  558 . 
     The foregoing description and illustrations of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the above description in any form. 
     Any term that has been defined above and used in the claims, should to be interpreted according to this definition.