Patent Publication Number: US-2016235150-A1

Title: Cap or hat with visor

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Related Field 
     The subject matter discussed herein relates generally to headwear or caps such as baseball caps or the like which have brims or visors. 
     2. Related Background 
     Baseball caps and the like typically have a rounded, generally dome-shaped portion which fits over the wearer&#39;s head and a visor or brim (also known as a bill) which projects straight forward from a lower front rim of the cap to shield the wearer&#39;s eyes. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one aspect, a cap is provided which has a rounded body for fitting over a wearer&#39;s head, the body having a lower rim, a front portion, a rear portion, a left side and a right side, and a visor permanently or adjustably secured to the front portion of the cap body at an angle to the lower rim, with the visor extending at an upward angle from the left side or right side of the front portion of the cap body, and across at least part of the front portion of the cap. 
     In one example, the visor is permanently secured to the cap and two alternative caps are provided, specifically a cap in which the visor extends at an upward angle from the left towards the right side of the cap, and a cap in which the visor extends at an upward angle from the right towards the left side of the cap. In another example, the visor is adjustably mounted on each cap to allow the angle to be adjusted for better shielding of the wearer&#39;s eyes and face from the sun or artificial lights (for example when playing sports such as baseball at night). In another alternative, a visor is adjustably or pivotally mounted on a cap above the lower rim at the front of the cap, and can be angled up or down to the left or the right to shield a selected side of the wearer&#39;s face from sun and the elements. 
     The angled visor not only protects the wearer&#39;s head from sunlight or glare from one side, but also enhances the wearer&#39;s field of view from the other side, as compared to a conventional visor. This is very helpful when viewing or participating in outdoor sporting activities, when driving, or the like. 
     Other features and advantages will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a “righty” cap with an angled, symmetrical visor; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation view of the cap of  FIG. 1  illustrating a range of different possible angles for the angled visor; 
         FIG. 3  is a top plan view of the cap of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a left side elevation view of the cap of  FIGS. 1 to 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a “lefty” cap similar to “righty” cap of  FIG. 1  with the visor angled in the opposite direction; 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevation view of the cap of  FIG. 5  illustrating a range of possible different angles for the angled visor; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective front view of a third embodiment of a cap which has an adjustable symmetrical visor which can be rotated between a left orientation (shown in solid line) and a right orientation (shown in dotted line); 
         FIG. 8  is a front elevation view of the cap of  FIG. 7  illustrating the pivot point and a range of left and right angle adjusted visor positions; 
         FIG. 9  is a front elevation view illustrating a modification of the cap of  FIGS. 7 and 8  in which spaced snap buttons are provided for releasably securing the visor in the left or right orientation; 
         FIG. 10  is a right side perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a cap which has an asymmetrical angled visor for shielding the left side of a wearer&#39;s face; 
         FIG. 11  is a front elevation view of the cap of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a top plan view of the cap of  FIGS. 10 and 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a left side top perspective view of the cap of  FIGS. 10 to 12 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a top plan view of the asymmetrical visor of  FIGS. 10 to 13  separate from the body of cap; 
         FIG. 15  is a front perspective view taken from the right side of a fifth embodiment of a cap which has an asymmetrical angled visor for shielding the right side of a wearer&#39;s face; 
         FIG. 16  is a front elevation view of the cap of  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a top plan view of the cap of  FIGS. 15 and 16 ; 
         FIG. 18  is a left side perspective view of the cap of  FIGS. 15 to 17 ; and 
         FIG. 19  is a top plan view of the asymmetrical visor of  FIGS. 15 to 18  separate from the body of cap. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The subject matter described herein is taught by way of example implementations. Various details have been omitted for the sake of clarity and to avoid obscuring the subject matter. The examples shown and described below are directed to a cap or baseball cap with an angled visor to protect the face and eyes of the wearer from the sun and from dirt. 
     After reading this description it will become apparent to one skilled in the art how to implement the invention in various alternative embodiments and alternative applications. However, although various embodiments of the present invention will be described herein, it is understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and not limitation. As such, this detailed description of various alternative embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope or breadth of the present invention. 
       FIGS. 1 to 19  illustrate several embodiments of a cap such as a baseball cap or the like with a visor permanently or adjustably secured to the front portion of the cap at an angle to the lower rim, with the visor extending at an upward angle from the left side or right side of the front portion of the cap. In one embodiment, the visor is symmetrical in shape and is permanently or adjustably secured to the cap and two alternative caps are provided, specifically a “lefty” cap in which the visor extends at an upward angle from the left towards the right side of the cap, and a “righty” cap in which the visor extends at an upward angle from the right towards the left side of the cap (see  FIGS. 1 to 6 ). When the visor is permanently attached, additional caps with visors at different angles may be provided. Where the visor is adjustably mounted on each cap, the angle may to be adjusted for better shielding of the wearer&#39;s eyes and face from the sun or artificial lights (for example when playing sports such as baseball at night) and from dust or dirt. In another embodiment, a visor is adjustably or pivotally mounted at a central position on the cap above the lower rim at the front of the cap, and can be angled up or down to the left or the right (see  FIGS. 7 to 9 ) for selective shielding of either the right or left side of the face. Another alternative embodiment is similar to that of  FIGS. 1 to 6 , but has asymmetrical left and right visors which shield a larger area ( FIGS. 10 to 19 ). Again, the visors may be permanently secured to the body of the cap or may be adjustably mounted to vary the visor angle depending on light and weather conditions. All of these embodiments are described in more detail below. 
       FIGS. 1 to 4  illustrate a first embodiment of a “righty” cap  10  which has a cap body  12  similar to the body of a baseball cap and a visor  13  which extends upwards at an angle from the right hand side of the cap to shield the right side of a wearer&#39;s face.  FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate an embodiment of a similar “lefty” cap  14  which is identical to the cap of  FIGS. 1 to 4  except that visor  15  extends upwards at an angle from the left hand side of the cap to shield the left side of a wearer&#39;s face. The body of the cap in  FIGS. 5 and 6  is identical to that of  FIGS. 1 to 4  and like reference numbers are used for like parts as appropriate. Visors  13  and  15  are identical visors of symmetrical shape and the only difference between them is that they are angled in opposite directions across the front portion of the cap. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 4 , cap body  12  is generally dome shaped and has a lower rim  16  and an apex or crown  18 . In the illustrated embodiment, the cap body is formed from six generally triangular pieces of material sewn or secured together along seams  20  which extend from the lower rim to the apex of the cap. Cap body  12  has a front portion  22 , opposite left and right side portions  24 ,  25 , and a rear portion  26 . In this case, the cap rim is adjustable via a standard type of adjustment strap  28  at the rear of the cap. However, the cap body may be of any suitable cap construction. 
     The bill or visor  13  or  15  is of generally arched shape, as best seen in  FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 , and has a rear, arcuate edge  30 , opposite side edges  32 , a rounded front edge  34 , an upper slightly convex face  31 , and a lower slightly concave face  33  (see  FIGS. 4 and 5 ). The arcuate edge  30  is designed to follow the cap body curvature at the intersection line between the cap and visor. Visor  13  of  FIGS. 1 to 4  is permanently or adjustably secured to the cap body with one end  35  of rear edge  30  secured to the right hand side of the cap at a connection point which is located at or close to lower rim  16 . The visor is angled up from the connection point at rear end  35  to extend across the front portion of the cap to the left hand side of the front portion, with the opposite end  36  of edge  30  secured at a raised position close to or at seam  20 . Similarly, visor  15  of  FIGS. 5 and 6  is permanently or adjustably secured to the cap body with one end of edge  30  secured to the left hand side at point  37 , and the visor inclined upward from point  37  at a desired angle to lower rim  16 , with the opposite end of the cap rear edge secured to the right hand part of the front portion of the cap. In  FIGS. 2 and 6 , the upward angle of visor  13  and upward angle of visor  15 , respectively, are both 40 degrees to the lower rim  16 , but either visor may be secured at any angle in the range from 10 degrees to 45 degrees to the lower rim.  FIGS. 2 and 6  illustrate upward right to left and left to right angles, respectively, at 10 degrees, 20 degrees, 30 degrees and 40 degrees. 
     When the visor of either cap  10  or cap  14  is permanently attached to the cap body, additional caps with visors at different angles may be provided. Where the visor is adjustably mounted on each cap, the angle may be adjusted for better shielding of the wearer&#39;s eyes and face on one side from the sun or artificial lights (for example when playing sports such as baseball at night) or from dust or dirt, while the field of view of the wearer on the other side is enhanced. This is potentially of great benefit in sporting activities, driving and the like. In one embodiment, the rear end at one side of the visor may be pivotally attached to the cap at one end via a pivot comprising a button or the like extending from the interior of the cap, and may be pivoted about the pivot to a desired angle before releasably securing the visor at the desired angle via mating fasteners on the cap and visor, for example opposing Velcro® bands, buttons, snaps or the like on the rear of the visor and front of the cap. For example, button holes or snaps may be provided at different heights and one or more buttons or mating snaps may be provided on the visor to engage with selected button holes or snaps on the front of the cap to hold the visor at a desired angle, depending on the amount of shade and protection needed so as to better shield the face from sun or artificial lights and from dust or dirt from one side, while increasing the field of view for better visibility on the other side. 
     The symmetrical angled right visor of  FIGS. 1 to 4  protects the right side of the wearer&#39;s face and head from sunshine, artificial lights, or other elements. Similarly, the symmetrical angled left visor of  FIGS. 5 and 6  protects the left side of the wearer&#39;s face from sunshine, artificial lights, or the elements. 
       FIGS. 7 to 9  illustrate another embodiment of a cap  40  with a similar cap body  12  to the previous embodiments and an adjustable visor  42  which can be angled to the right or to the left across the front portion of the cap body, converting between a right face and left face shielding cap. In this embodiment, visor  42  may be of similar symmetrical shape to the visors of the previous embodiments, but is adjustably or pivotally mounted at a central pivot  44  on the front central seam  20  of the cap at a location spaced above the lower rim  16 . Visor  42  can be angled up or down to the left or the right. Suitable releasable fasteners may be provided at different positions on the cap body defining different visor angles, and mating fasteners are provided on the rear edge  45  of visor  42 . As described above, the releasable fasteners may comprise mating strips of hook-and-loop fastener material such as Velcro®, buttons and button holes, or snap fasteners.  FIG. 7  illustrates the visor  42  in solid outline, pivoted about pivot point  44  to an orientation  42 L angled up from the left toward the right of the cap (“lefty”) to shield the left of a wearer&#39;s face. A similar but opposite orientation  42 R of the visor in which it is angled up from right to left to shield the right part of the face is illustrated in dotted outline in  FIG. 7 .  FIG. 8  illustrates some different rotated positions of visor  42  about pivot point  44  to the left or to the right, along with fasteners in the form strips  41  of hook or loop fastener material on the front of the cap for attachment to mating strips on the rear edge of the visor  42  to releasably secure the visor in a selected rotated position. Visor  40  may be oriented at any upward angle to the right or to the left in the range from around 10 degrees to 45 degrees, and  FIG. 8  illustrates examples of angled up orientations to the right  40 R and to the left  40 L at 10 degrees, 20 degrees, 30 degrees and 40 degrees. 
       FIG. 9  is a similar view to  FIG. 8  but illustrates a modified snap button fastener arrangement. Again, the visor  42  is pivoted to the front portion of cap  40  via pivot  44 , but in this case, spaced releasable snap fasteners or buttons  43  are provided along a right visor direction R and a left visor direction L, for releasable snap engagement with corresponding mating snap fasteners which are suitably positioned along the rear edge  45  of visor  42 . For example, snap-on buttons or fasteners  43  may comprise female receptors, while male snap plugs or pins may be provided on the rear edge of visor  42 . 
       FIGS. 10 to 19  illustrate modified embodiments of a left face shielding cap  50  and a right face shielding cap  52  which have asymmetrical visors  54 ,  55 , respectively, rather than symmetrical visors as in the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 to 6 . Caps  50  and  52  are otherwise identical to the caps  10  and  14  of  FIGS. 1 to 4  and  FIGS. 5 and 6 , respectively, and like reference numbers are used for like parts as appropriate. As in the first embodiments of  FIGS. 1 to 6 , the visors  54  and  55  may be permanently secured to cap body  12  at any desired angle in a range from around 10 degrees to around 45 degrees, or may be adjustably secured to the body by any suitable means to allow the wearer to adjust the angle based on current light conditions or the like. 
       FIGS. 10 to 13  illustrate an embodiment of asymmetrical cap  50  designed to shield the left hand side of the face from light and dust or other debris, while  FIG. 14  illustrates the asymmetrical left visor  54  of cap  50  alone. In this embodiment, the length L 1  of left side edge  56  of the visor as viewed in  FIG. 14  from the start of curved forward edge  57  to left end or point  58  is greater than the length L 2  of the right side edge  59  from the start of curved forward edge  57  to right end or point  60 . In this embodiment, the left end  58  is secured by stitching or the like to the left side of the cap at or close to the halfway point on the left side  24 , as best seen in  FIGS. 12 and 13 , while the right end  60  is secured to the front  22  of the cap so that the visor extends at any desired angle between 10 to 45 degrees to the lower edge or rim  16  of the cap, as seen in  FIGS. 10 to 12 . End  60  may be sewn at a point which is located around three quarters of the way across the forward portion of the cap, between center front and right hand seams  20  located at the front portion  22  and right side portion  25  of the cap, respectively. The visor may alternatively be pivotally attached to the cap at end  58  and adjustably fastened at end  60  via suitable releasable fasteners, as described above in connection with the previous embodiments. In this embodiment, the area of the left side of the face and head protected from sunshine, artificial light or other elements by visor  54  is increased, as compared to the left face shielding symmetrical cap  14  of  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
       FIGS. 15 to 18  illustrate an embodiment of asymmetrical cap  52  designed to shield the right hand side of the face from light and dust or other debris, while  FIG. 19  illustrates the asymmetrical right visor  55 . In this embodiment, the length L 1  of right side edge  62  of the visor as viewed in  FIG. 19  from the start of curved forward edge  63  to right end or point  64  is greater than the length L 2  of the left side edge  65  from the start of curved forward edge  63  to left end or point  66 . In this embodiment, the right end  64  is sewn to the right side of the cap at the halfway point on the right side  25 , as best seen in  FIGS. 15 and 17 , while the left end  66  is sewn to the front  22  of the cap so that the visor extends at any desired angle between 10 to 45 degrees to the lower edge or rim  16  of the cap, as seen in  FIGS. 16 to 18 . End  66  is sewn at a point spaced from the left hand end of the front portion of the cap, between two of the seams  20 . The visor may alternatively be pivotally attached to the cap at end  64  and adjustably fastened at end  66  via suitable releasable fasteners, as described above in connection with the previous embodiments. In this embodiment, the area of the right side of the face and head protected from sunshine, artificial light or other elements by visor  55  is increased, as compared to the right face shielding symmetrical cap  10  of  FIGS. 1 to 4 . 
     An asymmetrical right or left face shielding cap may also be provided in which a selected asymmetrical visor can be attached by means of mating strips of hook and loop fastener material, snaps, buttons, or the like to convert between right and left shielding orientations. In this way, the visor can be arranged to shield and protect either the left or right side of a wearer&#39;s face or head with an increased protection area. 
     In another embodiment, the visor may be adjustable up and down relative to the rim so as to protect the head from above while allowing light rays to reach parts of the wearer&#39;s face from the sides. The cap with angled visor as described above can be worn so as to shield parts or all of the face depending on the position of the wearer relative to the sun&#39;s angle or artificial lights, reducing the effects of glare and the like. The angled visor also better protects the face from dirt or debris, for example in windy conditions. The visor can be suitably angled against the wind direction. 
     It will be understood that the cap or headwear body of the previous embodiments is just one example of many different possible cap body designs on which a visor which is angled up to the right or left may be permanently or adjustably secured in the manner described above. A similar angled or adjustable visor may be provided on other types of caps or headwear which normally has a bill or brim extending from a lower edge of the main body of the cap or headwear. The angled visor replaces the conventional horizontal bill or visor on such headwear. The cap with angled visor is suitable for wear outdoors or in indoor sports venues by individuals seeking shade or protection for their face or eyes from the sun or from artificial lights, and from wind-blown debris or the like. The angled visor protects a selected side of the head or face from sunshine or the elements, while providing an enhanced field of view over a conventional visor on the other side. This is potentially of great benefit to the wearer when engaged in sporting activities, watching outdoor sporting activities, driving, cycling, or the like. The adjustable visor of  FIGS. 7 to 9  allows the wearer to rotate the visor between a right face shading orientation and a left face shading orientation, to allow for changes in sun direction relative to the wearer as they travel from one position to another or as the sun moves over time. In this way, the cap&#39;s visor can be readily oriented either at a right or left upward angle to protect either side of the wearer&#39;s face or head while providing an enhanced field of view on the other side. 
     Accessories may be provided on the cap, such as a tab, snap-on band or metal clip to hold sunglasses or other items, or a fit tab sewn on the edge of the cap to allow the wearer to pull the cap down for a snug fit. 
     The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is to be understood that the description and drawings presented herein represent a presently preferred embodiment of the invention and are therefore representative of the subject matter that is broadly contemplated by the present invention. It is further understood that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the art and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly limited by nothing other than the appended claims.