Patent Publication Number: US-2005132461-A1

Title: Hat with shade panel

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED FOREIGN APPLICATION  
      This application claims the priority of Republic of Korea Patent Application No. 2003-0039621 filed Dec. 19, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a hat with a shade panel, and, more particularly, to a hat with a shade panel that is constructed in a simple manner, is convenient to use, is made at a substantially low cost, and/or has the shade panel placed at a substantially close distance to wearer&#39;s eyes to allow him to clearly view surrounding objects.  
      2. Background of the Related Art  
      Generally, a hat is usually worn outdoors to give protection from direct sunlight or cold weather. Such a hat is provided with a visor that extends outwardly by a predetermined distance from the body of the hat placed on a wearer&#39;s head for the purpose of protecting his face as well as his eyes from the sunlight. In cases where the wearer stays outdoors while spending a long period of time climbing, fishing, swimming, exercising, watching games, etc., he usually wears a hat and a pair of sunglasses such that he can protect his eyes and face from the sunlight and its ultraviolet rays.  
      Since the hat and the sunglasses are conventionally separate accoutrements, wearers have had problems using both together. For instance, if the wearer wears only the hat, he may keep his sunglasses in a pocket or may hang them around his neck by a cord. However, this way of keeping or wearing sunglasses may be inconvenient for wearers while they are walking and may cause the risk of damage to the sunglasses due to carelessness.  
      To solve this problem, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-199241 discloses a hat with glasses attached thereto, wherein the glasses slide along a guide rail by a predetermined distance. The hat  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , includes a brim  11  having a guide rail  20  fixed at the bottom surface thereof. The guide rail  20  is fixedly attached to the middle portion of the brim  11  in such a manner as to be directed toward the front side thereof. The guide rail  20  has a guide path  21  formed along a longitudinal direction thereof, which communicates with its opened lower portion. The guide rail  20  has locking protrusions  23   a  and  23   b  formed at both sides thereof. A movable adjusting piece  30  is inserted into the guide path  21  such that it can be moved along the guide path  21 . To this end, the guide rail  20  is opened at one side thereof.  
      In more detail, a locking plate  31  of the movable adjusting piece  30  is inserted into the guide rail  20  through the opened side  24  of the guide rail  20 . Thereafter, a closing piece  40  is inserted into the opened side  24  of the guide rail  20  to close the guide rail  20  such that the movable adjusting piece  30  is secured within the guide rail  20 . The movable adjusting piece  30  includes the locking plate  31  that is inserted into the guide path  21  in such a manner as to be moved along the guide path  21 , and a fixing piece  33  that is connected through a connecting part  32  to the locking plate  31 , for fixing glasses  50  thereto. The fixing piece  33  is of a generally “ ” shape and has a fixing pin  34  that is adapted to connect both side plates thereof to each other. The glasses  50  are pivotally fixed to the fixing pin  34 . To this end, the glasses  50  have a locking hook  51  formed at the middle portion of the top end thereof. The locking hook  51  is fitted to the fixing pin  34  through the opened portion thereof, having a certain elasticity. The elasticity of the locking hook  51  enables the fixing pin  34  to be resiliently depressed and allows the glasses  50  to be kept in position, without any motion, in their fixed state when the glasses  50  are folded toward the brim  11  or unfolded for use. The section of the fixing pin  34  against which the locking hook  51  is placed is formed eccentrically to one side thereof. In particular, the fixing pin  34  has a generally diamond shape, and thus, the folded position of the glasses  50  and the wearing position thereof are placed at the edge of the fixing pin  34 , such that when the glasses  50  are unfolded or folded, they can be easily pivoted to stop there.  
      The hat described above suffers from various problems, including the following. First, so as to pivot the glasses  50  on the bottom surface of the brim  11 , the hat  10  is provided with a fairly complicated structure that requires the guide rail  20 , the movable adjusting piece  30  and the closing piece  40 . Second, the glasses  50  are slidably movable along the guide rail  20 , but they are separated by a predetermined distance from wearer&#39;s eyes. As a result, the wearer cannot focus the glasses  50  on objects, which prevents him from clearly viewing surrounding objects through the glasses  50 .  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art.  
      The object of the present invention is to provide a hat with a shade panel that is constructed in a simple manner, is convenient to use, is made at a substantially low cost, and/or has the shade panel placed at a substantially close distance to wearer&#39;s eyes for allowing him to clearly view surrounding objects.  
      To accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a head covering for covering at least a portion of a wearer&#39;s head. The head covering includes a body having a crown which defines a cavity sized and shaped so as to receive at least a portion of a wearer&#39;s head. A shade panel is attached to the body such that the shade panel can be folded at least partially into the cavity. More particularly, the shade panel is movable between a first position, in which the shade panel is positioned inside the cavity (e.g., when not in use), and a second position, in which the shade panel is positioned outside of the cavity (e.g., when in use to shade the wearer&#39;s eyes and face from the sun).  
      The first disclosed embodiment of the present invention includes a flexible connecting member as folding or connecting means for allowing the shade panel to be folded into the cavity. The lower end of the connecting member engages the upper end of the shade panel and the upper end of the connecting member engages a rim lining the crown of the hat. Cooperating hook and loop fasteners are affixed to the opposing surfaces of the rim and connecting member, whereby the connecting member is detachably connected to the rim. The shade panel is made of flexible plastic material to facilitate the folding thereof, and is preferably transparent and tinted. In this embodiment, the shade panel is shaped like the lenses of a pair of sunglasses.  
      The shade panel of the second disclosed embodiment of the invention is similarly shaped like the lenses of a pair of sunglasses, and is made of a material providing flexibility, and preferably transparency. The folding means is a flexible connecting member in this embodiment with its lower end engaging the upper end of the shade panel, and its upper end non-detachably engaging the rim lining the crown of the hat. The upper end of the connecting member is sewn to the inner surface of the rim to form stitching.  
      The shade panel is larger in the third embodiment, being configured and dimensioned to cover generally the top half of the wearer&#39;s face. The shade panel has a generally rectangular shape, which aids in protection of the face proximate to the eyes. This embodiment is well-suited for use by senior citizens and people with light-sensitive skin. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded, perspective view of a hat with sunglasses attached thereto according to the prior art;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective, assembled view of the hat with the sunglasses of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of a hat with a shade panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a side sectional view of the hat of  FIG. 3  with the shade panel unfolded and positioned outside of the hat;  
       FIG. 5  is a side cross-sectional view of the hat of  FIG. 3  with the shade panel folded into the hat;  
       FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective view of a hat with a shade panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7  is a side cross-sectional view of the hat of  FIG. 6  with the shade panel unfolded and positioned outside of the hat;  
       FIG. 8  is a side cross-sectional view of the hat of  FIG. 6  with the shade panel folded into the hat;  
       FIG. 9  is a bottom perspective view of a hat with a shade panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 10  is a side cross-sectional view of the hat of  FIG. 9  with the shade panel unfolded and positioned outside of the hat; and  
       FIG. 11  is a side cross-sectional view of the hat of  FIG. 9  with the shade panel folded into the hat.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
      According to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , a hat  100  has a body  120  which includes a crown  130  and a visor  140  extending from a front part of the crown  130 . A rim  110  lines the inner peripheral surface of the crown  130 , which defines a cavity  150  for receiving at least a portion of wearer&#39;s head. A shade panel  200  is also mounted to the rim  110 , preferably where the rim  110  comes in contact with a wearer&#39;s forehead, in such a manner as to be foldable by means of folding or connecting means  300 . The shade panel  200  is preferably made of flexible plastic material, such as polyethylene, so that when it is folded, it can be disposed inside the cavity  150  defined by the crown  130 . The shade panel  200  is also preferably made of a transparent material having color tinting to filter sunlight and protect the wearer&#39;s eyes. The shade panel  200  is of a size suitable to cover the wearer&#39;s eyes, and thereby protect his eyes from sunlight. In the first and second embodiments, the shade panel  200  is preferably shaped like the lenses of a pair of sunglasses, having left and right ocular portions corresponding to the wearer&#39;s eyes.  
      The folding means  300  includes a flexible connecting member  320 . The connecting member  320  is made of a generally flexible material such as stretch fabric, flexible plastic, elastic, or vinyl (polyvinyl chloride), such that it can be unfolded when there is a need to shade the wearer&#39;s eyes from sunlight, and then be folded inside the cavity  150  when there is no sunlight. The connecting member  320  is fixed at a lower end thereof to an upper end of the shade panel  200 , by means of an adhesive (not shown) like a bond or the like, and is fixed at an upper end thereof to the inner peripheral surface of the rim  110  that comes in contact with the wearer&#39;s forehead, by means of fixing means  310 . The folding means  300  thereby allows folding of the shade panel  200  into and out of the cavity  150  of the hat  100 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 3 , the fixing means  310  comprises cooperating hook and loop fastener (Velcro®) members. A first hook and loop fastener member  311  is affixed to the inner peripheral surface of the rim  110  that comes in contact with the wearer&#39;s forehead. A second hook and loop fastener member  312  is also affixed to the inner surface of the connecting member  320 , opposite to the first hook and loop fastener member  311 , in such a manner as to be coupled to the first hook and loop fastener member  311 .  
       FIG. 4  shows the shade panel  200  unfolded to the outside of the hat  100  (i.e., the cavity  150 ) to conduct its shade function.  FIG. 5  shows the shade panel  200  folded inside the hat  100 , so as not to cause inconvenience to the wearer when he wears the hat and is not using the shade panel  200 . As described above and shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , the shade panel  200  is detachably mounted to the rim  110  using the cooperating first and second hook and loop fastener members  311 ,  312  as the fixing means  310 .  
      A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 6-8 . As in the same manner as the first embodiment,  FIG. 7  shows a shade panel  200  unfolded to the outside of a hat  100  to conduct its shade function.  FIG. 8  shows the shade panel  200  folded inside the hat  100 , so as not to cause inconvenience to the wearer when he wears the hat  100  and is not using the shade panel  200 .  
      Fixing means  310  is formed, as shown in  FIGS. 6-8 , in such a manner that the upper end of a connecting member  320  is sewn along the inner peripheral surface of a rim  110 , thereby forming a stitching  321 . The method of sewing the fixing means  310  allows the shade panel  200  to be easily and inexpensively fixed to the rim  110 , even though the shade panel  200  is not detachably mounted to the rim  110 .  
      A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 9-11 . More particularly, a hat  100  includes a body  120  having a visor  140  and a crown  130  that defines a cavity  150  sized and shaped so as to receive at least a portion of a wearer&#39;s head. The hat  100  also includes a shade panel  200  which is configured in a generally rectangular shape and which has an area greater than the sunglasses shape of the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 3-8 . The shade panel  200  may be of a size sufficient to cover a substantial portion of the wearer&#39;s face so as to protect the wearer&#39;s face from sunlight. The shade panel  200  comprises a shade member  220  and a lining  230  that covers the outer edge or edges of the shade member  220 . The lining  230  may be made of fabric folded over and secured to the outer edges of the shade member  220 . The increased surface area of the shade member  220  affords protection of the wearer&#39;s eyes while extending coverage to the proximate facial region. Accordingly, this embodiment is well-suited for use by senior citizens and people with light-sensitive skin.  
      Folding or connecting means  300  of the third embodiment includes a connecting member  320  that is made of a generally flexible material to allow folding of the shade panel  200  into and out of the cavity  150  of the hat  100 . Fixing means  310  is formed by sewing the connecting member  320  along the inner peripheral surface of the rim  110  at the upper end thereof, thereby forming a stitching  321 . The lower end of the connecting member  320  engages the top of the shade panel  200  where the top part of the lining  230  is affixed to the bottom end of the connecting member  320 .  FIG. 10  shows the shade panel  200  unfolded to the outside of the hat  100  to conduct its shade function.  FIG. 11  shows the shade panel  200  folded inside the hat  100 .  
      The shade member  220  is preferably made of flexible plastic or other suitable material, such as polyethylene. Preferably, the shade member  220  is made of a flexible plastic material that is also resilient, thereby providing the shade panel  200  with a sufficient stiffness to maintain its position when folded into the cavity  150  defined by hat  100 . The stiffness afforded by the resiliency of the shade member  220  hence ensures that the shade panel  200  is secured up in the cavity  150  in its folded position without the wearer needing to fix it by use of additional means to prevent the shade panel  200  from falling outside of the cavity  150 . The shade member  220  is also preferably made of transparent material having color tinting to filter sunlight and protect the wearer&#39;s eyes.  
      The resilient and flexible material of the shade member  220  also enables the wearer to pull the shade panel  200  out of the cavity with a simple snapping or popping motion when he wishes to shield his eyes and face from the sun. Likewise, the wearer can just as easily snap or pop the shade panel  200  back into the cavity  150  when he no longer needs it. The wearer can therefore easily convert the hat  100  from having the shade panel  200  in the inside (i.e., folded) position to the outside (i.e., unfolded) position and vice versa with a simple fast, direct motion, and can be confident that the shade panel  200  will stay in the position he desires. In other words, the shade panel  200  remains in its inside or outside position without the use of additional supporting or affixing mechanisms (i.e., the shade panel  200  is self-supporting).  
      As described above, the present invention provides a hat with a shade panel that is constructed in a simple manner, is convenient to use, is made at a substantially low cost, and/or has the shade panel placed at a substantially close distance to wearer&#39;s eyes to allow him to clearly view surrounding objects.  
      While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.