Patent Publication Number: US-2011067168-A1

Title: Cap with brim insert

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to a new construction of a cap or hat of the type which includes a front brim portion. The invention is adaptable to any cap or hat construction which is provided with a brim portion which extends substantially horizontally outwardly from a hat portion, and provides a cap or hat brim which has a useful function, as well as providing marketing and promotional capabilities. 
     The present invention is directed to a cap or hat having a brim portion along the front side of the cap or hat which is constructed with a hat portion which seats over the head of the user, the head portion having a brim portion which extends outwardly from the front portion of the hat portion. The brim portion is provided with a cut-out, the cut-out section accommodating an insert fixedly secured within the cut-out section. The insert may take the form of a tinted lens material which shields the user&#39;s eyes from the sun&#39;s rays. As a further refinement the tinted lens material may incorporate marketing or promotional indicia imprinted thereon, such that the indicia are visible when viewing the hat or cap from the outside while still maintaining the sun shielding characteristics of the tinted lens material. 
     For purposes of the present description, the term cap is meant to include any type of hat or cap which is constructed with a brim portion extending outwardly from the front portion of the cap such that the brim portion overhangs the eyes of the user where the cap is worn on the user&#39;s head. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     The prior art deals with caps which provide inserts for portions of the hat portion which consists of the top portion of the cap that sits on the users head, having a front portion which is adapted to provide a position for the insertion of either logos or other advertising or promotional media or indicia to be inserted therein. Typically, the cap carries a front portion of the head part wherein ball club team names or other indicia are presented to the observer of the cap. To the extent that advertising, promotional or display information is inserted in the brim portion, there is prior art that does show such information but it is usually imprinted. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,766,538 shows an image imprinted visor and a method of manufacturing the same. Information is imprinted on the brim of the cap, in order to display such information to the observer. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,129 shows a ball cap having information printed on the hat portion of the cap, that is, the portion above the brim. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,761 shows a ball cap having a visor brim wherein the visor is provided with an insert which is located on the top surface of the visor, the insert being protected by a plastic envelope fastened to the visor with a strip of hook and loop material. The envelope then can contain various indicia or other pictorial information. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,847 displays a ball cap having the hat portion wherein the front portion includes a pocket for including a picture or other visual display information inserted therein. This of course goes along with U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,570 which display a ball cap for inserting various indicia or other information in the hat portion of the cap, and in the front of the head portion for display to the observer. This further includes the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,813 which again show a ball cap for display of indicia and information in the head portion of the cap. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,562 shows a variation wherein a ball cap is provided with a brim of the cap which accommodates a flexible and pliable insert to permit a display to be embroidered or sewn thereto while permitting the brim to maintain its shape. 
     Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,643,847 shows a ball cap which provides four compartments for display and information, two of which are provided on the head portion and two of which are provided on the brim or visor wherein an insert is provided for inserting promotional or other indicia therein, and sealed within the plastic envelope for display to the observer. 
     The present invention is directed to an improvement over the prior art ball caps. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In summary, the present invention provides a hat and/or a cap having a head portion for seatment upon the user, and the head portion including a visor or brim which extends forwardly of the head portion. The brim is formed of a semi rigid material which is designed to maintain its shape as is usually known in the art. In the present invention, the brim includes a cutout or open portion which is provided with an insert which may consist of a variety of materials. The insert may be of a see through lens material, or it may be formed of a semi-rigid material containing permanent indicia such as marketing logos and the like. In the primary or principle object of the invention, the insert comprises a lens material which is basically see through, but may be tinted in order to shield the sun rays from the user. The insert is fixedly secured within the cutout or open portion of the brim by appropriate securing means. The lens material may be a plasticized lens which is intended to shield UV rays, and hence, the brim operates much in the same manner as sun glasses. 
     In another embodiment, the cutout portion or open portion of the brim may be provided with a series of LED lights or other lighted means which are wired to a power source such as a small battery compartment, and includes a switch such that whatever indicia is included in the insert or cutout portion may be lit up by activating the power means via the switch. 
     The invention is best understood by reference to the attached drawings and following specification which describes the invention therein. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the ball cap of the present invention showing the hat portion and brim portion thereof with the insert; 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view showing the ball cap of the present invention including the head portion and brim portion showing the insert therein; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the ball cap of the present invention showing the hat portion and the brim portion including the insert portion thereof; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the brim portion of cap, showing the brim having the insert secured therein; 
         FIG. 5  is a front elevational view showing the hat portion and the brim with the insert installed therein; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the brim portion of the cap, showing the insert portion secured therein, and a plurality of light means positioned around the insert portion for lighting the insert; 
         FIG. 7  is a side elevational view in cross section showing the brim of the cap having a continuous groove for securing the insert therein; and 
         FIG. 7A  is a cross section view showing the brim with a groove formed therein and the insert installed in the groove; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the cap showing the brim offering having a continuous flange formed therein for securing the insert thereon. 
         FIG. 8A  is a top view in partial cross-section showing the flange and the insert installed therein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     As has been indicated herein, the present invention deals with an improvement to a hat or cap of the type which includes a head portion for seatment upon the users head, and wherein the forward portion of the head portion includes a brim. Hence, the invention herein may be utilized in connection with any hat having a brim but for ease of reference herein, the following description shall describe the invention in connection with a cap. 
       FIG. 1  shows the cap generally described by the numeral  10  which includes a head portion  12 , and a brim  14 . The brim  14  is generally made out of a stiffened material which usually includes a semi-flexible interior such as cardboard, plastic or the like, covered by a cloth material such as felt, or other material which is then stitched to the underlying plastic or cardboard material. This construction is generally well known in the art. The brim  14  of the present invention generally includes an opening  16  cut through the brim  14  in order to accommodate an insert  18  to be positioned therein. 
     The opening  16  has a specific geometric configuration, which in the preferred embodiment, follows the geometric configuration of the brim  14 . It will be obvious however, that any geometric configuration may be employed so long as the geometric configuration fits within the confines of the brim  14 . The insert  18  similarly has a specific geometric configuration which corresponds to the geometric configuration of the opening such that the insert is mountable within the confines of the opening and secured therein. It is contemplated that once the insert  18  is secured within the opening  16 , both exterior and interior surfaces of the brim  14  will essentially be continuous and smooth. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the insert  18  is a plasticized lens material which is intended to block sun rays in the same manner as sunglasses. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the insert  18  is secured within the opening  16  by securement means which will be described hereinafter. 
     The insert  18  may be constructed of a lens material which incorporates printed indicia imprinted onto the lens material such that the printed indicia may be observed or read when looking at the outside of the insert  18  but is not observed or read by the user when looking through the under-side of the insert  18 . Hence, if the cap  10  of the present invention is manufactured for a ball team the name of the ball team may be imprinted on the insert material which is viewable from the outside of the brim but not from the underside of the insert  18 . It will therefore be appreciated that if the insert  18  is constructed from a tinted material which functions to shield the user&#39;s eyes from the sun&#39;s rays, the user will have a clear and unobstructed view through the brim insert  18  while the team name of logo is presented to outside observers&#39; viewing the user&#39;s cap. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the cap  10  may be provided with a series of lights  24  surrounding the opening  16 , and fixedly secured to the brim  14 . The lights may consist of LED&#39;s (light emitting diodes), or other known light means operated by a battery source  20  which includes a switch  22  which is electrically connected to the lights  24  by means of electrical connection  26 . Current technology permits the battery source to be extremely minute, as well as the lights  24  and electrical connection  26 , such that the bulk and weight of the electrical system is insignificant. 
     As more fully shown in  FIG. 7 , the cap  10  may be manufactured by forming the brim  14  with an opening  16  formed therein. As previously indicated, the brim  14  is usually formed by a composite of materials including a cardboard or plastic interior covered by a cloth or felt exterior which is secured to the interior material, all as is known in the art. In the present invention, the opening  16  is manufactured with a continuous groove  32  formed in the interior material of the brim  14  extending around the opening  16 . The insert  18  may be mounted into the opening  16  by slightly deforming the insert  18  in order to engage the edges of the insert  18  into the groove  32 . Once the insert  18  is properly positioned, the insert  18  is released such that the edges enter the groove  32  and hence mounted within the opening  16 . 
     In  FIG. 7A , the details of construction of the brim  14  are shown. The brim  14  includes a continuous groove  32  into which the insert  18  is installed. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates an alternative construction of the opening  16  in the brim  14  to accommodate mounting the insert  18  therein. In this variation, the opening  16  in the brim  14  includes a flange  34  which is formed from the material from which the interior of the brim is formed. The flange  34  extends around the entire periphery of the opening  16 . The insert  18  is then laid onto flange  34  and is either stitched thereto, or may be adhesively secured to the flange  34 . 
     In  FIG. 8A , the details of construction of the brim  14  having a continuous flange  34  is illustrated. The flange  34  is created from the material which forms the brim  14  and the insert  18  seats on the flange  34 . The installation is completed by either stitching the insert  18  to the flange  34 , or adhesively securing the insert  18  to the flange  34 . 
     It will be appreciated that the advantage of having a cap  10  with an opening  15  formed in the brim  14  in order to accommodate an insert  18  which is formed from a plasticized sun shield material is that the cap  10  still provides a partial blockage of the sun&#39;s rays by the solid portion of the brim  14 , while the insert  18  provides a see-through area in the brim  14 . 
     Another advantage achieved by the inventive cap  10  of the present invention is that the insert  18  may also be formed of a completely solid, non-see-through material and installed in the opening  16  of the brim  14 . For example, the cap  10  may be manufactured as a promotional or marketing tool for a product or a service, in which event, the name or logo of the product or service is imprinted on the insert  18  and installed in the opening  16  of the brim  14 . The advantage of this construction is that a manufacturer of the cap  10  is permitted to produce any number of caps and then private label any number of caps for a given customer. For example, a manufacturer may produce 10,000 caps of the same construction with an opening  16  in the brim  14  and if it receives an order from a single customer for 1000 caps with a specific logo or name, 1000 inserts would be produced and 1000 caps sold to that customer, while the remaining 9000 caps would be in inventory for sale to another customer with a different promotional or logo directive. Further, should any errors be made of the name or logo, only the insert so created will be scraped, as opposed to the entire cap. 
     While there has been described what is at present considered to be the present invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended that all such variations be covered by the appended claims.