Patent Abstract:
An embodiment of a baseball-style cap and stereo combination having a crown, a brim/bill, a sweatband, and two amplified stereo speakers concealed within the brim/bill is disclosed. The stereo components including a circuit board, an amplifier and battery are concealed within an inner surface and/or inner space defined as the area between the lowermost inner surface area of the crown and the inner surface of the sweatband when pulled apart from one another. Also included are wires connecting the battery to the circuit board and wires connecting the amplifier to the speakers both of which are concealed within the sweatband. A stereophonic music generator sends a music signal which is provided to the amplifier by any suitable means of communication, like an audio cord or wireless by means of infrared or Bluetooth wireless technology.

Full Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §120 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation-in-part application of, and claims priority to, U.S. application Ser. No. 12/194,792 entitled “Baseball Style Cap with Amplified Stereo Speakers” filed Aug. 20, 2008, currently pending, which claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/337,993 entitled “Baseball Style Cap with Amplified Stereo Speakers” filed Jan. 25, 2006, now abandoned, both of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to combined headgear and electronic means to provide music. More specifically, the invention relates to a combined baseball type cap and music signal provided to the speakers integrated as part of the cap. 
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0003]    U.S. Design Pat. 321,581 to Li discloses an ornamental combined cap and radio. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,746 to Gelber discloses headgear, such as a cap having a crown, a brim and an internal sweatband or flap, combined with an electronic receiving device, such as a radio, which is connected to the inner surface of the flap by a first double sided adhesive strip. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,961 to Peng discloses a cap structure with sound recording and generating means and warning lights includes digitalized sound recording and releasing means and light emitting diodes on a visor. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,031,068 to Himmele disclose a hands-free binocular visor headgear for viewing sporting and other events where it is desirable to use binoculars but also have the free use of the hands. 
         [0007]    When using mobile audio devices, it is helpful to deliver the sound as close as possible to the user&#39;s ears for better audio perception. However, using earbuds or headphones to deliver the sound also tends to block the listener from perceiving other sounds, such as emergency alarms, phone rings, or another person&#39;s words. Consequently, such conventional forms of audio delivery may place the user (and others around him/her) in danger if a warning or alarm is not heard due to the use of earbuds or earphones. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0008]    One embodiment provides a baseball-style cap having amplified stereo speakers. The baseball-style may include (a) a crown adapted to fit a head of a user; (b) a horizontally extending brim/bill attached to the crown; (c) a sweatband secured to an inner surface of the crown by at least one edge; (d) a rechargeable power source positioned within a space defined by an area between a lowermost inner surface area of the crown and an inner surface of the sweatband; (e) a circuit board having at least one USB port adapted to receive a USB cable, the circuit board positioned within the space defined by the area between the lowermost inner surface of the crown and the inner surface of the sweatband; (f) a stand-alone amplifier positioned within the sweatband configured to amplify audio signals originating from an adjacent external signal source; and/or (g) at least two stand-alone speakers integrated within the brim/bill with their direction of sound propagation pointed downward from the brim/bill, the speakers having a thickness equal to or less than the thickness of the brim/bill so that the speakers are concealed within the thickness of the brim/bill wherein the baseball style cap is adapted to receive a signal from an external music signal generator. 
         [0009]    The rechargeable power source may be a battery that is dimensioned to be positioned within a space between a lowermost inner surface of the crown and an inner surface of the sweatband such that it is substantially concealed within a thickness of the lowermost inner surface of the crown and the inner surface of the sweatband. The battery may be affixed within the space by a securing means. A first wire may connect the battery to the circuit board, the first wire positioned within the space defined by the area between the lowermost inner surface of the crown and the inner surface of the sweatband. The battery may be recharged by coupling a USB cable to the USB port. 
         [0010]    A second wire may connect one speaker to the circuit board, at least a portion of the second wire positioned within the space defined by the area between the lowermost inner surface of the crown and the inner surface of the sweatband and at least a portion of the second wire is positioned within the brim/bill. A third wire may connect one speaker to the circuit board, at least a portion of the third wire positioned within the space defined by the area between the lowermost inner surface of the crown and the inner surface of the sweatband and at least a portion of the second wire is positioned within the brim/bill. 
         [0011]    The amplifier may have an ON/OFF switch located on the side of the amplifier, the ON/OFF switch protruding through an edge of the sweatband. The amplifier may contain an LED light protruding through the edge of the sweatband, the LED light adapted to illuminate a blue light when the ON/OFF switch is turned ON. The amplifier may include a female stereo audio jack connector, the female stereo audio jack connector configured to connect to a male connector of an external music signal generator. The external signal generator may include stereo audio cable means, the stereo audio cable means having a male connector to fit in the female stereo audio jack connector on the amplifier. A stereophonic signal may be provided to the amplified stereo speakers to provide stereophonic music. The external music signal generator may be one of a compact disc player, MP3 player, AM/FM radio, a device with a 3.5 mm jack or a device that can provide stereophonic music signal. The stand-alone amplifier includes a receiver to wirelessly receive the audio signals from the adjacent external signal source. 
         [0012]    In another embodiment, a baseball style cap is provided having integrated stereo speakers, comprising: (a) a crown adapted to fit a head of a user; (b) a horizontally extending brim/bill attached to the crown; (c) a sweatband secured to an inner surface of the crown by at least one edge; (d) a rechargeable power source positioned within a space defined by an area between a lowermost inner surface area of the crown and an inner surface of the sweatband; (e) a circuit board having at least one USB port adapted to receive a USB cable, the circuit board positioned within the space defined by the area between the lowermost inner surface of the crown and the inner surface of the sweatband; (f) a stand-alone amplifier positioned within the sweatband configured to amplify audio signals originating from an adjacent external signal source; (g) at least two stand-alone speakers integrated within the brim/bill with their direction of sound propagation pointed downward from the brim/bill, the speakers having a thickness equal to or less than the thickness of the brim/bill so that the speakers are concealed within the thickness of the brim/bill wherein the baseball style cap is adapted to receive a signal from an external music signal generator; and/or (h) means to provide external audio signals to the speakers. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a baseball-style cap and stereo combination according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a left-side view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a right-side view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  illustrates a circuit board for use with the baseball-style cap and stereo combination of  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a front view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a cross-section of the baseball-style cap combination of  FIG. 7  taken along lines  8 - 8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a baseball-style cap and stereo combination according to an embodiment of the invention. The cap may be of any conventional design and manufacture and, in the embodiment shown, includes a cap crown  16   a , a brim/bill  17  and a sweatband  18  (shown in phantom and illustrated in  FIG. 5 ) within an inner periphery of the lowermost portion of the cap crown  16   a . According to embodiments of the invention, the baseball-style cap combination  16  includes stereo low profile micro-miniature speakers  14  and  15  embedded within brim/bill  17 . The speakers  14 ,  15  may be connected to a circuit board (not shown, see  FIG. 6 ) by wires  20  and  22 . Components of the circuit board visible in  FIG. 1  include an audio stereo jack  10   a  (explained in more detail below), a USB port  13  (explained in more detail below), and an ON/OFF switch  10  to power an amplifier  12 . An LED light  11  indicates when the amplifier  12  is turned ON. 
         [0022]    According to embodiments of the invention, only one edge of the sweatband  18  is sewn to the crown enabling the sweatband to be pulled away from the crown  16   a  to enable access to the inner surface and/or inner space defined as the area between the lowermost inner surface area of the crown  16   a  and the inner surface of the sweatband  18  when pulled apart from one another. This enables a wire  21  (illustrated in  FIG. 4 ) connecting a battery to the circuit board (explained in more detail below) to thread within the inner surface/space of the sweatband  18 . This also allows wires  20 ,  22  from the amplifier  12  to similarly thread within the inner surface/space of the sweatband  18  to the speakers  14  and  15  thereby connecting these components. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination  16  of  FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, speakers  14  and  15  are enclosed by the cloth that covers the brim/bill  17  during assembly. In some embodiments, speakers  14  and  15  are “low profile micro miniature speakers” with rare earth magnets. The speakers  14  and  15  may be sufficiently thin to fit completely within the thickness of the brim/bill  17 . For example, the brim/bill  17  may be between ⅛ and 3/16 of an inch thick. Due to their thinness, the speakers  14  and  15  may be completely concealed within the brim/bill  17  and may be covered by an exterior cloth of the brim/bill  17 . Also shown in  FIG. 2  and within sweatband  18  are the ON/OFF switch  10 , the stereo jack  10   a , the LED light  11 , the amplifier  12  and the USB port  13  in one area and a power source, or battery  19 , in another area (explained in more detail below). 
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is a left-side view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination  16  of  FIG. 1 . As shown,  FIG. 3  illustrates baseball-style cap combination  16  including stereo speaker  15 , the amplifier  12 , the ON/OFF switch  10 , the audio stereo jack  10   a , and the LED light  11  that, when illuminated, indicates when the amplifier  12  is turned ON.  FIG. 3  also illustrates the crown  16   a , the brim/bill  17  and the connecting wire  20 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is a right-side view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination  16  of  FIG. 1 . As shown,  FIG. 4  illustrates baseball-style cap combination  16  including stereo speaker  14  and the battery  19  (in phantom). In one embodiment, the battery  19  is affixed within the inner surface/space as the area between the lowermost inner surface area of the crown  16   a  and the inner surface of the sweatband  18  when pulled apart from one another. The battery  19  may be affixed therein by use of a securing means such as VELCRO, snaps, buttons or any other equivalent thereof. Such size allows for concealment (and therefore protection from the elements and protection from bodily fluids, e.g., sweat from the user) of the battery  19 . Additionally, the battery  19  according to embodiments of the invention is much more lightweight and less bulky compared to conventional batteries allowing for the positioning of the battery  19  as described previously without compromising the user&#39;s comfort since the sweatband  18  is typically in contact with the user&#39;s head. 
         [0026]    According to embodiments of the invention, the battery  19  may be a rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion battery. In a specific embodiment, the battery  19  has at least the following features: battery rated at 3.7 Volts to 1000 mAh; built-in over/under voltage protection circuit; over-voltage trip point at approximately 4.275 Volts; under-voltage trip point at approximately 2.30 Volts; over-current protection at approximately 1.7 Amps; a weight of about 0.56 ounces; and dimensions of about 2 and 1/16 inches in length, 1 and ⅜ inches in width and 3/16 inches in depth. In this view there is also seen brim/bill  17 , the top of the stereo speaker  14  and the wire  22  to a circuit board (not shown, see  FIG. 6 ). 
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination  16  of  FIG. 1 . As shown,  FIG. 5  illustrates the baseball-style cap combination  16  including the crown  16   a , the brim/bill  17 , the sweatband  18 , the ON/OFF switch  10 , an audio stereo jack  10   a  and speakers  14  and  15 . In some implementations, the cap may further include a wireless receiver, such as a Bluetooth connection that allows reception of audio signals, e.g., from a nearby digital music device. 
         [0028]    As can be perceived from  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the thickness and/or dimension of the battery  19  may such that it fits within the thickness between the lowermost inner surface area of the crown  16   a  and the inner surface of the sweatband  18  which may be approximately ⅜″ thick. Therefore, the battery  19  can be substantially concealed/housed within this space between the lowermost inner surface area of the crown  16   a  and the inner surface of the sweatband  18 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  illustrates a circuit board for use with the baseball-style cap and stereo combination  16  of  FIG. 1  according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown,  FIG. 6  illustrates a circuit board including the ON/OFF switch  10 , the audio stereo jack  10   a  and the USB port  13  among other components generally incorporated within a circuit board. According to embodiments of the invention, the circuit board may be configured to receive a connector from an outside audio device via stereo jack  10   a . According to embodiments of the invention, the USB port  13  is adapted to receive a USB cable such as known by those of ordinary skill in the art. In this manner, the rechargeable battery  19  may be recharged without removal from the cap  16 . In one embodiment, the circuit board is configured to fit within the sweatband  18  of the baseball-style cap  16 . Such size allows for concealment (and therefore protection from the elements and protection from bodily fluids, e.g., sweat from the user) of the circuit  12  while providing an adjustable means to amplify sound emanating from the speakers  14  and  15 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  is a front view of the baseball-style cap and stereo combination  16  of  FIG. 1 . As shown,  FIG. 7  illustrates the baseball-style cap combination  16  including the cap crown  16   a  and the brim/bill  17 . Advantageously, the speakers  14  and  15  cannot be viewed by an on-looker because they are low-profile micro miniature speakers and substantially or completely incorporated within the brim/bill  17 . Another benefit of low-profile speakers is that the speakers  14  and  15  will not block the view of the user when wearing the baseball-style cap combination  16  due to their low- to no-profile configuration (see  FIG. 8  and accompanying text). 
         [0031]      FIG. 8  is a cross-section of the baseball-style cap combination of  FIG. 7  taken along lines  8 - 8 . As shown,  FIG. 8  illustrates the brim/bill  17  having an inner portion  17   a  and an outer portion  17   b . In some embodiments, inner portion  17   a  comprises injected plastic or equivalent and outer portion  17   b  comprises a covering such as porous audio cloth or equivalent. In one method of manufacturing, plastic is injected into a molding to form the brim/bill  17  leaving an opening for a speaker to be positioned therein.  FIG. 8  illustrates the speaker  14  within inner portion  17   a  of the brim/bill  17 . As shown, the speaker  14  is substantially or completely confined within inner portion  17   a . Also, because the speakers  14  and  15  are positioned within the brim/bill  17 , the projection of sound emanating therefrom is generally towards the front of the user&#39;s face rather than adjacent to the user&#39;s ears. In this respect, the user&#39;s ears are protected from sounds with too high of a frequency or decibel which may cause damage to the user&#39;s ears. 
         [0032]    One advantage of positioning the speakers  14  and  15  in the brim/brill  17  is that the user&#39;s ears are not blocked or obstructed by earbuds or earphones. Therefore, the user can listen to desired audio via the speakers  14  and  15  while still being able to hear alarms, warnings, and/or another person&#39;s voice. For example, while a user is bicycling he/she may listen to music over the speakers  14  and  15  while still being able to listen to listen to ambulance sirens and car warning honks. 
         [0033]    While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention is not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0