Abstract:
An article of swim gear consisting of a cap for protecting the hair during the practice of recreational swimming or other aquatic sports. The cap comprises a main body whose tripartite structure allows the accommodation of the hair without squeezing it, thus maintaining the shape of the hairdo. The cap also comprises an internal positioning-blocking unit consisting of an annular band attached to the rim of the cap by only one of its edges, which gently holds the cap to the user&#39;s head, and a seepage-prevention strip cantilevered over the outer face of the annular band, which stops and absorbs the water that could seep under the edge of the cap in the areas of neck and temples. Three embodiments of the cap are described and graphically illustrated.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 62/494,079, filed Jul. 26, 2016 by the present inventor. 
     
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       SEQUENCE LISTING 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
       [0004]    This invention relates generally to swimming gear, and more concretely to swimming caps aimed at protecting the hairstyle and preventing the hair from getting wet during aquatic sports recreational practice, both in a comfortable and inconspicuous manner. 
       2. Prior Art 
       [0005]    Nowadays, swimming gear manufacturers seem particularly interested in making swimming caps whose materials and design help reduce the friction of the head in the water, thus improving the speed of competitive swimmers, usually their main clients. 
         [0006]    Apparently, those manufacturers seem to forget other cap users, like the recreational swimmers of all ages, who would like to have swimming caps that were roomy, watertight, comfortable, and discreet. 
         [0007]    The absence of caps featuring all those four qualities, coupled with the fact that swimming cap use is mandatory in many aquatic facilities, results in a lot of people giving up on going to such facilities, and thus, on the health benefits of aquatic exercise. 
         [0008]    However, in spite of the apparent lack of interest by the manufacturers, many are the inventors who have long been trying to achieve swimming caps featuring one or more of the aforesaid qualities. 
         [0009]    Representative examples of inventions particularly interested in the roominess of the swimming cap include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,465,998 to Bowditch (1949), U.S. Pat. No. 3,206,761 to Melnikolf (1965), U.S. Pat. No. 20,150,000,002 to Brown (2015), U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,621 to Martienssen (1974), and U.S. Pat. No. 20,140,109,281 to Waller, Johnson, and Neal (2014). 
         [0010]    To achieve capriciousness, the cap in Bowditch&#39;s patent resorts to a lodging cavity for the hair, composed of several wide segments of rigid material that fold in the back of the head on both sides of a zipper that, when closed, constricts them and tightens the back of the cap. The cap also has a strap that, when fastened under the chin, ensures the grip of the cap&#39;s front. 
         [0011]    The cap in Melnikolf&#39;s patent consists of a hemispherical piece with drawstrings, crimped with eyelets, which shrink the volume of the piece until it adjusts to that of the user&#39;s hair. Contoured by a band with a clasp for fastening the cap to the user&#39;s head, the hemispherical piece features a bellow of lateral expansion that facilitates the accommodation of the hair. 
         [0012]    The patent to Brown reveals a cap that resembles a wide shower cap bordered by a silicone adjustment band. Given its wideness, the cap easily adapts to different head sizes and accommodates hairstyles of various length and volume. 
         [0013]    Martienssen&#39;s patent presents a cap composed of a flexible receptacle that wraps the hair loosely, a tightening annular band composed of three segments whose length and shape follow the hairline in the forehead, temples and neck areas, and an oval ring that connects the receptacle to the band. 
         [0014]    The cap shown in Waller, Johnson, and Neal&#39;s patent consists of a cavity made of fabric or other materials, bordered internally by a silicone band. The volume of the cavity widens in the area below the upper nuchal line and the outer protuberance of the occipital bone, to accommodate there the long hair pulled back into a bun; this minimizes the depression of said area and, consequently, improves head&#39;s resistance to hydrodynamic forces. 
         [0015]    Illustrative examples of inventions mainly concerned with the swimming cap&#39;s watertightness include those revealed in U.S. Pat. No. 20,100,192,273 to Dodd (2010), U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,702 to Runckel (1994), U.S. Pat. No. 2,285,659 to Thomas (1942), and ES Pat. No. 1,074,697 U to Cerezo Miró (2012). 
         [0016]    The patent to Dodd discloses a cap including a concave-shaped shell and a resilient margin attached to the shell&#39;s edge. To enhance its tightness, the cap may additionally include two straps that engage the said margin in the area of the ears and fasten in the back of the neck through a securing mechanism like a hook-and-loop fastener. 
         [0017]    The cap in Runckel&#39;s patent comprises a hemispherical cavity that encloses the crown of the wearer&#39;s head, outlined by a margin that encompasses the wearer&#39;s forehead, temples, and back of the neck. The cap further comprises an inner sealing structure consisting of an inflatable air chamber overlaid by a ribbon of foam material. When inflated, the chamber, backed up by the foam ribbon, seals the large and small protrusions of the head, thus avoiding possible seepage. 
         [0018]    Thomas&#39; patent shows a cap featuring a main cavity and a pair of flexible ribs that run parallel to the edge of the cavity&#39;s inner side. The ribs are upheld by a flexible mounting in such a way that when the wearer&#39;s head presses against them, they swing away from each other and toward the cavity&#39;s inner face. In so doing, the ribs force the air out of the space between them, thus impeding potential filtrations. 
         [0019]    The patent to Cerezo Miró discloses a cap composed of an inflatable air chamber with a decompression valve, bordered by an elastic head-fitting ribbon. Covered by a standard swimming cap of textile or other material, the chamber is filled by a vacuum pump coupled to its decompression valve. 
         [0020]    All being valuable, the foregoing models are not without limitations such as the following: 
         [0000]    1) the hair holding receptacles of some of the caps addressing roominess (e.g., patents to Brown and to Martienssen) lack the structure needed to properly maintain the hairstyle shape. Moreover, the voluminousness of those receptacles makes the caps too conspicuous, which may prevent their popularization among many water sports practitioners;
 
2) the structuring of the hair holding receptacle in some other roominess-geared caps, may raise some issues. For instance, the cap in Waller, Johnson, and Neal&#39;s patent, features a protrusion in its cavity&#39;s nuchal area for lodging long hair, which is meant to improve hydrodynamics. Such protrusion however, may compromise the cap&#39;s tightness, since the weight of the hair therein may cause seepages by pressing downwards the cap&#39;s tightening band; and
 
3) certain devices featured by some of the models are somewhat problematic. For instance, the zippers, snap fasteners, drawstrings, or eyelets used by the caps aiming at spaciousness (e.g., patents to Bowditch and to Melnikolf) can deteriorate rapidly upon contact with the chemicals used for water sanitation in aquatic facilities. In the same way, the straps, snap closures, inflatable chambers, or vacuum valves used by the caps seeking leakproofness (e.g., patents to Dodd, to Runckel, and to Cerezo Miró), may be uncomfortable, cumbersome to handle, and easily breakable.
 
         [0021]    Thus, in light of the prior art that illustrate, among others, the aforementioned models, it seems that there is still room for creating a swimming cap that, like the one described next, maintains the hairstyle shape, prevents the hair from getting wet, is comfortable to wear, and attracts the target user because of its inconspicuousness. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    This invention deals with the Hair-Friendly Swimming Cap, a cap that admits, among other possible ones, three embodiments, “A,” “B,” and “C,” and consists of a main body to accommodate the hair with relative roominess, and thus without deforming the hairstyle, and an internal positioning-blocking unit for securing the cap&#39;s fitting and watertightness. 
         [0023]    The main body comprises: 1) an upper portion in the shape of a spherical cap that prevents the top of voluminous hairdos from being flattened or allows long hair to be collected in a compact manner (e.g., bow or ponytail); 2) a middle portion in the form of a spherical zone whose structure gives stability to the cap&#39;s shape and provides adequate space to accommodate the bulk of the hair; and 3) a lower portion consisting of a concave surface of revolution which enables the cap to contact the user&#39;s head below the hairline and to separate from it above that line. 
         [0024]    The positioning-blocking unit includes a clamping annular band attached to the edge of the lower portion of the main body by only one of its edges, which increases the band&#39;s ductility and comfort. The unit further includes a seepage-prevention strip that attached to the outer face of the annular band in the nape area, stops the water that could seep through the rim of the cap in that area. 
         [0025]    In its three embodiments, the cap could include two additional seepage-prevention strips, also attached to the clamping annular band, which would cover the areas on the right and left sides of the skull, from below the hairlines of the temples to the ears. Given the often concave shape of their contour, such areas could become additional water entry points. 
         [0026]    Also in its three embodiments, the cap could be manufactured in various sizes. Quantitative data from a large population sample, about skull and neck dimensions and about hairstyles volumes, would help determine the various parameters of the different cap&#39;s sizes, including, among others, the height and width of the three portions of the cap&#39;s main body, the diameter of the clamping annular band, and the width of the seepage-prevention strip. 
         [0027]    The aforesaid components and traits of this new swimming cap will become obvious from the brief and detailed depictions of the three embodiments of the cap given below. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS: BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
         [0028]    Certain embodiments of the present invention, the Hair-Friendly Swimming Cap, include, but are not limited, to the ones depicted in the Figures below. They comprise embodiment “A,” dealt with by  FIGS. 1 to 4 ; embodiment “B,” addressed by  FIG. 5 ; and embodiment “C,” illustrated by  FIGS. 6 and 7 . 
         Embodiment “A” 
         [0029]      FIG. 1  is a frontal perspective view of the cap. 
           [0030]      FIG. 2  is a frontal perspective inner view of the cap. 
           [0031]      FIG. 3  is a frontal perspective inner view of an enlarged fragment of  FIG. 2  spotlighting the cap&#39;s inside components  16  and  17 . 
           [0032]      FIG. 4  is a lateral perspective inner view of the cap in wearer&#39;s head. 
         Embodiment “B” 
         [0033]      FIG. 5  is a frontal perspective view of the cap. 
         Embodiment “C” 
         [0034]      FIG. 6  is a frontal perspective inner view of the cap. 
           [0035]      FIG. 7  is a frontal perspective inner view of an amplified fragment of  FIG. 6  highlighting the cap&#39;s inside components  17 ,  21 , and  22 . 
       
    
    
     DRAWINGS: REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0036]    List of the numerals of parts referenced in the drawings:
     11  upper portion of the swimming cap in the form of a spherical cap     12  middle portion of the swimming cap shaped like a spherical zone     13  one of the twelve pieces of material that make up the middle portion of the cap     14  lower portion of the swimming cap in the form of a concave surface of revolution     15  shirring that covers a fringe of lower portion  14       16  clamping annular band that secures the positioning of the cap on the user&#39;s head     17  seepage-prevention strip attached to  16       18  in embodiment “B,” lower portion of main body of the cap     19  in embodiment “B,” one of the twelve pieces that make up lower portion  18       20  in embodiment “C,” the main body of the cap molded in one piece     21  in embodiment “C,” clamping annular band consisting of an extension of  20  bending inward from the edge of the cap&#39;s opening     22  in embodiment “C,” belt loop that keeps the seepage-prevention strip  17  tied to  21     
 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiment “A”—FIGS.  1  to  4   
       [0049]      FIG. 1  is a frontal perspective view of the constituent portions  11 ,  12 , and  14 , of the main body of the Hair-Friendly Swimming Cap according to embodiment “A.” 
         [0050]    The upper portion  11  is a spherical cap whose shape can be achieved, among other ways, by applying darts to a circular piece of the material chosen for the cap&#39;s manufacture, or by joining by two of their sides, and making coincide in a common vertex, several triangular pieces of the selected material. 
         [0051]    The middle portion  12  is a spherical zone composed of twelve pieces  13 . Six of the pieces alternate with the other six put upside down, so as to give  12  the curvature needed to minimize its contact with the hair of the cap&#39;s wearer. 
         [0052]    The lower portion  14  is a concave surface of revolution featuring shirring  15 , stitched with elastic thread or similar. Covering part of the portion, the shirring configures the profile of the portion and the cap&#39;s opening. 
         [0053]      FIG. 2  provides a frontal perspective inner view of embodiment “A” of the cap showing the reverse of portions  11 ,  12  and  14 , and the components of the positioning-blocking unit. The unit includes the clamping annular band  16 , which secures the cap to the user&#39;s head, and the seepage-prevention strip  17 , which keeps water from entering the cap through its edge, in the nape area. 
         [0054]    The annular band  16  is made of rubber, latex, silicone, or analogous elastic materials, while the strip  17 , which features pleats stitched with elastic thread, is made of very thin but highly absorbent microfiber, or similar material. 
         [0055]      FIG. 3  is a frontal perspective inner view of an enlarged fragment of the cap&#39;s lower portion  14 , which spotlights the components  16  and  17  of the positioning-blocking unit. It shows the clamping annular band  16 , with its lower edge stitched to the edge of the cap, and the seepage-prevention strip  17 , with one of its sides sewn to the internal central portion of  16  and the other overhanging the upper edge thereof. 
         [0056]    Since annular band  16  is sewn to  14  only by its lower edge, it exerts less pressure on the head of the cap&#39;s wearer, thus making the cap more comfortable. Furthermore, the fact that  16  is detached by its upper edge, facilitates the role of  17 . 
         [0057]    Indeed, the looseness of the upper edge of  16  increases the ability of  17 , particularly of its protruding edge, to fill all nooks and crannies behind the ears and above and below the hairlines of the nape, thereby becoming an effective absorbent barrier against potential water seepage into an area whose shape and size varies greatly from one person to another. 
         [0058]      FIG. 4  is a lateral perspective inner view of the cap, according to embodiment “A,” placed on the wearer&#39;s head. It shows upper portion  11  enfolding the top of the skull, middle portion  12  encompassing the frontal, parietal, temporal y occipital bones, and lower portion  14  stretched and contouring the left hand side of the face and neck of the wearer. 
         [0059]    Said  FIG. 4  shows the clamping annular band  16 , which runs below the hairline in the frontal, sphenoid, and temporal bones, as well as below the earlobe and the nape, and the seepage-prevention strip  17 , which extends from the hairline behind the ear to the bottom hairline of the neck. 
         [0060]      FIG. 4  also reveals the hollow space between the inner side of the cap and the head of the cap&#39;s wearer. A space whose configuration owes to the three portions of the cap&#39;s main body, and that begins above the hairline at  14 , gradually grows to  12 , and reaches its maximum at  11 , thus minimizing the compression of the hair and, hence, the flattening of the hairstyle. 
         [0061]    The manufacture of the cap according to Embodiment “A” uses lightweight and waterproof materials like, among others, PEVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate), and silicone-coated woven nylon fabrics (e.g., silnylon). The assembling of the cap&#39;s parts resorts to appropriate techniques like sewing and gluing. 
       Embodiment “B”—FIG.  5   
       [0062]      FIG. 5  is a frontal perspective view of embodiment “B” of the Hair-Friendly Swimming Cap, which differs from embodiment “A” in the format of its lower portion. While embodiment “A” resorts to shirring  15  to give its lower portion  14  its concave shape, embodiment “B” achieves the concave form of its lower portion  18  through the twelve pieces  19  that complement in reverse direction the twelve pieces  13  of the cap&#39;s middle portion  12 . 
         [0063]    The format of the embodiment&#39;s lower portion  18  allows the use of alternative materials for the manufacture of the cap&#39;s main body. Whereas embodiment “A” uses waterproof but inelastic materials, embodiment “B” resorts to highly stretchable and waterproof fabrics (like “prosoft stretch lycra waterproof,” waterproof spandex, or similar ones), assembled by sewing, gluing, or other suitable means. 
         [0064]    Differences in the type of materials used in embodiments “A” and “B” further determines differences in the type of stretching that lower portions  14  and  18  respectively experience when the cap is placed on the user&#39;s head. 
         [0065]    Indeed, while in embodiment “A,” the stretching owing to shirring  15  affects the entire lower portion  14 , in embodiment “B,” the bulk of the stretching of lower portion  18  falls on the six pieces  19  whose assembled bases form the edge of the cap&#39;s opening. 
         [0066]    The other six pieces  19  experience little stretching because, given their inverted position with respect to their counterparts, they affect the opening of the cap by only one of their vertexes. Those pieces however, being connected to the six pieces  13  of the middle portion  12 , ensure that the space between the skull and the inner face thereof is evenly distributed, and that it increases from the lower to the middle portions of the cap. 
         [0067]    Although not shown in  FIG. 5 , the inside of the cap in embodiment “B” includes the same two components, the clamping annular band  16  and the seepage-prevention strip  17 , found in embodiment “A,” and depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
       Embodiment “C”—FIGS.  6  and  7   
       [0068]      FIG. 6  provides a frontal perspective inner view of the Hair-Friendly Swimming Cap, according to embodiment “C,” which consists of a seamless piece  20 , made of custom molded rubber/polymers compounds like, among others, silicones (e.g., methyl vinyl silicone). 
         [0069]    Such piece  20  integrates portions  11  and  12  of embodiments “A” and “B” ( FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 ) and portion  18  of embodiment “B” ( FIG. 5 ). Optionally, and for aesthetic reasons, the outer surface of piece  20  could feature the ribbings of the joints of the cap&#39;s main body portions, as well as the ribbings of the joints of the  13  and  19  pieces constitutive of two of those portions. 
         [0070]    Inwardly the cap features the clamping annular band  21 . Unlike band  16  of embodiments “A” and “B,” which consists of a separate item sewn or glued to  14 , band  21  is but a prolongation of  20  bending inwards from the rim of the cap&#39;s opening. Like band  16 , however, band  21  has its innermost edge loose. 
         [0071]    Also inwardly, the cap features the seepage-prevention strip  17  which, instead of being sewn or glued to  16  as in embodiments “A” and “B,” is kept in place over  21  by several belt loops  22 , made of the same molded rubber/polymers of  20  and 
         [0072]      FIG. 7  is a frontal perspective inner view of an amplified portion of  FIG. 6 . It shows three of the belt loops  22  with their two ends respectively connected to the free upper edge and the center of the position-securing annular band  21 , and holding the seepage-prevention strip  17  on top of such band. 
         [0073]    The inclusion of loops  22  in embodiment “C” of the cap allows the easy removal of the seepage-prevention strip  17  for washing and drying. This possibility of removal might help prevent the premature deterioration that the strip could suffer by being surrounded by materials of little breathability, like the rubber, polymers, or similar, of which the cap is made. 
       CONCLUSION 
       [0074]    The descriptions above dealt with three embodiments, among other possible ones, of the Hair-Friendly Swimming Cap, a cap for the practice of recreational swimming and other aquatic sports, by those valuing roominess, leaktightness, comfort, and sobriety. The cap achieves these values through some elements that differentiate it from its forerunners, namely: 
         [0000]    1) an unobtrusive tripartite cavity for lodging the hair, whose lower concave portion being juxtaposed, at the level of the ears, to its convex middle and upper portions, creates a non-constrictive and stable internal space,
 
2) an internal annular securing band, attached by one of its edges to the rim of the cap and loose by the other one, which fits, without clenching, the head of the cap&#39;s wearer below the hairline, and
 
3) an absorbent strip that, cantilevered over the annular band in the neck and, optionally, in the temples, fills the irregularities that the protrusions and recesses of the head create in those areas, to stop and soak up the leaks that those might cause.
 
         [0075]    Non limitative, these elements, common to the three embodiments described, illustrate the novelty of a swimming cap whose value will be weighed in particular by the annexed claims.