U.S. patent application number 11/079387 was filed with the patent office on 2005-07-21 for elastic headwear.
This patent application is currently assigned to Yupoong, Inc.. Invention is credited to Cho, Byoung-Woo.
Application Number | 20050155135 11/079387 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34752234 |
Filed Date | 2005-07-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050155135 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cho, Byoung-Woo |
July 21, 2005 |
Elastic headwear
Abstract
Elastic headwear has a head covering portion being stretchable
in at least a circumferential direction thereof, and a sun shield
connected to the head covering portion. The sun shield is
stretchable in at least the circumferential direction of the head
covering portion. The elastic headwear is capable of stretching
throughout its whole portion since the sun shield as well as the
head covering portion can stretch in the circumferential
direction.
Inventors: |
Cho, Byoung-Woo;
(Yongin-city, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STAAS & HALSEY LLP
SUITE 700
1201 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20005
US
|
Assignee: |
Yupoong, Inc.
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
34752234 |
Appl. No.: |
11/079387 |
Filed: |
March 15, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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11079387 |
Mar 15, 2005 |
|
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10936489 |
Sep 9, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
2/172 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 1/22 20130101; A42B
1/0189 20210101; A42C 5/02 20130101; A42B 1/0182 20210101 |
Class at
Publication: |
002/172 |
International
Class: |
A42B 001/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 17, 2003 |
KR |
10-2003-0072488 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Elastic headwear comprising: a head covering portion being
stretchable in at least a circumferential direction thereof; a sun
shield connected to the head covering portion, being stretchable in
at least the circumferential direction of the head covering
portion.
2. The elastic headwear as recited in claim 1, wherein the sun
shield comprises: an elastic cover being stretchable in at least
the circumferential direction of the head covering portion; and at
least one interlining formed in the elastic cover, the interlining
being stretchable in at least the circumferential direction of the
head covering portion and having a shape retaining property.
3. The elastic headwear as recited in claim 2, wherein the
interlining comprises: at least one non-woven fabric layer of
polyester; and at least one polyurethane layer.
4. The elastic headwear as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
stretchable sewing threads being stitched to connect the head
covering portion with the sun shield.
5. The elastic headwear as recited in claim 2, further comprising:
stretchable sewing threads being stitched to connect the cover with
the interlining.
6. The elastic headwear as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
a stretchable back lining being stitched or adhered to an inside of
the head covering portion and retaining a shape of the head
covering portion.
7. The elastic headwear as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
a stretchable sweatband connected to an interior circumference of
the head covering portion.
8. The elastic headwear as recited in claim 7, wherein the
stretchable sweatband comprises a plurality of line cutting
sections, each line cutting section being formed perpendicular to
the circumferential direction.
9. The elastic headwear as recited in claim 7, further comprising:
stretchable sewing threads being stitched to connect the head
covering portion and the sun shield with the sweatband.
10. A method of forming elastic headwear, comprising: forming a
head covering portion to be worn on a head of a wearer, the head
covering portion being stretchable in at least a circumferential
direction thereof; and forming a sun shield connected to the head
covering portion, being stretchable in at least the circumferential
direction of the head covering portion.
11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising: forming
a stretchable back lining, which is stitched or adhered to an
inside of the head covering portion, for retaining a shape of the
head covering portion.
12. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising: forming
a stretchable sweatband connected to an interior circumference of
the head covering portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] (a) Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to elastic headwear, and more
particularly, to elastic headwear that can accommodate a wider
range of head sizes.
[0003] (b) Description of the Related Art
[0004] Conventional elastic headwear, such as a cap and a hat,
includes an elastic crown portion and a stiffened sun shield that
is coupled to the elastic crown portion. The elastic crown portion
of the headwear is composed of a plurality of pieces that can
stretch in a circumferential direction to accommodate a variety of
head sizes. However, because the stiffened sun shield is not
stretchable, the amount that the elastic crown portion can stretch
is limited. That is, since the stiffened sun shield encompasses a
part of the circumference of the crown portion of a hat, the crown
portion cannot be freely stretched. In a baseball cap, front pieces
of the crown portion, to which the stiffened sun shield is coupled,
are stiffened in order to retain the shape of the headwear, and
therefore only the remaining pieces of the crown portion can
stretch according to the head size.
[0005] Therefore, the conventional elastic headwear fits a somewhat
limited range of sizes due to the sun shield, so it cannot cover
head sizes from children to adults.
[0006] Further, the stiffened sun shield may reduce the wear
comfort because its edge is likely to press against the head of a
wearer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In view of the prior art described above, it is an object of
the present invention to provide elastic headwear having an elastic
head covering portion being capable of stretching throughout its
whole portion to accommodate a wider range of sizes.
[0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide
elastic headwear having a comfortable fit regardless of head
size.
[0009] To achieve these and other objects, as embodied and broadly
described herein, elastic headwear includes: a head covering
portion being stretchable in at least a circumferential direction
thereof; and a sun shield connected to the head covering portion.
The sun shield is stretchable in at least the circumferential
direction of the head covering portion.
[0010] The sun shield preferably has an elastic cover and at least
one stretchable interlining having a shape retaining property. The
interlining preferably has at least one non-woven fabric layer of
polyester and at least one polyurethane layer.
[0011] The elastic headwear preferably has a stretchable back
lining, stitched or adhered to an inside of the head covering
portion, for retaining a shape of the head covering portion.
[0012] The elastic headwear preferably has a stretchable sweatband
connected to an interior circumference of the head covering
portion. The stretchable sweatband comprises a plurality of line
cutting sections. Each line cutting section is formed perpendicular
to the circumferential direction.
[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a
method of forming elastic headwear includes:
[0014] forming a head covering portion to be worn on a head of a
wearer, the head covering portion being stretchable in at least a
circumferential direction thereof; and
[0015] forming a sun shield connected to the head covering portion,
being stretchable in at least the circumferential direction of the
head covering portion.
[0016] Both the foregoing general description and the following
Detailed Description are exemplary and are intended to provide
further explanation of the invention as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of
the invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain
the principles of the invention:
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of elastic headwear
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the elastic headwear of
FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view along A-A line of FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates an interlining which is applicable to the
headwear of FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of elastic headwear
according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom view of the elastic headwear of
FIG. 5;
[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates a stretchable sweatband which is
applicable to the headwear of FIG. 5; and
[0025] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of elastic headwear
according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will
hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings, where like numerals of reference designate
like elements throughout.
[0027] Referring first to FIGS. 1-2, a hat according to a first
embodiment of the present invention will be described. The hat has
a crown portion 10 and a sun shield 30. The crown portion 10 serves
to cover the wearer's head, and the sun shield 30 is coupled to the
crown portion 10 around its entire lower hem. The hat preferably
has a stretchable sweatband 60 connected to an interior
circumference of the crown portion, as shown in FIG. 2.
[0028] The crown portion 10 has stretchability in at least a
circumferential direction thereof, and can be made of elastic
fabric or any kind of elastic material.
[0029] The sun shield 30 is also stretchable in at least the
circumferential direction of the crown portion, which is an arrow
direction of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the sun shield 30 has a
cover 40 formed of stretch fabric or stretch synthetic resin and
one or more interlinings 80 therein. Although two interlinings 80
are shown in FIG. 3, the number of interlinings is variable from
one or more according to a specific design.
[0030] The material of the interlining 80 is elastic fabric or any
kind of elastic material which can retain the shape of the sun
shield 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the interlining 80 has a non-woven
fabric layer 80a of polyester, a polyurethane layer 80b formed on
the layer 80a, and another non-woven fabric layer 80c of polyester
formed on the layer 80b. Each of the non-woven fabric layers 80a,
80c have a predetermined thickness and stretch to some extent due
to the fabric characteristics. The non-woven fabric layers 80a and
80c may retain the shape of the sun shield 30.
[0031] The polyurethane layer 80b has high elasticity to give the
stretchability to the sun shield 30.
[0032] Therefore, the sun shield has an interlining 80 to retain
the shape thereof as well as to be stretchable.
[0033] Although the interlining 80 as shown in FIG. 4 has three
layers, the interlining according to the present invention is not
limited to this construction, but can be made of any kind of
elastic material which has a shape-retaining property.
[0034] FIG. 3 shows that sewing threads 50 are stitched to connect
the crown portion 10 with the sun shield 30, sewing threads 70 are
stitched to connect the crown portion 10 and the sun shield 30 with
the sweatband 60, and sewing threads 90 are stitched to connect the
cover 40 with the interlining 80.
[0035] The sewing threads 50, 70, and 90 are preferably selected
from elastic yarns such as polyurethane covered yarns, polyurethane
yarns, textured yarns, and high-twist yarns.
[0036] The sewing threads 50 have an upper thread 50a having a
relatively high stretchablility and a bobbin thread 50b having a
high stretchability. The upper thread 50a is preferably made of
nylon series yarns, such as nylon 210D. The bobbin thread 50b is
preferably made of polyurethane yarns.
[0037] The sewing threads 90 have an upper thread 90a having a high
stretchablility and a bobbin thread 90b having a high
stretchability. The upper thread 90a is preferably made of
polyester 50's/3 yarns, and the bobbin thread 90b is preferably
made of polyurethane covered yarns with a high stretchability.
[0038] When a wearer wears the hat as shown in FIGS. 1-2, the cap
stretches in the circumferential direction. Specifically, the crown
portion 10 stretches in the circumferential direction, so the sun
shield 30 also stretches in the circumferential direction. Further,
the sewing threads 50, 70 and 90 are stretchable to enhance the
stretchability of the hat. Since the crown portion 10 may stretch
throughout its whole portion, resulting in a wider stretch range,
it can accommodate a variety of head sizes from children to adults.
Although the sun shield 30 is not formed of a stiffened material,
it is capable of retaining its shape.
[0039] Referring to FIGS. 5-6, a cap according to a second
embodiment of the present invention has a crown portion 1 and a sun
shield 3. The crown portion 1 serves to cover the wearer's head,
and the sun shield 3, which is coupled to a front part of the crown
portion 1, serves to shade the wearer's face and eyes when the cap
is worn. The crown portion 1 is composed of a plurality of elastic
pieces 1a-1f which have stretchability in at least a
circumferential direction of the crown portion 1. Each elastic
piece is not limited to fabric, but can be made of any kind of
elastic material.
[0040] Stretchable back linings 5 and 7 are stitched or adhered to
the inside of the front pieces 1a and 1b of the crown portion 1 in
order to retain the shape of the crown portion 1. The stretchable
back linings 5 and 7 have stretchability in at least a
circumferential direction of the crown portion 1. The material of
the back linings 5 and 7 may be selected from stretch fabric or
stretch synthetic resin.
[0041] The sun shield 3 is also stretchable in at least the
circumferential direction of the crown portion, which is an arrow
direction of FIG. 5. The material of the sun shield 3 may be
selected from stretch fabric or stretch synthetic resin. The sun
shield 3 preferably has a construction of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4. That
is, the sun shield 3 has a cover formed of stretch fabric or
stretch synthetic resin and one or more interlinings therein. The
material of the interlining is elastic fabric or any kind of
elastic material which can retain the shape of the sun shield. The
interlining may have a non-woven fabric layer of polyester and a
polyurethane layer.
[0042] The cap preferably has a stretchable sweatband 9 connected
to an interior circumference of the crown portion, as shown in FIG.
6. As shown in FIG. 7, the sweatband 9 has a plurality of line
cutting sections 9a along the lengthwise direction in order to
stretch in a wider range. Each line cutting section 9a is
preferably formed perpendicular to the lengthwise direction.
[0043] When a wearer wears the cap as shown in FIGS. 5-6, the cap
stretches in the circumferential direction. Specifically, all
pieces 1a-1f of the crown portion 1 stretch in the circumferential
direction, so the sun shield 3 which is connected to the front
pieces 1a-1b also stretches in the circumferential direction. The
stretchable back lining 7 as well as the sweatband 9 of the crown
portion 1 also stretch in the circumferential direction. Therefore,
the crown portion 1 may stretch throughout its whole portion,
resulting in a wider stretch range to accommodate a variety of head
sizes from children to adults.
[0044] Referring now to FIG. 8, a visor cap according to a third
embodiment of the present invention will be described. The visor
cap has a rim portion 11 for encircling the head, and a sun shield
31 coupled with a front side of the rim portion 11.
[0045] The rim portion 11 can be provided as either a single piece
or as several pieces, which are stretchable in at least the
circumferential direction.
[0046] The sun shield 31 is also stretchable in at least the
circumferential direction of the crown portion, which is an arrow
direction of FIG. 8. The material of the sun shield 31 may have the
construction of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4.
[0047] It is possible to apply a stretchable back lining that is
stitched or adhered to the inside of the rim portion 11 in order to
retain the shape of the rim portion 11. A stretchable sweatband is
also applicable to the interior circumference of the rim portion
11, although is not shown in the drawing. It is possible to use the
stretchable sweatband shown in FIG. 7.
[0048] Similar to the cap as shown in FIG. 5, the visor cap may
stretch throughout its whole portion, resulting in a wider stretch
range accommodating a variety of head sizes from children to
adults, when a wearer uses it.
[0049] Although it is not shown in the drawings, it is possible to
apply a stretchable back lining that is stitched or adhered to the
inside of the crown portion of a hat in order to retain the shape
of the crown portion 10. A stretchable sweatband of FIG. 7 is also
applicable to the interior circumference of the crown portion of a
hat.
[0050] The present invention is not limited to the caps and hat
described above, which merely show examples of a kind of
application, and it may be applied to various other kinds of
headwear.
[0051] As described above, according to elastic headwear of a
preferred embodiment of the present invention, elastic headwear is
capable of stretching throughout its whole portion since the sun
shield as well as the head covering portion can stretch in the
circumferential direction. The headwear has a wider stretch range
accommodating a variety of head sizes from children to adults.
[0052] While this invention has been described in connection with
what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not
limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is
intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements
included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *