U.S. patent application number 11/622381 was filed with the patent office on 2008-01-31 for headwear with interwoven gripping fibers.
This patent application is currently assigned to GOODY PRODUCTS, INC.. Invention is credited to Stan Chudzik, Michael Defenbaugh, Sarah Kraft, Catherine Schweers.
Application Number | 20080022438 11/622381 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38984619 |
Filed Date | 2008-01-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080022438 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Schweers; Catherine ; et
al. |
January 31, 2008 |
Headwear with Interwoven Gripping Fibers
Abstract
The present disclosure is generally directed to headwear and,
more particularly, to headwear, including hats, visors, head wraps,
head ties, bandanas and the like, that include interwoven gripping
fibers, such as rubber threads or other materials having increased
gripping or frictional forces beyond that of the materials from
which the headwear are typically fabricated, integrated into the
headwear and positioned to engage the skin and/or hair of the
wearer to improve the retention of the headwear when worn during
physical activities.
Inventors: |
Schweers; Catherine;
(Atlanta, GA) ; Kraft; Sarah; (Atlanta, GA)
; Defenbaugh; Michael; (Marietta, GA) ; Chudzik;
Stan; (Alpharetta, GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN LLP
233 S. WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 6300, SEARS TOWER
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
GOODY PRODUCTS, INC.
Freeport
IL
|
Family ID: |
38984619 |
Appl. No.: |
11/622381 |
Filed: |
January 11, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60820845 |
Jul 31, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/181 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 1/0189 20210101;
A42C 5/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/181 |
International
Class: |
A42C 5/00 20060101
A42C005/00 |
Claims
1. An article of headwear comprising: a body having an inner
surface and sized to be disposed on the head of a wearer of the
article of headwear; a headband disposed on the inner surface of
the body and positioned to engage the head of the wearer of the
article of headwear; and a friction thread attached to the headband
such that at least a portion of the friction thread is exposed
beyond a surface of the headband and engages the head of the wearer
of the article of headwear, where the friction thread has a
coefficient of friction greater than a coefficient of friction of
the material of the headband.
2. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
article of headwear is a visor and the body comprises an upwardly
extending crown encircling the head of the wearer of the visor, and
a bill extending outwardly from a bottom edge at the front of the
crown, and wherein the headband is disposed on an inner surface of
the crown.
3. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
friction thread is stitched into the fabric of the headband.
4. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 1, comprising a
strip of fabric having an outer surface and an inner surface,
wherein the friction thread is stitched into the strip of fabric
with at least a portion of the friction thread exposed beyond the
outer surface of the strip of fabric, wherein the strip of fabric
is attached to the headband with the inner surface facing the
surface of the headband, and wherein the friction thread has a
coefficient of friction greater than a coefficient of friction of
the strip of fabric.
5. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
friction thread is a rubber thread.
6. An article of headwear comprising: a piece of fabric dimensioned
to encircle the head of a person wearing the article; and a
friction thread attached the piece of fabric such that at least a
portion of the friction thread is exposed beyond a surface of the
piece of fabric and engages the head of the wearer of the article
of headwear, where the friction thread has a coefficient of
friction greater than a coefficient of friction of the material of
the piece of fabric.
7. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 6, wherein the
friction thread is stitched into the piece of fabric of the article
of headwear.
8. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 6, comprising a
strip of fabric having an outer surface and an inner surface,
wherein the friction thread is stitched into the strip of fabric
with at least a portion of the friction thread exposed beyond the
outer surface of the strip of fabric, wherein the strip of fabric
is attached to the piece of fabric with the inner surface facing
the surface of the piece of fabric, and wherein the friction thread
has a coefficient of friction greater than a coefficient of
friction of the strip of fabric.
9. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 6, wherein the
article of headwear is a bandana and the piece of fabric is
triangular, and wherein the friction thread is attached to the
piece of fabric along one of the edges of the triangle.
10. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 6, wherein the
article of headwear is a head tie and the piece of fabric is an
elongated strip of fabric, and wherein the friction thread is
attached symmetrically about the front of the inner surface of the
strip of fabric.
11. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 6, wherein the
friction thread is a rubber thread.
12. An article of headwear comprising: an elongated piece of fabric
dimensioned to encircle the head of a person wearing the article
and having oppositely disposed ends that are connected to form a
continuous loop of fabric having a front edge and a rear edge; and
a front gripping member attached to the elongated piece of fabric
along the front edge of the continuous loop of fabric, and wherein
at least a portion of the front gripping member has a coefficient
of friction greater than a coefficient of friction of the material
of the elongated piece of fabric.
13. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 12, comprising
a rear gripping member attached to the elongated piece of fabric
along the rear edge of the continuous loop of fabric, and wherein
at least a portion of the rear gripping member has a coefficient of
friction greater than a coefficient of friction of the material of
the elongated piece of fabric.
14. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 12, wherein the
first gripping member comprises: an elongated elastic core forming
a continuous loop; a sheath surrounding the elongated elastic core,
the sheath having an outer surface; and a friction threaded
disposed in the sheath, wherein at least a portion of the friction
thread extends beyond the outer surface of the sheath, and wherein
the friction thread has a coefficient of friction greater than a
coefficient of friction of the material of the elongated piece of
fabric.
15. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 14, wherein the
friction thread is wrapped around the elastic core in a helical
manner.
16. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 14, wherein the
friction thread is woven into the sheath.
17. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 12, wherein the
first gripping member comprises: an elongated elastic core forming
a continuous loop; a portion of the elongated piece of fabric
proximate the front edge of the continuous loop of fabric, wherein
the portion of the elongated piece of fabric is wrapped around the
elongated elastic core, and wherein the surface of the portion of
the elongated piece of fabric disposed on the opposite side from
the elongated elastic core is an outer surface of the first
gripping member; and a friction threaded disposed in the portion of
the elongated piece of fabric, wherein at least a portion of the
friction thread extends beyond the outer surface of the portion of
the elongated piece of fabric, and wherein the friction thread has
a coefficient of friction greater than a coefficient of friction of
the material of the elongated piece of fabric.
18. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 17, wherein the
friction thread is wrapped around the elastic core in a helical
manner.
19. An article of headwear in accordance with claim 17, wherein the
friction thread is woven into the portion of the elongated piece of
fabric.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/820,845, filed on Jul. 31, 2006, which is
expressly incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The present disclosure is generally directed to headwear
and, more particularly, to headwear, including hats, visors, head
wraps, head ties, bandanas and the like, that include interwoven
gripping fibers, such as rubber threads or other materials having
increased gripping or frictional forces beyond that of the
materials from which the headwear are typically fabricated,
integrated into the headwear and positioned to engage the skin
and/or hair of the wearer to improve the retention of the headwear
when worn during physical activities.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0003] Hats, including baseball caps, bucket hats, visors and beach
hats, tend to slip and fall off the wearers' heads during physical
activities such as jogging, exercising, participating in other
sporting activities and the like. Similarly, other types of
headwear and head coverings, such as head wraps, head bands,
bandanas, head ties and the like, also can slip and fall off during
these activities. This can lead to frustration by the wearers at
having to repeatedly replace or readjust the headwear, use smaller
headwear or tighten the headwear to a point where the headwear may
cause discomfort, or completely discard the headwear, in order to
continue participation in these activities.
[0004] Various mechanisms attempting to improve the fit of articles
of headwear have been previously described. For example, U.S. Pat.
No. 6,895,601 to Park discloses headwear having a crown portion and
a headband attached to and extending around the lower inside edge
of the crown portion. The headband is disclosed as being preferably
made of stretchable material and includes a layer of spongy
material. The sewing thread used on the headband includes rubber
thread and nylon stretch thread sewn together in a chain-like
pattern to provide expandability and thereby increase the number of
different wearer head sizes that may be accommodated by the
headband. With this construction, a wide range of automatic size
adjustment is obtained without imposing undue elastic pressure on
the wearer. While the headbands expand to fit the head of the
wearer, Park discloses in a preferred embodiment that the outer
thread that comes into contact with the wearer's skin and/or hair
is a nylon stretch thread, and that the inner thread is a rubber
thread. Park further teaches that the best results are obtained
with the nylon stretch outer thread and the rubber inner thread in
accordance with the preferred embodiment.
[0005] Various mechanisms attempting to prevent perspiration from
wearers' foreheads from dropping into the wearers' eyes during
physical exertion have also been previously described. For example,
U.S. Pat. No. 6,567,991 to Holslag et al. discloses a perspiration
control device that includes a headband having opposite outer and
inner sides and opposite front and back portions. The perspiration
control device also includes at least one elongated seal strip
applied on the inner side of the front portion of the headband and
having opposite ends such that the seal strip will cross a forehead
of a user when the headband is worn by the user. The seal strip
will function to direct perspiration toward the opposite ends of
the strip and thus toward opposite sides of the forehead and beyond
the eyes of the user. When properly worn, a water tight seal is
formed between the wearer's forehead and the headband, and any
perspiration or sweat that forms on the forehead of the wearer is
directed to move left and/or right past the opposite ends of the
seal strip and beyond or away from the eyes toward the temples.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In one aspect, the invention is directed to an article of
headwear including a body having an inner surface and sized to be
disposed on the head of a wearer of the article of headwear, a
headband disposed on the inner surface of the body and positioned
to engage the head of the wearer of the article of headwear, and a
friction thread attached to the headband such that at least a
portion of the friction thread is exposed beyond a surface of the
headband and engages the head of the wearer of the article of
headwear, with the friction thread having a coefficient of friction
greater than a coefficient of friction of the material of the
headband.
[0007] In another aspect, the invention is directed to an article
of headwear including a piece of fabric dimensioned to encircle the
head of a person wearing the article, and a friction thread
attached the piece of fabric such that at least a portion of the
friction thread is exposed beyond a surface of the piece of fabric
and engages the head of the wearer of the article of headwear, with
the friction thread having a coefficient of friction greater than a
coefficient of friction of the material of the piece of fabric.
[0008] In a further aspect, the invention is directed to an article
of headwear including an elongated piece of fabric dimensioned to
encircle the head of a person wearing the article and having
oppositely disposed ends that are connected to form a continuous
loop of fabric having a front edge and a rear edge. The article of
headwear further includes a front gripping member attached to the
elongated piece of fabric along the front edge of the continuous
loop of fabric, with at least a portion of the front gripping
member having a coefficient of friction greater than a coefficient
of friction of the material of the elongated piece of fabric.
[0009] Additional aspects of the invention are defined by the
claims of this patent.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Objects, features, and advantages of the present device will
become apparent upon reading the following description in
conjunction with the drawing figures, in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a head wrap having
integrated gripping members in accordance with the present
disclosure on both edges of the fabric loop;
[0012] FIG. 2 is an enlarge view of a portion of an embodiment of a
gripping member that may be implemented in the head wrap of FIG.
1;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the head wrap of FIG. 1
disposed on the head of a wearer;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a head wrap having an
integrated gripping member in accordance with the present
disclosure on the front edge of the fabric loop;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the head wrap of FIG. 4
disposed on the head of a wearer;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view from the top and front of a
visor having an integrated gripping member in accordance with the
present disclosure on the head band of the visor;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a perspective view from the top and right of the
visor of FIG. 6;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view from the top and front of a
bucket hat that may have an integrated gripping member in
accordance with the present disclosure on the head band of the
bucket hat;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a perspective view from the top and front of
bucket hat of FIG. 8 turned inside-out and having friction threads
woven into the head band in accordance with the present
disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a bandana having an
integrated gripping member in accordance with the present
disclosure; and
[0021] FIG. 11 is a bottom perspective view of a head tie having an
integrated gripping member in accordance with the present
disclosure.
[0022] While the method and device described herein are susceptible
to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain
illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings
and will be described below in detail. It should be understood,
however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the
specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to
cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents
falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0023] Although the following text sets forth a detailed
description of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it
should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is
defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this
patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary
only and does not describe every possible embodiment of the
invention since describing every possible embodiment would be
impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments
could be implemented, using either current technology or technology
developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still
fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.
[0024] It should also be understood that, unless a term is
expressly defined in this patent using the sentence "As used
herein, the term `______` is hereby defined to mean . . . " or a
similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that
term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or
ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be
limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this
patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that
any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is
referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single
meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse
the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term by limited,
by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally,
unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word "means" and
a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended
that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the
application of 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, sixth paragraph.
[0025] In order to address consumer frustration with headwear
falling off of the head, a gripping member or feature can be added
to various existing styles of headwear to more firmly secure the
headwear on the wearers' heads during physical activities. The
gripping member can be achieved on fabric headwear by weaving a
strand of rubber or other gripping fiber into the fiber of the
portion of the headwear that grips the head. The gripping member
can be applied during an initial manufacturing step such that the
gripping fibers are woven into the portion of the headwear gripping
the head, such as the headband or portion of the fabric of the
headwear touching the skin and/or hair, or may be added in as an
additional component of the headwear during a separate
manufacturing operation.
[0026] The following are some examples of the application of
gripping members to existing headwear to prevent the headwear from
sliding off of the wearers' heads. However, the embodiments shown
herein are exemplary. Those skilled in the art will understand that
gripping members incorporating gripping fibers may be applied to
other headwear items, either integrally during the primary
manufacturing process or separately during an additional
manufacturing operation, to more firmly retain the headwear items
on the wearers' beads, and such additional implementations are
contemplated by the inventors. In addition, reflectivity,
breathability, dry wicking, water proofing and the like may be
applied to the headwear and/or gripping member to create added
benefits for the wearers during physical activities.
[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a head wrap 10
incorporating gripping members 12, 14 to improve the retention of
the head wrap 10 when worn during physical activities. The head
wrap 10 may be formed as a single loop from a piece of fabric 16,
and with the gripping members 12, 14 being attached to the front
and rear edges 18, 20, respectively, of the fabric loop 16 of the
head wrap 10. The gripping members 12, 14 may be fabricated from
elastic materials such that the gripping members 12, 14 may stretch
to conform to the wearer's head. In one embodiment, the gripping
member 12, 14 may be an elastic band such as that disclosed in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/272,996, filed on Nov. 14, 2005 and
entitled "Elastic Band," the entire disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference. Referring to FIG. 2, gripping
members 12, 14 in the form of elastic band 12, 14 as taught in the
referenced application may include an elastic core 22 surrounded by
and substantially enclosed by a sheath 24. The sheath 24 further
includes a friction member 26 in the form of, for example, a rubber
thread that may be part of the sheath 24 or is simply threaded
therethrough.
[0028] After the head wrap 10 is fabricated, the gripping members
12, 14 may be sewn onto the front and rear edges 18, 20,
respectively, of the head wrap 10, and may be sized to conform to
the sizes of the head wrap 10 and the heads 30 of the wearers to
which the head wrap 10 will be sold (See FIG. 3). The rubber or
other frictional threads 26 forming the gripping component of the
gripping members 12, 14 may be wrapped in a helical pattern around
the elastic band as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or may be implemented
with any other desired pattern that conforms to the style of the
head wrap 10 and provides the desired amount of additional grip
strength when worn. Still further, the gripping members 12, 14 may
be formed as a more integral component of the head wrap 10 by using
the fabric 16 at the edges 18, 20 of the head wrap 10 as the sheath
24 of the elastic band 12, 14 wrapped around the core 22 and in
which the gripping thread 26 is woven.
[0029] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate an alternative embodiment of a head
wrap 40 wherein a gripping member 42 is attached to a fabric loop
44 of the head wrap 40 at a front edge 46 only. The single gripping
member 42 may be similar to the elastic bands 12, 14 illustrated
and discussed above, or may be any other appropriate configuration
of an elastic band having gripping threads 26 for firmly attaching
the head wrap 10 to the wearer's head 50 during physical
activities.
[0030] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an adjustable visor 60 in
accordance with the present disclosure having a rubber tread
gripping member 62 with interwoven gripping fibers 64 attached to a
headband 66 of the visor 60. The visor 60 may be open at the top,
and have a body sized to be disposed on the head of a wearer and
including an upwardly extending crown 68 that encircles the head of
the wearer with the headband 66 being disposed on an inner surface
70 thereof, and a bill 72 extending outwardly from a bottom edge of
the crown 68 at front of the visor 60. At the rear of the visor 60,
an adjustable strap mechanism having an adjustable strap 74 and a
ring 76 connect to opposite ends 78, 80, respectively, of the crown
68 to complete a loop that will encircle the wearer's head and to
allow adjustment for fitting varying head sizes. Such adjustment
mechanisms are well known to those skilled in the art, and
alternated adjustment mechanisms may easily be implemented in the
visor 60 and are contemplated by the inventors as having use in
headwear in accordance with the present invention.
[0031] The rubber tread gripping member 62 is fabricated by sewing
rubber or other gripping threads 64 through a fabric strip 82 such
that the threads 64 are interwoven in the strip 82 but at least
partially project beyond the surface of the fabric strip 82 such
that portions of the surfaces of the threads 64 engage the skin
and/or hair of the wearer. The material for the threads 64, such as
rubber, is selected such that the coefficient of friction of the
material is greater than the coefficient of friction of the
material from which the headband 66 and fabric strip 82 are
fabricated, thereby increasing the retention of the visor 60 to the
head of the wearer over that provided by a similar visor without
the rubber tread gripping member 62. The sewing process may be
continuous such that an extended web of the gripping member 62 may
be fabricated, and strips of the gripping member 62 may be cut to
size for each individual piece of headwear to which the gripping
member 62 will be affixed. The strip or strips of the gripping
member 62 may then be sewn to the headwear, such as on the headband
66 of the visor 60 illustrated above, in a position that allows the
gripping threads 64 of the gripping member 62 to engage the skin
and/or hair of the wearer. Alternatively, the gripping fibers may
64 be sewn directly into the headband 66 of the visor 60 or other
article of headwear in a similar manner, thereby eliminating the
need to attach a separate gripping member 62 to the headband
66.
[0032] FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the application of the rubber tread
gripping member 62 to the inside of a bucket hat 90. The bucket hat
90 has a generally circular body and is closed at the top. With the
bucket hat 90 turned inside-out as illustrated in FIG. 9, it is
shown that a headband 92 is attached to an inner surface 94 of the
bucket hat 90. The rubber tread gripping member 62 may be similar
to that discussed above for the visor 60, and may consist of the
separate fabric strip 82 having the gripping threads 64 woven
therethrough and being attached to the headband 92 of the bucket
hat 90 with the gripping threads 64 facing inwardly to engage the
skin and/or hair of the person wearing the bucket hat 90.
Alternatively, the gripping threads 64 may be woven directly into
the headband 92 of the bucket hat 90 and at least partially
projecting beyond the surface of the headband 92. Moreover,
depending on the desired grip strength, the gripping member 62 or
gripping threads 64 may be sewn or woven around the entire
circumference of the headband 92 of the bucket hat 90, or may only
be applied to a portion or potions of the inner circumference of
the headband 92, such as with one gripping member 62 attached at
the front of the bucket hat 90 and a second gripping member 62
attached at the rear of the bucket hat 90, or with a gripping
member 62 extending around three-fourths of the circumference of
the bucket hat 90 and not covering the rear portion of the headband
92.
[0033] FIG. 10 illustrates a triangular bandana 100 having a rubber
tread gripping member 62 attached to the fabric 102 along the
longest side 104 of the bandana 100 that is usually disposed about
the wearer's forehead or against the hair above the forehead. As
with the visor 40 and bucket hat 90, the gripping member 62 with
the gripping threads 64 interwoven may be attached to the bandana
100, or the gripping threads 62 may be woven into the fabric 102 of
the bandana 100 and, if desired, in a manner that complements or is
integrated with the design of the bandana 100.
[0034] FIG. 11 illustrates a head tie 10 having a rubber tread
gripping member 62 attached to the inner surface 112 of the fabric
114 of the head tie 110. The gripping member 62 is positioned
symmetrically about the front of the inner surface 112 of the head
tie 110 so that the gripping threads 64 engage the wearer's
forehead or the hair above the forehead. As with the other headwear
10, 40, 90, 100 discussed above, the gripping member 62 with the
interwoven gripping threads 64 may be attached to the hair tie 110,
or the gripping threads 64 may be woven into the fabric 114 of the
hair tie 110. As with the bandana 100, the gripping threads 64 may
be woven into the fabric 114 of the hair tie 110 in a manner that
complements or is integrated with the design of the hair tie 110.
Alternatively, if the bandana 100 or the hair tie 110 has multiple
layers of fabric 102, 114, respectively, the gripping threads 64
may be woven into the inner layer(s) of fabric 102, 114 so that the
gripping threads 64 are not visible from the outside when the
bandana 100 or head tie 110 is worn.
[0035] While the preceding text sets forth a detailed description
of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be
understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the
words of the claims set forth at the end of a subsequent patent
claiming priority hereto. The detailed description is to be
construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible
embodiment of the invention since describing every possible
embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous
alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current
technology or technology developed after the filing date of this
patent, which would still fill within the scope of the claims
defining the invention.
* * * * *