U.S. patent application number 13/642734 was filed with the patent office on 2013-05-16 for headwear.
This patent application is currently assigned to HATS LIFE LIMITED. The applicant listed for this patent is Ivor Ponting, Stuart Thomas Robertson. Invention is credited to Ivor Ponting, Stuart Thomas Robertson.
Application Number | 20130117906 13/642734 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44314147 |
Filed Date | 2013-05-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130117906 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ponting; Ivor ; et
al. |
May 16, 2013 |
Headwear
Abstract
A bill 3 or stiffening member for a bill for headwear 1, such as
a baseball cap, having first and second opposed surfaces and
including a retaining means 9 arranged to automatically retain the
bill in either of a first curved state in which the first side of
the bill is convex and the second side concave and a second,
oppositely, curved state in which the first side is concave and the
second side is convex when the bill it urged towards the first or
second states respectively. The retaining means may be a curved,
resilient, elongate member such as a rod 9. The retaining means may
be secured to a flexible sheet of material 6. The sheet of material
may also be resilient.
Inventors: |
Ponting; Ivor; (Ongar,
GB) ; Robertson; Stuart Thomas; (Maidstone,
GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ponting; Ivor
Robertson; Stuart Thomas |
Ongar
Maidstone |
|
GB
GB |
|
|
Assignee: |
HATS LIFE LIMITED
Lancashire
GB
|
Family ID: |
44314147 |
Appl. No.: |
13/642734 |
Filed: |
April 26, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
April 26, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB2011/050816 |
371 Date: |
December 21, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/195.6 ;
2/195.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 1/063 20130101;
A42B 1/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/195.6 ;
2/195.1 |
International
Class: |
A42B 1/02 20060101
A42B001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 22, 2010 |
GB |
1006706.4 |
May 1, 2010 |
GB |
PCT/GB2010/050730 |
Aug 3, 2010 |
GB |
1013002.9 |
Claims
1. A bill for headwear, the bill having first and second opposed
surfaces and comprising a bi-stable retaining means arranged to
automatically retain the bill in either of a first curved state in
which the first side of the bill is convex and the second side
concave and a second, oppositely, curved state in which the first
side is concave and the second side is convex when the bill is
urged towards the first or second states respectively.
2. A bill as claimed in claim 1 wherein the retaining means
comprises a curved elongate member.
3. A bill as claimed in claim 1 wherein the elongate member has a
substantially circular cross-section.
4. A bill as claimed in claim 2 wherein the elongate member is
resilient.
5. A bill as claimed in claim 2 wherein the elongate member is
rotatably secured to the bill to enable it to rotate relative to
the bill as the bill is urged between the first and second curved
states.
6. A bill as claimed in claim 5 wherein the elongate member is
secured to the body of a stiffening member comprised in the
bill.
7. A bill as claimed in claim 6 wherein the elongate member is
secured along an edge of the body of the stiffening member.
8. A bill as claimed in claim 2 wherein the elongate member is
secured to the bill or body of the stiffening member by
stitches.
9. A bill as claimed in claim 2 comprising two or more elongate
members.
10. Headwear comprising a bill as claimed in claim 1.
11. A baseball cap comprising a bill as claimed in claim 1.
12. A baseball cap as claimed in claim 11 carrying different
designs on opposed surfaces and which may be worn in normal or
reversed configurations to selectively reveal either of the two
designs to the outside of the cap.
13. A stiffening member for the bill of headwear, the stiffening
member comprising a body having first and second opposed surfaces
and comprising a bi-stable retaining means arranged to
automatically retain the stiffening member in either of a first
curved state in which the first side of the stiffening member is
convex and the second side concave and a second, oppositely, curved
state in which the first side is concave and the second side is
convex when the stiffening member is urged towards the first or
second states respectively.
14. A stiffening member as claimed in claim 13 wherein the body
comprises a flexible sheet material.
15. A stiffening member as claimed in claim 13 wherein the
retaining means comprises a resilient, curved elongate member.
16. A bill as claimed in claim 15 wherein the elongate member is
rotatably secured to the body of the stiffening member to enable it
to rotate relative to the stiffening member as the stiffening
member is urged between the first and second curved states.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a bill for headwear,
headwear including a bill and a stiffening member for a bill for
headwear.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0002] Baseball caps include a bill. The bill may be substantially
flat, but is often more desirably curved. Reversible baseball caps
are known which may be turned inside out to display the other of
two different designs presented on opposite sides of the cap. Where
a reversible baseball cap has a curved bill then the curve in the
bill must be reversed when the cap is turned inside out so as to
maintain the correct appearance of the cap.
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,443 discloses a reversible baseball cap.
The bill of the cap is formed from a soft or rigid visor material
sandwiched in between layers of fabric material. The visor material
is partially cut though from opposite sides at spaced apart
intervals across its width. The cuts are intended to allow the
material, and thus the bill of the cap, to maintain a curved shape
when bent along the cut lines and so allow the bill to adopt an
appropriately curved shape when the hat is turned inside out. In
practice, though, provision of a cut visor material does no more
than allow the bill to be deformed, and so conform the shape of the
edge of the cap. It does not allow any significant degree of
curvature to be maintained. Further, as the visor material deforms
more easily at the position of the cuts the bill is in effect
formed from a series of flat portions hinged together which does
not lend the cap an attractive appearance.
[0004] Embodiments of the present invention seek to address these
problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to an aspect of the present invention there is
provided a bill for headwear, the bill having first and second
opposed surfaces and comprising a retaining means arranged to
automatically retain the bill in either of a first curved state in
which the first side of the bill is convex and the second side
concave and a second, oppositely, curved state in which the first
side is concave and the second side is convex when the bill is
urged towards the first or second states respectively.
[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention there
is provided a stiffening member for a bill of headwear, the
stiffening member comprising a body having first and second opposed
surfaces and comprising a retaining means arranged to automatically
retain the body in either of a first curved state in which the
first side of the stiffening member is convex and the second side
concave and a second, oppositely, curved state in which the first
side is concave and the second side is convex when the stiffening
member is urged towards the first or second states
respectively.
[0007] Provision of the retaining means enables the bill or
stiffening member to be stably retained in one of two opposite
states of curvature, enabling the appearance of a reversible cap
incorporating the bill or stiffening member to be maintained in
either of its two states.
[0008] The body of the stiffening member may comprise a flexible
sheet of material. The sheet may be continuous, and the material
may be resilient. The material may be a plastics material.
[0009] The retaining means may comprise a curved elongate member
and may have a substantially circular cross-section. The elongate
member may be resilient. The elongate member may be rotatably
secured to the bill or body of the stiffening member to enable it
to rotate relative to the bill or body as the bill or body is urged
between the first and second curved states.
[0010] The elongate member may be secured along an edge of the body
of the stiffening member. The elongate member may be secured to the
bill or body of the stiffening member by any suitable means. These
include by stitches, by clips, by over moulding the body of the
stiffening member over the elongate member, by forming a moulded
pathway in the body of the stiffening member to receive the
elongate member and by associating a flexible tube with the
stiffening member and placing the elongate member in the flexible
tube.
[0011] In other embodiments the elongate member is secured to the
bill which may or may not include an additional stiffening member.
The elongate member could be secured to the bill by any suitable
means including by stitching and by forming a pocket or hem with
fabric forming the bill for receiving the elongate member.
[0012] Two or more elongate members may be provided.
[0013] The bill or stiffening member may be incorporated into
headwear, such as a baseball cap. The headwear may be reversible
and may carry different designs on opposed surfaces and so may be
worn in normal or reversed configurations to selectively reveal
either of the two designs to the outside of the headwear.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] In order that the invention may be more clearly understood
embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a baseball cap;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a part cut-away view of the baseball cap of FIG.
1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the baseball cap of FIG. 1
turned inside out, but without the bill reversed;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the baseball cap of FIG. 1
turned inside out, with the bill reversed;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a part cut-away view of the bill of the cap of
FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 6 shows the stiffening member of the bill of the cap of
FIG. 1 in a first state;
[0021] FIG. 7 shows an alternative stiffening member in a second
state;
[0022] FIG. 8 shows the rod of the stiffening members of FIGS. 6
and 7;
[0023] FIG. 9 shows an alternative stiffening member in a first
state;
[0024] FIG. 10 shows the stiffening member of FIG. 9 in a second
state; and
[0025] FIG. 11 shows another stiffening member in a first
state.
[0026] Referring to the drawings, in which like reference numerals
are used to denote corresponding components throughout, there is
shown a reversible baseball cap 1 of conventional appearance. The
cap comprises a crown portion 2, intended to fit over a wearer's
head, and a bill 3 projecting from an edge of the crown portion
2.
[0027] The crown portion 2 is formed from a number of double
layered fabric panels stitched together along seams 4. One layer of
fabric carries one design, in the illustrated example a polka dot
design, and the other layer presents a different design, in this
case a star design. At any one time one design is visible to the
outside of the cap, and the other to the inside. Towards the centre
of and of each side of the crown portion 2 there is a button 5.
[0028] Variations are possible. The cap could be produced from
suitable materials other than fabric. The panels may comprise more
than two layers of material, or could be formed from a single layer
of material bearing different designs, or simply different solid
colours, on opposite sides.
[0029] The bill 3 is curved and the cap is intended to be worn with
the bill curved in the manner shown in FIG. 1, with the upper
surface of the bill, the surface directed towards the crown portion
rather than away from it, forming a convex curve. The bill is
formed from a stiffening member covered in fabric 7. The fabric
covering respective opposite sides of the stiffening member carries
the same design as the fabric exposed to the corresponding side of
the crown portion 2. The layers of fabric 7 on opposite sides
respectively of the stiffening member are stitched together around
the edges of the stiffening member along seams 8.
[0030] The stiffening member comprises a sheet 6 of flexible,
resilient plastics material. Any suitable plastics material may be
used, for example polypropylene. It is desirable that the material
does not suffer from stress cracking. A thickness in the range 0.5
to 5 mm is suitable. For sheets towards the thicker end of this
range foamed materials are preferred so as to maintain lightness
and flexibility. Other suitable materials could be used, for
example cardboard. Along the free edge of the plastic sheet which
will lie towards the front edge of the bill, most remote from the
crown portion of the cap, a curved, resilient rod 9 is secured to
the sheet by stitches 10. The resilient rod is preferably formed
from a suitable metal such as tempered steel and in the illustrated
example it has a diameter of approximately 2 mm. Other materials,
or indeed other elongate members, with appropriate properties could
be used. It is necessary for the rod or other elongate member to
retain its curved shape and yet to flex sufficiently to enable the
stiffening member to be moved between oppositely curved states. The
rod extends over substantially the whole length of the side of the
sheet material to which it is attached. The stitches 10 are formed
by a Nylon thread, extend around the rod and through a series of
apertures extending along the edge of the sheet material and permit
the rod 9 to rotate along its length relative to the sheet
material. The stitches 10 could be continuous or separate.
[0031] In other embodiments a similar rod could be secured to the
opposite edge of the sheet member too, see FIG. 7. Or a rod could
be secured at some position on the surface of the sheet material
between its opposite edges or in a slot or elongate aperture formed
in the material.
[0032] As the rod 9 is curved it holds the sheet material 6 and
thus the bill 3 of the cap 1 in a curved state. The rod 9 is
produced with the desired degree of curvature it is intended to
impart to the bill. If the bill 3 is deflected, for example
manually, to force it to adopt an opposite curvature the rod 9
rotates within the stitches until it takes up a stable position in
which it acts to maintain the sheet material, and thus the bill, in
an opposite state of curvature. The resilience of the rod
facilitates movement of the sheet material between opposite curved
states and provides an over centre retaining action such that the
stiffening member is bi-stable and will remain in either of two
oppositely curved states.
[0033] Thus, in use, when the cap is reversed, the curvature of the
bill may be reversed.
[0034] FIG. 1 shows the cap in one state. FIG. 2 shows the same cap
with the crown turned inside out and the cap turned over to show
the alternate design, but with the bill in its original state of
curvature. FIG. 3 shows the cap after the curvature of the bill has
been reversed so that its upper surface (as intended to be worn) is
again convex. The process may of course be reversed and the cap
brought back to the state shown in FIG. 1.
[0035] FIGS. 9 and 10 show another embodiment of a stiffening
member. In this embodiment the rod 9 is secured to the sheet 6 by
way of a series of spaced apart metal spring clips 11. The clips
grip opposite sides of the sheet material 6 and define an passage
between the clip and the edge of the sheet material through which
the rod extends and within which the rod can rotate. Projections 12
are formed on the edge of the sheet member towards opposite ends of
the rod 9 to stop the rod from sliding out of the clips.
[0036] FIG. 11 shows another embodiment of a stiffening member.
This embodiment is moulded from a resilient plastics material and
comprises a sheet 6 of material with an upstanding flap 13 along
one of its longer edges. The flap is shaped to retain the curvature
of the sheet. If the curve of the sheet is reversed the flap will
flip over to the other side of the sheet and thus retain the sheet
in this opposite state of curvature.
[0037] The above embodiments are described by way of example only.
Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of
the invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *