US20090210994A1

US20090210994A1 - Headgear

Info

Publication number: US20090210994A1
Application number: US12/038,231
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul Cicchinelli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-02-27
Filing date: 2008-02-27
Publication date: 2009-08-27

Abstract

Disclosed is a headgear covering a head portion of a wearer. The head gear comprises a hemispherical portion and a visor member. The hemispherical portion is adapted to receive the head portion of the wearer and defines a circular rim. The visor member is attached to at least a part of the circular rim and is substantially perpendicular to the hemispherical portion. At least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member is configured of at least one a hook fastening material and a loop fastening material capable of removably coupling to at least one patch.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to apparel accessories, and more particularly, to a headgear for covering a head portion of a wearer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Headgear, such as caps, is typically used for protecting a head portion of a wearer. Headgear may further include a visor member for protecting a face portion and eyes of the wearer from rays of the sun. The headgear is typically available in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs to provide a wide range of choice for wearers wishing to purchase the headgears.
Headgear may also be used as fashion accessories. Logotypes of entities such as professional sports teams or athletic apparel manufacturers may be displayed on the headgears. The wearers wishing to associate themselves with an entity may choose the headgear with a logotype uniquely identifying the entity. Accordingly, the wearers may need to purchase multiple pieces of headgear in order to associate themselves with multiple entities. The wearers may also need to purchase the multiple headgear, as fashion accessories, suited for different occasions such as sporting events or family outings.
Also, a typical headgear item may preclude any customizing option for the wearer to customize the headgear according to the wearer's preference. Purchasing the multiple headgear may be an expensive proposition for the wearers. Further, purchasing multiple headgear may also be a time consuming activity.
Accordingly, there exists a need for headgear, capable of being configured to the wearer's preference for precluding the wearer from purchasing multiple items of headgear suited for the different occasions. Further, there exists a need for exploring additional functionality of the headgear. There is also a need for improving the style of the headgear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the prior art, the general purpose of the present invention is to provide a headgear, configured to include all the advantages of the prior art, and to overcome the drawbacks inherent therein.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a headgear for covering a head portion of a wearer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a headgear capable of being configured to the wearer's preference.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a headgear capable of performing functionality in addition to covering a head portion of the wearer.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a headgear with improved style.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a headgear covering a head portion of a wearer. The head gear comprises a hemispherical portion and a visor member. The hemispherical portion is adapted to receive the head portion of the wearer and defines a circular rim. The visor member is attached to at least a part of the circular rim and is substantially perpendicular to the hemispherical portion. At least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member is configured of at least one a hook fastening material and a loop fastening material capable of removably coupling to at least one patch.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one patch comprises a logotype capable of being displayed on the at least one patch. The wearer may couple patches of the at least one patch to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member for configuring the headgear to the wearer's preference and suited to the different occasions.
Further, the at least one patch may also be configured to removably couple at least one of a GPS chip, a strobe light, a removable shade, a pair of sunglasses and an portable media device to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member. Further, the headgear may also comprise an attaching mechanism for attaching a pair of earphones to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member, thereby performing functionality additional to covering the head portion of the wearer.
Also, at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member configured of at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material may improve the style of the headgear. Further, coupling the at least one patch to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member, suited to the wearer's preference, may also improve the style of the headgear.
These together with other aspects of the present invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the present invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part of this present invention. For a better understanding of the present invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a headgear, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a headgear removably coupled to a pair of sunglasses, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a headgear removably coupled to a removable shade, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a headgear configured with a compartment, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a headgear with an attaching mechanism for attaching a pair of earphones, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a headgear removably coupled to a pair of earphones, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the description of several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The exemplary embodiments described herein detail for illustrative purposes are subject to many variations in structure and design. It should be emphasized, however, that the present invention is not limited to a particular headgear, as shown and described. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.
The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a headgear 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The headgear 100 includes a hemispherical portion 102 and a visor member 104. FIG. 1 depicts at least one patch such as a patch 106 removably coupled to the headgear 100. In FIG. 1, the patch 106 is shown to be removably coupled to the hemispherical portion 102 of the headgear 100. In one embodiment of the present invention, the patch 106 may be removably coupled to the visor member 104.
The hemispherical portion 102 is adapted to receive a head portion of a wearer (not shown). The wearer, as used herein in the description, may be any person capable of wearing a headgear such as the headgear 100. The hemispherical portion 102 defines a circular rim 108. The visor member 104 is attached to at least a part of the circular rim 108 as depicted in FIG. 1. The visor member 104 attached to at least the part of the circular rim 108 configures a ball cap. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the visor member 104 attached throughout the circular rim 108 may configure a hat. Moreover, the visor member 104 extends away from the hemispherical portion 102 and is substantially perpendicular to the hemispherical portion 102. The visor member 104 is capable of protecting the wearer's face portion and eyes from rays of the sun.
At least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 is configured of at least one of a hook fastening material and a loop fastening material for removably coupling to the at least one patch such as the patch 106. An example of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material may be a VELCRO arrangement. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the at least one patch and at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configured of a complimentary fastening material. For instance, the at least one patch is configured of the loop fastening material when at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 is configured of the hook fastening material. Similarly, the at least one patch is configured of the hook fastening material when at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 is configured of the loop fastening material.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of the hook fastening material and the patch 106 is configured of the loop fastening material for forming a removable attachment. The visor member 104 may be configured of a fabric to improve style of the headgear 100. The at least one patch may be configured to include a logotype, hereinafter referred to as a logo, capable of being displayed on the at least one patch. In FIG. 1, the patch 106 is depicted to display the logo capable of uniquely identifying an entity. Examples of the entity may include but are not limited to a professional sports team, an intercollegiate team or an athletic apparel manufacturing company.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the headgear 100 removably coupled to a pair of sunglasses, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As explained in conjunction with FIG. 1, at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 is configured of at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material for removably coupling to the at least one patch. FIG. 2 depicts a patch 202 capable of being removably coupled to at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104. The patch 202 is configured of complimentary fastening material to removably couple to at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104. In one embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of the hook fastening material and the patch 202 is configured of the loop fastening material to form a removable attachment. In another embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of the loop fastening material and the patch 202 is configured of the hook fastening material to form the removable attachment. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the patch 202 may be similarly removably coupled to the visor member 104.
FIG. 2 depicts a sunglass 204 a and a sunglass 204 b connected to each other by a stem portion 206. The sunglasses 204 a and 204 b are capable of covering eyes of the wearer for providing protection to the eyes of the wearer from environmental conditions such as wind, rays of the sun and the like. Each of the sunglasses 204 a and 204 b are connected to a supporting stem, such as a supporting stem 208 a and a supporting stem 208 b respectively, capable of resting on an ear portion (not shown) of the wearer. For purposes of the description, the sunglasses 204 a and 204 b, the stem portion 206 and the supporting stem portions 208 a and 208 b are together referred to as a pair of sunglasses.
The pair of sunglasses may be removably coupled to the headgear 100 using the patch 202. The patch 202 may be removably coupled at ends to the hemispherical portion 102 to form a loop in-between the ends for including the stem portion 206. One of the ends of the patch 202 may be temporarily uncoupled from the hemispherical portion 102 for sliding the stem portion 206 in the loop formed therebetween the ends. On including the stem portion 206 in the loop portion formed therebetween the ends of the patch 202, the uncoupled end may then be coupled to the hemispherical portion 102 for closing the loop. The stem portion 206 included in the loop formed therebetween the ends of the patch 202 removably couples the pair of sunglasses to the headgear 100. In one embodiment of the invention, the patch 202 is removably coupled at ends to the visor member 104 for forming the loop therebetween for including the stem portion 206.
On onset of favorable environmental conditions, the wearer may preclude using the pair of sunglasses and may then removably couple the pair of sunglasses to the headgear 100. The pair of sunglasses removably coupled to the headgear 100 precludes the need for the wearer to carry a case for storing the pair of sunglasses, when in unused condition. Moreover, removably coupling the pair of sunglasses to the headgear 100 provides a hands-free and a safe option for the wearer for supporting the pair of sunglasses.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the headgear 100 removably coupled to a removable shade 302, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The removable shade 302 is configured to protect at least one of a neck portion and ears of the wearer (not shown) from environmental factors such as wind, rays of the sun and the like. An edge portion of the removable shade 302 may be configured with the at least one patch capable of removably coupling to at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104. As explained in conjunction with FIG. 1, at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configured of at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material. The at least one patch configured on the edge portion of the removable shade 302, may accordingly be configured of complimentary fastening material. In one embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of the hook fastening material and the at least one patch is configured of the loop fastening material for removably coupling the removable shade 302 to the headgear 100. In another embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of the loop fastening material and the at least one patch is configured of the hook fastening material for removably coupling the removable shade 302 to the headgear 100.
In FIG. 3, the at least one patch configured on the edge portion of the removable shade 302 is shown removably coupled to the circular rim 108 defined by the hemispherical portion 102. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the at least one patch configured on edge potion of the removable shade 302 may be attached at any other portion of the hemispherical portion 102 of the headgear 100. The removable shade 302 may be configured to display the logo (not shown) uniquely identifying an entity such as the professional sports team, the intercollegiate team and the apparel sports manufacturer, as explained in conjunction with FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the headgear 100 configured with a compartment 402, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. At least one patch such as a patch 404 is removably coupled to at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 for configuring the compartment 402. In FIG. 4, the patch 404 is depicted to be removably coupled to the hemispherical portion 102 for configuring the compartment 402. In another embodiment of the present invention, the patch 404 may be coupled to the visor member 104. The patch 404 may include at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material at three or more edge portions (not shown), hereinafter referred to as the edge portions, for removably coupling to at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104. As explained in conjunction with FIG. 1, at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configured of at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material. The edge portions of the patch 404 may accordingly be configured of complimentary fastening material. In one embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of the hook fastening material and the edge portions are configured of the loop fastening material for removably coupling the patch 404 to the headgear 100 for configuring the compartment 402. In another embodiment of the present invention, the hemispherical portion 102 is configured of the loop fastening material and the edge portions are configured of the hook fastening material for removably coupling the patch 404 to the headgear 100 for configuring the compartment 402.
A size of the patch 404 may be suitably chosen to configure the compartment 402 for removably coupling accessories such as a music player (not shown), a portable media device, an MP3 player and the like, to the headgear 100. The music player may be removably coupled to the headgear 100 in a used condition as well as an unused condition to provide hands free comfort to the wearer (not shown). The compartment 402 may also be configured to removably couple a Global Positioning System (GPS) chip (not shown) to at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104. The GPS chip may especially be beneficial to wearers on adventure expeditions for precluding the possibility of getting lost. Further, military personnel may also use the GPS chip removably coupled to the headgear 100 for tracking purposes. In one embodiment of the present invention, the compartment 402 may also be configured to removably couple a strobe light (not shown) or a night-glow (not shown) to at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 for illuminating a desired area.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the headgear 100 with an attaching mechanism 502 for attaching a pair of earphones (not shown), in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As explained in conjunction with FIG. 1, at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configured of at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material for removably coupling to at least one patch. As depicted in FIG. 5, the attaching mechanism 502 may be provided on the hemispherical portion 102 and may include a plurality of loops, such as a loop 504 a and a loop 504 b, for including a cord (not shown) of the pair of earphones therebetween, for removably coupling the pair of earphones to the headgear 100. In one embodiment of the present invention, each loop of the plurality of loops is configured to open on application of a pulling force for receiving the cord of the earphones. The each loop may then be closed by application of a pressing force to attach the pair of earphones to the headgear 100.
A connecting wire (not shown) connecting the pair of earphones to a music player such as the portable media device, MP3 player and the like may also be included in the plurality of loops along with the cord. Additionally, a patch such as the patch 404 as explained in conjunction with FIG. 4 may be provided for removably coupling the music player to the headgear 100 for providing hands free comfort to the wearer. A side view of the pair of earphones removably coupled to the headgear 100 is depicted in FIG. 6.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the headgear 100 removably coupled to the pair of earphones such as a pair of earphones 602, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The pair of earphones 602 is connected to each other through a cord 604. The cord 604 passes through the attaching mechanism 502 provided on the hemispherical portion 102 of the headgear 100. Further, FIG. 6 depicts a patch 606 removably coupled to the hemispherical portion 102. As explained in conjunction with FIG. 1, the at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104 may be configured of at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material for removably coupling to the patch 606. The patch 606 is configured of complimentary fastening material for removably coupling to at least one of the hemispherical portion 102 and the visor member 104.
A headgear such as the headgear 100 may be used for covering the head portion of the wearer. The headgear including a hemispherical portion such as the hemispherical portion 102 and a visor member such as the visor member 104 configured of at least one of a hook fastening material and a loop fastening material, may provide the wearer customizing options for customizing the headgear to the wearer's preference. One or more patches such as the patch 106 may be removably coupled to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member for precluding the wearer from purchasing multiple caps suited for different occasions. For instance, a wearer may wish to represent a particular entity such as a professional sports team at an occasion such as a playoff game. The wearer may then removably couple a patch such as the patch 106 bearing a logo representing the professional sports team to the hemispherical portion of the headgear. For another occasion, such as a family outing, the wearer may uncouple the patch bearing the logo representing the professional sports team and couple another patch to the hemispherical portion. Thus, the headgear precludes the need for the wearer to purchase multiple caps for multiple occasions.
Further, patches such as the patch 202 and the patch 404, may help the wearer to removably couple at least one of the GPS chip, the strobe light, the removable shade, the pair of sunglasses and the portable media device to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member for providing hands free comfort to the wearer. Moreover, at least one of the hook fastening material and the loop fastening material configured on at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member may improve the style of the headgear. Further, coupling the at least one patch suited to the wearer's preference may also improve the style of the headgear.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A headgear comprising:

a hemispherical portion adapted to receive a head portion of a wearer, the hemispherical portion defining a circular rim; and

a visor member attached to at least a part of the circular rim and substantially perpendicular to the hemispherical portion,

wherein at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member is configured of at least one a hook fastening material and a loop fastening material capable of removably coupling to at least one patch.

2. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the at least one patch is configured of a loop fastening material when at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member is configured of the hook fastening material.

3. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the at least one patch is configured of a hook fastening material when at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member is configured of the loop fastening material.

4. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the at least one patch comprises a logotype capable of being displayed on the at least one patch.

5. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the at least one patch is configured to removably couple at least one of a GPS chip, a strobe light, a removable shade, a pair of sunglasses and a portable media device to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member.

6. The headgear of claim 1, wherein the visor member is composed of a fabric.

7. The headgear of claim 1, further comprises attaching mechanism for attaching a pair of earphones to at least one of the hemispherical portion and the visor member.