WO2005034665A1

WO2005034665A1 - Headgear

Info

Publication number: WO2005034665A1
Application number: PCT/GB2004/004246
Authority: WO
Inventors: Camilla Elizabeth Frederick
Original assignee: Camilla Elizabeth Frederick
Priority date: 2003-10-08
Filing date: 2004-10-07
Publication date: 2005-04-21
Also published as: GB0323547D0; GB2406781A

Abstract

An item of headgear comprising a crown for wearing on the head of a wearer, and at least two peaks mounted around the circumference of the crown, wherein each peak is mounted on the crown in a different conformation relative to the crown such that the headgear can be worn with the peaks in any selected orientation relative to the head of the wearer.

Description

HEADGEAR

The present invention relates generally to head-gear such as hats and caps, and more particularly to a hat having a double peak arrangement.

Many athletes, sportsmen and women such as, for example, golfers and the like, often participate in their chosen sport regardless of the prevailing weather conditions. For example, it is not unusual to see golfers out on the golf course on sunny as well as rainy days. In the rain, it is common for many golfers to wear a peaked cap or hat. Although this has the advantage of protecting their eyes and faces from the rain, it has the disadvantage that rain rolling down the back of the hat or cap is not prevented from then running down the neck of the wearer. This is particularly exacerbated by the bending and stretching which is required of the golfer during the course of the golfing session. Furthermore, although the peak of the hat or cap will provide a certain level of shade for the eyes, and at least a portion of the face, of the wearer from the sun on a sunny day, there is no protection provided for the neck of the wearer from the sun's rays, particularly when the wearer is bending. This lack of protection

for the back of the neck often results in sun-burn to the neck of the wearer. Furthermore, without shade from the sun's rays, even if the wearer is not sun-burned, the neck of the wearer can become uncomfortably hot, thereby providing both discomfort as well as being a potentially distraction to the wearer, with the result of spoiling their sporting performance. Such effects are notjust limited to golfers, but

are equally experience by other sports participants, such as cricketers, baseball players and the like. Similarly, spectators of sports experience inconvenience from both the sun's rays and

inclement weather conditions. For example, spectators at winter football games generally suffer from cold wind, snow, or rain. Likewise, spectators at baseball games on hot sunny days can be exposed continuously to the sun' s rays. Others who suffer from inclement weather include, but are not limited to, construction workers, policemen, golfers, delivery persons, farmers, farm workers, or others sensitive to sun.

To meet this need for protection of the head from the elements, numerous different types of hats, caps and headgear have been developed over the years. For example, hats with a relatively wide brim extending circumferentially around the crown of the

hat are well known. However, the brim of such hats tends to be of uniform width throughout and, although the crown of the hat shields the head of a wearer from the elements, the brim offers limited shade from the sun or shelter from the rain for the face and neck of the wearer. Furthermore, the uniform nature of the brim does not allow for selection of a desired amount of shade or protection which may be varied depending on the weather conditions on a particular day of use. Instead, the user has to accept the limitations of a uniform width brim which may be overly wide on an overcast day and provide insufficient shade or protection on a very sunny or rainy

day.

Another branch of the field of hats and headgear has involved the inclusion of some form of drape depending from the crown or hatband of the hat or cap. The classic

"French Foreign Legion" cap is an old example of such caps with rearwardly depending drapes. Which such drapes do provide some protection from the sun and environment to the back of the neck, their extremely close proximity to the back of the neck due to their depending directly from the hatband of the hat or cap, precludes significant circulation of air about the back of the neck, thus failing to provide the degree of comfort which might be desired.

A further type of hat which provides protection to both the face and neck of the wearer is the traditional deer-stalker type hat. This type of hat is a tight-fitting hat

with visors front and back, formerly worn by hunters, but now used occasionally as a fashion item. However, this type of hat is not particularly practical for use by, for example, golfers who are seeking protection from the sun for several reasons. The hat is made of a wool or tweed material, which is not appropriate for summer wear, the visors are short and therefore do not provide particularly effective shade for either the eyes or neck of the wearer. Finally, the angle at which both of the visors are attached to the crown of the hat is equal, with the effect that the visors are not positioned at an appropriate angle to provide useful protection for both the eyes and neck of the wearer. The effect of having the visors positioned in such a way is that rather than providing effective protection for both the eyes and neck of a wearer, the effectiveness is compromised for both.

Furthermore, such an arrangement once again fails to allow the user the luxury of selecting the appropriate amount of shade or protection by varying the size of the brim or drape of the hat dependent on the weather conditions at the time of use. The present invention seeks to address the problems of the prior art.

The present invention is, at least in part, based on the realization that the angles of peaks of a hat are important to the effectiveness of the protection provided to the wearer. Furthermore, the versatility of a hat provided with more than one peak can be improved by engineering the hat such that the hat may be reversible in orientation, that is, the hat may be worn in more than one orientation on the head of a wearer such that the angle of peak above, for example the eyes, may be selected dependent on the prevailing weather conditions at the time of use.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides headgear comprising a crown for wearing on the head of the wearer and at least two peaks mounted around the circumference of the crown, wherein each peak is positioned at a different angle to the circumferential plane of the crown, thereby to provide the wearer with protection from the elements. The presence of more than one peak allows, for example, the eyes of the wearer to be shaded from the sun and/or rain, as well as providing additional protection for another portion of the wearer, such as the wearer's neck, the peak preventing, for example, rain from rolling down the crown of the hat and down the neck and inside the collar of the clothing of the wearer. This has the advantage over traditional single peaked caps that the cap does not have to be turned around in order to protect the neck of the wearer, thereby leaving the face of the wearer exposed.

As each peak is provided at a different angle relative to the circumferential plane of the crown of the headgear, the wearer may select the appropriate angle of peak to be positioned over, for example, the eyes of the wearer to provide the best shade or rain protection for the given weather conditions on a particular day of use. For example, on a rainy day, the peak with the more acute angle relative to the circumferential plane may provide better protection over the neck of the wearer and be more efficient at preventing water from dripping down the neck and inside the clothing of the wearer. Alternatively, depending on how sunny a day the headgear is being worn, the wearer can decide which of the peaks provides the most appropriate level of shade for the eyes, face, neck and orient the headgear accordingly.

Preferably, the cap comprises two peaks, although clearly more than two pe.aks may be included, if desired for either functional or aesthetic reasons.

Preferably the peaks are circumferentially spaced around the crown of the cap and more preferably, are in diametrically opposing positions around the crown of the cap. This provides the wearer with protection from the elements at both the face and the neck. In particular, when sunny conditions prevail, the eyes are shaded from the bright sunlight and the neck is shaded from the suns rays, thereby protecting the skin of the neck of the wearer from sunburn. In conditions where rain prevails, the eyes of the wearer are protected from splashing with raindiOps, and the neck of the wearer is kept dry, and rain trickling down the neck of the wearer and under their clothing is avoided.

Preferably, at least one of the peaks is resiliently flexible, such that the peak may be flexed but will always return to its original shape. In some embodiments, it is preferred some or all of the peaks are resiliently flexible.

Preferably at least one of the peaks is curved, although in some embodiments all of the peaks may be curved. A curved peak allows any rain which lands on the peak to be diverted along the curve and away from the face or neck of the wearer and away from the peak and crown of the headgear. In this way, water does not lie on the peak, thereby either soaking through the peak and wetting the wearer, or providing a puddle of water on the peak which, when the headgear is tilted, will result in the puddle of water falling from the peak and potentially soaking the wearer or accompanying persons if they are in the path of the falling water.

Preferably, at least one of the peaks is curved about an axis running diametrically across the circumference of the crown of the headgear and passing through the center point of the peak at the point at which the peak contacts the crown of the headgear. Such a curve allows any water landing on the peak to be diverted away from the central diametric axis to the sides of the headgear, away from both the face and neck of the user. Alternatively, of course, the peak may be curved in an alternative manner in order to direct the raindrops in a different direction, if desired.

Preferably, the crown of the headgear is provided with an expansion region to allow variation of the circumferential measurement of the crown in order to vary the size of the headgear to fit the head of a wearer. Such an expansion region may comprise an elasticated region or a gathered portion of material with a slide clasp, such that the circumferential size of the crown of the hat may be varied and a single hat may be adjusted to fit several users with different size heads.

Preferably, the peaks are of different surface area to one another. This allows the possibility of having peaks of various widths. Thus, the headgear may be oriented such that the wider of the peaks may be worn to the front of the head of the wearer thereby providing a broad shaded area for the eyes of the wearer on a sunny day, or may allow the headwear to be reversed such that the wider peak is protecting the neck from rain on a wet day. Alternatively, the peaks may vary in length relative to one another, thereby providing an item of headgear with a longer and a shorter peak. The longer peak may be used to shade the eyes of a wearer from the sun on a bright sunny day, and the headgear may be reversed on the head of the wearer such that the shorted peak is over the eyes of the wearer on a more overcast day, with the longer peak being available to protect the neck of the wearer from any potential downpour.

The peaks may be either detachably mounted around the crown of the headgear, so that many different sized and shaped peaks may be used in combination with a single headgear crown, the peaks being selected as appropriate on the day of use, or alternatively the peaks may be permanently mounted on the crown of the headgear, thereby providing only as many alternatives as there are peaks on the headgear itself. Permanently attached peaks avoid the potential problems of losing or mislaying peak attachments, whereas detachable peaks provide versatility and avoid the need for more than one item of headgear for use during any envisaged weather condition. Detachable peaks may be mounted on the crown of the headgear by any means known in the art, for example by Nelcro™ attachment or by press stud attachment or any other suitable means.

Preferably, the material comprising the crown of the headgear is a water resistant or waterproof material. Preferably, at least one of the peaks is also made of such a water resistant or waterproof material to provide protection from the rain. Most preferably, the crown and all peaks of the headgear comprise a water resistant or waterproof material. It will be appreciated that more than one water resistant or waterproof material type may be used in the manufacture of a single piece of headgear.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to Figures 1 to 3, which: Figure 1 shows a side view of a hat according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows front and rear views of the hat of Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a top view of the hat of Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a cap 1 having a crown 3 and first and second peaks 5 and 7, respectively. The cap 1 resembles a "baseball-style" cap and is generally worn with one peak on the forward or face side of the head of the wearer and one peak on the rear side of the head of the wearer, adjacent the back of the neck of the wearer. The crown 3 is slightly elasticated at region 9 on the circumferential band 11 of the crown 3 so as to contract the crown 3 comfortably around the head of the wearer. Peaks 5 and 7 extend from opposing circumferential edges of the crown 3 and are curved about an axis extending longitudinally through the central connection point of each peak 5 to the crown 3 (shown as dotted line A-A in Figure 2 and Figure 3). As can be seen from Figure 2 and Figure 3, in which the same references are used to denote the same features as in Figure 1, peak 5 is located at an angle relative to the circumferential plane of the crown that is shallower that the corresponding angle of peak 7.

As can also be seen from Figure 2 and Figure 3, peak 7 extends further along the longitudinal axis discussed above, than peak 5, although both peaks 5, 7 are substantially equal in width, that is, peaks 5, 7 extend around a substantially equal circumferential distance of the crown 3, respectively.

In use, the cap 1 is worn with either peak 5 or peak 7 worn so as to shade the eyes and/or face of the wearer from sunlight or rain or other such elements, with the opposing peak 7, 5 located adjacent the back of the neck of the wearer. This has the additional advantage of protecting the neck of the wearer form such elements also. The cap is reversible such that, for example, when a high degree of shade is required for the eyes/face of a wearer, the wearer may chose to locate peak 5 over the eyes and peak 7 over the neck, the angle of peak 7 providing a greater degree of shade for the neck from the sun and therefore an increased degree of protection from sun-burn to the skin of the neck than if the cap were worn in the opposite orientation. Alternatively, the wearer may choose to wear the cap in the opposite orientation if a more extreme level of shade from the sun is required over the eyes of the wearer, for example if the wearer's eyes have an unusually high level of sensitivity to the sun. It will be appreciated that if the cap is worn, for example by a golfer, the orientation of the cap such that the peak 7 is over neck of the wearer will provide greater protection to the wearer from water dripping down the back of their neck and inside their clothing as they bend to take a shot.

Claims

1. Headgear comprising: a crown for wearing on the head of a wearer; and at least two peaks mounted on and spaced around the circumference of the crown, wherein each peak is mounted on the crown at a different angle to the plane defined by the circumference of the crown relative to the other peak or peaks and all peaks extend from the crown on the same side of the plane defined by the circumference of the crown, such that the headgear can be worn with the peaks in any selected orientation relative to the head of the wearer.

2. Headgear according to Claim 1, comprising two peaks.

3. Headgear according to Claim 2 wherein the two peaks are in diametrically opposing positions around the crown of the headgear.

4. Headgear according to any preceding Claim, wherein at least one of the peaks is resiliently flexible.

5. Headgear according to Claim 4 wherein some or all of the peaks are resiliently flexible.

6. Headgear according to any preceding Claim, wherein at least one of the peaks

is curved.

7. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein all of the peaks are curved.

8. Headgear according to Claim 6 or Claim 7 wherein at least one of the peaks is curved about a diametric axis through the circumference of the crown and passing through the centre point of the peak where it contacts the crown of the headgear.

9. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein the crown of the headgear is provided with an expansion region to allow variation of the

circumferential measurement of the crown to vary the size of the headgear to fit the head of a wearer.

10. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein the peaks are of different surface area to one another.

11. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein the peaks vary in length relative to one another.

12. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein the peaks are detachably mounted around the crown of the headgear.

13. Headgear according to any one of Claims 1 to 11 wherein the peaks are not detachable from the crown of the headgear.

14. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein the crown of the headgear comprises a water resistant or waterproof material.

15. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein at least one of the peaks of the headgear comprises a water resistant or waterproof material.

16. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein at least a part of the headgear comprises a cotton or treated cotton material.

17. Headgear according to any preceding Claim wherein at least a part of the headgear comprises a breathable fabric.

18. Headgear substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying figures.