CAP AND METHOD FOR FORMING THE SAME

Abstract

A cap and a method for forming the same are provided. An integrally formed outer layer of fabric and an integrally formed moldable layer are adhesively bonded together to form a moldable panel. A curved edge of the moldable panel is then formed by a mold. After that, the moldable panel and at least one second panel are connected to form a crown, to which a peak is subsequently connected to form the cap. Once the curved edge of the moldable panel is formed by heating and pressure application through the mold, the integrally formed moldable layer keeps the moldable panel in shape, so there is no need to support the outer layer of fabric and curve, for example, the front panel with two pieces of buckram that are stitched together, as is conventionally required.

Claims

1. A method for forming a cap, comprising the steps of: adhesively bonding together an integrally formed outer layer of fabric and an integrally formed moldable layer to form a moldable panel; forming a curved edge of the moldable panel by a mold; connecting the moldable panel and at least one second panel to form a crown; and connecting a peak to the crown to form the cap.

2. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moldable panel has a layer of buckram adhesively bonded to the moldable layer.

3. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moldable layer is made of wool, and the mold works at a molding temperature between 165° C. and 195° C.

4. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moldable layer is made of an ethylene-vinyl acetate material, and the mold works at a molding temperature between 185° C. and 215° C.

5. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moldable layer is made of polypropylene, and the mold works at a molding temperature between 100° C. and 120° C.

6. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moldable panel is a front panel, and the at least one second panel is four side panels.

7. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer layer of fabric of the moldable panel is integrally formed with the at least one second panel.

8. The method for forming a cap as claimed in claim 7, wherein the integrally formed moldable layer is also adhesively bonded to the at least one second panel.

9. A cap, comprising: a crown having a moldable panel and at least one second panel, wherein the moldable panel and the at least one second panel are connected, the moldable panel has an integrally formed outer layer of fabric and an integrally formed moldable layer adhesively bonded to the outer layer of fabric, and the moldable panel has a curved edge formed by a mold; and a peak connected to the crown.

10. The cap of claim 9, wherein the moldable panel has a layer of buckram adhesively bonded to the moldable layer.

11. The cap of claim 9, wherein the moldable layer is made of one of wool, an ethylene-vinyl acetate material, and polypropylene.

12. The cap of claim 9, wherein the moldable panel is a front panel, and the at least one second panel is four side panels.

13. The cap of claim 9, wherein the outer layer of fabric of the moldable panel is integrally formed with the at least one second panel.

14. The cap of claim 13, wherein the integrally formed moldable layer is also adhesively bonded to the at least one second panel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cap according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cap in FIG. 1.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cap in FIG. 1, showing that the cap includes four side panels.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the cap according to another embodiment of the invention, in which the cap includes a single side panel.

[0027] FIG. 5 is the flowchart of the method of the present invention for forming a cap.

[0028] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the cap according to yet another embodiment of the invention, in which the front panel and some of the side panels are each provided with a moldable layer.

[0029] FIG. 6A is a bottom view of the cap according to still another embodiment of the invention, in which the cap includes a single side panel and the side panel is provided with a moldable layer.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the cap according to a further embodiment of the invention, in which the front panel and all the side panels are provided with a moldable layer.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional baseball cap.

[0032] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another conventional baseball cap.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of yet another conventional baseball cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] The technical features described above are incorporated into the cap of the present invention and a method for forming the same. The major effects of the cap and of the forming method are demonstrated by the following embodiment.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the cap according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a crown 1 and a peak 2.

[0036] The crown 1 has a front panel 11 and a plurality of side panels 12, wherein all the panels 11 and 12 are connected together. In this embodiment, the front panel 11 and the four side panels 12 are connected to form the crown 1. If a different manufacturing method is used, there may be only one side panel 12 as shown in FIG. 4, and in that case, the single front panel 11 and the single side panel 12 are connected to form the crown 1. The peak 2 is subsequently connected to the front panel 11 of the crown 1.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 5, the front panel 11 is a moldable panel and includes an integrally formed outer layer of fabric 111, an integrally formed moldable layer 112 adhesively bonded to the outer layer of fabric 111, and an integrally formed layer of buckram 113 adhesively bonded to the moldable layer 112. In addition, the front panel 11 has a curved edge formed by a mold 3. More specifically, the cap is formed by first bonding the outer layer of fabric 111, the moldable layer 112, and the layer of buckram 113 together adhesively to form the front panel 11; then performing a single molding process that involves heating and pressure application through the mold 3 to form the curved edge of the front panel 11, wherein the outer layer of fabric 111, the moldable layer 112, and the layer of buckram 113 may be cut to the shape of the front panel 11 immediately after they are adhesively bonded together or be trimmed after the curved edge of the front panel 11 is formed by the mold 3; connecting the front panel 11 and the side panels 12 to form the crown 1; and connecting the peak 2 to the front panel 11 of the crown 1 to form the cap. It should be pointed out that while the front panel 11 and the side panels 12 in this embodiment are connected by stitching, the side panels 12 may be integrally formed with the outer layer of fabric 111 of the front panel 11 instead. That is to say, the side panels 12 and the outer layer of fabric 111 of the front panel 11 may be made of a single sheet of fabric, before the moldable layer 112 is adhesively bonded to the sheet of fabric at a position corresponding to the front panel 11 (this configuration is not shown in the drawings). As another alternative, the outer layer of fabric 111 of the front panel 11 may be integrally formed with the side panels 12, with the integrally formed moldable layer 112 provided on the front panel 11 and the side panels 12 (this configuration is not shown in the drawings, either). It should be further pointed out that, apart from disposing the moldable layer 112 on the front panel 11 in order to form the protruding curved edge, the present invention allows the moldable layer 112 to be disposed on the front panel 11 and/or the side panels 12 as needed in order to form the curved edge, as shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6A, and FIG. 7. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which the front panel 11 and some of the side panels 12 are each provided with the moldable layer 112, and FIG. 7 shows an embodiment in which the front panel 11 and all the side panels 12 are provided with the moldable layer 112. In FIG. 6A, the moldable panel forms a single side panel 12A, and a top portion of the front panel 11A is formed with a stitched joint 111A in a conventional manner.

[0038] The moldable layer 112 may be made of wool, or an EVA material, or PP; the present invention has no limitation in this regard. The moldable layer 112 may be made of any material that can be molded into the desired shape when heated and subjected to pressure. When the moldable layer 112 is made of wool, the mold 3 may work at a molding temperature between 165° C. and 195° C., preferably 180° C. When the moldable layer 112 is made of an EVA material, the mold 3 may work at a molding temperature between 185° C. and 215° C., preferably 200° C. When the moldable layer 112 is made of PP, the mold 3 may work at a molding temperature between 100° C. and 120° C., preferably 110° C. Using a proper molding temperature that suits the material of the moldable layer 112 helps shape the moldable layer 112 effectively so that the moldable layer 112 can effectively support the outer layer of fabric 111 and the layer of buckram 113 to keep the curved edge of the front panel 11 in shape.

[0039] In this embodiment, the cap made by the forming method described above is such that once the curved edge of the front panel 11 is formed by the mold 3, the integrally formed outer layer of fabric 111 is supported, and has its shape maintained, by the integrally formed moldable layer 112 and therefore need not be supported by multiple pieces of buckram that are stitched together, as is required in the prior art. In this embodiment, the layer of buckram 113 is adhesively bonded to the moldable layer 112 to enhance the erectness of the front panel 11. Moreover, now that the moldable layer 112 can keep its molded shape, the layer of buckram 113 is integrally formed rather than made by stitching at least two pieces of buckram together. Consequently, none of the outer layer of fabric 111, the moldable layer 112, and the layer of buckram 113 of the front panel 11 has a joint. When making a decoration on the front panel 11 by embroidering or other methods, therefore, the needle or thread used for embroidering will not be broken due an uneven or overly thick joint that is typical in the prior art, and various defects attributable to such joints are prevented to ensure the quality of the decoration, be it made by embroidering or otherwise.

[0040] The front panel 11 in the present invention is so designed that the outer layer of fabric 111, the moldable layer 112, and the layer of buckram 113 are adhesively bonded together before a single molding process is performed with the mold 3 at a temperature and pressure that are appropriate to the material of the moldable layer 112. Hence, not only are the plurality of processing steps of the prior art reduced, but also imprecise fabric connection and misalignment between adhesively bonded fabrics are avoided to lower the fraction defective and reduce defective products. In addition, the material of the outer layer of fabric 111 of the front panel 11 in the invention is subject to no limitations and can be chosen arbitrarily according to product requirements. The materials of the moldable layer 112 and of the layer of buckram 113 can be adjusted as well to meet product requirements. Depending on the materials of the outer layer of fabric 111 and of the moldable layer 112, the layer of buckram 113 can also be adjusted flexibly. For example, the layer of buckram 113 may be dispensed with when the molded moldable layer 112 is hard enough to support the curved edge of the front panel 11.

[0041] The foregoing description of the illustrated embodiment should be able to enable a full understanding of the operation, use, and effects of the present invention. The embodiment, however, is only a preferred one of the invention and is not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the invention. All simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the present specification and the appended claims shall fall within the scope of the invention.