CAP HAVING A VENTED BILL

Abstract

A cap includes a head cover and a bill extending from the head cover. The head cover is configured to be worn on the head of a user of the cap. The bill includes an inner wall that defines a vent through the bill. The cap may also include a mesh located in or across the vent and configured to allow airflow through the vent. In some embodiments, the vent may have a shape that imparts information to a view of the bill of the cap.

Claims

1. A cap comprising: a head cover configured to be worn on the head of a user of the cap; and a bill that extends from the head cover, wherein the bill includes an inner wall defining a vent through the bill; and a mesh located in the vent, wherein the mesh is configured to allow an amount of airflow through the vent while the cap is worn by the user.

2. The cap of claim 1, wherein the mesh comprises a fabric mesh.

3. The cap of claim 1, wherein the mesh comprises a rigid structure.

4. The cap of claim 3, wherein the rigid structure comprises a rigid frame formed from a plastic material.

5. The cap of claim 1, wherein the bill comprises a top substrate and a bottom substrate, wherein a first inner wall of the top substrate and a second inner wall of the bottom substrate cooperate to define the vent, and wherein a periphery of the mesh is positioned between the top substrate and the bottom substrate such that the mesh extends across the vent.

5. The cap of claim 4, wherein the mesh is positioned centrally within the vent when the bill is viewed from a plane perpendicular to the vent and extending through the vent.

6. The cap of claim 1, further comprising a bill covering, wherein the bill covering includes (i) a top cover that wraps around the first inner wall of the top substrate and (ii) a bottom cover that wraps around the second inner wall of the bottom substrate.

7. The cap of claim 1, wherein the mesh is secured to a bottom side of the bill.

8. The cap of claim 7, wherein the bill comprises a substrate and the mesh is sewn to a bottom side of the substrate.

9. The cap of claim 1, further comprising a detached indicia structure secured to the mesh and spaced apart from the bill.

10. The cap of claim 9, wherein the detached indicia structure is secured to a top side of the mesh.

11. The cap of claim 9, wherein the detached indicia structure comprises a top indicia structure secured to a top side of the mesh and a bottom indicia structure secured to a bottom side of the mesh such that a portion of the mesh is located between the top indicia structure and the bottom indicia structure.

12. The cap of claim 11, wherein the top indicia structure and the bottom indicia structure have an identical shape.

13. The cap of claim 9, wherein the detached indicia structure is formed to have a shape that provides information to a viewer of the bill of the cap when the bill is viewed from a top side of the bill.

14. The cap of claim 1, wherein the vent has a shape that provides information to a viewer of the bill of the cap when the bill is viewed from a top side of the bill.

15. The cap of claim 14, wherein the vent has an alphanumerical shape when viewed from the top side of the bill.

16. The cap of claim 14, wherein the vent is shaped as a logo or emoji.

17. The cap of claim 16, wherein the logo or emoji is associated with an entity identified on the head cover of the cap.

18. A cap comprising: a head cover configured to be worn on the head of a user of the cap; and a bill that extends from the head cover, wherein the bill includes an inner wall defining a vent through the bill and wherein a shape of the vent, when viewed from a top side of the bill by a viewer, provides information to the viewer.

19. The cap of claim 18, wherein the bill includes a substrate, a bill top covering attached to a top side of the substrate, and a bill bottom covering attached to a bottom side of the substrate, wherein the substrate includes the inner wall and the bill top covering and the bill bottom covering are sewn to each other along the inner wall.

20. The cap of claim 18, wherein the bill includes a substrate and a bill covering attached to a top side of the substrate, wherein the substrate includes the inner wall and the bill covering wraps across the inner wall from a top side of the substrate to a bottom side of the substrate and is sewn to the a bottom side of the substrate along a periphery of the vent.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The concepts described herein are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the accompanying figures. For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Where considered appropriate, reference labels have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of an embodiment of a cap having a head cover and a bill including an opened vent defined therethrough;

[0017] FIG. 2 is a top pan view of the cap of FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 3 is a bottom pan view of the cap of FIG. 1;

[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cap of FIG. 3 taken generally along the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

[0020] FIG. 5 is a bottom pan view of another embodiment of the cap of FIG. 1 having a head cover and a bill including an opened vent defined therethrough;

[0021] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cap of FIG. 5 taken generally along the section line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

[0022] FIG. 7 is a top pan view of another embodiment of the cap of FIG. 1 having a head cover and a bill including an opened vent defined therethrough;

[0023] FIG. 8 is a top pan view of another embodiment of the cap of FIG. 1 having a head cover and a bill including an opened vent defined therethrough;

[0024] FIG. 9 is a perspective side view of another embodiment of a cap having a head cover and a bill including an meshed vent defined therethrough;

[0025] FIG. 10 is a top pan view of the cap of FIG. 9;

[0026] FIG. 11 is a bottom pan view of the cap of FIG. 9;

[0027] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the cap of FIG. 9 taken generally along the section line 12-12 of FIG. 9;

[0028] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the cap of FIG. 9 taken generally along the section line 13-13 of FIG. 9;

[0029] FIG. 14 is a perspective side view of another embodiment of a cap having a head cover and a bill including an meshed vent defined therethrough that includes a detached indicia structure;

[0030] FIG. 15 is a top pan view of the cap of FIG. 14;

[0031] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the cap of FIG. 15 taken generally along the section line 16-16 of FIG. 15;

[0032] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the cap of FIG. 15 taken generally along the section line 16-16 of FIG. 15;

[0033] FIG. 18 is a perspective side view of another embodiment of a cap having a head cover and a bill including a rigid vent defined therethrough; and

[0034] FIG. 19 is a top pan view of the cap of FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described herein in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the present disclosure and the appended claims.

[0036] References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an illustrative embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may or may not necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. Additionally, it should be appreciated that items included in a list in the form of “at least one A, B, and C” can mean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C). Similarly, items listed in the form of “at least one of A, B, or C” can mean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (A and C); (B and C); or (A, B, and C).

[0037] In the drawings, some structural or method features may be shown in specific arrangements and/or orderings. However, it should be appreciated that such specific arrangements and/or orderings may not be required. Rather, in some embodiments, such features may be arranged in a different manner and/or order than shown in the illustrative figures. Additionally, the inclusion of a structural or method feature in a particular figure is not meant to imply that such feature is required in all embodiments and, in some embodiments, may not be included or may be combined with other features.

[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a cap 100 is configured to be worn on the head of a wearer in the manner that typical “baseball caps” are worn (e.g., in a forward, side, or backward orientation). The illustrative cap 100 includes a head cover 102 and a bill 104. The head cover 102 is shaped and sized to be worn on the wearer's head. For example, in the illustrative embodiment, the head cover 102 has a generally hemispherical shape and includes a convex outer surface 110 and a concave inner surface 112 opposite the outer surface 110. As shown in FIG. 3, the concave inner surface 112 defines a cavity 114 that is configured to receive an upper portion of the wearer's head. Illustratively, the head cover 102 is made from a fabric material, but may be made from a rigid material (e.g., a plastic material) in other embodiments. To facilitate varying sizes of wearers' heads, the head cover 102 may include an adjustment mechanism such as an adjustment band having a number of preset adjustment locations or a “continuously” adjustable band. Regardless, the adjustment mechanism is operable to adjust the circumference of a lower band of the head cover to thereby adjust a diameter 116 of the cavity 114 to properly fit the wearer's head, similar to typical “baseball caps.”

[0039] As best shown in FIG. 1, the head cover 102 includes a front side 118, which faces the same direction as the bill 104. In some embodiments, indicia may be included on the front side 118 of the head cover 102. The indicia may be embodied as any type of textual and/or pictorial indicia that identifies an entity (e.g., the manufacture of the cap 100), identifies the wearer of the cap, embodies an advertisement, and/or otherwise provides information to a viewer of the cap 100 while the cap 100 is worn by the wearer.

[0040] The bill 104 is attached to (e.g., sewn to) and extends from the head cover 102. Similar to typical “baseball caps,” the bill 104 is configured to provide an amount of protection from sunlight and other light sources to the wearer while the cap 100 is worn in a forward direction (i.e., with the bill facing forward). However, unlike typical “baseball caps,” the bill 104 of the cap 100 includes an inner sidewall 120 that defines a vent 122 through the bill 104. The vent 122 is embodied as an open vent (e.g., allows unrestricted air flow there through) in the illustrative embodiment of FIGS. 1-4, but may be embodied as a meshed vent in other embodiments as discussed in more detail below.

[0041] It should be appreciated that typical bills of “baseball caps” are designed to be solid, without the inclusion of any vents or holes, so as to provide the above-discussed protection from sunlight. However, the inclusion of the vent 122 in the bill 104 increases the likelihood that the cap 100 remains on the wearer's head during certain activities that may tend to cause typical caps with solid bills to become dislodged from the wearer's head. In particular, the vent 122 increases the likelihood, relative to a solid bill, that the cap 100 remains on the wearer's head during activities in which airflow is directed toward the bill 104 at a high velocity (e.g., while motorcycling, boating, jet skinning, etc.). Rather, the vent 122 allows an amount of the airflow directed toward the bill 104 to pass through the vent 122 and, as such, reduces the “sail-like” impact of the bill 104 that causes dislodgement of typical “baseball caps.” As discussed in more detail below, the number, shape, and size of the vent 122 may be selected and/or designed based on a number of criteria including, for example, the expected activity to be performed while wearing the cap 100, the size of the cap 100, any information that may be desired to be provided by the shape of the vent, other information displayed on the cap (e.g., on the front side 118), and/or other criteria. Although most illustrative embodiments are shown and discussed below as having a single vent 122, it should be appreciated that the cap 100 may have multiple, separate vents in other embodiments.

[0042] Illustratively, the bill 104 includes a substrate 130, which may be formed from any suitable rigid material such as a cardboard, plastic, or metallic material. In this way, the substrate 130 provides an amount of rigidity and structure to the bill 104. However, in some embodiments, the substrate 130 may allow manipulation by the wearer to adjust or form the shape of the bill 104 (e.g., to establish a desired frontal curvature to the bill 104). It should be appreciated that the substrate 130 includes the vent 122, which may be established during manufacturing of the cap 100 by forming (e.g., cutting or punching) the vent 122 into the substrate 130. In such cases, the sidewall 120 that defines the vent 122 is embodied as an inner sidewall 120 of the substrate 130 as shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIGS. 1-4.

[0043] The bill 104 also includes a bill covering 132, which wraps around the substrate 130. The bill covering 132 may be made from any suitable material such as a fabric or plastic material. Illustratively, the bill covering 132 includes a top bill covering 134, which is attached to or otherwise covers a top side 144 of the substrate 130, and a bottom bill covering 136, which is attached to or otherwise covers a bottom side 146 of the substrate 130 as shown in FIG. 4. The top bill covering 134 and the bottom bill covering 136 may be formed from the same or from different material and may have the same color and/or overall look or may have a different color and/or overall look. For example, in some embodiments, the bottom bill covering 136 may be of a lighter color than the top bill covering 134. As such, the top and bottom bill coverings 134, 136 may be formed from separate pieces of material or from the same piece of material (e.g., a unliterary construction).

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, in the illustrative embodiment, the top bill covering 132 and the bottom bill covering 134 are attached together along a seam 150 positioned on the inner sidewall 120. For example, the top and bottom bill coverings 134, 136 may be sewn or glued to each other along the seam 150. Because the seam 150 is located along the inner sidewall 120, the seam is less visible when the bill 104 is viewed from the top side or bottom side. In this way, the bill covering 132 may wrap around the inner sidewall 120 such that the inner sidewall 120 of the substrate 130 is not visible and the visibility of the seam 150 is also reduced.

[0045] Of course, in other embodiments, the top bill covering 132 and the bottom bill covering 134 may be attached together along a seam located away from the inner sidewall 120. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the top and bottom bill coverings 132, 134 may be attached together along a seam 550 defined along the perimeter of the vent 122 on the bottom side 146 of the substrate 130 of the bill 104. In such embodiments, the seam 550 is not visible from the top side of the bill 104 or through the vent. Rather, as shown in FIG. 6, the top bill covering 134 wraps completely across the inner sidewall 120 of the substrate 130. Of course, it should be appreciated that the location of the seam 150, 550 of the top and bottom bill coverings 132, 134 may be determined based on various criteria including, for example, the shape and size of the vent.

[0046] As discussed above, the vent 122 may have any suitable shape or size based on a various criteria. In some embodiments, the shape of the vent 122 is selected or otherwise defined so as to impart information to a viewer of the bill 104. For example, the vent 122 may be shaped in the form of a logo (e.g., a company or team logo), letter(s), number(s), word, phrase, emoji, emoticon, picture, alphanumerical representations, and/or other shape that imparts information to a viewer of the cap 100. For example, in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 7, the vent 122 is shaped as two joined circles, similar to a venn diagram, which may embody a company or team logo or the like. Alternatively, in another illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the vent 122 is shaped as a “smiley face,” which may embodied an emoji that imparts the information that the wearer is in a happy mood. Of course, in other embodiments, the vent 122 may have other shapes and/or sizes. In some embodiments, the vent 122 has a shape associated with indicia included on the front side 118. For example, in an illustrative embodiment, an entity's name (e.g., a company name) may be included on the front side 118 and vent 122 may be shaped as the entity's logo (e.g., the company's logo).

[0047] Referring now to FIGS. 9-13, in other embodiments, the vent 122 may be embodied as a mesh vent 122. In such embodiments, the cap 100 includes a mesh 900 located in the vent 122. The mesh 900 is configured to allow an amount of airflow through the vent 122 while the cap 100 is worn by the wearer, while also providing some additional amount of protection from sunlight and/or other light sources to the wearer. As such, the mesh 900 may be made from any suitable mesh material such as a fabric mesh. Additionally, the mesh 900 may have any suitable color. For example, in some embodiments, the color of the mesh 900 may match the color of the top bill covering 134, the bottom bill covering 136, or be different from the color of the top and bottom bill coverings 134, 136.

[0048] In some embodiments, the mesh 900 is attached to the top side or the bottom side of the bill 104 and positioned so as to cover the vent 122. For example, the mesh 900 may be attached to the top side 144 of the substrate 130. In such embodiments, a periphery of the mesh 900 may be positioned between the top bill covering 134 and the top side 144 of the substrate 130 and sewn, along with the top bill covering 134, to the substrate 130. Alternatively, the mesh 900 may be attached to the bottom side 146 of the substrate 130. In such embodiments, a periphery of the mesh 900 may be positioned between the bottom bill covering 136 and the bottom side 146 of the substrate 130 and sewn, along with the bottom bill covering 136, to the substrate 130.

[0049] Alternatively, as shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13, the mesh 900 may be positioned centrally within the vent 122 in the vertical direction. That is, as shown best in FIG. 12, the mesh 900 is located in the middle of the inner sidewall 120 when the vent is viewed from an imaginary plane that is perpendicular to the vent 122 and extends through the vent 122. In such embodiments, the substrate 130 may be formed from a top substrate 1200 and a bottom substrate 1202, which cooperate with each other to form the substrate 130. A periphery of the mesh 900 may be located or “sandwiched” between the top and bottom substrates 1200, 1202 such that the mesh 900 extends across the vent 122 in a vertically central location. In such embodiments, the inner sidewall 120 is formed from an inner sidewall 1210 of the top substrate 1200 and an inner sidewall 1212 of the bottom substrate 1202. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, the top bill covering 134 wraps around the inner sidewall 1210 of the top substrate 1200 and the bottom bill covering 136 wraps around the inner sidewall 1212 of the bottom substrate 1202 such that the periphery of the mesh 900 is captured between the top and bottom bill coverings 134, 136.

[0050] Referring now to FIGS. 14-17, in some embodiments, the cap 100 may further include a detached indicia structure 1400 secured to the mesh 900 but spaced apart from the bill 104. In this way, the indicia structure 1400 is detached from the bill 104 (e.g., from the substrate 130) and forms an “island” that is supported by the mesh 900. The detached indicia structure 1400 may have any suitable size and shape depending on various criteria. For example, in some embodiments, the size and shape of detached indicia structure 1400 is dependent on how much airflow is desired through the vent 122. The detached indicia structure 1400 may have a larger size to restrict the airflow or a smaller size to allow more airflow through the vent 122. In some embodiments, the detached indicia structure 1400 may form part of the overall information provided by the shape of the vent 122. For example, the detached indicia structure 1400 may form part of a logo, letter, or phrase formed by the vent 122. The detached indicia structure 1400 may be formed from any suitable material such as a rigid material. In the illustrative embodiment, the detached indicia structure 1400 is formed from the same material as the substrate 130 and may include its own covering, which may be similar to the bill covering 132. As such, the color of the detached indicia structure 1400 may match the color of the top bill covering 134, the bottom bill covering 136, or may have a different color.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 16, in the illustrative embodiment, the detached indicia structure 1400 is attached to a top side 902 of the mesh 900 in a location that is spaced apart from the substrate 130 of the bill 104. For example, the detached indicia structure 1400 may be sewn or glued to the mesh 900. Alternatively, in other embodiments as shown in FIG. 17, the detached indicia structure 1400 may be embodied as a top indicia structure 1700 and a bottom indicia structure 1702. In such embodiments, the top indicia structure 1700 is attached to a top side 902 of the mesh 900 and the bottom indicia structure 1702 is attached to a bottom side 904 of the mesh 900. To so, the top and bottom indicia structures 1702, 1704 may be sewn or glued to the mesh 900. In such embodiments, the top and bottom indicia structures 1702, 1704 may or may not have similar shapes, sizes, and/or colors.

[0052] Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, in some embodiments, the mesh 900 may be embodied as a rigid structure 1800. In such embodiments, the rigid structure 1800 is configured to allow an amount of airflow through the vent 122 while the cap 100 is worn by the wearer, while also providing some additional amount of protection from sunlight and/or other light sources to the wearer. The rigid structure 1800 may be made from any suitable rigid material such as a plastic or metal material. Additionally, the rigid structure 1800 may have any suitable color. For example, the color of the rigid structure 1800 may match the color of the top bill covering 134, the bottom bill covering 136, or be different from the color of the top and bottom bill coverings 134, 136. The rigid structure 1800 may be attached to the bill 104 in one of the manners described above in regard to the mesh 900.

[0053] While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such an illustration and description is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the disclosure are desired to be protected.

[0054] There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from the various features of the methods, apparatuses, and systems described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the methods, apparatuses, and systems of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of the methods, apparatuses, and systems that incorporate one or more of the features of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.