US3373447A - Convertible hat - Google Patents

Description

March 19, 1968 J. KIM

CONVERTIBLE HAT Filed March 10, 1966 t/UNE United States Patent Ofifice 3,3 73,447 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 3,373,447 CONVERTIBLE HAT June Kim, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Reliable Knitting Works, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Mar. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 533,280 7 Claims. (Cl. 2-196) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A conventional hood, which includes a top cap portion, a lower neck portion and an intermediate face portion, is provided with a fastener arrangment adapted to hold the hood in a folded condition forming a shortened cap which will fit a wearers head. One of the fasteners is located in the crown area of the top cap portion and the other fastener is located in the intermediate portion of the hood so that when engaged they hold the shortened cap with a fold through the intermediate hood portion and with the fold defining the closed end of the shortened cap.

This invention relates to head covers or hats and, more particularly, to head covers of the hood-type having a face opening and adapted to be extended completely over a wearers head and neck and caps of the type adapted to fit only over the top of the wearers head.

Such hood-type head covers are common and well known in the hat industry, as are caps which fit only over the top of a wearers head and are cuffed at their lower open end. The latter is at times referred to as a hockey cap. Both types of hats have been very well received for some time. Recently, there has been a trend toward combining the functionsof both types of hats into a single structure and permitting selective conversion to either one or the other type of hat depending on weather conditions and the wearers preference.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved and simplified head cover which can be selectively converted for use as a hood to completely cover the wearers head and at least a portion of his neck or as a cap to cover only the top of the wearers head.

To achieve this and other objects, this invention proposes an arrangement which permits an otherwise conventional hood to be folded into a shortened cap with the fold being positively held by a connection which prevents undesired extension of the hood but which is selectively releasable to free the hood for full extension over the wearers head. More particularly, such hoods are generally tubular. In accordance with this invention the top portion of the hood is adapted to be turned back on the lower portion of the head along a fold line which is generally diametrical with relation to the overall generally tubular configuration of the hood. The top portion is folded over in exterior portion of the hood leaving the usual bottom neck opening undisturbed so that it still functions as the open end of the cap resulting from the fold, which cap is now shortened as compared to the hood by the amount of the fold.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out in, or be apparent from, the specification and claims, as will obvious modifications of the single embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hat embodying this invention extended as a hood;

FIG. 2 is a section view of the hat, again extended as a hood;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hat folded as a shortened cap;

FIG. 4 is a section view of the hat folded as a shortened cap; and

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the hat folded as a cap.

Hats of the type to which this invention relates are most commonly knit and, therefore, the hat illustrated as embodying this invention will be described as a knit hat but it will be appreciated that the hat can take other forms and can be constructed in any one of a number of other conventional manners.

Hood 10 is knit in an elongated tubular form and one end thereof is closed to provide a closed top cap portion 12. The other end of the hood provides a neck cover portion 14 having a conventional bottom opening 16. The top and neck portions are connected by a body portion 18 having a face portion 20 which is partially open but the remainder of which is closed. With this construction, a hood is provided which can be extended over and completely cover a wearers head and at least av portion of his neck except for openings provided in the face portion. As illustrated the face portion includes eye openings 22 and 24 and mouth opening 26, these openings being limited to a confined axial and circumferential area in body portion 18 of the hood. It will be appreciated that face openings other than that illustrated in FIG. 1 can be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

When used as a hood in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hood is pulled over the head through bottom opening 16 with top cap portion 12 fitting over the top, or crown, of the wearers head. The neck portion covers the wearers neck and the face portion fits over the wearers face with the back of the head being completely covered by the remainder of body portion 18.

To this point the hood construction is conventional. In accordance with this invention a first fastener 30 is connected to the top portion 12 of the hood and a second fastener 32 is connected to the hood at a point spaced from the first fastener in a direction toward the neck portion. Preferably, fastener 32 is positioned in the area of or adjacent to face portion 20 and loop 30 is positioned at the crown of the top cap portion. With this arrangement hood 10 can be folded on itself along a fold line 34 to lay the portion of the hood normally above the fold line over the portion of the hood which is below the fold line. More particularly, fold portion 36 is folded over face portion 20 and fastener 30 is connected to fastener 32 to hold the cap in this folded position. It will be noted that fold 34 is generally diametrical with respect to the tubular extension of hood 10 thus permitting exterior folding of the hood while leaving bottom opening 16 undisturbed to provide the usual hat opening, the hat taking the form of a cap which has been shortened by the amount of the fold. It will also be noted that fold portion 36 completely covers openings 22, 24, and 26 in the face portion to preserve the warmth of the cap.

Fastener 30 is preferably a loop sewn at the crown of top cap portion 12 and fastener 32 is a button attached to the face portion adjacent to the lower edge of mouth opening 26, or in the chin area of the hood as is illustrated in FIG. 2. Although other forms of fasteners can be utilized, the illustrated fasteners provide a simple and yet positive attachment to hold the fold and maintain the configuration of the shortened cap illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, but also permits facile selective release of the fasteners to permit extension of the hood when desired by the wearer.

Returning now to the specific positioning of fastener 32, it will be noted that this fastener is positioned between the face portion and bottom opening 16 to insure complete coverage of the face openings when the hat is folded. However, fastener 32 is spaced a sufficient distance from bottom opening 16 to permit the neck portion 14 to be folded on itself to form a cuff 38 for the shortened cap.

In making the cuff, neck portion 14 is folded along fold line 40 which is generally circumferential with respect to the tubular extension of the hood. Accordingly, even in the shortened folded cap bottom opening 16 in the neck portion retains its function of providing the opening through which the cap is drawn over the head. Moreover, fold line 34 forms the closed end of the cap while fasteners 30 and 32 present undesirable extension of the hood thereby insuring that the hat will continue to function as a shortened cap unless the fasteners are released. In summary, the hat embodying this invention can be used as a conventional hood by extending the tubular body of the hood and pulling the hood over the wearers head. In the event that the wearer should wish to use the hat merely as a shortened cap, or a hockey cap as it is sometimes referred to, the hood is folded intermediate its ends along diametrical fold line 34 and loop 30 is attached to button 32. Cuff 38 can then be formed by folding neck portion 14 on itself along circumferential fold line 40. The fasteners 30 and 32 hold the fold and permit the shortened cap to be pulled down on the wearers head as snugly as desired without danger of the hood extending.

Although but a single embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A generally elongated head cover comprising, in combination:

a closed top portion, an open neck portion, an intermediate portion extending between said closed top portion and neck portion, means defining a face portion in said intermediate portion, said head cover top, neck and intermeriate portions having a combined length to cover the wearers head and extend about the wearers neck being extendable to adapt said head cover to function as a hood with said top portion to fit over the top of a wearers head, said neck portion to be disposed at the wearers neck and said face portion to be disposed at the wearers face or said head cover being foldable intermediate said top portion and neck portion to function as a shortened cap to fit over the top of the wearers head and with the head cover from said fold to said top cap portion generally limited in extension to the remainder of said head cover, and fastening means comprising first and second fastener members attached to said head cover in relatively spaced relation and arranged for engagement, when said head cover is folded, to hold said head cover folded and with the fold of said head cover further arranged to define a closed end for the shortened cap and said open neck portion providing the open end of said shortened cap,

said fastening means when connected together locating the folded portion of said head cover in a position to substantially cover said means defining said face portion.

2. The head cover of claim 1 wherein said head cover has a generally tubular extension from said closed top portion and when the head cover is folded the fold being along a generally diametrical line with the head cover from said fold to said top portion being folded over the exterior of the remainder of the head cover;

3. The head cover of claim 1 wherein said first fastener member is attached to said top portion and said second fastener member is attached to said intermediate portion.

4. The head cover of claim 3 wherein said face portion includes a mouth opening therein and said second fastener member is attached to said intermediate portion in the area of said mouth opening.

5. The head cover of claim 1 wherein:

said first fastener member is attached to said top cap portion,

said neck portion includes a bottom opening, and

said second fastener is positioned intermediate said face portion and said bottom opening.

6. The head cover of claim 5 wherein said second fastener is spaced from said bottom opening a sufficient distance to permit said neck portion to be folded along a generally circumferential line intermediate said neck opening and said second fastener so that said neck portion can be folded back on itself to provide a folded cuff for said shortened cap.

7. The hood of claim 5 wherein said first fastener comprises a loop and said second fastener comprises a button.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 161,003 3/ 1875 Brugger et a1 2205 3,271,781 9/1966 Sontag et al. 2-202 3,287,737 11/1966 Schuessler 2-206 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,171 2/1886 England.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner.

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