AU585067B2 - Ventilated hat - Google Patents

Description

VENTILATED SUN HAT

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to hats and more particularly to hats acting as sun screens and providing head ventilation.

BACKGROUND ART Many forms of hats exist for wearing as protection against solar radiation with specific adaptions such as wide brims and depending flaps as neck shades, so as to protect the wearer against skin damage. Specific consideration needs be given to overcoming the insulating effect of the headgear and in traditional forms of headwear the hat is often stood off the head on a supporting framework to allow some circulation of air around the head. As hot air rises and is trapped beneath the hat, this_#arrangement is not totally effective to vent the air space beneath the hat. ^{* *} '

^■ OUTLINE OF TfiE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a hat with superior shading characteristics and a degree of control over the amount of shading afforded through use of the hat. It is a further object of the invention to provide a hat which is ventilated so as not to be uncomfortable to its wearer. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will hereinafter become apparent.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention resides in one broad aspect in a hat comprising a hat body having a surrounding brim, adjacent the junction therebetween there is provided a head band to engage about the forehead of the wearer, spacer means securing the head band to the lower inner periphery of the hat body in spaced relationship thereto to afford lower ventilation openings between the wearer's head and said hat body, the hat body comprising a lower body portion and an upper crown portion interconnected at their junction by spaced connector passage means allowing air flow from within the lower body portion to the outside of the hat body beneath said crown portion, whereby air within the hat body heated by the wearer*s head temperature passes upwardly through said connector passage means to the exterior of the hat to cool the wearer's head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings and wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a first preferred embodiment of hat constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the hat of Fig. 1 looking from below;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are respective plan, front and rear views of a second preferred embodiment of a hat constructed in accordance with the present invention; and Fig. 6 illustrates in pictorial view third preferred embodiment of a hat constructed in accordance with the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings and first to

Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated a hat 10 comprising a hat body 11 having a surrounding brim 12, adjacent the junction 13 between body 11 and brim 12 there is provided a head band 14 adapted as illustrated to be engaged about the forehead of the wearer. Spacer means 15 are spaced at regular intervals and secure the head band 14 to the lower inner periphery of the hat body 11. The spacer means 15, the band 14, and the hat body 11 define therebetween ventilation openings 17 for passage of air. The hat body 11 further comprises a lower body portion 18 and an upper crown portion 19 connected by spaced connector passage means which may be in the form of a circumferential lip 20 resiliently co-operating with spaced lips 21 for clip on connection to define vent passages 22. Alternatively the crown portion may be made integral with the lower body portion and rim and preferably preventing the passage of sunlight through the vent passages 22. Head band 14 may be continuous and elastic or it may be deleted and the spacers 15 may directly support the hat on the wearer's head. A suitable chiri strap may be used.

The hat may be supported by any suitable means that is effective to maintain the space therebetween. The existence of the space around the head, it opening beneath the hat, and its venting above the head of the wearer creates a positive form of ventilation with air heated by the wearer's head able to rise through vent passages 22 to draw cooler air through ventilation passages 17.

The brim of the hat may be a two part construction with a clip on extension 23 located about the brim 12. These parts might be joined by a suitable snap together jointing means at 24. This might comprise the arrangement shown with a lip 25 beneath which the extension edge 26 is pressed to be positively located. Additionally there might be provided a clip on downwardly dependent shading member 27. This might be a filter material effective to absorb or reflect ultraviolet whilst able to pass visible wavelengths, so that the shading member does not impair the wearer's view. Alternatively the shading member 27 might be an opaque piece fitted around only part of the brim, say the re r, or be a combination of opaque material at the rear and clear material in front.

The parts of the above described hat might be conveniently produced by plastic moulding processes and to that end, as the hat is stood off its wearer's head and need not match its contours, the hat parts might be circular to simplify the mould formation. Where the upper crown portion 18 and the lower body portion 19 are to be split, these can be moulded separately, and with shallow curves, simple moulding techniques such as by pressing flat stock sheet between mould parts might be utilised. In that case,' the edge clip arrangements for extension

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'pieces might require modification: The cap piece might be provided with three or so finger type extensions 21 to engage behind a lip 20 so as to enable a clip together construction. Alternatively, the two sections might be joined by additional parts such as rivetted posts spacing the two sections. A further method of construction may involve a light weight frame carried on a head band 14 with cloth cap pieces and body piece with brim clipped thereto. It will be clear that more than one extension piece 23 might be employed in the brim and that the downwardly dependent member might be provided at any one of the different peripheries established thereby. To reduce material requirements, the downwardly dependent member might be provided closer in to the head being hung from beneath the brim rather than over its edge. The above described venting arrangement enables production of a hat with downwardly dependent filter screen surfaces that totally surround the head whilst enabling the wearer to breathe continually replenished fresh air as heated air rises out the top to draw in cooler air at the bottom. The skirt may be of a relatively solid material so as to resist collapse or flapping in breezes. Referring to Figs. 3, 4 and 5 there is illustrated respective plan, front, and rear views of a second embodiment of a hat 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention, like numerals have been used to illustrate like features consistent with the features of Figs. 1 and 2.

The space connector passage means_*20 are in the form of two forwardly disposed apertures 28 and one rearwardly disposed aperture 29 with the lower body portion 18 being integral with the crown portion 19. The aperture 29 is preferably dimensioned larger than the combined dimensions of the apertures 28. In use the wearer of the hat whilst stationary will experience the cooling effects from the upward convection of air through passages 17, 28 and 29. However when the wearer is in forward motion with the location of the apertures 28 and 29 at forward and rearward positions respectively air will flow beneath the upper crown portion 19 in through apertures 28 and out through apertures 29 in addition to the upward flow of air through lower ventilation openings 17. As a result of the larger dimension of rearward aperture 29 air flow through ventilation openings 17 will be increased. The shape of the apertures 28 and 29 is optional and may vary for example from the dot-dash outline 30 to the solid outline 31. The upward edge of the apertures 28 and 29 are adapted to overhang the aperture to prevent direct access of the suns rays to the interior of the hat. Referring to Fig. 6 there is illustrated a third embodiment of a hat constructed in accordance with the invention where like numerals have been used to described like features consistent with the features of the preceding figures. As in the previous embodiment lower ventilation openings 17 are positioned about head band 14 for flow of air past the head of the wearer through spaced connector passage means 20. In this case inclined supports 32 are arranged to provide a two tiered set of circumferentially disposed upwardly and radially inclined pa-ssages directed toward crown portion 19. This provides in effect circumferentially spaced elongate- passages which are of a depth such as to prevent the passage of direct rays of sunlight into the interior of the hat body. As in the preceding embodiments this arrangement will prevent direct passage of sunlight into the interior of the hat body. It will thus be understood that whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example, various modifications and variations may be made to the above described embodiments by persons skilled in the art without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth and defined in the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A hat comprising a hat body having a surrounding brim, adjacent the junction therebetween there is provided a head band to engage about the forehead of the wearer, spacer means securing the head band to the lower inner periphery of the hat body in spaced relationship thereto to afford lower ventilation openings between the wearer's head and said hat body, the hat body comprising a lower body portion and an upper crown portion interconnected at their junction by spaced connector passage means allowing air flow from within the lower body portion to the outside of the hat body beneath said crown portion, whereby air within the hat body heated by the wearer's head temperature passes upwardly through said qpnnector passage means to the exterior of the hat to cool the wearer's head.

2. A hat as defined in Claim 1 wherein the spaced connector passage means is so arranged as to prevent passage therethrough of direct rays of- sunlight into the interior of the hat body.

3. A hat as defined in Claim 2 wherein the said upper crown portion is releasably connected to said lower body portion.

4. A hat as defined in Claim 2 wherein the said upper crown portion is integral with the said lower body portion.

5. A hat as defined in Claim 2 wherein the surrounding brim includes extension attachment means.

6. A hat as defined in Claim 5 wherein the hat includes extension means in the form of a brim extension or a downwardly depending shading member.

7. A hat as defined in Claim 4 wherein the said spaced connector passage means are provided in rearward and forward locations on said hat.

8. A hat as defined in Claim 7 wherein said rearward located passage means is of larger total dimension than said forward -located passage means.

9. A hat as defined in Claim 2 wherein the upper crown portion includes means for overhanging said spaced connector passage means for preventing the passage of direct rays of sunlight therethrough.

10. A hat as defined in Claim 2 wherein the spaced connector passage means includes circumferentially spaced elongate passages at the junction between the upper crown portion and lower body portion.