US20030131396A1

US20030131396A1 - Hat

Info

Publication number: US20030131396A1
Application number: US10/044,742
Authority: US
Inventors: Young Park
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-01-11
Filing date: 2002-01-11
Publication date: 2003-07-17

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hat the circumference of which is automatically adjusted in accordance with the size of the wearer's head. Thus, the invention provides a hat equipped with a dimension adjusting mechanism, which comprises a guiding body formed with a guiding groove and positioned circumferentially on the rear inside of a hat, and a guiding member fitted in the guiding groove of the guiding body in a slidable manner under elastic force, whereby the circumference of the hat is adjusted automatically depending on the size of the wearer's head. Further, the clamping means or stopper provided on the adjusting mechanism serves to relieve the possible tightening feeling on the wearer's head by clamping the adjusting mechanism at a chosen desired position.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hat which a user frequently wears during exercising or working and more particularly to a hat provided with a dimension adjusting mechanism for automatically adjusting the circumference of the hat dependant on the size of the user's head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventionally, adjustment of the circumference of a hat was generally conducted by a rubber strip or other elastic material inserted in the rear part of the hat to adjust the circumference of a hat with the help of the elasticity of the rubber.

However, such a construction tends to break in the long use due to the decreased strength of the adjusting material, which constituted a cause for shortened service life.

In order to compensate for such a flaw, there was developed a tightening band provided with a buckle, which has an engaging piece incorporated to engage with the mating projection, so that the circumference of a hat can be adjusted to suit the dimension of a user's head. However, this type of hat is associated with inconvenience and tediousness in that the clamping and releasing for the buckle mounted on the tightening band has to be conducted every time the circumference of a hat needs to be adjusted for the purpose of correct adaptation of the hat to the head.

Further, in order to relieve the trouble in clamping and releasing work for buckle, an adjusting device comprising a tightening belt formed with ratchet teeth and a buckle for clamping the tightening belt is disclosed, wherein a user conducts the direct adjustment to be suited to the head. This is also disadvantageous because the wearer has to adjust the dimension of the hat one by one whenever the hat is used and the ratchet teeth for fixing the tightening belt is apt to be damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the object of the invention is to provide a hat resolving the problems as described above, which hat can provide the enhanced convenience to the wearer through the possibility of automatically adjusting the circumference of a hat to the dimension of the wearer's head when the hat is put on.

The other object of the invention is to provide a hat which can provide a feeling of comfort to the wearer through the possibility of clamping the circumferential dimension of the hat at a desired position.

The above objects are achieved according to the invention by an adjustable hat comprising: a hat dimension adjusting mechanism including a hollow guiding body positioned on one side circumferentially of a cut-out opening in the hat and provided with a guiding groove constituting the hollow part, the cut-out opening being formed on a certain circumferential portion of the hat; and a guiding member positioned opposite to the solid guiding body with regard to the guiding groove, with one end of the member fixed on the inside of the hat at a circumferential marginal position and with the other end slidably inserted in the guiding groove of the guiding body across the cut-out opening; and an elastic member positioned in the guiding groove of the guiding body, with one end of the member fixed to the circumferential inner wall of the guiding groove and the other end fixed to the guiding member, said elastic member acting to give the guiding member the elastic force to extend from or contract into the guiding groove dependant on the size of a user's head.

Furthermore, specially the second object is achieved by a hat which comprises further a clamping means positioned below said hat dimension adjusting member for selectively clamping the guiding member at a desired position, as the guiding member extends from or contracts into the guiding body.

Preferably, the clamping means comprises a guiding hole formed at the bottom wall of the guiding body to communicate with the guiding groove; fixing grooves formed on the area of the guiding member at a finite spacing, said area being opposed to the guiding hole; and a clamping pin with a tip adapted to be fitted in one of the fixing grooves after moving up from the guiding hole and with an engagement projection formed on the main body of the pin for prevention of the pin from falling out of the guiding hole.

The elastic member typically comprises a spring.

Further, said elastic member may comprise a rubber band or an elastic fabric band weaved from the mixture of rubber and cloth.

The above objects are achieved according to the invention by an adjustable hat comprising: a hat dimension adjusting mechanism including a hollow guiding body positioned on both sides circumferentially of a cut-out opening which be positioned across and slidably inserted in the guiding groove of the guiding body. an elastic member positioned in the guiding groove of the guiding body, with one end of the member fixed to the circumferential the guiding groove and the other end fixed to the guiding member, said elastic member acting to give the guiding member the elastic force to extend from or contract into the guiding groove dependant on the size of a user's head.

Thus, the invention has the advantage that the convenience is improved due to the self-acting adjustability of the circumference of a hat dependant on the dimension of a wearer's head thanks to the elastic member and the comfort is also enhanced due to the manual adjustability of the circumference of a hat dependant on the dimension of a wearer's head, as required, through the tightening control by means of the guiding member.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given here below, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which: [0016]
FIG. 1 shows the perspective view of a hat according to the first embodiment of the invention, [0017]
FIG. 2 shows the enlarged plan view in cross section along the line I-I in FIG. 1, [0018]
FIG. 3 shows the enlarged cross section of a hat according to the second embodiment of the invention, as if along the line II-I in FIG. 2 and [0019]
FIG. 4 shows the enlarged view of the portion marked “A” in FIG. 3.[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail below by referring to the accompanying drawings. [0021]
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show the perspective view of a hat according to the invention and the enlarged cross sectional plan view along line I-I in FIG. 1, a [0022] hat 100 with a visor 103 is formed with a semicircular cut-out opening 102 in the rear middle area, wherein the dimension adjusting mechanism 120 adapted to be adjusted automatically in its circumferential dimension in accordance with the size of the user's head is provided in the opening 102.
The [0023] dimension adjusting mechanism 120 comprises a hollow guiding body 121 and a guiding member 122, which are secured on opposite sides of the cut-out opening 102. Further the hollow guiding body 121 and the guiding member 122 are attached integrally with the hat 100 in a conventionally known method so that they may not be fallen off the hat 100.
The guiding [0024] body 121 is formed with a guiding groove 124 which extends lengthily and is open at one side to receive the guiding member 122 slidably and from the innermost wall of which the first engagement projection 123 protrudes toward the open side. The guiding member 122 is fixed to the hat at its one end and is movable with its other end inside the guiding groove 124 of the guiding body 121. Furthermore, the guiding member 122 is formed with the second engagement projection 125 at that other end, which projection is of the same size as the first engagement projection 123 and is positioned opposed to the latter in the assembled state to cooperate therewith. These first and second projections 123 and 125 serve to guide and secure a spring 130 positioned inside the guiding groove 124.
The [0025] spring 130, which is fixed to the first engagement projection 123 at its one end and to the second engagement projection 125 at its other end, elastically guides the movement of the guiding member 122 in the guiding groove 124, restoring the guiding member 122 to its original position while permitting its far travel. The spring 130, preferably formed of a tension spring, extends to suit the size of the user's head from its shrunk state when not in service. Any suitable material, such as a rubber band, a mixed band of rubber and fiber or the like may be used as the spring 130 beside the coil spring as depicted.
Accordingly, the guiding [0026] member 122, the end part of which was normally positioned deep inside the guiding groove 124 due to the contracting force of the spring 130, slides outwardly along the guiding groove 124 of the guiding body 121 according to the size of the user's head, as soon as the user puts on the hat 100. Simultaneously, the spring 130 with its one end fixed on the second engagement projection 125 of the guiding member also expands, wherein the other end part of the spring 130 is fixedly fitted on the first engagement projection 123 formed on the innermost side of the guiding groove 124 to prevent the spring 130 from falling off. Accordingly, all a hat user has to do is to put on the hat 100 without a need for directly handling the adjusting mechanism for extension or contraction to suit the size of his or her head, as the guiding member 122 is moved naturally along the guiding groove 124 in accordance with the extension of the spring 130 dependant on the size of the user's head, controlling the circumferential dimension of the hat 100.
FIG. 3, the cross-sectional view along the line [0027] 11-11 in FIG. 2, shows the dimension adjusting mechanism 120 provided with a clamping means 140, the adjusting mechanism being installed on the hat according to the second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 shows the enlarged view of the portion marked “A” in FIG. 3. The same or similar parts are given the same symbols as in the first embodiment.
The reason for provision of the clamping means [0028] 140 on the dimension adjusting mechanism 120 is because the head of a user is pressed tightly on its circumference, causing feeling of some pain, when a hat is put on, as the guiding member 122 is contracted toward the inside of the guiding groove 124 of the guiding body 121 due to the contracting force of the springs 130 a and 130 b installed on the guiding body 121 and guiding member 122 of the adjusting mechanism 120. In other words, the clamping means 140 serves to restrict the intact full tension of the spring by selectively stopping the moving guiding member 122 at a certain position against the contracting force of the springs 130 a and 130 b. The clamping means 140 is provided with a guiding hole 142, formed to extend from the bottom of the guiding body 121 surface to communicate with the guiding groove 124. The guiding stepped hole 142 is passed through by a fixing pin 146 movable from the guiding hole 142 toward the guiding groove 124, wherein the fixing pin 146 is desirably slidable in as tight contact with the inner surface of the hole 142 as possible. With that maximized tightness, the fixing pin 146 can be maintained in an overall stabilized tightness without any playing, and without the risk of falling out of the fixing groove 144, when the tip of the fixing pin 146 is fitted in one of the fixing grooves 144 formed on the guiding member 122. Further, the fixing pin 146 is formed with an engagement projection 143 to prevent falling off the guiding hole 142 during operation. The method by which a fixing pin 146 is inserted in a guiding hole 142 is not described here, because it is generally known in the art.
The [0029] fixing grooves 144, which are formed along a length of the guiding member 122 on its bottom face at a finite spacing, acts to prevent the guiding member 122 from infiltrating further under the influence of the springs 130 a and 130 b through the engagement of the fixing pin 146 with a chosen fixing groove 144.
Although a plurality of [0030] springs 130 a, 130 b were employed in this second embodiment, their function is just the same as that of the single spring 130 in the previous embodiment concerning FIG. 2, except for the elastic strength.
In operation of the clamping means [0031] 140 constructed as described above, when a user feels suppression on the head due to the shrinking guiding member 122 caused by the intense springs 130 a, 130 b, the fixing pin 146 is pushed up in the direction of the guiding member 122, while the fixing pin has normally been, on one side of the guiding body 121, out of engagement with fixing groove 144 of the guiding member 122. Then, the tip of the fixing pin 146 is, under the guidance of the guiding hole 142, brought into fitting engagement with that fixing groove 144 of the guiding member 122, which groove comes across the tip, braking further shrinking movement of the guiding member 122 due to the elastic force of the springs 130 a, 130 b. Therefore, suppression on the user's head is relieved. In order to disengage the clamping means 140, the fixing pin 146 is pulled outside by gripping its rear end, whereby the fixing pin 140 is moved to its original position removed from the fixing groove 144.
The [0032] hat 100 according to the invention is restored to its original or new state after every use due to the springs incorporated in the guiding groove 124 of the guiding body 121, which springs act as restoring springs as well.
Although the spring([0033] 130)(130 a)(130 b) is provided one side of the guiding body(121) in the adjusting mechanism(120) of the hat circumstance, and the guiding member(122) extended and moved in the above embodiment, FIG. 1 shows that the above guiding member(122) including springs(130 a)(130 b) of both sides is provided the guiding body(121), which constituted the hats and the adjusting mechanism(120).
The foregoing discussion discloses and describes an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. [0034]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable hat having a cut-out opening formed on a certain circumferential portion of the hat, said hat comprising:

a hat dimension adjusting mechanism including a hollow guiding body and a guide member, the hollow guiding body positioned on one side circumferentially of the cut-out opening in the hat and provided with a guiding groove having a circumferential inner wall, the guiding member having one end fixed on the inside of the hat at a circumferential marginal position and another end slidably inserted in the guiding groove of the guiding body across the cut-out opening; and

an elastic member positioned in the guiding groove of the guiding body, with one end of the elastic member fixed to the circumferential inner wall of the guiding groove and the other end fixed to the guiding member, said elastic member acting to give the guiding member the elastic force to extend from or contract into the guiding groove dependant on the size of a user's head.

2. The adjustable hat according to claim 1 further including a clamping means in operative engagement with said hat dimension adjusting mechanism for selectively clamping the guiding member at a desired position as the guiding member extends from or contracts into the guiding body.

3. The adjustable hat according to claim 2, wherein the clamping means further includes a guiding hole formed in the guiding body to communicate with the guiding groove, fixing grooves formed on the guiding member at a finite spacing and opposed to the guiding hole, and a clamping pin with a tip adapted to be fitted in one of the fixing grooves and with an engagement projection formed on the main body of the pin to prevent the pin from falling out of the guiding hole.

4. The adjustable hat according to claim 3, wherein the clamping means is positioned below said hat adjusting mechanism, wherein the guiding hole is formed at the bottom wall of the guiding body, and wherein the clamping pin tip is adapted to be fitted in one of the fixing grooves after moving up from the guiding hole.

5. The adjustable hat according to claim 1, wherein said elastic member comprises a spring.

6. The adjustable hat according to claim 1, wherein said elastic member comprises a rubber band or an elastic fabric band weaved from the mixture of rubber and cloth.

7. An adjustable hat having a cut-out opening, said hat comprising:

a hat dimension adjusting mechanism positioned on both sides circumferentially of the cut-out opening, said hat dimension adjusting mechanism including a guiding member and a hollow guiding body with a guiding groove, said guiding member positioned across and slidably inserted in the guiding groove of the guiding body and,

an elastic member positioned in the guiding groove of the guiding body, with one end of the elastic member fixed to the guiding body at a circumferential end of the guiding groove and the other end fixed to the guiding member, said elastic member acting to give the guiding member the elastic force to extend from or contract into the guiding groove dependant on the size of a user's head.