US3247521A - Composite bathing cap - Google Patents

Description

April 26, 1966 H. A. OWEN 3,247,521

COMPOS ITE BATHING CAP Filed Nov. 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l (fig-I. /0 4.

INVENIOR Hamid ,4. Owen BY Wm ATTORNEY A ril 26, 1966 H. A. OWEN 3,247,521

COMPOSITE BATHING CAP Filed Nov. 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Harold 4. 050572/ BY W W- aw ,e.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,247,521 COMPOSITE BATHING CAP Harold A. Owen, Dover, Del., assignor to International Latex Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 431,484 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-68) This application is a continuation-in-part of my patent application Serial Number 330,468 filed December 13, 1963, now abandoned.

My invention is a composite bathing cap comprising an innerwaterproof protective cap and an outer decorative fabric headdress, with'improved .and peculiarly adapted securing means detachaibly securing them together.

The composite cap of my invention permits a girl to wear a waterproof protective cap directly over her hair for keeping it dry while or showering, and permits her at the very same time to wear an attractive feminine headdress which give her the stylish appearance she likes on the beach or even in the water. The form of the invention that is made up particularly for use in showering will enable her to look attractive and smart in the dormitory, or even when she is alone will enable her to enjoy a smart appearance. This composite article with detachable fastening between .the inner and outer parts also enables her to conveniently make alternative use of either the inner protective cap alone, both together, or the outer headdress alone. The inner waterproof cap can be Worn alone as a swim cap, or its looser version can be worn alone as a shower cap. The fabric headdress can be worn over the swim cap on the beach or in the water. The fabric of the outer headdress dries quickly, so the composite swim cap and outer headdress can be worn continuously at the beach in and out of the water. Similarly in the style designed more for taking a shower, the. inner waterproof cap can be worn alone to protectthe hair, or the composite cap can be worn right in the shower when, as for example in a dormitory, the user wants to appear smart and stylish. The outer decorative headdress can be worn alone on the beach for example if a girl does not want to be wearing a tight waterproof cap but does want to protect her hair from wind or sun and look attractive and chic. The outer headdress is well suited to be worn alone over curlers, and this is true of both the beach version and the shower vers1on.

The composite cap of the present invention would not be successful if the operations of fastening together and detaching were inconvenient. The effective durability of the relatively frail outer headdress is also important. In fine, the composite cap must be easy to put together and take apart, 'as well as to don and adjust singly or combined, without undue strain particularly upon the outer headdress member. Therefore specifically suitable fastening arrangements are required.

In the drawings I have shown an illustrative composite bathing cap made up for beach and swim wear, and also an illustrative composite bathing cap made for shower and boudoir wear.

FIGURE 1 shows the inner waterproof protective cap of a composite swim cap made in accordance with my invention,

FIGURE 2 shows the composite swim cap being worn with the outer headdress Worn over, and secured to, the inner water-proof cap,

FIGURE 3 shows the outer headdress being worn alone,

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 are corresponding views of the composite bathing cap design for shower and boudoir wear, and

FIGURE 7 is a view of the outer headdress of the composite swim cap turned inside out to show the elastic 3,247,521 Patented Apr. 26, 1966 edge band and the tabs attached thereto which carry the snap fastener elements.

Whether designed for swim and beach Wear or for shower or boudoir wear, my composite bathing cap comprises an inner waterproof protective cap, shown at .10 in FIGURES 1 and 3 and 20in FIGURES 4 and 6, an outer decorative fabric headdress shown at '15 in FIG- URES 2, 3 and 7 and 25 in FIGURES 5 and 6. In each case the inner and outer members are detachably fastened together at their lower edges by snap fasteners. These are snap fasteners of standard type made up of male and female members mounted on the outside of the inner cap and the .inside of the outer cap member. Preferably the male snap fastener elements are mounted .on the water.- proof cap and the female elements on the headdress, but in any event each cap member has all one kind and the other member has all the other kind. These snap fasteners or their parts are all identified in the drawings by reference character 30.

In all cases a plurality of snap fasteners are provided on the outer face of the inner waterproof cap at its lower edge, and these fasteners are about equally spaced around its periphery. These snap fasteners have their mating element on the outer side of the cap, and are secured by a clip applied to the inner face of the cap. As seen in FIG- URE 3, the cap has a longitudinally fluted foam rubber channel water dam as its resilient bottom edge portion and these fasteners are preferably applied onto this dam immediately inboard of its outermost longitudinal rib. Since this swim cap is primarily utilitarian the visibility of the snap fasteners at its outer face when this element is worn by itself does not detract appreciably.

The same is not true however for the outer headdress. Its purpose is glamour and feminine attractiveness, which effect would be seriously impaired if mechanical fastener elements were visible at its outer surface. I solve this problem and the problems of provision for handling and stretching in one combined arrangement. I sew an elastic band upon the inner surface of the outer headdress, near its bottom edge, at and covering the raw edge of the turned-over hem. This elastic band is stretched to one and a half to two times its rest length when it is sewed upon the extended edge of the cap. When the stretching force is withdrawn the elastic band resumes its rest length, gathering in-rather uniformlythe bottom edge of the cap, shortening its periphery from its initial substantially larger size. Thus this headdress has an expansi-ble opening therein. The usual head size lies about midway between the rest diameter dimension of the band as sembly and the fully extended dimension, which latter is limited and determined by the extended dimension of the non-stretch fabric of which the headdress member is made.

Snap fastener elements complementary to those on the inner Waterproof cap member are secured to the inner face of the outer headdress. They are secured thereto at the elastic band. In the preferred embodiment of my invention these snap fastener elements are preformed onto short lengths of tape, constituting one form of fabric tab means, and these lengths of tape have their free ends inserted into the turned over hem. This is done just before the elastic is sewed on and the hem thereby sewed closed, the fabric tab means thus extending free and up inside the headdress. This displaces the snap fastener a short distance upwardly from the elastic band. The distance from the elastic band to the center of the fastener may typically be one-half inch.

It will be understood that during the making up of these caps the sewing operators will observe only a limited degree of precision. Likewise there is in practice limited precision of the positioning of the snap fasteners onto the inner cap member. Moreover, when the cap is placed on the head the headdress is pulled locally in one part more than another, and the girl may have occasion to reach her hand up into it to tuck her hair into place or make some other adjustment. This places a localized strain on the headdress. The gathering and stretchability of the sections between the fastener elements on the headdress allows some accommodation for this when the headdress is so made, but in any event the short tape lengths themselves allow accornrnadation. They can swing to give extra length to one side or the other. They also can give some degree of vertical accommodation as between the outer headdress and the inner cap. The outer headdress is a somewhat complicated article and it would be unduly complicated if it had to be made other than with a bottom edge lying in a single plane. The inner swim cap on the other hand often curves down from the forehead to the ears and levels off at the nape. Edge distortion is avoided by the difference in elasticity of the edges of the two members. Moreover, these two can better accommodate themselves to each other because of the short lengths of vertically extending tape that give some play for this purpose.

It will be appreciated that in the case of the swim cap more fastener elements are needed, especially if the composite cap is to be Worn in the surf, whereas the shower cap needs fewer. In each case preferably the fasteners are symmetrically arranged and the outer headdress at least is sufficiently symmetrical in a rotational sense that the user can fasten any fastener element on the headdress to any fastening element on the inner cap, and then proceed around and fasten the remainder. It is not in such case necessary to match some one particular element on the one member with some one particular elements on the other.

Having described illustrative embodiments of my invention, I claim:

1. A composite bathing cap comprising an inner waterproof protective cap provided with a plurality of snap fastener elements at its lower edge spaced about its periphery and an outer decorative fabric headdress having an expansible bottom edge opening therein and a plurality of complementary snap fastener elements about the inside of its periphery, said bottom edge opening having an elastic tape secured about its periphery at its inner surface, said elastic tape being stretchable to about one and a half to two times its rest length and being secured along its length to the decorative headdress when in stretched condition whereby to substantially uniformly gather the decorative headdress so its can trimly fit the inner protective cap when assembled onto it and when 4 removed it can freely distend over a sometimes bulk hairdo.

2. A composite bathing cap comprising an inner waterproof protective cap provided with a plurality of snap fastener elements at its lower edge spaced about its periphery and an outer decorative fabric headdress of substantially larger periphery, means for shortening said headdress periphery, fabric tab means secured about the periphery and extending free, and up inside the headdress, snap fasteners carried by said fabric tab means at free end locations peripherally spaced, the said two sets of snap fasteners being complementary and detachably securing the protective cap and the decorative headdress together with facility notwithstanding rotational variations, any differences in dimensions and shape, and slack tolerances in manufacture.

3. A composite bathing cap comprising an inner waterproof protective cap having a resilient lower edge and provided with a plurality of snap fastener elements at its lower edge spaced about its periphery and an outer decorative fabric headdress having an expansible bottom edge opening therein, the inner, protective, cap having its snaps lying along the periphery which generally follows the hairline but goes under the ears and is thus a compound curve not lying in one plane, in order to give fastening along the edge and have the edge accord with the forehead, ears, and nape, while the outer decorative headdress has its snaps all lying in one plane to facilitate manufacture, and the bottom edge of the outer headdress having an elastic tape which is more expansible than the resilient lower edge of the inner cap so that their difference in elasticity allows the outer headdress to be gathered and the inner cap and outer headdress to readily fit each other in the desired shape at their common bottom edges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,453,862 5/1923 Check 2-187 1,670,631 5/1928 Miller 2-68 X 2,242,420 5/ 1941 Giovanna 2-68 3,019,444 2/1962 Pollack 2-68 3,051,960 9/1962. Rendulich 2-68 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

M, J. COLITZ, G. H. KRIZMANICH,

Assistant Examiners,

Claims (1)

1. A COMPOSITE BATHING CAP COMPRISING AN INNER WATERPROOF PROTECTIVE CAP PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF SNAP FASTENER ELEMENTS AT ITS LOWER EDGE SPACED ABOUT ITS PERIPHERY AND AN OUTER DECORATIVE FABRIC HEADDRESS HAVING AN EXPANSIBLE BOTTOM EDGE OPENING THEREIN AND A PLURALITY OF COMPLEMENTARY SNAP FASTENER ELEMENTS ABOUT THE INSIDE OF ITS PERIPHERY, SAID BOTTOM EDGE OPENING HAVING AN ELASTIC TAPE SECURED ABOUT ITS PERIPHERY AT ITS INNER SURFACE, SAID ELASTIC TAPE BEING STRETCHABLE TO ABOUT ONE AND A HALF TO TWO TIMES ITS REST LENGTH AND BEING SECURED ALONG ITS LENGTH TO THE DECORATIVE HEADDRESS WHEN IN STRETCHED CONDITION WHEREBY TO SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY GATHER THE DECORATIVE HEADDRESS SO ITS CAN TRIMLY FIT THE INNER PROTECTIVE CAP WHEN ASSEMBLED ONTO IT AND WHEN REMOVED IT CAN FREELY DISTEND OVER A SOMETIMES BULKY HAIRDO.

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