US3505682A - Flipper hat - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1970 E. c. MIMS 3,505,682

FLIPPER HAT Filed Sept. 5. 1968 INVENTOR, EDWARD c MIMS United States Patent 3,505,682 FLIPPER HAT Edward C. Mims, 254 Church St., Elberton, Ga. 30635 Filed Sept. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 757,711 Int. Cl. A42c /00 U.S. Cl. 2-185 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hat for sportsmen or the like having a waterproof compartment integrally formed therewithin capable of opening and closing along the crown portion for carrying any number of small paraphernalia intended to be insulated from the various weather elements.

This invention relates to a hat for sportsmen or the like and more particularly to a hat designed to carry any number of small paraphernalia used by the sportsman and which are intended to be insulated from moisture and wet weather conditions.

It is normally customary for most sportsmen, whether they be golfers, hunters, fishermen, or the like, to use a kit bag or similar container, or even a pocket or two for holding golf balls, fish hooks, golf tees, shotgun or rifle shells, etc., which are expected to be used and must be readily available for easy access. Sometimes it is quite a burden for a sportsman to carry with him various kits and containers for his supplies or to use his jacket or trouser pockets for carrying some of the small items on his person, because they can be easily misplaced or lost even become quite cumbersome while, for example, teeing off or while taking aim at game. Besides, such items as shotgun shells need to be kept free of moisture or exposure to the wet weather elements and many of the other supplies such as wet golfballs and tees only dampen the sportsmans pockets as he uses them repeatedly throughout the game. On the other hand, since most sportsmen are accustomed to wearing a hat or cap while fishing, hunting, etc., it would be advantageous for him if he were provided with a pocket or compartment in his hat for carrying some of his small supplies.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hat for the sportsman having means for carrying various small articles so as to forego the necessity of a separate container or the use of pockets on his person.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a hat of the character described wherein the pocket or kit compartment is easily accessible to the user without unduly burdening him while carrying around his various supplies.

A further object of the present design is to provide a hat characterized by a slit extending substantially along the side of the hats crown portion so that it may be easily flipped up by the user for insertion or removal of his various paraphernalia, and having a zipper fastener or the like for closing and opening said slit.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a hat of the character described which has a compartment or pocket at the inner top portion of its crown extending above and below the side slit and designed to be opened along with the opening and closing of the crown portion for storing small articles by the user.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a hat of the type described wherein the pocket or compartment is of a waterproof construction for insulating either wet or dry supplies after being placed therein.

3,505,682 Patented Apr. 14, 1970 Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a typical hat which may be worn by the sportsman;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the hat shown in FIGURE 1 but with its crown portion completely open for the insertion of various articles;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of another typical hat which may be worn by the sportsman; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the hat shown in FIGURE 4 but with its crown portion completely open.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals refer to the like and corresponding parts throughout several views, there is shown in FIGURE 1, a typical sportsmans hat 10 having a fiat top crown portion 11 with a brim 12 around the entire periphery of the hat. A zipper fastener 13 is provided along a slit which extends around substantially the entire side wall 14 of the crown of the hat. FIGURE 2 shows the hat after the zipper fastener 13 has been completely opened so that a lid portion 15 of the hat can be flipped open by the user which lid may be hinged as at 16 to the remaining crown portion of the hat. It can be seen, therefore, that the wearer of hat 10 simply needs to reach up and unfasten zipper 13 for easy access to the inside of his hat after the lid 15 is flipped open as shown.

Referring now to FIGURE 3 of the drawings, a compartment or pocket 17 is provided at the inner topmost portion of the crown and is sewn or otherwise secured to the flat top portion 11 of the crown and to the side wall 14. As can be seen, the compartment 17 is designed to extend above and below the location of zipper 13 on the crown portion of the hat, and the bottom wall 18 of the compartment is designed to be maintained a sutficient distance from the bottom 19 of the crown so as not to interfere with a normal wearing of the hat. Also, as can be seen in FIGURE 2, the compartment 17 is capable of being opened by the zipper 13' since it is also provided with a slit 27 around its side wall similar to the type of opening provided for the crown portion. Accordingly, when the zipper fastener is opened and the lid 15 flipped open as shown in the drawing, the compartment 17 is also opened so that the inside thereof is presented to the user for storage of his small supplies and other paraphernalia.

In FIGURES 4 and 5 of the drawings, another typical hat for the sportsman is shown identical to the hat 10 above-described except that the hat 20 is provided with a visor brim 21 instead of the type brim 12 of the hat 10. Here, a zipper 24 is provided along a slit which extends substantially around the length of the side wall 22 of the hat so that, when the zipper is open, a top lid 23 can be flipped open and hinged as at 26- for exposing the compartment 25 along its slit 28 in the same manner and according to the same design as described in relation to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. The compartment 17 and the compartment 25, which are identical except for a slight variation to accommodate different shapes of the crown, are preferably of a rubber or plastic material. In this way wet or moist articles such as golf balls and golf tees can be carried in the hats compartment without soiling or dampening the hat, and fishing gear such as hooks can be more easily carried in such a waterproof pocket without concern about the hook points entangling themselves in the threads of a pocket fabric as would normally be the case. In addition, shotgun shells and rifle shells used by the hunter or rifleman can be stored in such a waterproof pocket in a dry and moisture-free condition.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that a hat had been designed for most small articles and supplies used by sportsmen and provides for easy access to the stored supplies simply by undoing a zipper fastener around the top portion of the crown of the hat. In addition, the compartment or pocket which is presented to the user upon opening of the fastener is of waterproof construction so that either Wet articles or dry supplies can be carried as abovedescribed without burdening the sportsman with the need for a separate or additional container or kit or without the necessity of using his pockets for storing such articles. It is to be understood however that the waterproof compartment such as 17 or 25 as shown in the drawings can be easily adapted to most any hat shape so long as it is snugly fit within the top most portion of the hats crown and is provided with a zipper type or other suitable fastener so as to enable the user to flip open the top of the crown in a manner as described herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A flipper hat for sportsmen or the like comprising a flat-top crown portion, the side of said crown portion having a slit extending substantially along the entire length thereof so as to enable the top most portion of said crown to be flipped open, a zipper fastener for closing and opening said slit, and means defining a compart- 25 ment at the inner top portion of said crown extending above and below said side slit and designed to be opened and closed along with the *opening and closing of said top most crown portion so that the inside of said compartment means is presented to the user for storage of small paraphernalia, said compartment means comprising an insert having a top wall in contact with the upper wall of said crown, a side wall in contact with said crown side wall and having a slit therein coincident with said crown portion slit, and a bottom wall spaced from the bottom of said crown portion a sufficient distance so as not to interfere with a proper wearing of the said hat.

2. The flipper hat according to claim 1 wherein said insert is a one-piece waterproof construction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 661,509 11/1900 Fogg. 1,869,652 8/1932 Baker.

2,640,992 6/1953 Hassler 2199 2,744,256 5/1956 Slotkin et al. 2-195 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,472,626 1/ 1967 France.

MERVIN STERN, Primary Examiner G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner

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