WO2006036997A1

WO2006036997A1 - Reversible hat with pockets

Info

Publication number: WO2006036997A1
Application number: PCT/US2005/034708
Authority: WO
Inventors: Toshio Hosogai
Original assignee: Toshio Hosogai
Priority date: 2004-09-27
Filing date: 2005-09-26
Publication date: 2006-04-06
Also published as: US20060143776A1

Abstract

A reversible hat with a visor has pockets with closures. The hat is of the form sometimes referred to as a baseball cap. The crown and front portions of the hat have a single layer of fabric, so that the hat is relatively lightweight and the crown portion can loosely drape into a relaxed shape. The closure for each pocket can be a zipper, Velcro, snaps or other suitable closure. The side portions of the hat have two layers of fabric forming the walls of the pocket. The visor has two layers of fabric with a middle layer of stiffening material. In some embodiments, the side portions and visor fabrics are of different colors and/or materials on the pocketed and unpocketed side of the hat. In some embodiments, the visor is detachably coupled to the front portion.

Description

REVERSIBLE HAT WITH POCKETS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hats and headwear, and more particularly, is directed to a hat sometimes referred to as a baseball cap, that is reversible and that has pockets with closures.

Hats are a popular and beloved form of clothing. Many reversible hats have been proposed, and these generally are reversible so that the fabric and/or designs can differ on the inside and outside of the hat. However, having two layers of fabric creates additional bulk and stiffness, which is undesirable in certain styles of hats. While many forms of pockets have been proposed for hats, in particular interior pockets to hold items more securely and/or with less visibility to an observer, the present inventor is unaware of any reversible hats with pockets.

Accordingly, there is room for an improved reversible hat design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with an aspect of this invention, there is provided a reversible hat comprising a crown portion formed of a single layer of material, and two adjacent layers of material forming a pocket therebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupled to the crown portion.

According to a further aspect of this invention, one of the layers has a zipper closure for providing access to the pocket. A front portion is coupled to the crown portion and the side portions, and a visor is coupled to the front portion. The perimeter of the crown portion has a U-shaped part and a generally flat part, and a crown strip coupled to the U-shaped part of the crown portion. A brim strip is coupled to the bottom circumference of the hat.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided a reversible hat comprising a crown portion formed of a single layer of material, first and second adjacent layers of material forming a left pocket therebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupled to the crown portion, and third and fourth adjacent layers of material forming a right pocket therebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupled to the crown portion. In accordance with a further aspect of this invention, there is provided a reversible hat comprising a crown portion formed of a single layer of material and having a perimeter with a U-shaped part and a generally flat part, left and right side portions each formed of a single layer of material and coupled to the U-shaped part of the crown portion, a crown strip coupled to the U-shaped part of the crown portion and to the left and right side portions, and a brim strip coupled to the generally flat part of the crown portion and to the left and right side portions.

It is not intended that the invention be summarized here in its entirety. Rather, further features, aspects and advantages of the invention are set forth in or are apparent from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. IA is a side view of the pocketed side of a hat according to the present invention;

Fig. IB is a side view of the unpocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA; Fig. 2A is a back view of the pocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA; Fig. 2B is a back view of the unpocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA; Fig. 3A is a top view of the pocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA;

Fig. 3B is a top view of the unpocketed side of the hat of Fig. 1 A; Fig. 4 is a cutaway view of a pocket of the hat of Fig. IA; Fig. 5 is a cutaway view of the crown seam of the hat of Fig. IA; and Fig. 6 is a cutaway view of the bottom of another embodiment of the hat having a removable visor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A reversible hat with a visor has pockets with closures. The hat is of the form sometimes referred to as a baseball cap. The crown and front portions of the hat have a single layer of fabric, so that the hat is relatively lightweight and the crown portion can loosely drape into a relaxed shape.

The crown portion has a perimeter with a U-shaped part and a generally flat part. The U-shaped part is coupled to the front and sides of the hat. The generally flat part forms part of the bottom circumference of the hat.

The closure for each pocket can be a zipper, Velcro, snaps or other suitable closure. The side of the hat that has accessible pocket closures is referred to herein as the pocketed side of the hat. The side of the hat that does not reveal the pockets is referred to herein as the unpocketed side of the hat.

The hat has one pocket on each side portion. In other embodiments, the hat has only one pocket.

The side portions of the hat have two layers of fabric forming the walls of the pocket. The visor has two layers of fabric with a middle layer of stiffening material. In some embodiments, the side portions and visor fabrics are of different colors and/or materials on the pocketed and unpocketed side of the hat. For example, the material on the pocketed side may be water-resistant so that sweat, moisture or hair oils from the wearer's head are less likely to seep through the fabric and affect the contents of the pocket. As another example, the material on the unpocketed side may be highly reflective, so that the wearer is visible to drivers at night; since the unpocketed side portions are not in contact with the user's head, they can be formed of a coarse or stiff material that would be uncomfortable against the user's skin.

The material for the hat may be any suitable material, such as woven cotton, wool or synthetic such as polyester, knit cotton or wool or synthetic such as nylon, leather, suede, metallic mesh or latex, or other fabric as will apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The materials may be opaque or semi-transparent or transparent. The front and/or crown portions of the hat may be mesh to improve air circulation to the wearer's head.

In some embodiments, the visor is permanently attached to the front portion. In other embodiments, the visor is detachable from the front portion. An advantage of a detachable visor is that it can be stiffer, with a curved shape, whereas a permanently attached visor must be able to accommodate reversing. Fig. IA is a side view of the pocketed side of a hat according to the present invention. The hat comprises crown portion 10, front portion 20, visor portion 30 and side portion 40. The top edge of side portion 40 has zipper 45A along its length, which zips and unzips to seal and unseal the pocket in the side portion.

Fig. IB depicts the hat of Fig. IA turned inside out, that is, reversed so that the inside has become the outside. Fig. IB is a side view of the unpocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA. This side of the hat comprises the other side of the fabric of crown portion 10, the other side of the fabric of front portion 20, visor portion 31, side portion 41, crown strip 51 and brim strip 61. Visor portion 31 and side portion 41 are respectively opposite visor portion 30 and side portion 40. Fig. 2A is a back view of the pocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA. The back view shows that crown portion 10 extends from the front of the hat down to the back of the hat at its brim.

Dart 15 is located at the center back of crown portion 10, for shaping the hat. The folded portion of dart 15 is stitched down. In some embodiments, dart 15 is omitted. Side portion 42 is on the opposite side of the hat from side portion 40. The top edge of side portion 42 has zipper 45B along its length which enables access to the pocket in side portion 42.

Fig. 2B depicts the hat of Fig. 2A turned inside out, that is, reversed so that the inside has become the outside.

Fig. 2B is a back view of the unpocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA. Crown strip 51 forms a generally U-shape along the perimeter of crown portion 10. On this side of the hat, dart 16 has a folded edge that protects the raw edges of fabric forming dart 15, and the folded edge is stitched in place. Brim strip 61 extends around the bottom circumference of the hat. Side portion 43 is on the opposite side of the hat from side portion 42.

Side portions 40 and 41 form the walls of a first pocket. The top of the first pocket is formed by the seam with crown portion 10. The bottom of the first pocket is formed by the seam with brim strip 61. The forward side of the first pocket is formed by the seam with front portion 20. The rear side of the first pocket is formed by the seam with the bottom of crown portion 10. Zipper 45A serves as the closure for the first pocket.

Side portions 42 and 43 form the walls of a second pocket. The top of the second pocket is formed by the seam with crown portion 10. The bottom of the second pocket is formed by the seam with brim strip 61. The forward side of the second pocket is formed by the seam with front portion 20. The rear side of the second pocket is formed by the seam with the bottom of crown portion 10. Zipper 45B serves as the closure for the second pocket. Visor portions 30 and 31 preferably have an enclosed stiffening material, to impart sturdiness to the visor of the hat. Visor portions 30, 31 are permanently coupled to front portion 10. In the embodiment shown, visor portions 30, 31 are also coupled to the side portions of the hat; but in other embodiments, visor portions 30, 31 are coupled to only front portion 10.

Fig. 3A is a top view of the pocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA, showing crown portion 10 having a generally U-shape.

Fig. 3B depicts the hat of Fig. 3A turned inside out, that is, reversed so that the inside has become the outside.

Fig. 3B is a top view of the unpocketed side of the hat of Fig. IA, showing crown strip 51 along the U-shaped edge of crown portion 10. Fig. 4 is a cutaway view of the first pocket of the hat of Fig. IA. The bottom edge of zipper 45 A is on the inside of the pocket. The top of side portion 40 is sewn to the bottom edge of zipper 45 A, and the seam allowance edge of the top of side portion 40 is on the inside of the pocket. The top edge of zipper 45 A and the top edge of side portion 41 are covered by crown strip 51 (not shown). Brim strip 61 is a rectangular strip of fabric that is folded along its long edge, and then the raw edges are again folded under and covered by the main part of brim strip 61. Brim strip 61 is sewn along its top and bottom edges to the hat. The top edge of brim strip 61 is sewn to only side portion 41 so as to make the first pocket slightly larger than if the top edge of brim strip 61 were sewn to both side portions 40 and 41. Brim strip 61 serves to reinforce the brim of the hat, and add shape to the hat by stiffening the bottom circumference.

Fig. 5 is a cutaway view of the crown seam of the hat of Fig. IA. Crown strip 51 is a rectangular strip of fabric that is folded along its long edge. One long edge is stitched to the edges of side portions 42, 43 and crown portion 10. The other long edge is folded around the raw edges of side portions 42, 43, crown portion 10 and crown strip 51 and then the folded long edge is topstitched in place.

Crown strip 51 functions to protect the raw edges of the seam between crown portion 10 and either front portion 20 or side portions 40, 41, 42, 43.

Varying the shape of front portion 20 alters the silhouette of the hat. In the embodiment shown, front portion 20 has a slightly longer top edge than bottom edge, so that the hat has a full crown that creases in front and folds on top of the visor. In other embodiments, front portion 20 is shaped differently so that the crown of the hat follows the contour of the wearer's head.

In some embodiments, the hat lacks pockets and is simply a reversible hat. When the hat lacks pockets, in some embodiments, there is only one side portion on each of the left and right sides of the hat. The raw top edge of the side portion is protected by crown strip 51. The raw bottom edge of the side portion is folded and protected by brim strip 61. The seam between the side of the front portion and the side of the side portion is formed by folding the each of the sides and offsetting the folded edges then topstitching each folded edge to a body of the opposing one of the side and front portion; this is a conventional reversible seam.

In other embodiments, the visor is detachable. Specifically, the visor is attached to the front portion by a detachable closure such as a zipper, velcro hooks, snaps, reversible snaps or the like.

Fig. 6 is a cutaway view of the bottom of another embodiment of the hat having a removable visor. Front portion 25 and brim strip 65 are coupled to leave opening 5 therebetween, for attaching the closure in opening 5. When the closure is snaps, the female parts of the snaps are attached on both sides of opening 5, and the visor has the male parts of the snaps. When the closure is Velcro, the soft "eyes" part is attached on both sides of opening 5, and the hooks part of the Velcro is attached to the visor. Other suitable arrangements will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

The bottom of front portion 25 is folded and coupled to brim strip 65 at a convenient distance from the foldline, leaving enough space to attach female snap 26 to the inside of front portion 25. Similarly, brim strip 65 has an unattached bottom edge forming one of the walls of opening 5, and female snap 66 is attached to the inside of brim strip 65. Snaps 26 and 66 correspond, that is, depending on which side of the hat is the outside, a visor (not shown) will have a male snap that mates with one of snaps 26, 66.

In another embodiment, a reversible snap (not shown) is used. The reversible snap is attached through the thickness of the brim strip and the bottom edge of the front portion. In some cases, the reversible snap has two parts that pierce the fabric and then mate to form a device with a female snap on both sides. The male snap is attached to the visor. In some cases, the brim strip and the bottom of the front portion are attached as in Fig. 6, but with a tongue of fabric inserted in the opening. The tongue is a rectangular strip folded in its long dimension. The fold hangs in the opening formed by the brim strip and the bottom of the front portion. The raw edges of the fabric tongue are enclosed between the stitching coupling the brim strip to the front portion. The reversible snaps are located on the fabric tongue. The brim strip and the bottom of the front portion surrounding the fabric tongue serve as padding so that the reversible snap does not directly contact the wearer's head.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, and various modifications thereof, have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and the described modifications, and that various changes and further modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A reversible hat comprising: a crown portion formed of a single layer of material, and two adjacent layers of material forming a pocket therebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupled to the crown portion.

2. The hat of claim 1, wherein one of the layers has a closure for providing access to the pocket.

3. The hat of claim 2, wherein the closure is a zipper.

4. The hat of claim 1, further comprising a front portion coupled to the crown portion and the side portions.

5. The hat of claim 4, further comprising a visor coupled to the front portion.

6. The hat of claim 5, wherein the visor is detachably coupled to the front portion.

7. The hat of claim 1, wherein the perimeter of the crown portion has a U- shaped part and a generally flat part, further comprising a crown strip coupled to the U- shaped part of the crown portion.

8. The hat of claim 1, further comprising a brim strip coupled to the bottom circumference of the hat.

9. A reversible hat comprising: a crown portion formed of a single layer of material, first and second adjacent layers of material forming a left pocket therebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupled to the crown portion, and third and fourth adjacent layers of material forming a right pocket therebetween, each of the layers being a side portion and being coupled to the crown portion.

10. The hat of claim 9, wherein each of the first and third layers has a closure for providing access to the pocket.

11. The hat of claim 10, wherein each of the closures is a zipper.

12. The hat of claim 9, further comprising a front portion coupled to the crown portion and the side portions.

13. The hat of claim 12, further comprising a visor coupled to the front portion.

14. The hat of claim 13, wherein the visor is detachably coupled to the front portion.

15. The hat of claim 9, wherein the perimeter of the crown portion has a U- shaped part and a generally flat part, further comprising a crown strip coupled to the U- shaped part of the crown portion.

16. The hat of claim 9, further comprising a brim strip coupled to the bottom circumference of the hat.

17. A reversible hat comprising: a crown portion formed of a single layer of material and having a perimeter with a U- shaped part and a generally flat part, left and right side portions each formed of a single layer of material and coupled to the U-shaped part of the crown portion, a crown strip coupled to the U-shaped part of the crown portion and to the left and right side portions, and a brim strip coupled to the generally flat part of the crown portion and to the left and right side portions.

18. The hat of claim 17, further comprising a front portion coupled to the crown portion and the side portions.

19. The hat of claim 17, further comprising a visor coupled to the front portion.

20. The hat of claim 19, wherein the visor is detachably coupled to the front portion.