ATTACHMENT FOR A CAP

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/740,606 filed Dec. 31, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to baseball cap merchandise, and more particularly to an attachment for a cap that includes a cord having flexible wire loop ends for securing the cord to the cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A rope hat is a style of headwear characterized by a decorative braided cord or “rope” that runs across the base of the front panel, just above the brim. Originally designed as simple sun visors, rope hats have evolved from functional sun protection to trendy fashion accessories. Sailors and fishermen wore these hats for practical reasons, protecting themselves from the harsh conditions encountered while out on the ocean. The distinctive rope encircling the crown was more than just a decoration, it secured the hat and represented the maritime heritage and the nautical life.

By the mid-20th century, rope hats became popular in golf culture, frequently seen on the heads of professionals in the 1950s and 1970s. Today, the rope or cord on the hat is typically decorative, and the caps typically provide full coverage, including a structured crown having a 5-panel construction, a seamless front surface ideal for embroidered logos, a curved brim, and the unique rope detail positioned between the brim and the crown. In the past couple of years, rope hats have seen a massive resurgence as a trendy accessory in streetwear, outdoor sports, and promotional merchandise for sports such as the NFL. Indeed, the rope hat has become versatile enough to be acceptable attire in a variety of settings, from casual outings to more polished events, providing opportunities for personal expression.

To date, the cords of rope hats have been affixed, embedded, integrated, sewn-in, stitched, fastened or otherwise permanently attached to the cap. However, rather than being sewn into the cap, it can be useful to exchange different colors or types of cords onto the same hat. It would therefore be advantageous to provide a means for reversibly clipping or attaching a modular rope or cord to a baseball cap. It would also be useful to provide the free ends of the rope or cord with small, lightweight and malleable loop clips which are easily releasable from the cap, do not irritate the user, and can attach the rope to any appropriate cap or hat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises an attachment device including a rope or cord for decorating a baseball cap or hat, in which the cord can be removed and re-attached to any appropriate cap. The cord has two free ends, and each free end of the cord includes a flexible loop clip which can be engaged with the inside band of the cap. The flexible loop clips can be easily releasable, small, and light in weight. They typically are folded or curled around the base of the cap and do not irritate the user. The cord can be attached to the interior band of the cap, positioned between brim and crown. The cord can be removed simply by straightening the flexible loops to disengage them from the cap.

A first aspect of the invention provides an attachment for a hat, the hat attachment comprising: (a) a cord having a first free end and a second free end; (b) a first flexible loop clip attached to the first free end of the cord; and (c) a second flexible loop clip attached to the second free end of the cord.

A second aspect of the invention provides an attachment for a hat, the hat attachment comprising: (a) cord having a first free end and a second free end; (b) a first flexible loop clip attached to the first free end of the cord; and (c) a second flexible loop clip attached to the second free end of the cord; wherein each flexible loop clip comprises: (i) a neck portion attached by a swage to its respective free end of the cord; and (ii) a loop portion for releasably securing the clip to a portion of the cap, wherein the loop portion is movable between a closed position in which the loop is engaged with the cap and an open position in which the loop is released from the cap.

A third aspect of the invention provides a method of attaching and detaching a hat attachment, the hat attachment comprising (a) a cord having a first free end and a second free end; (b) a first flexible loop clip attached to the first free end of the cord; and (c) a second flexible loop clip attached to the second free end of the cord, wherein the method comprises: (a) securing the cord to the hat, the hat comprising a crown portion, a brim portion, and a band, the step of securing the cord to the hat comprising the steps of: (i) attaching the first and second flexible loop clips to the hat by bending them and hooking them onto the band at opposing sides of the brim; and (ii) adjusting the tightness of the cord by sliding either of the loop clips back along the band to find the desired fit; and (b) removing the cord from the hat by straightening the first and second flexible loops to disengage them from the cap.

The nature and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following drawings, detailed description, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical baseball hat or cap on the head of a user, the cap having a rope attachment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the cap of FIG. 1, showing the free ends of the rope attachment clipped to the inner band of the cap;

FIG. 3 illustrates one preferred embodiment of an attachment device, according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of an attachment device, according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical baseball hat or cap 100, which has two main parts: a crown 110 which covers the user's head, and a brim 120, also called a visor, peak or bill, which sticks out from the crown and protects a user's face from the sun. The brim's back edge 121, opposite its front edge 122, is typically connected to the bottom or base of the crown 110 and creates the crown's connection to the brim 120, and forming a border between the brim 120 and the crown 110. In FIG. 1, the cord 106 of the inventive hat attachment 102 is located at this border. The crown 110 is usually built up by three or more panels 111, which are sewn together to the shape of a half globe. Positioned at the apex, where the cap's panels converge, a top button 113 can be located on top of the crown to help hold all the panels 111 together.

Looking at FIG. 2, the cap includes a band 115, which can be a sweatband or a strip of fabric at the bottom portion of the crown 110, and which is the portion of the cap that makes fitting contact with the user's head. The inner band 115 can serve multiple purposes besides fitting to the head, including making the cap comfortable and also to help wick moisture away. Many baseball caps also have a size adjuster 117 located in the rear of the cap to allow the cap to fit a variety of head sizes. The size adjuster 117 may be fabricated from several items including but not limited to, plastic bands, belts, or Velcro.

FIGS. 1-4 show a preferred embodiment of the inventive hat attachment 102 for the cap 100 of FIG. 1. The hat attachment 102 is typically a small lanyard, rope or cord 106 with a pair of flexible, bendable loops 105, 107, which serve as clips attached at either free end of the cord. The cord 106 can be made of any type of material, but preferably materials such as paracord, nylon, and polyester are used because they are lightweight, durable, resistant to mold and mildew, and do not stretch or shrink easily. Paracord (parachute cord) is made of nylon and is usually made up of several strands for strength. Other materials such as cotton, leather or woven jacquard can also be used. The cord is typically cylindrical in cross-section, and typically has a length of between about 7 inches and about 15 inches, preferably between about 10 inches and about 12 inches, and a thickness of between about ⅛ inches and about 2/8 inches. However, the cord can have any type of cross-sectional shape, and those having skill in the art will appreciate that the length and width of the cord may vary, e.g., with hat size.

The looped ends, namely, a first flexible loop clip 105 and a second flexible loop clip 107, are intended for securing the cord 106 to inner band 115 of the cap 100, typically at the border between the brim 120 and the crown 110, i.e. near the back edge of the brim 120 and in contact with the bottom portion of the crown 110. The flexible loop clips 105, 107 are attached to the cap 100 by bending them and hooking them onto a portion of the cap, preferably to the inner band 115 of the cap, just inside the lateral edges of the brim 120. The user can easily adjust the tightness of the cord 106 on the brim 120 by sliding either of the loop clips 105, 107 back along the hat's inner band 115 to find the desired fit.

To manufacture the inventive hat attachment 102, the flexible loop clips 105, 107 can be attached to the cord at their neck portions by encasing together the neck portion 108 of each loop with an end of the cord 106. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, a heat-shrinkable swage tubing 109 can be used to connect the neck portion 108 of each flexible loop clip 105, 107 to their corresponding free ends of the cord 106. The loops 105, 107 are wire-like, and can be made of a bendable and malleable material such as metal wire; however, the inventors have found that preferably thin gauge guitar strings, typically having a small gauge such as those used for electric guitars, make for excellent flexible loop clips. Indeed, electric guitar strings are made of ferrous alloys and alloys such as nickel-plated steel and various high-carbon and low-carbon steel. For example, the wire can be a 22 gauge stranded circuit wire with cloth insulation, preferably 0.070 in diameter, commonly sold as “Gavitt” guitar wire by The Art of Tone.

The length of each flexible loop (105, 107), measured from the end of the swage 109, can be between about 1.0 inches and about 2.0 inches, and preferably about 1.5 inches. The neck portion 108 typically has some of the loop material encased, along with a portion of the free end of the cord 106, inside of a heat-shrink swage 109. Each neck portion 108 of each loop 105, 107 has a portion of loop material encased within the swage 109, which is typically between about ¼ inches and about ½ inches, preferably about ⅜ inches of material located within the swage. Thus, the total length of wire/guitar string typically used to make each loop, prior to folding into a loop, is between about 2.5 inches and about 5.0 inches, preferably about 3.75 inches, such that each folded loop preferably measures about 1 and ⅞ inches from the free end of the cord 106 prior to encasement of the ends of the loop into the neck portion by the swage 109. Once it is attached as a loop at the free end of the cord, if the wire loop is spread it can be opened up to about 1 inch, but typically the width/diameter of each loop can be kept between about ⅛ inches and ⅜ inches, preferably about 1/4 inches, for optimal folding/clipping function.

As noted above, heat-shrink tubing can be used to encase the ends of the loops 105, 107 and the free ends of the cord 106. The heat-shrink tubing is typically made of polyolefin, but can also be made of FEP, PTFE, PVC, neoprene, or a silicone elastomer. The length of the shrink tubing can be cut between about ¼ of an inch and about ½ an inch, and the diameter of the shrink tubing can be between about ⅛ of an inch and ¼ of an inch, preferably about 3/16 of an inch, with a 3:1 shrink ratio. Once the neck portions 108 of each of the loops 105, 107 are connected by the swage 109 at the free ends of the cord 106, the loops are reversibly bendable and capable of being clipped to the cap. Specifically, each of the loop portions 105, 107 is movable between a closed position, i.e. in which the loop is bent and can be placed in contact with or otherwise attached to, for example, the inner band 115 of the cap, and an open position in which the loop can be released from the cap. In FIG. 3 loop 105 is shown in the straightened out or open position, and loop 107 is in a bent, folded, or otherwise closed position which is useful for wrapping around the inner band 115 of the cap. The bendable and malleable loops 105, 107 are advantageous because they are light in weight, not bulky, and do not take up much space, as has been experienced by the inventors when testing prior art hooks, clips or other attachment means, which would push into the user's temples and cause irritation or discomfort.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of embodiments and examples thereof, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such details. Additional advantages and modifications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope of the invention.