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Baseball cap attachment assemblyRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, Head CoveringsBaseball cap attachment assembly description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070022514, Baseball cap attachment assembly. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/702,698, filed Jul. 28, 2005, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety, and priority from the filing date of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119. BACKGROUND [0002] The disclosed apparatus relates to hat mountable devices, and in particular to devices mountable on baseball caps. Baseball caps are ubiquitous at sporting events and gatherings of all kinds. The caps are frequently decorated or embellished for amusement purposes, and to display an individuals personal interests, hobbies and/or sense of humor. Sometimes baseball caps are decorated with permanently attached insignia, for example by sewing on patches, stitching decorations, using adhesives and the like. [0003] Refer to FIG. 1, which shows a conventional baseball cap 90 with an attachable ornament assembly 100 made in accordance with the present invention. The conventional baseball cap 90 is a soft cap with a long, stiffened and curved visor or brim 92. The back of the cap often has a mechanism for quick adjustment, although fitted caps are also common. The baseball cap 90 is typically sewn in sections, and is topped with a fabric-covered metal button 94, which is typically formed from a ferromagnetic material. Although the baseball cap 90 is historically associated with baseball players, it is now arguably the most popular style of hat in the United States and many Western nations, and Japan. Baseball caps are made of may types of material and in a number of different styles. For example, major league baseball players wear classic-style caps made of wool with their team's logo embroidered into the wool. [0004] Sometimes, the military uses baseball caps as part of the uniform, especially the United States Navy. In such applications, the baseball cap generally has a command logo on the front to denote command affiliation, and/or the baseball caps may be of a particular color to indicate a particular user's job. [0005] It is sometimes desirable to removably mount a displayable object to a cap. Examples of hat mountable devices are found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,874,167, US. Pat. Pub. No. 2003/0051317 and in US Pat. Pub. No. 2004/0006900. In some of the prior art devices the mountable device engages the button 94 on top of the baseball cap 90. [0006] A common problem with prior art cap mounting systems that engage the button projection in a baseball cap is that they have a tendency to inadvertently de-attach or to pull the button of the cap sideways, causing the display element to tilt or tip over, and may also thereby become uncomfortable to wear. SUMMARY [0007] An attachable ornamental assembly is disclosed that is particular suited to attachment to a conventional baseball cap having a top button. The ornamental assembly includes a base with a concave lower surface defining a central recess. A magnet or other connector is disposed in the central recess, and is adapted to engage the button on the baseball cap. It will be appreciated that in many conventional baseball caps the central button includes a ferrous metal member. An ornamental member is attachable to the base member. [0008] In an embodiment of the invention, more than one ornamental member is attachable to the base, such that a user can selectively change from one ornamental member to another, for example to accommodate different circumstances. [0009] In an embodiment of the invention, the connector is a rare earth magnet that is adapted to pull the button of the baseball cap into the central recess of the base. [0010] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: [0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hat mountable display according to the present invention, shown atop a conventional baseball cap; [0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the hat mountable display shown in FIG. 1; [0014] FIG. 3 is an alternate embodiment of the hat mountable display shown in FIG. 1, showing an alternate ornament; and [0015] FIGS. 4A and 4B show alternative cap connectors for use with the hat mountable display shown in FIG. 1, that are not magnetic. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0016] As mentioned above, FIG. 1 shows a baseball cap 90 with an attachable ornamental assembly 100 shown above the baseball cap 90, positioned to be placed on the cap 90 to engage the button 94. The attachable ornamental assembly 100 is a relatively small, and lightweight structure. For example in a current embodiment the ornamental assembly 100 does not exceed about three inches in total height, width or length. [0017] Refer now also to FIG. 2, which shows an exploded view of the attachable ornamental assembly 100. In this embodiment the ornamental assembly includes a base 102, that is generally disc-shaped, and has a generally concave lower surface 104. It will be appreciated that the concave shape generally conforms to the shape of the baseball cap 90. A recess 106 is formed in the lower surface, generally centered therein. A connector 120, for example a magnet is fixedly disposed in the central recess 106. The upper surface 108 of the base 102 includes an upwardly projecting first engagement element 110, for example a post or a cylindrical member with an axial aperture (post shown). The first engagement element 110 is located generally above the connector 120. [0018] An ornamental member 130, comprising an ornamental portion 132 and a downwardly-extending second engagement element 134 is attachable to the base 102. For example, the second engagement element 134 may conveniently comprise a cylindrical structure with an axial aperture that is sized to snugly receive the first engagement element 100 on the base 102. The ornamental member 130 may therefore be retained on the base 102 by frictional forces between the first and second engagement members 110, 134. Alternatively, an adhesive may be used to joint the first and second engagement members 110, 134. In another alternative, the first and second engagement members 110, 134 may be threaded, such that they may threadably engage. It is also contemplated the first and second engagement members 110, 134 may include a keying element (not shown) such that the ornamental member 130 may be limited to a particular orientation with respect to the base 102. These, and other attachment mechanisms may be utilized, as will be apparent to persons of skill in the art. It is also contemplated that the base 102 and the ornamental member 130 may be formed as a unitary structure. [0019] In a currently preferred embodiment, the connector 120 is a rare earth magnet, for example, a neodymium-based permanent magnet. It is known that neodymium is used in very powerful permanent magnets, e.g., Nd.sub.2Fe.sub.14B. These magnets are cheaper, lighter, and stronger than samarium-cobalt magnets. Of course, if the connector 120 is a magnet the intended use of the ornamental assembly 100 will be to traditional baseball caps 90, i.e. baseball caps 90 having a button 94 including a ferrous element that is attracted to the magnetic connector 120. Continue reading about Baseball cap attachment assembly... Full patent description for Baseball cap attachment assembly Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Baseball cap attachment assembly patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Baseball cap attachment assembly or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Article of headwear and method of making same Next Patent Application: Hat for accommodating hair and method Industry Class: Apparel ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Baseball cap attachment assembly patent info. 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