| Novelty sports cap -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Novelty sports capRelated Patent Categories: Apparel, Head Coverings, Having Crown And Horizontally Extending Visor (e.g., Baseball Cap, Etc.)Novelty sports cap description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070130670, Novelty sports cap. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Statement of the Technical Field [0002] The inventive arrangement relates to a novelty sports cap that particularly relates to the game of football. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] Sports fans often wear various forms of clothing to show support for a particular sports team. Some articles of clothing used include t-shirts, jerseys, baseball caps, and shorts that contain distinctive markings associated with a particular sports team. [0005] In the game of football, many fans wear baseball caps to demonstrate their support. Baseball caps are also practical to wear since they are typically made from a substantially breathable fabric material. Also, baseball caps provide adequate shade protection during sunny days, allowing for improved visibility. [0006] However, baseball caps, as its name aptly describes, relates to the game of baseball, not football. Baseball players wear these caps as part of their uniform when playing on the field. Football fans, by contrast, do not have an article of headwear that closely resembles football helmet gear, while providing all the comfort advantages of a conventional baseball cap. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The invention concerns a novelty baseball cap. It can include a crown having a generally concave shape including a front section and a back section. The crown can be formed from a fabric material and dimensioned to fit about an upper portion of a person's head. The invention can also include a semi-rigid bill portion extending from the front section along a portion of a peripheral edge of the concave shape. Furthermore, the novelty baseball cap can also include a modified area defined on a portion of the crown above the bill portion. The modified area can have a peripheral edge defining a simulated profile that corresponds to a helmet profile of a portion of a football helmet face opening. [0008] At least a portion of a surface that comprises the modified area of the crown can have a contrasting color that is different from a color of a remaining exterior of the crown. The contrasting color can create an illusion of a football helmet interior. According to one alternative, the contrasting color can be black. Further, the surface of the modified area can include a graphic image consisting of a portion of a person's face. The person's face can correspond to a region of a football player's face that is generally visible within the portion of an actual football helmet face opening when positioned on a player's head. [0009] The surface of the modified area can also have a texture that is different from an exterior of the crown. According to one alternative, the modified area can be made from a transparent material. In addition, the surface of the modified area can be recessed relative to an exterior surface of the crown. The novelty baseball cap can also define one or more surface discontinuities defined around the edge of the modified area. The surface discontinuity can enhance an illusion that the edge corresponds to a helmet profile of a portion of a football helmet face opening. [0010] The novelty baseball cap can further comprise one or more guard members attached to the bill portion. The guard member can comprise an elongated, tubular element having a size and shape that can simulate an appearance of a portion of a football helmet face mask. In particular, the guard member can be attached along a peripheral edge of the bill portion. The invention can further comprise one or more flaps extending from a peripheral edge of the crown's concave shape. The cap can include one or more ear vent portions therein. [0011] Further aspects and objectives of the invention will be apparent from the claims, the following detailed description and the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a novelty baseball cap that is useful for understanding the invention. [0013] FIG. 2 is a front view of a second embodiment of a novelty baseball cap that is useful for understanding the invention. [0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a novelty baseball cap that is useful for understanding the invention. [0015] FIG. 4 is a side view of a fourth embodiment of a novelty baseball cap that is useful for understanding the invention. [0016] FIG. 5 is a rear view of the first embodiment of the novelty baseball cap shown in FIG. 1 that is useful for understanding the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0017] The invention concerns a novelty baseball cap that is sized, shaped, textured, and colored to resemble a football helmet. Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, four embodiments of a novelty baseball cap 100, 200, 300, and 400 are illustrated that are useful for understanding the inventive arrangements. Note that an element(s) may be shared by more than one embodiment and identical elements will be reflected as such using the same reference number throughout the various embodiments. According to a first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the novelty baseball cap 100 is defined by a crown 101. The crown 101 can have a generally concave shape that is defined by a front section 102 and a back section 103. The crown 101 can be formed from a fabric material, preferably one that is breathable and washable. Suitable fabrics include, but are not limited to brushed cotton, cotton twill, washed chino twill, polyester mesh, brushed canvas, wool blend, open-cell polyurethane foam, and other synthetic materials. [0018] According to FIG. 5, the crown 101 can be dimensioned to fit about an upper portion of a person's head. There are two main ways to dimension the crown to fit about an upper portion of a person's head: a fitted or an adjustable configuration. In the fitted configuration, a peripheral edge 117 of the concave shape of the crown 101 is fixedly dimensioned to fit a particular size of a person's upper head. By contrast, the adjustable configuration, shown in FIG. 5, includes a mechanism that allows the circumference of the peripheral edge 117 to be widened or narrowed depending on the size of the person's upper head portion. Typically, an adjustable baseball cap has a half-moon shaped opening 518 at the bottom of back section 103. A strap 519 made of either fabric or plastic links one end of the opening to the other end of the same opening. Suitable adjustable closures that are commonly known include mating Velcro straps, buckle/strap, D-ring/T-slide/strap buckle, and plastic snap closures. [0019] The novelty baseball cap 100 includes a semi-rigid bill portion 104 that extends from the front section 102, along a portion of a peripheral edge 105 of the crown 101. Typically, the bill portion of a baseball cap is semi-rigid due to it being constructed of material such as cardboard or plastic that is covered with fabric material. However, other embodiments of the bill portion are possible. For example, the bill portion 104 can be made of a plastic material that is not covered with fabric material. If the bill portion 104 is made of uncovered plastic, the plastic material of the bill portion 104 may be translucent, tinted, or solidly colored. The bill portion 104 should be substantially planar or slightly curved. Both crown 101 and bill portion 104 can be formed of a fabric material, preferably one that is breathable and washable. Suitable fabrics include, but are not limited to brushed cotton, cotton twill, washed chino twill, polyester mesh, brushed canvas, wool blend, open-cell polyurethane foam, and other synthetic materials. [0020] In addition, the baseball cap 100 can include a modified area 106 that is defined on a portion of the crown 101 above the bill portion 104. The modified area 106 has a peripheral edge 107 defining a simulated profile that corresponds to a helmet profile of a portion of a football helmet face opening. The modified area 106 can be substantially rectangular in shape, preferably with chamfered edges at the top right and top left corners of the modified area 106. The modified area wraps around the front section 102 of the crown 101. The modified area 106 should also be dimensioned such that it simulates the helmet profile of the portion of the football helmet face opening. The bottom peripheral edge of the modified area 106 borders on the portion of the peripheral edge 105 of the crown 101 from which the semi-rigid bill portion 104 extends. Continue reading about Novelty sports cap... Full patent description for Novelty sports cap Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Novelty sports cap 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 Novelty sports cap or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Hat with multi-stretchable headband Next Patent Application: Garment with attached shaper Industry Class: Apparel ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Novelty sports cap patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14194 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Accenture , Agouron Pharmaceuticals , Amgen , AT&T , Bausch & Lomb , Callaway Golf 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
