Comprehensive Sun Protective Head Covering

The present disclosure relates to improvements in head coverings and sun protection wear.

There are many conventional examples of hats and caps. Some hats have a side and rear brim portion. However, often these are made with either a uniform material rigidity, or where there are materials of different rigidity, such hats are in multiple separate parts. Hats with a uniform material (and rigidity) do not accommodate the needs of the user as well since some areas need greater rigidity than others to permit easier visibility. At the same time, arrangements that are constructed in multiple pieces are prone to greater structural weakness in adverse weather conditions, such as windy conditions. Extended use of such two or more piece arrangements also do not lend themselves to being washable, so that if the hat becomes dirty, it must be discarded if one wishes to keep their apparel in a clean manner. Accordingly, there exists a need to provide an improved article of headwear less prone to problems such one or more of those mentioned above.

It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

The present disclosure in one preferred aspect provides for a head covering including a cranial covering portion having a circumferential perimeter configured to encircle the head of a wearer, and a flexible brim extending from the perimeter of the cranial covering portion, the brim extending incompletely around the perimeter of the cranial covering portion and having a depth no greater than 15 cm. The head covering further includes a bill extending from the perimeter of the cranial covering portion, the bill being configured to shade a face of the wearer, the bill being constructed from a rigid, bend-resistant material, the bill having a lower surface that is concave in a vertical plane.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. In the present specification and claims, the word “comprising” and its derivatives including “comprises” and “comprise” include each of the stated integers, but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers. It will be appreciated that reference herein to “preferred” or “preferably” is intended as exemplary only.

The claims as filed and attached with this specification are hereby incorporated by reference into the text of the present description. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

show a preferred embodiment of an article of headwearhaving a cranial covering portion, a flexible brim, and a visor or billextending from the perimeter of the cranial covering portion. The preferred elements of headwearand their interrelationship are described below.

Referring to, headwearincludes cranial covering portion. Cranial covering portionincludes a plurality of generally triangular-shaped panelsthat come together at the apexes to form the top of the headwear. The apexes are fastened together with a fastenerin a way that would be readily appreciated by those in the art.

As shown in, brimcircumferentially encircles the central longitudinal axis CLA of the headwear. Preferably, brimincompletely extends around the CLA, and is interrupted by billas further explained below. Preferably, brimextends more than 75% around the CLA. Brimincludes an inner perimeter, an outer perimeter, and a depth between inner perimeterand outer perimeter.shows brimhaving a substantially uniform depth around most of the circumference of brim. Preferably, inner perimeteris fastened to the bottom segment of each panel, for example, by stitching where the material of headwear is configured for stitching. When assembled, brimpreferably has a depth no greater than 15 cm around the CLA. If desired, brimmay include a plurality of circumferential pleatsas shown in.

With continued reference to, visor or billextends from the perimeter of cranial covering portionat a forward position, configured above the face and forehead of the wearer when worn. Billis configured to be of a depth sufficient to adequately shade the face of the wearer in sunny conditions. Billincludes an inner partial circumferential perimeter, an outer partial circumferential perimeter, and opposed sides. Bill also includes a lower surface.

To help maintain the extending nature of bill, the bill is preferably made from a more rigid material relative to the rest of headwear, or at least stiffer relative to brim. Billmay be made more rigid compared to brimby the inclusion of an insert (not shown). The insert may be fabricated from a cardboard material, plastic, and/or carbon fibre material. The insert is preferably configure so that billsubstantially maintains a concavityas viewed in a vertical plane as shown in. Concavityhelps maintain a clear line of sight for the wearer.

Preferably, headwearis made from a material that is sun-resistant, for example, having a sun protection rating of UPF 50+.

Preferred dimensions of various elements of headwearare set forth below, although it will be appreciated that the dimensions may be varied as suitable for the intended application. As shown in, brimand billpreferably have substantially the same depth. The depth is preferably no greater than 15 cm, but can range between 4 cm to 15 cm. In one embodiment, the depth is no greater than 10 cm. The ranges described above may include a subset of ranges therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that these dimensions are representative only and may be varied as appropriate. The brim may have a variable depth around its circumference. For example, the brim may have a depth that is less than the depth of the bill, yet still of sufficient depth to adequately protect the wearer from significant sun exposure. The depth of the brim may be more narrow on the sides of the head covering to create a variable-depth brim circumferentially extending around the central longitudinal axis of the head covering.

Having described the preferred components of headwear, a preferred method of assembly will now be described with reference to. Preferably, a piece of material, preferably fabric, is cut in a pattern so that an upper surface of what will eventually form bill, along with brim, and panelsmay be arranged to permit panesto vertically extend and be sewn together. A separate piece of fabric is attached to the upper surface of the bill by stitching together the lower and upper surfaces of the bill. Before stitching the inner perimeters of the upper and lower surfaces of bill together, an insert is inserted between the upper and lower surfaces. The insert may be made from a material such as cardboard, plastic, and/or carbon fibre, but is preferably of a stiffness to impart rigidity greater than brim.

An end of brimis attached to one of sidesof billto create a circular opening to accommodate an average circumference of an upper portion of a human head. Panelsare then moved vertically upwards, with the apex of each panel being brought together and fastened with fastener.

It will be appreciated that the steps described above may be performed in a different order, varied, or some steps omitted entirely without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, where headwearis meant to be constructed from a different material, such as nylon, stitching together panels may not be relevant if cranial covering portion is formed from a nylon fabric. This is also true if the cranial covering portion is made from a mesh material.

The foregoing description is by way of example only, and may be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example only, the cranial covering portion may be made in with a singular covering rather than multiple panels (e.g., if fabricated with nylon).

The headwear may take the form of a hat, a cap, or any other similar article of head covering independently appliable to a person separate from other clothing.

The brim may include a plurality of integral stiffeners extending radially outward from the central longitudinal axis of the head covering. Stiffeners could alternatively be included that extend circumferentially around the central longitudinal axis of the headwear, such as pleatsshown in. The stiffeners would assist in maintaining the brim extending outward, and not droop down towards the user's shoulders.

As mentioned above, the bill may include an insert made of cardboard, plastic or carbon fibre to provide a level of stiffness. In an embodiment not including an insert, the bill may be configured with a greater thickness compared to the brim. The bill may be made with a transparent material that can be shaded to afford a level of sun protection while allowing greater vertical visibility. The bill may be made of a rigid mesh of a stiffer material. The mesh would permit some air flow to help keep the wearer ventilated and cooler in warmer climates.

The headwear may be configured for different use environments, such as a sporting environment. For example only, the headwear may include a magnetic insert configured to retain a golf ball mark for use in a golfing environment.

The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure in a preferred form provides the advantages of greater durability and structural integrity for adverse environmental conditions, variable areas of rigidity to enhance sightlines, while being suitable for being cleaned (where desirable).

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of forms of the embodiments disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.