Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
FREE-SIZE CAP WITH SIZE ADJUSTING BAND
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to free-size
caps with size adjusting bands and, more particularly, to a
multi-effect free-size cap, designed to be primarily and
manually adjusted in size by its size adjusting band and to be
finely and automatically adjusted in size by the elasticity of
a stretchable woven fabric of bath the crown and the sweat
band, thus allowing a user to feel comfortable while wearing
the cap, the stretchable woven fabric of the crown being
specifically designed to have a high elasticity in both wefts
and warps, thus being prevented from easily wrinkling in a
vertical or horizontal direction while having a desired
automorphism.
Description of the Prior Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, free-size caps
or caps of the one-size-fits-all type, designed to be
manufactured at a single reference size and to be commonly
usable by users having different head sizes within a range,
are classified into the following two types.
In a conventional free-size cap of the first type, a
1
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
rounded cutout, having a size of 3 ~ 4 inches, is formed on
the edge of the crown at the rear end, with a size adjusting
band and a buckle being mounted to both ends of the cutout.
In this cap, the cutout, the band and the buckle form a size
adjusting means.
In a free-size cap of the second type, the cap is
designed to be free from such a size adjusting means, but to
be commonly usable by users, having head sizes different from
each other within a difference of about 2.5 inches (6.35 cm)
as disclosed in Korean Patent No. 92219 or U.S. Patent No.
5, 715, 540. In the above cap, both the crown and the sweat
band are made of a stretchable woven fabric that is expandable
in a weft direction or a horizontal direction.
However, the first type of conventional free-size cap
with a size adjusting band is problematic in that it is almost
impossible for a user to precisely adjust the size of the size
adjusting band in accordance with his head size. Therefore,
when the size adjusting band is undesirably adjusted in a way
such that the size of the cap is smaller than that of a user's
head, the cap severely squeezes the head, thus making the user
feel uncomfortable after wearing the cap for a lengthy period
of time. On the other hand, when the size adjusting band is
undesirably adjusted in a way suc:-. that the size of the cap is
larger than that of a user's head, the cap is easily removed
from the head in the wind. The cap, with the size adjusting
2
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
band undesirably adjusted to be larger than the size of a
user's head, may cause safety hazards when the user drives a
car, walks along a road, or climbs a rocky mountain.
In the above free-size cap with such a size adjusting
band, the crown is made of a non-stretchable woven fabric,
thus failing to accomplish a desired automorphism or to meet
a requirement of users, particularly, young people, wanting to
show their personalities with tightly fitted caps. Such a
non-stretchable woven fabric crown has another problem in that
it is very difficult to prevent the crown from wrinkling or to
remove wrinkles from the crown.
On the other hand, the second type of conventional free-
size cap, disclosed in Korean Patent No. 92219 or U.S. Patent
No. 5,715,540, is problematic in ;hat it is almost impossible
to further adjust the size of the cap as desired after the cap
is worn on a user's head. That is, this type of cap does not
allow a user to slightly tighten or loosen the cap after
wearing the cap on his head. Since both the crown and the
sweat band of this type of cap are made of a stretchable woven
fabric designed to be expandable in a weft direction or a
horizontal direction, it is very difficult to prevent the
crown from wrinkling in the weft direction or to remove weft
directional wrinkles from the crown. Another problem of the
above cap resides in that the cap fails to accomplish a
desired automorphism or to meet a requirement of users,
3
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
particularly, young people, wanting to show their
personalities with tightly fitted caps in the same manner as
that described for the first type of free-size cap.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping
in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an
object of the present invention is to provide a free-size cap,
which has a conventional size adjusting means consisting of a
rounded cutout formed on the edge of the crown at the rear end
with conventional size adjusting band and buckle provided on
the cutout, and which is primarily and manually adjusted in
size by the size adjusting means and is finely and
automatically adjusted in size by a weft directional
elasticity of a stretchable woven fabric of both the crown and
the sweat band, thus allowing a user to feel comfortable while
wearing the cap, the stretchable woven fabric of the crown
being specifically designed to have a high elasticity in both
wefts and warps, thus being prevented from easily wrinkling in
a weft or warp direction while having a desired automorphism
capable of meeting a requirement of users, particularly, young
people, wanting to show their personalities with tightly
fitted caps.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present
4
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
invention provides a free-size cap with a size adjusting band,
comprising: a plurality of gores integrated into a crown and
made of a stretchable woven fabric, with a weft directional
elongation of the gores being higher than a warp directional
elongation of the gores; and a sweat band attached along a
lower edge of the integrated gores and made of a stretchable
woven fabric, with a weft directional elongation of the sweat
band being higher than the weft directional elongation of the
gores.
In the above free-size cap, the warp directional
elongation of the gores is 25~ ~ 2~, and the weft directional
elongation of the gores is 50% ~ 5%.
On the other hand, the weft uirectional elongation of the
sweat band is 65% t 50.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and other
advantages of the present invention will be more clearly
understood from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a free-size cap with a
size adjusting band in accordance with the preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the free-size cap of this
5
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
invention: and
Fig. 3 is a perspective view, showing an operational
effect of a stretchable woven fabric of both the sweat band
and the crown of the above free-size cap when the fabric is
stretched in a weft direction.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figs. 1 to 3 show a free-size cap with a size adjusting
band in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention. As shown in the drawings, the crown C of the free-
size cap according to the primary embodiment of this invention
is formed by integrating six triangular gores 1-1, 1-2, 1-3,
1-4, 1-5 and 1-6 together. The six gores 1-1 to 1-6 are
individually made of a stretchable woven fabric, which is
elastically expandable in weft and warp directions. The cap
is thus elastically stretchable in the weft direction, or a
horizontal direction, and in the warp direction, or a vertical
direction.
A sweat band S, interiorly attached along the bottom edge
of the crown C, is made of a stretchable woven fabric, with
spandex yarns used as wefts and r.m-stretchable yarns used as
warps. Therefore, the sweat band S is only stretchable in a
weft direction, or a horizontal direction.
The cap of this invention also has a size adjusting means
6
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
A. The size adjusting means A consists of a rounded cutout 3,
formed on the edge of the crown at the rear end to have a 4
inch width and a 2 inch height, with a size adjusting band 1
and a buckle 2 being mounted to both ends of the cutout 3.
After a user wears the cap on his head with the band 1 being
loosened from the buckle 2, the user buckles the band 1 while
primarily and manually adjusting the size of the cap by
operating the band and buckle, thus approximately fitting the
size of the cap to his head. In such a case, it is preferable
to approximately adjust the size of the cap in a way such that
the cap is slightly tightened on the head. When the cap is
worn on a user's head as described above, a slight gap may
remain between the head and both the sweat band S and the
lower portion of the crown C. However, in the cap of this
invention, such a slight gap is finely and automatically:
adjusted by the weft directional elasticity of the six gores
1-1 to 1-6, since they are made of a stretchable woven fabric.
In the primary embodiment, the six stretchable gores 1-1
to 1-6 individually have a warp directional elongation of 250
and a weft directional elongation of 50~.
On the other hand, the sweat band S has a weft
directional elongation of 65%.
Both the integration of the six gores 1-1 to 1-6 into a
single structure and the integration of the sweat band S with
the lower edge of the integrated six gores 1-1 to 1-6 are
7
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
accomplished through a sewing process using spandex sewing
yarns. Therefore, it is possible for the sewing yarns to be
expandable or contractible synchronously with both the
integrated portions of the six gores 1-1 to 1-6 and the
integrated portion of the sweat band S with the six gores 1-1
to 1-6.
In a brief description, the crown C of the cap consists
of the six stretchable woven fabric gores 1-1 to 1-6,
individually having a warp directional elongation of 250 ~ 20
and a weft directional elongation of 500 ~ 5%. Therefore, it
is easy to remove the weft directional wrinkles or the warp
directional wrinkles from the crown C of this invention or to
prevent the crown C from wrinkling in the weft or warp
direction. This allows the crown of the cap to maintain its
designed appearance for a lengthy period of time.
The stretchable woven fabric of each of the six gores 1-1
to 1-6 has a high flexibility and tightness in proportion to
the elongation, and so the cap accomplishes a desired
automorphism and meets a requirement of users, particularly,
young people, wanting to show their personalities with tightly
fitted caps. The cap of this invention is not easily removed
from a user's head in the wind. That is, since the
stretchable woven fabric of the cap has a high elasticity in
the weft and warp directions, the cap is substantially fitted
over a user's head, and so the cap accomplishes the above-
8
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
mentioned objects.
A user wears the cap of this invention on his head with
the band 1 being loosened from the buckle 2. Thereafter, the
user buckles the band 1 while primarily and manually adjusting
the size of the cap by operating the band and buckle, thus
approximately fitting the size of the cap to his head. In
such a case, the size of the cap is approximately adjusted in
a way such that the cap is slightly tightened on the head.
When the cap is worn on the head and is primarily adjusted in
size by the band and buckle, a slight gap between the head and
both the sweat band S and the lower portion of the crown C is
finely adjusted by the weft directional elasticity of both the
sweat band S and the six gores 1-1 to 1-6 since they are made
of a stretchable woven fabric having a weft directional
elongation of 50o t 5%. Therefore, the cap of this invention
allows a user to feel comfortable while wearing it.
When a user wears the cap of this invention for a lengthy
period of time, the cap may squeeze the head, thus making the
user feel uncomfortable after wearing the cap for such a
lengthy period of time. In such a case, the band 1 is
unbuckled and slightly loosened. After the size of the band
1 is readjusted as described above, the band 1 is buckled.
When the size adjusting band 1 is adjusted to be larger
in size than that of a user's head, the cap may be easily
removed from the head in the wind or while getting physical
9
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
exercise. In order to maintain the cap on the head in such a
case, the band 1 is unbuckled prior to being slightly
tightened. Thereafter, the band 1 is again buckled.
When a user wears the cap of this invention, he buckles
the band 1 while primarily and manually adjusting the size of
the cap within a size difference range of 3 ~ 4 inches by
operating the band and buckle. That is, the size of the cap
is primarily and approximately fitted to the user's head.
When the cap is worn on the head while being approximately
adjusted in size by the band and buckle as described above, a
slight gap between the head and both the sweat band S and the
lower portion of the crown C ~s finely and automatically
adjusted by the weft directional elasticity of both the sweat
band S and the six gores 1-1 to 1-6 of the crown C since they
are made of a stretchable woven fabric having a weft
directional elongation of 500 ~ 50. Due to the combined
operational function of both the size adjusting means,
consisting of the band 1 and the buckle 2 provided at the
cutout 3, and the weft directional elasticity of both the
sweat band S and the crown C, the free-size cap of this
invention is manufactured at a ~~_ngle reference size and is
commonly usable by users having different head sizes within a
range of, for example, 3 ~ 4 inches while being precisely
adjusted in size in order to substantially meet the size of a
user's head. The cap thus allows the user to feel comfortable
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
while wearing it.
In the crown C of the cap, the six stretchable woven
fabric gores 1-1 to 1-6 are designed to individually have a
warp directional elongation of 25°s ~ 20. In the present
invention, such a warp directional elongation is determined in
consideration of the fact that the heads of people are
different from each other within a difference of about 25°s ~
2% in a vertical direction.
On the other hand, the weft directional elongation of the
six stretchable woven fabric gores 1-1 to 1-6 is set to 500 ~
5%. Such a weft directional elongation is determined as
follows. That is, when the weft directional elongation of the
six gores 1-1 to 1-6 is set to 50% ~ 2 o in a conventional
manner, the cap squeezes a user's head, thus making the user
feel uncomfortable after wearing the cap for a lengthy period
of time. In accordance with repeatedly performed experiments,
it is noted that such a problem is almost completely overcome
with the weft directional elongation of the six gores 1-1 to
1-6 being set to 50% ~ 5%.
When the stretchable woven fabric for the gores 1-1 to 1-
6 is produced using spandex yarns, having an elongation of
50 0, as wefts, each of the gores 1-1 tp 1-6 has an elastic
recovery of 100%.
In the cap of this invention, the sweat band S is made of
11
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
a stretchable woven fabric having a weft directional
elongation of 650 ~ 50, and so the band S has a high
flexibility, a high elasticity and a high ventilation effect,
and has a desired tightness, ~. desired elongation and a
desired elastic recovery. Therefore, even when the sweat band
S is brought into contact with a user's head for a lengthy
period of time, the band S effectively absorbs sweat from the
head and retains a desired tightness relative to the head.
Therefore, the cap allows the user to feel comfortable while
wearing it for a lengthy period of time.
When spandex yarns, having an elongation of 70%, are used
as wefts for the woven fabric of the sweat band S, the sweat
band S has an elastic recovery of 98%.
The integration of the six gores 1-1 to 1-6 into a single
structure is accomplished through a sewing process using
spandex sewing yarns. Therefore, it is possible for the
sewing yarns to be smoothly expandable or contractible
synchronously with the integrated portions of the six gores 1
1 to 1-6. The free-size cap, using such spandex sewing yarns,
thus overcomes the problems experienced in a free-size cap
using conventional nonstretchable sewing yarns. That is, when
such nonstretchable sewing yarns are used for integrating the
gores 1-1 to 1-6 into a single structure, there is a
remarkable difference in the elongation between the
nonstretchable sewing yarns and the stretchable woven fabrics
12
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
of the gores. Thus, such nonstretchable sewing yarns may be
easily cut or may disturb a smooth expansion of the woven
fabrics of the gores when the cap is worn on a user's head.
Such a problem is almost completely overcome by the cap of
this invention using the spandex sewing yarns.
The sweat band S is attached along the lower edge of the
integrated gores 1-1 to 106 through a sewing process using
spandex sewing yarns. The spandex sewing yarns, used for
integrating the band S with the gores 1-1 to 1-6, yield the
same operational effect as that described for the sewing yarns
used in the integration of the six gores 1-1 to 1-6.
In the second embodiment of this invention, the
stretchable woven fabric for both the gores and the sweat band
is fabricated using spandex covered yarns as wefts and warps.
The spandex covered yarns, used as the wefts and warps of the
stretchable woven fabric of this invention, are individually
made by covering a spandex yarn, or a core yarn, with.a cotton
yarn or a mix-spinned yarn of natural fiber and synthetic
fiber as a covering yarn.
The remaining process of forming the cap according to the
second embodiment is performed in same manner as that
described for the primary embodiment.
In the present invention, it should be understood that a
female band with holes and a male band with projections may be
substituted for the band and buckle of the size adjusting
13
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
means. In addition, the number of the gores, individually
made of a stretchable woven fabric, may be five in place of
six. The weft directional elongation of the stretchable woven
fabric for the gores may be set to 30% ~ 2%, while the weft
directional elongation of the stretchable woven fabric for the
sweat band may be set to 50% ~ 5~.
As described above, the present invention provides a
free-size cap with a size adjusting band. The cap of this
invention has a conventional size adjusting means, consisting
of a rounded cutout formed on the edge of the crown at the
rear end with conventional size adjusting band and buckle
provided on the cutout. The size of the cap is primarily and
manually adjusted by the sizE adjusting means and is,
thereafter, finely and automatically adjusted by the weft
directional elasticity of a stretchable woven fabric of both
the crown and the sweat band. The cap thus allows a user to
feel comfortable while wearing the cap. The stretchable woven
fabric of the crown is specifically designed to have a high
elasticity in both wefts and warps, thus being prevented from
easily wrinkling in a weft or warp direction. In addition, it
is easy to remove weft or warp directional wrinkles from the
crown. The cap also has a desired automorphism capable of
meeting a requirement of users, particularly, young people,
wanting to show their personalities with tightly fitted caps.
The free-size cap of this invention is appropriately
14
CA 02309231 2000-OS-24
fitted to a user's head, thus being not easily removed from
the head even in the wind. Another advantage of the cap
resides in that it has a high flexibility, a high elasticity
and a high ventilation effect, and has a desired tightness, a
desired elongation and a desired elastic recovery. Therefore,
the cap effectively absorbs sweat from the head and retains a
desired tightness relative to the head, and so the cap allows
a user to feel comfortable while wearing it for a lengthy
period of time.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present
invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those
skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications,
additions and substitutions are possible, without departing
from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the
accompanying claims.
