Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Patent Application
HAT CONTAINER
FIELD
The present invention relates to the field of containers that can be used to
store,
hold, contain or transport hats, such as baseball caps or visors.
BACKGROUND
It is known to store, hold, contain or transport hats in containers and a wide
variety
of containers are available for a wide variety of hats. In these containers,
hats are
usually stacked one upon another to maximize the use of space. However, billed
hats, which can include baseball caps and visors, pose a special challenge for
both
storage and transportation. Because of their unique design, these hats cannot
easily
be stacked without being deformed, crushed and often irreversibly damaged.
Billed hats are commonly made of a bill portion and a crown portion. The bill
portion has a generally convex shape and is usually relatively stiff because
it is
commonly made of material such as fabric-covered cardboard. However, even
though the bill portion can be relatively stiff, it can still be crushed and
deformed
by improper storage and transportation. The crown portion of a billed hat is
usually fairly supple because it is made of material that is usually not
reinforced.
The deformation and crushing that can result from improper storage and
transportation of billed hats can greatly reduce the aesthetic appearance and
value
of these types of hats.
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Often, billed hats are stored in an overlapping array. To create the
overlapping
array, the rear half of the crown of a billed hat is pushed inward towards the
front
half of the crown, and the hat is stacked onto another similarly folded hat.
However, even though some partial protection can be obtained for the bill
portion
of the hats in such an overlapping an ay, the crown portion is often crushed.
There is needed a container that will protect the shape of billed hats during
storage
and transportation. It would be advantageous to be able to easily and safely
transport a plurality of billed hats such as baseball caps or visors to
different
locations without damage to the hats. This would be particularly advantageous
for
salespeople who wish to transport these types of hat for sale or display at
different
locations.
In one aspect, the invention is a hat container for holding a plurality of
stacked
billed hats comprising a bill portion, a crown portion, a door pivotally
connected to
said crown portion, a stabilizer and a closure, wherein the bill and crown
portions
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and the door define an internal cavity, comprising a bottom surface, a top
surface
and sides, that can accept the plurality of stacked billed hats.
In one embodiment, the hat container comprises a convex shape-retaining
element.
In one embodiment, the door of the hat container comprises a concave
depression.
In one embodiment, the hat container comprises a loop for hanging or carrying
the
hat container. In one embodiment, the stabilizer is a rim extending from the
edge
of the door of the hat container and in one embodiment the stabilizer prevents
water from entering the internal cavity. In one embodiment, the closure is a
latch.
In another aspect, this invention is a hat container for holding a plurality
of stacked
billed hats comprising a bill portion, a crown portion, a door pivotally
connected to
said crown portion, a closure, and a convex shape-retaining element, wherein
the
bill and crown portions and the door define an internal cavity, comprising a
bottom
surface, a top surface and sides, that can accept the plurality of stacked
billed hats.
In one embodiment, the door comprises a concave depression. In one embodiment,
the hat container comprises a loop for hanging or carrying the hat container.
In
one embodiment, the door comprises a stabilizer. In one embodiment, the
stabilizer is a rim extending from the edge of the door, and, in one
embodiment,
the stabilizer prevents water from entering the internal cavity. In one
embodiment,
the closure of the hat container is a latch.
In another aspect, this invention is a hat container for holding a plurality
of stacked
billed hats comprising a bill portion, a crown portion, a door pivotally
connected to
said crown portion, a closure, and a stabilizer, wherein the bill and crown
portions
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and the door define an internal cavity, comprising a bottom surface, a top
surface
and sides, that can accept the plurality of stacked billed hats, and wherein
said door
comprises a concave depression.
In one embodiment, the hat container further comprises a convex shape-
retaining
element. In one embodiment, the hat container further comprises a loop for
hanging or carrying the hat container. In one embodiment, the door further
comprises a stabilizer. In one embodiment, the stabilizer is a rim extending
from
the edge of the door, and, in one embodiment, the stabilizer prevents water
from
entering the internal cavity. In one embodiment, the closure of the hat
container is
a latch.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation,
may
best be understood by reference to the following description, and the
accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the
several views, and, in which:
FIG. I is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hat container of this
invention.
FIG. 2A is a side plan view of a baseball cap.
FIG. 2B is a side plan view of a visor.
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FIG. 2C is a side plan view of a baseball cap with the back portion thereof
folded
into the front portion of the cap.
FIG. 2D is a side plan view of a visor with the back portion thereof folded
into the
front portion of the visor.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hat container of FIG. 1 with its door
opened.
FIG. 4A is a side plan view of the hat container of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4B is a top plan view of the hat container of FIG. 1.
FIG. SA is a rear plan view of the door of the hat container of FIG. 1.
FIG. SB is a side plan cut-away view of the latch of the door shown in FIG.
4B.
DESCRIPTION
An embodiment of a hat container 1 of the present invention is illustrated in
FIGS.
1-5. In this embodiment, the hat container includes a bill portion 2, a crown
portion 3, and a door 4.
Hat container 1 is used to store, hold, contain or transport billed hats to
help
maintain the shape of such hats and prevent them from becoming crushed and
deformed or otherwise damaged. A "billed hat" as used herein includes a
baseball
cap type hat, a visor, and such other type of hat known to those in the art. A
wide
variety of different billed hats are known, including baseball caps and
visors,
which can vary widely in shape and design. As is apparent, dimensions 5, 6, 7
and
8 can be varied to accommodate both the shape of the billed hat, as well as
the
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number of hats to be inserted into the container. For example, in one
embodiment,
the hat container can be proportioned to accept a plurality of baseball caps,
while
in another embodiment, the container can be proportioned to accept a plurality
of
visors or other types of billed hats.
To help prevent the crushing and deformation of billed hats, hat container 1
is
made from a rigid or semi-rigid material. A "rigid or semi-rigid material", as
used
herein, includes materials that cannot easily be crushed or deformed, such as
plastics or other polymeric compositions, for example acrylics. In one
embodiment of this invention, the hat container is made from plastic, such as,
for
example, polyvinyl chloride. Bill portion 2, crown portion 3 and door 4 can be
made of the same or different materials, or have the same or different
physical
characteristics.
As shown in FIG. 2A, a baseball cap 9 generally comprises a bill 10 and a
crown-
engaging member 11. Like baseball caps, a visor 12 comprises a bill 10 and a
smaller crown-engaging member 11, as shown in FIG. 2B. To facilitate the
storage and transportation of a plurality of billed hats, it is known to stack
such
hats in an overlapping array. "Stacked billed hats", as used herein, means
billed
hats where the back portion of the crown-engaging member of each hat is folded
into the front portion of the crown-engaging member, so that the hats can be
placed
one on top of another in an overlapping array. As shown in FIG. 2C for
baseball
caps, back portion 15 of the crown-engaging member is folded into front
portion
16. Similarly for visors, as shown in FIG. 2D, back portion 15 of the crown-
engaging member can be folded into front portion 16.
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Bill portion 2, crown portion 3 and door 4 define internal cavity 19, which
comprises a bottom surface, a top surface and sides in hat container 1. Billed
hats
are inserted into hat container 1 in an overlapping array, as described above.
As
shown in FIG. 3, billed hats can be easily inserted into or removed from
internal
cavity 19 of the hat container, by opening door 4.
Hat container 1 may comprise shape-retaining element 20. Shape-retaining
element 20 can adopt a relatively convex shape of varying degree, and
functions to
help to preserve the shape of the billed hats during storage or
transportation, by
complementing their shape. The shape-retaining element may also ease the
insertion and removal of billed hats into or from the container. It is
desirable that
shape-retaining element 20 spans the entire length of internal cavity 19, and,
as
such, spans bill portion 2, crown portion 3 and door 4.
Bill portion 2 of the hat container can have a relatively convex conformation
that
can function to help preserve the relatively convex shape of the bill of the
stacked
billed hats by complementing their shape. In one embodiment of this invention,
both the bottom and top surfaces of bill portion 2 can adopt a convex
conformation
to better conform to the shape of a bill and better protect against crushing
and
deformation during storage and transportation. The bill portion can be made
from
a rigid or semi-rigid material that will resist crushing and deformation,
which may
or may not be an identical material to that used for the remainder of the hat
container.
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Door 4 of the hat container is pivotally connected to crown portion 3 of hat
container 1. As is apparent, this can be accomplished using a variety of
connecting
methods. For example, door 4 can be pivotally connected to the crown portion
through the use of hinges 21, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. This hinge may be
a
snap-type hinge as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, a conventional plate-like hinge
that
is mounted onto the hat container, as by screws, or other type of pivoting
connection, as is known to those of skill in the art.
Hat container 1 preferably comprises stabilizer 27, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4
and 5.
In one embodiment of this invention, stabilizer 27 can take the form of a rim
that
extends around all of, or a portion of, the edge of door 4, such that it lies,
when hat
container 1 is closed, relatively snugly on the exterior surface of crown
portion 3 of
hat container 1. As is apparent, the stabilizer may also be on the crown
portion,
such that when the hat container is closed, it lies relatively snugly on the
exterior
surface of door 4 of hat container 1. Stabilizer 27 can serve many functions,
such
as, for example, providing for stability and resistance against torsional
forces,
which might otherwise cause door 4 to move to .an opened position and thereby
permit the billed hats contained therein to fall out of the hat container.
Alternately
or in addition, the stabilizer can provide some impact-resistance to the hat
container by preventing door 4 from suddenly opening due to impact and
releasing
the contents. In one embodiment, stabilizer 27 is a rim, which may
additionally be
used to provide protection against water damage, by sealing inside cavity 19
from
the outside environment as by with a foam liner disposed between crown portion
3
and the rim, and offering protection for the billed hats.
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Door 4 is secured in a closed position, which position is shown in FIG. 1, by
a
closure 22. As is apparent, there are a variety of different closures that can
be used
to hold door 4 in a closed position, such as, for example, latches and/or
catches or
other reversible locking mechanisms. In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1
and SB, closure 22 comprises a catch 23, which can reversibly engage
protrusion
24, located on the underside of lip 25. In another embodiment, door 4 could be
held in a closed position through the use of friction, if a compressible
liner, such as
one made of foam or other equivalent material known to those of skill of the
art is
positioned between the stabilizer of door 4 and crown portion 3, and is
compressed
sufficiently to maintain the door in a closed position. The liner may be on
the
door, the crown portion or both.
Door 4 may comprise concave depression 26, which functions to preserve the
shape of the hats inserted into the container. Concave depression 26 can serve
to
keep the hats in the configuration required to create an overlapping array,
where
the back portion of the crown is folded into the front portion. The concave
depression can also serve many other functions depending on its size, such as
reducing movement of hats in the container during transport, which could
result in
damage to the hats.
In one embodiment, hat container 1 comprises loop 28 for hanging or carrying.
The loop can be made from a variety of materials, including rigid (i.e.,
plastic or
other polymerics) and flexible (i.e., nylon) materials. Loop 28 for hanging or
carrying can be attached in a variety of ways to hat container 1. In one
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embodiment, the loop is inserted into door 4 through slots 29, and it can be
pushed
into cavity 19 when not needed.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with the disclosed
embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not intended to be
limited
to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover
alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the
spirit and scope of the invention. Various modifications will remain readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the
present
invention have been defined herein specifically to describe hat containers
that can
be used to hold, store, contain and transport billed hats without the hats
being
crushed or deformed.
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