BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to hats or caps. More particularly this invention relates to hat or caps that are able to be adjusted in size to fit a wearer's head and also fulfill a decorative purpose as part of the adjustment arrangement.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] There has been an “explosion” in different types of headwear to be used by younger people, runners, athletes and those who are fashion conscious. Hats for every conceivable variety have been developed over the last several years; these have been seen on the streets, on running paths, at athletic events, etc.

[0005] It is quite common in the cap or hat field to have adjustable sizes, where different types of techniques are used to size the cap or hat to the wearer's head. Among prior art versions are those which include a buckle and strap, a collar and tab (snap), and Velcro (hook and loop material) straps.

[0006] All three utilize a cutout of the material at the back of the cap or hat extending from a point three inches above the headband down through approximately three inches of the headband itself. This cutout space is used to achieve the reduction and enlargement of the cap or hat size. All three devices consist of two parts to achieve closure, each part of which attaches to the headband and ends in the previously mentioned space at the back of the cap or hat. The three closure techniques all are aesthetically displeasing and two are clumsy to use and do not provide a firm fit—In addition, these devices are easily worn out and soon become dysfunctional Other than color and fabric variations and the addition of names and insignias little has changed in the basic aesthetics of this century old design.

[0007] The traditional buckle and strap and the collar and tab provide only approximate size adjustments. They are clumsy to operate. They wear out easily and lose whatever firm fit they may have offered originally. They are generally aesthetically unattractive.

[0008] The velcro straps do provide a more accurate sizing fit. They are easier to adjust. They do not wear out as quickly. They are, however, aesthetically displeasing because on all but the largest fit they leave a strap hanging out in space.

[0009] A fourth method for sizing a cap or hat provides a cord connected to the side of an arc shaped opening at the back to the hat or cap. A slide fastener is placed on the cord to allow the arc shaped opening to be opened and closed to adjust the size of the hat or cap. U.S. Design Pat. No. 365,917 (Armstrong), U.S. Design Pat. No. 406,687 Thorp. U.S. Design Pat. No. 357,792 (Cromer), U.S. Design Pat. No. 380,887 (Durdola) each show hats or caps being sized by cords attached through grommets, tabs, or fed into a facing structure of the cap or hat.

[0010] For more discussion of the fourth method of sizing a hat or cap, refer now to FIGS. 1a and 1b. FIGS. 1a and 1b are annotated reproductions of FIGS. 4 and 5 of Armstrong. FIG. 1a is the bottom plan view of FIG. 4 of Armstrong and FIG. 1b is the right side elevation view of FIG. 5 of Armstrong. Armstrong shows a baseball type cap having a headpiece 10 shaped hemispherically. An arc type cutout opening 35 of the headpiece 10 is used to size the headpiece 10 to fit a wearer's head. A bill or brim 20 is attached to the headpiece 10 at the peripheral edge of the headpiece 10 adjacent to the circular open bottom of the headpiece 10.

[0011] On the interior of the headpiece 10, at the peripheral edge adjacent to the open bottom of the headpiece 10, a facing 15 is attached to the headpiece 10 act essentially as a sweatband. Corded stringers 25a and 25b are threaded in a space between the facing 15 and the headpiece 10. The corded stringers 25a and 25b exit the facing 15 and the headpiece 10 at the juncture of the arc type cutout opening 35 and the open bottom of the headpiece 10 and have relatively long hanging corded string sections. The hanging corded string sections of the corded stringers 25a and 25b are passed through a beaded slider 30. The beaded slider 30 has cylindrical hole through which the corded stringers 25a and 25b pass that is sufficiently small so as to allow friction between the corded stingers 25a and 25b and the beaded slider 30 to prevent movement of the beaded slider 30. The arc type cutout opening 35 is adjusted by sliding the beaded slider on the corded stringers 25a and 25b.

[0012] Most of the corded sizing devices in the prior art employ a bead having a central cylindrical hollow opening through which the cord is passed. The cylindrical opening is sized such that the friction between the inner surface of the cylindrical hollow opening of the bead and the cord is sufficient to cause the cord to remain in place. An alternative to the bead with a cylindrical hollow opening is a spring-loaded cord fastener as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,699 (Takahashi), U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,505 (Anscher), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,948 (Bengtsson). The cord lock for gripping a cord, such as an elastic shock cord, includes a pair of telescoping members having holes through each. The telescoping members are biased so that their respective apertures are not aligned. The lock is loaded where the apertures are aligned for feeding a cord through the apertures. The lock is then release, which will cause the telescoping members to be urged to a position where their apertures are not aligned by the bias of the device, thereby pinching and locking the cord in place.

[0013] While all of these configurations provide some versatility in their adjustment mechanisms, none of them has recognized the opportunity to use the adjustment technique as a vehicle for displaying a pleasing decorative aspect that is visible to those who see the hat being worn.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An object of this invention is to provide a size adjustable hat or cap.

[0015] The hat has a headpiece approximately circular in shape, having a bottom opening such that the headpiece cover a portion of the wearer's head, and a side opening to allow the headpiece to be adjusted to fit the wearer's head. A decorative headpiece adjuster is connected to the headpiece to increase and decrease the side opening to adjust the headpiece to fit the wearer's head. The decorative headpiece adjuster has a sizing tie having two segments. The sizing tie is formed with a fabric having pleasing decoration and coloring, which can be imprinted with an attractive pattern or even an insignia of a sporting team or corporate entity to display membership in the group, Each segment of the sizing tie is attached to a surface of the headpiece adjacent to the bottom opening. The sizing tie becomes detached from the headpiece at a juncture of the bottom opening and the side opening. An adjustable tie lock is secured centrally to the sizing tie in proximity to two detaching points of the sizing tie from the headpiece. The adjustable tie lock moves along the sizing tie to adjust the fit of the headpiece upon a wearer's head by adjusting the side opening. Additionally, the hat may have a brim or visor attached to the headpiece at a front area of the headpiece.

[0016] The sizing tie may include two separate fabric sections separately secured to the headpiece and joined by the adjustable tie lock or the sizing tie is a single fabric section having two ends forming the two segments secured to the headpiece. The two segments are attached to an outside surface of the headpiece and act as a decorative hatband, thus fulfilling the inventive object of creating a pleasing external visual effect.

[0017] Normally, the side opening is placed at a rear area of the headpiece and the sizing tie is suspended from the hat at a back of the wearer's head.

[0018] The adjustable tie lock is a bead having a cylindrical hole through which two parts of the sizing tie pass. The cylindrical hole is sized to allow friction with the sizing tie in contact with an interior surface of the bead within the cylindrical hole to maintain the fit. An alternative to the bead for the tie lock is a cord lock.