DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] In describing preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the drawings, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by way of illustration only. It is not intended that the invention be limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Also, in describing the preferred embodiments, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

[0021] The present invention is directed to headwear of various types, each having a headband sewn with rubber thread and nylon stretch thread in a chain-like pattern to provide automatic size adjustment to accommodate a wider range of head sizes and with greater comfort than is possible using prior art headwear structures and sewing methods.

[0022] According to a first embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 1, the present invention is directed to a baseball-style cap including a crown main body, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, a visor portion, generally designated by the reference numeral 2, and a headband, generally designated by the reference numeral 3. The crown part 1 is generally made of more than one piece of fabric. The visor portion 2 is secured to the forward edge of the crown main body 1, and the headband 3 is secured to the lower peripheral edge of the interior of the crown 1. The visor 2 may include a stiffening member 4 covered with the visor fabric. The headband 3 is folded to have a tunnel-like shape and is secured using a plurality of stitching lines 5, each of which is composed of rubber thread and nylon stretch thread.

[0023] In addition, the joint between the crown main body 1 and the headband 3 (not shown) is sewn using rubber thread and nylon thread, further enhancing the stretchability of the cap. The stitching of such joint may be sewn so as to be visible on the outer surface of the crown main body 1, or may be sewn so as to be visible only from the inside of the cap such that the consistency of the outer appearance of the cap is not disturbed.

[0024] A second embodiment of the headwear in accordance with the present invention, namely that of a visor, is shown in FIG. 2. The visor includes a crown part, generally designated by the reference numeral 6, a visor part 2 attached to the front side of the crown part 6, and a headband, generally designated by the reference numeral 8. The headband 8 is attached to the lower peripheral edge of the interior of the crown part 6. The headband 8 is folded to have a tunnel-like shape and is secured using a plurality of stitching lines 9, each of which is composed of rubber thread and nylon stretch thread. The elastic thread may be readily stretched in the direction of the periphery of the crown part 6 to accommodate various head sizes. As with the cap, the joint between the crown part 6 and the headband 8 is sewn using rubber thread and nylon thread.

[0025] A third embodiment of the headwear in accordance with the present invention, namely that of a brimmed hat, is shown in FIG. 3. The brimmed hat includes a crown part, generally designated by the reference numeral 10, a brim part, generally designated by the reference numeral 11, and a headband, generally designated by the reference numeral 12. The crown part 10 is generally made of more than one piece of fabric. The headband 12 and the brim part 11 are each attached to the lower peripheral edge of the interior of the crown part 10. The headband 12 is folded to have a tunnel-like shape and is secured using a plurality of stitching lines 13, each of which is composed of rubber thread and nylon stretch thread. As with the baseball-style cap and the visor, the elastic thread used to stitch the headband of the brimmed hat may be readily stretched in the direction of the periphery of the crown part 10 to accommodate various head sizes, and the joint between the crown part 10 and the headband 12 is sewn using rubber thread and nylon thread.

[0026] As shown in each of FIGS. 1-3, the respective headwear is constructed without a separate size controlling element so that, upon wearing thereof, the fabric of the headband and the stitching thereon are stretched as necessary to fit the wearer's head. The headband may be made of a textile containing no spandex yarn to limit the stretchability of such band or may, alternatively, be made of a textile which includes spandex yarn for increased size adjustability.

[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates the headband according to the present invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 14, as sewn with rubber thread and nylon stretch thread, shown from the outer side 18, with “outer” referring to that side of the headband which directly contacts the wearer's head when the headwear bearing the headband is worn. Conversely, FIG. 5 illustrates a view of the inner side 19 of the headband 14, with “inner” referring to that side of the headband opposite the outer side 18 and contacting the inner surface of the lower edge of the crown part of the headwear bearing the headband. The headband 14 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is representative of each of the headbands 3, 8, 12 depicted in the various embodiments of FIGS. 1-3.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the headband 14 preferably includes four lines of stitching, generally designated by the reference numeral 15. Each line of stitching 15 is formulated using at least two threads, which may be made of different materials, with only one of the threads being visible on one of the sides of the headband. Particularly, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer portion of the lines of stitching 15a, namely that portion visible on the outer side 18 of the headband 14, represents only an outer thread 20 and has an appearance like that of conventional stitching; an example of conventional stitching is shown in FIG. 6. However, according to the present invention, the inner portion of the lines of stitching 15b, namely that portion visible on the inner side 19 of the headband 14, shown in FIG. 5, includes both the outer thread 20 and an inner thread 21 which, as shown in greater detail in FIG. 7, are sewn together in a chain-like pattern.

[0029] According to the conventional stitching method as shown in FIG. 6, an upper thread 16 and a lower thread 17 are interwoven in a tongue-and-groove type relationship to each other through the space between the outer fabric 18 and the inner fabric 19. The resulting lines of stitching look the same on both the outer fabric 18 and inner fabric 19, with a single one of the threads 16, 17 being visible on each fabric, respectively.

[0030] According to the method of sewing with rubber thread according to the present invention, shown in FIG. 7, the outer thread 20 and the inner thread 21 are interwoven in a chain-like pattern. Starting at the outer fabric 18 (for purposes of description), the outer thread 20 goes through both the outer fabric 18 and the inner fabric 19, and then weaves down and up through a double loop of the inner thread 21, as shown, to form a chain-like pattern on the inner portion 15b of the lines of stitching. The outer thread 20 then goes back through the inner fabric 19 and the outer fabric 18 to form a generally linear pattern on the outer portion 15a of the lines of stitching 15. As shown, only the outer thread passes through the outer and inner fabric layers 18, 19 of the headband, and the outer thread 20 goes through a double loop of said inner thread 21 in between each pass through such headband fabric layers 18, 19.

[0031] According to a preferred embodiment, the outer thread 20 is rubber thread and the inner thread 21 is nylon stretch thread. It is also possible to use rubber thread for both the outer thread 20 and the inner thread 21, or to use nylon stretch thread for both threads, but best results are obtained with the rubber outer thread and the nylon stretch inner thread in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

[0032] Through the use of elastic thread elements and the chain-like pattern as described and illustrated herein, the headband according to the present invention achieves good expandability, accommodating a wide range of head sizes with a high degree of comfort for the wearer.

[0033] The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by the dimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. For example, the headband may be incorporated into hats, caps and visors of other styles. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.