Sport cap and method for its production

Abstract

A sport cap has a visor made of thick-walled neoprene foam rubber. The pattern of the visor is approximately crescent-shaped and has an arched inner edge, which is sewn in a stretched form to the elastic headband. In a use position, the visor has a middle convex curvature section and two lateral adjacent concave curvature sections, whereby there is a uniform transition between each of the curvature sections. Due to this multiple curvature of the visor, the visor has a form stability when in use but is at the same time soft and pliable. The cap with visor can be transported while crushed together in any form desired. The visor will always return to its original form once the cap is placed on the head.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A cap comprising: 
 a crown with a lower edge;    a head-band which is at least partly elastic and which has an upper edge and a lower edge; and    a visor made of an elastic deformable material, said visor having a curved inner edge in use, said curved inner edge having a pair of opposite ends, said visor being attached to the lower edge of the crown and the lower edge of said head-band when the visor is stretched between the opposite sides thereof.    
     
     
         2 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the visor is attached to the crown by aligning the visor with a front portion of the crown; 
 stretching the opposite outer ends of the curved inner edge of the peak approximate the same distance in opposite directions so that the curved inner edge is made substantially straight; and    attaching the substantially straight inner edge to the lower edge of the crown and the lower edge of the headband.    
     
     
         3 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the curved inner edge is attached between the lower edge of the crown and the lower edge of the headband.  
     
     
         4 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein each opposite end of the curved inner edge of the visor is stretched approximately ¼ to 2 inches before the visor is attached to the crown.  
     
     
         5 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the crown is comprised of a plurality of panels.  
     
     
         6 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the crown is non-elastic.  
     
     
         7 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the visor has a front edge located opposite the inner edge, and a side edge located between the inner edge and the front edge, wherein a distance between the front edge and the inner edge is at least twice the length of the side edge.  
     
     
         8 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the visor has a thickness of at least 3 mm.  
     
     
         9 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein the inner edge of the visor has, at least approximately a parabolic form.  
     
     
         10 . The cap of  claim 1 , wherein a curvature in a middle range of the inner edge of the visor is greatest and gradually reduces toward the opposite outer ends of the inner edge.  
     
     
         11 . The cap as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the visor is elastic deformable neoprene.  
     
     
         12 . A method for assembling a sport cap having a cap with a lower edge, an elastic head-band with a bottom edge, and a peak made of an elastic deformable foam rubber material, said peak having a curved inner edge, said curved inner edge having a pair of opposite ends which are substantially aligned with each other when the peak is in a flat position, said method comprising the following steps: 
 (a) aligning the peak with a front portion of the cap;    (b) stretching the opposite ends of the curved inner edge of the peak approximate the same distance in opposite directions so that the curved inner edge is substantially straight; and    (c) attaching the substantially straight curved inner edge between the lower edge of the cap and the bottom edge of said elastic head-band, during which the elastic head-band is maintained in a substantially tension-free state.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the curved inner edge is attached between the lower edge of the cap and the bottom edge of the elastic head-band.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the each opposite end of the curved inner edge of the peak is stretched approximately ¼ to 2 inches during the stretching in step (c)( 2 ).  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the same amount of tension is applied to each opposite end of the curved inner edge during the stretching in step (c)( 2 ).