Stationary Guard and Brace For a Baseball Cap-Type Visor

Abstract

A visor guard and brace adapted to shape and protect the visor of a baseball cap is provided. The brace preferably comprises a rigid “U” shaped plate slid over the edge of the visor, although the brace may alternatively be flat or define a shallow curve. The brace releasably attaches and constrains the surface of the visor and forces the visor to conform to one particular, user selectable shape. The brace remains attached to the visor as the cap is worn by the user to permanently guard against grime, dirt, tears, or fraying. The plate itself provides a long lasting improved esthetic appearance with or on the visor of the cap with or without additional ornamentation attached to the brace.

1 . A rigid guard and brace for a cap type visor that slides over to conceal, hide and rest against a front edge of the visor as well as a substantial front portion of a top surface and a bottom surface of the visor, and a lesser front portion of the left and right edges of the visor, suitable to be actively worn in combination with the cap visor on a wearer's head, the cap type visor having a top surface, a bottom surface, a left edge, a right edge, and a front edge, the visor joined to a dome-shaped portion of a cap at a cap band, the guard and brace comprising: 
 substantially rigid spaced apart top and bottom planar members and a single fold forming a single opening to a void between the top and bottom planar members, the fold further defined as a single joining peripheral wall extending from the left edges of the top and bottom planar members all the way around to the right edges of the top and bottom planar members, the joining peripheral wall, and the top and bottom planar members essentially forming an enclosure defined by the wall joining the front edges, left edges and right edges of the top and bottom planar members, said top and bottom planar members absent a joining back wall describing one said single opening to a void located between the back edges of the top and bottom planar members and directly opposite the front of the said joining peripheral wall, to releasably insert the front edge and a lesser frontal portion of the left and right edges of the bill of a cap into said void between the top and bottom plates, such void substantially filled with the frontal portion of the cap bill, the inside back surface of the said joining peripheral wall resting against and concealing the front of a cap type visor as well as a lesser frontal portion of the left and right edges of a cap bill, and the inside surface of the said top and bottom plates to rest against and conceal a substantial front portion of top and bottom surfaces of a cap bill;    the spaced apart top and bottom planar members defining the single fold of predetermined fixed area as a means to forcibly shape a substantial front planar portion of the cap type visor;    said spaced apart planar members with the single fold located on a substantial front portion of the bill of a cap and the rear portion of the cap type visor remaining exposed, the device substantially away from the cap band as a means to allow the substantial rear portion of the cap bill the flexibility to conform to the shape of a forehead of the wearer; and    the cap band comfortably and securely tightened to prevent losing the cap during windy weather or actively tilting of the user's head, the conforming flexible rear portion of the cap visor and tightened cap band having substantially no shaping affect on the substantial front portion of the cap visor constrained by the visor brace.    
   
   
       2 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein spaced apart top planar and bottom planar members are parallel and define the single fold and wherein a single void is bounded by the spaced apart top and bottom planar members, the single fold, and the single opening.  
   
   
       3 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 2 , wherein a single opening to said void is directly opposite the said single fold of said spaced apart top planar and bottom planar members with said fold.  
   
   
       4 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the top planar member, the bottom planar member, and the joining member comprise an article of manufacture formed of a single contiguous material and wherein the joining member comprises a single fold.  
   
   
       5 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 4 , wherein the single fold of the spaced apart top planar and bottom planar members include a seam running laterally along the single fold wherein the seam is welded or snaps together to join separate top and bottom planar members.  
   
   
       6 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the spaced apart top planar and bottom planar members with single fold defines one continuous piece formed from a material selected from the group consisting of precious metal, non-precious metal, spring steel, metal alloy, rigid polymer, polyolefins, polyamides, polyethylene, polypropylene, and copolymers and terpolymers thereof.  
   
   
       7 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 6 , wherein a lateral seam in the said single fold of the spaced apart top planar and bottom planar members defines separate planar members, the top planar member formed from a metal type of material and the bottom planar member formed from a plastic material and then glued or snapped together.  
   
   
       8 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 6 , wherein the top planar member, the bottom planar member, and the joining wall member comprise an article of manufacture formed of separate plates and a wall, a composite of fixtures of different materials fit and joined together to form one unit and wherein the joining member comprises a single wall with an opening to a void between the top and bottom planar members.  
   
   
       9 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the spaced apart top and bottom planar members with single fold are slightly curved and parallel to one another and wherein the void is slightly curved.  
   
   
       10 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 9 , wherein the spaced apart top and bottom planar members with single fold are reversible and may be flipped over to curve a substantial front portion and left and right edges of a cap type visor in the opposite direction.  
   
   
       11 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the single fold of the spaced apart top plate and bottom plate is substantially a “U” shape wall running laterally along the edges of the top and bottom planar members and joining the top and bottom planar members, the “U” shaped wall having one end on each side of the top and bottom planar members describing an opening to a void to conceal the front portion of a cap type visor as well as the cap type visor's front edge and lesser front portion of the left and right edges of the cap type visor.  
   
   
       12 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 11 , wherein the single fold of the spaced apart top plate and bottom planar members is substantially “U” shaped and may be further formed with additional design configuration such as cut or molded holes, stars, and other shapes.  
   
   
       13 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the top and bottom planar members are substantially flat and parallel to one another, and wherein the void is substantially flat.  
   
   
       14 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 13 , wherein the top and bottom planar members are substantially flat and parallel to one another and the void is substantially flat, and wherein the device may be removed, flipped over, and reinstalled, and have no effect on the frontal shape of the cap type visor, but give a different esthetic look with the same guard and brace.  
   
   
       15 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the spaced apart top planar and bottom planar members with single fold is substantially unbendable, except with substantial heat, it will bend slightly and keep a desirable form.  
   
   
       16 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the bottom planar member is positioned partially beneath the front of the visor and may be reversed to be positioned partially above the front of the visor.  
   
   
       17 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the top planar member is positioned partially above the front of the visor and may be reversed to be positioned partially below the front of the visor.  
   
   
       18 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein a curved cap type visor may be forcibly shaped to be substantially flat, and wherein a flat cap type visor is forcibly shaped to be curved.  
   
   
       19 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein wear and tear of a substantial portion of the front edge and a lesser portion of the left and right edges of the cap type visor are concealed above, below, and in front of the device.  
   
   
       20 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the top and bottom planar members and joining wall member may be accessorized by printing on any surface, attaching to any surface or building into any surface independent objects for utility use or display, such as a golf ball marker, bottle cap opener, or a lighted device, or for advertisement, a decal.  
   
   
       21 . The visor guard and brace of  claim 1 , wherein the front edge of the cap type visor may not rest completely flush against the back wall of the single fold.