Eyewear Accommodating Hat

Abstract

An eyeglass-accommodating hat includes a crown portion having front and back panel sections and a pair of opposing side panel sections that interconnect the front and back panel sections. Each side panel section includes conforming triangular inner and outer sheets that are peripherally interconnected to form a receptacle between the sheets. Forward and rearward entry slots are formed into the receptacle through forward and rearward vertical seams interconnecting the inner and outer sheets. Glasses are supported on the hat by inserting respective temples through the entry slots and into the receptacles of the respective side panel sections.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hat for accommodating eyewear, which eyewear has a pair of elongate supportive frame elements, each supportive frame element including at least one of a temple and an earpiece, said hat comprising:
 a crown defined by a plurality of interconnected panel sections, which include forward and rearward panel sections and a pair of opposing side panel sections, each said side panel section interconnected between said forward and rearward panel sections; each said forward, rearward and side panel section including at least one flexible sheet having a generally tapered shape that converges from a relatively wide end at a bottom of said crown to a vertex at a top of said crown;   each said side panel section including a flexible outer sheet and an underlying flexible inner sheet, said outer sheet including a generally horizontal lower edge fastened to a corresponding lower edge of said underlying inner sheet and a pair of upwardly converging vertical edges, each said upwardly converging vertical edge fastened for a portion of its length to a corresponding upwardly converging vertical edge of said underlying inner sheet; a segment of said upwardly converging vertical edge of said outer sheet being detached and separated from said corresponding converging vertical edge of said underlying inner sheet to define forward and rearward entry slots into a receptacle between said outer sheet and said underlying inner sheet, whereby at least one of the temple and the earpiece of a respective supportive frame element of the eyewear is receivable by a corresponding said receptacle to support the eyewear on the hat.   
     
     
         2 . The hat of  claim 1  further including a bill that is secured to said forward panel section of said hat, said bill for mounting the eyewear thereon when at least one of a temple and an earpiece of the eyewear is received by a respective said receptacle of said hat. 
     
     
         3 . The hat of  claim 1  in which said crown includes a pair of interconnected forward panel sheets and a pair of interconnected rearward panel sheets, each of said forward and rearward panel sheets being directly attached to a respective said side panel section. 
     
     
         4 . The hat of  claim 1  in which each said panel section has a generally triangular shape. 
     
     
         5 . The hat of  claim 1  in which each said outer sheet is peripherally secured to an underlying said inner sheet by a pair of upwardly converging vertical side seams and a bottom seam that extends between said upwardly converging vertical side seams. 
     
     
         6 . The hat of  claim 5  in which each said upwardly converging vertical side seam extends for a majority of the span between said vertex and said bottom of said crown. 
     
     
         7 . The hat of  claim 6  in which a seamless gap is formed in each said converging vertical side seam between said inner and outer sheets to define said entry slots into said receptacles of said hat. 
     
     
         8 . The hat of  claim 1  further including a pad mounted within said receptacle and carried said inner sheet to provide frictional adherence to at least one of the temple and the earpiece and enhanced retention of the eyewear within said receptacle of said hat, and to cushion interengagement between the eyewear and a wearer's head. 
     
     
         9 . The hat of  claim 1  in which said inner and outer sheets of said side panel sections have substantially conforming shapes. 
     
     
         10 . The hat of  claim 5  in which each said side panel section is joined to said forward and rearward panel sections along respective said converging vertical side seams. 
     
     
         11 . The hat of  claim 1  in which said inner and outer sheets of said side panel sections have generally conforming triangular shapes. 
     
     
         12 . The hat of  claim 1  in which each said upwardly converging vertical edge of said outer sheet is fastened continuously for a majority of its length to said corresponding upwardly converging vertical edge of said underlying inner sheet. 
     
     
         13 . A hat for accommodating eyewear, which eyewear has a pair of elongate supportive frame elements, each supportive frame element including at least one of a temple and an earpiece, said hat comprising:
 a crown defined by a plurality of interconnected panel sections, which include forward and rearward panel sections and a pair of opposing side panel sections, each said side panel section interconnected between said forward and rearward panel sections; each said forward, rearward and side panel section including at least one flexible sheet having a generally tapered shape that converges from a relatively wide end at a bottom of said crown to a vertex at a top of said crown;   each said side panel section including a flexible outer sheet and an underlying flexible inner sheet, said outer sheet including a generally horizontal lower edge fastened to a corresponding lower edge of said underlying inner sheet and a pair of upwardly converging vertical edges, each said upwardly converging vertical edge fastened for at least a portion of its length to a corresponding upwardly converging vertical edge of said underlying inner sheet; a relatively short segment of a forward said upwardly converging vertical edge of each said outer sheet being detached and separated from said corresponding converging vertical edge of said underlying inner sheet to define a forward entry slot into a receptacle between said outer sheet and said underlying inner sheet, whereby at least one of the temple and the earpiece of a respective supportive frame element of the eyewear is receivable by a corresponding said receptacle to support the eyewear on the hat.   
     
     
         14 . A hat for accommodating eyewear, which eyewear has a pair of elongate supportive frame elements, each supportive frame element including at least one of a temple and an earpiece, said hat comprising:
 a crown defined by a plurality of interconnected panel sections, which include forward and rearward panel sections and a pair of opposing side panel sections, each said side panel section interconnected between said forward and rearward panel sections; each said forward, rearward and side panel section including at least one flexible sheet having a generally tapered shape that converges from a relatively wide end at a bottom of said crown to a vertex at a top of said crown;   each said side panel section including a flexible outer sheet and an underlying flexible inner sheet, said outer sheet including a generally horizontal lower edge fastened to a corresponding lower edge of said underlying inner sheet and a pair of upwardly converging vertical edges, each said upwardly converging vertical edge fastened for at least a portion of its length to a corresponding upwardly converging vertical edge of said underlying inner sheet; a relatively short segment of a rearward said upwardly converging vertical edge of each said outer sheet being detached and separated from said corresponding converging vertical edge of said underlying inner sheet to define a rearward entry slot into a receptacle between said outer sheet and said underlying inner sheet, whereby at least one of the temple and the earpiece of a respective supportive frame element of the eyewear is receivable by a corresponding said receptacle to support the eyewear on the hat.