Cap with multi-point locking strap to adjust the size

Abstract

The present invention is used to adjust the size of a cap that has approximately half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap. There are two fixed multi-point locking straps and each is attached to the inside of the sweatband on each side of the approximately half circle of no cap material. There is one removable multi-point locking strap across the space between the sides of the half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap. The ends of the removable strap are attached to the fixed straps by inserting one or more protrusions into one or more holes. In one embodiment, the fixed straps are male multi-point locking straps with protrusions and the removable strap is a female multi-point locking strap with holes. In another embodiment, the fixed straps are female multi-point locking straps with holes and the removable strap is a male multi-point locking strap with protrusions.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A mechanism for changing the size of a cap which has an approximately half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap and a fixed strap that is a male multi-point locking strap which has one or more protrusions on its surface is attached to the inside wall of a sweatband on the left side and right side of the approximately half-circle of no cap material and the one or more protrusions face away from the sweatband and there is a removable strap that is a female multi-point locking strap which has one or more holes on its surface at the two ends of the strap and it is positioned across the approximately half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap and the ends of the removable strap are positioned between the fixed strap and the cap material on the outside of the cap on both sides of the approximately half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap and the entrance of the holes face the male multi-point locking strap and one end of the female multi-point locking strap is attached to the male multi-point locking strap on one side of the approximately half-circle of no cap material and the other end of the female multi-point locking strap is attached to the male multi-point locking strap on the other side of the approximately half-circle of no cap material and the attachment is made by placing one or more protrusions on the male multi-point locking strap into one or more holes of the female multi-point locking strap further comprising:
 (a) In each area where a strap with one or more protrusions is to be attached to a strap with one or more holes, the protrusions on the male multi-point locking strap and holes in the female multi-point locking strap are in the same pattern and alignment;   (b) The size of the cap can be changed by moving the removable strap which involves removing the protrusions from the holes on each side of the approximately half-circle of no cap material where the removable strap and the fixed strap are attached and placing the protrusions on the male multi-point locking strap into different holes in the female multi-point locking strap on each side of the approximately half-circle of no cap material;   (c) the male multi-point locking strap and female multi-point locking strap are made with a material that comprises one material from the group consisting of a synthetic material, cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, polyethylene, polypropylene, plastic, natural rubber, and synthetic rubber;   (d) The protrusions are made with a material that comprises one material from the group consisting of a synthetic material, plastic,   polyester, nylon, rayon, polyethylene, polypropylene, natural rubber and synthetic rubber;   (e) The shape and dimensions of the holes in the female multi-point locking strap have a shape and size that allow the protrusions to be inserted into the holes and keep the straps attached and not disengage unless there is an intentional pulling of the straps to disengage them; and   (f) The shape and dimensions of the holes in the female multi-point locking strap have the same pattern and alignment as the protrusions in the male multi-point locking strap.   
     
     
         22 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the fixed strap is a female multi-point locking strap which has one or more holes on its surface and it is attached to the inside wall of a sweatband on the left side and right side of the approximately half-circle of no cap material and the entrance of the one or more holes face away from the sweatband and there is a removable strap that is a male multi-point locking strap which has one or more protrusions on its surface at the two ends and it is positioned across the approximately half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap and the ends of the removable strap are positioned between the fixed strap and the cap material on the outside of the cap on both sides of the approximately half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap and the protrusions face the female multi-point locking strap and one end of the male multi-point locking strap is attached to the female multi-point locking strap on one side of the approximately half-circle of no cap material and the other end of the male multi-point locking strap is attached to the other female multi-point locking strap on the other side of the approximately half-circle of no cap material and the attachment is made by placing one or more protrusions on the male multi-point locking strap into one or more holes of the female multi-point locking strap. 
     
     
         23 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the attachment method to attach the fixed strap to the sweatband is an attachment method selected from the group consisting of sewing and adhesive. 
     
     
         24 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the male multi-point locking strap and female multi-point locking strap are made with two or more materials from the group consisting of cotton, polyester, nylon, rayon, polyethylene, polypropylene, other synthetic material, plastic, rubber, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, nickel, and steel alloy and the different materials are attached together using a method selected from the group consisting of sewing, clasps, and adhesive. 
     
     
         25 . The mechanism of  claim 24 , wherein the different materials are attached together using a method selected from the group consisting of sewing, clasps, and adhesive. 
     
     
         26 . The mechanism of  claim 21  wherein the protrusions have a shape that is a shape selected from the group consisting of cylinders, two or more cylinders of different diameter on top of each other with the diameter of each cylinder smaller than the previous cylinder as the protrusion enters the hole, two or more cylinders of different diameter on top of each other with the diameter of each cylinder larger than the previous cylinder as the protrusion enters the hole, cylinders with a partial sphere at the end that first enters the hole, cylinders with a partial sphere at the end that last enters the hole, truncated cones with a larger diameter at the end that first enters the hole, truncated cones with a smaller diameter at the end that first enters the hole, truncated cones with a partial sphere at the end with the smaller diameter of the truncated cone and the partial sphere is at the end that first enters the hole. 
     
     
         27 . The mechanism of  claim 21  wherein the shape of the hole in the female multi-point locking strap has two different diameter circular openings with the smaller diameter being the diameter at the entrance of the hole and the shape of the protrusion on the male multi-point locking strap has two different diameter cylinders with the larger diameter protrusion being the first part of the protrusion to enter the hole and the diameter of the protrusion to first enter the hole is approximately equal to the diameter of the entrance of the hole. 
     
     
         28 . The mechanism of  claim 21  wherein the top view of the fixed strap and removable strap has a shape that is a shape selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, parallelogram, trapezoid, oval, and elongated oval. 
     
     
         29 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the male multi-point locking strap and the female multi-point locking strap have a thickness that comprises a thickness from the group consisting of less than 1/16″, 1/16″ to less than ⅛″, ⅛″ to less than ¼″, and ¼″ and larger. 
     
     
         30 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the male multi-point locking strap and the female multi-point locking strap have a width that comprises a width from the group consisting of less than ½″, ½″ to less than ¾″, and ¾″ and larger. 
     
     
         31 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the length of the fixed strap is ¼″ to 10″. 
     
     
         32 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the length of the removable strap is 1″ to 24″. 
     
     
         33 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the holes in the female multi-point locking strap has a depth that comprises a depth from the group consisting of bottom surface of the strap and above the bottom surface of the strap. 
     
     
         34 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the fixed strap has small holes along the perimeter of the fixed strap and the shape of the holes is a shape selected from the group consisting of a rectangle, circle, and oval. 
     
     
         35 . The mechanism of  claim 21  wherein the pattern of the protrusions is a pattern that is a pattern selected from the group consisting of single line of protrusions with equal distance between the protrusions, single line of protrusions with unequal distance between the protrusions, single line of protrusions with no distance between the protrusions and touching each other, double line of protrusions with equal distance between the protrusions, double line of protrusions with unequal distance between the protrusions, and double line of protrusions with no distance between the protrusions. 
     
     
         36 . The mechanism of  claim 21  wherein the protrusions on the male multi-point locking strap and the holes in the female multi-point locking strap are between the sweatband and the material on the outside of the cap and they are not visible when the cap is being worn. 
     
     
         37 . The mechanism of  claim 21 , wherein the upper corner of the sweatband along the edge of the half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap on both sides of the half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap is attached to the edge of the half-circle of no cap material in the rear of the cap to keep the sweatband in a substantially vertical plane using a method that is selected from the group consisting of sewing, clasp, and adhesive.