Headwear piece with moisture controlling component

Abstract

A headwear piece having a crown with a wall having an inside surface and an outside surface. The inside wall surface extends around a receptacle into which a user's head is directed. An accessory controls migration of moisture from a wearer's head to and through the crown wall and thereby tending to alter an appearance of the crown at the outside wall surface. The accessory has a flexible moisture absorbing component that is attached to the inside wall surface and extends upwardly from at or adjacent a bottom edge of the crown, that defines an entry opening for a wearers head. The accessory further has a stabilizer strip that is joined with the flexible moisture absorbing component and exerts a force on the inside wall surface tending to maintain a convex shape of the outside surface of the crown.

1 . A headwear piece comprising:
 a crown with a wall having an inside surface and an outside surface,   the inside wall surface extending around a receptacle into which a user's head is directed with the headwear piece in an operative position,   the crown wall extending at least partially around a wearer's head with the headwear piece in the operative position; and   an accessory to control migration of moisture from a wearer's head to and through the crown wall and thereby tending to alter an appearance of the crown at the outside wall surface,   the accessory comprising a flexible moisture absorbing component that is attached to the inside wall surface and extends upwardly from at or adjacent a bottom edge of the crown, that defines an entry opening for a wearer's head, and extends through at least 180° around a circumference of the entry opening,   the accessory further comprising a stabilizer strip that is joined with the flexible moisture absorbing component and exerts a force on the inside wall surface tending to maintain a convex shape of the outside surface of the crown.   
     
     
         2 . The headwear piece according to  claim 1  wherein the stabilizer strip extends through at least 180° around the circumference of the entry opening. 
     
     
         3 . The headwear piece according to  claim 1  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component is fixed to the inside wall surface. 
     
     
         4 . The headwear piece according to  claim 1  wherein the crown wall has an inside layer that is folded upwardly and defines a part of the inside wall surface and the flexible moisture absorbing component overlies the inside layer and extends to above the inside layer. 
     
     
         5 . The headwear piece according to  claim 4  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside surface of the crown wall. 
     
     
         6 . The headwear piece according to  claim 5 , wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside surface of the crown wall continuously through at least 180° around the circumference of the entry opening. 
     
     
         7 . The headwear piece according to  claim 4  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside layer. 
     
     
         8 . The headwear piece according to  claim 7  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside layer through at least 180° around the circumference of the entry opening. 
     
     
         9 . The headwear piece according to  claim 7  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component is not fixed to the inside surface at a region above the inside layer. 
     
     
         10 . The headwear piece according to  claim 1  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component directly engages a wearer's head with the headwear piece in the operative position. 
     
     
         11 . The headwear piece according to  claim 1  wherein a second flexible moisture absorbing component is fixed to the inside wall surface so that the flexible moisture absorbing component and second flexible moisture absorbing component cooperatively extend substantially fully around the bottom edge of the crown. 
     
     
         12 . The headwear piece according to  claim 1  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component is made from an absorbent fabric layer with opposite sides exposed directly to the inside surface of the crown and the head of a wearer with the headwear piece in the operative position. 
     
     
         13 . The headwear piece according to  claim 4  wherein the stabilizer strip is spaced above the inside layer. 
     
     
         14 . The headwear piece according to  claim 13  wherein the stabilizer strip is spaced above the inside layer over a majority of a length of the stabilizer strip. 
     
     
         15 . The headwear piece according to  claim 11  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component and second flexible moisture absorbing component are cooperatively adhered to the inside wall surface fully along the bottom edge of the crown. 
     
     
         16 . The headwear piece according to  claim 11  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component and second flexible moisture absorbing component cooperatively define a continuous ring shape. 
     
     
         17 . The headwear piece according to  claim 5  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component is adhered to the inside wall surface so as to be substantially flush with a bottom edge of the crown wall over a substantial length of the bottom edge of the crown wall. 
     
     
         18 . The headwear piece according to  claim 1  wherein the flexible moisture absorbing component has a vertical height that varies over a length of the flexible moisture absorbing component. 
     
     
         19 . The headwear piece according to  claim 1  wherein the stabilizer strip has a width greater than ¼ inch. 
     
     
         20 . The headwear piece according to  claim 19  wherein the stabilizer strip has a width less than one inch.