Ventilated Headwear with Louvered Construction

Abstract

Headwear is disclosed that provides both shade and enhanced ventilation. The headwear comprises a plurality of horizontally-arranged, vertically-spaced louvers forming a hat body that encircles the wearer's head. The louvers are configured with a defined shade angle to block direct sunlight while allowing unimpeded airflow through the spaces between the louvers. Spacers maintain the vertical separation between adjacent louvers. This louvered construction provides significantly improved cooling compared to conventional hats, such as baseball caps or hats with mesh panels, which either trap heat or fail to provide adequate shade. The headwear can be manufactured using additive (3D printing) or subtractive (cutting and assembly) techniques, utilizing materials such as plastics or composites. A top member encloses the uppermost louver. A brim may optionally be included.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A hat, comprising:
 a cavity for receiving a user's head;   a plurality of generally ring shaped vertically spaced louvers forming at least a portion of a hat body configured to at least partially surround a wearer's head;   the louvers are configured to block passage of rays of the sun between the louvers when the rays are incident on a vertical plane of the hat at angles greater than a target shade angle with respect to a ground plane regardless of variations in shape of the hat body;   the louvers being arranged to allow substantially unimpeded airflow around the wearer's head; and   and wherein the hat body comprises at least one louver that is not horizontally congruent with another louver.   
     
     
         2 . The hat of  claim 1 , further comprising a top member that prevents sunlight from entering the top of the hat body. 
     
     
         3 . The hat of  claim 1 , wherein the target shade angle is less than about 70 degrees. 
     
     
         4 . The hat of  claim 1 , wherein the louvers are substantially flat. 
     
     
         5 . The hat of  claim 1 , wherein at least one louver is connected to a spacer, and wherein a plane defined by said at least one louver is not parallel to a horizontal plane. 
     
     
         6 . The hat of  claim 1 , wherein the louvers are adjustable to vary an amount of light blocked. 
     
     
         7 . The hat of  claim 1 , wherein at least one louver is fragmented into a plurality of segments, and wherein adjacent segments of the fragmented louver are vertically offset from each other while maintaining the target shade angle defined by the louvers. 
     
     
         8 . The hat of  claim 1 , wherein the spacers are in the form of discrete posts. 
     
     
         9 . The hat of  claim 1 , wherein the spacers are configured to minimize airflow impedance regardless of the angle of incidence of the airflow relative to the spacer's surface. 
     
     
         10 . A method of manufacturing an article of headwear, the method comprising:
 forming a louvered structure comprising a plurality of horizontally-arranged, vertically-spaced louvers, wherein at least one louver has a different shape or size than another louver, and wherein adjacent louvers overlap vertically; and   assembling the louvered structure to form at least a portion of a hat body.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein forming the louvered structure comprises cutting a plurality of individual louvers from sheet material and attaching a plurality of discrete spacers between adjacent louvers. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein forming the louvered structure comprises thermoforming a plurality of individual louvers from a thermoplastic sheet and attaching a plurality of discrete spacers between adjacent louvers. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein forming the louvered structure comprises injection molding at least one section of the hat body, wherein the at least one section comprises a plurality of the louvers and a plurality of spacers integrally molded with the louvers. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein injection molding comprises injecting thermoplastic material into a mold at high speed and maintaining the mold at an elevated temperature. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the hat body is formed in a plurality of sections, and wherein injection molding comprises molding each section separately. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising joining the sections using snap-fit connections. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein forming the louvered structure comprises 3D printing. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein assembling comprises using a jig to align components of the hat body. 
     
     
         19 . The method of any one of  claim 11, 12, or 15 , wherein assembling comprises using an adhesive to bond components of the hat body together.