US20150351478A1

US20150351478A1 - Hat with receptor

Info

Publication number: US20150351478A1
Application number: US14/310,866
Authority: US
Inventors: William V Yurevich
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-06-04
Filing date: 2014-06-20
Publication date: 2015-12-10

Abstract

A receptor that can be associated with the wall of the dome of a hat and receive items such as the stems of a pair of sunglasses. The receptor can be located on the interior wall of the dome and be accessible through an aperture or, the receptor can be located on the interior wall of the dome of the hat.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a utility patent application being filed in the United States as a non-provisional application for patent under Title 35 U.S.C. §100 et seq. and 37 C.F.R. §1.53(b) and, is being filed as a continuation-in-part of the following U.S. Design Patent Applications: Ser. No. 29/492,979 bearing the title of PENNANT SHAPED POCKET FOR GLASSES and Ser. No. 29/493,005 bearing the title of HAT WITH POCKET ACCESS FOR GLASSES, each of which were filed on Jun. 4, 2014 and each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

History is not really solid on when the first hat was created, but it is likely it originated alongside other basic forms of clothing. Mankind sought protection from the elements and hats had practical implications, however they were also used purely for adornment; much like today. Hats have a long history as markers of status, occupation, and even political affiliation.
Given the significance bestowed upon hats in eras past, it seems all the more remarkable that for the first time since the Roman Empire we find ourselves in a period where it is normal to see men and women not wearing hats. However, each hat has it's own unique history and individual significance in past and present societies.
Hats have continued to thrive through the ages with their most prevalent time being between the 18th and early half of the 20th centuries. Up until the end of the 1700's, giant plumed hats like the tricorne and bicorne ruled the day. These ostentatious headpieces could be perched safely upon powdered wigs and were favored by King Louis XIV and Napoleon.
During the Revolution, as “class” definition was fought against, the top hat became a symbol of change. It was worn by men in every social category signaling the transition from the flamboyant aristocracy to the urbane sophistication of modernity.
Throughout the 1900's hats continued to dominate as a “modern” fashion choice with one of the most famous styles; the Fedora. It is an “every man's” hat—a true icon—which, prevailing in popularity for almost a century, shows no signs of going out of style.
Hats have even wound their way into themes of a children's book written by Dr. Suess, “Go, Dog, Go”, in which a pink poodle was consumed with gaining the approval of a hound dog for her latest hat.
Caps, such as baseball caps, are well known in the art and are often used for recreational purposes. The dome, bowl, crown, or body of the cap provides covering and protection for the head and the attached bill, brim, or visor stands generally horizontally from the crown in order to provide a shade for the eyes. The baseball cap as a whole is generally made of cloth with optional stiffening material such as cardboard or plastic used for the bill. The cap may be made in a number of sections and may have a stretchable headband in order to provide elastic engagement for the head of the wearer.
In order to further protect the eyes, many people wear sunglasses in conjunction with the baseball cap. Sunglasses generally provide protection from UV (ultraviolet) light that has a tendency to damage the eyes by radiation as absorption of such UV light by the retina, cornea, and other structures of the eye tend to damage them. Much like damage to the skin suffered from exposure to ultraviolet light, the eye can also suffer damage from the absorption of such energetic light. Some sunglasses may also be polarized in order to transmit to the wearer's eye only light of certain polarization. Glare, which arises from reflected sunlight can be reduced by polarized sunglasses. Such sunglasses may be prescription or nonprescription sunglasses as such sunglasses are generally constructed in the same manner. Eyeglasses usually have a lens holding portion and a bridge that spans the nose between the two eyes. Temples are generally hingedly attached to the lens holding structure and extend backwardly away from the face to curve about the ear by means of an end piece. The glasses are then retained upon the face generally by frictional engagement at the bridge of the nose and the back of the ears. One specific advantage to wearing glasses is that they can be removed so the user or wearer can look out with his or her eye upon what is to be seen unaltered by the lenses of the glasses.
Several techniques have been introduced into the market to provide a mechanism for sunglasses to be stored or secured onto a hat. However, the proposed techniques either require elements to be fastened to the outside of the hat, require special alterations to the glasses and/or, do not provide versatility for storage of the glasses.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure presents various embodiments of a solution to the above-referenced short-comings in the art, as well as other needs in the art. In general, the various embodiments include a receptor that can be permanently or removably integrated and/or attached to a hat and that can securely retain a pair of sunglasses or other item.
One embodiment described here in is a hat including a receptor for holding items. The hat includes a dome having a wall and defining a dome interior. At least one aperture exists in the side-wall of the dome for creating a passage from the outside of the dome to the interior through the wall of the dome. A receptor is located on the interior of the dome and it is associated with the interior wall of the dome. The association may be an integration upon manufacture, an after market permanent addition or a removable association. Regardless of the technique to associate the receptor with the interior wall, the receptor and the interior wall define a pocket. The receptor is associated with the interior wall such that one or more openings are defined into the pocket with each opening being associated with an aperture in the dome. Thus, an elongated item, such as the stem of a pair of sunglasses, a pencil, etc., an be inserted through an aperture and into the pocket through an opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a conceptual drawing of an exemplary embodiment of an hat-interior receptor for an object.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of an interior receptor for a hat.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the interior receptor for a hat.

FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7B is another conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7C is a conceptual diagram of yet another exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7D is a conceptual diagram of even yet another exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are conceptual diagrams of an embodiment of the internal receptor in which the sweatband of the hat servers as the receptor.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the hat with receptor illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a hat with an external receptor.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11 taken from a front view.

FIG. 13A is an exemplary embodiment of a pennant shaped receptor.

FIG. 13B is another exemplary embodiment of a pennant shaped receptor.

FIG. 13C is yet another exemplary embodiment of a pennant shaped receptor.

FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the receptor hat.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14 illustrating the details of a rotating receptor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as well as features and aspects thereof, is directed towards providing a receptor for receiving, holding and/or securing an item to a hat, such as a pair of glasses, a pen, and/or a stylus as a few non-limiting examples. It should be appreciated that the term hat, as used throughout this description, is not limited to any particular type, shape or style of hat but rather, should be read to include caps, beanies, newsies, helmets, beret, boater, chupalia, fedora, kepi and baseball cap as a few non-limiting examples. In general, a receptor is integrated, attached, adhered or otherwise associated with the hat. The receptor is oriented in such a manner that it can receive an end portion of an item and securely hold or support the item.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual drawing of an exemplary embodiment of an hat-interior receptor for an object. In the illustrated embodiment, a hat 100 is shown in the configuration of a typical baseball style hat with a dome 120 and a bill 116. As is typical in the construction of such hats or caps, a plurality of seams are utilized to adjoin the pieces that make up the dome 120. In the illustrated embodiment, an aperture 112 is included in each side of the hat 100 a distance behind the adjoining joint of the bill 116 and the dome 120. The aperture 112 can be a slit, a whole, an opening an overlapping flap, a sealable slot (such as with a hook and loop type material) as non-limiting examples and, can be located in the face of one of the pieces making up the dome 120 or, could coincide with the seam between two such pieces. The opening can be of various sizes, shapes and orientations.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a pair of glasses, such as sunglasses or reading glasses as a non-limiting example are shown as being associated with the hat 100 by extending the end of the stem 108 of the glasses that is distal from the lenses into the aperture 112 such that the end of the stem 108 penetrates through the aperture and into the interior of the dome. In addition, the lenses 124 of the glasses, or the frame containing the lenses 124 is shown as resting upon the top of the bill 116 of the hat 100.
FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. As can be seen from the view in FIG. 2, the glasses include a left stem 108L and a right stem 108R and each stem protrudes through a left aperture 112L and a right aperture 112R respectively in the side of the dome 120 of the hat 100. Cross-sectional line 3-3 is used to show the location of a cross-sectional view as depicted in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the interior of the dome 120 of the hat 100 is shown to include a band 304 that extends around the interior perimeter of the bottom edge of the dome 120 and a receptor, such as a pocket 308 that has an opening that aligns or coincides with the aperture 112L.
FIG. 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2. In this view, the band 304 is not visible as the view is taken behind the band to show the receptor 308 and the opening access 112R.
FIGS. 1-4 provide one, non-limiting example of an embodiment of the hat receptor. It should be appreciated that many different configurations may also be implemented and the forgoing example and the following examples are provided only for gaining an understanding of the overall invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention. However, it will also be appreciated that the various embodiments being illustrated and described, as well as features and aspects thereof may also be individually novel inventions that can be claimed separately in this document or in continuation applications.
In general, the various embodiments of a hat receptor that can receive and hold an item focus on an interior receptor that is accessible through an aperture in the hat or, an exterior receptor attached to or integral to the outside of the hat.
FIG. 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of an interior receptor for a hat. In this embodiment, the receptor includes an opening 504 that coincides or is associated with the aperture 112 of the hat. The item to be secured, such as the ear stems of a pair of glasses, can be inserted through the aperture 112 an through opening 504 into the interior of the receptor 500. The receptor 500 is illustrated as having three channels (508 a, 508 b, 508 c). In operation, the item can be inserted into the interior of the receptor 500 and forced into any one of the available channels. This configuration of the receptor 500 allows the item to be secured at different angles. One advantage of this embodiment is that different items may require such adjustments. For instance, a heavier pair of sunglasses may require the steeper angle the lower channel 508 c to improve the retention of the glasses within the receptor 500. It should be appreciated that although three channels are illustrated in the receptor 500, it is anticipated that more or fewer channels may also be utilized in other embodiments.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the interior receptor for a hat. In this embodiment, three apertures are included in the hat (612, 614, 618). The multiple apertures allow for an item to be inserted and secured at different orientations and/or allows for multiple items to be inserted and secured as well. Thus utilizing aperture 612, a pair of sunglasses 104 can be inserted by penetrating the aperture 612 with the stems 108 of the glasses and allowing the lenses 124 to rest on the bill 616 of the hat 600. Alternatively (or additionally if multiple items are to be secured), the stems 108 of the sunglasses 104 can penetrate the aperture 614 such that the lenses 124 come to rest proximate to the top of the dome 620 of the hat 600. Alternatively (or additionally if multiple items are to be secured) the stems 108 of the sunglasses 104 can penetrate the aperture 618 and extend towards the back of the hat 600.
FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. The apertures 612, 614 and 618 from FIG. 6 are illustrated from the perspective of the inside of the dome 620. The receptor 704 is illustrated as an adjoined set of channels with one end of each channel corresponding with one of the apertures 612, 614 or 618 and the other end of the channel being distal from the aperture 612, 614 and 618. Elements 706, 707 and 708 can be inserted through the apertures 612, 614 and 618 respectively and into the receptor 704. The elements could be the stems of sunglasses as well as any of a variety of items. FIG. 7B is another conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. The apertures 612, 614 and 618 from FIG. 6 are illustrated from the perspective of the inside of the dome 620. The receptor is shown as including two loops, such as an elastic band 714 and 715. Elements 716, 717 and 718 can be inserted through the apertures 612, 614 and 618 respectively and into the receptor 714 or 715 as appropriate. The elements could be the stems of sunglasses as well as any of a variety of items.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual drawing of an exemplary embodiment of an hat-interior receptor for an object. FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of an interior receptor for a hat. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the interior receptor for a hat. FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 7B is another conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 7C is a conceptual diagram of yet another exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. The apertures 612, 614 and 618 from FIG. 6 are illustrated from the perspective of the inside of the dome 620. The receptor 724 is illustrated as a substantially triangular patch that is attached to the inside wall of the dome 620. The patch can be secured to the wall of the dome 620 at all locations except the locations coinciding with apertures 612, 614 or 618. In addition, the bottom of the patch may be secured to the wall or open, as illustrated in FIG. 7C. Elements 716, 717 and 718 can be inserted through the apertures 612, 614 and 618 respectively and into the receptor 724. The elements could be the stems of sunglasses as well as any of a variety of items. In some embodiments, additional securement could be utilized for the patch 724 that could result in creating channels similar to FIG. 7A or otherwise providing additional support to the inserted elements. In addition, multiple channels could be defined by securing tacks of the patch to the interior surface of the dome to enable the elements to be inserted at different angles.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual drawing of an exemplary embodiment of an hat-interior receptor for an object. FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of an interior receptor for a hat. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the interior receptor for a hat. FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 7B is another conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 7C is a conceptual diagram of yet another exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 7D is a conceptual diagram of even yet another exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. The apertures 612, 614 and 618 from FIG. 6 are illustrated from the perspective of the inside of the dome 620. The receptor 734 is illustrated as a substantially inverted “T” patch that is attached to the inside wall of the dome 620. The patch can be secured to the wall of the dome 620 at all locations except the locations coinciding with apertures 612, 614 or 618. In addition, the bottom of the patch may be secured to the wall or open or other portions of the wall of the patch may also be non-connected. Elements 716 and 718 can be inserted through the apertures 612 and 614 respectively. In addition, element 716 is shown as passing through aperture 612 to the interior of the dome 620 and patch 734 and then exiting through aperture 618. The elements could be the stems of sunglasses as well as any of a variety of items. In some embodiments, additional securement could be utilized for the patch 724 that could result in creating channels similar to FIG. 7A or otherwise providing additional support to the inserted elements. In addition, multiple channels could be defined by securing tacks of the patch to the interior surface of the dome to enable the elements to be inserted at different angles.
In each of these embodiments as well as other embodiments, the receptors can be attached to the interior wall of the dome 620 in any of a variety of ways including, but not limited to, stitching, gluing, hot welding, rivets, etc. It should be appreciated that a wide variety of receptors are anticipated and the present invention is not limited to any particular configuration or structure.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual drawing of an exemplary embodiment of an hat-interior receptor for an object. FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an exemplary cross-sectional view of the embodiment that may be illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a conceptual cross-sectional view diagram illustrating another exemplary embodiment of an interior receptor for a hat. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the interior receptor for a hat. FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 7B is another conceptual diagram of one exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 7C is a conceptual diagram of yet another exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 7D is a conceptual diagram of even yet another exemplary embodiment of the receptor located within the dome of the hat in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are conceptual diagrams of an embodiment of the internal receptor in which the sweatband of the hat serves as the receptor. Looking specifically at FIG. 8, the hat 800 includes a dome 820 and a bill 816 in the illustrated embodiment. Sunglasses 804 are illustrated as being associated with the hat with the stem 808 of the sunglasses 804 penetrating the orifice or aperture 812 such that the remainder of the stem 808 extends into the interior of the dome 820. The lenses 824 are shown resting against the bill 816 or simply resting against the front side of the dome 820. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the hat 800 of FIG. 8. In the illustrated diagram, a portion of the stem 904 extends into the interior of the dome 820 but resides behind the sweatband 906. In the illustration, the portion of the stem 808 that is outside of the had is shown with one shading while the portion of the stem 904 that is on the interior of the dome 820 but behind the sweatband 906 is shown as shaded with a different shade. The aperture 812 is also drawn with broken lines because it is behind the sweatband 906.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the hat with receptor illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a hat with an external receptor. In the illustrated embodiment, the hat 1100 includes a bill 1116 and a dome 1120. Attached, secured, integrated or otherwise associated with each external side of the dome 1120 of the hat 1100 is a receptor 1130. A device, such as sunglasses 1104 can be secured or held in place by extending the stems 1108 of the glassed through an opening 1112 between the side of the dome 1120 and the receptor 1130.
FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11 taken from a front view.
For the exterior embodiments, the receptor can be integrated into the side of the dome, attached to the side of the dome or removably attached to the side of the dome. Thus, the receptor can be affixed to the dome, in either the interior or exterior embodiments by sewing, gluing, tacking with thread, pins, nails, riveting, stitching, stapling, and combinations thereof as a few non-limiting examples. In addition, the receptor may be removably attached to the dome of the hat using snaps, hooks and loops, and other similar techniques or combinations thereof. It should be appreciated that the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 shows the receptor in a pennant shape. As such, the pennants can be decorated for particular sports and teams.
FIG. 13A is an exemplary embodiment of a pennant shaped receptor. As illustrated, the pennant shaped receptor 1330 can include a team name and a logo across the face of the receptor. In the illustrated embodiment, the tip of the pennant shaped receptor is cut off to allow the tip 1204 of the stem 1308 to extend through the receptor 1330. In attaching the receptor 1330 to the side of the dome of a hat, an opening 1312 for receiving an item, such as the stem of glasses 1308 is maintained. In addition, corresponding to the end of the pennant, an end opening 1313 for allowing the tip 1304 of the stem 1308 to extend through the receptor and out the other end is maintained. FIG. 13B is another exemplary embodiment of a pennant shaped receptor. In this illustrated embodiment, the point of the pennant shaped receptor 1332 is maintained and the receptor includes a front opening 1342 for receiving the item such as ear stems 1308, and a rear opening 1343 proximate to the point of the pennant shape but corresponding to the under side for allowing the tip 1304 to extend out of the receptor 1332.
FIG. 13C is yet another exemplary embodiment of a pennant shaped receptor. In this illustrated embodiment, the point of the pennant shaped receptor 1333 is maintained and the receptor includes a front opening 1352 for receiving the item such as ear stems 1308, and a rear opening 1353 proximate to the point of the pennant shape but corresponding to the upper side for allowing the tip 1304 to extend out of the receptor 1333.
FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the receptor hat. In the illustrated embodiment, hat 1400 has a slit 1412 in the dome 1420. The stem 1408 of the glasses 1404 can be inserted through the slit into a receptor (illustrated in FIG. 15). The glasses 1404 can then be raised or lowered along the slit. FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram of another embodiment of the receptor hat. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14 illustrating the details of receptor 1506. The receptor 1506 includes an opening 1508 that is proximate to the slit 1412 and is pivotally attached at the opposing end with a pivoting point 1504. Thus, as the glasses 1404 are raised or lowered, the receptor 1506 pivots about the pivot point 1504 and the stem 1408 of the glasses 1404 slides through the slit 1412. The pivot point can be any of a variety of items such as a rivet, a screw, etc.
There are many other features and aspects of the various embodiments that are not illustrated but are presented herein. Because the figures would be quite similar, such variations can be easily described without additional figures. On such variation is utilize the receptor as a secure holder for glasses during athletic performance. Rather than the wearer having to include a string or band that extends around the back of the wearer's head, the receptor can be designed to provide a secure hold on the stem of the glasses. Thus, the opening for receiving the stem of the glasses, in either the interior or exterior embodiments, can be oriented such that glasses that are being worn as normal, over the eyes and resting on the bridge of the nose, can have the stems to penetrate the aperture into the receptor. For instance, as one non-limiting example the aperture may be located at the bottom edge of the dome between the side of the dome and the sweatband.
The aperture can be sized such as to provide a strong frictional hold on the glasses. In addition, the aperture can be constructed of an elastic type material that will operate to hold the glasses in position. Further, materials such as silicone rubber can be used at the aperture to allow the stems to be forced into the receptor but then held in place with the friction due to the elastic characteristic of the aperture and the friction available from silicone rubber.
It should be appreciated that multiple apertures can be located at various locations on the dome of the hat. In addition, multiple receptors may also be utilized for the interior and/or exterior embodiments. Further, some embodiments may use a combination of interior and exterior receptors.
In some embodiments, apertures, indentions and/or protrusions may also be integrated into the bill of the hat to facilitate hold of the lens section of the glasses.
It is common that a person may wear a hat backwards with the bill of the hat facing the rear. The various embodiments of the receptor can be formed to accommodate such users. For instance, on the interior embodiments, the glasses may be inserted into the apertures such that the glasses face backwards away from the wearer. Alternatively and/or additionally, the apertures can be configures such that the stems can be inserted into the aperture from the wearer's front side even if the hat is turned around backwards. In such embodiments the lenses would not rest on the bill but rather would be held against the dome. Such embodiments would facilitate the wearer sliding the glasses up and down from a stored to a wearing position while still leaving the stems in the securement of the receptor. The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7D would be particularly relevant to this embodiment.
In the description and claims of the present application, each of the verbs, “comprise”, “include” and “have”, and conjugates thereof, are used to indicate that the object or objects of the verb are not necessarily a complete listing of members, components, elements, or parts of the subject or subjects of the verb.
The present invention has been described using detailed descriptions of embodiments thereof that are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The described embodiments comprise different features, not all of which are required in all embodiments of the invention. Some embodiments of the present invention utilize only some of the features or possible combinations of the features. Variations of embodiments of the present invention that are described and embodiments of the present invention comprising different combinations of features noted in the described embodiments will occur to persons of the art.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited by what has been particularly shown and described herein above. Rather the scope of the invention is defined by the claims that follow.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A hat including a receptor for holding items, the hat comprising:

a dome having a wall and defining an interior;

at least one aperture through the side wall of the dome; and

a receptor associated with the interior wall of the dome and defining a pocket between the interior wall of the dome and the interior wall of the receptor, and further the receptor defining at least one opening that is proximate to the at least one aperture, wherein an elongated item that is inserted through the aperture can be inserted into the pocket through the at least one opening.

2. The hat of claim 1, wherein there are at least two apertures with each aperture being on opposite sides of the dome and, at least one receptor for each aperture.

3. The hat of claim 1, wherein there are two sets of at least two apertures, with each set being on opposite sides of the dome and, a receptor associated with each set.

4. The hat of claim 3, wherein the receptor associated with each set defines an opening proximate to each aperture in the set.

5. The hat of claim 4, wherein the receptor is structured such that the elongated item can pass into the pocket through a first aperture and then exit the pocket through a second aperture.

6. The hat of claim 1, wherein there are two sets of apertures, with each set being on opposites sides of the dome and, a receptor associated with each set.

7. The hat of claim 6, wherein each set of apertures includes three or more apertures.

8. The hat of claim 7, wherein the receptor associated with each set of apertures, along with the apertures are configured to hold the elongated item at different angles.

9. The hat of claim 8, wherein the receptor is structured such that the elongated item can pass into the pocket through a first aperture and then exit the pocket through a second aperture.

10. An apparatus that can be associated with the interior wall of the dome of a hat for securely holding items, the apparatus comprising:

a first surface that is positioned to face towards the interior wall of the dome;

a second surface that is position to face away from the interior wall of the dome; and

the apparatus being affixed to the interior wall of the dome such that the interior wall and the apparatus define a pocket with at least one opening into the pocket positioned proximate to an aperture in the side of the dome.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is affixed to the interior wall of the dome such that there are at least two openings into the pocket with each opening being positioned proximate to an aperture in the side of the dome.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the receptor is structured such that an elongated item can pass into the pocket through a first aperture and then exit the pocket through a second aperture.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is affixed to the interior wall of the dome such that there are at least three openings into the pocket with each opening being positioned proximate to an aperture in the side of the dome.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is affixed to the interior wall of the dome such that channels are defined beginning at each aperture and extending away from the apertures.