US20100192282A1

US20100192282A1 - Versatile stretchable crown-shaped hair covering

Info

Publication number: US20100192282A1
Application number: US12/322,456
Authority: US
Inventors: Larry Matthews
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-02-03
Filing date: 2009-02-03
Publication date: 2010-08-05

Abstract

A versatile hair covering holds dreadlocks or other large amounts of hair in a way that creates the appearance of a crown yet is practical since it snugly holds the hair and keeps it away from the face. Its versatility allows it to be worn as a hat or under a hat. The hair covering is made of six five-sided panels of stretchable fabric whose bottom edges are stitched to an annular band of fabric having an elastic insert. The crown effect is furthered by inside and outside stitched positioned to create four outer veins that run from a crown apex to the band along a first or second diagonal edge and along a first or second tapered side edge, and a long outer vein that runs from the band to the crown apex and back to the band at an opposite end thereof

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of this invention is apparel, and more particularly, hair coverings for holding large amounts of hair in place in an appealing manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many people have very large amounts of hair that they wear in hair styles such as dreadlocks. For such people, there is a constant problem of keeping the hair away from the face and holding it snugly during all the activities of life, including sleeping, walking, jogging, exercising, cooking, working and showering. The problem of hair falling and rubbing into the skin of the face or neck and irritating this skin is a prevalent one, particularly since the hair involved is often coarse in texture. Another problem is the danger that extremely long hair can be caught in a machine. There is also an important need for those with very large amounts of such hair to have a hair covering that can be worn under a hat in an appealing and practical way. It would be particularly useful if such a hair covering could optionally also function as a hat.
In addition, to the practical value of the above, apparel, and hair coverings in particular, are expected to enhance the appearance of the wearer. Unfortunately, the prior art hair coverings for dreadlocks and styles of very large amounts of hair have traditionally been inadequate in this area. They tend to be either hats or else simple cloths. The present invention intends to satisfy all of the stated needs and objectives and provide significantly more advantages that overcomes the problems with the prior art hair coverings.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, there is presented a hair covering that holds large amounts of hair in an appealing manner, comprising a panel portion, the panel portion comprising six five-sided panels of stretchable fabric including a front panel, a right panel, a left panel, a rear panel, a left rear panel and a right rear panel, each five-sided panel containing a bottom edge, first and second tapered side edges, and first and second diagonal edges, a band of fabric containing an elastic insert, the band stitched to the bottom edges of each of the six five-sided panels, four outer veins that run from a crown apex to the band along a first or second diagonal edge and along a first or second tapered side edge, and a long outer vein that runs from the band to the crown apex along a first or second tapered side edge and along a first or second diagonal edge and from the crown apex back to the band along a first or second diagonal edge and a first or second tapered side edge, the hair covering presenting a crown-shaped appearance.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, descriptions and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the hair covering of the present invention showing the crown shape, the rear view thereof being identical thereto;

FIG. 2 is a left side view thereof, the right side view thereof being identical;

FIG. 3 is a top view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view thereof;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the six five-sided panels of the panel portion of the hair covering of the present invention prior to the panels being stitched together to form the panel portion;

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the band of the hair covering being attached to the panel portion of the hair covering of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the elastic insert used in the band for the hair covering of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the band used in the hair covering of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a person having not that much hair wearing the hair covering of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a person having a lot of hair wearing the hair covering of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
The present invention generally provides a stretchable crown-shaped hair covering for dreadlocks and other large amounts of hair that has the appearance of a crown and that may stay on the hair without falling off since it snugly holds the hair and keeps it away from the face. The crown effect may be created by inside and outside stitches to create four outer veins that may run from a crown apex to the band along a first or second diagonal edge and along a first or second tapered side edge, and a long outer vein that may run from the band to the crown apex and back to the band at an opposite end thereof. The hair covering may comprise a panel portion made of six five-sided panels of stretchable fabric, a band of fabric containing an elastic insert, the band stitched to the bottom edges of each of the six five-sided panels, four outer veins that may run from a crown apex to the band along a first or second diagonal edge and along a first or second tapered side edge, and a long outer vein that may run from the band to the crown apex along a first or second tapered side edge and along a first or second diagonal edge and from the crown apex back to the band along a first or second diagonal edge and a first or second tapered side edge.
In contrast to the prior art, in which a hair covering is not shaped in a manner that looks like a crown and stays in that shape, the hair covering of the present invention resembles a crown. In further contrast to the prior art hair coverings that are not ideally suited for dreadlocks, the hair covering of the present invention is ideally suited for dreadlocks, although it may allow any man or woman with large amounts of hair to carry their hair conveniently and tightly and snugly in place. In further contrast to the prior art, in which the hair coverings are not versatile, the hair covering of the present invention may be worn while showering, sleeping (even while the hair is in rollers), jogging, exercising, walking, working, cooking, and may be worn as a hat, under a hat or other head covering and in any weather. In still further contrast to the prior art, in which hair coverings are not stretchable, the hair covering of the present invention may be stretchable. In contrast to the prior art, in which hair covering do not alleviate a problem of hair in the face, the hair covering of the present invention may eliminate the problem of hair falling into the face or skin at the back of the neck, which would cause irritation. In contrast to the prior art, in which a hair covering is for a designed purpose, the hair covering of the present invention may be worn also by people who do not have large amounts of hair, although in that case the crown effect may be diminished.
As seen from FIGS. 1-11, article of apparel 10 is a crown-shaped hair covering 10 that holds large amounts of hair in an appealing manner. Covering 10 may be comprised of a panel portion 20 and a band 30. Panel portion 20 may be stretchable since it may be comprised of six five-sided panels of stretchable fabric including a front panel 22, a right panel 23, a left panel 21, a rear panel 25, a left rear panel 26 and a right rear panel 24. Another reason panel portion 20 may be stretchable is that the stitching may be calibrated so that it does not use up too much fabric from panels 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.
Each five- sided panel 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 may contain a bottom edge 71, first tapered side edge 72, second tapered side edge 73 and first diagonal edge 74 and second diagonal edge 75. As best seen from FIG. 6, first and second tapered side edges 72, 73 may meet the bottom edge 71 at a narrow end of said first and second tapered side edges 72, 73 whereas first and second diagonal edges 74, 75 may meet at a panel apex 77. The first diagonal edge 74 may meet the first tapered side edge 72 at a wide end of said first tapered side edge 72 and the second diagonal edge 75 may meet the second tapered side edge 73 at a wide end of said second side edge 73.
Band 30 may be made of a rectangular piece of fabric that has been stitched together into a ring. Band 30 may contain within it an elastic insert 33. Although the present invention is not limited to this dimension, band 30 is, in one preferred embodiment, approximately 2 and ½ inches wide and approximately 23 inches long with elastic piece 39 being approximately 1 inch wide and 22 inches long (that leaves ¼ inch of leeway on each side). A second dotted line in FIG. 9 near the top of band 30 shows where the top of elastic 39 would end up when placed into band 30 prior to folding. However, FIG. 9 is not intended to be to scale. The extra ¼ inch on each side allows for extra material to join the ends of the band 30 together to make it a ring.
Band 30 may be stitched to the bottom edges 71 of each of the six five- sided panels 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. The stitching process, as described more fully below, creates a crown appearance partly by virtue of four outer veins—left front outer vein 81, right front outer vein 82 and rear outer veins 83, 84. The outer veins, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 are best appreciated from FIG. 5. Each of the four outer veins, 81, 82, 83, 84 may run from the crown apex 50, which is the central uppermost point of the crown, to the band 30 first along a first diagonal edge 74 or a second diagonal edge 75 and then along first tapered side edge 72 or second tapered side edge 73. Long outer vein 85, which is essentially twice the length of one of outer veins 81, 82, 83, 84, may run from the band 30 first along a first or second tapered side edge and then along a first or second tapered diagonal edge between the left panel 21 and the left rear panel 26 to the crown apex 50 and back down to the band 30 at an opposite portion thereof first along a first or second diagonal edge and then a first or second tapered side edge between the right panel 23 and the right rear panel 24. Long vein 85 may be essentially two regular veins that are connected and not interrupted by apex 50.
The four outer veins 81, 82, 83, 84 and the long outer vein 85 may be created by stitching the panels together using inside stitches between the panels approximately three-eighths of an inch from the edges of the panels and then following up with outer stitches along the same edges but which are made approximately one-sixteenth of an inch from the panel edges. Although this stitching technique is known, it is believed that using it to create the crown shaped hair covering of the present invention is not known.
Although the present invention envisions some leeway in the distance of the stitching from the edges, the ideal inside stitch is ⅜ of an inch from the edge of the fabric. If the inside stitch were made ½ inch from the edge the crown shape may be undermined. On the other hand, if the inside stitch were ¼ inch from the edge, there may not be enough material to work with when the outer stitches are used to create veins 81, 82, 83, 84, 85. Likewise, with respect to the outer stitch, although there is some leeway, the ideal outer stitch is done 1/16 inch from the edge. If the outer stitch were ⅛ inch from the edge, it may create a visually unappealing vein and a hair covering that resembles a visually unappealing crown. If the outer stitches were 1/32 inch from the edge it may be too difficult to sew.
Hair covering 10 presents a crown-shaped appearance, meaning the hair covering may look like a crown when it contains material, i.e. hair, inside it sufficient to prop it up. In addition, veins 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 may enhance the ability of hair covering 10 to project outward in three dimensions and have a three-dimensional shape.
Since hair covering 10 may be used as a hat or worn under a hat, it is sometimes referred to herein as hat 10. Although hat 10 is in general symmetrical, it may not be entirely so because of the fact that long outer vein 85 is not identical to two of the outer veins 81, 82, 83, 84. That is, as best seen from FIG. 5, long vein 85 may not be interrupted at apex 50 whereas the regular outer veins 81, 82, 83, 84 are interrupted by apex 50. Essentially, long outer vein 85 may divide hat 10 into a front and a rear. Looking at a person wearing hat 10 from the front or rear may allow the viewer to see three complete panels 21, 22, 23 (from the front) or three panels 24, 25, 26 (from the rear) whereas looking at someone wearing hat 10 from the side may allow the viewer to mostly only see right front panel 23 and right rear panel 24 or else left front panel 21 and left rear panel 26. Hence, in a preferred embodiment, the middle panel of a group of three adjacent panels, through which the long outer vein 85 does not run, namely, front panel 22 is chosen to be called the front panel (i.e. the hair covering 10 is positioned so that this panel is in the front) rather than the side since in this way hair covering 10 makes a better and more crown-like appearance. In contrast, the designation of which panel or group of three panels will be at the front versus at the rear may be arbitrary.
As noted, panel portion 20 may be stretchable. Band 30 provides support. Notwithstanding this, band 30 may also be stretchable since it may contain an elastic insert 39 and since it too is made of stretchable fabric. Hence, the entire hair covering 10 may be stretchable and comfortable. Because of the stretchability of the fabric and the fact that the shape of panels 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 within panel portion 20, band 30 may be narrower in circumference than the widest portion of panel portion 20, band 30 may be able to stretch over and securely hold the hair in place. Since the type of hair, such as dreadlocks, that would be covered using hair covering 10 comes in different volumes and shapes, the stretchability feature may be important.
The process of stitching hair covering 10 may be described as follows. One may place two panels, for example panels 21, 22, on top of one another (with the outside of one facing the outside of the other) and one stitches along the first diagonal edge 74 and the first tapered edge 72 (or along the second diagonal edge 75 and second tapered edge 73) approximately ⅜ inch from the edge. Then one may stitch a third panel 23 to the second panel 22 also along the diagonal and tapered edges the same distance from the edge. This process may be repeated with a second group of three panels 24, 25, 26. The two groups of panels may then be stitched together to form the panel portion 20 by placing one group on the other group of three and stitching approximately ⅜ inch from the edge. A total of five inside stitches have thus been performed.
All inside stitches are what are called merrow stitches. After the five inside stitches are completed for panel portion 20 as merrow stitches, five outer stitches may be made on the outside of the fabric corresponding in location to the inside stitches except that the outer stitches are made approximately 1/16 of an inch from the edges (rather than approximately ⅜ inch from the edges). The combination of the inside and outside stitches may create the four outer veins 81, 82, 83, 84 and the long outer vein 85. The exact manner of handling the material to accomplish this may be known to those skilled in the art of stitching.
In the next step in the fabrication of hair covering 10, band 30 may be formed by taking a long rectangular fabric material and a rectangular elastic piece 39 whose width is somewhat less than half the width of the short side of the rectangular piece that is band 30. As shown in FIGS. 9-10, elastic insert 33 itself may be stitched at its ends to make an annular elastic piece and is then placed inside a top or bottom half of the unfolded band 30 whereupon band 30 is folded at its midpoint lengthwise thus creating excess fabric (beyond the width of the elastic 39). As shown by FIG. 7, band 30, with elastic piece 39 inside band 30, is then stitched to panel portion 20. In FIG. 7, a bottom perspective view of the band being attached to the panel portion, one end of the elastic piece 39 is hanging out at the point where the band 30 may be joined together.
In FIG. 10, the person wearing hair covering 10 does not have a large amount of hair so hair covering sags and there is less of a crown appearance. In contrast, in FIG. 11, the person wearing hair covering 10 has a large amount of hair and therefore hair covering 10 resembles a crown
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A hair covering that holds large amounts of hair in an appealing manner, comprising:

a panel portion, the panel portion comprising six five-sided panels of stretchable fabric including a front panel, a right panel, a left panel, a rear panel, a left rear panel and a right rear panel, each five-sided panel containing a bottom edge, first and second tapered side edges, and first and second diagonal edges,

a band of fabric containing an elastic insert, the band stitched to the bottom edges of each of the six five-sided panels,

four outer veins that run from a crown apex to the band along a first or second diagonal edge and along a first or second tapered side edge, and a long outer vein that runs from the band to the crown apex along a first or second tapered side edge and along a first or second diagonal edge and from the crown apex back to the band along a first or second diagonal edge and a first or second tapered side edge,

the hair covering presenting a crown-shaped appearance.

2. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 1, wherein the four outer veins and the long outer vein are created by stitching the panels together using inside stitches between the panels approximately three-eighths of an inch from panels edges and wherein outer stitches are then made approximately one-sixteenth of an inch from the panel edges.

3. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 2, wherein the panel portion is created by stitching a first, second and third panel together to make a first group, by then stitching a fourth, fifth and sixth panels together to make a second group and then by stitching the first group to the second group.

4. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 1, wherein each five-sided panel contains a bottom edge, first and second tapered side edges meeting the bottom edge at a narrow end of said first and second tapered side edges, and first and second diagonal edges meeting at a panel apex, said first diagonal edge meeting the first tapered side edge at a wide end of said first tapered side edge and said second diagonal edge meeting the second tapered side edge at a wide end of said second side edge.

5. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 2, wherein each five-sided panel contains a bottom edge, first and second tapered side edges meeting the bottom edge at a narrow end of said first and second tapered side edges, and first and second diagonal edges meeting at a panel apex, said first diagonal edge meeting the first tapered side edge at a wide end of said first tapered side edge and said second diagonal edge meeting the second tapered side edge at a wide end of said second side edge.

6. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 1, wherein the long outer vein runs from the band to the crown apex between the left panel and the left rear panel and from the crown apex back to the band between the right panel and the right rear panel.

7. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 6, wherein the four outer veins and the long outer vein are created by stitching the panels together using inside stitches between the panels approximately three-eighths of an inch from panels edges and wherein outer stitches are then made approximately one-sixteenth of an inch from the panel edges.

8. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 7, wherein the panel portion is created by stitching a first, second and third panel together to make a first group, by then stitching a fourth, fifth and sixth panels together to make a second group and then by stitching the first group to the second group.

9. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 6, wherein each five-sided panel contains a bottom edge, first and second tapered side edges meeting the bottom edge at a narrow end of said first and second tapered side edges, and first and second diagonal edges meeting at a panel apex, said first diagonal edge meeting the first tapered side edge at a wide end of said first tapered side edge and said second diagonal edge meeting the second tapered side edge at a wide end of said second side edge.

10. The crown-shaped hair covering of claim 7, wherein each five-sided panel contains a bottom edge, first and second tapered side edges meeting the bottom edge at a narrow end of said first and second tapered side edges, and first and second diagonal edges meeting at a panel apex, said first diagonal edge meeting the first tapered side edge at a wide end of said first tapered side edge and said second diagonal edge meeting the second tapered side edge at a wide end of said second side edge.