Apparel – Head coverings
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-30
2002-11-12
Hale, Gloria M. (Department: 3765)
Apparel
Head coverings
C002S209130
Reexamination Certificate
active
06477714
ABSTRACT:
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND—Field of Invention
This invention relates to hats or caps, specifically to a device, which allows the user to clip note cards, notepaper, or other similar cards or flat items onto the underside of the bill of a hat which has this device attached, and allows the user to keep the note cards or other flat items attached to their hat for easily assessable use.
BACKGROUND—Description of Prior Art
Clipboards have been around for many years, which allow users to have a portable surface to write on and keep their notes and documents clipped together in a convenient manner.
Several types of clip boards and clip devises have previously been proposed—for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,370 (1954), U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,296 (1983), U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,572 (1986), U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,012 (1992), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,946 (1998). All of these patents provide very useful capabilities for holding papers together, but none of these or any others provide the capabilities of my patent which allows cards, paper, or other flat items to be secured to the bill of a user's hat or cap.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,370 (1954) describes a devise which uses a magnetic devise to clamp or hold the papers in place. U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,296 (1983) describes a clip board devise which uses a spring type clamp to hold the papers in place. U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,572 (1986) describes a clip structure devise which provides advantages for easy assembly and low cost of manufacture of the more typical clip board. U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,012 (1992) describes another clip board devise which uses a special type of clamp and flat board to hold the papers in place. U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,946 (1998) describes another clip structure devise which includes a base and a pivotally mounted clip part, which is not and could not be used on the bill of a hat. Although these inventions are very useful for various size sheets of paper, they must be carried in hand by the user or attached to the user's vehicle or something other than the user's hat.
Again, no existing prior art allows the user to clip note cards, notepaper, or other flat items onto the underside of the bill of a hat which has the Hat Clip attached, and allows the user to keep the note cards or other similar cards attached to their hat or cap for easily assessable use.
Objects and Advantages
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention are:
(a) to provide a very convenient means for a user, when wearing a hat, to keep notes or cards for the purpose of taking notes or to keep reminders or checklists handy without having to carry a clip-board in hand.
(b) to provide a very convenient means for a user, when wearing a hat, to keep notes or cards for the purpose of taking notes or to keep reminders or checklists handy without having to have a clip-board attached to the windshield or other part of a vehicle.
(c) to provide a very convenient means for a user, when wearing a hat, to keep notes or cards for the purpose of taking notes or to keep reminders or checklists handy without having to carry a clip-board in a brief-case or backpack.
(d) when the devise is constructed of a light weight metal such as aluminum, the user also has an added capability of being able to bend the bill of his or her hat along with the thin flat portion of the device to a desirable curvature which will be maintained.
Further objects and advantages are to provide the advantages of a small clip-board without having to keep up with the clip-board, since a clip-board can not be part of the user's hat. The advantages of being able to keep notes or cards immediately available for the purpose of taking notes or to keep reminders or checklists, while being totally out of the way and having your hands free are numerous. A user who is wearing a hat with this invention attached to the bill of the hat can now take notes or bring reminders and checklist with him or her anywhere he or she goes. And since the notes or cards are attached to the underside of the bill of the hat with this invention, the notes or reminders are not totally out of sight or mind. The user will be more likely to remember what he or she is supposed to do or at least check the note or card to see what it is they are supposed to remember. And they will also have the ability to write down additional notes when they remember something else that was not written down previously. This invention allows users to be able to write down important ideas and information when they think of them at any time without having to carry around a clip-board or pocket notepad or tape recorder.
SUMMARY
This invention allows the user to attach or secure a card or piece of paper to the bill of his or her hat and be able to remove or replace the card or paper with another (or the same) card by simply pulling the existing card out and sliding a new (or the same) card back in place. This invention comprises a card holding device to be used on the underside of the bill of a hat or cap. The area of the device is slightly larger than the cards or flat items to be held. The preferred embodiment includes a flat piece of plastic or metal slightly larger than the cards to be held to which the outer portions of the clips are attached. An additional embodiment of the present invention consists of two end clips without the previously described flat portion, which are attached to the underside of the bill of a hat or cap in a similar manner. The device is made of metal or plastic, and is attached to the underside of the bill of a hat or cap which is typically a baseball type cap. The end clips provide a means for gripping each side of the card(s) and allow the card(s) to be removed and put back into place without using a typical pivoting type of clip. The holding pressure of the clips result from the tightness of the screws, bolts, or rivets, which anchor the device in four locations to the bill of the hat or cap. When screws or bolts are used, the tightness of the clips can be adjusted to hold a particular number of cards in place as desired by the user. Again, the device is attached to the hat by means of screws, bolts, or rivets, which penetrate through the bill of the hat and the device in four locations. The device could also be attached to the bill of the hat or cap by use of two sided tape, glue, or Velcro, but without the capability to adjust the tightness of the clips.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2408318 (1946-09-01), Josephs
patent: 2648847 (1953-08-01), Crowder
patent: 2693370 (1954-11-01), Wheatley
patent: 3829995 (1974-08-01), Fakoury
patent: 4375296 (1983-03-01), Chang
patent: 4389801 (1983-06-01), Sharrock et al.
patent: 4628572 (1986-12-01), Chang
patent: 4667274 (1987-05-01), Daniel
patent: 5116012 (1992-05-01), Offenhauer
patent: 5253368 (1993-10-01), Blake
patent: 5276985 (1994-01-01), Halloran
patent: 5774946 (1998-07-01), Morgan
patent: 6339866 (2002-01-01), French
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