# US 4,398,305 A · Foldable cap construction

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- Number: US 4,398,305 A
- Document ID: US4398305A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/258,570
- Filed: 1981-04-29
- Granted: 1983-08-16
- Earliest claimed: 1981-04-29
- Inventors: Henry R. Kapel
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4398305A

## CPC

- A42B 1/012: Sanitary or disposable, e.g. for use in hospitals or food industry
- A42B: HATS; HEAD COVERINGS (headbands A41D20/00; head-scarves A41D23/00)

## Abstract

An improved disposable head covering, such as a chef's hat, includes a peripheral cylindrical wall having opposed end sections. The wall is defined by an inner liner and a corrugated sheet adhesively secured to the outer surface of the liner. A shape-sustaining crown member is fastened to the upper end section of the wall, while the lower end section thereof remains unobstructed to receive the head of a user. The crown member is a generally circular disc. The disc includes a scored diameter which serves to (a) bisect the disc into two segments and (b) facilitate folding of the disc between a collapsed condition and a shape-sustaining condition. Preferably the disc further includes tab members and cut-out members positioned along the scored diameter thereof. The tab members and cut-out members are correspondingly shaped and sized so that the tab member of one disc segment frictionally engages the cut-out member of the other disc segment when the crown member is in the shape-sustaining condition. The shape-sustaining crown member is thereby folded upon itself when the head covering is collapsed for storage and shipment, and the crown member is frictionally retained in a generally planar condition to maintain the shape of the cylindrical wall when the head covering is worn by the user.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A longitudinally elongated, disposable head covering, the head covering defined by a peripheral, cylindrical wall having opposed end sections, a crown member secured to the upper end section, and the lower end section being unobstructed to allow for reception therein of the head of a user; the improvement comprising, in combination:
said crown member being a generally circularly shaped cardboard disc scored along a diameter thereof so as to bisect the disc into two segments and to facilitate folding of said disc between a collapsed condition and a shape-sustaining, generally planar condition; the disc including tab members and cut-out members positioned along the scored diameter thereof, the tab members and cut-out members being correspondingly shaped and sized so that the tab member of one disc segment frictionally engages the cut-out member of the other disc segment when the crown member is in the shape-sustaining condition;
whereby the crown member can be folded upon itself when the head covering is collapsed for storage and shipment, and the crown member can be restored to a generally planar condition to frictionally maintain the cylindrical shape of the head covering when the head covering is worn.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A disposable head covering as in claim 1, wherein the cylindrical wall is formed by an inner liner and a corrugated sheet adhesively secured to the outer surface of the liner.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A disposable head covering as in claim 1, wherein the crown member includes two radial projections spaced 90.degree. from each end of the scored diameter and which extend from the periphery of the crown member, the projections adapted to secure the crown member to the upper end section of the head covering without interfering with folding of the head covering.

### Claim 4

A shape-sustaining crown member for a longitudinally elongated, disposable head covering, the head covering defined by a peripheral, cylindrical wall having opposed end sections, a shape-sustaining crown member secured to the upper end section, and the lower end section being unobstructed to allow for reception therein of the head of a user; the improvement comprising in combination:
said crown member being a generally circularly shaped disc scored along a diameter thereof so as to bisect the disc into two segments and to facilitate folding of said disc between a collapsed condition and a shape-sustaining, generally planar condition, the disc including tab members and cut-out members positioned along the scored diameter thereof, the tab members and the cut-out members being correspondingly shaped and sized so that the tab member of one disc segment frictionally engages the cut-out member of the other disc segment when the crown member is in the shape-sustaining condition.