
What this patent covers
A skull cap formed from one or more layers of material. Its outer surfaces are one concave and one convex, meeting at a peripheral edge that defines the cap's outline.
US 10,172,404 is a utility patent titled “Skull cap”, invented by Shimon Shimshon Elharar.
The application was filed on December 30, 2014 and granted on January 8, 2019, 4 years later. The patent issued with 6 claims, 1 of them independent. The specification refers to 2 drawing figures. The U.S. Patent Office classifies it under CPC A42B1/00 — hats; caps; hoods.
It is one of the patents our firm has obtained in the Apparel & Accessories area.
Key dates and patent term
| Application filed | December 30, 2014 | |
|---|---|---|
| Patent granted | January 8, 2019 | 4 years in prosecution at the U.S. Patent Office |
| Utility term expires (nominal) | December 30, 2034 | 20 years from the earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. |
The expiration date is calculated from the grant and filing dates on the face of the patent. The actual date may vary based on patent-term adjustment (patent office delay), terminal disclaimer (agreeing to a shorter term), or failing to pay a maintenance fee (due before years 4, 8, and 12). This website is for information purposes only and is not legal advice.
What the classification means
Patent offices file every granted patent under the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) scheme. These are the technology areas US 10,172,404 was placed in — a good shortcut to what the invention is considered to be, and to the prior art an examiner would have searched.
- A42B1/00 Primary classification
Hats; Caps; Hoods - A42B
Hats; head coverings (headbands A41D20/00; head-scarves A41D23/00)
Bibliographic details
| Patent number | US 10,172,404 |
|---|---|
| Title | Skull cap |
| Inventors | Shimon Shimshon Elharar |
| Assignee | Individual |
| Filing date | December 30, 2014 |
| Grant date | January 8, 2019 |
| Category | Apparel & Accessories |
Full text as published by the U.S. Patent Office
The sections below reproduce the official text of US 10,172,404 for reference. Open a section to read it.
Abstract
A skull cap includes one or more layers of material. The outermost surfaces of the skull cap includes a concave surface and a convex surface. The skull cap is delimited by a peripheral edge at which the concave and convex surfaces meet. The layer of the one or more layers which includes the concave surface is at least partially made of velvet.
Claims (6)
- 1. A skull cap consisting of:a first layer of material made of velvet comprising a peripheral edge;a second layer of material made of velvet and comprising a peripheral edge;the skull cap having an outer convex surface and an inner concave surface;the first and second layers of material being joined at the respective peripheral edges thereof such that the first layer of velvet material comprises the concave surface of the skull cap and the second layer of velvet material comprises the convex surface of the skull cap;the skull cap being delimited by a peripheral edge at which the concave surface and the convex surface meet;wherein the skull cap is devoid of any rigid element; andwherein the peripheral edge is circular.
- 2. The skull cap according to claim 1 , wherein both the concave surface and the convex surface are identical.
- 3. The skull cap according to claim 1 , wherein only the convex surface comprises aesthetic lines extending from the peripheral edge to a center of the skull cap.
- 4. The skull cap according to claim 1 , wherein both the convex surface and the concave surface comprise aesthetic lines extending from the peripheral edge to a center of the skull cap.
- 5. The skull cap according to claim 4 , wherein both the convex surface and the concave surface comprise the same number of aesthetic lines.
- 6. The skull cap according to claim 1 , wherein the concave surface and/or convex surface is devoid of gaps of greater than 1 mm cross sectional area.
Field of the Invention
The subject matter of the present application relates to skull caps, and in particular to a skull cap configured with a fastening arrangement.
Background of the Invention
Skull caps are a traditional head covering worn in accordance with Jewish custom.
The shape of a skull cap can be considered to be a hollow semi-spherical shape. Stated differently, a skull cap has only two outermost or external surfaces, namely an internal concave surface and an external convex surface.
The skull cap is delimited at a peripheral edge at which the concave and convex surfaces meet. Stated differently, a skull cap is devoid of any construction outward from the peripheral edge. For example a skull cap is devoid of a rigid face shading projection comprised by baseball caps.
As the concave surface is hidden when worn, information such as the skull cap size and brand are typically printed on a tag attached to the concave surface or, alternatively, can be printed directly on the concave surface.
Different Jewish factions are known to wear skull caps identifiable to their faction. One faction (known to be called “modern orthodox”) wears a so-called “knitted” skull cap type. Another faction (known to be called “ultra orthodox”) wears a skull cap type comprising two layers of material joined or meeting along a peripheral edge, the outer convex layer of which is made of velvet and the inner layer of which is made of a material other than velvet.
The ultra orthodox faction, which wears the velvet outer layer skull cap, customarily do not use any visible fastening arrangement such as a rigid pin (e.g., a bobby pin) to fasten the skull cap to their head or, more precisely, to their hair (in contrast to the faction who wear the knitted type of skull cap and do use pins). Consequently, the velvet-outer layer skull caps are particularly prone to falling off a wearer's head, especially in windy conditions.
Summary of the Invention
It has been found that a skull cap comprising an outermost concave surface at least partially made of velvet grips a wearer's hair in a surprisingly strong manner and thereby significantly reduces the tendency for the skull cap to fall or slide from a desired position on a wearer's head.
The inner velvet surface constituting a fastening arrangement.
Possible advantages of such design can be:
The fastening arrangement (which is associated with the concave surface) is not visible when worn (circumventing any custom against visible fastening mechanisms such as pins).
In the absence of a pin or other rigid element, the skull cap can be extremely comfortable to wear.
The fastening mechanism requires no operation (such as opening and closing or fastening, etc.).
While such fastening arrangement may not hold a skull cap to a wearer's head with a similar strength as a pin or set of pins, it is believed that at least one or more of the possible advantages listed above can render the design advantageous.
In accordance with a first aspect of the subject matter of the present application, there is provided a skull cap comprising a layer, the layer comprising an outermost concave surface of the skull cap and being made at least partially of velvet.
According to another aspect of the subject matter of the present application, there is provided a skull cap comprising one or more layers of material; the outermost surfaces of the skull cap being: a concave surface; and a convex surface; the skull cap being delimited by a peripheral edge at which the concave surface and the convex surface meet; and wherein a layer of the one or more layers which comprises the concave surface is at least partially made of velvet.
While velvet is a fabric which has been discovered to provide the advantages above, without being bound to theory, it is believed that the short fibers of the velvet which may provide the desired friction when contacting hair.
Accordingly, in accordance with yet another aspect of the subject matter of the present application, there is provided a skull cap comprising a layer, the layer comprising an outermost concave surface of the skull cap and being made at least partially of short fibers.
Short fibers are defined as being less than 10 mm long. It will be understood that the short fibers should also be configured to be wearable, i.e. they should be soft. Unlike the knitted skull caps, the short fibers are not knitted or woven.
It will be understood that the short fibers are velvet-like and are therefore dissimilar to Velcro®. In contradistinction to the subject matter of the present invention, Velcro® is made of hard and abrasive fibers which are not comfortable for wearing. Further Velcro® comprises two layers, one layer thereof being designed to hook into the other (i.e. non-straight fibers). Still further, Velcro® comprises of two connecting layers and hence is not known to be configured for connecting to hair.
It will be understood that the above-said is a summary, and that any of the aspects above may further comprise any of the features described hereinbelow. Specifically, the following features, either alone or in combination, may be applicable to any of the above aspects:
A. A skull cap can comprise an inner layer and an outer layer joined at a peripheral edge.
B. Both an inner layer and outer layer can be made of velvet or short fibers. Such construction can allow the skull cap to be reversible. Stated differently, a reversible skull cap can have identical outermost surfaces, such that when the skull cap is inverted or ‘reversed’ it has the same appearance as it had before it was inverted. For example both sides can have similar aesthetic lines.
C. Preferably, a majority of the layer comprising the concave surface can be made of velvet or short fibers. Even more preferably, the layer comprising the concave surface can be entirely made of velvet or short fibers. Most preferably the layer or layers comprising the outermost surfaces can be entirely made of velvet or short fibers. It is believed that increasing the amount of velvet or short fibers will provide increased friction against slippage.
D. The skull cap can be devoid of a rigid fastening arrangement or rigid element (e.g., a pin).
E. The fibers can be configured to project or extend transverse or, preferably perpendicular, to an inner surface of the inner layer. The fibers can be straight (i.e. not hooked).
F. The fibers can preferably have a length between 0.1 mm to 3 mm.
G. The short fibers can be soft (i.e. softer than Velcro®).
H. The peripheral edge can be round or, more particularly, can be circular.
I. The skull cap can be devoid of any construction beyond the peripheral edge.
J. The inner layer can be devoid of gaps of greater than 1 mm cross sectional area. Stated differently, a skull cap can be substantially air-tight, such that it causes a suction effect on a wearers head.
K. The skull cap can comprise only a single layer of material. The single layer can be made of velvet or short fibers.
Brief Description of the Drawings
For a better understanding of the subject matter of the present application, and to show how the same may be carried out in practice, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a skull cap in accordance with the subject matter of the present application; and
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the skull cap in FIG. 1 .
Detailed Description
Reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2 which illustrate an example skull cap 10 .
The skull cap 10 can comprise an inner layer 12 and an outer layer 14 .
Before being joined, the inner layer 12 is understood to comprise an inner concave surface 12 A, an outer convex surface 12 B, and a peripheral edge 12 C at which the inner layer's concave surface 12 A and convex surface 12 B meet. The peripheral edge 12 C can be circular.
Similarly, before being joined, the outer layer 14 is understood to comprise an inner concave surface 14 A, an outer convex surface 14 B, and a peripheral edge 14 C at which the outer layer's concave surface 14 A and convex surface 14 B meet. The peripheral edge 14 C can be circular.
As this example shows a skull cap 10 having more than one layer, it will be understood that the two layers are also joined at the peripheral edges 12 C, 14 C of the inner and outer layers 12 , 14 and can consequently appear as illustrated in FIG. 1 .
Notably, the inner layer's concave surface 12 A and the outer layer's convex surface 14 B constitute outermost surfaces of the skull cap 10 when assembled ( FIG. 1 ).
The outermost concave surface 12 A is made at least partially of velvet or a material having similar properties, particularly a material with short fibers. In the present non-limiting example the inner layer 12 is made entirely of velvet.
A wearer (not shown) can wear the skull cap 10 , and the velvet associated with the inner layer 12 , or more specifically with the inner concave surface 12 A thereof, which contacts the wearer's head, can provide a desired anti-slip or fastening effect when contacting hair of the wearer.
In the present non-limiting example, the outer layer 14 can preferably also be made entirely of velvet.
While the embodiment shown has two layers, alternatively, a skull cap itself could be comprised only of a single layer similarly comprising an concave surface at least partially, and preferably entirely, made of velvet.
In the two-layer embodiment shown, there are aesthetic lines 14 D, which are typically stich lines, formed on the outer convex surface 14 B. The aesthetic lines 14 D can extend from the peripheral edge 12 C, 14 C to a center of the skull cap. It will be understood that in a single layer embodiment the aesthetic lines 14 D can be on the single layer.
The description above includes an exemplary embodiment and details, and does not exclude non-exemplified embodiments and details from the claim scope of the present application.
US 10,172,404: questions and answers
What is US Patent 10,172,404 about?
US 10,172,404, “Skull cap”, is a utility patent granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on January 8, 2019. In brief: A skull cap includes one or more layers of material.
Who invented US Patent 10,172,404?
The named inventor is Shimon Shimshon Elharar.
When was US Patent 10,172,404 filed?
The application was filed on December 30, 2014 and the patent granted on January 8, 2019.
When does US Patent 10,172,404 expire?
The nominal expiration date is December 30, 2034. 20 years from the earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date.
How many claims does US Patent 10,172,404 have?
It has 6 claims, of which 1 is independent.
How is US Patent 10,172,404 classified?
Its primary Cooperative Patent Classification symbol is A42B1/00 — hats; caps; hoods.
Who was the patent attorney for US Patent 10,172,404?
This patent was prosecuted by Feigin & Fridman, LLC, patent attorneys in New York and New Jersey. Contact us to discuss protecting your own invention.
Thinking about a patent of your own?
Feigin & Fridman, LLC has obtained patents like this one for inventors and companies across the United States and abroad. We handle the search, the drafting, the examiner interviews and the renewals.





