Device for storing and displaying caps

This application claims benefit of Provisional Appln. No. 60/076830 filed Mar. 2, 1998.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a display and storage device for caps having a soft foldable crown.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In recent years there has been a rise in the popularity of caps having a soft, foldable crown. Such caps include baseball-style caps, that is, caps having a soft, flexible, generally hemispherical crown and a forwardly extending visor, as well as other styles such as bucket hats which may omit such a visor (all referred to collectively as “caps”). Typically the baseball-style caps include indicia emblematic of a wide variety of affinity groups such as sports teams, schools and the like. Many retail stores maintain a department or section where such caps are displayed. Some retail establishments are devoted primarily to the sale of such caps. In many instances the variety of caps to be displayed is substantial. It is desirable that the caps be displayed efficiently and in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Some establishments may wish to display a plurality of caps in close proximity to each other and in other cases it may be desirable to display the caps in a less dense array and in different display patterns. The ability to store and display such caps also is important to individuals who collect or otherwise maintain a number of different caps. Such users may desire to store their caps in a manner that displays the front of the cap and its indicia.

Various cap storage or display devices have been proposed such as, for example, those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,411,144 (Deupree), 5,566,837 (Lema), 5,624,041 (Van Druff) and 5,630,516 (Helman).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is embodied in one, and preferably a plurality of, individual cap holders, each holder being adapted to support and retain an individual cap in a manner that provides proper support for the cap while displaying the front of the cap. Each holder is adapted to support and display a cap with the cap being partially-folded so that the rear portion of the generally hemispherical crown lies folded against the interior of the crown. In one aspect of the invention the display and storage device also includes a spine that may be rigid or in the form of a flexible cord, to which one or more of the holders can be detachably connected. A plurality of cap holders can be attached to the spine at selectively spaced locations along the spine to enable variation in the display or storage pattern for the caps. The spine may be mounted in a vertical attitude in which the cap holders are vertically spaced or a horizontal attitude in which the cap holders are horizontally spaced or a combination of horizontal. The spine may be supported on a vertical wall or from an overhead connector to hang freely or may be attached to a self supporting base.

In another aspect of the invention each holder has a crown support on which the partially-folded cap is placed. The crown support is configured to provide a broad area of support to maintain the cap in its proper shape while it is stored in the device. A crown clip overlies the rear portion of the crown support and cooperates with the crown support to grip the folded cap. The cap can be slid into or out of a position between the crown support and the crown clip.

In another aspect of the invention the cap holders are configured to include a spine clamp by which the holder is easily attached to, detached from or slid along the spine. The spine clamp enables the pattern of holders to be varied as desired. The spine clamp can be released to enable adjustment of the vertical position or horizontal orientation about a vertical axis of the cap holder and the cap that it supports. The cap holders also can be mounted in a horizontal array by orienting the spine, or a portion thereof, horizontally. The cap holder includes a transverse channel adapted to detachably receive a horizontally oriented spine. As with the vertically mounted spine, the individual holders can be attached or detached from the horizontally oriented spine without disturbing the position of the other cap holders.

It is among the general objects of the invention to provide an improved device and system for storing and displaying such caps. Also among the objects of the invention are to provide a cap storage and display device for which the arrangement of caps displayed or stored is easily adjustable without requiring repositioning of other caps or cap holders in the display; to provide a cap storage and display device having a large capacity for storage and display of caps without obstructing the front of the caps; to provide a device in which the position and orientation of the caps is easily adjusted and enables infinite adjustment to any position and orientation; to provide a cap storage and display device having individual crown supporting holders in which the cap is easily slipped into or out of a securely retained position on the holder; to provide a cap storage and display device that can be placed in any location and to provide improved methods for storing and displaying such caps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated more fully from the following further description thereof, with reference to the accompanied drawings wherein:

FIG. 1

is an illustration of the device in which a plurality of baseball-style caps, supported by cap holders are connected to a vertically oriented spine;

FIG. 1A

is an illustration of a single cap holder attached to a portion of a vertical spine;

FIG. 2

is an illustration of a pair of cap holders mounted on a horizontal spine;

FIG. 3

is an isometric illustration of an embodiment of a cap holder as seen from a front quarter;

FIG. 4

is a an isometric illustration of the cap holder as seen from a rear quarter;

FIG. 5

is a plan view of a cap holder of

FIGS. 3 and 4

;

FIG. 6

is a front view of the holder of

FIG. 3 and 4

;

FIG. 7

is a side view of the holder

FIG. 3 and 4

;

FIG. 8

is a plan view of the main the holder before attachment of the clip;

FIG. 9

is a rear view of the holder component of

FIG. 8

;

FIG. 10

is a side illustration of the component of

FIG. 8

;

FIG. 11

is a plan view of a clip component of the cap holder modified in some respects from that shown in

FIGS. 3-7

;

FIG. 12

is a side elevation of the clip of

FIG. 11

;

FIG. 13

is a front elevation of the clip;

FIG. 14

is a rear elevation of the clip;

FIG. 15

is an illustration of a plurality of baseball-style caps attached to a vertical support in which the horizontal orientation of the caps is selectively varied;

FIG. 16

is an illustration of a stand-alone display rack in which a plurality of the caps are supported in a vertical array with the caps facing horizontally in different directions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1

illustrates one configuration of the invention in which the device may be oriented to support a plurality of caps in a vertical array. The device includes an elongate spine

10

to which one or more cap holders

12

may be detachably connected. Each of the holders

12

preferably is constructed to enable it to be attached to or detached from the spine

10

without adjusting or changing the position of any of the other holders in an array. In one embodiment the spine is flexible and may be in the form of a flexible cord or rope. Alternately, the spine

10

may be the form of a rigid rod, for example, where it is desirable that the device be self supporting. When the device is used in a vertical array, it may be secured simply by attaching the upper end of the spine

10

to a suitable support. At least one, and preferably both ends of the spine

10

may be secured to a hook

9

to facilitate attachment of the spine to a suitable support in a variety of modes. The spine

10

may be attached to a wall or other vertical surface, such as the back of a door, or may be freely suspended from a closet pole, ceiling or other overhead structural support. Although

FIG. 1

illustrates the cap holders as all facing forwardly, the cap holders

12

and spine

10

are constructed to enable the holders to face in any horizontal direction about the vertical spine as well to enable the vertical position of the cap holders to be adjusted, preferably in an infinite manner to provide the desired spacing and orientation for the supported caps.

FIG. 1

illustrates several groups of caps including a lower group

11

in which the holders

12

associated with the caps are located in a relatively close relation to each other so that the group of caps can be vertically compacted in a nested configuration, as when it is desired to use the device in a maximum density storage mode. The caps, and their associated holders shown in

FIG. 1

above the lower group

11

illustrate the manner in which the caps may be spaced so that each is displayed in a desired spacing, for example, to permit the indicia or symbol in the front of the cap to be displayed.

As shown in further detail in

FIGS. 3-7

the cap holder

12

may be considered as having a crown support

14

that is adapted to engage the underside of a partially-folded cap

13

. For ease of explanation the portion of the cap holder

12

that extends toward the front of a caps supported on the holder will be referred to as “front end” or “forwardly”, and the opposite direction being referred to as “back” or “rearward”. The lateral width of the crown support

14

and the extent to which it projects forwardly is selected to provide a firm, broad area of support for the major portion of the partially-folded cap sufficient to maintain the cap shape. In the preferred embodiment the crown support

14

is wider in its rearward portion than in its more forward portion. In the illustrative embodiment the crown support

14

may be considered to be approximately triangular with rounded and curved edges. The cap should be supported so that it will not deform under the influence of its own weight. The crown support preferably is formed to define a convex upper surface

15

adapted to provide shape-retaining support for the cap. The crown support may, if desired, be formed with one or more apertures

17

, dependent, in part, on the material of manufacture. The apertures

17

may enhance the economy of manufacture in that less material is required to make the crown support

14

and may enhance air circulation about the folded portion of the crown.

The cap holder

12

also includes a clip, indicated generally at

16

that has a portion that overlies the rear portion of the crown support

14

and cooperates with the crown support

14

to grip the rear marginal region of the partially-folded cap. The clip

16

also may be formed to include a configuration by which the cap holder

12

can be attached to , detached from or stabilized with respect to the spine

10

. In the illustrative embodiment, both the crown support

14

and the clip

16

may be injection molded from a suitable plastic material and may be configured so that they can be formed separately and then secured together in order to function cooperatively as a single, integral unit. The principles of the invention may, however, be incorporated into a cap holder formed from other materials such as metal, wood or the like.

As shown in

FIGS. 4 and 7

, the crown support

14

may include a downwardly depending bracket

18

that supports a spine clamp

20

as well as a region to facilitate attachment of the clip

16

to the crown support

14

. In the illustrative embodiment the spine clamp

20

is integrally molded with the bracket

18

, preferably at the lower end of the bracket

18

. The spine clamp

20

includes a pair of rearwardly projecting jaws

22

, adapted to grip a vertical spine, and a pair of forwardly projecting, manually grippable tabs

24

. The jaws

22

, tabs

24

, and the bracket

18

are formed to allow for some resilient, flexible movement of the jaws

22

away from or toward each other in response the manual squeezing or releasing, respectively, of the tabs

24

. To that end, the lower portion of the downwardly depending bracket

18

may be formed to define bifurcated jaw mounts

26

, each of which is formed integrally with one jaw

22

and one tab

24

. The bifurcated jaw mounts

26

are defined by a heightwise extending slot

28

formed in the bracket

18

by which the bifurcation is defined. Each of the jaw mounts

26

is resiliently twistable. The polymeric material from which the crown support

14

and spine clamp

20

are molded is selected to effect a firm grip on a vertically oriented spine

10

when the tabs

24

are released. The jaw mounts

26

should be sufficiently flexible so that when the tabs

24

are squeezed together the jaws

22

release sufficiently from the spine

10

to enable the crown support

12

to be detached from the spine

10

. The jaws

22

may be provided with spine-engaging surfaces

30

at the inwardly facing surfaces of the jaws

22

to facilitate secure engagement with the vertical spine

10

. In the illustrative embodiment shown in

FIGS. 8 and 9

, the inwardly facing surface

30

may be provided with inwardly facing serrations

32

arranged to grip the spine

10

. The serrations are adapted to grip securely a spine

10

that is formed from a flexible rope as well as a more rigid structure such as a rod or tubular spine.

The tabs

24

diverge in a forward direction to provide a comfortable configuration for squeezing the tabs

24

between the users fingers. The rearward ends of the jaws

22

preferably are slightly flared, indicated at

23

, to facilitate entry of a vertical spine

10

into and between the jaws

22

. When the tabs

24

are squeezed together the jaw mounts

26

of the bracket

18

, to which the jaws

22

and tabs

24

are attached, will twist to enable the jaws

22

to resiliently separate. Upon release of the tabs

24

, the jaws

22

will close to their spine-gripping configuration.

15

The clip

16

shown, before attachment to the crown support

14

, in

FIGS. 11-14

and includes a generally horizontal forwardly extending upper portion

34

that merges into a rear bight

36

that, in turn, merges into a forwardly and downwardly extending lower portion

38

. In the illustrative embodiment, the lower portion

38

of the clip includes a downwardly extending segment

40

by which the clip

16

can be attached to the downwardly depending bracket

18

of the crown support

14

. The arrangement for attaching the clip

16

to the crown support

14

may include, for example, the use of a snap fit connection. To that end the jaws

22

may include a portion that is spaced from the rear face of the bracket

18

to define a pair of slots

42

(See FIGS.

7

and

10

). The slots

42

are configured to receive the lateral regions of the downwardly extending segment

40

of the clip

16

in a sufficiently close fit to stabilize the position of the clip with respect to crown support

14

. In order to secure the clip

16

in place, the clip may be provided with a latch that includes forward projection

44

that can slide downwardly along the rearwardly facing surface of the bracket

18

into engagement with a detent notch

46

(FIG.

9

). The dimension defined by the thickness of the downwardly extending segment

40

of the clip

16

and projection

44

is slightly greater than the width of the slots

42

in order to require some elastic deformation of the materials as the segment

40

of the clip

16

is slid downwardly into the slots

42

. The detent notch

46

and the projection

44

are located so that when the downwardly extending segment

40

has been inserted at or close to the bottom of the slots

42

, the projection

44

will snap into the detent notch

46

. The parts can be assembled simply without requiring special tools, fixtures or the like. It should be understood that although the presently preferred embodiment of the invention employs a snap-fit connection between the clip

16

and crown support

14

, other techniques may be employed for securing the parts together. For example only, the components may be riveted together, such as by heat staking, or may be secured to each other by adhesive or other conventional means. The material from which the components are made may affect the choice of means or techniques for securing the parts together.

The upper portion

34

of the clip is bifurcated at its forward end to define a pair of forwardly extending fingers

48

. The fingers

48

are separated by a key-hole slot

50

that includes a button hole

52

adapted to receive the cap button

17

(

FIG. 2

) present at the top of most caps. The forward ends of the fingers

48

define a pair of pads

51

having forward edges that are flared upwardly, at

54

, to define a gradual, smooth entry into which the folded edge

15

of the cap can be inserted smoothly, without binding. With those caps having a button

17

, the upward flare

54

of the fingers

48

provides a smooth lead-in by which the button can engage the undersides of the fingers

48

and be advanced into a position within the button hole

52

. In the embodiment of the clip

16

shown in

FIGS. 11-14

, the more forwardly disposed forward portions of the button hole

52

defined by the rear portions of the pads

5

1

, adjacent the transition from the button hole

52

to the more narrow slot

53

are flared upwardly and rearwardly to define a smooth lead-out

55

to permit the cap button

17

to slide forwardly under the pads

51

in a smooth, progressive action, avoiding binding of the button. The cap button hole

52

preferably is dimensioned to be larger in diameter than the most commonly employed cap buttons. A cap button hole

50

approximately ⅝ inch in diameter should be adequate to receive most cap buttons. The clip is mounted so that the forward fingers

48

of the clip overlie the upper surface of the crown support, in close proximity so that the pads

51

at the ends of the fingers

48

can grip the partially-folded cap and clamp it against the crown support

14

. The partially folded cap preferably is gripped by the device only in the region of double thickness material of the folded crown. The large size of the button hole

52

enables the cap to be so gripped.

The materials from which the device is made, and particularly from which the clip

16

and fingers

48

is made, preferably should be selected to minimize material creep that could adversely affect, over time, the gripping force between the fingers and cap support. Should a cap be stored in a cap holder for an extended period of time, the existence of material creep could result in a loss of gripping power of the fingers. For example, in the preferred embodiment, the cap support may be formed from polypropylene and the clip, including the fingers, may be formed from polymeric material available from General Electric Company under the trade designation Noryl, preferably in grades

731

or SEI.

The rearward portion of the clip

16

is configured to include a stabilizing hole

56

in the rear of the upper portion

34

of the clip. A slot

58

, receptive to a vertical spine, also is formed in the bight

36

and lower portions,

38

of the clip

16

. When the clip

16

is attached to the crown support, the stabilizing hole

56

will be aligned vertically with the jaws

22

. That enables the assembled cap holder

12

to be attached to a vertically oriented spine

10

by urging the device rearwardly into engagement with the vertical spine

10

. In so doing, the spine

10

enters the slot

58

and the resiliently spread jaws

22

while also entering the stabilizing hole

56

. The juncture of the stabilizing hole

56

and the slot

58

may be provided with inwardly extending projections

57

to narrow the entry slot into the stabilizing hole

56

. That assures that the stabilizing hole can be snapped onto the spine

10

. So attached, the cap holder

12

will be maintained in a position in which the crown support

14

extends forwardly, generally perpendicular to the axis of the spine

10

. The stabilizing hole

56

preferably is dimensioned with respect to the spine to permit the cap holder

12

to slide up and down the spine while the tabs

24

are squeezed to lighten or release the grip of the jaws

22

on the spine.

The clip

16

also may be constructed to include an arrangement by which the cap holder

12

can be attached to a horizontally oriented spine as suggested in FIG.

2

. To that end, the clip

16

may be adapted to receive a horizontally oriented spine

10

in a channel

59

defined transversely through the bight

36

portion of the clip

16

. The clip

16

may be provided, as suggested in

FIGS. 11 - 14

, with a pair of spine retainers

60

that extend from the lower portion

38

of the clip toward the upper portion

34

of the clip. In order to enhance the lateral stability of a horizontally mounted device, the spine retainers

60

, when used, preferably are formed on transverse extensions

62

formed integrally with the portions

38

of the clip

16

. The spine retainers

60

, preferably are spaced from the bight

36

of the clip to cooperate with the bight

36

to embrace a horizontal spine

10

about an arc greater than 180°, as suggested in FIG.

12

. The space defined by the bight

36

and the spine retainers

60

is configured with respect to the spine to enable the cap holder

12

to be mounted snugly on the horizontal spine. When the spine is mounted on a wall, the rearwardly facing portions of the clip

60

can bear against the wall to further stabilize the attitude of the cap holder

12

in a generally horizontally projecting attitude. The cap holder

12

can be connected to or detached from a horizontally oriented spine by passing the spine between the crown support and the fingers

48

the clip, until the horizontal spine is captured within the bight

36

of the clip. The spine may be formed to have both horizontal and vertical sections so that some of the caps can be arranged in a horizontal array while others can be arranged in a vertical array. In a flexible spine, such as in the form of a cord, the cord may be attached to the wall or other supporting surface to provide both horizontal and vertical components.

Although the invention has been described in the context of displaying or storing a plurality of caps, it should be understood that the cap holder of the present invention could be attached to a very short spine, adapted to retain only a single cap holder. The spine, when formed from a flexible cord or the like, preferably is provided with a connector, such as a hook

9

at one or both ends of the spine

10

. The hook may facilitate hanging of the upper end of the spine from the ceiling or from a fastener on a wall or forming a loop with the spine that can be suspended from a closet pole.

In alternate uses, the spine may be mounted on a table top or counter display by providing a self supporting frame to hold the spine in a vertical position.

FIG. 16

illustrates one representative embodiment of a self standing display as may be used at a point of purchase location. The arrangement may include a frame, indicated generally at

70

that may have a vertical support

72

attached to and extending upwardly from a horizontal base

74

. The spine

10

is attached at its upper and lower ends to the upper end of the frame

70

and the lower region of the frame

72

or base

74

. The vertical support

72

may be arched, as shown, to define a bow-shaped arrangement together with the spine

10

, thereby providing space to enable the horizontal direction of the cap holders to be varied about the vertical spine

10

.

The device is easy to use. After the cap is partially folded, it is placed on the crown support and its rearward margin, defined by the fold line

8

, is slipped rearwardly between the crown support and the fingers

48

. The flared forward edges of the tabs serve as a lead-in to facilitate entry of the cap, including caps having a button

17

on the top of the crown. The folded cap may be attached to the cap holder before or after the cap holder is attached to a vertical spine. In either case, the cap holder is attached to a vertical spine by gripping the tabs

24

of the cap holder and squeezing them to spread the jaws sufficiently to receive the spine. The spine also is inserted into the stabilizing hole

56

. Depending on the manner in which the spine is supported, the cap holders may be oriented at various rotational positions about the axis of the spine so that selected caps can face horizontally in different directions. When the spine is mounted against a wall or other vertical surface, the fronts of the caps will all face in the same direction, as suggested in FIG.

1

. The position of the cap holders and their supported caps can be adjusted longitudinally along the spine to permit the caps to be nested in a compact configuration or to permit them to be spaced as desired, to display the indicia at the front of the crown. The spine also permits attachment of markers as may be used in a retail establishment to display price, size or other characteristics associated with the caps.

From the foregoing it should be appreciated that the invention provides a versatile system for displaying and storing caps in a variety of configurations with the caps being supported to maintain their shape. The cap holders are connectable to a common support and may be positioned and oriented, individually, as desired. Individual cap holders can be attached, detached or repositioned without requiring that the position of any of the other caps holders be modified. The device can be made out of different materials and different colors, as may be desirable to coordinate with colors associated with a particular sports team, college, company or the like. The cap supports

14

may provide a broad area to which selected indicia, logos or decals can be applied. It should be understood, however, that the foregoing description of the invention is intended merely to be illustrative and that other modifications, embodiments and equivalents within the scope of the invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art.