Hat With Detachable Wrap-Around Sun Shade
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current protective clothing for the upper body does not adequately shield against sun radiation, particularly for individuals with predisposed conditions who are at higher risk for skin cancer, and existing solutions either restrict activity or provide incomplete protection.
Innovation Solution
A hat with a wrap-around sun shade or screen that can be detachably connected via zippers, allowing for complete or partial coverage of the upper body, enabling versatile protection without limiting activity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional hats or clothing are used to protect against sun radiation, then some protection is provided, but complete protection of the upper body cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The sun shade is divided into multiple segments: a crown portion, a bill portion, and a wrap-around shade portion that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows each part to cover specific areas of the upper body (head, face, neck, shoulders) while maintaining flexibility in coverage adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The sun shade extends from the traditional two-dimensional hat top into the third dimension by wrapping around the sides and back of the head. The wrap-around portion creates a three-dimensional protective envelope that covers the neck and shoulders, transforming the coverage from a simple top-down shade to a multi-directional protective structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If clothing is designed to provide complete protection of the upper body, then sun radiation protection is improved, but the clothing restricts activities of the wearer
Solution Approach 1:
The sun shade incorporates a flexible, movable wrap-around portion that can dynamically adjust to the wearer's movements and activity requirements. The shade can be positioned to provide maximum protection during stationary activities or reconfigured for greater freedom during active pursuits like cycling or fishing.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows changing the coverage parameter by adjusting the wrap-around portion's position and extent. The sun shade can be configured to cover from minimal areas to extensive upper body regions, enabling the wearer to optimize protection levels based on activity intensity and personal comfort preferences.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the wrap-around sun shade is continuously attached to the hat, then complete protection is provided, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap-around sun shade is extracted from the permanent structure and made detachable through zipper connections. This allows the shade to be removed when not needed, simplifying the overall device to just the basic hat structure, while still providing complete protection when the shade is attached.
Solution Approach 2:
Zippers serve as intermediary connection elements between the hat structure and the wrap-around shade. These simple mechanical fasteners provide easy attachment and detachment without requiring complex mechanisms, maintaining low device complexity while enabling complete protection when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the article or piece of clothing includes a hat having a crown and a bill extending outwardly from the crown. A wrap-around shoulder-length sun shade or sun screen is releasably coupled, by separating zippers, to the crown and bill of the hat. If the separating zippers are closed, the wrap-around shade or wrap around screen is connected to the crown and bill. If the separating zippers are open, the wrap-around sun shade or sun screen can be detached from the crown and/or the bill.