Elastic hingeless cap

Claim 1

In a multi-size cap structure adapted to accommodate wearers of various sizes of heads and including a multi-gore shell forming the crown portion, a visor portion secured to the forward edge of said shell and extending outwardly therefrom, an elongated band forming an ear flap portion hingedly secured to the base of said shell about the lateral and rear portions thereof, and adapted to be folded inwardly and upwardly in an inwardly folded first disposition, and downwardly about the ears of the wearer in an ear-enveloping disposition, and means hingedly securing said elongated band to said crown portion along the length thereof, the improvement comprising: (a) said multi-gore shell forming the crown portion including a pair of front gores fixedly secured to said visor, and a plurality of lateral and rearwardly positioned gores, each of said gores extending from a common apex point; (b) said front gores being fabricated of nonstretch material and being sufficiently rigid so as to be generally self-supporting; (c) said lateral and rearwardly disposed gores being fabricated from a uniaxially stretchable material, capable of being stretched along the chordal axis of said cap; and (d) said ear flap portions being fabricated essentially entirely from a cloth material which is stretchable along at least one axis, and wherein said at least one stretchable axis extends generally parallel with the chordal axis of the body of the cap to which the flap portion is secured.