US Patent 7614090 Headwear piece with adjustable head receiving diameter

A headwear piece has a crown defining a surface for engaging a wearer's head and a rim projecting away from the crown. The crown surface has a variable effective diameter. The crown has a rope defined by a plurality of elongate elements each having an actual length and interconnected with each other with the rope in a first state so as to define a shorter effective length extending around at least a portion of the crown. The plurality of elongate elements are extendable by exerting a tensile lengthwise force on the rope to place the rope in a second state. The rope at least one of (a) defines at least a part of the crown surface and (b) bears against a wall that defines at least a part of the crown surface.