US Patent 7958570 Cap shape retainer insert

The present invention is an insert that may be placed within a cap such as base ball cap or a golf cap to maintain the original shape of the cap. In one embodiment, the insert comprises a one piece flexible sheet having a centrally located longitudinal axis dividing the sheet into left and right halves that are mirror images of each other. The sheets has square shaped holed spaced throughout the sheet to provide increased ventilation. The sheet has a non-continuous peripheral edge having catch portions to prevent the insert from slipping during use of the cap. The sheet further comprises a lower portion having a central edge portion substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The lower portion comprises left and right edge portion inclined to the longitudinal axis. The lower portion further comprises a v-shaped cut-out extending inward from the central edge. The v-shaped cut-out allows the left and right halves of the sheet to be bent so that the left and right edge portions be properly seated within the cap to provide a proper shape. The upper portion further comprises first, second, and third flexible support fingers and first and second valleys spacing the fingers. The first and second valleys are of sufficiently deep so as to allow the fingers to be highly flexible. When the insert is placed in the cap, the fingers promote a concave shape at the intersection of the front face and top portion of the cap.