1. A brim protector for a hat, the hat comprising a cap having a brim attached thereto, the brim protector comprising:
a mitt having a cavity conforming to a desired brim shape and having an opening to the cavity conforming to a cross-section of the desired brim shape for inserting the brim of the hat therein, the mitt covering the entire brim when the brim is fully inserted into the mitt cavity, the mitt comprising a stiff heat-resistant material and an insulative material layered between the mitt cavity and the stiff heat-resistant material.
2. The brim protector of claim 1, wherein the stiff heat-resistant material comprises steel reinforced polytetrafluaroethylene.
3. The brim protector of claim 1, further comprising:
an outer surface comprising a heat deflection coating.
4. The brim protector of claim 3, wherein the heat deflection coating comprises polytetrafluaroethylene with a poly paraphenylene terephthalamide coating.
5. The brim protector of claim 1, further comprising:
a heat-resistant handle attached to an outer surface of the mitt.
6. The brim protector of claim 5, the handle having an outer surface comprising a heat deflection coating.
7. The brim protector of claim 6, attached to a conveyance system which transports a hat through a dryer, wherein the hat is positioned with the brim of the hat fully inserted in the mitt cavity.
8. The brim protector of claim 1, further comprising a cap support attached to the brim protector which supports the cap of the hat while the brim of the hat is fully inserted into the mitt cavity.
9. The brim protector of claim 8, attached to a conveyance system which transports a hat through a dryer, wherein the hat is positioned with the cap of the hat on the cap support and the brim of the hat fully inserted in the mitt cavity.
10. A dryer conveyance system, comprising:
a conveyor which passes through a dryer;
at least one brim protector attached to the conveyor, the brim protector configured to protect a brim of a hat, the hat comprising the brim attached to a cap, the brim protector comprising a mitt having a cavity conforming to a desired brim shape and having an opening to the cavity conforming to a cross-section of the desired brim shape for inserting the brim of the hat therein, the mitt covering the entire brim when the brim is fully inserted into the mitt cavity, the mitt comprising a stiff heat-resistant material and an insulative material layered between the mitt cavity and the stiff heat-resistant material.
11. The dryer conveyance system of claim 10, wherein the conveyer follows a looped path.
12. The dryer conveyance system of claim 10, wherein the at least one brim protector further comprises a cap support attached to the brim protector which supports the cap of the hat while the brim of the hat is fully inserted into the mitt cavity.
13. A method for protecting a brim of a hat, the hat comprising the brim connected to a cap, the method comprising:
inserting the brim of the hat fully into a mitt, the mitt having a cavity conforming to a desired brim shape and having an opening to the cavity conforming to a cross-section of the desired brim shape for inserting the brim of the hat therein, the mitt covering the entire brim when the brim is fully inserted into the mitt cavity, the mitt comprising a stiff heat-resistant material and an insulative material layered between the mitt cavity and the stiff heat-resistant material;
exposing the hat with brim inserted into the mitt to drying means; and
removing the hat from the mitt to produce a dry hat with a brim shaped into the desired brim shape.
14. A method for making a brim protector for a hat, the hat comprising a cap having a brim attached thereto, the method comprising:
forming a mitt configured with a cavity conforming to a desired brim shape and having an opening to the cavity conforming to a cross-section of the desired brim shape for inserting the brim of the hat therein, the mitt covering the entire brim when the brim is fully inserted into the mitt cavity, the mitt comprising a stiff heat-resistant material and an insulative material layered between the mitt cavity and the stiff heat-resistant material.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the stiff heat-resistant material comprises steel reinforced polytetrafluaroethylene.
16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
forming the mitt with an outer surface comprising a heat deflection coating.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the heat deflection coating comprises polytetrafluaroethylene with a poly paraphenylene terephthalamide coating.
18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
attaching a heat-resistant handle to an outer surface of the mitt.
19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:
coating an outer surface of the handle with a heat deflection coating.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A single-aperture direction-finding antenna comprising:
a. at least one conductive driven element located above a conductive ground surface;
b. a plurality of feed ports driving said at least one conductive driven element, wherein the feed ports and the driven element are rotationally-symmetric about a common center above said conductive ground surface and support at least two direction-finding antenna modes while sharing a single radiating aperture; and
c. at least one rotationally-symmetric conductive member electrically connected to said conductive ground surface at a predetermined distance from said common center and extending away from the ground surface toward said at least one conductive driven element while leaving a gap between said at least one conductive driven element and said conductive member,
whereby azimuthal phase and magnitude variations of said antenna modes are reduced resulting in improved angle-of-arrival accuracy and direction-finding performance over a hemisphere above said conductive ground surface.
2. The direction-finding antenna of claim 1, wherein said at least one conductive driven element comprises spiral arms.
3. The direction-finding antenna of claim 1, wherein said conductive member comprises a conductive wall located along an outer perimeter of said at least one conductive driven element.
4. The direction-finding antenna of claim 1, wherein said conductive member comprises a set of conductive posts distributed about an outer perimeter of said at least one conductive driven element.
5. The direction-finding antenna of claim 1, wherein:
a. said at least one conductive driven element comprises spiral arms; and
b. said conductive member comprises:
(1) a cylindrical conductive wall located along a circular perimeter with a radius approximately equal to an outer radius of the spiral arms having a wall height less than the gap between the ground surface and the spiral arms; and
(2) a set of conductive posts distributed evenly about the circumference of said conductive wall wherein the posts are electrically connected to the wall and vertically extend to approximately the same height as the spiral arms.
6. A method for determining angle of arrival of received radio-frequency signals at a receiving single-aperture direction-finding antenna, said method comprising:
a. receiving radio-frequency signals via a plurality of feed ports for at least one rotationally-symmetric conductive driven element emanating from a common center above a conductive ground surface, wherein said at least one conductive driven element and the feed ports support at least two direction-finding antenna modes while sharing a single radiating aperture;
b. providing at least one rotationally-symmetric conductive member electrically connected to said conductive ground surface at a predetermined distance from said common center and extending away from the ground surface toward said at least one conductive driven element while leaving a gap between said at least one conductive driven element and said conductive member; and
c. determining angle-of-arrival of the received radio-frequency signals over a hemisphere above said conductive ground surface.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one conductive driven element comprises spiral arms.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein said conductive member comprises a conductive wall located along an outer perimeter of said at least one conductive driven element.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein said conductive member comprises a set of conductive posts distributed about an outer perimeter of said at least one conductive driven element.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein:
a. said at least one rotationally-symmetric conductive driven element comprises spiral arms; and
b. said conductive member comprises:
(1) a cylindrical conductive wall located along a circular perimeter with a radius approximately equal to an outer radius of the spiral arms having a wall height less than the gap between the ground plane and the spiral arms; and
(2) a set of conductive posts distributed evenly about the circumference of said conductive wall wherein the posts are electrically connected to the wall and vertically extend to approximately the same height as the spiral arms.