Convertible hat blocking structure

Presented is a hat blocking structure that is convertible to provide for the blocking of different styles of brims with different styles of crowns on hats to be blocked.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to hats of the type that are required to be blocked 
to provide a selected crown and brim style, and particularly to apparatus 
that is convertible to provide a selection of different brim styles with 
different crown styles. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The prior art with respect to this invention is believed to be fairly 
represented by the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,361,658; 1,630,803; 
1,506,414; 1,650,571; 1,720,602; 1,888,375; 1,914,864; 1,931,688; 
1,949,828; 1,976,711; 2,142,554; 2,281,546; While as a group, these 
patents relate to the general subject matter of hat blocking, only one of 
these, namely, U.S. Pat. No. 1,931,688, appears to be pertinent to the 
concept of a convertible hat blocking apparatus. Even so, while the end 
result produced by the hat block depicted by U.S. Pat. No. 1,931,688 may 
be similar to the end result produced by the subject invention, the means 
by which such end result is achieved are wholly different. 
Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a hat 
blocking structure that is easily convertible from one crown style to 
another and one brim style to another to provide a wide range of style 
choices. 
Another object is to provide a hat blocking structure that is simple and 
inexpensive and easy to use. 
Still another object of the invention is the provision of a hat blocking 
structure which itself provides visual confirmation to a customer of the 
ultimate style of hat crown and brim. 
The invention possesses other objects and advantages, some of which, with 
the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the 
drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not 
limited to the embodiment illustrated and described, since it may be 
embodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claims. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In terms of broad inclusion, the convertible hat blocking structure of the 
invention comprises means for use to shape the completed and normally 
unshaped or unblocked hat so as to impart to the hat the style selected by 
the buyer. Most hats are fabricated from appropriate fibers, some being 
"felt" type hats, others being leather-like, while others are formed from 
straw-type materials. All such hats are susceptible to shaping into 
desirable styles by applying hot steam to the fibrous mass forming the hat 
until the fibers have softened and lost their "memory". Once this 
softening or loss of memory of the fibers has occured, one conventional 
method of shaping the hats is to mold them by hand into the shape desired. 
With respect to sizing of the inner periphery of the brim and crown of a 
hat, this is conventionally carried out on appropriate apparatus that 
stretches the mass of fiber until the desired size has been obtained as 
indicated in some of the patents noted above. So far as known, there is no 
apparatus that simultaneously permits shaping of the crown and brim, and 
which is convertible to provide different crown styles with different brim 
styles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, there is there shown, designated generally by the 
numeral 2, an unformed or unblocked hat having a crown portion 3 and a 
brim portion 4. As indicated previously, the hat may be assumed to be 
fabricated from felt-like material which may be formed into any selected 
style by the application of steam heat to the fiber mat forming the hat 
and then shaping the hat while the fiber is in a "no memory " condition as 
a result of such steam heating. 
As indicated previously, the particular style into which a hat is shaped is 
conventionally done by hand, so that each hat, even when it is intended 
that it be formed in the same style, is somewhat different, or lacking in 
uniformity with other such hats of the same style. This occurs because 
when styling is effected by hand and without using any kind of a guide, 
there are bound to be dissimilarities in the ultimate shape to which the 
hat is formed. 
To obviate such dissimilarities, and to insure that each hat shaped into a 
particular style will be exactly the same as others, the subject matter of 
this invention comprises a rigid hat-shaped blocking structure designated 
generally by the numeral 6 in FIG. 2, and including a crown portion 7 and 
a brim portion 8. In this instance, the crown portion of the hat blocking 
structure is provided with a top surface 9 that is centrally depressed as 
illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the depressed surface 9 being surrounded by 
a rolled portion 12 which extends completely around the depressed portion 
and which is somewhat greater in depth adjacent the rear of the hat as 
seen on the right hand side in FIGS. 2 through 6, and gradually decreasing 
in depth as the top surface 9 approaches the forward end of the hat as 
viewed on the left hand side of the figures in FIGS. 2 through 6, so that 
the forward portion of the crown of the hat blocking structure for this 
style crown normally projects somewhat higher than the rear portion of the 
crown as illustrated. 
The crown portion of the hat-shaped blocking structure is also provided 
with generally ovate walls 13 tapering upwardly to merge smoothly with the 
top surface 9. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the two opposite sides of 
the ovate walls 13 are depressed toward each other to provide a recess 14 
on each side of the crown portion. Formed integrally with the lower end of 
the ovate wall 13 is a radially inwardly extending annular mounting member 
16 the outer periphery 17 of which is integral with the lowermost edge of 
the ovate wall 13, while the inner periphery 18 of the annular mounting 
member 16 defines an aperture opening into the hollow interior of the 
crown portion of the hat-shaped blocking structure. As illustrated in 
FIGS. 5 and 6, the radially inwardly extending mounting member 16 is 
provided with a pair of apertures 19 adjacent the front and rear of the 
hat-shaped blocking structure for purposes which will hereinafter be 
explained. 
It will thus be seen that the crown portion of the hat shaped-blocking 
structure, without more, constitutes a rigid structure, preferably 
fabricated from an appropriate synthetic resinous material reinforced, for 
instance, with fiberglass, and on its exterior surface 21, conforms to the 
shape of a desired hat style. Thus, the crown portion of the hat-shaped 
blocking structure may be utilized to effectively provide a form on which 
the crown of an unblocked or unshaped hat may be supported so as to 
initially provide a desired crown shape, or to reconstruct one that has 
become misshapen. 
However, for maximum utility, the crown portion of the hat-shaped blocking 
structure is utilized in conjunction with a detachable brim portion 
designated generally by the numeral 8 and including a centrally disposed 
mounting flange portion 22 having an outer periphery 23 and an inner 
periphery 24 as shown. Also provided in the mounting flange portion 22, 
which is preferably in the form of an annulus that conforms to the 
configuration of the annular mounting flange member 16 associated with the 
open end of the crown portion, are a plurality of apertures 26 positioned 
in the mounting flange member 22 so as to be in alignment with the 
apertures 19 in the mounting flange member 16 associated with the crown 
portion. Thus, when the apertures 19 and 26 are aligned, the inner and 
outer peripheries of the two mounting portions 16 and 22 are generally in 
registry with each other and the two mounting portions may then be 
detachably secured together by an appropriate bolt 27 dimensioned to pass 
snugly through the apertures 19 and 26, and which may be secured therein 
so as to provide a clamping action between the two mounting portions by an 
appropriate thumb nut 28. 
Extending radially outwardly from and integral with the outer periphery 23 
of the brim mounting flange 22, is a brim support portion 29 formed, like 
the mounting portion 22 and the crown portion previously discussed, from a 
rigid synthetic resinous material, preferably reinforced with glass fiber. 
The brim support portion 29 is sculptured to provide on its top surface 31 
the configuration desired for a particular style of hat brim. 
Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in use the hat-shaped blocking structure 
which includes the crown portion and the brim portion detachably bolted 
together as illustrated in FIG. 6, is appropriately supported on a flat 
surface such as a table top 32 with or without a pedestal 33 extending 
between the table top and the under side of the brim mounting portion 22 
to firmly support the hat-shaped blocking structure on the table top. An 
unblocked or unshaped hat 2 is then lowered over the crown portion as 
illustrated in FIG. 3 until the brim of the hat comes to rest on the hat 
brim support portion 29. At this point, the hat draped over the hat-shaped 
blocking structure is subjected to the application of hot steam, as 
illustrated in FIG. 4, so as to soften the fibers and cause them to lose 
their "memory." 
It will be seen that as soon as sufficient moist heat has been applied to 
the hat, the crown of the hat may be molded by hand so that it conforms 
exactly to the depression formed in the top surface of the crown portion 
of the blocking structure, while the sides of the crown may be depressed 
to fill the depressions 14 formed in the ovate walls 13. In like manner, 
the brim of the hat may be molded so that it conforms to the configuration 
of the upper surface 31 of the brim support portion 29. 
Once the desired style has been achieved by causing conformation of the hat 
to the shape of the hat-shaped blocking structure, the heat is removed and 
the hat is permitted to dry and cool while remaining on the hat-shaped 
blocking structure. This generally requires only a few minutes, especially 
if warm air, such as from a fan or hair dryer type apparatus is used to 
accelerate cooling and drying. 
It will of course be seen that any selected style of crown portion may be 
detachably interconnected with any selected style of brim support portion. 
Accordingly, as viewed in FIG. 8, a different style crown and different 
style brim are constructed in essentially the same manner, the crown 
portion and the brim portion being fabricated from a hard synthetic 
resinous material; preferably reinforced with fiberglass, and adapted to 
be detachably secured as previously discussed. In this way, a customer who 
purchases a hat has a greater range of styles to choose from, while the 
owner of the hat store is provided the facility of blocking the purchased 
hat in whatever style is selected. 
Having thus described the invention, what is sought to be protected by 
letters patent of the United States is as follows: