Improvements in Military and other Head-coverings.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 5th Nov., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Military and other Head-coverings.
I, BERNHARD GRASER Ph. D. Royal Prussian Chief of Reserves in Helsingfors,
Finnland, Constantinsgatan 22, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention for improvements in military and other head-coverings has for its
object to provide an improved head-covering for soldiers and the like and consists
in dividing the peak horizontally in such manner that the lower part of the peak can
be pushed upwards and over or under the upper part.
Military helmets which have a horizontal or approximately horizontal front peak,
do not form a sufficient protection especially when the sun is not very high; and
those in which the peak falls sharply down, as for example in the Prussian military
helmet, and notably in the dragoon helmet now introduced, are therefore preferable
as the corners protect the eye sideways in a more efficient manner.
This peak
however hinders sighting when shooting in a recumbent position and this invention
has for its object to obviate this difficulty.
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings-
Figure 1 is a section and Figure 2 is a front view of the peak which is shown
attached to a helmet.
The curved peak of leather metal or other suitable material is inclined sharply
and is divided by a nearly horizontal plane into an upper half a and lower half b..
The lower half b is laid like a tile on the lower edge of the upper half a and its
side metal edges 6' are carried in grooves c of the upper half of the peak a so that
the lower part may be pushed up and the peak reduced to half its height or width
so as not to obstruct sighting.
The upper edge 6 of the lower half b is provided with a lining of india rubber or
other suitable material so that moisture or wet cannot penetrate between the two
halves of the peak. The grooves of the upper half of the peak are so formed that
the lower half cannot fall too low and by means of flanges turned on the edges of
the halves of the peak they are prevented from parting. When the peak is so
arranged that the lower half of the front peak is pushed up under or within the
upper half, india rubber lining is unnecessary. The lower edges of the peak are
rounded off but in as sharp a curve as the hardness of the corners will permit.
In the centre of the outside of the lower or upper rim of the lower peak a button
or hook d is fixed, over which fits a loop f when the lower peak is raised the link
beng attached to the centre of the helmet. The back peak is also formed of two
parts similar to the beforementioned arrangement so that contrary to the helmet at
present used, no difficulty is experienced when in shooting from the recumbent
position it is desired to put the helmet well back.
When the peak by raising the lower half is made smaller, the upper part will
still protect the eyes somewhat in shooting from the recumbent position.
The arrangement of the front or back peak after the manner of the vizier of a
middle-age helmet would as compared with this invention have an important
technical disadvantage as such would have to be set at a greater angle and would
consequently stand out at an inconvenient distance from the body of the helmet and
make the manipulation of the weapons more difficult. Such a vizier peak would
interfere more especially with the side movement of the head when forming into
line for line shooting than the present fixed helmet peak does.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In head gear provided with peaks dividing the peaks into two parts a and b so
connected together that they are movable one over the other in order that when
necessary the depth of the peak can be reduced substantially as described.
2. In a head gear provided with peaks sliding one on the other, sliding the lower
half of the peak over or under the upper part a in grooves formed by metal band c
and preventing the movement of the lower half of the peak beyond its lower position
by flanges on the upper half a corresponding with similar flanges formed by the
upper edge of the lower half of the peak b substantially as described.
3. In a head gear provided with peaks sliding one on the other, a loopf serving
to fix the upraised under half 6 by means of a button d fixed thereon which at
the same time serves to operate the lower half 6 of the peak substantially as
described.
Dated this 30th day of September 1892.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.