IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BANDS OR STRAPS FOR HATS, CAPS, SHOES, AND STOCKS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DEANE
SAMUEL WALKER, of London Bridge, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of
June, One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the twelfth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Deane Samuel Walker, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Deano
Samuel Walker, my exors, adiiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Deane.Samuel Walker, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any
timo agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BANDS
OR STRAPS FOR HATS, CAPS, SHOES, AND STOCKS;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said Deane Samuel Walker, shall causo a
particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and scal, to bo inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in

page_text: part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Deane Samuel Walker, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists,
First, of manufacturing bands for the making of the bodies of hats, and
also for covering the bodies of hats, by applying the process of tubular or
circular weaving. And for the making of the bodies of hats I prefer to make
bands of circular or tubular weaving of looped fabrics, as such fabrics allow of
shaping the body of a hat with more facility than the tubular weavings inade
by warp and shuttle. I take a suitable length of tubular weaving, and I stiffen
the same as when other woven fabrics are employed for making the body of
a hat, and I affix a crown either of looped fabric or other material, and apply
a brim as heretofore, the difference of the manufacture consisting of using a
band of tubular weaving for the body, by which I avoid all seams or joints.
And in covering the bodies of hats, I also employ bands of tubular weaving,
either consisting of looped fabric or of fabric woven with warp and weft, and
the same may have a pile or not, according to the appearance désired to be
obtained; and I cause such covering to be affixed to the body of the hat by
cement as heretofore when covering hat bodies with woven fabric, and the
only difference in the manufacture will be, that by using bands of tubular or
circular weaving there will be no seam or joint down the side of the hat. The
crown and brim are to be covered as heretofore.
I would state that the processes of weaving tubular or cylindrical fabrics,
whether consisting of loops or made by warp and shuttle, are well known, and
therefore I make no claim thereto, neither do those processes require to be
described in this my Specification.
This first part of my Invention consists of applying such processes of
weaving in the production of bands for the making of bodies of hats, and also
for covering of hats...
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, which consists of
certain modes of making mourning hat bands.
....
The first mode is by employing the process of loop weaving for making
tubular bands, whether of wool, silk, or other fibrous matters; and such bands
may have a pile raised or not, as is well understood, according to the desire of
the manufacturer. This tubular weaving offers elastic fabrics which will
readily pull over 'the crown of a hat and then securely embrace the body of

page_text: the hat, and thus offer advantages not attainable by the modes of weaving;
and it is the making mourning hat bands of cylinder or tubular-looped fabrics
which constitutes the peculiarity of this part of my Invention.
Secondly, this part of my Invention consists of applying a thin coating of
india rubber to the interior surface of hat bands, in order to obtain a stronger
elasticity to the fabrics (used in the making of such bands) than the fabrics
otherwise. possess.. And for this purpose I prefer to use fine woollen cloth cut
on the, cross, though other fabrics may be used, and I spread a thin coat of
india rubber on the surface which comes next the hat, and I join the ends of
the bands by cementing the same by india. rubber or other suitable cement,
preferring first to join the ends by sewing, and then covering the parts folded
down with india rubber or other suitable cement, and cover the back of the
joint or seam by cementing a piece of tape or other fabric over the seam, and
this mode of forming as seam, whether the same be sowed first or not, con-
stitutes one of the novelties of this part of my Invention; and it is applicable
to joining the ends of mourning hat. bands, whether the same be coated at
back with india rubber or not.
Thirdly, another mode of making mourning hat bands consists of employing
india rubber bands coated over with flock; for this purpose I cause the surface
of thin sheet india rubber to be covered over with suitable cement, and I then
sift flock over such surface, and I cut the sheet into bands and cement the
ends, by which means excellent mourning hat bands can be made, or in place
of applying the flock when the india rubber is in sheets, the same may be first
made into bands and then coated with flock.

page_text: late Majesty King Williain the Fourth, entituled "An Act to amend the Law
touching Letters Patent for Inventions."
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid Deane Samuel Walker came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.