IMPROVEMENTS IN HATS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Kemp Mace, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Hatter, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN HATS."
Scaled the 19th April 1872, and dated the 24th October 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Kemp Mace
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th October 1871.
I, THOMAS KEMP MACE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Hatter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN HATS," to be as follows :-
1
My Invention consists in constructing hats in the manner herein-after
described, whereby a hat may at pleasure be readily rendered a more or
less ventilating hat as well as made to assume the figure either of a low
or tall crowned hat, and also to fit the head much more easily than an
onlinary hat.

page_text: In making a hat according to my Invention I take a low crowned hat
the body being hemispherical, cylindrical, or of other shape. Around
the said body and at a short distance above the brim a series of holes or
perforations is made. Upon the body of the hat I fit a sliding and
removable body. This sliding and removable body when depressed, so
that its lower edge is brought against the brim, covers the holes or
perforations described in the inner body, and the hat has the appearance
of an ordinary tall hat.
When it is wished to increase the ventilation of the hat the sliding
outer body is raised upon the inner body until the holes or perforations
are uncovered. The raising and lowering of the outer sliding body
changes the appearance of the hat by making the body of greater or
less height.
When it is not wished to give the hat a tall appearance the outer
sliding body may be made so little taller than the inner body that the
change of position necessary to give increased ventilation will not
materially affect its appearance.
When a low crowned well ventilated hat is required the outer body
may be wholly removed, and when the inner body is not furnished with
the holes or perforations described the removal of the outer body.
converts the hat from a tall to a low crowned hat.
.
In order to get rid of the ordinary hardness of the band of the hat,
or that part which grasps the head, I make the band and brim of
felt or other soft material, and fit a movable or fixed outer body to
the said band.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Kemp Mace in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th April 1872.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Kemp Mace, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Kemp Mace, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Kemp
Mace, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HATS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Thomas Kemp Mace, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, ar one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the naturo
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Tetters Patant

page_text: the holes or perforations described in the inner body, and the hat has
the appearance of an ordinary tall hat.
When it is wished to increase the ventilation of the hat the sliding
outer body is raised upon the inner body until the holes or perforations
are uncovered. The raising and lowering of the outer sliding body
changes the appearance of the hat by making the body of greater or
less height.
When it is not wished to give the hat a tall appearance, the outer
sliding body may be made so little taller than the inner body that
the change of position necessary to give increased ventilation will
not materially affect its appearance.
When a low crowned well ventilated hat is required, the outer body
may be wholly removed, and when the inner body is not furnished with
the holes or perforations described the removal of the outer body
converts the hat from a tall to a low crowned hat.
In order to get rid of the ordinary hardness of the band of the
hat, or that part which grasps the head, I make the band and brim
of felt or other soft material, and fit a moveable or fixed outer body
to the said band.
Having explained the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe, with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in
which the same is to be performed.
The
Figure 1 represents in elevation, and Figure 2 in vertical section, a
telescopic or double hat constructed according to my Invention. The
said hat consists of an ordinary low crowned hat a, and a sliding and
removeable tall crown or body b without a brim, the said outer crown or
body b fitting tightly upon the lower part of the body of the hat a.
low crowned hat a is shown separately in Figure 3, and the tall crown or
body b is shown separately in Figure 4. Around the body or crown of
the hat a and at a short distance above the brim c, a series of holes or
perforations & is made; when the low crowned hat a and tall crown or
body are united in the manner represented in Figures 1 and 2, they
form a hat having the appearance of an ordinary tall hat, the lower part
of the crown & covering the holes & near the brim c.

page_text: When it is desired by the wearer of the hat to have a well ventilated
hat, the tall crown bis raised upon the inner body or crown a until the
holes d are uncovered. The hat is by the sliding of the tall crown b
made of greater height.
When, however a ventilated hat is required to be made without
sliding the tall crown 6 and increasing the height of the hat, the bottom
of the crown 6 is furnished with perforations which are made to
coincide with those in the body of the hat a.
To convert the hat, Figures 1 and 2, into a low crowned well ventilated
hat, the outer body or crown b is wholly removed as illustrated in
Figure 3. When a ventilated hat is not required, the perforations & in
the body or crown a are omitted. This part of my Invention may be
used with low crowned hats having a cylindrical or other shape instead
of the hemispherical shape represented in the Drawing.
Figure 5 represents in elevation, and Figure 6 in vertical section, a
tall crowned hat, the band and brim of which are made according to my
Invention, the ordinary inner lining at the band part being omitted.
Figure 7 represents the brim and band detached from the crown,
and Figure 8 represents the crown separately.
e is the band or that part of the hat which grips the head, and f is
the brim; the said band and brim being made by preference of one
piece of soft felt or other soft material. That part of the felt which
forms the brim f is wholly or partly stiffened, or is provided with a wire
or metallic support at its edge, but that portion which forms the band e
or gripping part of the hat is unstiffened. By this construction that
part of the hat which grips the head, which has hitherto been made tho
hardest part, is quite yielding and soft, and the hat is thereby made to fit
the head more easily than ordinary bats.
Besides forming a cushion to the head the felt or soft band e also
forms a grease absorbent. The tall crown g may be secured to the soft
band e by sewing, or by shellac, or other adhesive material or otherwise.
In the Drawing I have represented the crown 9 attached to the
band e of the brim by cyclets / passed through holes made both in the
and hand Ru this means a well ventilated hat is made.

page_text: the hat may be adopted, for
example, when the crown g is attached to the band e by sewing or by
an adhesive cement, holes both in the band e and crown 9 coincident
with each other are made, the holes in the outer crown being concealed
by the ordinary external band of the hat.
Instead of permanently fixing the crown g to the band c the said
crown may be made capable of sliding on the band so as to cover or
uncover at pleasure the ventilating holes in the band.
The felt brim f may be covered with silk plush or other fabric or
material or be left uncovered, and the crown 9 may be made of any of
the ordinary materials.
Although I prefer to make the brim and band of felt, the band part
being left unstiffened, yet other soft materials such for example as silk,
merino, linen, leather, and india-rubber, may be employed with the same
or nearly the same effect, and instead of making the brim and band in
one piece they may be made separately and joined together. In this
case the brim may be made of a stiff material and the band of a soft
material. This part of my Invention may be applied to tall and
low crowned stiffened hats of various shapes and kinds, and to hats
of the construction herein first described and constituting part of my
Invention.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated,
as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my
Invention; but I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. The improvements in hats herein-before described with
respect to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the accompanying Drawing, that
is to say, the combination with a low crowned hat of a sliding and
removable body or crown for the purposes and substantially as described
and illustrated.
Secondly. The improvements in hats herein-before described, with
respect to Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the accompanying Drawing, that is
to say, making the brim and band or band only of stiffened hats of felt

page_text: or other soft material substantially as described and illustrated, whereby
that part of the hat which grips the head is made soft and yielding, and
the hat fits itself to the head with greater ease and comfort to the
wearer than ordinary stiffened hats.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Kemp Mace, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Sixteenth day of April, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
⚫ two.
0 Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
THOMAS KEMP MACE. (L.S.)
Birmingham.