IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS AND IN THE MACHINERY WEED THEREIN
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Charles Mann, of the Borough of Leeds,
in the County of York, Hat Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS AND IN THE MACHINERY
WEED THEREIN."
Sealed the 20th May 1870, and dated the 24th November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Charles Mann
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with. his Petition, on
the 24th November 1869.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES MANN, of the Borough of Leeds, in the County
of York, Hat Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS AND IN THE
MACHINERY USED THEREIN," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to the manufacture of. gossamer hat bodies,
and are as follows:-I first form. the brim. from one piece of "gossamer'
or paper, or both, I then form the crown of one piece of "gossamer" or
gossamer" with cork lining and attach it to the brim by pressure,.
which makes the body. in a superior manner and at less cost.

page_text: In manufacturing hats as above described I use improved machinery
of the following description:-I have a mould or "dish" formed with a
brim the shape of the hat, and against the brim when placed in position
a brim plate is made to press by a cam arrangement or other gearing,
such brim plato being provided with springs to relieve the brim plate
from pressure upon the brim, when the pressure of the cam arrangement
or gearing has been removed. After the brim has been formed a piece
of gossamer of sufficient size to form the crown all in one piece is
placed in position in the centre opening in the brim plate, and a plunger
is brought to bear on it when the whole body is completed. The
"gossamer" for the crown is prepared previously to being submitted
to the action of the plunger by being heated in a steam chamber or
other heater.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Charles Mann in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th May 1870..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAME
CHARLES MANN, of the Borough of Leeds, in the County of York, Hat
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Charles Mann, Her
special licence that I, the said William Charles Mann, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Charles
Mann, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
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 THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS AND IN THE MACHINERY USED
THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Charles Mann, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and

page_text: in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Charles Mann, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
My Invention has reference to the following improvements in the
manufacture of "gossamer" hat bodies:-I first form the brim from one
piece of "gossamer" or paper, or both. I then form the crown of one
piece of "gossamer or gossamer with cork lining, and attach it to the
brim by pressure, which makes the body in a superior manner and at less.
cost.
"
In order to manufacture hats in the above described manner, I use
improved machinery of the following description:-I have a mould formed
with a brim the shape of the hat, and against the brim when in position
a brim plate is made to press by a cam arrangement or other gearing,
such brim plate being provided with springs to relieve the brim plate
from pressure upon the brim when the pressure of the cam arrangement
or gearing has been removed. After the brim has been formed a piece of
gossamer" of sufficient size to form the crown all in one piece is placed
in position in the centre opening in the brim plate, and a plunger is
brought to bear on it, when the whole body is completed. The "gossamer'
for the crown is prepared previous to being submitted to the action of thé
plungers by being heated in a steam chamber or other heater..
"
Having thus far particularly described and ascertained the nature of
my said Invention; and intimated generally in what manner the same is
to be performed or carried out in practice, I now proceed to fully and par-
ticularly describe and ascertain in what manner my said Invention is to
be performed or put in practice, which I shall do by referring to the
Drawings accompanying these Presents as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 front view, and Fig. 2 side view of the machinery herein-before
referred to, the same being designed to form the brim of the hat and
without removing it to place and fix into it the crown. The plate A and
the slide B are for the material for the brim to be placed between, and
the lever C is for pressing down the plate A, which motion will firmly

page_text: fasten the said brim and the lever, and the side rods D are for bringing
down the block E into the mould or slide B, whereby that part or
operation is complete. This machinery also forms or blocks the crown
of the hats, as will be now described.
Having placed the material across the mould, then by means of the
lever and side rods D press down the block E until the wheels F, F, come
into gear (these wheels to be long toothed wheels), then by means of
crank or eccentric of suitable stroke an up and down motion will be
obtained, and by means of notches cut in the quadrant the requisite
pressure can be gradually put on until the form of the article is obtained;
that being done let the block rise into the position shown on the Drawing
and draw forward the slide B clear of the plate A, then remove the hat
complete with the brim, or if only blocking the crown remove it in a
similar way. The lever D if not founed by practice exactly what is
required can be replaced by means of a suitable motion worked by a foot
lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature and
object of my said Invention, and what manner the same may be per-
formed or carried out in practice, I hereby declare that I claim, the
Improvements in the Manufacture of Hats and the Machinery used
therein" as herein-before described, exemplification of the machinery so
used being afforded by the Drawings accompanying and referred to in
these Presents, though I wish it to be understood that I do not claim the
constituent mechanical details of the said machinery per se and apart from
the purposes of my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Charles Mann, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of May, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
WILLIAM CHARLES MANN. (L.S.)
Witness,
ROBERT PEEL,
15, Mann's Buildings,
New Wortley, nr. Leeds.