Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Shaping Hats of Felt or other Soft Material.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 11th May, 1891-Accepted, 13th June, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Shaping Hats of Felt
or other Soft Material.
A communication to me from abroad by FRANCISQUE ANDRÉ, the younger, of
Lamballe, in the Republic of France.
1, EDMUND EDWARDS of the firm of Edwards and Co., Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in machinery or apparatus for
shaping or giving the required form to the conical felt or other material after
leaving the fulling or felting, or dyeing apparatus, which cone is to be formed into
a hat.
The improved apparatus consists of a vertical central hollow shaft which carries
at its upper end a platform or support on which is fixed an expanding mould of
proper shape held by a screw so that it can be readily removed or changed as
desired.
The platform has hinged to its outer edge a sufficient number of plates by which
the lower side of the brim is formed. These plates are preferably eight in number
and in their ordinary position are inclined downward at their outer edge so that the
conical felt fits upon them, but when turned up upon their hinges by the action of
the machine they take a horizontal form. At their outer edges corresponding
plates are hinged which when turned down so as to be parallel to those first
described, press and hold tightly the felt which forms the brim of the hat. The
outer projecting ends of these last mentioned plates are hinged to eight rods or
levers which are hinged at their lower ends to the edge of a plate similar to the one
above already described. This plate is made to rise by means of a screw the
lower end of the hollow shaft a nut carrying a wheel fitting upon the latter and
raising or lowering the plate and arms or levers when it is turned round by hand.
Or instead of the screw and nut a rack and lever, or an excentric, or other equivalent
means may be used.
upon
As it rises the nut also pushes up a central internal bar or plunger which raises
a mould of proper form into the shaping block carried upon the upper plate and
forcing out the upper part of the conical felt so that the latter takes the shape of a
truncated cone.
The hat having been thus shaped a ring of galvanized iron wire is placed upon it
and is forced down by a slightly conical cylinder the lower edge of which is of the
same diameter.
The ring may be left upon the hat whilst the latter is put into a drying stove.
The conical cylinder serves two purposes iz., to push the ring down into its proper
place and to receive a supply of cold water by which the hat is quickly cooled.
It is pierced at its lower edge with a number of small holes through which the
water escapes upon the brim.
By turning the machine half a turn backwards the upper pressing plates rise and
the hat is left free the interior moulding block also coming down and allowing the
mould to contract sufficiently to allow the hat to be removed from it.
By the improved machine described from eighty to a hundred hats can be shaped
in an hour the operation being as follows:- The soft felt or other cone is placed
upon the apparatus with the right hand, whilst with the left hand the nut is turned
round from left to right, four seconds being sufficient to form the hat to the required
shape by the action of the pressing devices above described. A ring is then placed
round the hat and is forced down to the angle of the brim by the lower edge of the

page_text: conical cylinder and may remain on the hat whilst the latter is being stoved. By
then taking half a turn of the wheel backward the upper pressing bars rise and the
hat is free, the parts forming the inner expanding mould being drawn back by the
action of suitable helical or other springs.
Dated this 11th day of August 1890.
EDWARDS & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.
or other Soft Material.
A communication from FRANCISQUE ANDRE, the younger, of Lamballe, in the
Republic of France.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS of 35, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, 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 relates to a machine for shaping hat cones after the fulling and
dyeing operations, the object being to impart the required form to the body of
the hat.
The accompanying drawing is a sectional elevation of the machine. The portion
situated on the right of the axial line A B shows the mechanism at rest while on
the left the mechanism is shown in operative position.
The apparatus consists of a hollow shaft P carrying a plate or disc E upon which
the cone to be shaped is placed. Within this hollow shaft is secured, by a transverse
pin P, a piston or plunger S the upper part of which terminates in a cone D and
which is free to slide in the upper part of a screw-spindle C the thread of which
extends over a part of its length. The upper part of C is slotted to admit of the
pin P being moved up and down. The plate or disc E has fitted to it the lower
cheeks or jaws I secured by means of pins and slots or equivalent hinges. These
cheeks or jaws are preferably $ in number. When at rest they each assume the
position shown on the right of the axial line A. B.
The lower cheeks or jaws 1 are connected with the upper cheeks or jaws H by
means of pivots. The cheeks or jaws are each connected at one end to a link G
which in its turn is secured to the plate or disc K similar to the top plate E.
The links G are operated by means of a nut L movable upon the screw-spindle C..
The nut L is operated by a hand-wheel M integral with it.
The machine also comprises preferably 8 connecting rods or links F and a
corresponding number of spiral springs N and guides Y for guiding the ring or
plate Z.
The links F at their lower ends are pivotted to arms or latches F' and serve to
limit the movements of the links G.
The operation is as follows;-
Supposing the machine is at rest and consequently the hand-wheel in its lowest
position and all the parts in the positions in which they are represented on the right
of the axial line A. B the hand-wheel M by being turned in the proper direction is
caused to rise on the screw-thread of the spindle C together with the nut L which
in its turn moves upwardly the plate or disc K while the hollow shaft P will also
ascend.
The simple operation of the hand-wheel M thus causes the piston or plunger S
with its conical top to rise and to take up the position shown in dotted lines at D¹
while at the same time actuating the links G and F and allows the spiral springs N
to contract. The upper portion of the shaft P at the same time causes the plate or
ring to slide on the guides Y and take up its position underneath the plate E sq

page_text: as to retain the jaws or grippers in the position shown on the left side of the
drawing.
When the hand-wheel M has been turned sufficiently the plate I will assume the
position K' and the different remaining parts will be situated as shown on the left
of the axial line A B. When a hat cone is placed upon the plate E its apex will
in the first place be raised by the conical head D of the plunger S while the edges
are gripped between the jaws H and I which are preferably faced or lined with
indiarubber. It will then suffice to impart one half of a turn to the hand-wheel M
to shape the hat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete machine for
shaping hats of felt or other soft material substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawing.
COTAT TO CHATT SU DARCT
TOUT
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.