Improvements in Appliances for Securing Ladies' Hats on the Head.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 18th Oct., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances for Securing Ladies' Hats on the Head.
We, LEWIS BARNES, of the Girard House, and WILLIAM ALBERT NICHOLS, of
1708 Oxford Street, both in the City and County of Philadelphia, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to pins or fastenings for securing ladies' hats upon the head
and consists in making such a device as will be convenient and effective and can be
attached to the hat upon the interior so as to be adjustable to different portions and
also be invisible when the hat is upon the head, as will be hereinafter more particularly
set forth.
Referring to the accompanying drawings ;—
Fig. 1 shows the pin or fastener in its operative position upon the interior of
a hat.
Fig. 2 shows it drawn down preparatory to being fastened, the side of the hat being
broken away to show the arrangement of the parts and different positions of the
fastener being shown in dotted lines.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device detached from the hat; and
Fig. 4 is a similar view of the parts of the device separated from each other.
Owing to the light and airy nature of ladies' hats it is necessary that they be secured
to the wearer in some manner to prevent their being too easily removed or blown off
by the wind &c., and the best manner of so securing them is by means of pins which are
generally passed through the body of the hat and into the coils or rolls of hair upon
the head. But in so doing, each time the hat is put on a fresh hole must be made
through the hat at its trimming which thus tends to spoil or damage the hat besides
leaving a portion of the pin exposed which must be ornamental and costly or detract
from the appearance of the hat. And again the pin is apt to become loosened and
perhaps be lost and thus subject the wearer of the hat to great inconvenience in
searching for the pin before putting the hat on, or trying to keep it on after the pin
is gone.
To obviate these defects and difficulties I have invented a pin which is secured to
the hat and cannot be lost and which will be invisible when in use and hence can be
made very cheaply, although it can be made more elaborately and a portion of it at
least can be made as an ornament or as a base to which an ornament can be applied.
In the form which I have shown, although changes or alterations can be made in the
form of the pin without departing from the spirit of my invention, A, indicates the
pin proper which can be stamped up out of a thick piece of metal, or be made out of
rubber, celluloid or other suitable material. One end of it is formed or provided with
teeth B which engage with the air when in position the teeth being preferably curved
a trifle for that purpose. The other end of the pin is adapted to be grasped between
the fingers when being applied, and may be made long enough to project down below
the rim of the hat and be used as an ornament or as a support for one.
A small groove C is formed transversely across the pin near the base of the teeth B
and through which an elastic cord or strap D is passed for securing the pin to the hat
the ends of the cord being sewed or otherwise fastened to the interior of the hat. The
cord is kept from coming out of the groove C by means of a plate E which is soldered
or otherwise secured to the pin and extends over the groove without interfering with
the elastic cord which is thus loosely secured within the groove. The plate is also
provided with a longitudinal groove F, which when the plate is secured to the pin
forms a receptacle within which one end of another elastic cord or strap C is secured,
the other end of the cord being attached to the interior of the hat near the top. As

page_text: this hole formed longitudinally of the pin need not extend entirely to the lower end
of the pin, the length of the cord may be adjusted or regulated by means of knots
tied in the end of it which will retain the pin at different points upon the cord. Or a
pin or peg could be slipped into the holo at the side of the cord and thus clamp it at
different positions, and thus enable the wearer to adjust the position of the pin to suit
the style or condition of the hair.
Instead of making the pin out of two pieces as above described it may be made out
of a single piece and have the elastic cords attached to it in any suitable manner as
for instance by holes made through it or by means of loops or eyes formed or secured
upon it, and instead of making it with three teeth as shown only one or more may be
used and they may be made of any suitable length and style.
When it is desired to use the pin the hat is placed upon the head and the end of the
pin is grasped between the fingers and drawn down out of the interior of the hat as
far as desired. The teeth or inner end of the pin is then made to engage with the
hair and the pin is released when the elastic cord or strap draws it upward, causing
the teeth to engage more and more until it is as far as it will go, where it is held by
the elasticity of the cord until it is desired to remove the hat, when the lower end
of the pin is grasped by the hand and withdrawn from the hair and the hat readily
removed.
If it is inconvenient or impossible to secure the pin when midway the elastic cord D
as shown in Fig. 1 it can be moved to one end or the other as shown in dotted lines
in Fig. 2 and be then drawn down and released when it will be made to engage at any
desired point The cord G will have a tendency to draw it to the central position but
this will only make it engage the more permanently in the different positions without
interfering with the movement of the pin, upon the end D, except that will stand
at an angle to its position when midway of the cord. If desired two pins can be used
one upon each side, or the single one may be placed at other positions than at the side
of the hat.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A fastener for ladies' hats consisting of a pin, an elastic cord loosely engaging
therewith and another elastic cord secured thereto at one end, substantially as
described.
2. A fastener for ladies' hats consisting of a pin, and two elastic cords one of which
engages loosely with the pin and the other cord is adjustably secured thereto,
substantially as described.
3. A fastener for ladies' hats consisting of a pin provided with a longitudinal and a
transverse opening, an elastic cord passed loosely through the transverse opening
and another elastic cord secured at one end in the other opening, substantially as
described.
4. A fastener for ladies' hats consisting of a pin composed of two plates one of
which is provided with a transverse groove and the other one is provided with a
longitudinal groove, said plates being secured together in such a manner that the
grooves form openings through the pin and two elastic cords one of which passes
through one of said openings and the other one secured in the other opening,
substantially as described.
5. A fastener for ladies' hats consisting of a pin adapted to engage the hair, and
flexibly connected to the inside of the hat by loose connections, permitting the lateral
and vertical adjustment of the pin to suit the style or condition of the hair, substantially
as described.
Dated this 16th day of September 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.