Novel or Improved Appliances for Use in Retaining Hats on the Wearers' Heads.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Novel or Improved Appliances for Use in Retaining Hats on the
Wearers' Heads.
I, EMMA HARVEY, of Lime Grove, Knottingley in the County of York, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to hats (such as those worn by men, boys and children)
and more especially to straw hats, which fit down upon the wearers' heads and are
held thereon by the grip of the hat upon the head; and has for its object certain
novel or improved appliances for use inside the hats in a manner which ensures
that the hats will be firmly held in place by a grip or hold which is much
more elastic than that due simply to the material and construction of the hats
and which consequently enables the hats to be placed more securely than usual
upon the wearers' heads, without causing undue pressure.
An appliance constructed according to this invention, for the purpose above.
described, consists of an elastic pad of vulcanized indiarubber or other soft elastic
material affixed to a thin metal backing plate. The backing plate may be
formed with metal tongues by means of which the appliance is fixed inside the
hat, or tongues or fasteners in lieu thereof may be formed separate from the
plate and be passed through holes in the plate for fixing the same inside the hat.
According to a convenient method of fixing the appliance, the backing plate is of
thin steel, or is otherwise sufficiently flexible for the purpose hereinafter shewn,
and is formed with points at each end. It is formed to a convex curve at
its back face to follow the curve of the inside of the hat; and in fixing it in
position it is first sprung or bent into a form of opposite curvature and held in.
such form while the points at each end are inserted into the lining of the hat or
into the wall of the hat. The plate is then sprung back into its original form,
and thus fits against the inside curve of the hat, while the points securely hold in
the lining or wall thereof.
An appliance as above described may be fixed inside the front of the bat, or.
inside any other part of the hat as may be preferred, but of course so that the
elastic face thereof will press against the wearer's head when the hat is placed.
thereon;
and two or more of such appliances may be used for a single hat and
be placed either opposite to one another or in other position in relation to one.
another as may be desired. The elastic surface of an appliance as above described
may be formed corrugated, if desired, to give increased hold.
Dated this 23rd day of March 1895.

page_text: Novel or Improved Appliances for Use in Retaining Hats on the
Wearers' Heads.
1, EMMA HARVEY, of Lime Grove, Knottingley in the County of York,
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 hats (such as those worn by men, boys and children)
and more especially to straw hats, which fit down upon the wearers' heads and are
beld thereon by the grip of the hat upon the head; and has for its object certain
novel or improved appliances for use inside the hats in a manner which ensures
that the hats will be firmly held in place by a grip or hold which is much more
elastic than that due simply to the material and construction of the hats and which
consequently enables the hats to be placed more securely than usual upon the
wearers' heads, without causing undue pressure.
An appliance constructed according to this invention, for the purpose above
described, consists of a pad of soft elastic material, such as vulcanized india rubber,
supported by a metal stiffener which is adapted also for use in fastening the
appliance inside the hat, and having an additional fastener (or, if desired, two or
more of such) for security of fixture. The face of the appliance which bears
directly against the wearer's head is formed, preferably, as longitudinal corru-
gations, and the interior of each corrugation is advantageously formed hollow to
increase its pliability.
An appliance constructed according to this invention, is shewn, in its preferred.
form, by the drawings herewith, of which
Figure 1 shews the appliance in transverse section as applied to the inside of
the front of a hat. The portion of the hat shewn by this view is, of course, in
section also.
Figure 2 is a transverse section through the hat, and shews the appliance in
elevation.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan of the front of the hat taken on line xx of Figure 2,
the bat being in position with the crown downwards. The stiffener a, hereinafter
described, is shewn in Figure 3 by full lines, for convenience in illustration,
notwithstanding that it does not properly shew in a true section taken on line x x
of Figure 2, under the conditions described.
Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken through the centre of the
appliance, and the tangs used for fastening it are shewn as they would appear if the
appliance were formed straight instead of, as usual, to the curve (approximately)
of the interior of the hat.
The pad illustrated is formed of two hollow rolls A B of vulcanized
sheet india rubber, cemented together. It is stiffened by means of a flat steel
wire or band a, which is curved longitudinally to the curve of the pad, and
is passed lengthways through the roll A. The ends a¹ of this stiffener are
bent out as shewn by Figures 3 and 4, and form tangs which are sharpened to pass
through the wall d of the hat. c is a wire fastener formed with two tangs c¹ bent
out from the middle portion thereof and sharpened to pass through the wall d of
the hat. The middle portion of the fastener c runs along the bottom of the groove
or depression formed by the junction of the adjacent sides of the rolls A and B,
and is thus not liable to press against the wearer's head. In the enlarged section,
Figure 4, in order not to shew the shape of the rolls A and B distorted by the
pressure of the middle portion of the fastener c, such portion is not shewn pressed

page_text: up into the groove as it would be when the appliance is fixed. Flat wire is used
also, preferably, for the fastener c.
The upper roll B is, preferably, somewhat larger than the lower roll A, as shewn,
so as to project further inwards from the wall of the hat, with the result that the
appliance acts somewhat as a wedge as the hat is placed upon the head, thus
greatly increasing the efficiency of the grip.
To fix the appliance inside the hat, the band e, Figures 1 and 2, should be raised
and the sharpened ends of the tangs a', c¹ pushed through the wall d of the hat and
then bent back, after which the hat band may be replaced. In Figure 1 the
tang cappearing in such view is shewn as bent back, and to be covered by the
band e.
Two or more fasteners such as c may be used, if desired.
An appliance as above described may be fixed inside the front of the hat, or
inside any other part of the hat as may be preferred, in such position that the
surface of the soft elastic material thereof will press against the wearer's head
when the hat is placed thereon; and two or more of such appliances may be used
for a single hat, and be placed either opposite to one another or in other position
in relation to one another as may be desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A novel or improved appliance for use in retaining a hat on the wearer's head,
which consists of a pad of soft elastic material, such as vulcanized india rubber,
and of a metallic stiffener, with means by which the appliance may be securely
fixed inside the hat, substantially as described.
2. A novel or improved appliance for use in retaining a hat on the wearer's head,
which consists of a pad of soft elastic material, such as vulcanized india rubber,
and of a metallic stiffener, with tang fastenings by means of which the appliance
may be securely fixed inside the hat, substantially as described.
3. A novel or improved appliance for use in retaining a hat on the wearer's head,
which consists of a pad of soft elastic material, such as vulcanized india rubber,
formed with a horizontally corrugated surface to bear against the wearer's head,
and of a metallic stiffener, with means by which the appliance may be securely
fixed inside the hat, substantially as described.
4. A novel or improved appliance for use in retaining a hat on the wearer's head,
substantially as described and shewn by the drawings herewith.
tado of December 1895
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Wolverhampton, Agent for the Applicant.