IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING OP PERSONS HEADS, AND FOR FITTING AND RETAINING HATS, CAPS, AND BONNETS ACCORDING TO SUCH MEASURE
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BAPTISTE SOLDI, of Windsor Place, Southwark Bridge Road, in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fifth day of October, in the seventh year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Baptiste Soldi, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Baptiste Soldi, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Baptiste Soldi, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MEASURING
OP PERSONS HEADS, AND FOR FITTING AND RETAINING HATS, CAPS, AND BONNETS
ACCORDING TO SUCH MEASURE," communicated from abroad; in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said John Baptiste Soldi,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Baptiste Soldi, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates to the construction of an apparatus for ascertaining
the form and size of the human head, and for fitting the heads of different
people. The objection to the present mode of measuring the head is, that the
exact form of the head, which is necessary for the hat to fit properly, cannot
be obtained, although the length and breadth of it may. This apparatus com-
bines all the advantages of the old system without any of its disadvantages,
and by the use of it may be obtained the exact size and form of any head,
however great may be the protuberance or inequalities, so that the exact con-
tour may be obtained for the proper fitting of hats, caps, &c. By this appa-
ratus, not only can the exact form of the head be ascertained, but by having
the hat, &c. made after this measurement, the unpleasant feeling produced by
the use of a new hat is avoided. The peculiarity of this apparatus consists
in the use of sliding radiating pieces moving in a suitable frame, and in such
manner that the inner ends of the pieces may come in contact with the head,
and then be set fast in the frame, and thus obtain the contour of the head.
This apparatus is also capable of being so arranged as, not only by the con-
tact of the inner ends of the sliding pieces with the head, but also in respect
to the second apparatus, the capability of improving the shape of a hat, &c.,
so that it may fit the exact contour of the head. These arrangements of
apparatus will be better understood by the annexed Drawings. The general
apparatus is composed of two distinct parts, the one forming what may be
called the outer apparatus, and which is shown in the Drawing half the
natural size at Figures 1 and 2, the other called the inner apparatus, and
which is seen at Figure 5. When the apparatus is not being used, the
smaller one is placed within the other one, and they are both placed on one
plate h, Figures 5 and 6. The large apparatus A, shewn in plan at Figure 1,
and in section at Figure 2, consists of two discs or oval plates b, b', placed onc
over the other, leaving between them a space of the size of the thickness of
the sliding pieces c, c, which are placed between them. The sliding pieces c
have each a longitudinal slot or groove d, shown at Figure 3, which slide upon
a fixed corresponding tongue formed upon the lower plate b¹ opposite each
groove or slot of the sliding pieces c. The slots or grooves allow for the
movement backwards and forwards of the sliding pieces between the discs or

page_text: oval plates b, b. When the apparatus is placed upon the head, and all the
ends of the sliding pieces are brought in contact with the head by the elastic
spring e, which acts upon all the pieces c at the same time in that position,
they are fixed by screws f, f, ог by other suitable means. The action of the
parts b, b', between which are placed the sliding pieces, is regulated by means
of the springs g. 9. The inner ends of the sliding pieces of the large appa-
ratus A gives the exact form of the contour of the head; but it is necessary
to obtain this contour upon an external surface; for this purpose the small
apparatus B is arranged in such manner as to reproduce the exact form
obtained by the large apparatus A. This apparatus B is shown in plan at
Figure 5, and in section at Figure 6. It is placed upon a frame sufliciently
large to hold the apparatus A. This apparatus B is constructed in a similar
manner to the apparatus A, the two plates 2, 3, having between them the
sliding pieces c, one of which is drawn in elevation and plan at Figure 7, and
having the same slots or grooves as the pieces c before described. The form
of these sliding pieces may be varied. The plates b, b, are joined the one to
the other by screws f, or by other suitable means, which keep the sliding
pieces firmly fixed, or give them a liberty of action, as required, to coincide
with the outer and inner ends of the sliding pieces c of the large apparatus A.
It results from the whole of this arrangement that, in order to take the
measure of the head of a person, the apparatus A should be placed upon the
head, having previously loosened the screws f so as to allow the sliding pieces
to press upon the head, and the sliding pieces are kept there by the spring e,
when the screws f are to be sufficiently turned, so as to fix the parts in the
position required, and upon removing the apparatus from the head, the inner
part will represent the exact contour of the head. Then, by placing the small
apparatus B within the large one A, I can regulate the position of the points
or sliding pieces of the apparatus B, in such manner that the exterior part
of the pieces should be in contact with the inner part of the pieces c of the
large apparatus A. Then, by securing the screws f' of the small apparatus D,
and withdrawing it from the larger one, it will present the exact inner contour
of the large apparatus A. This will be found to be the exact size required for
the head. In order to preserve this form or size of the head to be used upon
a future occasion, a piece of card may be cut of the size and form of the inner
part of the apparatus. This piece of card is shown at Figure 8. In the
description previously given I do not confine myself to the precise details
given, either as to the form of the pieces, or to the materials of which they
may be composed, so long as the character of the apparatus is retained. The
spring m rests on the head when taking the shape thereof.

page_text: In order to obtain a surface which will not mark the lining of a hat, &c., a
flexible metal band j, Figure 9, may be placed over the ends of the pieces c
when the contour is obtained, and in this condition placed in the hat. It will
readily be seen from the foregoing description that an apparatus formed of the
exact size of the head, by the means herein described, may be readily obtained,
and that the same may be employed for the purpose of keeping the hat in its
proper shape by placing it within the hat of the exact form of the head. And
it will be evident that the details may be varied without departing from the
Invention.
And I would have it understood that what I claim under this Patent is, the
general arrangement of the radial sliding pieces in suitable frames in whatever
form the parts may be, so long as they are capable of sliding against the parts
of the head, and thus to obtain the contour thereof, and also the second or
inner apparatus for giving to a hat, &c., the exact contour or form of the
head.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Baptiste Soldi, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
Que thousand eight hundred and forty-four