A New or Improved Top for Millinery or Hat Stands.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVIDIURNAL OF EVIFICATION.
A New or Improved Top for Millinery or Hat Stands.
HARRY PEARCE CLEMETSON, c/o Messrs. Jones & Company, 28, Wood Street,
London, E.C., Draper, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
"
This invention has reference to "A new or improved top for millinery or hat
stands the same having for its object to provide a device for holding a hat
securely in position whilst being exhibited on the stand. An important feature
in my top being, that if the article to be exhibited, such as a cap or millinery
bonnet, is of a fragile or yielding nature, the pressure, used to fix the article
in the required position, may be taken off or reduced, allowing it to be balanced
on my top as on the ordinary top of millinery stands.
My invention consists of a strip of thin pliant steel or its equivalent, about
eight inches in length, with the ends bent round (so that no sharp edges may be
presented to the article to be exhibited): I fix & stretch a cord, chain or jointed
rod across from or near one end to a corresponding fixing plate at the other end,
a tube is fixed in the centre of the strip at right angles it, and the arrangement
will be understood when I compare it to a cross-bow, on the tube is placed a stud
or studs, hooks, or projections capable of engaging with the cord and holding the
bow in a bent position-though I have mentioned a tube as it may be conveniently
alipped over the standard of the staud, the bow may be fixed directly to the
standard & the studs arranged on the standard,-more than one strip of steel may
be used, and then may be adjusted to lengthen if required for larger size hats,
instead of a pliant strip two or three pieces of metal or wood may be arranged
equally distant from one another around the tube & connected by a cord or cords
for the purpose of holding the ends depressed, which pieces would be hinged to
the tube & maintained in position by a separate spring or springs & act practically
as in my first arrangement, or there may be a rigid top forming one arm of the
bow, the other flexible.
Dated this 31st day of March 1897.

page_text: what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascor-
tained in and by the following statement:-
"
This invention has reference to "A new or improved top for millinery or hat
stands the same having for its object to provide a device for holding a hat
securely in position whilst being exhibited on the stand, an important feature in
my top being, that if the stand be required for exhibiting any other article, such
as a cap or millinery bonnet, which is of a fragile or yielding nature the pressure
used to fix the article in the required position, may he taken off or reduced by
using the engaging studs, hooks or projections, allowing it to be balanced on my
top as on the ordinary top of millinery stands.
The drawing shows my invention in perspective, the dotted lines showing the
different positions the bow and cord assume as may be required.
My invention consists of a strip of thin pliant steel or its equivalent a (here-
after called a bow) and of such length as that when slightly bent it will reach
across the inside of the hat and hold it as hereafter described, the ends of the said
bow being curved as shown in the drawings, or provided with knobs or any similar
simple device to prevent injury to the linings of the hats or articles to be exhibited:
a cord, chain, jointed rod or the like 6 (hereafter called a cord) is fixed at or near
to the ends of the bow and is preferably drawn sufficiently tight to give the bow
a slight arch, the bow is fixed centrally at right angles to a tube c, or some simple
device for aflixing my invention to the standards of millinery stands, and upon
this tube or its equivalent are arranged one or more studs, hooks or projections e
capable of engaging with the cord, this tube may be dispensed with by fixing the
bow directly to the standard and placing the studs hooks or projections e on the
standard.
Any number of how-ends may be provided, if an even number, preferably the
way they would be arranged would be by adding complete hows as before described,
but if an odd number of ends are required, half-bows (that is bows divided later-
ally) radiating from a centre must be the plan adopted for the whole or a portion,
acting in a similar manner to that described previously.
In the case of a bow I may, and of three or more ends of bows or half-bows
I should, use as a connection for the cords and as an equivalent to the cord, a
collar, tube, ring or the like d to which one end of each of the two or more cords
would be fixed, and to the bows or half bows as before described at the other end.
Instead of a pliant bow, two or more arms of wood, metal or the like may be
hinged around a centre fixed to the standard, and maintained in the required
position by a suitable spring or springs and held by a cord or cords, acting practi-
cally as described for pliant bows.
Any of these modifications may be made to lengthen as required for holding
larger size hats by having a sliding, screwing or similar simple attachment added.
The way the invention is used for holding hats and similar articles which are
sufficiently stable or firm, is to simply slide the hat down over my top the bows
bending to its contour; to release it the cord b or ring d would be drawn down-
wards leaving the hat free to be taken off; the " 'top "would be fixed in this
position by the cord being engaged with the studs e when required for caps and
the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. An apparatus consisting of a bow and cord in combination affixed to a
millinery standard, as described and for the purpose set forth in the accompany-
ing specification and drawing.
2. An apparatus consisting of a bow, bows, or half-bows, or bows and half-
bows, in combination with a cord or cords, with a ring, tube, collar or the like on
the cords if required, studs projections or hooks, affixing tube or its equivalent,
as described and for the purpose set forth in the accompanying specification.

page_text: 3. An apparatus having hinged arms maintained in the required position by a
spring or springs in combination with a cord or cords, affixed to a millinery
standard as described and for the purpose set forth in this specification.
Dated this 31st day of December 1897.
HENRY PEARCE CLEMETSON.