IMPROVEMENTS IN SILK, FELT AND OTHER HATS AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE."
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Mark Haslam of Stockport in the County of Chester
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SILK, FELT AND OTHER HATS AND
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THEIR MANUFACTURE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Mark Haslam at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd April 1883.
MARK HASLAM of Stockport in the County of Chester
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
SILK, FELT AND OTHER HATS AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
THEIR MANUFACTURE"
In order to render silk, felt, and other hats more comfortable to the wearer, I
form by preference a continuous projection at the bottom of the leather, just above
where it is stitched to the hat-body, and this is most easily performed by passing
the leather through specially constructed rollers having corresponding grooves and
projections formed in them or by subjecting the leathers to pressure in a suitable
press. At the back of the leather and so as to occupy and fill the groove thus
formed at the back of the leather I place thin wadding or other suitable soft
yielding material, and thus the projection upon the leather readily and comfortably
adapts itself to the head of the wearer and also prevents the stitching or the edge
of the hat itself hurting the forehead.
Instead of forming the projection in or on the leather itself it may be formed of
a narrow band of silk or other thin, by preference woven material and be stitched
to the leather as its upper edge whilst its lower edge can be stitched to the hat
body along with the leather-wadding being interposed between the band and
leather to give the required projection.
And to ventilate hats more perfectly than has hitherto been practicable I form
holes through the hat body just behind the band and to admit the required currents
of air to these holes and yet to shield them from observation I manufacture the
band with an open texture at or near the top and to permit free access for the
currents of air between the hat body and leather I crimp or flute the leather
transversely which has the desired effect of not only assisting ventilation but of
rendering the hat more comfortable in wear.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Mark Haslam in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd October
1883.
MARK HASLAM of Stockport in the County of Chester, " IMPROVEMENTS IN
SILK, FELT, AND OTHER HATS, AND IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN
THEIR MANUFACTURE."
In order to render silk, felt, straw and other hats more comfortable to the
wearer I form by preference a continuous projection or a projection across the
front at the bottom of the leather or sweat just above where it is stitched to the hat
body, and this is most easily performed by passing the leather or sweat through
specially constructed rollers having corresponding grooves and projections formed
in and on them or by subjecting the leathers or sweats to pressure in a suitable
press. The grooved rollers require heating, and wadding is attached thereto with
guin or other adhesive substance-The rollers (but by proference, the bottom roller
must be heated by-gas jets or in any other convenient manner-At the back of
the leather or sweat and so as to occupy and fill the groove thus formed at the
back of the leather or sweat I place thin wadding or other suitable soft yielding
material and thus the projection upon the leather or sweat readily and comfortably
adapts itself to the head of the wearer and also prevents the stitching on the edge
of the hat itself hurting the forehead
And in order that this my said invention may be the more readily understood
and carried into practical effect I have hereunto annexed a sheet of drawings
illustrative of my improvements and will now proceed to describe the same with
the assistance of the various Figures and letters of reference marked thereon.
Fig 1 is a front view and Fig 2 a sectional end view of a hat leather or sweat
having my improvements applied thereto Fig 3 is a front view and Fig 4 a
sectional end view of another hat leather or sweat having a modification of my
improvements applied thereto and Fig 5 is a full sized sectional end view of my
improved hat leathers or sweats.
Fig 6 is a Front view and Fig 7 a plan of the roller machine which I employ in
carrying out my improvements.
In Figs 1 to 5 a is the hat leather or sweat and b the projection which forms
one feature of my invention.
In Fig 1 this projection b is continuous and in Fig 3 it only extends across the
forehead
The continuous projection b is formed by passing the leather or sweat between
the rollers c and d the former being arranged with a projection c¹ and the latter
with a corresponding groove d' and with a flange e. This flange e projecting as it
does higher up on one side of the groove d¹ serves to slightly turn up or curl
over the bottom edge of the leather and thus facilitates its being stitched to the
hat body.
If the projection b is only required to extend across the forehead as seen in
Fig 3 then I pass the leather or sweat through the rollers ƒ and g the former being
arranged with a projection f¹ on its cylindrical surface and the latter with a
groove g¹ corresponding in shape to the projection b illustrated in Fig 3 and these
last mentioned rollers being also arranged with a flange for curling up the bottom
edge of the leathers or sweats as described in reference to Fig 1.
-
As hereinbefore described this projection b or rather the groove formed by it
on the other side of the leather or sweat is filled up with this wadding or other
suitable soft yielding material marked bª in Figs 2, 4 and 5.

page_text: Instead of forming the projection in or on the leather or sweat itself it may be
formed of a narrow band of silk or other thin by preference woven material and
be stitched to the leather at its upper edge whilst its lower edge can be stitched to
the hat body along with the leather or sweat-wadding being interposed between
the band and leather or sweat to give the required projection
And to ventilate hats more perfectly than has hitherto been practicable I form
holes through the hat body just behind the band and to admit the required currents
of air to these holes and yet to shield them from observation I manufacture the
band with an open texture at or near the top and to permit free access for tho
currents of air between the hat body and leather or sweat I crimp or flute
the leather transversely which has the desired effect of not only assisting ventilation
but of rendering the hat more comfortable in wear.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention together with the best methods with which I am acquainted for carrying
the same into practical effect I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details relative proportions or dimensions or to the
shape of the projections herein before described and illustrated on the accompanying
drawing as the same may be considerably varied without departing from the
invention but what I claim is :-
1* Forming a projection continuous or otherwise at or near the bottom of the
leather or sweat of silk, felt, straw, and other hats and filling the groove formed
by such projection on the other side of the leather or sweat with wadding or other
suitable yielding material for rendering hats more comfortable in wear as herein-
before described and illustrated on the accompanying drawing.
2nd In forming projections on hat leathers or sweats and for turning up or
curling over the bottom edge of the same for facilitating the stitching to the hat
body the use and application of machinery and apparatus substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated on the accompanying drawing
3rd The improvements in ventilating hats substantially as hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof I the said Mark Haslam have hereunto set my hand and
seal this second day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand Eight
hundred and Eighty three
T TTANT r
MARK BA
LAM
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