Improvements in or relating to Felt Hats, Silk Hats, and other similar Coverings for the Head.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1894-Accepted, 9th Feb., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Felt Hats, Silk Hats, and other
similar Coverings for the Head.
I, ROBERT ROBINSON of Gee Cross, in the County of Chester, Hat
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:--
My invention relates to felt hats, either soft or hard, also to silk hats, cloth
caps, helmets and other similar coverings for the head, and has for its object the
application to such hats, caps or helmets of a cheap and simple form of ventilator.
"In accordance with my invention I take a strip of soft felt or similar material,
by preference about one inch wide and five or six inches long. In one edge of
this strip of felt I stamp or cut a series of teeth, the cut away portions and the
teeth themselves, being preferably of equal proportions, producing a comb-like
appearance. This strip is then placed inside the hat to be ventilated, between the
leather and the body of the hat, and is affixed to such hat body or leather with the
ends of the teeth flush with the under surface of the hat brim. In the hat leather
and opposite the top end of the spaces between the teeth in the felt strip is one or
more holes or openings through which any air entering the spaces between the
said teeth of the felt strip passes into the interior of the hat and so ventilates
such hat.
And in order that my said invention shall be the more readily understood and
carried into practical effect I have hereunto annexed a sheet of drawings 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 transverse sectional view on line a-b of my
improved ventilator.
Fig. 3 illustrates the application of my improved ventilator to a hard felt hat.
(A) is the strip of soft felt with the teeth or serrations (B).-This strip is of
any suitable depth or width and the teeth and intervening spaces are either spaced
and shaped uniformly or otherwise. This strip fits between the leather (C) and
hat body (D) as illustrated in Fig. (3) being, by preference stitched to the
leather. In so placing or interposing the strip (A) channels or passages (E) are
formed. Opposite the top end of these channels and formed in the hat leather is
one or more holes (F) producing a direct air passage into the interior of the hat.
The ventilator being made of felt gives an easy fit to the hat and being dyed the
same color as the hat body is not as conspicuous as other ventilators.
Furthermore said ventilator does not lose its effectiveness in wear as do crimped
or fluted cork ventilators, it being practically impossible to close the air
channels.
If desired the ventilator may extend all round the hat, or be applied to sections
only. To give a large amount of ventilation an extra thickness of felt or two or
more thicknesses may be used.
It will be obvious that by employing two strips of felt and arranging them side
by side and with the teeth (B) in opposite directions the holes in the hat leather
may be dispensed with.

page_text: Having thus 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 :-
1st. The hereinbefore described comb-like strip of felt or its equivalent as and
for the purposes set forth.
2nd. In ventilators for hats, caps, helmets and other coverings for the head a
strip of felt or its equivalent cut or formed comb fashion, placed between the
leather and the hat body and forming, in connection with holes in the hat leather,
air channels substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated on the
accompanying drawing.
Dated this 1st day of December 1894.
JOHN G. WILSON & Co.,
Agents.