Improvements in Hat and Bonnet Pins.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 12th Dec., 1896
COMTUELE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hat and Bonnet Pins.
I, MARIA WAY of Wellington Heath, Ledbury, Herefordshire, Married Lady,
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 improvements in pins used to secure hats and bonnets
to the bair of the wearer and has for object to provide a novel, simple, effective
and at the same time convenient and inexpensive device calculated to supersede
the long sharp-pointed pins hitherto employed for the purpose described, which have
in many instances proved actually dangerous to other persons, besides being
cumbersome and liable to getting lost.
In carrying out my invention I employ a piece of wire or other convenient
material of suitable diameter and length which I bend into three portions of equal
length in such manner that one free end projects into the arch formed by bending
the second portion away from the first. The said free end is subsequently secured
in the before described arch by solder or in other convenient manner thus forming
a closed longitudinal slot wherein a loop of elastic band or other suitable material
can freely be moved up and down.
In order that the said invention may be more readily understood and carried out
in practice I have hereunto appended a sheet of drawing in which
Fig. is an elevational view of my improved hat and bonnet fastening pin,
made with plain shanks.
Fig. 2 is a similar view, the free shank having wrinkles or corrugations to give
it a better hold in the hair.
Fig. 3 is a view of another variation both, the free and the inner-slot shank
having corrugations.
Fig. 4. is a view of another variation in which a ring is placed in the longi-
tudinal slot, the elastic loop being placed in the ring, whereby the to-and-fro
movement of the loop in relation to the new or improved device may be
facilitated.
Fig. 5 is a part view of a pin or fastener having an ornamental head.
Figs. 6 and 64 illustrate the method of securing the device in position of different
style, and
Fig. 6 is a back view of a figure wearing a hat to which my improved device
is applied, the pins being shown in dotted lines as secured in the coil of hair at the
back of the head.
A is the complete device consisting of three portions a, b and c which are bent
relative to each other as shown in the first four figures of the drawing. d marks
the wire arch to which the free extremity of shank c is secured by soldering or in
any other suitable manner. The shanks b and c are thus secured at each end,
forming a closed slot in which a loop e of elastic band is placed in such manner
as to allow it to be freely moved up and down in the slot. The elastic band is
secured to suitable portions of the hat or bonnet by means of stitching or other-
wise as shown in Figs. 6 and 6^. The lower portions of the slot-shanks b and c
are formed into a blunt or ball point to facilitate the insertion of the device
into the hair coil. In some cases I may provide a ring g (Fig. 4) to slide in the
before described slot and to receive the elastic loop instead of placing the latter

page_text: direct in the slot. The shanks a and c may be either straight as in Figs. 1 and 4,
or one or both may be wrinkled or corrugated as illustrated respectively in Figs. 2
and 3 for the purpose of giving them a firmer hold in the hair.
I may also make the herein before described hat or bonnet pin- or fastener of
other suitable material, such as tortoiseshell, celluloid, vulcanite or the like and
provide it at its closed end d with any convenient ornament or embellishment
intended to show outside the hair, an instance being given in Fig. 5.
In using the improved pin, the elastic loop or loops having been sewn or other-
wise secured to suitable portions of the hat or bonnet, the ends d of the pin are
drawn outward as far as required, the loop e or ring g, as the case may be, sliding
in the slot.
The point of shank a and the common point of shanks b and c are then
inserted in the hair and the pin is pushed into the back coil or other portion of
the hair. It is obvious that in order to securely fix the hat in position the
fastener should be so inserted that the elastic loop is somewhat tightened or
stretched between its fastened point and the end d of the pin, and the latter is
preferably inserted in a somewhat upwardly-slanting direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A new or improved hat or bonnet pin or fastener, essentially consisting of three
shanks bent and fashioned so that two of the shanks form a closed slot as herein-
before described, in combination with a loop made of elastic band or other suitable
material, substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of November 1896.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
Agents for the Applicant.