IMPROVEMENTS IN COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE PROTECTING OR COVERING OF THE MOUTH AND NECK
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Duncan Murray, of York Chambers, Adelphi,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE PROTECTING OR COVERING OF THE MOUTH
AND NECK."
Scaled the 31st July 1868, and dated 1st February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Duncan Murray at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st February 1868.
I, DUNCAN MURRAY, of York Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
ARE ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE TO THE PROTECTING OR COVERING OF THE MOUTH
AND NECK," to be as follows:-
This Invention has reference to an improved form and construction
of hat or covering for the head, and of appliances to be used in con-

page_text: nection therewith when desired for protecting and covering the mouth
and neck of the wearer, such head coverings being adapted either for
male or female use.
According to this Invention it is proposed to give the hat the form
of a helmet, and to construct the same of any of those materials now
employed for the construction of hats, or of any suitable rigid or partly
rigid or stiff material, such as plaited straw, leather, stiff felt, papier
mache, cardboard, or other like material. Upon the crest of the helmet
there is laid in suitable folds, so as to give a graceful contour to the
whole, some soft or pliable fabric, such as cloth or other textile material,
the fabric being coiled under in a volute form at the head or front of
the crest to give a pleasing finish to the head dress at that part. One
of the folds of the fabric (which may be considered to a certain extent
as the trimming of the hat) should be stiffened slightly by a suitable
lining, if it be not in itself sufficiently stiff to maintain the form of
the fold, as it is essential for purposes of ventilation that this fold
should serve as a tubular outlet for the warm air from the interior of
the hat, one or more holes being made in the top of the hat or covering
communicating with the tubular fold referred to. In conjunction with
this arrangement it is proposed to leave a space at the front of the
hat between the inner lining and the body for the free inlet of cool
air, so that a constant circulation of air shall take place through the
front part of the hat and out at the back by the tubular fold before
referred to. The body of the hat is formed with a brim at the sides
only in lieu of extending completely round, and this brim may be
made of any desired width, or inclined down at any angle, or turned
up or curled more or less to suit taste and fashion. If desired the
fabric on the crest of the helmet may be made to uncoil more or less
at the front part in order to admit of its being drawn down at the
back, and so form a protection to the back of the neck from sun or
rain, but at all times the folds of fabric above referred to will form a
soft or yielding external padding, allowing the wearer to rest the back
of the head when travelling or otherwise with comfort. It is further
proposed in some cases so to arrange this portion of the head dress that
its lower portion shall form, when partly uncoiled and drawn down,
a muffler or covering for the mouth and throat by being brought to
the front of the wearer. Or in lieu of making this part of the head
dress adjustable it may be fixed and be padded if required with wadding
or other padding in order to impart the desired form thereto and

page_text: preserve the shape when in use, in which case a separate muffler or
hood may be attached when required for use by hooks and eys or
other convenient fastenings to the back part of the body of the hat.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Duncan Murray in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 1st August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DUNCAN
MURRAY, of York Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex;
Gentleman, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Duncan Murray, Her special license,
that I, the said Duncan Murray, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Duncan Murray, my executors,
administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time, and all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO PARTLY APPLICABLE
TO THE PROTECTING OR COVERING OF THE MOUTH AND NECK," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Duncan Murray, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Duncan Murray, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-

page_text: My said Invention has reference to an improved form and construction
of hat or covering for the head, and of appliances to be used in con-
nection therewith when desired for protecting and covering the mouth
and neck of the wearer, such head coverings being adapted either for
male or female use.
According to this Invention it is proposed to give to the hat the
form of a helmet, and to construct the same of any of those materials
now employed for the construction of hats, or of any suitable rigid
or partly rigid or stiff material, such as plaited straw, leather, felt,
papier mache, cardboard, or other like material, covered or not, either
wholly or partially, with silk plush if desired. Upon the crest of the
helmet there are laid or applied one or more folds or corrugations, so
as to give a graceful contour to the whole. These folds or corrugations
may be formed from some soft or pliable fabric, such as cloth or other
textile material, or they may be moulded or felted on a suitable mould
or pattern, this portion being made to assume a volute form at the
head or front of the crest, in order to give a pleasing finish to the head-
dress at that part. One or more of the folds or corrugations, which
may be considered to a certain extent as the trimming of the hat,
should be stiffened slightly if made of pliable material, such as cloth,
for example, by a suitable lining if it be not in itself sufficiently stiff
to maintain the form of the folds or corrugations, as it is essential for
purposes of ventilation that the folds or corrugations should serve as
a tubular outlet for the warm air from the interior of the hat, one or
more holes being made in the top of the hat or covering communicating
with the tubular folds or corrugations referred to. In conjunction
with this arrangement it is proposed to leave a space at the front of
the hat between the inner lining and the body for the free inlet of
cool air, so that a constant circulation of air shall take place through
the front part of the hat and out at the back by the tubular folds or
corrugations before referred to. The body of the hat is formed with
a brim at the sides only, in lieu of extending completely round such
brim, forming a peak in front. It may be made of any desired width,
or inclined down at any angle, or turned up, or curled more or less to
suit taste and fashion. In some cases I dispense entirely with the brim
and peak. In some cases a separate muffler or hood may be attached
by hooks and eyes or other convenient fastenings to the back part of
the body of the hat when required for use, as in travelling, for example,
and when exposed to severely cold climates. For hot climates or warm

page_text: weather the folds or corrugations extending from the volute may be
continued sufficiently long to form a curtain to protect the back of
the neck from the sun, or if preferred a separate piece or curtain may
be attached. When greater lightness is required the folds or corrugations
from the volute crest downwards may be made of muslin or other
suitable fabric supported and kept in shape by an internal frame of
wire or wickerwork.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings,
the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the
Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of one form of
my improved head dress as adapted for use either by civilians or in
the military service, in the latter case of course the usual military
fittings will be applied; Figure 2 is a front elevation, Figure 3 a back
elevation of the same, and Figure 4 is a plan of the top thereof;
Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the hat, and Figure 6-
is a transverse vertical section of the same taken along the line 1-2,
in Figure 1, and Figure 7 is a horizontal section taken along the
line 3-4, in Figure 1 of the same.
A is the main body of the hat, which, as will be seen, is helmet-
shaped, it may be made by felting on a block or otherwise, and has
a crest or raised portion B formed thercon. From each side of this
raised crest descend the grooves or curved channels a, a, which are
formed near the edges of the raised portion B, and serve to conceal
the junction of the folds or corrugations with the body of the hat,
the stitches for uniting the two being made along these grooves or
recesses. The upper end of the folds or corrugations C are formed by
moulding or otherwise into a species of volute at b, whilst their lower
ends which pass down from the crest to the back of the neck form
hollow ventilating passages perforated or not externally, as shown at
Figure 3, on one side only, and communicating with the crown of
the hat by perforations at d, for the purpose of allowing of the free
exit of hot air from the interior. If preferred a portion of the crown
of the hat may be cut away entirely, so as to establish a direct com-
munication with the folds or corrugations C in lieu of having perforations
merely for that purpose. An open space e is left round the front

page_text: part of the hat between the hat body and the internal lining D, in
order to admit cool air freely into the interior of the hat, as shown by
the arrows, whilst the hot air escapes down the folds or corrugations C,
thus securing a perfect ventilation.
་་
Figure 8 shows the mode of applying the muffler E when required;
it is made to button in front, and is simply hooked at f, f, to the back
of the hat, and is made so as to cover more or less over the mouth
and face of the wearer.
Figure 9 shews one of my hats made without either peak or brim.
Figure 10 is a front elevation, Figure 11 a back view, and Figures
12 and 13 plans of a hat made to collapse partly, but constructed
otherwise according to my said Invention. In this construction the
two halves of the body A of the hat are hinged or jointed together
along the vertical division line g, h. The body A is left open at the
back from the crown to the base, and this opening or space between
the grooves a, a, (Figure 7) is filled in with cloth or other flexible
material, over which the folds or corrugations C compressibly disposed
and arranged are secured. Figure 13 shows the hat partly collapsed.
In the event of the external form of my hat being moulded or formed
from one piece the raised ridge carrying the grooves a, a, may be
dispensed with, but still preserving if desired the ventilating arrange-
ments, or a portion of them, as described.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used
or carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First. The peculiar form and construction of hats herein-before
described and illustrated by my Drawings.
Second. The combination of the ventilating space e between the
body of the hat and the lining with the perforations or opening at d
in the crown communicating with one or more tubular passages C
forming the crest of the helmet-shaped head covering, all substantially
as hercin-before described and illustrated by my Drawings.
Third. The combination with the peculiar head covering hercin
mentioned of the removable muffler or curtain, as and for the purpose
herein-before described.

page_text: Fourth. The making of the front of the crest in the form of a
volute B, whether such volute be moulded from felt or formed from
cloth or other similar flexible material, as herein-before described and
illustrated by my Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Duncan Murray, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, the First day of August,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
D. MURRAY. (L.S.)