IMPROVEMENTS IN HAT VENTILATORS, AND FOR APPLIANCES CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Elisha Thomas Archer, of Bridgefield House, Wands-
worth, in the County of Surrey, Paper Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAT VENTILATORS, AND FOR APPLIANCES CONNECTED
THEREWITH."
Sealed the 14th May 1859, and dated the 18th November 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Elisha Thomas Archer at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th November 1858.
I, ELISHA THOMAS ARCHER, of Bridgefield House, Wandsworth, in the
County of Surrey, Paper Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAT VENTILATORS, AND FOR APPLIANCES
CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a particular manufacture of ventilators to be inserted
in the crowns of hats, and to the manner of securing them therein. I form the
ventilator of a piece of sheet brass or other sheet metal, the body being of a
round or other form dished to form a raised lip all round. The body part has an
extended arm when first struck out, which is folded across the body part
forming a bridge piece from the lip on the one side to the other; a part of the
lip is notched and folded down on the loose end of the ridge piece to hold it
in position; this bridge piece has a large hole or eye in the centre, into which
socket piece somewhat like a metal eyelet screws; this is screwed in from the

page_text: outside of the hat while the ventilator is held in position on the inside. The
metal socket, if black, will not show much outside. The centre of the body
part of the ventilator is perforated, forming any suitable device, and the under
side has mounted on it a mother-of-pearl ring or other suitable ornament;
ventilation takes place through the perforated body, and through the socket
piece, which is hollow and forms a clear passage.
The second part of my Invention relates to the application of a spring to
hat ventilators, for the purpose of holding railway tickets, or other cards or
memoranda, to which ready access may be wanted from time to time.
I make the spring of a small piece of steel bent in the form of a loop, the
one end of which passes through the raised edge or lip, and across the body of
the ventilator, where it is fastened by bending down a notched part of such
lip or raised edge, while the other end presses on the inner side of the venti-
lator, and clips and holds anything inserted between the spring and the
ventilator.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Elisha Thomas Archer in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELISHA
THOMAS ARCHER, of Bridgefield House, Wandsworth, in the County of Surrey,
.Paper Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Elisha Thomas Archer, Her special licence that I, the said Elisha
Thomas Archer, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Elisha Thomas Archer, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAT VENTILATORS, AND FOR APPLIANCES CONNECTED
THEREWITH," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Elisha
Thomas Archer, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe

page_text: 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 Elisha Thomas Archer, 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 Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates, first, to a peculiar manufacture of ventilators to be
inserted in the crowns of hats. I form the ventilator of a piece of sheet brass
or other metal, the body being of a round or other form, dished to form a
raised edge all round. The body part has an extended arm when first struck
out, which is folded back across the body, forming a bridge piece from the one
side to the other; a part of the edge is notched and folded down on the loose
end of the bridge piece to hold it in position, or it may be otherwise fixed.
This bridge piece has a large hole or eye in the centre, into which a socket or
thimble piece, somewhat like a metal eyelet screws, this is screwed in from
the outside of the hat, while the ventilator is held in position on the inside.
The metal socket, if black, will be almost imperceptible outside.
The centre of the body part of the ventilator is perforated, forming any
suitable device, and the inner side bas mounted on it a mother-o'-pearl ring or
other suitable ornament, ventilation takes place through the perforated body,
and through the socket piece, which is hollow, and forms a passage for air.
The second part of my Invention relates to the application of a spring tọ
hat ventilators for the purpose of holding railway tickets, or other cards or
memoranda, to which ready access may be wanted from time to time. I make
this spring of a small piece of steel bent in the form of a loop, the one side of
which passes through the raised edge or body, and across the ventilator,
where it is fastened by soldering or bending down a notched part of such
body or raised edge, while the other end presses on the under side of the
ventilator, and clips and holds anything inserted between the spring and the

page_text: therefrom; the part a is then struck up of a cylindrical or other suitable form,
and the bridge piece 6 folded back across the centre as seen, the loose end
being soldered or otherwise secured at the opposite side to render the whole firm.
The bridge piece has a hole or eye c in the centre, as seen in Fig. 1, screwed
to receive a thimble piece d seen separately, which is passed through from tho
outside of the hat, as seen at Fig. 5 in section, showing also the crown of the
hat in section. I make this thimble piece black, so that it may be imper-
ceptible on the exterior of the hat. A dome piece e of mother-o'-pearl, ivory,
or metal, or other ornamental surface, is secured to the under side of the
ventilator by nurling over the edge of the metal thereon, or by soldering or
otherwise securing; ff, is the clip, which I form by preference of a piece of
tempered steel as usual in forming springs. The straight part f, I insert
through a hole or holes cut in the part a, and secure it by soldering or other-
wise. The other part of this spring clip is curled at f¹, and bears with the
requisite degree of pressure on the dome piece e, to hold letters, railway. tickets,
or similar things to which access is occasionally required. The part f¹ may
be raised as seen dotted at Fig. 3, but returns immediately it is released.
The dome piece e in the cheaper kinds may be dispensed with, and part of
the body a, a, raised into any suitable surface as at Fig. 5, and instead
of making the body a and the bridge 6 of one piece, the body may be
made of a piece of tube, and the bridge b soldered or otherwise secured
thereto.
It will be observed that the spring clip f¹ bears on the side of the dome
piece, that therefore anything held by it at all times leaves the hole g in the
centre open, and therefore at all times maintains a passage for ventilation
'through the thimble piece d. If it is preferred that no direct passage for
ventilation should exist, I make the dome piece solid, or it may have an
opening in the centre as before, but I make the clip f to bear on the centre
as seen at Fig. 6, so that anything placed and held therein will close the
direct passage at pleasure; passage for ventilation is at all times maintained
through holes i, i, i, cut through the part a of the ventilator, as also represented
in Fig. 6; Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, show another mode of supporting the hat
clip, of which Fig. 7 is a plan; Fig. 8 is a side view; Fig. 9, an under side
plan; Fig. 10, a vertical central section; and Fig. 11, detached parts. k is the
body piece having a through hole for ventilation, and which is screwed for the
reception of the thimble piece d, to fix it to the hat crown as before. The
flange of this body piece is recessed into the ring of mother-o'-pearl, ivory
or other ornamental surface 1; holes are bored through the body of k to
receive the limb f of the clip, which when secured therein holds the disc in

page_text: position. A plain thimble piece or washer m is fitted over k, the flange of
which piece m offers a surface, between which and the flange of d the hat
crown is secured. The pressure on m also secures, if desired, the spring clip
and disc at same time. This clip f, f, is suitable as before for holding
tickets, cards, or other articles desired.
Instead of having a single central opening in the thimble piece d, it may have
several small perforations therein, as seen at Fig. 12, or it may be solid if no
ventilation is required.
The ventilator clip may be fixed in other positions than in the crown of
the hat, as shown.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the construction of hat ventilators as herein-before represented, and
for the purposes herein-before described.
Secondly, the application of spring clips to hat ventilators, as and for the
purposes herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elisha Thomas Archer, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of May, in the year of our ord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
ELISHA THOMAS ARCHER. (L.S.)