Im- PROVEMENTS IN HATS OR COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO PARASOLS AND FANS
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN HATS OR COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, PARTS OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO PARASOLS AND FANS."-A communication
from abroad by William Henry White, of Kent Island, in the State of
Maryland, United States of America.
Scaled the 26th February 1867, and dated the 7th September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th September 1866.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HATS OR COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, PARTS OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO PARASOLS AND FANS," a communication to me
from abroad by William Henry White, of Kent Island, in the State of
Maryland, United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in forming and bolding in shape hats, caps,
parasols, and fans made of any light textile fabric, such as silk, linen, cotton,
or woollen stuff, by means of elastic hoops or forms or frames of metal,
whalebone, rattan, or other suitable material, over which the hat, fan, or
parasol wrappers or covers are stretched by tightening the draw case and
springs with which they are provided; it also consists in the improved

page_text: construction of the sweat band, lining, and other parts which enter into the
composition of a hat, so that they can be readily adjusted to or detached from
the hat, the object being to produce a hat or other article, as specified, the
parts of which can be detached from each other so as to admit of the wrapper
being washed whenever it becomes soiled or defaced in any way, and in
which wrappers of different textures, colors, and patterns may be employed
with the same hoop or frame to suit the season or taste of the wearer.
In carrying out this Invention the hat former or frame consists of two
concentric hoops united by braces, but this frame may be subject to
many modifications in form, the two hoops may be eccentric within the
same plane as well as concentric, or the frame may be composed of an
outside hoop with a section or part of a hoop united to it so as to give it a
certain amount of rigidity or stiffness to permanently maintain its shape; the
braces may also vary in number and shape. The hat wrapper or cover is
composed of a suitably shaped piece of fabric sewed together so as to form a
cylindrical piece in which three parallel draw cases are formed, one at the
upper end, another at the lower end, and the third about midway between the
two ends, each case being provided with a draw string like the string of an
ordinary bag. In order to form the hat I take the frame and place it within
the wrapper between and parallel with two of the draw cases; I then draw
the strings so as to contract the two ends of the wrapper; the top portion is
then drawn through the larger opening, and the whole is inverted; the
opening now forms the border of the hat crown at and above the rim of the
hat, while tho casing determines the size of the hat around the bead, by
drawing the strings the wrapper will be gathered so as to close the opening
in the top of the hat, the middle string is drawn to suit the size of the head,
and, lastly, the string at the opening is drawn so as to stretch and fit the
wrapper over the frame.
According to another method of applying my improvement the hat wrapper
is made of any light textile fabric, such as liuen or cotton, and is formed and
In order to give shape and
sewn together so as to have the shape of a hat.
stiffness to the linen I use either a hoop, or form, or a frame; this hoop may
be a plain non-expansive form, or it may be a distending spring hoop, the two
ends of which slide in clamps or loops; when thus arranged the tendency of
the hoop is to expand, while at the same time its size may be lessened a
pleasure by pushing the ends further through the loops. On the outer edge o
the brim an open casing is formed, which may have draw strings or not, as
preferred. When a plain open casing is used the expanding hoop is employed
to shape the brim, but if the casing be provided with draw strings the hoo

page_text: or form may be used; in the former case the spring hoop is fitted in the
casing by first pushing its ends through the running clamp until it is made
small enough to suit the size of the casing, and then placing the hoop within
the casing. When in this position the spring hoop, on account of its tendency
to expand, will press strongly against the casing, thus stretching the brim and
causing it to assume the form which has been given the hoop. The same
effect is produced by using a plain hoop in the open casings when provided
with strings, the drawing in of the casing by means of the strings effected
in this instance the same result which is accomplished by the expansion of the
spring hoop within the plain open casing. In order to give shape and stiffness
to the crown of the hat I make use of a distending, or expanding, and com-
pressible spring frame; this frame consists of two hoops connected by two or
more angular springs or by a spiral or helical spring, and is placed in the hat
so that its upper hoop shall be next to the top or crown of the hat, while the
bottom hoop is supported on the flange or shoulder formed by the draw casing
at the junction of the brim and sides; when the frame is in this position the
tendency of the compressed spring is to force the two hoops further apart,
thus pressing the upper one strongly against the crown and stretching the
sides of the hat. The ends of the hoops run in clamp, so that the size of the
hoops may be increased or lessened to suit the size of the hat with which
the frame is used. For the purpose of having a lining which can be easily
detached from or adjusted to the hat I employ a head lining consisting of a
suitably shaped piece of thin fabric, such as is used for hat linings, which is
formed into a cylindrical shape. The top opening is provided with a draw
casing and strings, and around its interior, a short distance below the top
and parallel therewith is formed another casing with draw strings. A hoop
of suitable size is then placed between and parallel with the two casings,
which are tightened or contracted so that the lower casing shall form a
shoulder for supporting the hoop, while the upper casing is contracted so as
to draw the upper edges together forming the top of the lining. The head
and crown lining thus formed is placed in the hat, so that the hoop of the
lining may be held between the crown of the hat and the upper hoop of the
spring frame above referred to, or the lining may be placed lower down so
that its lower edge shall rest on the shoulder while its sides are supported
between the sides of the hat and sweat band. The distending spring crown
frame and crown lining and boop or frame for shaping the hat brim as above
described can be detached from or adjusted to the hat wrapper with great
ease, and the wrapper may thus be washed whenever it becomes soiled. The
draw strings at the outer edge of the brim and at the junction of the brim

page_text: with the sides of the hat enable one to adjust and shape the hat properly, and
fit it to the head notwithstanding the shrinking or stretching of the fabric of
which the wrapper is made.
Another part of this Invention consists in the construction of the sweat band
for protecting the outside covering or hat wrapper from being discoloured or
soiled by the perspiration from the head. This has heretofore been done by
the interposition of a sweat band made of enameled or oil silk, or other fabric,
or leather, which but imperfectly effected the object, as the acid of the
perspiration would eventually dissolve the gummy substance of the sweat band,
and allow the moisture to strike through. I remedy this inconvenience by
making tho sweat band of a thin, flexible, and elastic band of steel, hard
rubber, vulcanite, or other similar material. This sweat band is composed of
thin and flexible cylindrical strips of metal or vulcanite provided with flanges,
the object of which is to snugly house or encase the draw case and draw strings
so as to prevent their displacement. The upper flange is intended to afford
means by which a lining can be stretched over it if desired. This part of the
Invention may be used with hats or caps of any kind. The sweat band and
visor of a cap may be formed of hard rubber in one piece, or the lower part
of of the sweat band may be continued so as to form part of the brim of a hat,
being secured thereto by cement or other suitable means. The flanges,
instead of extending continuously around the sweat band, may only partially
circumscribe the same. Under this arrangement the draw casing can be
held just as firmly in place, while the band is made much more yielding and
flexible.
As has been above mentioned in the first part of this Specification I am
enabled by the employment of draw casings for stretching fabrics over hoops
or frames as above described to make fans or parasols as well as hats with
detachable wrappers or coverings. The fan or parasol wrapper consists of a
suitable piece of fabric sewn together so as to have a cylindrical shape, and
provided at each end with a draw casing and strings. A hoop or frame of
metal, vulcanite, whalebone, or other suitable material is then placed within
the cylindrical wrapper, and then the ends are closed and drawn up by means
of the draw strings, the fabric being gathered in the centre by this means.
A rosette or any other ornamental device can be used to cover the central
portion of the pan or parasol. The fan is then secured to the ordinary handle,
and in order to make a parasol it may be rigidly fastened to a link which
connects it by means of a friction joint with the handle.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 7th March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, tho said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN HATS OR COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
ARE APPLICABLE TO PARASOLS AND FANS," a communication to me from abroad
by Henry White, of Kent Island, in the State of Maryland, United States
of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, 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 mouths next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 :-
The said Invention consists in forming and bolding in shape, hats, caps,
parasols, and fans, made of any light textile fabrics, such as silk, linen,
cotton, or woollen stuff by means of elastic hoops or forms or frames of metal,
whalebone, rattan, or other suitablo material, over which the bat, fan, or
parasol wrappers or covers are stretched by tightening the draw case and
strings with which they are provided. It also consists in the improved cou-

page_text: struction of the swent band, lining, and other parts which enter into the com-
position of a hat, so that they can be readily adjusted to or detached from the
hat, the object being to produce a bat or other article as specified, the parts
of which can be detached from each other so as to admit of the wrapper being
washed whenever it becomes soiled or defaced in any way, and in which
wrappers of different textures, colors, and patterns may be employed with the
same hoop or frame to suit the season or taste of the wearer.
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 I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding
Figures.
In Figures 1 to 4 inclusive is shown one method of applying this Invention.
The hat former or frame Figure I consists of two concentric hoops a and b
united by braces c. It will be readily seen that the frame may be subject to
many modifications in form; the two hoops may be eccentric within the same
plane as well as concentric, or the frame may be composed of an outside hoop
with a section or part of a hoop united to it so as to give it a certain amount
of rigidity or stiffness to permanently maintain its shape; the bracer c may
also vary in number and shape.
Figure 2 shows in elevation a bat wrapper composed of a suitably shaped
piece of fabric d sewed together so as to form a cylindrical piece in which
three parallel draw cases are formed, one e at the upper end, another at the
lower end, and the third f about midway between the two ends. These cases
are provided with draw strings h. In order to form the hat I take the frame
and place it within the wrapper between and parallel with two of the draw
cases; I then draw the strings so as to contract the two ends of the wrapper
as shown in Figure 3, which represents an intermediate stage of the operation.
The top portion i is then drawn through the larger opening j, and the whole is
inverted as shown in Figure 4. The opening at ; now forms the border of
the hat crown at and above the rim of the hat, while the casing f determines
the size of the hat around the head. By drawing the strings at i the wrapper
will be gathered so as to close the opening in the top of the hat, the string at
fis drawn to suit the size of the head; and lastly, the string at ; is drawn so
as to stretch and fit the wrapper over the frame.
Another method in which this improvement may be applied is shown in
Figures 5, 6, and 7. The bat wrapper represented in vertical section in
Figure 7 is made of any light textile fabric, such as linen or cotton, and is
formed and sewn together so as to have the shape of a hat.
In order to give

page_text: shape and stiffness to the linen I use either a hoop or form shown in Figures
5 and 6, or the frame herein-before described; this hoop may be a plain non-
expansive form, as shown in Figure 6, or it may be a distending spring hoop,
Figure 5, the two ends of which slide in clamps or loops k; when thus
arranged the tendency of the hoop is to expand, while at the same time its
size may be lessened at pleasure by pushing the ends further through the
loops. On the outer edge of the brim an open casing 1 is formed, which
may have draw strings or not as preferred. When a plain open casing is
used the expanding hoop, Figure 5, is employed to shape the brim, but if the
casing be provided with draw strings the hoop or form shown in Figure 6
may be used; in the former caso the spring hoop is fitted in the casing by first
pushing its ends through the running clamp until it is made small enough to'
suit the size of the casing, and then placing the hoop within the casing; when
in this position the spring hoop on account of its tendency to expand will press
strongly against the casing, thus stretching tho brim, and causing it to assume
the form which has been given the hoop. The same effect is produced by
using the plain hoop, Figure 6, in the opening casings when provided with
strings, the drawing-in of the casing by means of the strings effecting in this
instance the same result which is accomplished by the expansion of the spring
hoop within the plain open casing.
In order to give shape and stiffness to the crown of the hat I make
use of a distending or expanding and compressible spring frame shown in
Figure 8; this frame consists of two hoops m, n, connected by two or more
angular springs o, or by a spiral or helical spring; this frame is placed in tho
bat so that its upper hoop m shall be next to the top or crown of the hat, while
the bottom hoop n is supported on the flange or shoulder formed by the draw
casing at the junction of the brim and sides; when the frame is in this position
the tendency of the compressed spring is to force the two hoops further apart,
thus pressing the upper one strongly against the crown and stretching the
sides of the bat. The ends of the hoops run in clamp p, so that the size of
the hoops may be increased or lessened to suit the size of the hat with which
the frame is used.
For the purpose of having a lining which can be easily detached from or
adjusted to the hat I employ a head lining constructed as shown in Figure 9;
it consists of a suitally-shaped piece of thin fabric such as is used for hat
linings, which is formed into a cylindrical shape. The top opening is pro-
vided with a draw casing and strings 9, and around its interior a short
distance below the top, and parallel therewith, is formed another casing with
draw strings . A hoops of suitable size is then placed between and parallel

page_text: with the two casings, which are tightened or contracted so that the lower
casing shall form a shoulder for supporting the hoop while the upper casing is
contracted so as to draw the upper edges together forming the top of the
lining the head and crown lining thus formed is placed in the hat, as shown
in Figure 7, so that the hoop of the lining may be held between the crown of
the hat and the upper hoop of the spring frame above referred to, or the lining
may be placed lower down, so that its lower edge shall rest on the shoulder g
whilst its sides are supported between the sides of the hat and sweat band t.
The distending spring crown frame and crown lining and hoop or frame for
shaping the hat brim, as above described, can be detached from or adjusted to
the hat wrapper with great ease, and the wrapper may thus be washed when-
ever it becomes soiled. The draw strings at the outer edge of the brim and
at the junction of the brim with the sides of the hat enable one to adjust and
shape the hat properly and fit it to the head notwithstanding the shrinking or
stretching of the fabric of which the wrapper is made.
Another part of this Invention consists in the construction of the sweat
band, Figures 10 and 11, for protecting the outside covering or hat wrapper
from being discolored or soiled by the perspiration from the head. This has
heretofore been done by the interposition of a sweat band made of enamelled
or oil silk, or other fabric or leather, which but imperfectly effected the object,
as the acid of the perspiration would eventually dissolve the gummy substance
of the sweat band, and allow the moisture to strike through. I remedy this
inconvenience by making the sweat band of a thin flexible and elastic band of
steel, bard rubber, vulcanite, or other similar material. This sweat band is
composed of thin and flexible cylindrical strips of metal or vulcanite v, pro-
vided with flanges x, x, and y, the object of which is to snugly house or
encase the draw case and draw strings so as to prevent their displacement,
as shown in Figure 10; the upper flange y is intended to afford means by
which a lining can be stretched over it if desired.
This Invention may be used with hats or caps of any kind. The sweat band
and visor of a cap may be formed of hard rubber in one piece, or the lower
part of the sweat band may be continued so as to form part of the rim of a
bat as shown in Figure 11, being secured thereto by cement or other suitable
means. The flanges x, y, instead of extending continuously around the sweat
band may only partially circumscribe the same.
Under this arrangement the
draw casing can be held just as firmly in place, while the band is made much
more yielding and flexible.
As has been above mentioned in the first part of this Specification I am
enabled by the employment of draw casings for stretching fabrics over hoops

page_text: or frames as above described to make fans or parasols as well as hats with
detachable wrappers or coverings.
In Figures 12, 13, 14, is shown the manner in which this may be effected.
The fan or parasol wrapper consists of a suitable piece of fabric A, shown in
section in Figure 13, sewn together so as to have a cylindrical shape, and
provided at each end with a draw casing and strings B. A hoop or frame C
of metal, vulcanite, whalebone, or other suitable material is then placed within
the cylindrical wrapper, and then the ends are closed and drawn up by means
of the draw strings, the fabric being gathered in the centre by this means, as
shown in Figure 12. A rosette D or any other ornamental device can be
used to cover the central portion of the fan or parasols; the fan is then
secured to the ordinary handle E, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, and in
order to make a parasol it may be rigidly fastened to a link F, Figure 14,
which connects it by means of a friction point with the handle E; the shade
is shown in section in three different positions in the Figure 14. In the
position shown in black lines it is held to the handle at its lower part by means
of a catch G, and may be used as a fan. I have described one of the simplest
methods of securing the shade or parasol to the handle, but it is obvious that
many other ways may be easily devised for effecting the same result.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the 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 mode of forming and holding in shape hats, caps, para-
sols, fans, and similar articles as herein-before described and illustrated by the
annexed Sheet of Drawings.
Second, the peculiar construction and arrangement and mode of combining
together the sweat band, lining, wrapper, or cover, and other parts of a hat,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of March One thousand