IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING HATS OR OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Wood, James Wood, and William Henry
Wood, of Hollinwood, in the County of Lancaster, Hat Manu-
facturers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING HATS
OR OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Wood, James
Wood, and William Henry Wood at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 30th November 1869.
We, JоSЕРH WOOD, JAMES Wood, and WILLIAM HENRY WOOD, of
Hollinwood, in the County of Lancaster, Hat Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VENTILATING
HATS OR OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE HEAD," to be as follows:-
This Invention firstly relates to those descriptions of hats or other
coverings for the head which are ventilated by means of a channel or
passage formed across the forehead between the leather or lining and the
body of the hat. The improvements consist in making that portion of
the leather or lining which covers the forehead adjustable in length, in

page_text: order that when such leather or lining stretches by constant pressure
upon it, and thus closes the ventilating passage, it may be taken up or
shortened, so as to preserve the full width of passage for the admission of
air so long as the hat is in wear. This is either effected by the use and
application to that portion of the leather or lining which covers the
forehead of a clasp formed of thin sheet metal or other suitable material
provided with one, two, or more catches, and corresponding slots or
holes; or the taking up may be performed by having a series of holes in
the leather or lining, through which a cord or tape may be passed for
tightening it up. The clasp, series of holes, or other tightening up
appliance is by preference situated at that portion of the leather or lining
which covers the temples, as in that position no inconvenience is felt by
the wearer.
These improvements further consist in the use and application of a
lining of cork or other light material placed between the ordinary
leather or other lining and the body of the hat, the upper edge of which
intermediate lining is corrugated, vandyked, or otherwise cut away, so
that eyelet holes formed at certain distances round and through the body
and band of the hat may allow for the admission of air, which entering
by such eyelet holes passes into the body of the hat either through holes
formed in the leather opposite to the cyelet holes, or passes up between
the cut away portions of the cork or other lining and the leather, and
escapes at the ordinary eyelet or other ventilator in the crown.
These improvements may be applied either conjointly or separately to
a single hat.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Wood, James Wood, and William Henry
Wood in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
WOOD, JAMES WOOD, and WILLIAM HENRY WOOD, of Hollinwood, in
the County of Lancaster, Hat Manufacturers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give

page_text: and grant unto us, the said Joseph Wood, James Wood, and William
Henry Wood, Her special licence that we, the said Joseph Wood, James
Wood, and William Henry Wood, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Joseph Wood, James Wood, and
William Henry Wood, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at
any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thercafter 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 VENTILATING HATS OR OTHER COVERINGS FOR THE
HEAD," upon the condition, amongst others, that we, the said Joseph
Wood, James Wood, and William Henry Wood, our exccutors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describo and ascertain the
nature of tho said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months. next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Joseph Wood, James Wood, and
William Henry Wood, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention firstly relates to those descriptions of hats. or other
coverings for the head which are ventilated by means of a chanuel or.
passage formed across the forehead between the leather or lining and the
body of the hat. The improvements consist in making that portion of
the leather or lining which covers the forehead adjustable in length, in
order that when such leather or lining stretches by constant pressure
upon it, and thus closes the ventilating passage, it may be taken up or
shortened, so as to preserve the full width of the passage for the
admission of air so long as the hat is in wear. This is either effected by
the use and application to that portion of the leather or lining which
covers the forchead of a clasp formed of thin sheet metal or other
suitable material provided with one, two, or more catches, and corre-
sponding slots or holes; or the taking up may be performed by having
a series of holes in the leather or lining, through which a cord or tape
may be passed for tightening it up. The clasp, series of holes, or other
tightening up appliance is by preference situated at that portion of the

page_text: leather or lining which covers the temples, as in that position no
inconvenience is felt by the wearer.
These improvements further consist in the use and application of a
lining of cork or other light material placed between the ordinary
leather or other lining and the body of the hat, the upper edge of which
intermediate lining is corrugated, vandyked, or otherwise cut away, so
that eyelet holes formed at certain distances round and through the body
and band of the hat may allow for the admission of air, which entering
by such eyelet holes passes into the body of the hat either through holes
formed in the leather opposite to the eyelet holes or passes up between
the cut away portion of the cork or other lining and the leather, and
escapes at the ordinary eyelet or other ventilator in the crown.
These improvements may be applied either conjointly or separately to
a single hat.
In order that this our said Invention may be the more readily seen
and understood, we have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings illus-
trating several modifications of our improvements in ventilating hats or
other coverings for the head drawn to a scale of about half size. Similar
letters marked on the Drawings and herein-after mentioned being used
to denote similar parts in all the views.
Fig. 1 is a front sectional view of a hat having one modification of
our improvements applied to that portion of the leather which covers
the forehead for the purpose of preserving the full width of passage for
the admission of air so long as the hat continues in wear; Fig. 2 is a
plan or underneath view of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan or
view of the top edge of the metallic clasp used in Figs. 1 and 2;
Fig. 4 is a detached portion of the leather used in Figs. 1 and 2, shewing
another method of adjusting the length of the leather covering the
forehead, as herein-after described.
Fig. 5 is a side sectional view, and Fig. 6 a sectional plan of another
hat, shewing the application of our cork or other lining between the
ordinary leather or other lining and the body of the hat for the double
purpose of ensuring greater comfort in wear and more perfect venti-
lation; Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 6.
In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 A is the body of the hat; B, the leather or
other lining; and C (Fig. 2), the passage formed across the forehead
between the body of the hat and the leather for the admission of air for

page_text: ventilation. In hats made according to this Invention the leather is
divided or cut diagonally or transversely across by preference at that.
part which covers the temples, as in that position the least inconvenience
is felt by the wearer, and is there joined or connected together by a thin
metallic clasp D of any suitable construction having one or moro
catches E, which take into a series of corresponding holes F formed in
the other portion of the clasp, and thus enable the leather to bo
lengthened, or shortened, or taken up across the forehead, and at the
same time to make any allowance for stretching by constant wear.
Instead of using a metallic clasp a clasp of any other suitable
material or a series of holes may be substituted, as seen in Fig. 4,
through which a tape or cord may be passed to regulate the tightness of
the leather across the forehead, and to adjust the opening for the
admission of air.
In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 G is the body of the hat; H, the leather or other
lining, shewn broken off in Fig. 5; and I is the intermediate lining of
cork or other light material placed between the ordinary leather II and
the body G. The top edge of the cork or other lining I is cut away at
K, as illustrated, in order to allow the air which enters by the holes L
formed round and through the body and band of the hat to gain
admittance into the hat in the direction of the dotted lines, and thus to
keep up a circulation of air through the hat, which escapes by the
ordinary eyelet or other ventilator M situated in the crown. The
intermediate lining I may consist of tapered sheet cork of about of an
inch in thickness at the top edge, and tapering down to about 1, at the
bottom; or it may be formed of plush, cloth, or any other suitable
material which will yield sufficiently to prove comfortable in wear. Thic
cut away portion K may assume any shape which will allow of a free
passage for the air. The holes formed in the band of the hat may be
stitched round in the same manner as button holes, and when so
protected are considered to be no disfigurement, as they are hardly
visible when the hat is in wear. The intermediate lining may be stitched
to or cemented inside the body of the hat.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
our said Invention, together with the best methods with which we are
acquainted for carrying the same into practical effect, we desire it to
be distinctly understood that we lay no claim to forming an opening

page_text: across the forchead between the leather or other lining and the body of
hats for the admission of air; but we claim,-
1st. The methods herein-before described for adjusting the length of
the leather or other lining covering the forehead so as to preserve the
full width of ventilating passage in bats or other coverings for the head
so long as such hats continue in wear, as and for the purposes described.
2nd. The use and application of an intermediate lining of cork or
other suitable material between the leather or other lining and the body
of hats with ventilating passages or cut away portions formed in such
intermediate lining and through the band and body of the hat, as and
for the purposes described, or any mere modification of the same.
3rd. The application of these improvements either singly or conjointly
to hats or other coverings for the head.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Wood, for and on
behalf of myself and the said Joseph Wood and James Wood,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day
of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy.
WILLIAM HENRY WOOD. (L.S.)
Witness,
JOHN G. WILSON,
Patent Agent,
71, Market Street,
Manchester.