US1083344A - Hat-covering. - Google Patents

Description

W. GQ WETMORB.

HAT COVERING.-

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24, 19 11. RENEWED my 2B, 1913.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

WILLARD c. WETMORE, or UPPER immune, ntiw sense-1'.

emaovemna.

Specification oi ietters Patent.

Patented J an. 6, ldd.

Application filed may 24, 1911, Serial No. easu'ak. itenewaiia 28, 1913. Serial no. 7703115.

To all whom it may concern: 7 v

Be itknown that I, WILLARD C.-WETM0RE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Upper Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hatfore is to provide a covering of the type in question which shall conform to the outline of, for example, a straw hat, and which may be made of such materials that when in place upon the hat, the covering will not be objectionably noticeable.

A further object of my invention is to so form my protective covering as to adapt it to fit hats of various sizes, various widths of brim and heights of crown.

I further aim to provide a device of this "character which shall be adaptable for use with either stiff brimmed hats, or with hats the brims of which are moderately flexible;

1 the device sufliciently conforming itself to the shape of such a flexible hat as subst'an-' tially not todistort the latter.

I further aim while providing a device possessed of these desirable characteristics, to form the same of such light and highly flexible material that the covering maybe readily rolled up, or.folded, and placed in the pocket of the user, and when so disposed, the said covering is. of such small bulk as not to materially bulge the pocket in which it reposes.

will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the drawings which form a part hereof and in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 shows a stifi' brimmed straw hat with my covering applied thereto, the

hat aiid covering being "artly broken away in order to better illustrate the construction of the covering. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially on the median line of-the covering in question.

Referring to-Fig. 1, the straw hat may be of the usual stifi' brimmed type, as herein exemplified, and consists of the crown 1 and the brim 2, the hat 'being provided with the usual sweat band 3, if desired. Over the outside of the hat is the rotectiv'e covering broadly designated-4, which consists in this exemplific'ation of my invention of a crown proper 5, preferably formed of thin and,

highly oiled silk, rubber treated linen, or highly oiled silk, rubber treated linen, or the likewhich may be, if desired, and in fact, preferably is, of a yellow color. Secured to this crown is a fiat and preferably broad band 6 of sheet rubber or the like, the essential characteristic of this band being its f elasticity. The band in. question may be formed of that class of rubber sheeting known as dam .rubber. The protective crown-5 may be secured to this bandby a line of stitching 7, or the like and the jointure may be cemented in addition. In'the form of device illustrated, the crown portion overlaps the upper edge of the band. correspondingly secured to the lower edge fof this band as at 8 is the brim covering ortion of the device, which is adapted to are bruptly away from the lower edge of the I and as shown in Fig. 1', in order to conform to the usual fiat'brim of a hat of the type in question. This brim forming porthus formed extends a puckering' cord 12, These and other, objects of my invention preferably of elastic material such as linen or cotton covered rubber cord, or the like, which holds the brim cover under proper tension when the latter is disposed around and over the brim of the hat.

By reason of the provision of the elastic band- 6, the protective covering as afwhole is adapted to neatly and snugly fit substantially any straw hat of normal size to which the covering may be applied. If the diameter of the crown be of relative large size, the band is stretched lengthwise to conform thereto, and if the crown be relatively high the band is adapted to stretch in the direction of its width. The diameter of the crown portion 5 is referably made sufliciently large to permit of its edge overlapping the edge of any normally sized hat to which it may be applied in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Obviously if the hat crown be of small diameter this overlapping will ingly held flat if the hat brim be a stiff one,

since the line of jointure of the elastic band 6 to the said brim covering. portion will usually be disposed around the line of join- .ture of the hat brim and its crown; this disposition of the covering parts being possible by reason of the fact that the brim covering portion is inelastic, and the only tension placed thereupon being due to the action of the light elastic cord 12, which as will be observed is disposed upon the under side of the brim so that owing to the-bend of the material over the edge of the brim, no material tendency is exerted by this cord to pull the line of jointure 8 out of position. Then too the gripping action of the broad elastic band 6 tends to hold all parts of the latter in place, so that even when under moderate tension, as when placed upon a relatively high crown and stretched in order to cover the same, the line 8 may be disposed substantially at the line of ointure of the brim in the manner aforesai and, will there remain. If the rubber band be of black rubber and the oiled silk be yellowv in color, at a short'distance the covering, as a whole, is practically indistinguishable from the usual straw hat.

Even when placed upon a hat, the brim of'which is relativel flexible, my protective covering does not 0 jectionably distort this brim and the covering itself is, if constructed of the m'aterials above described, not 'at all unsightly.

I am aware that attempts have been made to provide coverings for straw hats, but to the best of m knowledge these coverings have been ma e throughout of elastic material by reason of'which the same cannot conveniently be conformed properly to the hat; such coverings further, owin to the cost of rubber and like materials, being relatively expensive;'whereas the presentcoverin is decidedly inexpensive, the amount of ru ber used being small.

The rubber band in question may have the ends thereof conveniently joined together in any suitable manner as at 13, but I prefer to cement the same with rubber cement or the like, which cement may also be used in securing the oiled silk or like material to the rubber. It is obvious also that the clastic puckering cord 12 permits the device to be affixed to hats having brims of various widths.

When not in use the device may be conveniently carried in a pocket or any other receptacle and occupies but little space. It hence possesses many desirable characteristics, is exceedingly simple in construction and possesses characteristics that have not heretofore been in evidence in devices of thi character.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim: 0

As a new article of manufacture, a hat covering comprising a broad annular band of elastic material adapted to tightly embrace and cover the sides of the crown of the bat, an inelastic flexible portion secured to the upper edge of said band and adapted to cover the top of the hat, an inelastic flexible portion secured to the lower edge of said band, the free edge ofthe latter portion being adapted to be folded over the edge of the hat brim, and means for contracting said free edge, as and for the urpose set forth.

In wit-ness'whereof, I su scribe my signature, in the presence of two witnesses. WILLARD o. WETMORE.

Witnesses:

WALDO M. CHArIN', JAMES DANTomo.

Images