US2560508A - Hat manufacture - Google Patents

Description

July 10, 9 E. H. EAKLAND HAT MANUFACTURE Filed May 5, 1947 INVENTOR. fdward ff, Eafilmzd ATTORNEYS Patented July 10, 1951 HAT MAN UFACTURE Edward H. Eakland, Sherman Oaks, alii., as-

signor to Hat Corporation of America, Norwalk, Conn, a. corporation of Delaware Application May 5, 1947, Serial No. 746,056

'This invention relates to a novel hat construction and the method of making the same.

Hats as now generally constructed are provided with a trim of ribbon or binding about the edge of the brim and/or a, band about the crown adjacent the brim. These ribbons have a con- 'trasting appearance which may be produced by a contrasting color, contrasting shade or contrasting texture. The diiiiculty with ribbon trim, however, lies in the fact that the colors fade or change color during the cleaning or renovating of the hats and become unsightly.

-Efforts have been made to overcome this by sewing a felt welt of a contrasting color around the edge of the brim or by felting a strip on the top surface of the brim adjacent the edge. These have not been satisfactory since they do not provide the required pleasing appearance in the hat. In the first instance, the joint between the welt and brim and the stitching showed on the undersurface of the brim, and in the other case, the color was only on the upper surface so that if the brim was worn in its upturned position its effect was lost.

Also, efforts have been made to eliminate the ribbon band on the hat around the crown by providing a fur felt strip. This has been more successful. However, it required a substantial amount of skilled labor in properly constructing the felt band and applying and fitting it to the hat.

The present invention eliminates these prior difficulties and provides a hat in which the edge of the brim has a distinctive characteristic in either color, shade or texture, which edge overlies the edge of the brim on the top and bottom surface and is formed integral therewith, so that it has the same effect whether the brim of the hat is snapped down or worn in its upturned position and no line of jointure or stitching is shown.

Another feature of this invention is the provision of an integral contrasting raised band disposed about the crown adjacent the brim to replace the band.

A further feature of the invention resides in the method of making the hat wherein the brim is provided with an integral contrasting edge and/ or an integral contrasting band.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a hat body with the edge strip and the band in position thereon.

5 Claims. (Cl. 2-194) Fig. 2 is a section along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section along lines 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows the finished hat with the integral edge and band in position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 after the final felting operation is completed.

Fig.' 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 after the final felting operation has been completed.

As is shown in the drawings, the hat of the present invention is a felt body shaped to proedge is stippled heavier than the body to forcibly bring out the contrast between the two.

The contrasting edge as shown in Fig. 6 is integral with and merged into the material of the brim so that no seams or stitches are present and extends over the upper and lower surface of the brim, as would a ribbon binding, so that if the front of the brim is snapped down as is usual,

the edge will have the same appearance as'the sides and'back which are not snapped down.

If it is desired to eliminate the separate band around the crown, this can be accomplished by providing the hat with an integral contrasting felt band [3 extending around the crown adjacent the brim. This contrasting band may contrast in color, shade or texture as required. When the hat is provided with this band made of fur felted thereto, as shown in Fig. 5, to become integral therewith, any fading will be gradual and uniform so that its presence will less likely be detected and the colors of the fur band will remain fast throughout the use of the hat.

In making a hat such as shown in Fig. 4 having both the integral contrasting band and edge, a conical hat body M of loosely interfelted fur or fur-mixed fibers is formed which is normally 28" high and 30" at the base. This body is put through a starting process which begins to felt the fibers and the cone shrunk down to a size of approximately 22" high and 24" at the base.

If the contrast is to be one of shade, the body is formed from one shade of fur and the trim from a different shade of fur, and the body dyed as a whole after the strips are made integral therewith, thus producing two shades of the same color.

If the contrast is to be one of color, the fur of the body and the fur of the felted strip are sap- I6 to the edge of the cone so that it overlies the inside and outside surfaces thereof in the manner shown in Fig. 3 and if the hat is to" be provided with an integral band, a strip I I ofpartially felted fur fibers, preferably having its surface napped, is disposed around the cone, as-shown" in Fig. 1, at a predetermined distance from the bottom of the cone, and is temporarily secured thereto by basting or stitches I8 to hold it in place, as shown in Fig. 2.

After the strips are temporarily secured the hat body is hardened and shrunk to its final size and the stitches. removed. In hardening and shrinking the assembled body to the final size. the edge, becomes felted into an integral part of the brim, as shown in Fig. 6; the band becomes felted into-an integral raised band on the crown, as shown in Fig. 5.

The hat is then shaped to form the crown and the brim with the bottom of the band extending around the crown and disposed adjacent the joint of the crown to the brim.

While the hat and method have been herein illustrated and-- described in connection withan integral contrasting edge and an integral contrasting band, it is to be understood that either can-be usedseparately as may be required.

Variations and modifications can be made within thescope of this invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I;claim:

1. A furfelthat having a felt crown and a flexible felt brim-therearound, a contrasting integral felt band extending around the crown adjacent the brim and an integral contrasting felt edge extending around the brim and overlying the upper and lower faces of the brim adjacent the edge.

2. A fur felt hat havinga felt crown and a flexible feltbrim therearound, an integral felt band of a contrasting color extending around the crown adjacent the brim and an integral felt edge of the same contrasting color as the band extending around the brim and overlying the upper and. lower faces of the brim adjacentthe edge.

3. A fur felt hat having a felt crown and a flexible felt brim therearound and an integral felt edge of contrasting color extending around the brimand overlying the upper and lower faces of the brim adjacent the edge whereby the contrasting color shows in turned up or down positions 01 the brim.

4. The method of making a hat, which includes the steps of forming a cone shaped hat body composedof loosely interfelted fur fibers; partially shrinking. the body; applying a contrasting band. of partially-felted fur fibers to the outer surface of the body at a predetermined distance from the edge thereof; applying a strip of contrasting partially-felted fur fibers to the lower edge thereof to overlie the inner and. outer surface of the body; hardening and shrinking the composite body to final size; and forming the body into a hat having a crown and brim with the bottom of the contrasting band disposed adjacent the brim.

5. The method of making a hat, which includes thesteps of forming a hat body composed of loosely interfelted fur fibers; partially shrinking the body;- applying a contrasting band of partial,- ly felted fur fibers to the outer surface of the body at a predetermined distance from the-edge thereof; hardening and shrinking the composite body to final size; and forming the body intoa hat-having a crown and brim with the bottom of of the band disposed adjacent the brim.

EDWARD I-I- EAKLAND;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 497,085 Yule et a1. May 9, 1893 1,246,917 Haugh Nov. 20, 1917 2,284,854 Wall June 2, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number; Country Date 368,633 Great Britain Mar. '10, 1932

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