US474540A - Sweat-band for hats - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. E. WAR D. SWEAT BAND FOR HATS.

No. 474,540. Patented May 10, 1892.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet,' 2.

H. E. WARD.

SWEAT BAND FOB HATS. No. 474,540. PatentedMay 10, 1892.

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SWEAT-BAN D FOR HATS.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 474,540, dated May 10, 1892.

Application filed March 26, 1891. Serial No. 386,433. (No model.)

from the inside before it is given the circular To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. WARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sweat-Bands for Hats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked Ehereon, which form a part of this specificaion.

The object of this invention is to provide for a more perfect ventilation, to secure a more accurate lit and with less difficulty than heretofore, and to obtain other advantages hereinafter referred to.

The invention consists in the improved sweat-band for hats and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts thereof and in its attachment to the hat, as herein set forth, and finally pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several Fig. 3 is a section taken through line a: of

the said Fig. 2. Figs. 4c and 5 are detail edge views, enlarged, of a portion of said skeleton frame, showing certain fasteners or keepers mounted thereon, by means of which the band is secured to the hat; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view, enlarged, of one of said keepers. Fig. 7 is a plan view showing a modified form of a certain adjusting device, another form of which is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a section taken through line y of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 represents a plan view of a hat partly sectionized, showing my improved band as it appears when secured to the hat and contracted to its smallest dimensions. Fig. 10 is a section taken through line 2 of Fig. 9, the body of the hat being broken off below the band; and Fig. 11 is a section through the band, taken on the line 2'' of Fig. 9. Fig. 12 represents in plan the sweat-band as seen or ovate form and with the skeleton frame detached. Fig. 13 is a sectional view showing a means for fastening the ends of the band to the ends of the strips d and d.

In said drawings, Ct indicates the hatbody, b the outside band, and c the inside or sweat band, which is made of leather or other appropriate material and is reinforced on the inside by an elastic and adjustable skeleton frame composed, preferably, of light flat steel-wire strips (1 and d, runninglengthwise of the band and cross strips or braces awhich are riveted or otherwise secured to the strips cl and d, and serve to hold the latter equidistant from or parallel with each other, or nearly so, throughout the length of the band, the edges of the latter being folded or turned over upon said strips d and cl beneath the cross strips or braces,which serve, also, to hold said band in place, as indicated at f in Figs.

10 and 11. Said skeleton frame, ator near the point where the ends of the longitudinal strips d and d overlap each other, is provided with an adjusting device by means of which the band can be readily and conveniently increased or diminished in circumference at will to conform to heads of varying sizes and contours. Said adjusting device consists in the present instance of two strips 9 and h, which cross each other and are pivotally connected at or near their centers, and at their opposite ends are pivotally secured to the strips (1 and d through elongated openings 1' therein, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. Each of said strips g and his provided with a finger-piece or extension j, one of which is doubled upon itself to form a spring 7c, at the end of which is formed a hook or detent Z, Fig. 3, which engages with a rack m, projecting from the connectingstrip h, as also indicated in said Fig. 2, the normaltendency of the spring being to hold said detent in operative engagement with said rack at any point at which the adjusting device may be set. spring the detent is thrown out of engagement with the rack, as will be understood. Said band and skeleton frame, being secured together, as above stated, are attached to the hat-body by means of adjustable keepers 0, Figs. 4:, 5, 6, 9, and 10, which are mounted upon one of the stripsviz., CZWl1lCl1 passes By pressing upon the through a slot oin said keepers, asindicated, the latter being pivotally connected to the hat-body by means, in the present case, of a double-pronged wire 1), which passes through an eye 19, formed upon the keepers and upon which the latter work, the prongs being forced through the hat-body and clinched upon the outside thereof beneath theoutside band I), by which they are concealed from view, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 10. Thus said keepers have a hinge-like movement and are also susceptible of a limited lateral movement upon said strip d, the fold of the band being cut away for abouthalf an inch atthe points where the several keepers are inounted,as will beunderstood upon referenceto Figs. 4, 5, and 9. hen the band is set or adjusted to itslargest size, the keepers all lie flat against the strip d, as indicated in Fig. 4, and against the hatbody, as will be understood, and when it is adjusted to its smallest size said keepers will be perpendicular to the hat body and band, which is the limit of their movement in that direction, as indicated in Fig. 5. Thus it will be seen .that an open space of greater or less dimensions is left between the band and the hat-body all round for ventilation throughout the limit of the adjustment, as will be obvious. The number of keepers to a band is not material. As a general rule, five or six will be sufficient, though more may be employed, if desired.

It will be observed by reference to Figs. 6 and 10 that the keepers are provided with a finger-piece o", by means of which they can be moved one way or another when desired. Said finger-pieces, as also those of the adjusting device, project slightly below the hatbody and curve outwardly, following somewhat the curve of the brim of the hat, as indicated in said Fig. 10 and also in Fig. 1. It may be remarked, however, that the fingerpieces of the adjusting device, as well as the ratchet or holding device, may be at the opposite ends of the strips gand 72, ifpreferred, or the modified form of adjusting and holdingdevices shown in Figs. 7 and 8, or any other effective means for adjusting the band may be used withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and the same is true with respect to the keepers.

The extremities of the sweat-band and of the strips cl and d are secured to one another by means of a suitable clamp or fastener s, Fig. 13, which passes through and around the ends of the said parts and is clinched, so as to prevent the parts from separating. It will also be noticed that the strip 9 of the adjusting device, Fig. 2, is provided with a semicircular projection t, which serves as a support or rest for one end of the band and prevents it from striking against either of said strips and being curled'up or wrinkled when the adjuster is operated to reduce the size of the band.

The operation of the device is as follows: A hat having been selected by a purchaser,-approximating his size, if it bea little too large,

the band is contracted by pressing the fingerpieces of the adjuster toward each other until it fits the head to the satisfaction of the purchaser, thereby avoiding the necessity and annoyance of trying on a large number of hats and possibly failing at last in getting a satisfactory fit, as is often the case when the shape of the head is abnormal. Owing to the flexibilit-yof theimproved band and toits elasticity, it will readily conform to the shape of the head. In some cases, owing to some defectin the shape of the head or protuberance thereon, it is desirable that the band shall he as closely as possible against one portion of the hat-bod y and as far from it as possible at another, in order to secure a satisfactory fit. In such case the keeper located at or near the point first named is held down flat against the hat-body while the band is being contracted, as above described, to fit the head, which being done the keepers and the band will retain their positions until the adjustment is changed. Thus it will be seen that by means of this improvement a second or an extra band or ring is dispensed with and a perfectly-fitting hat can readily be secured without any difficulty, as the adjusting device is intended to have a scope oftwo or more sizes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination, a flexible sweat-band, a flexible frame carrying the same, the adj usting means, consisting of the cross-levers between the ends of the frame, the holding means for the levers, and the keepers, substantially as described.

2. In combination, the sweat-band, the supporting-frame extending from the upper to the lower edge of the band, the keepers, the said frame being in skeleton form and including the two parallel strips connected by crossstrips, and the adjusting means between the ends of the skeleton frame, the upper and lower edges of the band being secured about the parallel strips, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the hat-body, the hatband with adjusting means therefor, and the keepers pivotally supported to swing toward and from the hat-body in the adjustment of the band, substantially as described.

4. In combination, the sweat-band, the flexible frame carrying the same, said frame adj ustable with operating means therefor, and the keepers for connecting the band with the hat, said keepers having a sliding connection with the frame, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a sweat-band, a skele ton frame composed of strips d and d, crossstrips 6, connecting and holding the same substantially parallel with each other, an adjusting device consisting of the strips 9 and It, the rack and spring-actuated catch or detent, and means for securing the several parts to a hatbody, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

0. The combination, with a hat-body, of a IIO sweat-hand, a frame Secured to the hand, an

8. The combination, with the sweat-hand and the adjustable frame, of the keepers for I 5 securing the band and frame to the hat, consisting of the plate having the slot for the passage of the frame-strips, and the pronged wire pivoted to the plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I 20 have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of March, 1891.

HER BERT E. WARD.

Witnesses:

OLIVER DRAKE, OSCAR A. MICHEL.

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