US796923A - Manufacture of hats. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

F. J, MUHLPELD.

MANUFACTURE OF HATS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18. 1905.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET l M1550 i.- %M.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed February 18, 1905. Serial No. 246,234.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. MUHLFELD, a citizen of the United States, whose residence is 1117 Dawson street, borough of Bronx, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Hats, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of such hats as are expanded above the head-band to a size greater than the headopening; and the invention consists, first, in a process of manufacturing such hats from felt or any material which can be stretched when steamed, and, second, in hats of a certain class which can be made by such process.

The process of the present invention consists in first contracting a portion of the fabric to the size of the head-band and fastening or clamping suchhead-band and then expanding or shaping the remaining portion. By this method I utilize the first-formed band as a point of resistance in expanding the portion of the body above the band to the required size for blocking into the desired shape, which enables me to stretch the felt with great facility.

The particular product claimed herein is a one-piece seamless and brimless felt hat or cap expanded larger than the head-opening and having the outside of the hat formed of only one side of the fabric or having the edge of the fabric forming part of the head-band. In such an article the felt is continuous inwardly from the hollow or expanded periphery to the head-band.

While the article is limited to abrimless construction, I can apply my aforesaid process equally well to bats which are so constructed that the same side of the felt forms the outside of all parts of the hat and to hate which are so constructed that certain parts thereof display a different side from that which is displayed on the other parts, the process not being limited to the manufacture of either kind exclusively.

I will first describe the process and then define the particular article of manufacture which is claimed herein.

In order to render the application of my invention clearer, Ishall hereinafter, first, particularly describe the application of the process in making those hats which have the same side of the felt upon the outside of all parts of the hat, and, second, shall more briefly refer to the application of my process to the making of hats in which different sides of the felt are displayed on different parts of the hat. A tam-o-shanter made of felt in one piece is an illustration of the first product, and a ladys hat with a bell-crown and a brim of single thickness is an illustration of the second.

It will be understood that the term hat is used herein to express all kinds of headgear which can be made by this process, and the term band or head-band is sometimes used to include the mere head-opening when referred to in connection with the finished hat. The term felt as used herein includes felt made of fur or wool, and the single piece of fabric which is used (independent of trimming, vizors, &c.) to make the hat may be of flat, conical, or any other desired shape that can be converted by blocking into a hollow hat and referred to as the body:

The invention will be understood by reference to the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 represents the conical form of felt body commonly employed in making a felt hat. Fig. 2 represents a suitable hatbody blocked into substantially cylindrical shape and a portion clamped at a point intended for the head-band. Fig. 3 represents such blocked body in section with the upper portion turned inside the lower portion and stretching-fingers within the inturned portion. Fig. 4 represents the felt upon such an inturned' body grasped by stretching-fingers. Fig. 5 represents the stretched body in readiness for blocking to the finished shape. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a body upon a hatblock adapted to shape a toque. Fig. 7 shows the under side of the body and hatblock represented in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a vertical section of a hat having a double crown, the upper crown being bell-shaped. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a hat with a double crown, the upper crown having a bulbous shape. Fig. 10 is a cross-section of the same, and Fig. 11 is a cross-section of a one-piece felt tam-o-shanter.

a designates the body in Fig. 2 stretched upon a block A to bring the portion intended for the head-band to the desired size, and a comparison of Figs. 1 and 2 makes it evident that the upper part of the conical felt is stretchedby pulling downwardly upon the block the portion intended for the head-band and that such portion is simultaneously contracted or drawn inwardly, so that it may be finally clamped in the size desired for the head-band. After thus blocking, a ring (Z (shown in Figs. 3 and 4) may be inserted within the band and a strap 6 clamped outside the felt, which fastens or clamps the head-band between the two and holds the same in the desired size during the expansion of the crown.

It is immaterial what means he used to hold or clamp the head-band, as a cord may be used to produce the clamping pressure or external or internal rings may be employed, which have their adjacent faces conical to admit of crowding one within the other. It is obvious that when the portion intended for the head-band is thus clamped or fastened the portion above the head-band may be readily expanded by means of the operators fingers or by any mechanical agency producing pressure internally or grasping the felt externally and stretching it.

.Fig. 3 shows the upper half of the body turned inwardly forming an annular fold a and fingers 0' within the inturned portion, which would operate powerfully when separated to stretch the felt outwardly. Such an annular fold may be formed upon the hatbody without turning it inwardly, and however formed it may be readily grasped by stretchers f, as shown in Fig. 4, and the fold pulled outwardly to stretch the felt in the desired manner. Whatever means be employed, the felt is gradually stretched outward, as shown in Fig. 5, to the size required for inserting the desired hat-block, and the parts of a sectional hat-block are then readily inserted through the opening of the ring d and the hat blocked to the desired shape.

The sectional hat-block is shown in Figs. 6-

and 7 with a shank g small enough to lit inside the metallic ring (Z and a bulbous head It adapted to give the desired shape above the band. i

It is obvious that the part shown clamped between the metallic rings in Figs. 3 to 7. inclusive, forms a cylindrical collar upon the hat, which may be given any desired shape to form the hat-band.

Besides the toque shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the drawings illustrate two forms of doublecrowned hats, in which the upper crown is shown smaller than the lower crown. In Fig. 8 the lower crown Z: is of the same character as a tam-oshanter crown and the upper crown Z is very much smaller, so as to present a striking contrast to-the lower crown. In Figs. 9 and 10 the lower crown is like a tamoshanter crown and the upper crown is of the same flattened bulbous character, but somewhat smaller and set eccentric upon the lower crown. This form is made after the crown has been suitably expanded by blocking the hat upon a grooved block of suitable shape and cording the felt into the groove between the upper and lower crowns. Fig. 11 shows a tam-oshanter with the usual flattened bulbous crown m and annular headband F.

From the above description it will be seen that the process may be used to make any style of hat which has the upper portion expanded larger than the head-band. and it is entirely immaterial to the process what means be employed. to expand the hat after the band is formed, as the essential feature of the process is the formation of the band and the fastening of the same before the upper portion of the hat is expanded.

The width of head-band which is formed before the upper portion is expanded is wholly immaterial, and a wire or other narrow clamping-strap may be used instead of the flat strap shown in the drawings, and any desired means may be used to maintain the size of the headband during the expanding of the crown.

In all of the forms illustrated only one side of the felt is displayed upon the entire outside of the hat, and the felt extends continuously inward from the periphery of the hat to the head-band and the edge of the fabric forms a part of the head-band, and such class of hats is that to which specific claim is made herein. The process may, however. be used for making hats with a brim of single thickness, which is eifected by forming and clamping a head-band upon the fabric at such a dis tance from the edge of the fabric that a brim can be formed of the portion below the band and an expanded crown can be formed by stretching the portion above the band. In such a product both sides of the felt would i show upon difierent portions of the finished hat, and it will therefore be clearly understood that the process is not limited to the manufacture of any particular class of hats.

The product illustrated in various forms of the drawings is distinguished from all those heretofore made from a single piece of scamless fabric in having the upper portion expanded larger than the head-opening and having the outside of the hat formed of only one side of the fabric, and the edge of the fabric forming part of the head-band. Where this new product is blocked to form a hollow crown, it includes an extension of the felt inwardly and continuously from the periphery of the crown to the head-band, and the felt upon the under side of the hollow crown may be extended inwardly to the head-band in a plane transverse to the axis of the head-band. V here a cylindrical head-band is desired, the felt is bent abruptly from such transverse plane to form the head-band.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is l. The process of manufacturing hats from a single piece of suitable fabric, consisting in first contracting a portion of the fabric to the size of the head-band, second, fastening said portion, then expanding the portion above the head-band, and finally shaping the hat.

2. The process of making a seamless onepiece felt hat, which consists in first blocking a head-band upon the body, second, fastening the portion intended for the band, and third, expanding the portion above such band to the desired size and shape.

3. The process of making a seamless onepiece felt hat, which consists in first blocking a head-band upon the body, second, tightly clamping a portion of the body at the point intended for the band, third, forming a fold around the part above the clamped portion, and fourth, expanding the folded portion by an outward tension.

4. The process of making a seamless onepiece felt hat, which consists first, in blocking the body into substantially cylindrical shape, second, tightly clampinga portion of the body at a suitable point for the band, third, expanding the portion above such band to a suitable size for blocking, and fourth, blocking such expanded portion upon a block larger than the band.

5. The process of making a seamless onepiece felt hat, which consists first, in blocking the body to contract a part of the same into the size desired for the band, second, clamping the band with a large aperture inside the band, third, expanding the portion above such band to the desired size, and fourth, operating through the interior of the band and block ing the hat in the desired shape.

6. The process of making a one-piece felt hat with an expanded crown, which consists in first blocking the body into substantially cylindrical shape, second, firmly clamping the portion intended for the band, third, turning the upper part inwardly to form a fold with double thickness at the, fold, and fourth, stretching the folded portion to expand the body above the band.

7. The process of making a one-piece felt hat with an expanded crown, which consists in first blocking the body into substantially.

a hat to shape the expanded crown above the band.

8. The process of making a one-piece felt hat with an expanded crown, which consists in first blocking the body into substantially cylindrical shape, second, firmly clamping the portion intended for the band, third, turning the upper part inwardly to form a fold, with double thickness at the fold, and fourth, ex-

panding the inverted and folded portion of the crown by internal pressure.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a onepiece brimless and seamless felt hat or cap expanded larger than the head-opening and having the outside of the hat formed of only one side of the fabric.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a onepiece seamless and brimless felt hat expanded larger than the head-opening and having the expanded portion of the felt upon the under side of the hollow crown extended inwardly to the head-band in a plane transverse to the axis of the band.

11. As a new article of manufacture, a onepiece seamless and brimless felt hat expandedlarger than the head-opening, and havingthe under side of the crown approximately flat, with an integral head-band projected at right angles thereto.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS J. MUHLFELD.

Witnesses:

THOMAS E. CRANE, E. J. MAGCREADY.

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