US2199473A - Knitted cap - Google Patents

Description

May 7, 1940. F WENGEN 2,199,473

KNITT'ED CAP Filed Jan. 16, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATToRNEYB,

May 7, 1940.

F. J. WENGEN KNITTED CAP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 16, 1939 1NVENTQR.

ATTORNEY Patented May 7, 1940 UNITED STATES KNITTED GAP'- Frank J. Wengen, Milwaukee, Wis., assigner to Eagle Knitting Mills,

Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a

corporation of Wisconsin Application January 16, 1939, Serial No. 251,165

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in the art of manufacturing knitted caps.

Heretofore, the bottom of knitted caps has 'been suitably finished, where necessary, to pro- 5 vide a selvage edge or an edge which will not unravel. The only elasticity in these finished edges, if any, is that inherent in the knitted material itself, and this material has a tendency to-stretch after continued use so that the lower edges fail to closely engage the head of the wearer, and

permit wind and moisture to enter. Furthermore, knitted caps are not made up in a wide range of sizes, and the bottom edge of a cap, as now constructed, may be fairly head conforming v `on one individual and relatively loose on another.

This problem is particularly acute in that type of `cap equipped with ear protecting extensions -which may be optionally worn in turned-up condition or in turned-down condition, fastening beneath the chin. When turned up, it is desirable that the ear protecting extension maintain itself neatly in proper turned-up positionat the rear and sides of the cap, but with present methods ofconstruction there is no assurance that this will take place. When the ear protecting extension is turned down, the lower edge of said extension, as now constructed, hangs loosely over the ears and drapes away from the back of the .30 'neck to permit the elements to enter therebelneath.

Heretofore, attempts to form this type of cap having ear protecting extensions adapted to fasten beneath the chin, from one-piece tubular material knitted economically on a circular knitting machine, have been unsatisfactory. Trouble was encountered because the normal shape of such tube of knitted material is not perfect for the use intended, and certain parts of the tube 4o are necessarily abnormally stretched during use, particularly the forehead engaging portion of the nished cap and those portions adapted to rfasten beneath the chin, and such continued stretching resulted in a permanent distortion of Vthe knitted material, causing the forehead and other lower edge portions to flare outwardly and causing the chin extensions to become too loose.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved knitted cap, and par- 50 ticularly, although not exclusively, a knitted cap of the type having ear protecting extensions -adapted to fasten under the chin, wherein the lower edge is constructed to tightly hug the head of the wearer regardless of variations in the size lor shape of the head, and wherensaid lower edge construction cooperates particularly to maintain ear protecting extensions in a neat position close to the head, whether said extensions are turned up or fastened beneath the chin, and to maintain said edges against permanent stretching 15 out of shape.

It is recognized that stretchable members have been used in connection with cloth caps to cause gripping of the head, but the present invention deals with the use of elastic in combination with .'10 caps formed of knitted fabric wherein the elastic cooperates with the inherent stretchability of the knitted fabric to produce a novel and useful result, and it is therefore a more specific object* of the invention to provide such combination in a :15 knitted cap.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide in a knitted cap having an ear protecting extension, elastic means at the free edge of said extension for properly maintaining said extension in different positions of wear.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a construction as above described wherein the top of the cap may be equipped with buttons or other fasteners cooperable with buttonholes or complementary fasteners on the ear protecting extension, said buttons being so located as to cause the elastic edge of the extension to "tightly grip the head when said extension is fastened in turned-up condition.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a knitted cap having elastic atv the lower edge thereof wherein said elastic extends transversely of the wales of the knitted material and wherein said elastic when in contracted condition, normally holds the adjacent Wale portions close together whereby the elastic and the knitted fabric may stretch simultaneously when urged to extended condition during use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction as above described wherein the elastic may take the form of elastic tape `embracing the edge of the knitted material to `form a binding therefor, whereby the appearance of said edge is enhanced and whereby unravely ing of said edge is not permitted. "4

A further object of the invention is to provide an vimproved method of manufacturing knitted caps formed from a single sectionof knitted tube, isaid caps having protecting extensions for the ears and neck formed with tabs for connection beneath the chin of the wearer, comprising cutting a substantially V-shaped notch in the tub- "ing 'to provide a face exposing portion bounded -by v`edges-ofthe chin tabs and by the edge of a .55

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forehead engaging portion, stitching elastic tape to said bounding edges, gathering and securing the material at the top of the tube to form the top of the cap, and subjecting the cap with the elastic applied thereto to shrinkage *to cause said bounding edges of the face exposing portion to assume and permanently maintain a head conforming condition.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a knitted cap which is` inexpensive in construction, which is neat in appearance, which forms good protection against the elements, which is capable of fitting a wide range of head sizes, and which is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved cap and all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof. In the accompanying drawings illustrating one complete embodiment of the preferred form of the invention in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of the cap on a head, showing the ear protecting extension in turned-up condition;

Figure. 2 is a front View thereof;

- Figure 3 is an elevational view of the other side of the cap from Figure l, showing the ear protecting extension turned down;

Figure l is a fragmentary View of the knitted material adjacent an edge, and on an enlarged scale, showing the elastic in contracted condition;

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the elastic in stretched condition;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional View taken on line 6 6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a iiattened View of a tube of knitted material having a notch cut therein as a step in forming one of the improved caps;

Figure 8 is a similar view after the notch has been enlarged and rounded and after overedging has been applied thereto;

Figure 9 is a similar View showing the condition after elastic tape has been applied thereto; and

Figure l0 is a side view of the finished cap after it has been subjected to shrinkage action.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 8 designates the main body portion of the cap, which mainbcdy portion is formed of knitted material. The lower edge ofthe side and rear portions of the main body is provided with an ear protecting extension 9 which may be a continuation of the fabric forming the knitted body portion 8. The ends of the ear protecting extension terminate in tabs lll short of the front of the cap, and said tabs may be provided with buttonholes ll for cooperation with buttons l2 secured to the body portion of the cap. Other equivalent fastening means may be employed. The knitting utilized in forming the cap is preferably of a half cardigan type with the wales I3 extending generally in an up and down direction.

The lower edge of the main body portion of the cap, as well as the free surrounding edges of the ear protecting extension 9 are provided with a suitable elastic medium, which is cooperable with the inherent stretchability of the knitted fabric in producing a new and useful result in a knitted cap. This elastic medium preferably takes the form of elastic tape l@ which is transversely bent around the edge of the knitted material as shown in Figure 6 and which forms a binding extending across the-forehead portion of the cap and along the adjacent edges of the tabs to the ends of said tabs as at i4'. Elastic tape also extends from the end I4' of one tab aroundthe rear lower edge of the cap to the end I4 of the opposite tab. The tape is stitched to the edge of the knitted material by stitching I5 extending through the fabric as shown in Figures 4, 5and 6.

It is very desirable to be able to form this type of cap from a single section of knitted tubing which has been knitted economically on a circular machine. Accordingly a section of knitted tubing which has been doubled back on itself to provide material of double thickness, as is common practice, and to provide a folded lower edge i6, is notched by a substantially V-shape cut I1 as indicated in Figure 7. Next the notched portion ll is trimmed by a suitable cutter to round the edges of the notch to substantially the form shown in Figure 8, the lower end portion I8 on the two sides of the knitted tube being preferably severed. Overedging I9 is then applied to the trimmed edge of the notch, leaving the blank in substantially the condition shown in Figure 8. It is to be noted that in Figure 8 the edges of the notch are wavy and that the material tends to flare out at the point 2i), and this is where trouble was formerly encountered in previous attempts to form this type of cap from a single section of knitted tubing because even though the material was shrunk before use nevertheless it would always tend to return, after continued use, to the form of Figure 8.

With the present method, after the overedging has been applied, the elastic tape I fi is applied in the manner indicated in Figure 9. This tape is preferably applied in two lengths, one piece extending around the lower edge of the cut tube, terminating at the point I4 on both ends, and the other piece extending from one point I4 around the edge of the face exposing portion to .the point i4 on the opposite side of the cap.

The application of the elastic tape removes the 40 wrinkles from the edge I9, which wrinkles are shown in Figure 8, and the application of said tape tends to fore-shorten the edge lengths somewhat. Next the upper end of the blank of Figure 9 is suitably cut, gathered, and secured.. together', in a well known manner to form the top of the cap. The cap is then placed on a form, having substantially the shape of a head, and is thoroughly steamed. The result of suc-h treat-J ment is to shrink the knitted materia-l, particu- N larly at the cut edges and to permanentlyshrink and fore-shorten the elastic so that the elastic in its contracted condition is of less length than it was previously. The result of such shrinkage is to remove the flare at 29 to provide the head Figure 4. Thus when the elastic tape is stretched` `during use, the knitted fabric will also stretch from the condition shown in Figure 4, with the -lower ends of the wales close together, to the condition shown in Figure 5 wherein the lower ends of the wales are separated as at I6, buty when the cap is removed from the head, the elastic will immediately return the edges to original position, 'and it is not possible for said edges to conforming condition shown in Figure 10. Due

become permanently stretched out of shape. 75

Thus with this method of manufacture it is practical to form a knitted cap having ear protecting extensions adapted to fasten beneath the chin,

from a single section of tubular material knitted on a circular knitting machine, even though the normal shape of such tube of knitted material is `not perfect for the use intended, because the elastic permits stretching of the chin engaging extensions to proper head conforming condition while insuring the fact that these edges will return to their original unstretched condition, even after continued use. Thus the edges of the nished cap will always hug the head, neck, and chin portions of the wearer to prevent the enrance of Wind and moisture and to maintain a neat appearance.

During use of the cap when the ear protecting extension 9 is turned up as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the elastic tape I4 will tightly hug the head at both the sides and rear as indicated at 2l and 22 to hold the ear protecting extension neatly in turned-up position and to hold it in a l position close to the head. The buttons I2 are as shown in Figure 3. When the cap is worn in this position, the elastic M extending around the neck of the wearer will closely engage all portions of the neck, and the elastic bordering the face will closely engage the face to prevent the entrance of Wind and moisture.. In both yconditions of wear of the cap the lower edge of the front will naturally tend to pull in close to the forehead as indicated at 2li, and the elastic will prevent all of these aforementioned edgesrfrom permanently stretching out of shape after continued use.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described, it is obvious that various changes may be made, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claim. i

I claim:

A cap comprising, a tubular body of knitted fabric having wales extending throughout its length and being readily stretchable transversely of the wales, the upper end of the body being closed to form a dome and the lower edge extending across thewales while the front is provided with a face exposing V-notch which severs some of the wales intermediate their ends and forms lower chin tabs across which the wales extend, and an elastic tape of greater longitudinal elasticity than the transverse elasticity of the tube secured to the bounding edges of the V-notch and to the lower edge of the body to prevent permanent stretching of said tabs and ofthe forehead engaging edge of the cap.

FRANK J. WENGEN.

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