US2039478A - Knitted headwear - Google Patents

Description

N E T s N E H. L

KNITTED HEADWEAR Filed June 14, 19.54

INVENTOR.

l. 011/6 h', Ms 75N 12', TORNEY.

Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to knitted headwear and has for its object the provision of a new and improved helmet capable of being knitted on a flat machine, cut with a minimum oi waste material, sewed with a minimum of seams, and clinging tightly and pleasantly to the head and neck in form-fitting relation; the provision of a atknitted helmet which shall t the head at all times, while substantially free from overlapping or multiple-ply portions; the provision of asimple knitted article of headwear which covers the head, neck and lower portion of the face of the user, leaving the eyes and nose exposed and being of a shape conforming closely to the contour of the parts of the wearer which it covers; while further objects and advantages oi the invention will be pointed and become apparent as the` description proceeds. n

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective View of the helmet as-itappears in use and Figure 2 is a side view of the helmet as it appears when the neck-piece or muiller portion is unbuttoned.

The skull covering portion or crown of the helmet disclosed herein is formed in much the same manner as illustrated and described in my U. S. Patent No. 1,313,080 for Knitted cap and some use is also made of the improvements in Knitted headwear disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 1,842,- 513. The present invention distinguishes from the head coverings of my patents referred to primarily in that it is designed to cover the neck and lower part of the face in addition to head parts of the wearer covered by the device shown in my later patent and it affords the wearer a maximum degree of protection with the addition of a minimum amount of material.

The crown or skull covering portion l of the helmet is formed from a swatch of material cut from a continuous rack-knitted stripwhich is knitted in zig-zag fashion so that the rows` of knitting in successive areas of the strip are diagonally related to each other with the selvage at each side running parallel to the rows and forming angular or serrated margins of complementary outline at each side. The swatch referred to is illustrated in Figure 2 in my U. S. Patent No. 1,313,080. The lower portion 2 of the helmet which constitutes the neck-piece and face-cover portion is cut to length and shape from a at continuous straight-knitted strip in which the rows of knitting are straight and parallel.

After the swatch has been cut from this strip, the selvage at one side is sewed together to form seams 3 and 4, there being complementary seams (not shown) similar to the seams 3 and 4 appearing in Figure 2, on the opposite side of the cap. The ends of the swatch are sewed together to form a seam 5 at the rear part of the helmet,

a small triangular piece having rst been cut oi 5 from the corresponding lower corners at the end of the swatch in order that the lowermost portion 6 of the rear seam conform more closely to the contour of the head of the wearer and also to cause the marginal edges of the crown portion l0 of the helmet to be placed under' tension, so that they willv t tightly and snugly and conform to the shape of the head, all as shown and described in my Patent No. 1,313,080 referred to earlier herein. 'Ihe sewed seams of the helmet are indi- 15 cated by relatively heavy lines in the gures of the drawing.

The neck-piece Zis secured at 8 tothe finished selvage atthe lowermost edge of the crown of the' helmet` and the front-part ofthe.' part 21-i`s 20 of somewhat greater width than the rear portion thereof, so that it can be utilized to cover the lower part of the face of the wearer. This part of the muiller is secured at I0 to the finished sewage at the forward side of the hamet. A 25 short piece of lining l2 of knitted or woven material is secured at the inner side of the free end of the neck-piece 2 and at this point a number of spaced button-holes I3 are provided for cooperation with correspondingly spaced buttons I 4 30 secured adjacent to one edge of the helmet and beneath some of which a short piece of lining I6 may also be secured.

Darts I1 are made in the lower portion of the front part of the neck-piece shortening the length 35 of the lower edge thereof so that the neck-piece follows the contour of the jaw and neck of the wearer, thus providing a snug i'lt for this portion of the helmet. Elastic seams are used in joining the previously described portions of the helmet 40 together land the length and number of such seams is kept to a very minimum consistent with the number required in forming a head-piece of the shape shown from at knitted material. When the helmet is adjusted for wear it deiines 45 an opening of irregular outline for the upper part of the face of the wearer and the different parts of the margin of such opening are parallel to the rows of knitting of the material of the helmet forming such margins. 50

The finished helmet when made as above described exhibits a very peculiar and characteristic degree of elasticity which is greatest in a direction at right angles to the rows of knitting and minimum in a direction parallel to its free mar- 55 gins. The selective springiness of the knit-goods in certain directions as aforesaid, coupled with the sinuous marginal outline of the crown portion of the helmet, produces a helmet which grips the head and neck tightly yet comfortably at all points and adapts itself to large variations in headsize.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular forms of knitted headwear shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth are presented for purposes of explanation and that various modifications of said headwear and procedure can be made without departure from this invention as described in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A knitted helmet comprising a flat rackknitted piece having selvages of irregular outline with the ends of the piece and the adjacent parts of one of the selvages secured together so as to form a crown portion of ovate shape, and a flat straight-knitted neck-piece having a portion of one edge secured to the lower edge of the crown portion and defining therewith an opening of irregular outline for the eyes and nose of the wearer of the helmet; darts being provided at the lower front part of said neck-piece in order to t the neck-piece to the contour of that part of the face and neck which it covers.

2. A knitted helmet comprising a'crown portion having a substantially straight lower edge and exhibiting relatively high elasticity in directions at right angles to the margins thereof, a neck-piece having a part attached to said crown portion at the lower edge thereof, and detachable means for securing the end of the unattached part of said neck-piece to the end of the attached part thereof in position to cover the neck and lower portion of the face of the wearer of the helmet; the upper edge of the unattached part of said neck-piece being of greater length than the lower edge thereof and conforming to the contour of the portion of the face and neck which it covers.

3. A knitted helmet comprising a crown portion having a substantially straight lower edge and exhibiting relatively high elasticity in directions at right angles to the margins thereof, and aneck-piece having a part attached to said crown portion at the lower edge thereof, detachable means for securing the end of the unattached part of said neck-piece to the end of the attached part thereof in position to cover the neck and lower portion of the face of the wearer of the helmet, and darts in the lower portion ofthe unattached part of said neck-piece for shaping the same to comfortably conform to the contour of that portion of the face and neck which it covers.

4. A knitted helmet comprising a at rackknitted piece having selvages of irregular outline with the ends of the piece and the adjacent parts of one of the selvages seamed together so as to form a crown portion of ovate shape, a flat straight-knitted neck-piece with darts running crosswise of the piece and having a portion of one edge seamed to the lower edge ofhthe crown portion, and means for detachably securing the ends of the neck-piece together, said neck-piece and crown portion defining an opening of irregular outline for the eyes and nose of the wearer of the helmet; the margin of such opening being formed by selvages of the strips whereby enlargement of the opening is resisted and the marginal portion thereof may be drawn and maintained closely against the face, said seams and darts being of flexible construction and said helmet as a whole exhibiting a relatively high degree of elasticity in all of its portions other than the marginal edges thereof.

LOUIS H. ENSTEN.

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