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Wekony the Hatter - South Bend, Illinois

rlk

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,100
Location
Evanston, IL
ScottF said:
This hat was made by Wekony, and used a brim process patented by Dalton Hat Co.
The Hat was sold by Wekony the Hatter, nothing saying they manufactured the hat. They may have finished it, but with the involvement of that process of constructing the hat body with the insert in the edge I'm sure it was purchased by the local hatter from the Dalton Factory.
 

ScottF

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,755
rlk said:
The Hat was sold by Wekony the Hatter, nothing saying they manufactured the hat. They may have finished it, but with the involvement of that process of constructing the hat body with the insert in the edge I'm sure it was purchased by the local hatter from the Dalton Factory.

I guess this is where I don't understand patents - couldn't another factory have made the body, using Dalton's process? and paid them to use it?
 

rlk

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,100
Location
Evanston, IL
ScottF said:
I guess this is where I don't understand patents - couldn't another factory have made the body, using Dalton's process? and paid them to use it?
They could have. They would need the rubber tube and appropriate binding (and to pay as you say)and the sweatbands are embossed with both the logo and patent number. Did they have a "factory"? Would a local hatter have the volume to make this a worthwhile proposition? Dalton could have licensed the system. The hat doesn't say "made by" or hat company. None of this is definitive unless we can determine if there was a factory or just a store.
 

ScottF

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2,755
rlk said:
They could have. They would need the rubber tube and appropriate binding (and to pay as you say)and the sweatbands are embossed with both the logo and patent number. Did they have a "factory"? Would a local hatter have the volume to make this a worthwhile proposition? Dalton could have licensed the system. The hat doesn't say "made by" or hat company. None of this is definitive unless we can determine if there was a factory or just a store.

Sorry, that's not what I meant. I understand that another factory almost certainly made the body, but why does this patent stamp on the Wekony hat lead us to believe Dalton made it?

Over to the Cavanagh patent on brims - from what I'm reading in this forum, other companies did not use the Cavanagh process until the patent expired, then they gave it their own name. Was this because Cavanagh refused to let them use it? Maybe Dalton, being smaller, decided it was financially a good idea to let other hat manufacturers use their process for a fee?

Or do patent rights even work this way?

Scott <=== patently uninformed
 

ScottF

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Messages
2,755
ScottF said:
Sorry, that's not what I meant. I understand that another factory almost certainly made the body, but why does this patent stamp on the Wekony hat lead us to believe Dalton made it?

Over to the Cavanagh patent on brims - from what I'm reading in this forum, other companies did not use the Cavanagh process until the patent expired, then they gave it their own name. Was this because Cavanagh refused to let them use it? Maybe Dalton, being smaller, decided it was financially a good idea to let other hat manufacturers use their process for a fee?

Or do patent rights even work this way?

Scott <=== patently uninformed

edited to add: By the way, I did NOT understand that Wekony didn't make the hat body, until you reinforced Stephen's post. Guess I just assumed that since Wekony was a custom shop, that that probably included making the bodies. Giving it more thought, and reading your response above, it makes little sense that they would have made hat bodies.
 

Brad Bowers

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,187
A process that is under patent protection can be licensed, if the owner chooses to do so. Dobbs was "licensed," technically, but since they were part of the same company, it's understandable. No company outside of the C&K brands could produce a Cavanagh Edge from 1913 until 1930, when the patent expired. Now, since C&K was making Disney hats at this time, was Disney a licensee? I don't know, as I haven't seen a Disney with a Cav Edge that could be proven to be from before 1930.

You're right, Scott. After 1930, any company could produce the Cavanagh Edge, and call it something else to differentiate it in the marketplace.

Brad
 

michael78

One of the Regulars
Messages
169
Location
United Kingdom
Its a textile pulley from 1936. so must be something else.
Hi, i no this thread goes back a ways, but i thought this might be of interest, i bought a hat a few weeks back and posted it in Hopkins hats. It to has a "controlled Brim". The hat is buy Hopkins of Baltimore. In my efforts to find out more about it i came across this Hat, its sold through " The May Company", fifth Avenue NY Dept Store. The label does"t say who made the hat but it is remarkable like my Hopkins, same colour, brim, crown. Here some Pics of hats.
DSCN5815.jpg


My Hopkins

DSCN5815.jpg
s-l1600.jpg


s-l1600 (7).jpg

s-l1600 (5).jpg


As you can see, no maker?
 

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