United States Hat Machinery Corp. v. Boesch Mfg. Co.

L. HAND, Circuit Judge.

The appeal is from a decree holding invalid and not infringed Patent No. 1,-533,351, issued to Homer A. Genest. The invention was for “felting, shrinking and crozing” felt hat “bats”. “Bat” is the name for the felt fabric out of which hats are made; felt is rabbit fur, the separate hairs of which, when agitated in hot water, congeal, as it were, into a seamless fabric. At first this is very flimsy and must be handled with great care, but, as the barbs upon the hairs interlock more and more ‘completely, it becomes more closely knit and stouter. This process is called the…