Improvements in Automatic or Self-opening Umbrellas and. :; the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application; 28th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 29th July, 1895-Accepted, 31st Aug., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic or Self-opening Umbrellas and. :;
the like.
1 GEORGE BERTRAM Ross, of Rostrevor Sydenham Park, in the County of
Kent, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention for improvements in automatic or self-opening umbrellas and the
like relates to self-opening umbrellas in which a helical spring is inserted between'
the runner and a sleeve adapted to slide on the runner and connected by short
wires to the stretchers so that on closing the umbrella the spring is compressed
within the sleeve:
The top edge of the sleeve is notched and is turned over a wire ring and the
wires are hooked onto the ring at a notch and into a 'hole in the stretcher. By
this arrangement the sleeve is made out of one piece of metal and its cost
considerably lessened' whilst a broken wire can be easily replaced.
In order that the ends of the wires passing through the stretcher shall not
injure the stick, the stretcher is made with a projection and a recess, the wire
passing through a hole in the recess and the projection bearing against the stick
when the umbrella is closed. In a modification a pin is secured across the
chaunelled stretcher.
Dated this 28th day of September 1894.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents..
Improvements in Automatic or Self-opening Umbrellas and
the like.
1 GEORGE BERTRAM Ross, of Rostrevor, Sydenham Park, in the County of
Kent, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to umbrellas and the like which are automatic or self
opening such as those which form the subject matter of Letters Patent 7793
of 1891. These have the advantage of not being more bulky or beavier than
those constructed in the usual manner and they can readily be opened by the same
hand that hold's it and they are not liable to get out of order and can roadily be
converted into an ordinary umbrella. The mechanism of such umbrellas consists
essentially in inserting a helical spring between the runner and a sleeve adapted' to
slide on the runner and connected to the stretchers by short detachable wires so
that on closing the umbrolla or the like the spring is compressed within the sleeve
and opens the umbrella as soon as the runner is released from the catch holding it
in its closed position. When the sleeves. and spring, are removed the umbrella is
converted into an ordinary one.

page_text: The object of my invention is to cheapen and render more practicable such
umbrellas and I accomplish this as follows: The top edge of the sleeve-is notched
and is turned over a wire ring and the wires are hooked onto the ring at a notch
and into a hole in the stretcher. By this arrangement the sleeve is made out of
one piece of metal and its cost considerably lessened whilst a broken wire can be
easily replaced.
In order that the ends of the wires passing through the stretcher shall not injure
the stick the stretcher is made with a projection and a recess the wire passing
through a hole in the recess and the projection bearing against the stick when the
umbrella is closed. In a modification a pin is secured across the channolled
stretcher. In order to readily release the runner when desired to open the
umbrella, the ordinary umbrella catch is provided with an extension extending
beyond the runner.
'
In the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings :
Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical sections of a part of a self opening umbrella showing
the parts in the open and closed positions respectively, and Fig. 3 is a sectional
elevation of the same to a reduced scale.
Figs. 4 to 7 are detail views.
A sleeve a surrounding the stick band mounted on the ruuner c is connected by
short wires d to the stretchers e at a short distance from the runner c. One end of
a short spiral spring bears against the upper end of the runner c and the other
end bears against the bottom of the sleeve a. The spring is inserted under a
considerable degree of compression. When the runner c is pulled down the stick b
the sleeve a as it passes down the stick slides up the runner to a slight extent and
further compresses the spring f. The pressure of the spiral spring/tends to force
the sleeve a down the runner e and thus to cause them both to run up the stick
and the umbrella to open. The umbrella is retained in its closed position by means
of the usual spring catch taking into a notch in the runner in the usual manner,
the said spring being extended beyond the catch and bent and turned over to form
a finger catch the depression of which releases the catch h.
The sleeve a is made out of a single flat piece of metal having its edge notched
and turned over the wire as shown in Fig. 6. The wires d arc hooked onto the
wire and can readily be replaced. In a modification the flat metal from which
the sleeve is formed is provided near its edge with small holes s and the edge is
turned over as shown in Fig. 7. The stretchers e are each formed with a small
hole in the bottom into which the other end of the wired is hooked and the hooked
end is protected by the cover plate m. In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the
bottom of the stretcher is formed with a depression p and the small hole is formed
in the bottom of the stretcher so that the depression comes against the stick and
prevents the ends of the wires d from damaging the stick. In a modification a
pin o is rivetted across the stretcher as shown in Fig. 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
"
'
1. In self opening umbrellas and the like of the kind abovementioned
'connecting the sleeve to the stretchers by short removable wires, substantially
.as'described..
2. In self opening umbrellas and the like of the kind abovementioned the
construction of the sleeve holding the actuating spring substantially as described
with reference to Fig. 6 or to Fig. 7 so that the sleeve is cheaply made and the
operating wires can be readily removed or replaced substantially as described.
3. In self opening umbrellas and the like of the kind abovementioned the
arrangement for connecting the operating wires to the stretchers substantially as
described with reference to Fig. 4 or to Fig. 5 so that the ends of the wires can
"be readily connected and shall not project so as to injure the stick substantially as
described.

page_text: 4. In self opening umbrellas and the like of the kind abovementioned the
combination of the sleeve as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 with readily detachable wires
to the stretchers, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of July 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.