IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Spendlove Desborough, of Noble Street, St. Martin's-
le-Grand, in the City of London, Manufacturer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS."
Sealed the 7th February 1862, and dated the 15th August 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Spendlove Desborough
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th August 1861.
I, SPENDLOVE DESBOROUGH, of Noble Street, St. Martin's-le-Grand, in the
City of London, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," to
be as follows:-
The first part of this Invention relates to the form and construction of the
metal ribs, stretchers, and joints of umbrella and parasol frames, and consists
in forming the ribs and stretchers of metallic wire, the section of which is of
T, triangular, bayonet, or other similar shape, in place of solid, tubular,
or trough shape, as heretofore employed. Ribs and stretchers constructed
according to my Invention possess great strength and lightness, and owing to
their peculiar form are very suitable for having the joints formed thereto
which connect the stretchers to the ribs and runner, and the ribs to the
top notch.
In carrying out this part of my Invention I prefer to employ steel wire
drawn to the sections before described, and cut into suitable lengths for the

page_text: ribs and stretchers of umbrellas and parasols, and I prefer to curve the surface
of the rib which comes against the inner side of the cover forming the
umbrella or parasol. The ends of the rib are pressed in suitable dies or
tools to form the tip and joint which is connected to the top notch, and the
ends of the stretchers are also shaped in suitable tools to fork, pierce, and
shape them suitably for connecting them to the ribs and the runner, as is well
understood.
Another part of my Invention consists in forming the metal ribs and
stretchers of umbrellas and parasols of a double trough or similar shape,
thus m, or having two or more longitudinal channels. Ribs and stretchers
made according to this part of my Invention may either be drawn (to form
the channels)-through-suitable-dies,-or-they-may be formed_from_a_flat_strip
of steel, or other suitable.metal, by passing the same through rolls of suitable
form to produce the channels, and the ends and joints may be formed to such
ribs and stretchers in suitable tools, as described in respect to the first part of
my Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Spendlove Desborough in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th February 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, 'SPENDLOVE
DESBOROUGH, of Noble Street, St. Martin's-le-Grand, in the City of London,
Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Spendlove Desborough, Her special licence that I, the said
Spendlove Desborough, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Spendlove Desborough, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF UMBRELLAS
AND PARASOLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Spendlove Desborough, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in

page_text: writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Spendlove Desborough, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the form and construction of the metal ribs,
stretchers, and joints of umbrella and parasol frames, and consists in forming
the ribs and stretchers of metallic wire, the section of which is of T, triangular,
bayonet, or other similar shape, in place of solid, tubular, or trough shape,
as heretoforo employed. Ribs and stretchers constructed according to my
Invention possess great strength and lightness, and owing to their peculiar
form are very suitable for having the joints formed thereto which connect the
stretchers to the ribs and runner, and the ribs to the top notch.
In carrying out this part of my Invention I prefer to employ steel wire
drawn to the sections before described, and cut into suitable lengths for the
ribs and stretchers of umbrellas and parasols, and I prefer to curve the surface
of the rib which comes against the inner side of the cover forming the umbrella
or parasol. The ends of the rib are pressed in suitable dies or tools to form
the tip and joint which is connected to the top notch, and the ends of tho
stretchers are also shaped in suitable tools to fork, pierce, and shape them
suitably for connecting them to the ribs and the runner, as is well understood.
Another part of my Invention consists in forming the metal ribs and
stretchers of umbrellas and parasols of a double trough, or similar shape thus M,
or having two or more longitudinal channels. Ribs and stretchers made
according to this part of my Invention, may either be drawn (to form the
channels) through suitable dies, or they may be formed from a flat strip of
steel or other suitable metal by passing the same through rolls of suitable form
to produce the channels, and the ends and joints may be formed to such ribs
and stretchers in suitable tools, as described, in respect to the first part of my
Invention. And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and
readily practised, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.

page_text: tion. In manufacturing metal ribs and stretchers of this or similar form
according to the first part of my Invention, I prefer to employ steel wire of
suitable guage according to the various sizes and strength required for the
intended ribs or stretchers, and having annealed such wire I draw the same
through dies having apertures of suitable form to reduce the wire to the shapes
required. The wire when drawn to the form required is cut into suitable
lengths for the ribs or stretchers of umbrellas or parasols, and whilst in a soft
state one end of each rib to form a tip thereto is pressed in suitable tools or
dies by preference to the form shewn in side view at Figure 2, a hole being
pierced through the flattened part in order to form an eye, to which the cover
is attached, as is well understood. The other end of each rib is flattened and
pierced, as shewn at Figure 3, suitable for being connected to the top notch in
the ordinary manner. In order to connect the stretchers to the ribs, as shewn
at Figure 4, I first slightly flatten the rib a and apply a middle bit c by
pressure, as is well understood; and in place of forming a forked end to each
stretcher, I prefer to flatten and pierce each end of the stretcher alike, and the
middle bit is formed with a slot or recess to receive the end of the stretcher,
the parts being secured by a pin in the usual manner of forming the joints of
metallic frames of umbrellas and parasols.
I would remark that it has before been proposed to form the ribs of
umbrellas and parasols of wire drawn to a triangular form, somewhat similar
to the forms described by me according to the first part of my Invention, but
such ribs were defective, and would twist when bent by reason of the narrow-
ness of the outer surface as compared with the depth of the internal longi-
tudinal rib or flange formed thereon, and an important feature of this part of
my Invention consists in forming the internal central rib a' of the metal ribs
of umbrellas and parasols before described narrow, or of little depth as
compared with the breadth of the outer surface of the rib which comes against
the cover of the umbrella or parasol. The metal wire intended for the
stretchers of umbrellas and parasols may be drawn bayonet shape according
to my Invention, as shown in section Figure 3*.
Figures 5 and 6 show sections of metal ribs or stretchers for umbrellas or
parasols of double trough-like form, two (or it might be more longitudinal
channels) being formed in such ribs or stretchers according to the second part
of my Invention. Ribs and stretchers made according to this part of my
Invention may either be drawn (to form the channels) through dies o
suitable form, as is well understood in drawing wire or lengths of metal of
other forms, or such ribs or stretchers may be formed from a flat strip or fillet
of steel, or other suitable metal by passing the same through rolls of suitable

page_text: form to produce longitudinal channels therein, and such ribs and stretchers
when cut to suitable lengths may be readily shaped at the ends to form the
tips and joints by dies and pressure, as is well understood in the manu-
facture of other forms of metal ribs and stretchers of umbrellas and parasols.
In witness whereof, I, the said Spendlove Desborough, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
SPENDLOVE DESBOROUGH. (L.S.)
34, Southampton Buildings, W.C.