IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR PROTECTING THE COVERINGS OF UMBRELLAS, PARASOLS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Welch, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Manager, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
FOR PROTECTING THE COVERINGS OF UMBRELLAS, PARASOLS, AND SIMILAR
ARTICLES."
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Welch at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th December 1873.
I, JAMES WELCH, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Manager,
5 do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS FOR PROTECTING THE COVERINGS OF UMBRELLAS, PARASOLS, AND SIMILAR
ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to umbrellas, parasols, parachutes, and to any
other articles used for similar purposes, and which may be otherwise

page_text: Previously to my said Invention umbrellas have been provided with
loose covers, and before opening or expanding an umbrella so provided
it has been necessary to entirely remove the said loose cover, and
as the said cover when removed from the umbrella has been incon-
venient to carry about and has been liable to be lost, and as the covering
and uncovering of the umbrella has been troublesome, the said covers
have in most cases been discarded.
According to my said Invention I attach a protecting cover or
envelope made of a suitable material to the umbrella in such a manner
as that it is only necessary to slip or roll the said cover downwards
towards the ferule when the umbrella is to be expanded, the cover not
being necessarily detached or entirely removed from the umbrella. A.
cover or envelope which I consider to be suitable is made of thin caout-
chouc of a tubular form, and is provided or formed at one end with a
ring, and at the other end is suitably formed to fit on to or to be attached
to the umbrella stick.
When the umbrella is expanded the said ring is rolled downwards
towards the ferule end of the umbrella, the envelope rolling upon the
said ring and upon itself. The said envelope may be large enough to
protect the whole of the umbrella covering, or only a part thereof, as
may be preferred.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Welch in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th June 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES 2
WELCH, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Welch, Her special licencè
that I, the said James Welch, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Welch, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time 3

page_text: 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 MEANS FOR PRO-
TECTING THE COVERINGS OF UMBRELLAS, PARASOLS, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES,”
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Welch,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Welch, 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 and accompanying Drawings, that is to say:-
My Invention relates to umbrellas, parasols, parachutes, and to any
other articles used for similar purposes, and which may be otherwise
designated.
Previously to my said Invention umbrellas have been provided with
loose covers, and before opening or expanding an umbrella so provided
it has been necessary to entirely remove the said loose cover, and as the
said cover when removed from the umbrella has been inconvenient to.
carry about, and has been liable to be lost, and as the covering and un-
covering of the umbrella has been troublesome, the said covers have in
most cases been discarded.
According to my said Invention I attach a protecting cover or
envelope made of a suitable material to the umbrella in such a manner
as that it is only necessary to roll the said cover downwards towards the
ferule when the umbrella is to be expanded, the cover not being neces-
sarily detached or entirely removed from the umbrella. A cover or
envelope which I consider to be suitable is made of thin caoutchouc of
a tubular form, and is provided or formed at one end with a ring, and
at the other end is suitably formed to fit on to or to be attached to the
umbrella stick.
3
When the umbrella is expanded the said ring is rolled downwards
towards the ferule end of the umbrella, the envelope rolling upon the

page_text: said ring and upon itself. The said envelope may be large enough to
protect the whole of the umbrella covering or only a part thereof, as
may be preferred.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I will
refer in this place to the Sheet of Drawings which accompanies this
Specification, wherein Fig. 1 represents the lower part of an umbrella
which is supplied with one of my improved covers, the said cover being
represented as when extended. In Fig. 2 the said cover is represented
as when rolled up.
In the said Figures a is so much of an ordinary umbrella as has been
considered necessary to illustrate my Invention, and 6 is the said cover.
In the example the cover is formed entirely of caoutchouc and is of a
tubular form. One end of the cover is contracted and is formed to
clasp the stick c, the other end being formed with a ring d. The said
ring is formed of two strands of caoutchouc twisted together, this con-
struction having been founed to facilitate the rolling of the said ring
upon the umbrella.
When the umbrella is to be expanded the ring d is pushed downwards
towards the ferule end of the umbrella in such a manner as that the
said ring will roll upon the umbrella, and the rolling being continued
the tubular part of the cover will be rolled up into the form of a
ring somewhat as seen at 6, in Fig. 2. The umbrella may then be
expanded.
The covering of the umbrella is effected by pushing the coiled portion
of the cover towards the handle so as to cause it to unrol.
The form of the cover may be greatly varied, as for example, I
propose to make covers having a short tubular part to fit on the stick c,
the outer diameter of this tubular part being about the same as the
diameter of the lower covered part of the umbrella marked * in Fig. 2,
the principle object being to facilitate the unrolling of the cover. In
the example the cover is not intended to enclose the whole of the
umbrella, that is to say, of the textile covering of the umbrella, but the
covers may be made either longer or shorter than represented, so as to
enclose less or more of the umbrella.
I do not wish to confine myself to the use of caoutchouc in the
formation of the umbrella as other materials may be employed for the

page_text: purpose as preferred or found to be suitable, what I consider to be the
novel feature of my Invention being that the cover is not detached or
removed from the umbrella, parasol, parachute, or other similar article,
when such umbrella or article is expanded, but is formed and fitted to
be rolled up or contracted into a small compass and to remain on a
part of the umbrella or article during the time when the said umbrella
or article is in use in an expanded form, substantially as herein set forth
and indicated, and this is what I desire to claim as secured to me by the
herein before mentioned Letters Patent.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Welch, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Signed and sealed by the said
James Welch in the presence of
HUGH G. GRANT,
Clerk to Edward K. Dutton,
3, Princess Street,
Manchester.
JAMES WELCH. (L.S.)