CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF UMBERELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMAS, of No. 128 and 129, Cheapside, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth day of October,
in the ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Thomas, Her especial licence
that I, the said William Thomas, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Thomas, my exors, admors, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF UMBERELLAS AND PARASOLS;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said William Thomas,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately

page_text: after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Thomas, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are described and
ascertained by the Drawing annexed to these Presents and the words
following; that is to say :-
These improvements consist in so making and constructing umberellas and
parasoles so that the centre of the covering will be in the centre of the body of
the person using it, thereby giving equal protection to all parts of the clothing
of the user alike, which is not the case with umberellas or parasoles as now
constructed.
In order to shew more fully the parts now to be described, I have attached
to these Presents one Sheet of Drawing, shewing the various modes of
construction, and marked the same with figures and letters of reference.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 shews my first mode of construction. (A, A,) is that
portion of the stem or stick of the umberella which is held by the hand;
(B, B,) shews the upper part which carries the runner and stretchers; C is
the collar to which the bones or ribs are attached; D is what's commonly
called the runner, that carries up and down the stretchers; E, E, are what I
shall call two radious bars, which radiate from two small pins or bearings
forming the joints marked (f, f.) in the stem or stick A, A, the said radious bars
having at their corresponding ends two more pins or barings forming two
more joints as marked (g, g), working into the upper portion of the stick or
stem marked B, B. Now it will be readily seen, by reference to Figure 2,
that by holding the lower portion of the stick or stem A in the right hand,
and pulling the upper portion of the stem or stick B to the left, that the
upper portion B will be drawn out of centre, and still retain a vertical and
parallel position, thereby throwing the umberella out of centre, so as to be
held over the centre of the body of the holder.
Fig. 2 shews the stick or stem nearly closed, and the manner in which the
radious bars E, E, are concealed. Fig. 3 shews an edge view of the stem or
stick wholly closed. (h, h,) is a furrel which has what's commonly called a
bayonet notch, marked (i), which, when drawn up and locked in the pin (2),
will make the whole sufficiently permanent and secure, so that the runner D
may be drawn down and catched over the spring (k), thereby closing the
umberella.
Figures 4, 5, and 6 is another modification of the same principal, wherein
only one radious bar is used, as marked E, Figure 4, radiating from a

page_text: pin as marked (7), and moving at the corresponding end on a pin marked
(m). The upper portion of the stem is kept parallel by means of what I shall
call a parallel bar, as marked (n), working on the same pin or baring (1) as
the radious bar at one end, and at the other end moves on the pin marked
(o), which is fixed in what I shall call the piston block, marked (p). The
piston block moves up and down the brass tubes forming the upper part of
the stem, marked (B), thereby keeping the upper part of the stem B parallel
with the lower part, marked A. The ends of the radious and parallel bars (e)
and (n), which radiate on the pin marked (1), is held firm, when out, by
means of the spring catch (9), which spring catch goes into a notch on the
end of the parallel bar (n), and is kept in its position by means of the spring
at the back of the ketch marked (r), thereby rendering it permanent while
The spring katch and ends of the radious and parallel bars (e) and (n)
are all fastened to another piston block, as marked S. When the umberella
or parasole is to be closed the parts (B) and (A) are brought vertically over
each other, as shewn in Figure 6. The parallel and radious bars (e) and (n)
pass up close to each other, as shewn clearly in the Drawing, when by pressing
the spring ketch (9) you slide down the lever and parallel bars (e) and (n)
with the piston block S into the lower part of the tube forming the stem A,
until the spring ketch (9) comes out through the hole (t), as shewn in
Figures 5 and 4, when the runner D is pulled down over the stem, and the
umberella is closed.
out.
Figure 8 is another modification of the same principle, wherein the two
radious bars, moving on the pins or barings (f) and (g), as before described in
Figure 1, bringing the upper part of the umberella out of centre, and when
out is held permanent by the diagonal brace marked (u) catching into the
notch v, and is held down by the spring (w). There is only this difference,
that in closing the upper and lower portions of the stem they are brought
perpendicular over each other, and the piston block is forced down in the
lower tube B until the spring catch comes out through the slot or hole, as in
Figure 4.
Figure 7 is an arrangement much the same as in Figure 8, with this
difference, that the two parallel bars move on a link at each end, as marked
X, X.
Figure 9 is also another modification, shewing the parallel link (n) fastened
at the centre of the radious bar, and at the other ends fastened on the runners
(d) and (h).
What I claim is, the modes or arrangements, as herein described and par-
ticularly set forth, and also shewn in the Drawing annexed to these Presents, for

page_text: throwing the upper part of the umberella out of centre, so that the covering of
said umberella or parasoles are over the centre of the body of the person
holding them, whether made of wood, brass, iron, or any other material.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thomas, have hereunto set my
band and seal, the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fourth day of April,
in the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid William Thomas came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.