Improvements in and relating to Umbrellas.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 18th Sept.,
1897
We
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Umbrellas.
FRANCOIS
HERMENEGILDE GENEREUX, Inventor, ROBERT ROBERTS,
Gentleman, LOUIS JONCAS, Landlord, ARMAND MIGNAULT, Doctor of Medicine,
SIM ÉON BROUSSEAU, Gentleman, all of 32, Harbor Street, Salem-Massachusetts,
United States of America, 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:-
Our invention relates to folding umbrellas, and it consists in certain novel
features of construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be
readily understood by reference to the descriptions of the accompanying drawings,
and to the claims hereto appended, and in which our invention is clearly pointed
out.
Figure 1 of the drawings is a sectional elevation of an umbrella embodying
our invention.
:
Figure 2 is an elevation of the stick, one stretcher, and one rib partially folded.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the upper end of the tubular
stick, the top-notch, the cap ferrule, and the tip, and showing the means for
detachably connecting said tip to the stick.
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the handle and a portion of the lower
end of the stick, and illustrates the means employed for adjusting the handle on
'the stick to shorten the same when folded.
Figure 5 is an elevation of a portion of the stick, a stretcher, and a rib, the
latter being folded upon itself, and the stretcher in position parallel, or nearly
so, to the upper section of the rib.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the coupling and locking devices, connecting
the two parts of the rib and the stretcher with the two sections of the rib locked
together in extended position.
Figure 7 is an elevation of the same parts in the same positions, but viewed
from a position at a right angle to that of Figure 6.
Figure 8 is an elevation of the same parts, with the locking devices disconnected
and the lower section of the rib partially folded upon the upper section.
Figures 9 and 10 are respectively a plan and a longitudinal section of the
runner, and
Figure 11 is a transverse section through the handle on liner on Figure 4.
In the drawing, a and a¹ are the two sections of the stick preferably made
of metal tubes, connected together by the link a², to each end of which is pivotted
one of the sections a and a¹³, said sections being held firmly in extended position
by means of the sleeve b fitting closely the peripheries of said stick-sections, and
movable endwise thereon to uncover or cover the link a³, and portions of the
contiguous ends of said stick-sections, in a well-known manner,
The upper section a¹ of the tubular stick has secured thereto by the pin c¹ the
top-notch e, of usual construction, and to which the upper sections dd of the
ribs are secured in a well known manner.
The upper end of the section a¹ of the stick has fitted therein, so as to be movable

page_text: endwise and revoluble therein, the cylindrical piston e, to which is connected
one end of the chain e', the other end of which is connected to the threaded
stem e², fitted to a female thread in said stick, section a', and forming a portion
of the tip or terminal a³ of the stick, said stem being surrounded at its threaded
end by the depending sleeve e³, which surrounds and encloses the upper end of the
stick section a¹ and the flanged sleeve or collar f, when said tip is screwed to said
stick section, all as shown in Figure 3.
The pin c¹, which secures the top-notch e to the stick section a', is located at
one side of the axis of the stick section, so as not to interfere with the chain e¹,
and in proper position to serve as a stop to limit the outward movement of the
piston e, and thus prevent the entire disconnection of the tip a³, when unscrewed
for the purpose of reducing the length of the folded umbrella.
The lower section a, of the stick, has adjustably secured thereto the handle
9
which has formed therein a cylindrical chamber g¹, in the open end of which is
firmly secured the tube provided with the longitudinal slot g and fitted to
and movable endwise upon the stick section a in the lower end of which is secured
the outwardly projecting pin at which engages said slot, to prevent the handle
being pulled entirely off said stick section, or revolved thereon.
The tube g² is provided on its, exterior near its outer end with the pin g5 which
engages with the handle in such a manner as to prevent said tube being revolved
within said handle and is prevented from being withdrawn therefrom by the
pin g which passes through said handle and a hole in said pin g as shown in
Figure 11.
The handle g is slotted at g³, and has pivotted in said slot the locking lever h,
having the inwardly projecting lug or pin h¹ which engages a hole in the stick
section a, to secure said handle in its normal or extended position, said lug or
pin h¹ being automatically forced into engagement with said hole by the spring h²,
inserted between the opposite end of said lever h and the periphery of the tube g².
The stick section a is provided with the spring catch i, firmly secured by one end
within the stick with its pin or movable end projecting through a slot in the
side of the tube a, and is provided with a notch in or near said movable end
to engage the runner, to maintain the ribs in closed position.
The outer edge of the catch i, upon each side of said notch ¹, is inclined so
that the runner can be moved towards said notch from either direction, and the
handle g may be moved over said catch without its being necessary for the operator
to depress said catch.
The upper rib section d has secured thereon, near its lower end, the locking
hook or catch j, which projects inward therefrom, and the extreme lower end
of said rib section has formed thereon, or secured thereto, the lug or enlarge-
ment as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8.
A portion of the upper end of the lower rib-section d' is bent inward and down-
ward into a position parallel to the main body of said rib section in the form of
an inverted letter U, having one long arm ¹, and a short arm d², upon which
two arms is fitted the block k, so as to be movable endwise thereon, and the
block is firmly secured to said two arms at the extreme end of the shorter arm,
and a coiled spring m surrounds said shorter arm between the blocks and 1,
all as shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8.
The block or enlargement j' and the block are pivotted together at n, and the
block k has pivotted thereto, by the pin o, the enlarged end of the stretcher p
as shown in Figure 8.
The opposite end of the stretcher p is pivotted to the runner p¹ in a well-known
manner.
The runner is of usual construction except that its tube is extended above
the junction of the stretchers, and has a flange p³ turned outward therefrom
as shown in Figures 9 and 10, and is made to slide freely over the sleeve b, and, to
engage the spring catch i set in the stick section a, to secure the ribs in closed
position, and with the catch r, which is of the same construction as the catch i

page_text: and is set in the stick section a¹ and serves to hold the runner in its proper
position, when the umbrella is spread for use.
The endwise movements of the sleeve
Figure 1.
are limited by the pins s and s¹, see
The flange of the runner p¹ has a diameter nearly as large as the flanged
portion of said runner and serves to prevent the ribs being packed too close together
so as to get entangled when the umbrella is folded, and it also serves to throw
the folded ribs outward, when it is desired to put the umbrella into -condition
for use, after being folded.
The pin o, by which the stretcher is connected to the block k, projects from
the side of said block k, opposite to the stretcher p, in a position to strike, the
inclined inner surface of the locking catch j, when the rib section d¹ is brought
into line, or nearly so, with the rib section d.
The operation of our invention is as follows:-
The umbrella being in extended and closed condition with the runner engaging
the notch of the catch i, if it is desired to fold the umbrella so as to pack it
in a valise the first operation is to press the catch inward and draw the runner
toward the handle, the effect of which is to compress the springs m to a sufficient
extent to withdraw the pins o from engagement with the locking catch,j, when
the reactions of the springs m will immediately throw the rib sections d' outward
about the pivots n, into position substantially at right angles to the stick.
The operator then grasps the umbrella around the covering, near its connection
to the stick, holds the umbrella vertical, with the handle upward, and turns the
rib sections downward into positions parallel, or nearly so, to the rib sections d,
and grasps their tips in connection with what he already holds.
He then moves the runner along the stick towards the top-notch till the runner
engages the notch in the catch r, at which time the folded rib sections will diverge
from the top-notch at about the same angle as when the umbrella is spread for
use.
The operator however compresses the catch r and continues the movement of
the runner towards the top-notch e, a distance sufficient to permit the folded ribs
to be moved into positions parallel with and in proximity to the stick sections a¹,
when the handle is unlocked from the stick section a, and moves towards the
top-notch e till the outer, or handle, end of the stick-section a strikes the closed
end of the chamber g¹ in said handle, thereby shortening the aggregate length
of the umbrella, from two and one half to three inches.
The sleeve b is then moved towards the handle g until it strikes the stop pin s,
and then the stick section a with the handle is folded over upon the folded cover-
ing and ribs, and the tip a³ is unscrewed and folded over upon the covering in
which condition an umbrella that, when extended to its full length, is three
feet in length, is reduced to a compact package only fifteen inches in length
capable of being easily packed in a comparatively small valise.
If the umbrella is folded and it is desired for use, the tip is screwed into position,
the stick sections are brought into alignment and the sleeve b is moved towards
and into contact with the pin s¹, the handle is extended and locked in its normal
position.
The folded ribs are then moved away from the stick sufficiently for the operator
to reach the runner 1, which he moves along the stick until it engages the notch it
in the spring catch i, the umbrella being held in an upright position with the
tip as uppermost, and then the rib sections are moved about the pivot till
they are nearly in line with the rib sections d, and the pins o strike against the
inclined inner surfaces u of the locking catches j.
The umbrella is now in condition to be spread for use, although the rib sections
are not locked together.
In the act of spreading the umbrella, the pressure of the stretchers p causes
the pins
o to move along the inclined surfaces u of the catches j,,moving the
blocks towards the blocks and compressing the springs m, to permit the pins o

page_text: to pass the points of said catches, when the reactions of the springs m completes
the locking.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In a folding umbrella a rib made in two sections the upper section of which
is pivotted at its movable end to the lower rib section at a point removed from
its inner end; a block mounted upon and movable endwise of said lower rib
section, between its inner end and its pivotal connection to the upper rib section,
a spring mounted on said lower rib section between said movable biock and the
pivotal connection of said rib-sections; a locking catch carried by said upper
section, above its pivotal connection to the lower rib section; a locking pin carried
by said movable block and adapted to engage said locking catch when said rib
sections are in extended positions; and a stretcher pivotted at one end to said
movable block and adapted to be operated in the usual manner.
2. In a folding umbrella, the combination with a jointed stick, a top-notch
mounted thereon, and a runner movable endwise thereof, of the rib section d
provided with the locking latch j and the lug or enlargment j'; the rib section d';
the block secured in a fixed position on said rib section at a short distance
from its inner or upper end and pivotted to the lug or enlargement j; the block k
movably mounted on said rib section d' at its inner end; the spring m; the pin o
set in the block k; and the stretcher p pivotted at one end to the block k and
at its other end to the runner on the stick.
3. The combination in a folding umbrella of a stick jointed at or near the
middle of its length; a handle provided with, a cylindrical chamber extending
nearly through its length and with a slot cut through its side; a tubular, bushing
set in a fixed position in the open end of said chamber fitted to and movable end-
wise of the stick and provided with an opening in its side registering with the
slot in the side of said handle; a locking lever pivotted in the slot of said handle
and provided with a lug or pin to engage an opening in the stick section; the lower
stick section provided with a radial opening or recess to receive said lug or pin;
and a spring to force said lug or pin into engagement with said opening or
recess.
4. An umbrella constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as
hereinbefore described and shown.
Dated this 10th day of April 1897
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
Associate Agent.
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,