Improvements in Umbrellas.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 13th July, 1886.
Complete Left, 13th Apr., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 13th May, 1887.
Improvements in Umbrellas.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN of the General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street,
Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to enable persons when facing the rain, to see their
way, without lifting the umbrella. Between any two of the usual ribs of the umbrella,
two shorter ribs are placed, hinged on to the same centre as the other ribs, and having
longer radial supports, so that when the umbrella is open, the two short ribs stand
from two to four inches higher than the rest, and when shut they lie evenly with the
other ribs. The covering of the umbrella is shaped to allow the short ribs to take
their proper position, when open, and a portion of the ordinary covering, which would
cover the space under them, is cut away, thus leaving an opening to see through; the
raised part of the umbrella slightly over-hanging the opening, prevents rain passing
through. The same result may be obtained by one short rib, making a triangular
opening, but the umbrella folds up more neatly by having two.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Umbrellas.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, No. 4, South Street,
Finsbury, in the county of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention (a communication from abroad by George Alfred Poole, of Boulogne-
sur-Mer, in the republic of France) and in what manner the same is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
The object of this invention is to enable persons when facing the rain, to see their
way, without lifting the umbrella, which is effected by making an opening in the cover
of the umbrella in such a way as to permit the bearer to see through it, rain at the
same time being excluded.
Between any two of the usual ribs of the umbrella, two shorter ribs are placed,
hinged on to the same top notch as the other ribs, and connected with the runner by
telescopic stretchers hereinafter described, so that when the umbrella is open, the two
short ribs stand from two to four inches higher than the rest, and when shut they lie
evenly with the other ribs. The covering of the umbrella is shaped to allow the short
ribs to take their proper position, when open, and a portion of the ordinary covering,
which would cover the space under them, is cut away, thus leaving an opening to see
through; the raised part of the umbrella slightly overhanging the opening, prevents
rain passing through.
The telescopic stretchers above mentioned are constructed in the following manner :--
I form each of the said stretchers in two parts, the one part being a tube either squaro
or round in section and flattened at the end so as to enable it to be attached to the
runner, the other part being a solid rod or wire and sliding in the tubular part and
provided with a fork so as to enable it to be attached to one of the short ribs.
When the umbrella is open, the free end of the tube presses against the fork of the
wire (the said fork being made square in the shoulders) and keeps the short rib
pressed out to the required extent. The wire extending from its fork passes down the
tube nearly to its full length, and is butted or turned up at the end. The turned up
end may either work in a slot in the side of the tube, the slot being made sufficiently
long for the wire to travel freely, so that in closing the umbrella, it may engage with
the end of the slot in the tube, and draw the short rib close to the stick; or instead of
the tube being slotted, a rivet may be put in, across the said tube, to engage the
turned up end of the wire.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
how the same can be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing
which represents an elevation of an umbrella provided with my improvements.
In the drawing a, is the umbrella stick provided with a top notch as usual, c, the
runner, d, d, d, the ribs and e, e, e, the stretchers, all of which are of usual construction;
ff, are the shorter ribs which I place between any two of the usual ribs d, d, d, and
which I hinge to the top notch 6, in the same manner as the said ribs d, d, d; 9,9, are
the telescopic stretchers of the short ribs f, f, which stretchers are hinged to the same

page_text: runner c as the ordinary stretchers e, e, e; h, is the part of the covering of the
umbrella which I shape in the manner shewn so as to allow the short ribs f,f, when
the umbrella is open, to take a position from two to four inches higher than the
ordinary part i, of the covering which I cut away underneath the part h, thereby
leaving an oblong aperture j, through which the person using the umbrella can see his
way when facing the rain without raising the umbrella; the raised part or canopy
thus formed is made to slightly overhang the opening ), as shewn, in order to prevent
rain from entering.
An umbrella of this construction is opened and closed in the usual manner and
when closed the short ribs f,f, and the stretchers g, g, will lie close against the stick a,
by the side of the other ribs d, d, and stretchers e, e, e.
Another method of forming the aperture in the cover of the umbrella may be
adopted by employing only one short rib, the aperture in that case being triangular.
To prevent the part of the cover immediately below the aperture from dropping out
of place when the umbrella is closed, and before it is rolled up, a fine silk cord is
fastened to it, and passed round the stick above the top notch.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I clain is :-
1. An umbrella having an aperture in the cover thereof as and for the purpose
described.
2. The manufacture and use of the improved umbrella hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
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