A MACHINE BOR MAXTRACTING SERSTAND A WORDS AND DIRIGOLD MANUFACTURING STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Rodolphe Thiers, of Lyons, Empire of France, and
of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London, for the Invention of "A MACHINE
BOR MAXTRACTING SERSTAND A WORDS AND DIRIGOLD"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Rodolphe Thiers at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th
May 1855.
I, RODOLPHE THIERS, of Lyons, Empire of France, and of 32, Essex Street,
Strand, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
MACHINE POR MANUFACTURING STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS to be as
follows, viz.
Umbrella and parasol stretchers have been till now manufactured by taking
a piece of iron wire of the length and the gauge required by the size of the
stretcher, and straightening the same. The wire is then split at the fork end
by a cutter. The fork is opened so as to receive the rib, and both ends drilled
for fastening on the rib and the ferrel or runner. The present machine is so
constructed as to seize the iron wire at the bundle or coil, straighten, cut, and
fork it by a series of successive operations gone through in one revolution of
the wheel of the engine. This machine is composed of the following working
parts, acting in the manner described hereafter.
A horizontal sliding carriage is moved to and fro by two cranks and con-
necting rods, and has a suitable holder for alternately seizing and releasing the
wire for making the stretcher. The wire is drawn off a barrel and made to
pass through a set of draw plates and rollers in front of said carriage, so that

page_text: it is straightened before undergoing the succeeding operations. The draw
plates being in two parts, are acted upon by cams upon longitudinal shafts in
such manner that the pressure is taken off the jaws when the end passes from
which the fork is made, so as to prevent that part being strained unduly &
rendered cold short. The wire is then introduced between two headstocks,
which can be fixed at a greater or less distance, according to the length of the
stretcher to be made. When the wire has been pushed into these headstocks
the carriage returns to fetch another length of wire, and during this return the
following motions are performed:-Just behind the front part of the wire which
is to be forked out, a plier or holder acted upon by cams closes upon the wire,
and both jaws of the plier descending give the wire an angular bend; during
or after this bending, a vertical shears acted upon by a cam descend and split
the wire end longitudinally, and by the action of the shears the branches are
made to assume the shape of a V, lying in a vertical plane; the branches of
which are straightened again into a horizontal plane by levers acted upon by
cams and springs, and the plier aforesaid rising up again a little, the Vend
of the stretcher stands thus opened in front of a dio form or swage, upon which
the fork is to be formed. At the same time the plier is rising the stretcher wire
is cut off to the required length by the following arrangements and action:
Immediately before the first of the above-mentioned headstocks there is a pair
of shears, which are acted upon by a cam and lever, so as to cut the wire when
the plier is rising, and leave it in the hold of the said pliers, and of a guide
piece placed between the first and second headstock. At this point of motion
two flattening pieces, sliding transversely on the second headstock above
mentioned, are pushed forwards by cams towards the fork, so as to stand
behind the branches of the V, and then the swage or die aforesaid is made by
a cam to advance into the V, driving the same between the flattening pieces
aforesaid, and making the branches of the fork parallel and flat. By this
retrograde motion of the stretcher, the opposite end of the same is made to
pass between another flattening apparatus, which is acted upon by a cam and
lever. The plier aforesaid then opens, and the flattening pieces are drawn
back again, and the stretcher, being only held by the guide piece between the
headstock, is made to fall down by a transverse motion given to the upper half
the. The cams mentioned in the precceding description
are keyed on two longitudinal side shuts
which are driven
by spur and bevel gearing respectively from a transversal driving shaft, and the
whole machine is supported upon a suitable framing.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Rodolphe Thiers, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd November 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RODOLPHE
THIERS, of Lyons, Empire of France, and of 32, Essex Street, Strand, London,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, IIer heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Rodolphe Thiers, Her special licence that I, the said Rodolphe
Thiers, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Rodolphe Thiers, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might inake,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A MACHINE
FOR MANUFACTURING STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Rodolphe Thiers, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Rodolphe Thiers, do hereby declare the
naturo of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The manufacture of umbrella and parasol stretchers as at present carried on
is by taking a piece of iron wire of the length & the gauge required by the
size of the stretcher, and straightening the same. The wire is then split at the
fork end by a cutter. The fork is opened so as to receive the rib, and both ends
drilled for fastening on the rib and the ferrel or runner. The present machine
is so constructed as to seize the iron wire at the bundle, straighten, cut, and
fork it by a series of successive operations gone through in one revolution of
the wheel of the engine.
This machine is composed of the following working parts, acting in the

page_text: manner described hereafter. A horizontal sliding carriage is moved to & fro
by two cranks and connecting rod, and has a suitable holder for alternately
seizing and releasing the wire for making the stretcher. The wire is drawn off' a
barrel & made to pass through a set of draw plates and rollers in front of said
carriage, so that it is straightened before undergoing the succeeding operations.
The draw plates being in two parts, are acted upon by cams upon longi-
tudinal shafts in such manner that the pressure is taken off the jaws when the
ends pass from which the fork eye are made, so as to prevent those parts being
strained unduly and rendered cold short. The wire is then introduced between
two headstocks, which can be fixed at a greater or less distance, according to
the length of the stretcher to be made. When the wire has been pushed into
these headstocks the carriage returns to fetch another length of wire, and
during this return the following motions are performed:-Just behind the front
part of the wire which is to be forked out, a plier or bolder acted upon by
cams closes upon the wire, and both jaws of the plier descending give the wire
an angular bend; during or after this bending, vertical shears acted upon by
a cam descend and split the wire end longitudinally, and by the action of the
shears the branches are made to assume the shape of a V, lying in a vertical
plane; the branches of which are straightened again into a horizontal plane by
levers acted upon by cams & springs, and the plier aforesaid rising up again
a little, the V end of the stretcher stands thus opened in front of a die form
or swage, upon which the fork is to be formed. At the same time the plier is
rising the stretcher wire is cut off to the required length by the following
arrangements and action:-Immediately before the first of the above-mentioned
headstocks there is a pair of shears, which are acted upon by a cam & lever,
so as to cut the wire when the plier is rising, and leave it in the hold of the
said pliers, and of a guide piece placed between the first and second headstock.
At this point of motion two flattening pieces, sliding transversaly on the second
headstock above mentioned, are pushed forward by cams towards the fork, so
as to stand behind the branches of the V, and then the swage or die aforesaid
is made by a cam to advance into the V, driving the same between the flatten-
ing pieces aforesaid, and making the branches of the fork parallel & flat. By
this retrograde motion of the stretcher, the opposite end of the same is made to
pass between another flattening apparatus, which is acted upon by a cam and
lever. The plier aforesaid then opens', and the flattening pieces are drawn
back again, and the stretcher, being only held by the guide piece between the
headstock, is made to fall down by a transverse motion given to the upper half
of the said guide piece. The cams mentioned in the preceding description are
keyed on two longitudinal side shafts and a cross shaft, which are driven by

page_text: spur & bevel gearing respectively from a transversal driving shaft, and tho
whole machine is supported upon a suitable framing.
Having thus briefly set forth the nature of my Invention, I will now proceed
to describe the same in details, reference being had to the annexed Sheet of
Drawings.
'
;,
It consists of a framing A bearing the whole apparatus. The pulley B is
set in motion by means of any motive power, and this motion is transmitted
by the gear wheels 1, 2, 3, & 4 to the shaft C, each end of which bears a
crank D with sliding knobs E, that hold the connecting rods F in order to
regulate their course, and the other end of the connecting rods F hold the both
ends of the cross piece G, which slides in the grooves H of the framing; said
cross piece G bears the holder that is to lead forth the wire. The shaft C
transmits, through the upright wheels 4 and 5, its motion to the shaft 1 of
the fixed headstock, and through the angular wheels 6, 7, 8, & 9, it works
the shafts J, J', that carry the cams. On the back side of the small
grooves H of the framing is the apparatus K for the straightening of the wire.
The holder L, that leads the wire, presses it and carries it along in its
course forwards, and lets it loose in its course backwards when the making of
the fork takes place, the wire being immovable during this last notion back-
wards of the holder. The wire thus held, in order to be unrolled off the whisk
on which it is rolled up, passes through the draw plates a, a, maintained tight
by the levers b, b', and the cams c, c'. These cams are regulated so as to let
their jaws rather loose at the passage of those parts of the wire intended to
form the fork end, for preventing said parts being unduly strained and rendered
cold short; thence the wire passes between two rollers in the piece d, where
it is thoroughly straightened. The working is effected by means of two
headstocks; one of which is immovable for the working of the fork end,
and the other movable for the working of the other end.
The wire held by the holder passes through the movable headstock, which
is rendered immovable. When reaching the other end of the stretcher between
the two headstocks, the wire goes through the guide M, made of two pieces.
At this moment, whilst the holder goes back to fetch another length of wire,
the following work is effected:-The bits e, e', operated by the levers f,f', and
the cam 9, 9', act upon and press the wire, allowing only that end to pass
which is to be split. The scissors h, guided by its lever i and the cam J, are
let down upon the lower scissors for splitting the end of the wire, which being
done, the rod 1,1, led by the cams m, m³, and the spring levers acting upon
each branch n, n³, of the vertical V-shaped split, cause said branches to form a
horizontal V, opposite the piece q. The wire passing through the movable

page_text: headstock is engaged into a steel ring, forming scissors, together with the
lower piece p, that is guided by the lever q and the cam r. When the piece p
rises simultaneously with the bits c, e', that hold the wire, it cuts the latter of
a fit length upon the steel ring, and the stretcher is held by the bits and by the
guide M. At this point of motion, the flattening pieces s, s¹, of the movable
headstock, pushed forwards by their cams t, t, and their levers u, u', comie
closer behind the front part of the horizontal V, formed by the split end, and
the piece o is made by its cam N to advanco between the branches of the V.
The bits e, e', get loose, and the piece o carries the stretcher backwards by
causing it to slide into the guide piece M, and thence under the flattening
pieces 8, 8. By this retrograde motion of the stretcher, the other end of the
same is made to pass under another flattening piece v, which, pushed forwards
by its lever and by its cam. y, flattens it against a fixed die or swage; the
flattening pieces and the piece o are then made to withdraw the bits to get
completely loose, and the stretcher now made up is no longer held but by the
guide picce M, the upper half of which, being set in motion by the cam Z
and the spring lever b, goes forwards and forces the stretcher to drop down,
and the same operation begins again. The length of the stretcher is of
course the same as the distance between the two head blocks.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, & the mauner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that what I claim as novel, and being secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is, making parasol and umbrella stretchers
mechanically as above described, claiming also as my own all processes which,
not departing from the principle of my Invention, should only differ from
it by details.
In witness whereof, I, the said Rodolphe Thiers, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.