Year: 1898

page_text: A communication from abroad by HENRY FLEISCH, of the City, County, and State
of New York, United States of America, Meichant
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of the present invention is to produce an umbrella-frame which
shall be more convenient in operation than umbrellas heretofore made and used,
and which may be opened and closed with a much smaller movement at the
handle end of the stick and outside the location of the tips of the ribs when
the umbrella is closed
Another object of the invention is to produce an umbrella-frame which,
when provided with the usual cloth or silk covering, will be small and sym-
metrical in shape, since it has been the object of many manufactureis to produce
a small and symmetrical umbrella
A further object of the invention is to secure this desired result without
materially increasing 'the cost of production and also to produce a more simple
and durable umbrella-frame than any that have been heretofore produced
In the improved umbrella-frame herein described and claimed, the ribs are
loosely or pivotally connected to the stick or staff by which the umbrella 18
held or carried, and the spreaders are loosely or pivotally connected to the ribs
and to the operating slide which, when the umbrella-frame is closed, extends
nearer the tip end of the umbrella-frame than the point of connection of the
ribs and spreaders, thus enabling the spreaders to lie in proximity to the tip
end of the stick or staff when the umbrella-frame is closed, and the umbrella
frame 18 spread by a movement of the slide towards the handle-end of the
umbrella-frame By this construction the umbrella may be spread or closed
by a slight movement of the slide at or near the handle or butt end of the
stick without the necessity of running the hand down into the umbrella in either
operation, as in umbrellas of the usual construction and with much less extent
of movement of the parts than 18 ordinarily required with umbrellas of other forms
At the same time the construction is cheap.
Connected to the stick at its butt or lower end is a handle within which
for a portion of its length and surrounding the stick, 18 an annular space in which
the sliding tube works Thus the moans for operating the tube may be located
entirely in the handle and out of the way of the ribs when folded and the use
of slots in the stick for pins working in said slots and connected with the tube,
avoided
A catch may be provided for the slide which latter may be of any desired
form and may be provided with an operating knob or button or other operating

page_text: mechanism, whereby it may be caused to slide upon the rod or stick. The slide
may be guided in or on the stick in any desired manner.
The invention relates also to the construction of the joints employed for
making pivotal or hinged connections between the several working parts of an
umbrella, that is to say, between the ribs and the crown and between the spreaders
and the ribs, as also to those between the ribs and the slide, and especially to
that class of joints which are made upon the ball and socket principle
Ball and socket joints for umbrella ribs and spreaders as heretofore made have
required ribs of special shape and have, owing to their construction, been of
such large size as to be unsuited for use with tight rolling umbrellas More-
over, they have generally been of complicated and expensive construction and
have not been adapted for holding the parts in proper position and insuring
free and easy working The aim of the present invention is to overcome these
several objections and at the same time to produce a simple and cheap con-
struction the parts of which can mostly be made by machinery in large quan-
tities while the work required in assembling the parts will require expenditure
of little time and labor
In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1, shows the frame with the
ribs spread or extended Fig. 2, is & central longitudinal section
through the handle end of the stick. Fig 3, shows the frame closed. Fig 4,
shows in side elevation and partial section the parts of an umbrella frame having
ball and socket joints of the improved construction Fig 5, shows in plan
the crown of an umbrella frame having the improved joint Fig. 6, shows in
nlan one member of the crown carrying one half of each member of the several
joints Fig 7, shows a part of the crown carrying the other halves of the same
member Fig 8, shows in side elevation and partial section the ball and socket
connection between the spreaders and riba. Fig. 9 shows the parts of the joint
in horizontal section on the line X, X Fig. 10, is a view in detail of one of the
pieces used in the construction of said joint.
A, is the stick or staff of any construction or material, preferably a metal
tube, and having the ribs D, loosely or pivotally connected with it near its tip.
as shown B, is the handle or butt of the stick connected with or attached thereto
in any desired way Spreaders or stretchers C, C, connect the ribs with the
operating slide or stem E, carrying at its upper end a ring or crown which
encircles and slides upon the stick and with which said spreaders are loosely
or pivotally connected in any suitable way The operating slide E, is guided
by, upon or in the stick or staff A, and extends into the handle or butt, as
shown in the sectional view It is preferably arranged to slide as a tube upon
the stick, but, as shown, extends, when the umbrella-frame is closed, (as in
Fig 3,) from a point of connection with the spreaders which is bevond or nearer
the tip than the pivotal connection of the spreaders and ribs It also extends
down beyond the tips of the ribs for operation by the devices in the handle in
opening the umbrella, which 19 done by moving said slide down into the position
approximately indicated in Fig 1, where it may be held by means of the usual
or any suitable spring catch as F, or by other means To shut the umbrella
moved towards the tip of the stick, after releasing the catch
of a catch be emploved
frame the slide
Or
For lightness, parts of the tubular slide may be cut away to make a skeleton
structure Suitable operating pins G, attached to the slide project through slots in
the handle, as shown, and may have knobs upon their outer ends for convenience
of operation or may be provided with any other attachment or attachments
other means may be provided for operating the tube or slide
To release the catch, a button H, 18 provided
at its inner end, where rt engages the catch so as to permit the slide to pass
This button is preferably rounded
it readily in locking and unlocking The catch acts as the returning pring for
the button, but a separate spring may be provided for this purpose, if desired.

page_text: The tips of the ribs, when closed, may be retained by a cup I, which is slid
down over them after closing.
It is evident, of course, that the invention is equally applicable to a frame
for parasols as it is to a frame for umbrellas
If seen from the foregoing that the new umbrella-frame has many advan-
tages, in construction and in use, over any that have heretofore been made or
used, among which may be mentioned the following, although others are obvious to
those skilled in the art In the new umbrella-fiame it is not necessary for the
user to put his hand inside the umbrella to open the same or to close it, a
disagreeable thing to do when the umbrella is wet or damp; nor is it necessary
to manipulate the stem so far in opening or closing the umbrella-frame, as is
necessary in prior structures; nor can the wind reverse the umbrella-frame,
because the stem may be locked against movement when the umbrella-frame is
opened In apperance the umbrella-frame is, when closed, more symmetrical,
due to the fact that the spreaders lie at the tip end of the umbrella-frame, where
there is the least amount of cloth or silk covering, while in prior structures
the spreaders, when the umbrella-frame is closed, lie near the handle end of the
umbrella-frame, where there is the greatest amount of cloth or silk covering
The invention is not confined to the particular form shown, as obviously modi-
fications thereof may be made by persons skilled in the ait, it being clear that
the essential feature of the invention consists in the rod or stick, cairying upon
its respective ends, a handle and pivotal bearings for the ribs, and mounted upon
said rod o stick, a sliding tube which carries at one end pivotal bearings for
the spreaders and has its other end operatively mounted in or upon the fixed
handle and there provided with means for controlling longitudinal movement
of the tube upon the 1od, the tube moving toward the outer end of the rod to
close the umbrella, and thce versa The umbrella is thus controlled by means
outside the ends of the ribs and the umbrella can be opened without introducing
the hand into the umbrella.
The improved construction of the ball and socket joint or connection for the
ribs and spreaders 18 illustrated in Figs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 The object of this
improved construction is to produce a cheap and durable umbrella the parts of
which are conveniently assembled, as well as to allow the ready removal of a
rib or 11bs in making repairs
In applying this improved construction to the crown K, where the ribs con-
nect with the stick or staff, said crown is made with two relatively movable or
rotatable parts each of which carries a seues of projections in or on which are
formed respectively halves of one member of the ball and socket so that by
placing the parts in proper relative position and arranging the ends of the ribs
which form the other member of the points between said halves and bringing
said halves together by rotating the parts of which the crown is constructed, the
ends of said be will be securely gripped or held. By then securing the said
rotatable parts of the crown against further movement, the ribs will be securely
gripped and held in place
In carrving out this improvement it is obvious that the ball portion of the
Joint may be formed on the end of the rib and the socket portion formed in two
parts one each upon a projection from one of the rotatable parts of the crown or
each projection from the part of the crown might be in the form of a ball or
hemisphere which would enter a socket or depression in one side of the end of
the rib
The crown K, is formed with two relatively rotatable parts a¹, a³, each having
a series of projections, which are adapted to overlap with the projections upon
the other when the said parts a, a, are brought into suitable proximity Each
part a, a, consists of a thimble or ring adapted to be slipped upon the stick
endwise and to be rotated or turned thereon into position so that the overlapping
projections between which the ends of the ribs have been previously inserted
inay be brought together and grasp the balls d, upon the ends of said ribs

page_text: between them Lach thimble or sleeve may be then secured in place against
further iotation, by a pin as indicated As shown each sleeve is of the same
internal gage, but if desired one might be adapted to slip within the other by
making them of different internal diameters and the two then secured together
and to the stick by a single pin Each projection k, is provided with a suitable
socket and forms one half of the socket in which the ball d, iests
It is obvious that any means may be employed for fastening the parts in the
required relative position and may be changed as circumstances may dictate, the
essential feature being the relatively movable overlapping projections consti-
tuting respectively the halves of one member of each Joint The ball and socket
connection between the spreaders and the slide may be of similar construction.
The projections k, of one half of the joints may be, if desired, formed directly
upon the slide and the projections k, for the other half of the several joints may
be upon a sleeve or thimble adapted to surround the said slide and to be fas-
tened thereon in any desired manner
The ball and socket joints for connecting the spreaders to the 11bs 18 shown
in Figs. 8, 9, & 10 The socket part mounted on the rib consists of a slotted
piece of metal M, which lies upon the under side of the b and has a perfora
tion or slot through which the spreader may be shipped. The ball on the end
of the spreader is retained in the arched portion of said socket piece M, which
is indicated by the shaded lines in Fig 10, and the whole 15 secured by a chip L,
which passes around the rib on the outer side thereof and has its ends closed
together over the ball and socket part or piece M, thus holding the parts in
place.
W LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC,
Chartered Patent Agent
(A communication from abroad by HENRY FLISCII, of the City, County, and State
of New York, United States of America, Merchant)
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of 46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement.-
The object of the present invention is to produce an umbrella-frame which
shall be more convenient in operation than umbrellas heretofore made and used,
and which may be opened and closed with a much smaller movement at the
handle end of the stick and outside the location of the tips of the ribs when
the umbrella is closed.
Another object of the invention is to produce an umbrella-frame which,
when provided with the usual cloth or silk covering, will be small and sym-
metrical in shape, since it has been the object of many manufacturers to produce
a small and symmetrical umbrella
A further object of the invention is to secure this desired result without
materially increasing the cost of production and also to produce a more simple
and durable umbrella frame than any that have been heretofore produced.
In the improved umbrella-frame herein described and claimed," the ribs are

page_text: loosely or pivotally connected to the stich or staff by which the umbrella 19
held or carried, and the spreaders are loosely or pivotally connected to the ribs
and to the operating slide which, when the umbrella fame is closed, extends
nearer the tip end of the umbrella-frame than the point of connection of the
ribs and spreaders, thus enabling the spreaders to lie in proximity to the tip
end of the stick or staff when the umbrella-frame is closed, and the umbrella-
frame is spread by a movement of the slide towards the handle-end of the
umbrella-fiamo By this construction the umbrella may be spread or closed
by a slight movement of the slide at or near the handle or butt end of the
stick without the necessity of running the hand down into the umbrella in either
operation, as in umbrellas of the usual constinction and with much less extent
of movement of the parts than is ordinarily requied with umbrellas of other forms
At the same time the construction is cheap
Connected to the stick at its butt or lower end is a handle within which
for a portion of its length and surrounding the stick, is an annular space in which
the sliding tube works Thus the means for operating the tube may be located
entirely in the handle and out of the way of the 11bs when folded and the use
of slots in the stick for pins working in said slots and connected with the slide
avoided
A catch may be provided for the slide which latter may be of any desired
form and may be provided with an operating knob or button or other operating
mechanism, whereby it may be caused to slide upon the rod or stick The slide
may be guided in or on the stick in any desired manner
The invention relates also to the construction of the joints employed for
making pivotal or hinged connections between the several working parts of an
umbrella, that is to say, between the ribs and the crown and between the spreaders
and the bs, as also to those between the ribs and the slide, and especially to
that class of joints which are made upon the ball and socket principle
Ball and socket joints for umbrella ribs and spreaders as heretofore made have
required ribs of special shape and have, owing to their construction, been of
such large size as to be unsuited for use with tight rolling umbrellas More-
over, they have generally been of complicated and expensive construction and
have not been adapted for holding the parts in proper position and insuring
free and easy working The aim of the present invention is to overcome these
several objections and at the same time to produce a simple and cheap con-
struction the parts of which can mostly be made by machinery in large quan-
tities while the work required in assembling the parts will require expenditure
of little time and labor
In the diawings file with the Provisional Specification Fig 1, shows the
frame with the ribs spread or extended Fig 2, is a central longitudinal section
through the handle end of the stick Fig 3, shows the frame closed Fig 4,
shows in side elevation and partial section the parts of an umbrella fiame having
ball and socket joints of the improved construction Fig 5, shows in plan
the crown of an umbrella frame having the improved Joint Fig 6, shows in
plan one memer of the clown carving one half of each member of the several
Joints Fig 7, shows a part of the crown carrying the other halves of the same
member Fig 8, shows in side elevation and partial section the ball and socket
connection between the spreaders and nibs Fig 9, shows the parts of the joint
in horizontal section on the line X, X Fig. 10, is a view in detail of one of the
pieces used in the construction of said joint
A, is the stick or staff of any construction or material, preferably a metal
tube, and having the ribs D, loosely or pivotally connected with it near its tip,
as shown B, 18 the handle or butt of the stick connected with or attached thereto
in any desired way Spreaders or stretchers C, C. connect the ribs with the
operating slide or stem E. cariving at its upper end a ring or crown which
encircles and slides upon the stick and with which said spreaders are loosely
o pivotally connected in any suitable way The operating slide E, 18 guided

page_text: by upon or in the stick or staff A. and extends into the handle on butt as
shown in the sectional view It is preferably arranged to slide as a tube upon
the stick, but, as shown, extends, when the umbrella-frame is closed, (as in
Fig 3) from a point of connection with the spicaders which is beyond or neare
the tip than the pivotal connection of the spreaders and nibs It also extends
down beyond the tips of the bs for operation by the devices in the handle in
opening the umbrella, which is done by moving said slide down into the position
approximately indicated in Fig 1, where it may be held by means of the usual
( any suitable sping catch as F, or by other means To shut the umbrella
fiame the slide 18 moved towards the tip of the stick, after releasing the catch
if a catch be employed
For lightness, parts of the tubular slide may be cut away to make a skeleton
sti ucture. Suitable operating pins C, attached to the slide project through slots in
the handle, as shown, and may have knobs upon their outer ends for convenience
of operation or may be provided with any other attachment or attachments
other means may be provided for operating the tube or slide
Or
To release the catch, a button H, is provided This button is preferably rounded
at its inner end, where it engages the catch so as to permit the slide to pass
it readily in locking and unlocking The catch acts as the returning sping for
the button, but a separate spring may be provided for this purpose, if desired
The tips of the ribs, when closed, may be retained by a cup I, which is slid
down over them after closing
It is evident, of course, that the invention is equally applicable to a frame
for parasols as it is to a frame for umbrellas
it 18 seen from the foregoing that the new umbrella-frame has many advan-
tages in construction and in use, over any that have heretofore been made or
used, among which may be mentioned the following, although others are obvious to
those skilled in the art In the new umbella-fiame it is not necessary for the
use to put his hand inside the umbrella to open the same on to close it, a
disagreeable thing to do when the umbrella is wet or damp; nor 18 it necessary
to manipulate the stem so far in opening or closing the umbrella-frame, as is
necessary in prior structures, nor can the wind reverse the umbrella-frame,
because the stem may be locked against movement when the umbrella-frame 18
opened. In appearance the umbrella-frame 18, when closed, more symmetrical,
due to the fact that the spreaders lie at the tip end of the umbrella-frame, where
there is the least amount of cloth or silk covering, while in prior structures
the spreaders, when the umbrella frame is closed, le near the handle end of the
umbrella-frame, where there is the greatest amount of cloth or silk covering
The invention is not confined to the particular form shown, as obviously modi-
fications thereof may be made by persons skilled in the art, it being clear that
the essential feature of the invention consists in the rod or stick, carrying pon
its respective ends, a handle and pivotal bearings for the ribs, and mounted upon
sand iod or stick, a sliding tube which carries at one end pivotal bearings for
the spreaders and has its other end operatively mounted in or upon the fixed
handle and there provided with means for controlling longitudinal movement
of the tube upon the rod, the tube moving toward the outer end of the rod to
close the umbrella, and thce versa The umbrella 18 thus controlled by means
outside the ends of the ribs and the umbrella can be opened without introducing
the hand into the umbrella.
The improved construction of the ball and socket joint or connection for the
1ibs and spreaders is illustrated in Figs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 The object of this
improved construction is to produce a cheap and durable umbrella the parts of
which are conveniently assembled, as well as to allow the ready removal of a
rib or ribs in making repairs
In applying this improved construction to the crown K, where the ribs con-
neot with the stick or staff, said crown is made with two relatively movable oi
rotatable parts each of which carries a series of projections in or on which are

page_text: formed respectively halves of one member of the ball and socket joint so that by
placing the parts in proper relative position and arranging the ends of the ribs
which form the other member of the joints between said halves and bringing
said halves together by rotating or otherwise moving a portion or all of the parts
of which the crown is constructed, the ends of said ribs will be grasped. By then
securing together the said parts of the crown against further movement, by a rivet
01 otherwise, the ribs will be securely gripped and held in place.
In carrying out this improvement it is obvious that the ball portion of the
joint may be formed on the end of the b and the socket portion formed in two
parts one each upon a projection from one of the rotatable parts of the crown or
each projection from the part of the crown might be in the form of a ball or
hemisphere which would enter a socket or depression in one side of the end of
the rib.
One way in which the invention may be carried out 18 as follows.-
The crown K, is formed with two relatively ictatable parts a', a³, each having
a series of projections k, which are adapted to overlap with the projections upon
the other when the said parts a¹, a³, are brought into suitable proximity Each
part a, a, consists of a thimble or 11ng adapted to be slipped upon the stick
endwise and to be rotated or turned thereon into position so that the overlapping
projections between which the ends of the bs have been previously inserted
may be brought together and grasp the balls d, upon the ends of said ribs
between them Each thimble or sleeve may be then secured in place against
further rotation, by a pin as indicated As shown each sleeve 18 of an internal
gage to fit the stick, but if desired one might be adapted to alıp within the other by
making them of different internal diameters and the two then secured together
and to the stick by a single pin Each projection k, is provided with a suitable
socket and forms one half of the socket in which the ball d, rests
It is obvious that any means may be employed for fastening the parts in the
required relative position and may be changed as circumstances may dictate, the
essential feature being the relatively movable overlapping projections consti-
tuting respectively the halves of one member of each joint The ball and socket
connection between the spreaders and the slide may be of similar construction
The projections k, of one half of the joints may be, if desned, formed duectly
upon the slide and the projections k, for the other half of the several joints may
be upon a sleeve or thimble adapted to surround the said slide and to be
fastened thereon in any desired manne
The ball and socket joint for connecting the spreaders to the 1ibs is shown
in Figs 8, 9 and 10 The socket part mounted on the 11b consists of a slotted
piece of metal M, which lies upon the under side of the b and has a perfora-
tion or slot through which the spreader may be slipped The ball on the end
of the spreader is retained in the arched portion of said socket piece M, which
1s indicated by the shaded lines in Fig 10, and the whole 18 secured by a clip L,
which passes around the iib on the outer side thereof and has its ends closed
together over the ball and socket part or piece M, thus holding the parts in
place
Having thus pieviously described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim 18.
1 In an umbrella, the combination of a rod or stick carving at one end
pivotally connected ribs and provided at its other end with a handle within which
is an aunula space or chamber surrounding the rod or stick, a tube sliding upon
the rod or stick, callying at one end pivotally connected spreaders and having
its other end working in the annular space or chamber of the handle and there
provided with means for controlling the movement of the tube on the rod or
stick, and suitable connections between the ribs and spreaders whereby the ribs

page_text: may be spread and folded by relative movement between the tube and the rod
or stick, substantially as and for the purpose set forth
2 The combination of a non-extensible umbrella-rod or stick, having ribs
pivotally mounted on its outer end and with a handle fixedly mounted upon its
inner end, a tube sliding upon the rod or stick, having spreaders pivotally
mounted on its outer end, and having its inner erf operatively mounted in or
upon the fixed handle of the rod or stick, and there provided with means for
controlling the movement of the tube, and suitable connections between the
spreaders and bs, substantially as herein set forth
3 In an umbrella, the combination of a rod or stick carrying at one end
pivotally connected 1hs and having a hollow handle at its opposite end, a tubular
operating alide carrying at one end a ring or clown which encncles and slides
upon the stick, said slide having its other end extending down within the annular
space in the handle portion of the stick and there provided with means co-
operating with the handle of the stick for controlling the movement of the ung
or clown on the stick, and suitable spreaders, one for each rib, pivoted directly at
the other end to said ing on crown, and moving upward to close the umbrella
by relative movement between the slide and the iod on stick, as and for the
purpose described
4 In a joint for uminella frames, two relatively movable projections consti-
tuting respectively the two halves of one member of each joint, said halves over-
lapping and being adapted when bought together to hold and grasp the other
member of said joint between them, substantially as and for the purpose described
5 In a joint for parts of umbellas, two relatively movable sleeves or thimbles
each canying overlapping projections which together form the two halves or paits
of one member of a ball and sceket joint, and seemed together against 1otation
by any desued means after the other member of said joint has been grasped
hetween them, substantially as and for the purpose described.
6 ball and socket joint between the ribs and clown or abs and slide of an
umbella, consisting as described of the two relatively rotatable parts concentio
with one another, each having a series of projections k, adapted to overlap and
formed with depressions in the opposed faces co-operating as described after
otation of said parts and the fastening of them in position to constitute a socket
for a ball upon a rib or spreader secured between them
7 In an umbrella, the combination with two parts to be jointed, of a ball-and-
socket joint comprising a ball carried by one of said parts to be jointed, and a
two-part socket carried by the other of said parts and formed by two relatively
movable parts, carrying overlapping projections in the opposed faces of which
are formed depressions which constitute the socket, substantially as explained
8 In a ball and sochet joint for connecting the spreaders to the ribs of an
umbrella, the combination of a ball on the end of a spreader, and a clip, having
its end closed together over the ball on the spreader for holing the same in
place in its socket part, substantially as and for the purpose art forth
Dated this 2nd day of January 1899
W LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC,
Chartered Patent Agent