IMPROVEMENTS IN SUNPROOF FABRICS, AND IN CONSTRUCTING TENTS, SUNSHADES, OR WEATHER PROTECTORS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Ritchie, of Hounslow, in the County of
Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUNPROOF FABRICS,
AND IN CONSTRUCTING TENTS, SUNSHADES, OR WEATHER PROTECTORS."
Sealed the 15th January 1869, and dated the 25th September 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Ritchie at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th September 1868.
I, GEORGE RITCHIE, of Hounslow, in the County of Middlesex, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SUNPROOF FABRICS, AND IN CONSTRUCTING TENTS, SUNSHADES, OR WEATHER
PROTECTORS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sunproof fabrics and
in constructing tents, sunshades, or weather protectors.
In constructing sunproof fabrics I secure a sheet of cork between two
surfaces of woven or other fabric by cement or otherwise, or I use cork
dust and secure it by means of cement between two surfaces of woven or

page_text: other fabric. In constructing tents, sunshades, or weather protectors I
employ by preference sunproof fabric constructed as above described, and
I distend the fabric from a central pole (held in a socket let into the
ground) by means of ribs or radial arms jointed to such pole. When the
tent, sunshade, or weather protector is set up for use these arms are
made to stand out radially from the pole and at right angles thereto by
clamping them between two discs, one or both of which may be able to
slide upon the pole, but they are both firmly secured to it in such positions
as tightly to hold the ribs between them when the tent, sunshade, or
weather protector is erected; or in place of jointing the ribs to the pole
they may be jointed to one of the clamping dises. Sides or curtains are
applied in the usual way. In some cases in place of or in addition to
the clamping discs I employ cords or stays passing from the ribs to the
pole above and below the point at which the ribs are jointed. Sometimes
I fix the lower stays to the pole and connect the upper stays to a ring
sliding on the pole, and which to expand the tent, sunshade, or weather
protector is drawn up the pole by a cord passing over a pulley; or I
joint the ribs to a ring capable of traversing on the pole, and support the
ribs so as to make them stand out from the pole when the tent, sun-
shade or weather protector is set up by means of stays passing to the pole
over and under the ring to which the ribs are connected. One set of the
stays may be fixed to the pole and the other set may be connected with a
ring sliding thereon. The stays may serve for the support of outer and
inner coverings for the centre portion of the roof of the tent, sunshade,
or weather protector, which coverings are of great use in excluding heat
and furnish means of ready and effectual ventilation. I prefer to make
the tent, sunshade, or weather protector square in plan with vertical
sides and a flat roof. In some cases I construct in a similar way sun-
shades or weather protectors which are portable in the nature of
umbrellas.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Ritchie in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th March 1869.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Ritchie, Her special
licence that I, the said George Ritchic, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Ritchie, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUNPROOF
FABRICS, AND IN CONSTRUCTING TENTS, SUNSHADES, OR WEATHER PROTECTORS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Ritchie, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe. and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, 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 George Ritchic, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
my
In the construction of waterproof and sunproof fabrics according to
Invention I take two sheets of woven cotton or other fabric and
thoroughly cleanse and remove all grease inherent or otherwise from
them by soaking or boiling them in an alkaline solution. The fabrics
are afterwards thoroughly rinced and dried, and cork dust mixed with
waterproof and clastic gum or india-rubber cement is then spread upon
one or both fabrics by a spreading machine, as is well understood. The
coated surfaces of the fabrics are then placed together, and these two
fabrics are passed between two rollers, by which the mingled cork dust
and cement is squeezed not only into the interstices of the fabrics, but
also through the fabrics to form an external coating to them.
fabrics being thus united inseperably together, and their interstices filled'
in with cork dust and cement, their outer surfaces are made flat and
smooth by other rollers, and may then be painted if required. By
The

page_text: these means I obtain a fabric suitable for being used as a covering for
tents and similar purposes, which is stronger, tougher, more flexible and
durable, and less liable to crack or tear than any fabric which has been
used up to the present time for similar purposes; also for a more
permanent use I insert cork cement between two thin pieces of boarding,
which may afterwards be covered with paint. For the covering of small
summer-houses and for such like erections I also employ sheets of cork
cemented between two sheets of canvas. Compound fabrics, such as
above described, are also applicable for other purposes, as for example,
for covering the side walls, or floors, or ceilings of rooms to prevent
sound travelling from one room to another. In the construction of
tents, sunshades, or weather protectors I employ by preference as the
covering material a fabric constructed as above described. I distend
the fabric from a central pole (held vertically in a socket let into the
ground if used as a tent) by means of straight or curved ribs or radial
arms jointed to it similar to the ribs of an umbrella. The number of
these ribs depends in some degree upon the size of the particular tent,
sunshade, or weather protector required; by preference I use four or
six. I prefer to raise these ribs by cords or stays attached to them at
points distant about or a little less than half the length of the ribs from
the end where they are jointed to the central pole. The other ends of
the cords are fastened to a ring or runner which slides on the central
pole, and is raised by a cord or cords passing over a pulley carried on the
central pole, and then down into the tent. When the end of the cord is
pulled the ribs are raised till they are at right angles to the pole, or
sloped to any required extent. Any further upward movement of the
ribs is then arrested by their then coming against a disc fixed to the pole
or by projections on the ribs themselves then coming against the pole,
or by cords passing from the polo to the ribs at some distance from
where they are jointed to the pole, and the cord is then, secured by
winding it on to a double-hooked cleat carried on the pole. I prefer that
the pole if made of iron, as also the ribs or arms should be in part pieces,.
and screwed together for the convenience of carriage. The ribs carry
at their extremities rings into which are dropped hooks carried on the
extremities of straight or slightly curved rods, so that if there be six
ribs these rods form the sides of a regular hexagon. The sides or
curtains of the tent are carried by these rods. From points near the
extremities of each rib descend vertical bars, the other ends of which fit
into sockets screwed into the ground. The depth to which the rods

page_text: descend can be adjusted by thumbscrews working in the sockets, or in
some cases also I use cords fastened to the ends of the arms for tying them
to the ground, or to the sides of a cart or other vehicle. In addition to
the single covering to the tent, above described, I employ an additional
outer covering for the central portion of the tent and for the cords or
strings which raise the ribs. This outer covering is either a cone or a
pyramid on an hexagonal or other shaped base. The apex is attached
to the sliding ring or made to fasten over it, and the base is attached to
the ribs at points a little further from the central pole than the points
at which the raising stays are fastened. This outer covering may be
carried on separate cords passing from the ring to the ribs, or it may be
supported by the raising stays themselves, and springs may be advan-
tageously applied to cause the ribs to stand out when the tent is about
being raised. This outer covering serves to exclude the heat, and fur-
nishes means of ready and effectual ventilation by the turning up of its
lower edges to allow the escape of air. The covering which is affixed to
the ribs is not always brought close up to the central polc, but an
opening is left through it all around the pole to allow air to rise up from
the interior of the tent into the outer additional covering, and so to pass
away.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I have in the Drawings hereunto annexed shewn a
hexagon shaped tent constructed as above described. ;
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the framework of the tent; Figure 2
is a side view, and Figure 3 a plan view of the tent with a covering
upon it.
a is the central pole, the lower end of which is dropped into a socket b
which is formed with a foot and buried in the ground, as shown; or in
place of being buried in the ground the socket might be formed with an
external screw, and be screwed down into its place, or it may be, if used
as an umbrella or weather protector, be made to screw into the floor of a
vehicle, cart, or carriage. To the exterior of the pole and near its upper
end is a ring c¹ somewhat similar to what is called the top notch of an
umbrella, to it are pin jointed threads of the radial ribs c, and the disc c
around it forms a stop for preventing the radial arms from being raised
beyond the height required. The ribs c are in the Drawing shewn to
be of wood, but they might very advantageously be of tubes of metal.
Cords d are attached to the ribs near their centre, which cords at their

page_text: opposite ends are attached to the runner e, to this runner are attached
two cords which are passed over pullies f, f, at the top of the pole, and
are led down inside the tent to double cleats g, as shewn; in place of
the runner e being carried on the pole above where the ribs are jointed
to it, it may be below this point, and the cords which pass from it to
the ribs or arms may then be led along the under side of such armis.
h, h, are rings at the extremities of the ribs, into which are dropped
the hooked ends of rods or light metal tubes k which carry the side
curtains of the tent; 7, 1, are vertical rods or tubes also attached to the
extremities of the ribs by bolts and nuts; m, m, are the screw sockets
to receive the lower ends of these rods or tubes, and the rods or tubes
are fixed therein by binding screws, not shewn in the Drawing. The
ribs c liave attached to them the covering fabric n, which extends from
their outer extremities nearly up to the central pole, an opening being
left around the 'pole for ventilation, as above described. o, o, is the
additional top covering for the roof supported by preference from the
ring p at the top of the pole and by the ribs at a point intermediate of
their length.
Instead of raising the ribs by outside cords or stays, as above described,
the same object may be attained by clamping the ribs tightly between
two discs, one or both of which may be made to slide upon the pole,
and instead of jointing the ribs to the pole they may be jointed to
one of these discs, which in this case would by preference be fixed to
the pole.
In some cases in place of or in addition to the clamping discs I use
cords or stays passing from the ribs to the pole above and below the
point at which the ribs are jointed, the lower stays being fastened to the
pole, and the upper ones to a sliding ring, as above described.
.
.
Sometimes also I employ another central covering carried on these
inner stays either in place of or in addition to the outer central covering
to answer similar purposes, but I prefer to place the central covering
on the exterior, as above described. Sunshades or weather protectors,
which are portable in the nature of umbrellas, may be constructed in a
similar manner with one disc only, or without one, and then I use a
back hinge, and cut the ends of the arms or ribs so as to jut against the
pole, and thus act as a lever against the weight or force of the cords
when pulled up to their extremity. As before stated umbrellas or
weather protectors for carts and vehicles may be made as above

page_text: described; the lower end of the pole being received or screwed into a
socket on the cart or vehicle, and the ribs being, as above described,
raised by cords or by a sliding disc, and being prevented from raising
the ribs too high by their coming when raised against a stop fixed to
the pole, or by parts of the ribs themselves then striking against the
pole, or by the use of cords or ties as above described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that what
I claim is,-
First. The manufacture of water and sun proof fabrics for tents or
other similar purposes by combining together two sheets of canvas or
other fabric with ground cork and india-rubber cements, substantially as
herein described.
Also the cementing together two sheets of canvas or fabric with sheet
cork between them, as described.
I also claim the construction of tents, sunshades, or weather pro-
tectors with a central pile and radial ribs jointed to it, substantially as
abovo described.
I also claim the preventing the ribs or arms from being raised too far
by causing them when raised to strike against a disc or stop fixed to
the pole or against the pole.
I also claim the use of cords or stays passing from the ribs to the hole
above and below the point where ribs are jointed.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Ritchie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.