Improvements in Umbrella Runners.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Apr., 1890-Accepted, 3rd May, 1890
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Umbrella Runners.
We, ALFRED CECIL WRIGHT, JAMES LESLIE WRIGHT both of Bradford Street
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Umbrella furniture manufacturers, trading
as Wright and Harrington, and RICHARD BUDD of Gladstone Road Sparkbrook,
Birmingham Umbrella furniture manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows :-
In Umbrella runners as at present manufactured the operation of punching or
cutting the slot often raises a burr or projecting ragged edge especially at the end
close to the runner bead. This burr or projecting edge of metal requires to be
removed by the file, which is a comparatively slow and expensive process while it is
also somewhat inefficient. The spring holding the runner in position to keep the
umbrella closed; after a time bends in the metal edge by the repeated impact in the
act of opening, and again produces a burr or projection. This sharp edge rapidly
abrades and destroys the stick of the umbrella so that after but few movements of
opening and closing, the umbrella stick becomes disfigured and sometimes useless..
The object of our invention is to dispense with the tedious and inefficient operation
of filing smooth the interior of the runner and to so manufacture it that any internal
projection or burr is at once pressed down and removed to such distance from the
stick that prolonged and repeated impacts against the spring cannot raise it again
sufficiently to interfere with smooth action.
In carrying out my invention after the runner has been made in any usual manner
we slip it upon a special tool or mandril which has a guiding pin passing through the
slot to keep the runner in position and also has a metal projection opposite the burr
or projecting ragged edge; a stamp or cress held in any suitable manner as in
punching, and stamping machines, then comes down and is so shaped that one part
fits the bead of the runner while another part fits the barrel or tubular portion and it
has also a recess cut opposite the metal projection in the mandril.
The stamp or cress on striking forces up the barbed or sharp edge so that it is
flattened and at the same time pressed by the mandril projection into the recessed
portion of the stamp or cress. In this way the sharp edge is removed from the
interior cylindrical surface of the runner to such distance that repeated impact of the
spring against it in the act of opening does not tend to bring it again into proximity
to the stick upon which the runner moves.
The runner when finished in this way has one edge of the bead forming the
boundary of the slot forced out slightly from the interior and there is thus no danger
from the formation of a sharp edge by the ordinary use of the umbrella. The tools
may be fitted to any punching, stamping, cutting machine or press and the mandril
carrying the runner may be modified in various ways as also may the stamp or cress.
We prefer to use a machine so that the work may be rapidly performed it being very
easy to slip a runner in position to allow the stamp or cress to strike it and then take
it off and replace before the movement brings down the cress again while the machine
works at a fairly rapid rate. But we may also use a hand cress and fix the mandril
in an anvil or vice and strike the cress with a hand hammer to produce the desired
effect.
The hand method however is not so advantageous as the mechanical one, and will
not produce work so uniform and reliable.
The stamp or cress and mandril may be modified to force up the edge of the slot
next to the notch if required or any other part of the slot edge which may be
found to give trouble. Our invention deals principally however with the recessing of
the bead edge of the slot' which is found to give most trouble in actual use.

page_text: applicable to runners made in any metal but is more particularly necessary with steel
and iron.
By recessing the barbed edge in the manner we have described we dispense with
the tedious operation of filing, and produce with great rapidity and convenience a
runner which stands much hard use without damage.
Dated this. 3rd day of July 1820
MARKS & CLERK,
13,. Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Umbrella Runners.
We, ALFRED CECIL WRIGHT and JAMES LESLIE WRIGHT of Bradford Street
Birmingham in the County of Warwick Umbrella furniture manufacturers, trading
as Wright and Harrington, and RICHARD BUDD of Gladstone Road, Sparkbrook
Birmingham, Unbrella furniture manufacturer, 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 :-
In umbrella runners as at present manufactured the operation of punching or
cutting the slot often raises a burr or projecting ragged edge especially at the end
close to the runner bead. This burr or projecting edge of metal requires to be
removed by the file which is a comparatively slow and expensive process, while it is
also somewhat inefficient. The spring holding the runner in position to keep the
umbrella closed after a time bends in the metal edge, by the repeated impact in the
act of opening, and again produces a burr or projection. This sharp edge rapidly
abrades and destroys the stick of the umbrella so that after but few movements of
opening and closing the umbrella stick becomes disfigured and sometimes useless.
The object of our invention is to dispense with the tedious and inefficient operation
of filing smooth the interior of the runner, and to so manufacture it, that any internal
projection or burr is at once pressed down, and removed to such distance from the
stick, that prolonged and repeated impacts against the spring cannot raise it again
sufficiently to interfere with smooth action.
In carrying out our invention, after the runner has been made in
any usual manner
we slip it upon a special tool or mandril, which has a guiding pin passing through the
slot to keep the runner in position, and also has a metal projection opposite the burr
or projecting ragged edge.
A stamp or cress held in any suitable manner as in punching and stamping machines,
then comes down and is so shaped that one part fits the bead of the runner, while
another part fits the barrel or tubular portion and it has also a recess cut opposite the
metal projection on the mandril.
The stamp or cress on striking, forces up the barbed or sharp edge so that it is
flattened and at the same time pressed by the mandril projection into the recessed
portion of the stamp or cress.
In this way the sharp edge is removed from the interior cylindrical surface of the
runner to such distance that repeated impact of the spring against it in the act of
opening does not tend to bring it again into proximity to the stick upon which the
runner moves.
The runner when finished in this way has one edge of the bead forming the
boundary of the slot forced out slightly from the interior, and there is thus no danger
from the formation of a sharp edge by the ordinary use of the umbrella.
The tools may be fitted to any punching stamping, cutting machine or press, and
the mandril carrying the runner may be modified in various ways as also may the
stamp or cress. We prefer to use a machine so that the work may be rapidly per-
formed, it being very easy to slip a runner in position to allow the stamp or cress to
strike it and then take it off, and replace, before the movement brings down the cress
again while the machine is working at a fairly rapid rate.

page_text: But we may also use a hand cress and fix the mandril in an anvil or vice, and strike
the cress with a hand hammer to produce the desired effect.
The hand method however is not so advantageous as the mechanical one, and
will not produce work so uniform and reliable. The stamp or cress and mandril
may be modified to force up the edge of the slot next to the notch if required, or any
other part of the slot edge which may be found to give trouble. Our invention deals
principally however with the recessing of the bead edge of the slot, which is found
to give most trouble in actual use. It is applicable to runners made in any metal but
is more particularly necessary with steel and iron.
By recessing the barbed edge in the manner we have described we dispense with
the tedious operation of filing, and produce with great rapidity and convenience a
runner which stands much hard use without damage.
In order that our invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect we hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter
referred to.
Figure 1 is an ordinary umbrella runner with the bead edge of the slot damaged
by use, and the metal burr about to catch the stick and tear it.
Figure 2 is a plan of the runner.
Figure 3 shows our improvement on the runner, the bead edge of the slot being
forced out slightly at the place where damage is to be feared, while
Figure 4 is a plan at the place where it is forced out. Figure 5 shows suitable
tools in the acts of forcing out the edge and they may be actuated either by machine
or by hand.
Referring to Figure 1, A and F are the parts of the runner which give trouble and
our invention consists in forcing out the metal as at A¹ and F¹ in Figure 3, shown
at A also on Figure 4. The tools required, comprise a cress B and mandril C con-
taining a projection D which forces the metal into the recess E of the cress. The
cresses may be applied to raise the metal at both ends, that is, at the portion F¹ as
well as the portion A¹ so that in the ordinary use of the umbrella, projecting ragged
edges may not be formed upon the runner which can interfere with its smooth move-
ment on the umbrella stick."
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:—
The use of an umbrella runner in which the metal is forced up from proximity to
the stick at either of the positions A¹ or F¹ or both, substantially as and for the
purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of April 1890
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicants.