IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Harrington, Watchmaker, late of No. 3,
Colonnade, Albany Road, in the Parish of Camberwell, County of Surrey,
but now of Bradford Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, for
T
Sealed the 7th October 1859, and dated the 28th April 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Harrington at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th April 1859.
I, ROBERT HARRINGTON, Watchmaker, of No. 3, Colonnade, Albany Road,
in the Parish of Camberwell, County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," to be
as follows:-
My Invention has for its object a means of increasing the shelter usually
afforded by an umbrella or parasol; this I accomplish by a peculiar construction
of the runner. In runners of the ordinary make the notched wheel part is
permanently fixed to and encirculing the tube or barrel part thereof.
The peculiarity of my Invention consists in introducing a projecting arm or
lever between the tube or barrel part, and the notched wheel part of a runner.
To one end of the arm or lever I connect the tube or barrel part, and to the
other end, the notched wheel part by means of solder, screw, rivet, or pin
joints, by which arrangements of these several parts when the umbrella or

page_text: parasol is opened, the notched wheel part with the stretchers fixed to it does
not encompass the stick or handle, (as in the runner of ordinary make) but is
projected from the same by means of the arm or lever, which thus takes the
form of a bracket; the tube or barrel part of the runner encompassing the
stick or handle is supported by the top spring in the usual manner. When I
use screw, rivet, or pin joints, I give a motion to the arm or lever by which
when the umbrella or parasol is closed, the notched wheel part with the
stretchers partialy encompass the stick or handle, the notched wheel part having
an opening on one side, or being semicircular. Sometimes I may prefer to use
more than one arm or lever to connect the notched wheel part to the tube or
barrel part of runners.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Harrington in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th October 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HARRINGTON, Watchmaker, late of Colonade, Albany Road, in the Parish of
Camberwell, County of Surrey, but now of Bradford Street, Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Robert Harrington, Her special license that I, the said
Robert Harrington, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as 1, the said Robert Harrington, my executors, administrators, or 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 UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Robert Harrington, 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 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Harrington, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
The object of my improvements in umbrellas and parasols are entirely
confined to the construction of that part technically called the runner, and my
Invention is to destroy the positive concentric character or position (while in
use) of the handles and barrels of umbrella and parasol runners in relation to
the notched rim of such runners, from which the stretchers radiate, and by
which means an umbrella or parasol may be placed in an eccentric position to
the handle or stick for holding the same, thereby allowing the expanded
umbrella or parasol to be turned or held in such a way as to shelter or screen
the user more effectually than can be done with umbrellas and parasols
constructed in the ordinary way in which they are now made. And I effect
this in various ways, as for instance, an angle cap may be applied to the top of
a runner barrel, to the outer end of which the notched ring may be applied for
receiving the stretchers, and from the centre of the runner barrel to the centre
of the notched ring may be about two inches, more or less, as desired; but I
have found that to be sufficient to give a suitable inclination to the umbrella
or to its handle to effect my object; or a projecting arm for carrying the
notched ring may be fastened to the side of the runner barrel with a pin
joint, which is technically called the stretcher notch, being cut away on one side
to admit of the said notch when the umbrella is in a closed condition encom-
passing the stick, but the act of opening the umbrella or parasol to which it
is applied will cause the arm to fall outwards and effect the same object as
the fixed notched rim before described. But as the nature and character of my
Invention will be best understood by referring to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, I will proceed to describe the same, reference being made to the
various figures and letters marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents a side view of a runner with an angle plate, soldered; or
otherwise secured to the top marked A, and to this plate the notched rim.
marked B, is secured for receiving the radial stretchers in the ordinary way; -
and Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. The effect of this would be, if the ex-:
panded umbrella or parasol be held in a horizontal position, the stick or handle
will, from necessity, be in a slanting direction, tliereby enabling the user to.
place the umbrella or parasol parallel and centrally over the head without the.
stick or handle being brought in contact with-the hat or bonnet of the user;

page_text: but as the projecting notch, as here fixed, would be objectionable to umbrellas
and parasols while in a closed state, I prefer constructing them as exhibited at
Fig. 3, which is also a side view of a runner with the notch in a horizontal
position, while the barrel, through which the stick is exhibited broken off at
its lower end for convenience of space, is in a slanting position, the part to
which the notch is attached is of a semicircular form for clipping the barrel,
when the umbrella or parasol is closed or collapsed; this part is marked C,
the notch being secured to it at the top by a small pin running through the
part C, and a projecting rim of the notch for that purpose. To the barrel D
at the bottom a clip is soldered, marked E, which clip may be stamped from
thin metal, cast or otherwise made with a projecting part, shown in dotted
lines, through which a pin passes for uniting the part C to the barrel, as also
forming a joint or axis for the part C to work on; that part of the notch
towards the top of the barrel is cut away, in order that the part C may lie
close against the barrel, when it is desired that it should be in that position,
whether the umbrella or parasol (to which it may be applied) be either
expanded or closed. The true position of the runner notch F, when the
umbrella or parasol to which it may be attached is expanded, is indicated by
dotted lines, as the notch works on the pin P, and in this position it will be
seen that it is at right angles to the imaginery line (here shown dotted) ex-|
tending from the pin P up to the centre of the top notch marked R. Fig. 4
is a top view of Figure 3 showing the barrel D in its oblique position, and in
this Figure the pin is shown by which the notch F is attached to the semi-
circular part C, as also the open part of the notch for allowing it to partially
encircle the barrel when the parts are brought together, the position of the
barrel when so closed being exhibited by the dotted circles marked G; the
radial dotted lines represent the position of the stretchers when expanded.
Fig. 5 represents another modification of this description of runner, the
desired eccentric position of the notch H being obtained by its being secured
to arms, one only of which can be seen in this Figure, marked I, but which
arms are connected together (for support) by the part marked J, and secured
to the notch at the top by a pin passing through the ends of the arms and
through the lower rim of the notch, which is so formed for that purpose; and
at the bottom the arms I are united to a clip by pins or rivets on both sides,
and which clip is subsequently soldered to the barrel. Figure 6 is also a side
view of Figure 5, representing the arms I in a horizontal position, as also the
notch when the part J abuts on the clip K which supports it; and Fig. 7
represents a top view of the last Figure, the dotted lines showing the position
of the radial stretchers; and Fig. 8 and 9 represents a side and top view of

page_text: a runner and runner notch, so constructed that the arm L is secured to a clip,
encircling the barrel marked N in such a way that the arm shall only extend
as here represented, and yet be capable (from working on the pin which unites
it to the clip) of being elevated when desired, as here represented in dotted
lines; upon this arm the notch is made to slide by having ears formed on its
lower side for clipping the arm; one only of the ears or clips can be seen in
this view, and that is marked M. By this means I am enabled to obtain the
same result as notches constructed as herein-before described, and by sliding
the notch along the arm, and a part of the notch be removed, it admits of the
other portion encircling the barrel of the runner and stick, as here shown in
dotted lines. Umbrellas or parasols with such a runner may either be used
with the stick or handle when in use vertically or concentric with the expanded
frame, or in an eccentric position when desired; and from the arm working
on the inner pin it is evident, that when a parasol or umbrella to which
such a runner may be applied is collapsed or closed, the notch will encircle
the barrel and the arm may then be bent up nearly in a line with the direction
of the barrel or stick, as before stated.
Having thus described the nature and object of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same may be carried into effect, I wish it understood
that I do not claim the constructing of umbrellas or parasols, that when in a
state of expansion for the handle or stick and the parasol or umbrella head to
be in an eccentric position, as that is old; but what I claim and wish pro-
tected by these my in part recited Letters Patent is, the effecting of this object
by the means of the peculiar construction of runner or runners herein described
and exhibited, without confining myself to the exact details, size, or proportions
of any of the parts, as such runners with suitable notches, or its equivalent
may be greatly diversified without departing from the spirit of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Harrington, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
ROBERT HARRINGTON. (L.S.)
Witness,
JAMES S. COCKINGS, C. E.,
Patent Agent, Birmingham.