Stretchers of Umbrellas and Parasols. OR IMPROVED
Year: 1885

page_text: Stretchers of Umbrellas and Parasols.
We WILLIAM ALLEN BINDLEY and WILLIAM JAMES GELL both of N° 51 and 52
Newhall Hill Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturers and AMBROSE
FREDERICK BOHAм of N° 53 Newhall Hill Birmingham aforesaid Machinist do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY
"
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS to
be as follows:-
Our invention consists of machinery constructed in the manner hereinafter
described for the manufacture of the stretchers of umbrellas and parasols.
Our invention is especially fitted for the manufacture of stretchers of the kind
commonly known as paragon stretchers that is stretchers having a trough like figure
or in cross section the figure of the letter U. Our invention is however applicable
with slight modification to the manufacture of stretchers from solid cylindrical wire.
We will describe our invention in connection with the manufacture of paragon
stretchers. As the parts of the machine are employed for the most part in duplicate
that is the shafts described carry at each end the same appliances and operate nearly
simultaneously on both ends of the stretcher we shall only describe the appliances
and tools at one end of each shaft.
The troughed wires to be operated upon by the machine are supplied by hand
to a rotating feeder. This feeder works on a horizontal axis and has a series of
radial arms in the ends of each of which an angular notch is made the wires to be
operated upon are introduced into these notches when the arms are midway between
their highest and lowest position a thin steel band or wire fixed at one end and
connected at its other end with a spring passes around about one half of the feeder
Bomewhat after the manner of a friction brake. The said steel band is connected
to its spring by a screw and fly nut by operating on which the pressure on the said
band can be regulated. By the action of the said steel band or wire hereinafter
called the holder the stretchers are held in place in the feeder.
The feeder is driven by a pawl lever and ratchet wheel operated by an eccentric
on the shaft working the first pair of tools hereinafter described. By the action of
the said pawl lever and ratchet wheel an intermittent motion is given to the feeder
through the angle required to bring the wire being operated upon in succession
under the three pairs of tools hereinafter described.

page_text: On the curved framing of the machine and concentric with the axis of the feeder
are the bearings of three shafts carrying similar toothed wheels gearing with one
another. One of these shafts is situated vertically over the shaft of the feeder the
second of the said shafts is situated in a plane making an angle of forty five degrees
with the plane of the first shaft the third is situated in a plane at right angles to
the first shaft.
Motion is communicated to the first toothed wheel by a pinion on the pulley or
driving shaft of the machine.
The shafts of the toothed wheels referred to carry cams which cams operate on
plungers working in slides on the frame of the machine.
The first slide carries the moveable tool of the pair of tools by which the
flattening of the end of the stretcher is effected the other or fixed tool being
carried by the framing of the machine. The second slide carries the moveable tool
of the cropping tools that is tools by which the fin or web left around the flattened
end by the flattening tools is cut off the fixed cropping tool being carried by the
framing of the machine. The third slide carries the moveable tool of the piercing
tools by which the hole for the joint pin is pierced in the flattened end of the
stretcher the fixed tool being carried by the framing of the machine. Imme-
diately after the flattened cropped and pierced stretcher has been removed from
the piercing tools by the motion of the feeder it reaches a position when the
band or wire constituting the holder has a position tangential to the feeder and
no longer pressing the stretcher in its notch the stretcher falls from the now nearly
inverted notch and from the machine.
The tools are fixed in carriers attached by screws and nuts to the acting ends of
the bolts. The said carriers have steel sockets fixed by set screws in the axes of
which sockets the tools are situated and are adjusted by means of screws bearing
on their rear ends the position of the said screws being fixed by lock nuts.
Dated this thi tinth dow
100

page_text: Stretchers of Umbrellas and Parasols.
We WILLIAM ALLEN BINDLEY and WILLIAM JAMES GELL both of Nos 51
and 52 Newhall Hill Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturers, and
AMBROSE FREDERICK BOHAM of N° 53 Newhall Hill Birmingham, aforesaid,
Machinist do hereby declare the nature of our Invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE STRETCHERS OF UMBRELLAS AND
PARASOLS" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention consists of machinery constructed in the manner herein after
described for the manufacture of the stretchers of umbrellas and parasols. Our
invention is especially fitted for the manufacture of stretchers of the kind
commonly known as paragon stretchers that is, stretchers having a trough like
figure or in cross section the figure of the letter U. Our invention is however
applicable with slight modification to the manufacture of stretchers from solid
cylindrical or other shaped wire.
We will describe our invention in connection with the manufacture of paragon
stretchers. As the parts of the machine are employed for the most part in
duplicate, that is, the shafts described carry at each end the same appliances and
operate nearly simultaneously on both ends of the stretcher, we shall only describe
the appliances and tools at one end of each shaft.
The troughed wires to be operated upon by the machine are supplied by hand
to a rotating feeder. This feeder works on a horizontal axis and has a series of
radial arms in the ends of each of which an angular notch is made. The wires to.
be operated upon are introduced into these notches when the arms are midway
between their highest and lowest positions. A thin steel band or wire fixed at one
end and connected at its other end with a spring passes around about one half of
the feeder somewhat after the manner of a friction brake. The said steel band is
connected to its spring by a screw and fly nut by operating on which the pressure
on the said band can be regulated. By the action of the said steel band or wire,
hereinafter called the holder, the stretchers are held in place in the feeder.
The feeder is driven by a pawl lever and ratchet wheel operated by an eccentric
on the shaft working the first pair of tools hereinafter described. By the action of
the said pawl lever and ratchet wheel, an intermittent motion is given to the
feeder through the angle required to bring the wire being operated upon in
succession under the three pairs of tools hereinafter described.
On the curved framing of the machine and concentric with the axis of the
feeder, are the bearings of three shafts carrying similar toothed wheels gearing
with one another. One of these shafts is situated vertically over the shaft of the
feeder; the second of the said shafts is situated in a plane making an angle of
forty five degrees with the plane of the first shaft; the third is situated in a plane
at right angles to the first shaft.
Motion is communicated to the first toothed wheel by a pinion on the pulley or
driving shaft of the machine. The shafts of the toothed wheels referred to carry

page_text: cams which cams operate on plungers working in slides on the frame of the
machine. The first slide carries the movable tool of the pair of tools by which the
flattening of the end of the stretcher is effected, the other or fixed tool being
carried by the framing of the machine. The second slide carries the movable tool
of the cropping tools, that is, tools by which the fin or web left around the
flattened end by the flattening tools is cut off, the fixed cropping tool being carried
by the framing of the machine. The third slide carries the movable tool of the
piercing tools by which the hole for the joint pin is pierced in the flattened end of
the stretcher, the fixed tool being carried by the framing of the machine. Imme-
diately after the flattened, cropped and pierced stretcher has been removed from
the piercing tools by the motion of the feeder it reaches a position when the band
or wire constituting the holder has a position tangential to the feeder and no
longer pressing the stretcher in its notch, the stretcher falls from the now nearly
inverted notch and from the machine.
We will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings
the manner in which our invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in front elevation a stretcher machine constructed according
to our invention; Figure 2 represents an end elevation of the same exhibiting the
mechanism by which the intermittent rotary feeder is driven and locked and
the gearing by which the moveable tools are worked and Figure 3 represents the
opposite end of the machine to that represented in Figure 2, the adjustable
standard and parts carried by it being removed, the said Figure 3 exhibiting the
intermittent rotary feeder and the moveable tools of the three pairs of tools at one
side of the feeder and the mechanism for working them; Figure 4 represents the
same view as Figure 3, drawn to a larger scale, with the feeder removed; Figure 5
represents in side elevation and Figure 6 in front elevation the intermittent rotary
feeder drawn to a large scale.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the drawings.
a, a is the rotating feeder consisting of two strong rings (or discs) fixed on the
horizontal shaft b and capable of being separated to the required distance apart to
accommodate stretchers of different lengths. Each ring of the feeder a has a series
of radial arms c, c in the end of each of which an angular notch d is made. The
troughed wires e to be operated upon are introduced by hand into the notches & at
the position marked A Figures 3 and 5, that is, when the arms c, c are midway
between their highest and lowest positions, the feeder rotating in the direction of
the arrow. By means of a steel band or wire f passed about half round each of
the rings of the feeder a in the manner represented in Figures 3. 5 and 6 the
troughed wires e, e are held in their places in the feeder. One end of each of the
steel bands f is connected to the standard or upright of the machine at g and after
the band has been partly passed round the feeder, the other end is connected to the
spring by the screw and fly nut i. By acting upon the said fly nut the pressure
on the band can be regulated; k, k² is the pair of tools by which the projecting
end of the stretcher wire carried by the feeder is flattened; 1, 1 is the pair of
cropping tools by which the fin or web left around the flattened end operated upon
by the tools k, k³ is cut off and m, m³ is the pair of tools by which the hole for the
joint pin pierced in the flattened and cropped end of the stretcher wire. The
moveable tools of the three pairs of tools described are marked respectively k, l, m
and the fixed tools of the said pairs of tools are marked respectively k², 12, m² The
moveable tools are fixed to the slides k³, 13, m³ working in cheeks in the fixed
standard n of the machine the said slides being simultaneously operated upon by
the cams k, 14, m³ worked as herein after described. The fixed tools k³, 12, m² are
secured in the block p (see Figure 4) forming part of the upright n of the machine.
A set of tools each set consisting of three pairs is used for operating upon each end
of the stretcher wire projecting from each side of the feeder a, a as seen in Figure 1
one set of tools being carried by the standard n and the other set of tools by the
adjustable standard n². The moveable tools of both sets of tools are worked in the

page_text: same manner and operated simultaneously upon the opposite ends of the troughed
wires. The tools are fixed in carriers attached by screws and nuts to the acting
ends of the bolts. The said carriers have steel sockete fixed by set screws in the
axes of which sockets the tools are situated and are adjusted by means of screws
bearing on their rear ends the position of the said screws being fixed by lock nuts.
The intermittent rotary feeder a, a is worked and locked at the proper times in
the following manner reference being had to Figures 1 and 2. On the end of the
shaft b carrying the feeder a, a a ratchet wheel 6' is fixed. Turning loosely on the
said shaft b is a pawl lever 65 carrying the pawl b' which engages with the teeth
of the ratchet wheel 62. The pawl lever b³ is operated upon by the eccentric q on
the shaft r and by the eccentric rod q². By the action of the pawl lever and
pawl 63, 6 and ratchet wheel 6' an intermittent motion is given to the feeder a, a
through the angle required to bring the troughed wire being operated upon in
succession under the three pairs of tools k, k; l, l' and m, m² at each side of the
feeder. After the feeder has been moved through the required angle it is locked
during the operation of the tools by the hooked end of the locking lever 65 being
pressed by the spring bolt y into one of the notches in the notched disc 66 fixed on
the shaft b. The hooked end of the locking lever 65 is withdrawn from the notched
disc be so as to release the feeder at the proper times by the action of the cam 67
(indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2) upon the long arm of the said locking lever.
The moveable tools k, l, m of each set are worked in the following manner;
7,8 and t are three parallel shafts which are geared together by similar toothed
wheels, and t2 motion being communicated to the first toothed wheel by the
pinion on the pulley or driving shaft w of the machine. The shafts r; 8, t carry
the cams k, l, m which operate on the slides or plungers k³, 1, m³ working in
guides in the standards or uprights n, n² of the machine. By adjusting the
position of the sliding standard n² on the bed of the machine by means of a screw
worked by the band wheel x (see Figure 1) taking into a screw box in the said
standard and adjusting the position of the half of the feeder a near the sliding
standard on the shaft b and the cams for working the tools in the said sliding
standard on their shafts, the machine may be fitted for the manufacture of
stretchers of different lengths.
In order to exhibit more clearly the functions of the machine we have
represented in Figure 7 the troughed stretcher wire drawn of the full size ready to
be operated upon by the machine the ends of the troughed wire having fixed in
them strengthening pieces or bits of the usual kind and in Figures 8, 9 and 10 we
have represented the stretcher wire Figure 7 in the successive stages of its
treatment by the machine.
The action of the machine is as follows:-The troughed wire Figure 7 being fed
by hand to the rotating feeder a, a at the position A Figures 3 and 5 the said wire
is carried by the said rotating feeder, moving in the direction of the arrow,
between the two pairs of flattening tools k, k³ on opposite sides of the feeder and
the feeder coming to rest and being locked in the manner herein before described
the moveable tools k of the said pairs of tools descend and flatten the ends of the
wire giving the said ends the form represented in Figure 8. The feeder being
released the flattened wire is next carried between the pairs of cropping tools 1, 1ª
and the feeder coming to rest and being locked the moveable tools 7 descend and
cut off the fins or webs from the flattened ends of the wire as represented in
Figure 9. The feeder again rotating through the required angle the cropped wire
is next carried between the piercing tools m, m² and the moveable tools m
advancing pierce the holes in the flattened and cropped ends of the stretcher wire
for the joint pins as represented in Figure 10. The further rotation of the feeder
carries the flattened and pierced stretcher beyond the action of the holding
bands f, which no longer pressing the stretcher in its notches d, d in the feeder
the said stretcher falls from the now nearly inverted notches d, d and from the.
machine as will be understood by an examination of Figures 3 and 5. In this way

page_text: the ends of the stretcher wire are operated upon in succession by the three sets of
tools on opposite sides of the feeder and the finished stretcher removed from the
machine.
Although we have only described the action of the machine upon one wire yet it
must be understood that the machine is simultaneously operating upon three
stretcher wires carried by the feeder, that is, while one wire is being flattened in
the first set of tools. k, k another wire is being clipped in the second set of
tools, and another wire is being pierced in the third set of tools m, m².
In making stretchers from solid cylindrical or other shaped wire the first pair of
tools is slightly modified in shape to effect the flattening of the said solid cylindrical
or other shaped wire.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that
we claim as our invention
First. The combination in a machine for the manufacture of the stretchers of
umbrellas and parasols of an intermittent rotary feeder consisting of two separate
and parallel rings or discs provided with radial arms in the ends of each of which
arms an angular notch for receiving the stretcher wire is made, the stretcher wires
being held in the notches in the feeder by steel bands, wires or holders substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The combination in a machine for the manufacture of the stretchers
of umbrellas and parasols of the three acts of tools described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings for flattening cropping and piercing the ends of the
stretcher wires brought between them by the motion of the feeder, the moveable
tools of the said sets of tools being worked from the pulley or driving shaft by the
arrangement of gearing and cams described and illustrated.
Lastly. The general arrangement or combination of the parts of the machinery
for the manufacture of the stretchers of umbrellas and parasols herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this Twenty-ninth day of January 1886.