Improvements in or relating to the Frames of Umbrellas, Parasols, and Sunshades, and the Tips thereof.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 14th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 2nd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Frames of Umbrellas, Parasols,
and Sunshades, and the Tips thereof.
We, SAMUEL LEAROYD, of Sherwood House Huddersfield in the County of
York Gentleman and ERNEST ADOLPHUS BLUEMEL of Crown Works Globe
Road in the County of Middlesex, Umbrella Stick Manufacturer, and Xylonite
Worker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to the frames of umbrellas parasols and sunshades
hereinafter spoken of under the general name of umbrellas and the rounded or tip
ends thereof and has for its object a novel mode of producing or covering or
coating the frames of umbrellas and the rounded or ball ends or protuberances
at the ends of the ribs, whether part of the frame. or separately attached thereto.
and hereinafter comprehensively referred to under the general name of tips.
Hitherto the frames and tips have generally been made of metal and then
generally coated over with Japan varnish.
There are many objections to this method. The Japan varnish very speedily
wears off and the metal of the frames being then exposed becomes rusty and the
tips then become unsightly and spoil the appearance of the umbrella; the tips also
become rough and uncomfortable to the touch, and on account of the hardness of
the metal of which they are made they wear and disfigure the stick. The tips thus
constructed do not allow of sufficient variation in size and colour; and on account
of the tips being usually formed or secured upon the ribs by tools or dies they are
liable to come loose and fall off.
Our invention provides a method of producing the frames and the tips by which
they can be made of any size or colour and the tips can be made absolutely
spherical and of a material which whilst sufficiently hard to withstand all necessary
wear and exposure is not so hard as to injure the stick of the umbrella; by our
method the frames or tips can be made of the same material throughout, and do not
therefore become discoloured or unsightly in use; moreover they are not injuriously
affected by any friction to which they may be subjected.
The material we prefer to use is xylonite, celluloid or vulcanite, but any other
suitable compound of the same colour throughout or other suitable material can be
used which will secure the end desired. The material or compound can be applied
either in a fluid or semi-fluid condition or solid or in sheets or by moulding it upon
the frames or tips; it can be applied by heat or in a cold condition and by
the use of the raw material or the material in a manufactured and finished
condition.
According to one method by which we produce the tips we use xylonite, celluloid,
vulcanite or other compound or other suitable material made black or white or any
colour or shade or of a gold or silver or other gilt we apply it in the sheet or in
strips or sections. We place the frames or tips or the portions of them desired to
be coated or covered between two sheets of the material and there being top and
bottom moulds with indentations in them for the frames or tips to rest in we by
pressure or heat or both mould the material upon the frames or tips using a
suitable solvent to blend the two sheets of material together. We then finish the
frames and tips and polish them if desired by any known process.
Another niethod by which we apply our invention is by shaping the material

page_text: used by us into rods or bars of any shape or design. We then cut these rods or
bars into sections of the thickness desired and then tool or shape on such sections
so cut out upon the tips.
The invention is also secured by dipping the frames or tips or the parts of them
we desire to cover in the material which has been previously formed into a fluid or
semi-fluid condition and the frames or. tips having been first suitably prepared to
hold or retain the material added to them. The parts of the frames or tips
desired to be covered or coated are dipped either separately or in company in
troughs or in racks or rows or in any other of the well known methods. They then
stand after each process of dipping to harden or cool as the case may be or they
may be dried-in-a-heated-stove-and-the-material-seasoned and-the-frames-or-tips-
may then be dipped again and again, according to the coating or quantity of
material desired and moulded or shaped or finished so that at the tip end a perfect
sphere or ball will be formed and absolute security obtained from the tips falling
off from the ribs. By this method we secure the coating or covering of the frames
in any colour or shape required according to the colour of the coating or.covering
material used such material is of sufficient density. to prevent it from rubbing or
.wearing off as heretofore.
Another method which we use to secure our invention is as follows: We cut out
small capsules from the material in sheets or tubes in sections, and then by
suitable tools mould them into shape upon the ribs so as to produce the tips. The
capsules are cut out from the sheet and are then moulded on to the tips either by
heated or by cool dies or by pressure; in some cases we use a solvent to make the
fixture more reliable and permanent.
The tips may be polished either by the use of a varnish or by japanning or by
dipping or by a sand-blast or by friction or by any other process.
We also apply our invention by extending the wire of the rib by which the loop
is formed to sew on the cover to the frame-this extended wire we twist or bend
into any desired form to hold or hook on the material we use according to our
invention in any one of the several methods above described. We do not claim
such projecting wires as part of our invention except as applied in fixing the
material as above described.
Our tips can be produced upon the ribs either with or without metal caps by one
or other of the processes and with the materials above described either before or
after the japanning process.
When the frames are japanned or coated after our invention has been applied
the advantage secured is that when the coating wears off the frames and the
tips will still remain the same colour and will not expose the metal to rust or
disfigurement.
Our improved frames and tips can be made of any and of varying sizes shapes
and designs and of any colour to suit the taste of the customer and they can.be
made of the same colour or black or white throughout which will not suffer by
exposure or by wear and will also throughout retain the appearance of newness as
when originally applied. There has arisen a demand for frames of various colours
for the making of sunshades and parasols we also according to our invention coat
the entire frame or such portions as may be desired to produce any colour or shade
desired. The treatment can also be applied in a transparent form to protect and
still expose to view any underlying foundation in colour shape or design and thus
avoid discolouration tarnishing bruising or other injury or disfigurement.
Our invention also secures great saving of expense over several of the methods
which have been hitherto applied.
We are aware that tips made of glass, ivory, bone, cement or enamel have been
used and that the frames and tips of umbrellas have been coated over for the
purpose of ornamentation and otherwise by being heated and by being covered with
glaze and metallic oxides and with silver and other metals and by electricity and
in crucibles and by applying thin metal to the tip ends but such methods form no
part of our invention. We are also aware that various loose brass, copper and tin

page_text: tips have been heretofore made to these we make no claim; neither do we claim
as part of our invention the processes of polishing as applied by us.
Dated this 15th day of June 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in or relating to the Frames of Umbrellas, Parasols,
and Sunshades, and the Tips thereof.
We, SAMUEL LEAROYD, of Sherwood House, Huddersfield, in the County of
York Gentleman and ERNEST ADOLPHUS BLUEMEL of Crown Works, Globe
Road in the County of Middlesex, Umbrella Stick Manufacturer, and Xylonite
Worker, 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 :-
Our invention relates to the frames of umbrellas parasols and sunshades
hereinafter referred to under the general name of umbrellas and has for its object
a novel covering or coating for the ribs and stretchers or any parts thereof in
order to produce a novel and useful effect.
It is usual to make the frames of umbrellas of metal coated with Japan varnish.
There are many objections to this method of manufacture, for example the Japan
varnish very speedily wears off and the metal being then exposed becomes
unsightly and the appearance of the umbrella is spoiled; moreover the rounded
protuberances at the ends of the ribs (hereinafter comprehensively referred to
under the general name of tips) on account of the hardness of the metal of which
they are made mark and disfigure the umbrella stick, and the tips constructed as
heretofore do not allow of sufficient variation in size and colour, and by reason of
their being usually formed or secured upon the ribs by tools or dies they are liable
to become loose and fall off.
Our invention provides a novel coating for the metal ribs, stretchers and tips
and a novel method of producing the tips in any desired colour and by which the
tips can be made quite spherical and of a material which whilst sufficiently hard to
withstand all ordinary wear and exposure is not so hard as to injure the stick of
the umbrella. Our improved frames and tips do not become discoloured or
unsightly in use and they are not injuriously affected by any ordinary friction to
which they may be subjected.
The material we prefer to use for coating the ribs and stretchers and tips is
vulcanite, but celluloid or other suitable material or a suitable metal can be
employed which will secure the end desired. The material is in some instances
applied either in a fluid or semi-fluid condition and in other instances it is applied
in a solid state in thin sheets or otherwise by moulding; it can be applied whilst
in a heated condition or in a cold state and by the use of the raw material or the
material in a manufactured and finished condition.
In applying our invention to the ribs and stretchers of umbrellas we sometimes
proceed as follows, that is to say, we take a thin sheet of the coating material and
we cut it into strips of a sufficient width to wrap round and enclose the rib or
stretcher and we apply it to the rib or stretcher. We then by means of suitable
dies such as A, B for example (Figure 1 of the drawings) press the strip tightly
and firmly in position. The whole or a part only of the rib or stretcher may.be
covered in this manner. We e may treat the ribs one at a time or we may treat a
number of them simultaneously between dies having a number of recesses.
We have in the drawing shown the top die provided with a thin projecting edge
or blade B¹ for entering the groove or furrow in the rib or stretcher to press the

page_text: edges of the coating into said groove. In some instances we apply the coating in a
pasty unvulcanized condition and vulcanize it when on the ribs and stretchers.
We sometimes use metal for coating the frame, for instance we use stained or dyed
brass or copper, or metal chemically or electrically prepared so as to have a black
or coloured appearance. When we use metal we apply it in the form of thin sheets
by pressure in dies. The ribs and stretchers covered as above described may be
polished and coated with Japan varnish in the usual manner. In some instances
the metal ribs and stretchers are japanned before the vulcanite or other coating
above referred to is applied to them. Our improved frame possesses the advantage
that after the Japan varnish is worn off, the frame will still retain its original
lustrous colour.
In applying tips to the ribs of umbrellas in accordance with our invention we
preferably utilize the loop wire, or eye to which the cover of the umbrella is sewn,
by extending this wire beyond the end of the rib and suitably shaping it so that it
will hold the material that forms the tip. For example we flatten the end of the
wire into a fan tail shape, or we bend or twist the wire or notch it at the sides or
otherwise manipulate it that it will securely hold the tip. In Figure 2 of the
accompanying drawings we have shewn a portion of a rib C and the loop wire D
projecting from the end thereof and flattened or spread into a triangular shape at
the end ready to receive the tip. To the end of the wire so prepared we apply the
vulcanite, celluloid, metal or other material for forming the tip and then shape and
fix it by suitable tools. When vulcanite is used the material is preferably applied
in a pasty or plastic unvulcanized condition and is then allowed to stand until dry
after which it is shaped by pressure between suitable dies, then vulcanized, and
afterwards trimmed in a lathe or otherwise to remove any excrescences.
The tip may be polished and japanned in the usual manner but will possess this
difference as compared with ordinary japanned tips, that when the Japan varnish
is worn off, the tip will still retain its lustrous appearance and the metal will not
be exposed. The rib may if desired be japanned before applying our
improved tip.
In Figures 3 and 4 we have shown perspective views of top and bottom
companion dies for moulding the tips. The bottom die E is made in two pieces
the adjoining faces of which are grooved as shown at E¹, E¹ to receive and hold
the ribs. G is a bolt for securing the two pieces of the die together when the ribs
are in position between them. F is one of two guide pins fixed to one half of the
die and sliding in holes in the other half. H, H are other guide pins fixed to the
bottom die and serving as guides for the upper die K which is pierced at K³, K³,
to fit on the said pins. The recesses L, L for shaping the tips are formed as shown
partly in the bottom die and partly in the top die. An annular groove L'
Figure 3 is preferably provided round each recess or cup L in the upper die.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate in perspective a modified form of companion dies in
which the top die is applied sideways to the ribs J, J instead of end ways.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a tool and clamp for polishing and finishing
the tips. The rib J is held during the operation of polishing and finishing the tip
by means of a clamping cam M which can be turned by its handle M¹ to press
upon a block N between which and the frame O the rib is clamped; P, P' are the
upper and lower finishing tools.
In lieu of a tool such as that shown in Figure 7 we may use a revolving tool or
lathe for example for removing excrescences when such are present and for other-
wise finishing the tips. The tool could be worked by hand or by a treadle or by
steam or other power.
The invention may also be carried into effect by dipping the frames or tips, or
the parts of them it is desired to cover, in the material which has been previously
formed into a fluid or semi-fluid condition, the frames or tips having been first
suitably prepared to hold or retain the material applied to them. The parts of the
frames or tips desired to be covered or coated are dipped either separately or in
company in racks or rows as in any of the well known methods of applying Japan

page_text: varnish. They then stand after each process of dipping to harden or cool as the
case may be or they may be dried in a heated stove and the material seasoned and
the frames or tips are then dipped again and again, according to the thickness of
the coating desired and are moulded or shaped or finished so that at the tip end a
perfect sphere or ball will be formed and absolute security obtained from the tips
falling off from the ribs. The coating or covering of the frames may have any
desired colour and the density or thickness of the coating is such as to prevent it
from rubbing or wearing off and exposing the metal.
Another method of carrying our invention into practice is as follows:-
We cut
small capsules from the coating material in sheets or tubes in sections, and then by
suitable tools mould them into shape upon the ribs so as to produce the tips. The
capsules are cut from the sheet and are then moulded on to the tips either by
heated or by cool dies; in some instances we use a solvent to ensure a reliable and
permanent hold. The tips may be polished either by the use of a varnish or by
japanning or by dipping or by a sand-blast or by friction or by any other suitable
process.
Our improved ribs, stretchers and tips can be made of any and of varying sizes
or thicknesses shapes and designs and of any colour to suit the taste of the customer
and they can be made of the same colour or black or white throughout. They will
not suffer by exposure or by wear and will also always retain the appearance. of
newness. The coating can also be applied in a transparent form to protect and
still expose to view any underlying foundation in colour, shape or design and thus
avoid discolouration, tarnishing, bruising or other injury or disfigurement of such
design.
Our invention also secures great saving of expense as compared with several of
the methods which have been hitherto applied for accomplishing a similar object.
We are aware that tips made of glass, ivory, bone, cement or enamel have been
used and that the frames and tips of umbrellas have been coated for the purpose of
ornamentation and otherwise by being heated and by being covered with glaze and
metallic oxides and with silver and other white metals and by means of electricity
and in crucibles and by applying thin metal to the tip ends but such methods form
no part of our invention. We are also aware that various loose brass, copper and
tin tips have been heretofore made; to these we make no claim, neither do we
claim as part of our invention the processes of polishing hereinabove referred to.
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 :-
1. An umbrella frame coated wholly or in part with vulcanite, celluloid, xylonite
or similar substance or with stained metal substantially as described, and for the
purposes specified.
1
2. An umbrella frame in which the tips of the ribs are formed of vulcanite,
celluloid, xylonite, stained metal or other suitable material applied to the loop
wires substantially in the manner, and for the purposes specified.
3. A tip such as that referred to in the preceding claim applied to the rib with
or without a metal cap before or after the frame is japauued and finished by any of
the methods hereinabove described.
4. The dies for shaping the tips substantially as described with reference to one
or other of the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.