AN IMPROVEMENT IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT, to Edward Sparkhall, of Cheapside, in the City of
London, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN UMBRELLAS AND
PARASOLS."
Sealed the 25th January 1861, and dated the 27th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Sparkhall at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,, with his Petition, on the
27th October 1860.
I EDWARD SPARKHALL, of Cheapside, in the City of London, do hereby
5 declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT IN UMBRELLAS
AND PARASOLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in making the umbrella or parasol with a ball
and socket or swivel joint in or on the handle thereof, or other mechanism
in or on or attached to the handle, which shall cause the top or covering
O part to turn round upon the handle, so that when an umbrella or parasol is
open if it should strike against any person or thing it will turn round upon
the handle and thus prevent accidents.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Sparkhall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th April.1861.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me the said Edward Sparkhall, Her special licence, that I, the said Edward.
Sparkhall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Edward Sparkhall, 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 "AN IMPROVEMENT IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edward Sparkhall, my executors or admi-
nistrators, 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 Edward Sparkhall, 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:
The nature of the said Invention consists in making, as hereafter described,
the umbrella or parasol with a joint or mechanism in or on or attached to
the handle in such manner as to connect the top or covering part of the
umbrella or parasol, so that when open it will turn round upon the handle.
The manner in which the same is to be performed is shewn in and by the
accompanying Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1, view of a skeleton of a parasol with this Invention applied thereto;
Fig. 2, detail view of part of the same.
In this arrangement instead of connecting the ribs and cover to the handle
or stick I connect the same to a piece secured to the said handle or stick
as follows: The piece' marked A has the "notch" B¹ and in it an orifice
corresponding with an orifice in the handle or stick C into which orifice
is inserted a long stiff wire or pin D (dotted lines in Fig. 1) secured by

page_text: the notch in the said pin: It will be evident to the practical man; that a
modified form of this arrangement will constitute a ball and socket joint,
as the end of the pin D might have a ball turning in a socket or vice versa..
Fig. 3 shews another arrangement for effectuating my said Invention.
This consists of a collar of metal (a) placed in the upper part of the handle
or stick near the place where the cover is connected thereto with a shoulder
or thick part (b) whereon is loosely fitted the "notch" (c) to which the
ribs are fastened as usual, the pin d passing through an orifice in the collar
a, and through the handle or stick, the part c. being thus kept from being
pushed off at top by the shoulder b and from descending at bottom by the
said pin d and for the connection of the top or cover there being also provided
a slide e, commonly called a runner, to which the lower ends of the stretchers
are secured; such slide or runner instead of having one slit or slot is provided
with several slits or slots (three or four I conceive would be sufficient), so
that although the above parts rotate and change the position of a slit or
slot yet one shall always be handy for the lower spring to catch in when
necessary, the upper spring marked f being made much larger and longer
and with a peculiar bend (see Drawing) to avoid its getting "locked"
stopped in any of the said slits or slots of the slide or runner (which should
be No. 16 wire or if flattened steel to be quite as powerful) see Drawing
No. 11.
or
Figs. 5, 5*, 5**, shew another arrangement; Fig. 5 shewing two parts
together and 5*, 5**, other details, whilst Fig. 6 shews the whole made up"
for use. In this case the collar is to be fixed to the handle or stick with a
shoulder or thick part 6 at top, as before described. c the notch to which
the ribs are attached as also the cap d rotating on the said collar a. eo
is a small collar for keeping the parts c and d in their places, which collar
(e) may if desired be dispensed with, the pin fastening left with its end
protruding being sufficient; the notch and cap are so constructed that the
parts c and d may be placed nearer or further apart from each other to
admit more or less of the textile fabric of which the cover may be composed;
a silk cover for instance will occupy less space than one of alpaca or cotton.
Figs. 7, 7, and 8, shew a somewhat similar arrangement in these cases
the top cap being dispensed with, the same letters being used here to denote
such parts as may be found here and in Figs. 5, 5*, 5**, and 6.
Fig. 9, a similar arrangement, but differing in this that there is but a single
collar which has two shoulders between which the "notch" is loosely secured
free to rotate.
Fig. 10, an arrangement for such umbrellas or parasols as have iron or

page_text: metal sticks or handles which do not require to have a collar, as shewn in
the foregoing Figures; for in this case as the "notch" might turn round
ou the handle itself (being metal) it requires no protection against the wear of
the notch when rotating thereon, but needs only a ferule properly secured
to the handle or stick by a pin or pins or otherwise so as to prevent the
"notch" being pressed out of place upwards when the pressure comes against
it from below upon opening the umbrella or parasol. The notch also re-
quiring under it a pin or pins driven through the stick protruding beyond
it so as to keep it in its place.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my Invention
the arrangements described and shewn by reference to the accompanying
Drawings for the purpose of enabling the top or covering part of umbrellas
and parasols to turn around the handle.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Sparkhall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Signed and sealed in my presence,
EDW. SPARKHALL. (L.S.)
F. W. CAMPIN, Patent Agent,
156, Strand.