AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
DAWSON, of 14, Melton Street, Euston Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Sea of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Thirteenth
day of March, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fourteenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs or successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Thomas Dawson, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Thomas Dawson, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Dawson, my exors, adñors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in
all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas Dawson,

page_text: shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Dawson, hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:―
Firstly, my improved method of constructing umbrellas has particular
relation to the class of umbrellas called walking-stick umbrellas, and has
for its object the forming them in such manner that when they are not
required for use as a protection against rain, they may be collapsed or folded
into a smaller compass than heretofore, and also better protected while in that
state from the wear and tear arising from continued exposure to the weather,
frequent handling, &c.
The Drawings annexed show several modes of carrying out this object.
Figure 1 is an external view, and Figure 2 a vertical section of an umbrella
as so improved, in its complete state. The instrument is divisible into two
portions; first, a hollow cylindrical case which forms what is commonly called
the stick; and, second, the expansible portion, consisting of ribs, stretchers,
&c., the latter of which is detachable from the former when the instrument
is not in use, and may be folded up and inserted into the hollow case. A
view of the expansible portion is shown separately in Figure 3. A, A, are
the ribs, which are made of steel or other metal wire, and enlarged at the part
where they join the stretchers, in the manner shewn in Figure 4, in order to
give sufficient strength to the joint; B, B, are the stretchers; C, the runner;
and D, the central rod. The stretchers are made shorter than they are in
common umbrellas, so that the runner (C) may have a short distance to
travel upon the central rod (D) in expanding the umbrella; E is the hollow
case or stick; F the head or handle, which is made to screw upon the case,
but may be attached by a spring catch, or any other convenient means; G is
a tip for the case, which is screwed into the end of the case when employed
as a walking stick, but when the article is used as an umbrella the tip is
unscrewed and put inside of the case (the expanding portion of the umbrella
having been taken out). The lower end of the umbrella rod D has also a
screw thread upon it, which fits the screw in the lower end of the case (from

page_text: which the tip had been unscrewed, and when the rod has been screwed into
it the umbrella is ready for being expanded for use. Sometimes, instead of
screwing the lower end of the rod D into the lower end of the case, as has
been just been explained, I form a screw upon the outer and lower end
of the runner, and make the hole and screw in the lower end of the case
of a sufficient size to receive the runner, in the manner shewn in Figure 5,
where A is a portion of the lower end of the case; B, the runner which is
screwed into it; C, the central rod or stick; and D, D, two of the stretchers.
When an umbrella, constructed according to this arrangement, is required
for use, the runner is first screwed into the end of the case, as represented
in the Drawing, the top or upper end of the rod C is then laid hold of by
the hand and pressed down till the catch which holds the umbrella in its
expanded position falls into its place, when it is ready for use.
A modification of the last arrangement is represented in Figure 6, where
the central rod of the umbrella is made of two pieces, one of which is made
to slide within the other, somewhat similar to a telescope tube. Sometimes
I make the outer case, which serves as the stick of the umbrella, telescopic,
so that when the umbrella is attached to the end of the stick, by sliding the
one portion of the case over upon the other, the stick may be reduced to a
convenient length.
Figure 7 is a vertical section of another umbrella, in which the ribs,
instead of occupying a position under the covering as usual, are placed outside
of that covering, and are made of such width that when the umbrella is
taken down or folded up they form a complete covering or envelope to the
cloth, and exhibit in their collapsed state all the appearance of a ribbed
walking stick. To retain it in this folded state a ring with a bayonet joint
upon it is drawn over the whole set of ribs, which bayonet joint takes on to
a pin fixed to one of the ribs, as shewn in Figure 8. The handle A is
furnished at its inner end with a groove or set of holes corresponding to the
number of ribs, and is made to slide a short distance up and down upon the
central rod or umbrella stick, so that when the ribs are brought close together,
the umbrella being in its collapsed state, then the handle is pushed down
upon the tips or ends of the ribs, which, while it holds them in their proper
place, gives a better finish and appearance to the article. The handle is
retained in its position upon the central rod or stick by means of a spring
catch. The stretchers a, a, are formed in the manner shewn in the section,
Figure 7, falling into recesses or flutes formed in the central rod when
folded up.

page_text: Secondly, my improved method of constructing parasols has for its object
the forming them in such manner that they may be capable of being expanded
to the size of an umbrella, and so serve to afford protection from both sun
and rain. Figure 9 is an elevation of a. parasol so constructed. Figures 10
and 11 are side and edge views of a single rib.. The upper portion of the
covering A is formed in the usual manner, but the lower and outer..portion
B, B, is made with an elastic band: B, and the ribs instead of being made
of a single piece are made of two pieces C and D, the upper of which (C)
is jointed to the "stick" or central rod, and to the stretchers, in the usual
manner, while the other or lower piece D. slides in a groove in 'C, and is
retained in its place by two guides a, a, being furnished with a set or series
of knobs b, b, to which the outer portion of the covering B,,B, is attached.
When the parasol is to be expanded to the umbrella size, the lower pieces
of the ribs are each successively drawn out to their full extent by hand, when
the portion of the covering B expands along with them, and thus encreases
the size or area of the covering. When the ribs are shortened the elastic
band B gathers the outer portion of the covering B up in the inside of the
parasol, where it has the appearance of a drawn curtain.
And having now described my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that the improvements which I claim as
comprehended in my Invention are as follows:-
First, I claim the method of constructing walking-stick umbrellas, and the
several modifications thereof herein-before described, that is to say, in so far
as regards the making the case serve for the stick-or-central rod of the
umbrella, the mode of joining the ribs with the stretchers, the screwing of the
umbrella "stick" to the "runner," and the constructing of the ribs (in some
cases) external to the cloth covering, as also the application of the said
method and modifications (in so far as applicable) to the construction of
parasols. And,...
Second, I claim the improved method of constructing parasols, before
described, that is.to say, in so far as regards the employment of expanding
ribs and an elastic band, to gather up the extra portion of covering like a
curtain; and also the application of the said method (in.so far as applicable)
to the construction of:.umbrellas..
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Dawson, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one....
my.
THOMAS (L.B.) DAWSON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1851, the aforesaid Thomas Dawson came before our
said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.