IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLA AND SUNSHADE FASTENINGS
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Melville Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th December 1876. A communi-
cation from abroad by Messieurs A. Teste, père et fils, and Pichat, of Paris,
France.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middle-
sex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLA AND SUNSHADE FASTENINGS."
A communication from abroad by Messieurs A. Teste, père et fils, and Pichat, of
Paris, France.
This Invention relates to improved means of securing the frames of umbrellas,
parasols, and sunshades, in the expanded and closed positions, without having re-
course to the ordinary wire springs for holding the runner in position on the stick,
or the employment of tip caps or other means of securing the ribs when closed.
The above objects are attained, according to this Invention, by the employment
of an elastic ring fastener; the fastener consists of an elastic ring or band, which
may either be metallic, composed of superposed metal strips, or spiral metal springs,
or be made of india-rubber or other material, so as by its construction or compo-
sition to be capable of expansion and contraction within certain limits.
The ring may, if desired, be enclosed in a protective sheath, and it is made suf-
ficiently large to embrace the stretchers and stick, and is passed through eyes
attached to the stretchers near their inner ends. On sliding the runner up the
stick, the stretchers are forced outwards, and expand the ribs, the elastic ring
opposing a gradually decreasing resistance which ceases when the ribs are expanded
to the full extent by the stretchers being brought to a right angle with the stick.
Previous to attaining this limit the elastic ring is free to exert a collapsing pres-
sure upon the stretchers, which tends to close the umbrella, while beyond this limit
it acts in such a way as to tend to keep the umbrella open; thus the elastic re-
taining ring in the one position holds the stretchers pressed against the stick, and
resists the opening of the umbrella, and the other position it holds the umbrella
open owing to the position assumed by the stretchers with regard to the stick.
Both the above positions are maintained in a self-acting manner by the elasticity of
the ring, and the umbrella may thus be secured in the open or closed position with-
out any other means of fixing than the ring.
The closing of the umbrella may also be effected by inserting a similaṛ elastiç

page_text: band or ring in eyes on the under sides of the ribs near the ends which are jointed
to the top notch.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing shows a vertical section of an umbrella
or sunshade frame in the open position, with some of the ribs and stretchers
removed in order to show more clearly the application of the clastic ring.
Figure 2 shows part of the same with the stretchers in the closed position, with
the elastic ring contracted, so as to compress the stretchers closely around the stick.
Figure 3 shows the stretchers and ring partly expanded.
Figure 4 is an under side plan showing the elastic ring fully expanded to hold the
framing in the open position.
The same letters of reference are used to designate the same parts in all four
Figures.
A, A, ribs; B, B, stretchers; C, runner, to which stretchers are attached; D, elastic
ring passed through eyes d on the stretchers; E, stop on stick to limit the move-
ment of runner C in opening the umbrella.
In Figure 1 the elastic ring is shown in dotted lines as applied near the jointed
ends of the ribs according to the modification above referred to.