IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
"
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of “IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS."-A communication
· from abroad by Oharles Albert Thompson, of East New York,
Long Island, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 5th August 1874.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS,"
communication, to be as follows:-

page_text: to the staff, to render it strong and durable, neat in its appearance, and
efficient and certain in its operation. It consists,-
Firstly. In an improved construction and arrangement of the catch
and spring, and in the mode of connecting tho catch with the staff when
the cover is raised or lowered.
And, Secondly. In an improved device for guiding the runner to
cause the catch properly and with certainty to enter the slot provided in
the staff to receive the same.
The runner consists, like ordinary umbrella runners, of a tubular
portion, which fits and slides upon the staff, and a flange having radial
slots to receive the ribs; but this flange, instead of being placed at the
extreme upper end of the tubular portion, as in the ordinary manner, is
secured a short distance from the upper end of the same; and that
portion of the tube which extends above or beyond the said flange is
provided with a taper slot which receives a pin fixed in the staff; by
these means the runner is kept from turning on the staff, and the pro-
jection of the catch is guided and brought directly over the slot in the
staff, which receives the said projection when the cover is raised. A
similar pin and slot may be provided near the handle of the staff to
secure the runner in position when the cover is lowered. The catch is
secured to one end of a straight steel spring which lies in a position
nearly parallel with the tubular portion of the runner, the other end of
the said spring being riveted, soldered, or otherwise secured to the same,
or the blank from which the runner is formed is cut with a flange or
projecting piece on cach of the edges thereof. These projections come
together when the blank is brought into tubular form and stand at
right angles thereto, and being passed through a perforation near the
end of the spring are turned back over the same and keep it securely in
position.
And as a modification in the mode of guiding the runner so that the
projection of the catch shall be brought directly over the slot in the
staff, a taper projecting may be formed on the upper end of the tubular
portion of the runner to enter a ring secured to the staff.
And instead of the slot in the staff for receiving the projection of the
catch a piu or projection may be used with which the projection of tho
catch will engage.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 4th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
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 Ohannel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS," a communication to me from abroad by
Charles Albert Thompson, of East New York, Long Island, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Robert Lake, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declaro 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, referenco being had to the accom-
panying Drawing and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say-
This Invention relates to certain improved constructions and arrange-
ments of an umbrella runner, and the mode of attaching the same to

page_text: the shaft, so as to render it strong and durable, as well as neat in
appearance and efficient and certain in its operation. It consists,―
Firstly. In an improved construction and arrangement of the catch
and spring, and in the mode of connecting the catch to the staff when
the cover is raised or lowered.
And, Secondly. In an improved device for guiding the runner so as
to cause the catch properly and with certainty to enter the slots pro-
vided in the staff to receive the same.
The runner consists, like ordinary umbrella runners, of a tubular
portion, which fits and slides upon the staff, and a flange having radial
slots to receive the ribs; but this flange, instead of being placed at the
extreme upper end of the tubular portion, as in the ordinary manner, is
secured a short distance from the upper end of the same; and that
portion of the tube which entends above or beyond the said flange is
provided with a tapering slot which receives a pin fixed in the staff, by
which means the runner is prevented from turning on the staff, and the
projection of the catch is guided and brought directly over the slot in
the staff, which receives the said projection when the cover is raised.
A similar pin and slot may be provided near the handle of the staff
to secure the runner in position when the cover is lowered. The
catch is secured to one end of a straight steel spring which lies in
a position nearly parallel with the tubular portion of the runner, the
other end of the said spring being riveted, soldered, or otherwise secured
to the same.
•
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose I shall refer to the several Figures in the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding
parts throughout all the said several Figures.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings represents a side elevation of my improved
umbrella runner; Fig 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3,
a view of the under sido of tho runner; and Fig. 4, a detail view to bo
herein-after referred to.
A represents the runner having a tubular portion a, which fits and
works upon the staff B of the umbrella, and a flange 6 provided with
radial slots to receive the ribs in the ordinary manner; C is a straight

page_text: steel spring, one end of which is riveted, soldered, or otherwise secured
to the tubular portion of the runner, as seen at d, and to the other end
of the said spring is attached the catch D. This catch D is made sub-
stantially in the form shown in the Drawing, and is provided with a
projecting portion e, which passing through a perforation in the tubular
portion of the runner enters a slot f provided in the staff to secure the
runner in position when the cover is either raised or lowered, the said
slots being located in suitable positions for that purpose. The flange b
is located a short distance from the upper end of the tube a, as shown
in the Drawing, and on that portion of the tube a which extends above
or beyond the said flange is a tapering slot / made to receive a pin i, by
which means the runner is prevented from turning on the staff, and
the projection e of the catch D is brought directly over the slot f. The
pin i also serves as a stop when the umbrella is raised, in which position
it is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A slot h¹, similar to the slot h, may be
provided on the lower end of the tubo a to receive a pin i for guiding
the runner, so that the projection on the catch D will enter a slot pro-
vided on the lower part of the staff B when the umbrella is lowered.
When the umbrella is raised the flange comes in contact with the
pin i, and the said pin is within the slot, h, as shown in the Drawings,
and when the umbrella is lowered the pin comes within the slot h¹ as
a preferable mode of securing the spring C to the runner; the blank
from which the latter is formed may be cut with a flange or projecting
piece m on cach of the edges thereof, as shown in Fig. 4, which said
projecting pieces being turned up will come together when the blank is
brought into tubular form, and stand at right angles thereto, and after
being passed through a perforation in the said spring mado near its end
to receive them, may be turned back over the same, by which means it
will be retained securely in position.
:
As obvious modifications of the arrangements herein-boforo described,
I may state that a tapering projection may be formed on the upper
end of the tubular portion of the runner to enter a ring secured to
the staff for the purpose of guiding the runner, so that the catch
shall be brought directly over the slot in the staff.

page_text: I am aware that a catch similar in form to the catch D, but attached
to the runner and spring in a different manner, and operating in a
different way, has heretofore been used on an umbrella runner, and
I therefore do not claim as my Invention the peculiar form of
the said catch except in connection with the other parts as above set 6
forth.
And having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of
the said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be
carried into effect, I observe in conclusion that what I consider novel
and original in the said improvements, and therefore claim as my 1
Invention is,―
First. The catch D constructed as described and mounted upon the
straight spring C, the latter being attached thereto and secured to the
runner in the manner specified, in combination with the slotf, pin i,
and runner A having a slot h in the tubular portion thereof, all the 1
several parts being arranged in relation to each other, substantially as
described for the purpose set forth.
Second. In an umbrella runner, the slot in combination with tho
pin i and slot ƒ in the staff B, as herein-before shown and described for
the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
2
Witness,
H. J. NOONE.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)