IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS
Year: 1879

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Georg Ludwig Pauly at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th September 1879.
GEORG LUDWIG PAULY, of Hamburg, Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS."
My Invention relates to various improvements in umbrellas and parasols of all
kinds, by which improvements it is designed to give to an umbrella stick greater
solidity than such sticks have heretofore possessed, and to give umbrellas and
parasols a slender and graceful shape by keeping the frame as closely as possible to
the stick, and also to hold the ribs closed without the aid of an enclosing device or
other mechanism at the lower end thereof.
One important feature of my Invention consists in an improved construction of
the runner and its combination with tongues and notches secured upon the stick by
means of a ferrule or a small nail or screw.
An umbrella-stick provided with slots as is usual to receive a spring wire-catching
the runner is always considerably weakened by such slots and frequently breaks in
the slotted parts. My improved arrangement therefore tends to avoid such slots in
the stick.
My improved runner consists of a metallic sleeve or barrel carrying on its upper
end the crown or notch to receive the stretchers. Below the said crown at any
convenient part of the said sleeve a ring is loosely placed around the said sleeve,
which ring is held in position between two flanges or other suitable devices. The
said runner or sleeve is slotted in its length, and being guided straight upon the
stick by the stretchers the slot will always bear exactly upon the aforesaid tongues,
and the said ring will catch into the notch of the said tongues. Thus the runner is
secured above when the umbrella is opened and below when it is closed. In order
to disengage the said runner from the notch and tongue only a slight pressure has
to be exercised upon a small knob placed upon the ring opposite to the slot of the
sleeve, a spiral spring being placed within the said knob. The said ring is prevented
Posing S71

page_text: by studs and other suitable means from being pressed in any other than the trans-
verse direction, and accordingly it is lifted out of the notch.
The said runner may also be constructed without the said ring and knob. It
consists in this case of an inner and an outer sleeve, which sleeves are slotted in
their length, and have also transverse bayonet slots. The tongues with their notches
secured upon the stick enter into the slots of the runner when the two slots are
placed one above another. The outer sleeve being turned the notch enters into the
bayonet slot and the runner is secured. To disengage this runner the outer sleeve
needs only to be turned back till the slots are again placed one over another.
Another modification of the said runner consists in providing the same with a
tongue, and projecting toward the handle of the umbrella and entering into a alot
in the ferrule of the handle, where a ring as herein before described, or a similar
contrivance is arranged to engage with the notch of the tongue to be disengaged by
a knob and spring.
My said Invention further comprises improved arrangements for constituting a
tourist's umbrella, the stick of which may be drawn out and used as a walking-
stick, while the frame and cover may be placed with the luggage. In constructing
an umbrella according to this part of my Invention I provide above the upper
crown or notch of the same a metal shell with an outside screw-thread, which shell
is mounted upon the stick and has a vertical slot with a tongue and pin projecting
inward. The said pin catches into a small hole or cavity in the stick, and thus
secures the upper crown to the stick. An outside shell is screwed upon the slotted
shell and prevents the tongue and pin being disengaged from the stick. When the
latter is to be drawn out the outside shell neods only to be unscrewed and the
tongue and pin become loose.
This construction may be modified by arranging a ring with a bayonet slot within
the inner shell, a pin projecting from tho stick and engaging with the said bayonet-
slot.
Another improvement according to my said Invention consists in a novel con-
struction of the crowns or notches of the umbrella, in which crowns the ribs and
stretchers are secured.
I construct the said crowns or notches of two rings laid one upon another and
united by pins which may be easily drawn out in order to take off the upper ring.
Between the two rings globular excavations are formed to receive small globes
arranged at the upper ends of the ribs and the lower ends of the stretchers. Thus
the said ribs and stretchers turn easily in the ball and socket joints which offer the
least resistance in opening and closing the umbrella. This arrangement moreover
offers the great advantage that every rib and stretcher may be taken out separately,
while in all other constructions the whole frame has to be taken out of the crown
or top notch to repair or replace a single rib, and the whole covering material must
be removed.
The said arrangement of the ball and socket joints may be applied to umbrellas
and parasols of any kind.
My said Invention also comprises an improved form of rib, and improved joints
between the ribs and stretchers. I construct the said improved ribs as follows, that
is to say I impart to them a slight curvature at their lower part, below the part
where they join the stretchers, and thereby they fold up neatly to the stick and
the umbrella receives a slender and elegant form. The lower ends of the ribs also
close up to the stick without the use of an enclosing or other contrivance. The said
improved form may be given to solid ribs as well as to the so called "paragon" ribs,
and by means of this improvement an umbrella made according to my Invention is
superior even to the so called "automatom" umbrella. The latter carries springs
in the joints between the stretchers and ribs, which are very difficult to repair
and are far more subject to wear and tear than umbrellas provided with my
improvements.
Another improvement in the ribs consists in splitting the lower part thereof
below the joint where the stretchers are united. The stretcher folds into the said

page_text: aperture, and when the umbrella is closed it has a thin slender form. This effect is
also facilitated by the hinge between the stretcher and the split rib. The said
hinge is concealed between the two halves of the rib and does not project, thereby
allowing the frame to close up better to the stick. Another modification of this
improvement consists in forming the lower part of the rib as a channel into which
the stretcher folds up. The joint between the stretcher and rib is also a new and
original improvement, that is to say, the bolt or tenon of the joint passes through
the two tongues of the stretcher and through the rib which in this part must be
solid and is backed up to give a better hold to the stretcher in unfolding the
umbrella.
All the above named improvements may be applied to umbrellas and parasols of
every kind, which are thereby rendered solid and durable, and there is great facility
in folding and unfolding, a great capacity of resistance, and, when closed, an elegant
slender form.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Georg Ludwig Pauly in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
March 1880.
GEORG LUDWIG PAULY, of Hamburg, Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS.”
My said Invention relates to various improvements in umbrellas and parasols, by
which improvements I provide the same with a very strong stick, while giving to
the umbrella or parasol a slender and graceful shape by keeping the frame as closely
as practicable to the stick, and holding the ribs closed without the aid of a sliding
clip or other device.
An important feature of my Invention consists in am improved construction of
the runner, and in its combination with tongues and notches secured upon the stick
by means of a ferrule or a nail or screw. The umbrella-stick has hitherto been
pierced by slots to receive the spring-wire catching with the runner, whereby the
said stick is always considerably weakened, and frequently breaks in the slotted
parts. My improved arrangement therefore tends to avoid such slots in the
stick.
In the annexed Drawing my improved runner A is shewn in Figure 1 in side
elevation; Figure 1 is an end view, and Figure 1b an end view of the ring c.
The said runner consist of a sleeve or barrel a of suitable metal, carrying near its
upper end the notch or crown b to receive the stretchers. Below the said notch, at
any convenient part of the sleeve a, a ring c is loosely placed around the said sleeve
a, which ring is held in position between flanges f, f, or other suitable arrange-
ments. The said sleeve a is slotted lengthwise, and being slipped up and down the
stick as the umbrella is opened or closed, the said slot engages with the tongues
g, g, and it will always bear exactly upon the same, as the runner is guided
straight by the stretchers. The ring c then will catch into the notch of the respec-
tive tongue, and by these means the runner is kept in position either at the upper
or at the lower end of its path as the umbrolla is opened or closed.
In order to disengage the said runner from the notch of the tongue g or g¹, only
a slight pressure need be exercised upon a small knob & placed upon the ring c
opposite the slot of the sleeve a. Inside the said ring c I arrange studs t (Figure 1b),
or other suitable means to prevent the said ring c from yielding in any other than
the transverse direction when the knob d is pressed upon; thus the ring c is lifted
out of the notch of the tongue g or g'. The ring c is also provided with a small
pin e, Figures 1, 14, 1b, which catches into a notch in the flange f¹ to prevent the
turning of the said ring c upon the sleeve a.
The tongues g, g², are secured upon the stick by means of a ferrule, as shown in
Figs. 2, 2, side-view and plan; or by means of screws or nails, as in Figs. 3, 3ª,
side-view and plan. The arrangement of the runner and tongues upon the stick is
also shown in Fig. 12. In Fig. 1d the same runner is shown combined with
a pusher-ferrule u, which acts upon the ends of the ribs when the umbrella is
opened.
In Fig. 13, 13, the ring c of the runner is placed upon the lower end of the
sleeve a, and its casing serves as a pusher-ferrulo like that shown in Fig. 1d.
The casing of the ring c is closed. Upon the ring c a small pin is secured opposite
the knob d, and the said pin is guided in a small opening in the top-plate of the
casing u². As soon as the runner engages with a tongue g, g, the pin will
project from the casing, and when the ring c catches into the notch of the tongue
the pin will again slip back into the casing u¹. Thus the pin x serves to indicate
whether the runner is properly fastened upon the tongue or not.
The said runner may also be constructed without the said ring c and knob d.
This modification is shown in Figs. 4, 4, side-elevation and end-view. The
runner consists in this case of an inner sleeve / and an outer sleeve h¹, which are

page_text: slotted lengthwise, and also have bayonet-slots. The tongues g, g', secured upon
the stick enter the longitudinal slots which are placed one above another. On
turning the outer sleeve the notch of the tongues enters the side-or bayonet-slot, and
the runner is secured. To disengage the said runner from the tongue the said outer
sleeve h¹ need only be turned back till the longitudinal slots are again placed upon
one another; the runner may then be freely slipped off the tongue. In this con-
struction I avoid the use of a spring.
A further improvement in my said runner is shown in Figs. 5, 5ª, 5b. The
tongue g, Fig. 5, is secured to the runner, and engages with a ring c, or a suitable
catch arranged within the handle, Fig. 5b, a slot being worked into the latter to
receive the tongue g. The said tongue may be disengaged by a contrivance similar
to that described above, viz., a knobi with a spring acting upon the ring c within
the handle. This runner need not be slotted through the whole of its length, but
only in its upper part to engage with the upper tongue g¹.
My Invention further relates to an improved tourist's umbrella, the stick of
which may be drawn out and used as a walking-stick, while the frame and fabric
may be laid into the luggage or strapped to the plaid. This part of my Invention
is represented in Fig. 6, showing the upper or top-crown of an umbrella; the
said crown or notch extends in a metal-shell k, with an exterior screw-thread. The
said shell is provided with a vertical slot, at the foot of which a tongue 1 fitting
into the slot is hinged to the shell. The said tongue is provided with a pin pro-
jecting inwards, and catching into a cavity in the stick. An outside shell m is
scrowed upon the shell k, and holds the tongue and pin on the stick. If the said
stick is to be drawn out of the frame the outer shell m need only be unscrewed,
the tongue and pin being then disengaged from the stick.
A modification of this construction is represented in Fig. 7. Within the inner
shell ka ring q is arranged with a bayonet-slot 8 into which catches a pin n secured
upon the stick. In order to draw the stick out of the frame, the ring q is turned
to disengage the pin n from the slot 8.
Another part of my Invention relates to a novel construction of the crowns or
notches of the umbrella in which crowns the ribs and stretchers are secured.
These improvements are shown in Figs. 6 and 8. The said crowns according to
my Invention consist of two rings v laid one upon another and united by pins w,
which may easily be drawn out to take off the upper ring. Between the two rings
recesses are formed to receive the balls arranged at the upper ends of the ribs, and
the lower ends of the stretchers. Thus the said ribs and stretchers turn easily in
the ball-and-socket-joints, which offer very slight resistance in opening and closing
the umbrella. This arrangement moreover affords the great advantage that every
rib and stretcher may be taken out separately, while in all other constructions the
whole frame has to be taken out of the notch to repair or to replace a single rib,
and the whole fabric must be removed from the ribs for such purpose.
The said arrangement of the ball-and-socket-joints may be applied to all crowns
of umbrellas and parasols of any kind.
My said Invention also relates to an improved form of the ribs and improved
joints between the ribs and stretchers.
The ribs according to my Invention have a slight curvature, as shown in
Fig. 9, 9a, in their part below the hinge, and thereby they fold more compactly
up to the stick, and the umbrella will have a slender and elegant form. The lower
ends of the ribs close up to the stick without the aid of a "bell" or cap, or other
contrivance ordinarily used for this purpose. This improved form may be applied
to solid ribs as well as to the so-called paragon-ribs," and by this improvement
the umbrella will be superior even to the so-called "automaton." The latter
carries springs arranged in the joints between the ribs and stretchers, which springs
are very difficult to repair, and are subject to frequent injury. The said
"automaton" receives its tension by the fabrics, and for this reason is much
injured by a strong wind, which forces the ribs down and deforms the stretchers.

page_text: The curvature of the ribs, shown in Fig. 9, has the same effect as the springs in
the joints of the "automaton."
Another improvement in the ribs is represented in Figs. 10, 10%. The rib in
this case is split in its lower part below the joint, and the stretcher folds into the
aperture. When the umbrella is closed it will have a thin slender form. This
effect is also attained or improved by the hinge between the stretcher and the split
rib. The said hinge is concealed between the two halves of the split rib, and does
not project as usual, thereby allowing the frame to close more compactly up to the
stick.
A modification of this part of my Invention is shown in Fig. 11, 11ª. The
lower part of the rib, below the joint, forms a channel into which the stretcher
folds up. The joint between the stretcher and the rib shewn in this Figure forms
also a part of my Invention. The bolt or tenon of the joint passes through the
two tongues of the stretcher and through the rib, which in this part must be solid
and backed up to give a better hold to the stretcher in unfolding the umbrella.
The improvements illustrated in Fig. 10, 10%, 11, 11ª, may be applied to
straight ribs, as well as to those curved in the manner indicated by Fig. 9.
Having thus fully described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. The construction of the runner A consisting of the slotted sleeve a, the
ring c, the knob and spring d engaging with the tongues g, 9', secured upon the
stick, substantially as described with reference to Fig. 1, 1ª, 1b, 1ª, 2, 2ª, 3, 3º,
and 13, 13, and for the purposes specified.
Second. The construction of the runner consisting of the inner shell h, and tho
outer shell h', substantially as described with reference to Fig. 4, 44, and for
the purposes specified.
Third. The arrangement of the runner with the tonguo secured thereto, and
engaging with a ring c or a suitable catch within the handle, substantially as
described with reference to Fig. 5, 5, 5b, and for the purposes specified.
Fourth. The arrangements or devices for securing the crow to the stick in a
tourist's umbrella consisting of the shell kc, the tongue with a pin, and the shell m,
substantially as described with reference to Fig. 6, and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The modification of this construction consisting of the ring q with a slot 8,
and the pin n, substantially as described with reference to Fig. 7, and for the
purposes specified.
Sixth. The arrangement of the ball-and-socket-joints between the rings v of the
crowns, which rings are united by pins w, substantially as described with reference
to Figs. 6 and 8, and for the purposes specified.
Seventh. The curved form of the ribs, substantially as described with reference
to Figs. 9, 98, and for the purposes specified.
Eighth. The rib with its lower half split, substantially as described with
reference to Figs. 10, 10ª, and for the purposes specified.
Ninth. The hinge between the stretcher and the split rib, as shown in
Figs. 10, 10, and between the stretcher and the rib, as shown in Figs. 11, 11ª, for
the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Georg Ludwig Pauly, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, One thousand eight hundred
and eighty.
GEORG LUDWIG PAULY. (L.S.)