IMPROVEMENTS IN PARASOLS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederic Barrett, of Camberwell, in the County of
Surrey, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PARASOLS." ·
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Barrett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th October 1877.
FREDERIC BARRETT, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PARASOLS."
This Invention relates to improvements in parasols, and particularly to that class
in which the stick is used as a walking stick when the parasol is down, the handle
of the stick being at the top or apex of the parasol, and the required length of stick
below (with a ferrule at the end), so as to keep the parasol well up the stick and
out of the dirt. When the parasol is extended the handle is above it, and the stick
has to be held by the ferrule end, an unpleasant necessity sometimes, such as when
that end has become soiled from contact with the ground.
According to my Invention the stick may always be held by the handle, whether
the parasol be extended and used above the head to keep off the sun's rays, or
whether down and used as a walking stick.
To effect the object of my Invention I give the parasol a sliding action along the
stick. When the parasol is closed and the stick is in use as a walking stick, the
parasol is drawn up towards the handle; and when the parasol is required open or
expanded, the action of opening causes it to slide along the stick towards the ferrule
end until it meets a stop, when it expands and is held up in position by a spring
catch in the ordinary manner. In letting the parasol down it is again drawn up
the stick towards the handle.
According to one way of carrying out my Invention, the framework (i. e., the ribs
and stretchers) of the parasol open in a direction from the handle of the stick, as
ordinarily with parasols and umbrellas. The framework is made similar to that of
ordinary parasols, except that the runner and top notch may be slid along the stick.
As before explained, when the parasol is closed, the runner is near the handle of the
stick, and is retained there by an ordinary spring catch.

page_text: When it is required to open the parasol the spring retaining the runner in position
is depressed, and the runner is slid along the stick, carrying with it also the top
notch, until the latter meets a stop suitably placed near the ferrule end of the stick,
against which stop it rests, whilst the runner is still pressed onwards, expanding the
ribs in the ordinary manner until, arriving at its proper position, it slips over an
ordinary spring catch, by which it is retained there."
In closing the parasol the spring catch detaining the runner is depressed, and tho
latter is drawn towards the handle of the stick, bringing with it also the top notch,
until the latter meets a stop suitably placed in the stick, against which stop it rests,
and the runner being still drawn forward ensures the closing of the parasol, the
runner at length slipping over and being retained by the spring catch near the
handle. The top notch is enabled to pass the spring catch, which retains the runner
in position when the parasol is opened, by means of a slit throughout its length, and is
guided and prevented turning round on the stick by a pin or projection taking into
a slot or cavity formed along the length of the stick. The determination of this slot
at each end may be made the stop to regulate the traverse of the top notch. The
covering of the framework is similar to that employed with ordinary parasols.
According to another way of carrying out my Invention, instead of applying the
opening and shutting action by the hand to the runner which unites the inner ends
of the stretchers, as in parasols in use at the present time, I apply such action to the
top notch, which unites the ends of the ribs. In this case the apex of the framework
of the parasol and the top notch are towards the handle of the stick, and when the
parasol is closed are near the handle, the top notch being retained in that position
by an ordinary spring catch.
When it is required to open the parasol the spring retaining the top notch in
position is depressed, and the latter is slid along the stick, carrying with it also the
runner, until the latter meets a stop suitably placed near the ferrule end of the stick,
against which stop it rests, whilst the top notch is still pressed onwards, expanding
the ribs against the stretchers until, arriving at its proper position, the top notch
slips over an ordinary spring catch, and is thus retained, the ribs being fully
extended and the parasol open. Thus what is the outside of the parasol whilst
closed becomes the inside when open, and what is the inside whilst closed becomes
the outside when open, that is, the parasol may be said to be turned inside out when
open, except that the horizontal line is not passed by the ribs, that necessarily being
the line of greatest tension. The stretchers are of course above the ribs, to which
they are attached in the ordinary manner, and form a sort of cone or top.
In closing the parasol the spring catch detaining the top notch is depressed, and
the latter is drawn towards the handle of the stick, bringing with it also the runner,
until the latter meets a stop suitably placed in the stick, against which stop it rests,
and the top notch being still drawn forward ensures the closing of the parasol, the
top notch slipping over and being retained by the spring catch near the handle. In
this form of my Invention the runner is provided with the slit throughout its
length to pass the spring, and with the pin or projection to take into the slot in the
stick; also the covering of the framework is double, that on the ribs being by pre-
ference the stouter, and attached thereto in the ordinary manner, and that covering
the stretcher and the other side of the ribs being the lighter.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frederic Barrett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th April
1878.
FREDERIC BARRETT, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PARASOLS."
My Invention relates particularly to that class of parasols in which the stick is
used as a walking stick when the parasol is down, and in which the handle of the
stick is at the top or apex of the parasol, and the required length of stick below
(with a ferrule at the end), so as to keep the parasol well up the stick and out of the
dirt. When such a parasol is extended the handle of the stick is above the parasol,
and the stick has to be held by the ferrule end, an unpleasant necessity sometimes,
such as when that end has become soiled from contact with the ground.
According to my Invention the stick may always be held by the handle, both
when the parasol is extended and when down, and the stick in use as a walking
stick.
To effect the object of my Invention I give the framework and covering of the
parasol a sliding action along the stick. In closing the parasol it is drawn up the
stick towards the handle; and when it is required open or expanded, the action of
opening causes it to slide along the stick towards the ferrule end until it meets a
stop, when it is expanded, and is held up in position by a spring catch in the ordinary
manner.
In closing the parasol it is again drawn up the stick towards the handle, in which
position it remains until again opened.
Figs. 1 to 8 (inclusive) of the accompanying Drawings illustrate a parasol con
structed according to my Invention with the apex of the parasol turned towards the
ferrule end of the stick, Fig. 1 shewing the parasol open, and Fig. 2 shewing it
closed; Figs. 3, 4, and 5 shew the runner; and Figs. 6, 7, and 8, the top notch
full size.
The framework of the parasol is made similar to that of ordinary parasols, except
that the runner B and top notch C may be slid along the stick. When the parasol
is closed the runner B is near the handle of the stick, and is retained there by an
ordinary spring catch.
When it is required to open the parasol the spring retaining the runner B in
position is depressed, and the runner is slid along the stick, carrying with it also the
top notch C, until the latter meets a stop suitably placed near the ferrule end of the
stick, against which stop it rests, while the runner B is still pressed onwards
(expanding the ribs E in the ordinary manner) until, arriving at its proper position,
it slips over an ordinary spring catch, by which it is there retained.
In closing the parasol the spring catch detaining the runner B is depressed, and
the latter is drawn towards the handle of the stick, bringing with it also the top
notch C, until the latter meets a stop suitably placed in the stick, against which stop
it rests, and the runner B being still drawn forward ensures the closing of the
parasol, the runner at length slipping over and being retained by the spring catch
near the handle. The top notch C is enabled to pass the spring catch near the
ferrule end of the stick by reason of its having a slit c throughout its length, and it
is guided and prevented turning round on the stick by a pin or projection e' taking
into a groove a formed along the length of the stick. The determination of this
groove at each end may be made the stop to regulate the traverse of the top
notch C. The covering of the framework is similar to that employed with ordinary
parasols.
Figs. 3 to 8 illustrate the runner B and the top notch C full size.
Figs. 9 to 16 (inclusive) illustrate a parasol constructed according to my Invention
with the apex of the parasol turned towards the handle of the stick. In this form
of parasol, instead of applying the opening and shutting action by the hand to the
runner B, I apply such action to the top notch C.

page_text: In this case, when it is required to open the parasol the spring retaining the top
notch C in position near the handle of the stick is depressed, and the latter is slid
along the stick, carrying with it also the runner B, until the latter meets a stop
suitably placed near the ferrule end of the stick, against which stop it rests, whilst
the top notch C is still pressed onwards (expanding the ribs E against the stretchers
F) until, arriving at its proper position, it slips over an ordinary spring catch, and
is thus retained, the ribs being fully extended and the parasol open. Thus what is
the outside of the parasol whilst closed becomes the inside when open, and what is
the inside whilst closed becomes the outside when open, that is, the parasol may be
said to be turned inside out when open, except that the horizontal line is not passed
by the ribs, that necessarilly being the line of greatest tension. The stretchers F are
of course above the ribs E, to which they are attached in the ordinary manner, and
form a sort of cone on top.
In closing the parasol the spring catch detaining the top notch C is depressed, and
the latter is drawn towards the handle of the stick, bringing with it also the runner
B, until the latter meets a stop suitably placed in the stick, against which stop it
rests, and the top notch C being still drawn forward ensures the closing of the
parasol, the top notch eventually slipping over and being retained by tlie spring
catch near the handle. In this form of my Invention the runner is provided with
a slit 6 throughout its length to pass the spring near the ferrule end of the stick,
and with a pin or projection b¹ to take into the slot in the stick; also the covering
of the framework is double that on the unbroken side of the ribs, being by preference
the stouter, and attached thereto in the ordinary manner, and that covering the
stretchers and the other side of the ribs being the lighter.
Figs. 11 to 16 (inclusive) illustrate the runner and top notch, full size.
In both forms of parasol the runner or the top notch is made of sufficient length
to abut against the other (runner or top notch, as the case may be) when the parasol
is open, thereby ensuring the firmness of the arrangement or combination, and pre-
venting the possibility of the parasol being forced further open by hand or wind
pressure.
Instead of having a groove along the length of the stick to be taken into by a
projection on the interior of the runner or top notch, a longitudinal projection on
the stick may be employed to take into a groove in the runner or top notch; or a
stick may be employed of such sectional form that a runner or top notch of corre-
sponding form would not turn round on it.
The runner or top notch (as the case may be) which has to pass over the spring
near the ferrule end of the stick has its notched flange or rim of such diameter that
the wire connecting the ribs (or stretchers, as the case may be) will in passing clear
the spring without depressing it.
I claim as my Invention to be secured by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent,-
1. A parasol made with a sliding motion of both the runner and top notch in
combination with the ribs and stretchers towards the ferrule end of the stick whilst
being opened, and towards the handle of the stick whilst being closed.
2. A runner or a top notch of a parasol with a slit throughout its length to
enable it to pass the spring catch near the ferrule end of the stick, and having also
the means of being guided in its longitudinal traverse of the stick by a projection
to take into a groove in the stick, or with a groove to slide on a longitudinal pro-
jection on the stick, or with a sectional form such that it cannot turn round on a
stick of corresponding sectional form.
3. A parasol stick with a longitudinal groove to be taken into by a projection on
the runner or the top notch, or with a longitudinal projection to take into a groove
in the runner or top notch, or being of such sectional form that a runner or top notch
of corresponding sectional form cannot turn round on it.
4. A runner or top notch of sufficient length to abut against the other (runner
or top notch, as the case may be) when the parasol is open, thereby ensuring the

page_text: firmness of the arrangement or combination, and preventing the possibility of the
parasol being forced further open either by hand or wind pressure.
5. The combination of the subject matter of each of the preceeding claims with
the subject matter of each, any, or all of the other preceeding claims.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederic Barrett, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this 26th day of February 1878.
Witness,
FREDERIC BARRETT. (L.S.)
JOHN W. GRAY, C.E.,
Patent Agent,
16, Southampton Buildings,
W.C.