IMPROVEMENTS IN STRETCHERS FOR UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charlotte Antonie Smith, of No. 131, Hagley Road,
Edgbaston, in the County of Warwick, Widow & Executrix of John
Carpenter Smith, trading as W. Barrs and Son, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for an Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN
STRETCHERS FOR UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Carpenter Smith at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st December 1880.
JOHN CARPENTER SMITH, trading as W. Barrs and Son, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer. " IMPROVEMENTS IN STRETCHERS FOR
UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS."
My Invention has reference to umbrellas and parasols, having ribs of the kind
commonly called paragon ribs, that is, ribs of a trough like figure.
In making stretchers for umbrellas and parasols according to my Invention, I
give to the steel or other wire of which they are made a figure somewhat resembling
in cross section the letter T. In jointing the stretcher to the rib, they are so.
connected that when the rib is shut down upon the stretcher, as in closing the.
umbrella or parasol, the part of the stretcher corresponding to the body of the
letter T, enters and nearly fills the trough of the rib, while the part corresponding
to the head of the letter T rests on the top of the trough of the rib, and forms as
it were a cover to the said trough.
The wire from which the stretcher is made may have a triangular figure in cross
section or other sectional figure, which will permit of the stretcher entering wholly
or in part into the trough of the rib when the rib is shut down upon the stretcher
as in closing the umbrella or parasol.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said Charlotte Antonie Smith
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th July 1881.
CHARLOTTE ANTONIE SMITH, Widow and Executrix of John Carpenter Smith,
trading as W. Barrs and Son, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, deceased. "IMPROVEMENTS IN STRETCHERS FOR UMBRELLAS AND
PARASOLS."
This Invention has reference to umbrellas and parasols, having ribs of the kind
commonly called paragon ribs, that is, ribs of a trough like figure.
In making stretchers for umbrellas and parasols according to this Invention,
the steel or other wire of which they are made has a figure in cross section
somewhat resembling the letter T. In jointing the stretcher to the rib they are so
connected, that when the rib is shut down upon the stretcher, as in closing the
umbrella or parasol, the part of the stretcher corresponding to the body of the
letter T, enters and nearly fills the trough of the rib, while the part corresponding
to the head of the letter T rests on the top of the trough of the rib, and forms as
it were a cover to the said trough.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side elevation, front and
back elevations, and cross section a stretcher constructed according to this Invention
to be used with an umbrella or parasol having paragon or trough like ribs.
Figure 2 represents the stretcher with the stretcher fork applied to it; Figure 3
represents in side elevation, and Figure 4 partly in section the stretcher jointed to
a paragon or trough like rib, the rib in Figure 3 being separated from the stretcher,
and in Figure 4 closed upon the stretcher; Figure 5 represents a portion of the
stretcher and rib, Figure 4 drawn to a larger scale, and Figure 6 represents a cross
section of Figure 5 taken on the line y, y. Figure 7 is a cross section of the
stretcher drawn to the same scale as Figures 5 and 6.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of
the Drawing.
b, c, is the stretcher, and d is the paragon or trough rib; a is the stretcher fork
jointed to the middle bit e on the rib d in the ordinary way.
b
t
The stretcher b, c, has in cross section a figure somewhat resembling the letter T,
that is to say, it consists of a part 6 corresponding to the body of the letter T, and
a cross piece c corresponding to the head of the letter T, as will be understood by
an examination of the enlarged views, Figures 6 and 7.
The nearly shaped stretcher b, c, is jointed to the trough rib d in the manner
represented in Figures 3 and 4, that is, the end of the stretcher to which the
fork a is attached is cranked or bent at a small angle out of the line of the other
part of the stretcher. By thus bending or cranking the stretcher, the rib d when
shut down upon the stretcher, as in closing the umbrella or parasol, passes on to
the body part b of the stretcher, the said body part nearly filling up the trough of
the rib, while the head or cross piece c of the stretcher rests on the top of the
trough of the rib, and forms as it were a cover to the said trough, as will be under-
stood by an examination of Figure 6.
By thus constructing the stretchers, great compactness in the closed umbrellas or
parasols results.
The wire from which the stretcher is made may have a triangular figure in cross
section or other sectional figure which will permit of the stretcher entering wholly
or in part into the trough of the rib, when the rib is shut down upon the stretcher,
as in closing the umbrella or parasol.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which

page_text: the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as the said
Invention of "Improvements in Stretchers for Umbrellas and Parasols,"
Constructing stretchers to be used with umbrellas and parasols having paragon
or trough shaped ribs, in the manner herein before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, constructing the said stretchers so that the
greater part of the stretcher when the umbrella or parasol is closed enters the
trough of the rib, and thereby fills or partly fills the said trough of the rib,
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charlotte Antonie Smith, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
R. A. PINSENT,
Solicitor,
Birmingham.
CHARLOTTE ANTONIE SMITH. (L.s.)