IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN of 67 Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS, a communication to me from abroad by Carl Albert
Max Kremer, Merchant, of Leipzig, in the Kingdom of Saxony, to be as follows:-
The contrivance, which forms the object of the present invention, can be adapted
to any ordinary frame, and affords the means of holding the umbrella, and of
opening or closing it with one hand, and also of securing it when open or shut.
The mechanism principally comprises two pairs of rods or stretchers arranged so
as to form a quadrilateral, of which the umbrella-stick is a diagonal; the outer
ends of the upper rods are hinged to the outer ends of the lower rods, while the
inner ends of the upper rods are hinged to a collar fixed on the umbrella-stick, and
the inner ends of the lower rods are hinged to a runner or sleeve adapted to move
along the stick; a moveable spindle in the axis of the hollow umbrella stick, and
abutting at the top against a helical spring, while the bottom is connected with
the outer end of a lever by means of a link, so as to form, with the latter, a
variable triangle fixed to the fulchrum of the lever, the apex of this triangle being
provided with a button or knob situated at the side of the stick; a pair of
auxiliary rods forming a diagonal between the outer ends of the stretchers, or
quadrilateral the inner ends of the said rods being hinged to each other and to the
central spindle by the same pin, while the outer ends are hinged to the stretchers
by the same pins which connect the stretchers with each other.
The umbrella may be closed by pushing the spindle upwards (by means of the
moveable triangle and the button) so that the auxiliary rods are raised at the inner
ends and hang down on both sides of the stick, while the quadrilateral is flattened
sideways, and the runner pushed down, so that the stretchers form only two
straight lines right and left of the stick, which has a pair of slots for the passage of
the auxiliary rods.

page_text: The upper stretchers are preferably made in duplicate, namely one on the right
and one on the left of the respective auxiliary rod.
For retaining the umbrella in its extreme position, a vertically moveable pin and
a spring may be provided at the side of the stick, which pin is adapted to form a
catch for the button at the apex of the moveable triangle, or for a hook attached to
the same.
On the stick is mounted a top-notch for attaching the ribs of an ordinary frame,
and on the runner is mounted a collar for attaching the stretchers of the said
umbrella frame.

page_text: Improvements in Umbrellas and Parasols.
I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of 67 Strand, in the County of Middlesex,, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, a communication to me
from abroad by Carl Albert Max Kremer, Merchant, of Leipzig in the Kingdom of
Saxony, and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to mechanism for automatically opening and closing
umbrellas.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of an umbrella
stick with the mechanism in the extended position, part of the latter being broken
off. Fig. 2 is partly axial section and partly elevation, showing the mechanism
closed or folded down. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing one half of an umbrella
provided with the mechanism. The remaining figures represent details.
The contrivance can be applied to any umbrella, which can then he held, opened
or shut with one hand, and also secured when open or shut.
The mechanism consists principally of the rods a and b and the bent bar d, one
extremity of the rods a being hinged on to a ring o fixed to the stick, and the
corresponding extremity of b to a ring q sliding on the stick.
The other extremities of a and b, as well as the extremities of the bar d, are
pivoted together.
Moreover, the mechanism comprises the spindle a sliding inside the hollow
umbrella-stick S and connected at one end with the bar d and at the other with
the spiral spring f, also the link e and the lever k.
As shown by Fig. 1, the rods a and b form a quadrilateral stretched by the bar d
which represents a diagonal of the same.
The quadrilateral can be made to lie flat along the stick by pushing the spindle s
against the crown-ring or top-notch h, the bent ends of the bar d following this
movement, while the slide q is moved downwards towards the handle G, as shown
in Fig. 2.
The spindle 8 is moved by turning the lever k around the pin i, fixed to the
handle of the stick.
As shown by Fig. 5, the umbrella stick is provided with an ordinary top-notch b
for attaching the ribs m of the frame, and with a runner c for attaching the
stretchers n, the runner being mounted on the sleeve q, so as to share the motion
of the latter along the stick 8¹¹
An umbrella provided with such a stick, if held with the point downwards, can
be opened with one hand by means of its own weight aided by the spiral spring f,
and by drawing the spindle & towards the handle G by means of the lever k.
When the umbrella is thus open, the struts or ties a, b, form the quadrilateral
shown in Fig. 1, and it is secured in this position by drawing the ends of the bar d
connected with the spindle s slightly towards the handle G by means of the
lever k.
The umbrella is released from this position for the purpose of being closed by
pushing back the ends of the bar d, and the umbrella is also closed, when its point
is hel upwards by its own weight and by pushing the spindle s towards the
top-notch h by means of the lever k

page_text: When the umbrella is being closed, the helical spring f, which tends to open the
umbrella, is compressed.
When closed, the umbrella is secured by pushing the lever k so far into the
handle G, that the elastic pin r guided on the handle G and actuated by a spring
projects into the groove in front of the rim z of the button on the lever k, as shown
in Fig. 2, whereby the lever k is secured, and the umbrella kept closed.
Lastly Fig. 6 shows a lever k¹ which is a slight modification of k, and also a
second contrivance for securing the umbrella when closed, consisting of the hook 21
on the lever k¹ and the bent pin r¹ actuated by a spring.
In this case, the umbrella, when closed, is secured in the same way as already
described, by pressing the lever into the handle G, so that the hook z¹ catches
under the pin, and the frame is released. by withdrawing the lever kat, the
proper time, whereby the hook is disengaged from the pin.
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of, said. inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
:
"
, 8
1. An appliance for automatically opening and closing umbrellas, comprising an
axially perforated umbrella stick S, a movable spindle s situated in the interior of
the umbrella stick, a spring f adapted to press the spindle downward, rods a, a, b, b,
connected so as to form a variable quadrilateral, the inner ends of the upper rods
being rigidly connected with the stick, while the inner ends of the lower rods b, b,
are connected with the movable sleeve or runner holding the stretchers of the
umbrella frame, a pair of rods d hinged in the centre to the spindle s and forming
a diagonal of the said quadrilateral, an operating lever hinged to the lower part
of the stick, and a link connecting the lower end of the spindle s with the outer
end of the lever k, substantially as described.
2. The contrivance for operating the mechanism and for securing the umbrella
when closed, comprising a spring-pressed pin guided on the umbrella stick, and a
button hinged to the joint of the operating lever and link and adapted to form a
catch for the said pin, substantially as described.
1
1
100
1000