IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS, PARASOLS, AND SUNSHADES.
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederik Wolff at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 8th November 1881. (A communication by
August Malmros, of Helsingborg, Sweden.)
"
FREDERIK WOLFF, of the International Patent Office, Copenhagen, Denmark,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS, PARASOLS, AND SUNSHADES.'
(A communication by August Malmros, of Helsingborg, Sweden.)
19
These improved umbrella frames distingush themselves by allowing of an
additional folding up of the umbrella when it is not used or is shut up, as
compared with the present umbrellas, so that the umbrella can be made to take up
only half as much room as hitherto. For this purpose the umbrella stick is made
in several pieces, which can easily be separated and folded up again; or it may be
provided with telescopic parts, whereby it can be shortened or lengthened according
to circumstances. The ribs upon which the covering is sown are further made to
fold or "break off," so that the one half of this cover part can be folded over the
other half when shut up.
Of the two parts of the rib, the first named is jointed. at one end in the usual
manner to the "notch "
fixed on the umbrella stick, while
or notched ring which
the other part forms the opposite or tip end of the rib. The two parts are jointed
together by the hinge; the stretcher is jointed to the rib and holds it out from the
umbrella stick when the umbrella is opened. One end of the stretcher is as usual
fastened to the runner, which slides up and down the umbrella stick. The other
end of the stretcher is fastened to a sliding sleeve, which fits on the upper end of
the rib and slides up and down it. The sleeve is pushed in over the end of a
thinner rod projecting from the lower end of the rib, so that it grips tight on the
upper end of the rib, and further holds the former as an extension of the latter.
When the umbrella is opened, the tension in the cover endeavours to press the
sleeve further along the rib and thereby cause it to grip yet tighter on it, as the
stretcher in opening the umbrella turns a little over the perpendicular on the rib.
When one wishes to fold the outside together after the umbrella is shut up, the
sleeve is pushed away from the end of the thin rod by means of the before
mentioned runner to which the stretchers are fastened, till they strike against the
hooks which are formed at the ends of metal wires which are jointed to the ends

page_text: "
of the rods, and which have their place in the usual hollow on the inside of the
" paragon
"ribs. Thereupon the lower or tip ends of the ribs are turned over, and
with them the accompanying piece of covering, and down over the upper ends of the
ribs and the piece of cover belonging to them. The runner with the stretchers is
now drawn down until the sleeves have come to the place where the two parts of
the ribs are jointed together, and are from there pushed up towards the ring to
which the ribs are joined, after which the umbrella stick can be folded up or
pushed together like a telescope. It follows that the "notch must be so much
larger than the runner, that the latter as well as the stretchers can find room
between the upper ends of the ribs; vice versa, when the umbrella is to be opened,
the umbrella stick is first stretched out or straightened, the runner slided down on
it to about the normal place for the umbrella when shut up but not folded together;
it is then pushed yet a little upwards until the sleeves have come against the hooks
on the ribs, and in working against these have turned down the lower ends of the
ribs in the prolongation of the upper ends of ribs. Lastly, the runner is pulled so
far down that the sleeves grip fast to the end of the rods, after which the umbrella
can be opened just like an ordinary one.
It is to be remarked that this construction can be applied also in the same
manner to parasols and sunshades.