Improvements in Umbrellas, Parasols, and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left. 21st Nov., 1893-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Umbrellas, Parasols, and the like.
I, RALPH EDWIN PHILLIPS of Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, General.
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of umbrellas, parasols and the like in
such manner that the cover, the ribs, the stretchers and the stick can all be readily
taken apart and put together, and thus any one of these parts can be removed and
repaired or can have a new part substituted for it, great facility being thus afforded
for repairing and renovating worn portions, and for packing the whole in convenient
form for transport.
The stick is made in two parts, the thick or handle part being screwed to the
stick proper.
Near the end of the stick is fixed a socket ring having a flange pro-
jecting towards the point of the stick, this flange having as many slits as there are
ribs. Each rib, having its end made with a pin projecting on each side, is let into
one of the slits so that its pins are engaged within the flange and the pins of all the
The ends of the
ribs are then covered by a locking ring screwed down over them.
stretchers are in like manner made with laterally projecting pins engaged within a
flange formed on the runner and held by a locking ring screwed on the runner.
The cover which is, as usual, made of suitable fabric, has in its centre a ring
which rests on the locking ring that holds the ends of the ribs, and this ring of the
cover is held by a ferrule slid down over it from the point of the stick and held in
position by a spring wire entering a slot of the ferrule. The cover at each of its
angles has attached to it a pin. which can enter the end of a rib. By withdrawing
these pins from the ribs and removing the ferrule which holds the cover ring in
position, the cover can be at once removed giving access to the whole of the frame-
work. The cover has preferably stitched to it internally small metallic catches
which can engage on the ribs at intermediate parts of their length, thus keeping
the seams of the cover in coincidence with the ribs. For removing the cover these
catches can be readily released from the ribs.
Dated this 21st day of February 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Umbrellas, Parasols, and the like.
I, RALPH EDWIN PHILLIPS, of Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, General
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to the construction of umbrellas, parasols and the like in
such manner that the cover, the ribs and stretchers and the stick can all be readily
taken apart and put together and thus any one of these parts can be removed and
repaired, or can have a new part substituted for it, great facilities being thus afforded
for repairing and renovating worn portions, or for substituting a cover of different
colours or patterns, and for packing the whole in convenient form for transport.
Obviously the parts of a given class of umbrella or parasol thus constructed could
be made uniform to gauge and numbers of these parts could be kept in stock, so
that the substitution of a fresh for a worn part could be readily effected.

page_text: shall describe the construction of an umbrella according to my invention
referring to the accompanying drawings' but' I would have it understood that by
suitably proportioning the parts, the like construction can be applied to a parasol
or sunshade.
Fig. 1.of the accompanying drawings is a general side view of the umbrella with
the handle H shewn detached from the stick S to which it is to be joined as usual
by a screw pin P.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the end of the stick S and part of the umbrella U next
thenate
I shall describe the construction of an umbrella according to my invention
referring to the accompanying drawings but I would have it understood that by
suitably proportioning the parts, the like construction can be applied to a parasol
or sunshade.
Fig. 1.of the accompanying drawings is a general side view of the umbrella with
the handle H shewn detached from the stick S to which it is to be joined as usual
by a screw pin P.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the end of the stick S and part of the umbrella U next
thereto.
Fig. 3 shews the same with the cap F shifted towards the end of the
stick S.
Fig. 4 shews the same with the fabric cover U in the act of being put on or
removed.
Fig. 5 is a view of the cover spread out.
Fig. 6 shews the centre ring u of the cover:
Fig. 7 shews the end of a rib R.
Fig. 8 shews the stick with rib stretcher and runner.
The cover U is wired to a central ring and each of its points is stitched to a
pin R which can be inserted into the end of a rib R, this end, when the rib is of
trough section, having the edges of the trough closed in so as to take a tubular
form to receive the pin R. Each rib R has at its end a pin r projecting on each
side, and each stretcher A has its end a made in like manner.
On the stick S is held by a spring wire W a socket B which has an externally
screw threaded boss and an annular flange having as many notches as the umbrella
has ribs R.
The ends of all the ribs are inserted in these notches their pins r being within
the flange and then a locking ring L is screwed down against the flange so as to
hold all the ends of the ribs in position. The runner C is in like manner made
with a screw threaded boss and a notched flange, within which the ends a of the
stretchers A are held by screwing a locking ring D against the flange of C.
In putting on the cover as shewn in Fig. 4 its ring u is slipped along the stick
and over the central part of the locking ring L until the ring u rests on the flange
of L as shewn in Fig. 3.
The cap
F is then pushed and screwed down to the
position shewn in Fig. 2.
The pins Rare then sprung into the ends of the ribs R and the cover is thus
held firmly in position. When it is desired to remove the cover U, the pins R¹
are sprung out of the ribs R and the cap F is removed leaving the cover
ring u free.
Sometimes in ordinary umbrellas the cover is stitched at intervals to the ribs
so as to keep the seams of the cover in coincidence with the ribs. Such stitching
of the cover to the ribs would interfere with the facility of removing and replacing
the cover and therefore I dispense with it.
But when it is desired to maintain the seams of the cover with certainty on the
ribs, I stitch on the inside of the cover at each seam a small piece of wire or metal
strip having its ends twisted partly round so as to form loops which can be sprung
on the rib to hold the seam of the cover in position on the rib. There may be
more than one such catch in the length of a rib. When the cover has to be
removed these catches are readily sprung off the ribs.
The metal strip forming the catch instead of being sprung on the rib, may be
held by a ring slid over its end and embracing the rib.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In an umbrella, parasol or the like, the combination of the socket B, with its
notched flange, the ends of the ribs R with their laterally projecting pins and the
locking ring L screwed on the boss of B, substantially as described.

page_text: 2. In an umbrella, parasol or the like, the combination of the runner C with its
notched flange, the ends a of the stretchers A with laterally projecting pins and the
locking ring D screwed on the boss of C, substantially as described.
3. In an umbrella, parasol or the like, the combination of the cover U having
a central ring u and pins R' at its points, the socket B locking ring L and cap
receiving and holding the ring and the ends of the ribs R receiving the pins R',
substantially as described.
Dated thin 01st do of Nawamba 1902
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.