IMPROVE- MENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS.
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Harrington, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS.".
:
Sealed the 12th May 1874, and dated the 26th November 1873.
..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Harrington at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 26th November 1873.
I, ROBERT HARRINGTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," to be as follows:-
"
1
In umbrellas and parasols as ordinarily manufactured the joints by
which the stretchers are connected to the ribs are covered by a small
piece of fabric called a "preventer or "get cover," by which the
wearing of the silk or other covering of the umbrella or parasol by the
joint is prevented or diminished. The said "preventer" or "get cover
"

page_text: however becoming wet retains for a long time a considerable quantity of
moisture, by which the joint is more or less corroded. The said pre-
venters or get covers are also liable to get entangled in and interfere
with the proper action of the joint.
The object of my Invention is to remedy or diminish these defects,
and my said Invention consists in protecting the stretcher joints in the
following manner,:—
.
I make the preventer" or "get cover" of leather or other flexible
material or fabric, which I coat on one side with a strong solution of
shellac. Portions are cut from this material of a size and shape proper
to fit when folded close upon that part of the rib to which the stretcher
is jointed, and I cut other pieces from the said material proper to fit when
folded upon the joint end of the stretcher. By warming the said pieces
of coated material and placing their coated sides upon the parts of the
ribs and stretchers to be protected and pressing them closely thereon
they become on cooling firmly attached to the joint parts of the ribs and
stretchers and form a waterproof protection thereto, whereby the joint
is preserved from.corrosion.
Preventers or get covers made and applied according to my Invention
do not interfere with the proper working of the joints.
Instead of using leather or other fabric or material coated with a
solution of shellac an uncoated material or fabric may be employed, and
at the time of applying it a stratum or coating of the shellac solution
may be applied to the parts to be protected and the piece of leather or
material applied thereto and attached by pressure. By the volatilization
of the solvent of the shellac, the attachment becomes very secure.
.
t.
Although I prefer the use of a solution of shellac as the water-
proofing and attaching material, yet other adhesive and waterproof
solutions and cements may be employed in carrying my Invention into-
effect.
•

page_text: SPECIFICATION. in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Harrington in the Great Seal Patent Office ;
on the 20th May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HARRINGTON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Harrington, Her
special license that I, the said Robert Harrington, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Harrington, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time.
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter.
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,.
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," upon the condition. (amongst
others) that I, the said 'Robert Harrington, my executors or adminis- .
trators, by an instrument-in writing under my, or their, or one of their ·
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature.
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to. be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great. Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months. next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
$
.
i
.
.
.
-NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Harrington, do hereby.
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same :
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and;
by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
In umbrellas and parasols as ordinarily manufactured the joints by
which the stretchers are connected to the ribs are covered by a small
piece of fabric called a "preventer" or "get cover," attached by sewing,
by which the wearing of the silk or other covering of the umbrella or
parasol by the joint is prevented or diminished. The said "preventer."-
}
:
1

page_text: "
or "get cover " however becoming wet retains for a long time a con-
siderable quantity of moisture, by which the joint is more or less
corroded. The said "preventers" or "get covers are also liable to get
entangled in and interfere with the proper action of the joint. The
joint ends of the stretchers at the runner and the rib joints at the top
notch are also similarly protected.
The object of my Invention is to remedy or diminish the defects
referred to, and my said Invention consists in protecting the stretcher
joints either at the rib ends or both at the rib ends and runner ends,
and also the joints of the ribs, in the following manner :-
"3
I make the preventer or "get cover of leather, india-rubber, cloth,
or other flexible material or fabric, which I coat on one side with a
strong solution of shellac. After the evaporation of the solvent portions
are cut from this material of a size and shape proper to fit when folded
close upon that part of the rib to which the stretcher is jointed, and I
cut other pieces from the said material proper to fit when folded upon
the joint end of the stretcher. By warming the said pieces of coated
material or preventers, or by warming the ribs or stretchers, or by
warming both the preventers and the ribs or stretchers, and placing the
coated side of the preventer upon the joint parts of the rib or stretcher
and pressing the said preventer on the said parts the said preventer
becomes on cooling firmly attached to the said parts, and forms a water-
proof protection which preserves the joint from corrosion.
Preventers or get covers made and applied according to my Invention
do not interfere with the proper working of the joints.
Instead of using leather or other fabric or material coated with a
solution of shellac an uncoated piece of material or fabric may be
employed, and at the time of applying it a stratum or coating of the
shellac solution may be applied to the parts to be protected and the piece
of leather or material applied thereto and attached by pressure. By the
volatilization of the solvent of the shellac the attachment becomes very
sure. In like manner a piece of coated or uncoated material or fabric
of the proper size and shape may be applied and fixed to the runner or
top notch to protect the stretchers or ribs at the said parts.
. Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents in side and
Figure 2 in front elevation a preventer or get cover made according to

page_text: my Invention applied to the stretcher joint of an umbrella. The said
preventer or get cover is marked a and b, the coated piece of material or
fabric which is applied to and folded upon the rib part of the joint being
marked a and the coated piece of material or fabric which is applied to
and folded upon the fork end of the stretcher being marked b. The
blanks from which the get cover a, b, is made are shown in Figure 2.
Figures 3 and 4 represent get covers or preventers made of a single
piece of coated material or fabric, and suitable for a kind of joint in
which the stretcher is not forked, but has an inside action. In this case
the preventer is applied to and folded upon the rib part in the manner
represented. These get covers and the blanks from which they are
made are maked respectively c and d in the said Figures 3 and 4.
Figure 5 represents another get cover (and the blank) made of a single
piece of coated fabric or material. In this case the middle part e of the
blank is folded upon the fork of the stretcher, and the side pieces or
wings f,f, are folded upon the sides of the rib. Or the blank may have
of this blank covers the
the form represented in Figure 6. The part 7
fork of the stretcher and the part / the rib, the rib being passed through
the incision i. I do not however limit myself to any particular shape of
the blanks from which the get covers or preventers are made.
Figure 7 represents a guard or preventer applied to the runner ends of
the stretcher joints, and Figure 8 represents the blank from which the
guard or preventer is made. This guard or preventer is made from a ring
of coated fabric or material having in it radial spaces k, k, of a V or U
shape, so as to divide the ring into a series of radial connected pieces
or lappets 7, 1, equal in number to the stretcher joints to be covered. In
applying this guard or preventer the blank is passed on to the runner
and its central perforated part is pressed under the flange of the runner,
and the pieces or lappets 1, 1, of the blank are folded around and pressed
into contact with the jointed ends of the stretchers respectively in the
manner represented in Figure 7. A very neat guard or preventer is
thereby fixed at the runner joints. Or the guard or preventer for the
runner joints may be made from a ring of coated fabric or material of
the kind represented in Figure 9. In this case the ring of coated
material is without radial spaces, portions only of the ring being attached
to the stretchers by the adhesive material, the unconnected parts of the

page_text: closed, between adjacent stretchers, as represented in Figure 10, where
this form of guard or preventer is represented applied to the runner
ends of the stretchers.
The guards or preventers represented in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 or
similar guards or preventers may also be applied to the joints of the
ribs at the top notch of the umbrella or parasol.
"
Instead of using a solution of shellac as the waterproofing and
attaching material other adhesive and waterproof solutions and cements
may be employed.
A waterproof material or cement having the following composition I
have found to answer well in practice, namely, two parts by weight of
gutta percha, one part by weight of gum damar, and one part by weight
of rosin. These materials are melted and thoroughly incorporated.
After the mixture has cooled it may be dissolved in turpentine or tar
spirit and used in place of the solution of shellac, or this cement instead
of being dissolved may be made into sticks and used in the solid form.
It may be applied either to the fabric or material of which the get cover,
guard, or preventer is made, or to the joints or parts to be protected by
the application of gentle heat. This cement is very adhesive, and is less
brittle than shellac.
Many other waterproof adhesive cements or compositions in use for
various purposes may be employed in place of the shellac solution or the
cement last described, such for example as marine glue; the diamond
cement, and the elastic glue sold by curriers.
Having now. described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not limit myself to the precise details herein described and illus-
trated, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of
my Invention; but I claim, as my Invention the improvements in the
get covers, guards, or preventers of the stretcher and rib joints of
umbrellas and parasols herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, attaching get covers, guards, or
preventers, made of leather or other flexible material or fabric, to the

page_text: joints or parts to be protected by an adhesive and waterproof cement or
composition, applied and used substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Harrington, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
ROBERT HARRINGTON. (L.S.)