CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PART OF THE FURNITURE OF AN UMBRELLA
Year: 1837

page_text: SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL, COME, I, JOHN
JEREMIAH RUBERY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Unibrella
Furniture Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of November, in the first year
of Her reign, and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-seven, did, for Herself, Her hoirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said John Jeremiah Rubery, IIer especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Jeremiah Rubery, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said John
Jeremiah Rubery, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the
term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
PART OF THE FURNITURE OF AN UMBRELLA," being partly a communication from
a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, obliging me, the said John Jeremiah Rubery, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after

page_text: the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John
Jeremiah Rubery, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
These improvements in the manufacture of part of the furniture of an um-
brella consist in a novel or improved mode, manner, or method of making or
manufacturing the metal tips commonly called or known by umbrella furniture
manufacturers by the name or term of "top tips," or those parts of umbrella
furniture which are placed upon the ends of the whalebone or other ribs, and
fit into the "wheel" or notches formed in the wheel, and have a wire passed
through holes made in them for the purpose of forming the joints upon which
the ends of the ribs turn in opening and closing the umbrella.
These improvements consist in making or manufacturing the said "top tips"
from out of rolled or sheet metal by a system of operations with pressing tools,
as dies and punches, placed in and worked by a fly screw press or other suitable
stamping press worked by hand or other means, in contradistinction to the old
or ordinary manner or method of manufacturing metal "top tips" by hand,
which has heretofore been effected by drilling, turning, and forming such "tip-
tops" from out of solid metal cast in the usual or common manner; and I will
now proceed to describe the manner or method of performing the different
operations or processes in manufacturing the metal "top tips" after my im-
proved manner, referring to the accompanying Drawings to illustrate the same,
which are several sectional Diagrams or Figures drawn the full size of the tools
or punches and dies, all the Figures shewing the punches and dies before and
after the operation. These tools, punches, and dies are to be placed in screw or
other presses, and operated upon in the ordinary way of working such kinds of
tools, but which it is not necessary for me to describe. I first take rolled
or sheet metal of the proper hardness and thickness, and then punch out the
round blank c by means of a simple punch and counter die, as shewn at A, B,
in Fig. 1; the sheet metal a being placed upon the counter die, the punch
descends and cuts out the disc or blank, shewn in front and side views at c;
this blank is then placed into the counter die B, at Fig. 2, as shown in the
Drawing, when the punch A descending forces the blank by means of the
shape or form of the interior of the counterdie into the cup-shape form shewn
at d. This cup-shaped piece is then carried to the die and punch at Fig. 3,

page_text: and placed in the aperture of the former, as shewn in this Figure; the punch
then descending forces this cup-shaped piece d into a further elongated conical
cup-shaped piece, or what may now be termed a "ferule," at e, the metal
being obliged to take this figure by the shape or form of the punch and die.
The piece or ferule e is then placed in the aperture of the die, Fig. 4, when a
similar operation and action is performed, causing the ferule e to take the form
shewn at f in this Figure, which is then placed as shewn in another pair of
punch and dies, as shewn in Fig. 5, when another similar pressing operation
takes place, which forces the ferule f into the proper or required shape of the
"
upper
top tip" at g, which is now ready to have its smaller end compressed or
flattened into the require.l shape or form so as to complete the "top tip"
without the necessity of forming or shaping it with a file or other cutting tool,
as in common; this compressing, shaping, or forming of the end of the
top tip" is effected in suitable shaped compressers, dies, and punches, as
shewn in section at Fig. 6, the die and punch being shown apart in the
Figure with the unfinished "top tip" placed in it, and in the lower Figure with
the same compressed or flattened by the descent of the punch; Fig. 7 is a
plan view of the counter die; Figures 8 and 9 are front and side views of the
dies when together; Fig. 10 shews the "top tip" completed with its hole
drilled or punched therein. The end of the unfinished "top tip "g, Fig. 5,
is placed by the attendant through the guide or aperture 1 into the recess 2,
see Figures 6 and 7; and on the punch descending the part 3 of the punch
presses upon the end of the "top tip" and compresses it into the required
shape, the other part 4 of the punch passing into the recess 5, and which acts
as a guide and stop for the same, so that the end may not be compressed too
much. After the "top tips" having been so formed, they are to have the
holes for the joint wires drilled or punched in them in any convenient manner,
when the same may be cleaned in the ordinary manner of cleaning such kind
of metal articles, and the "top tips "will be ready for use.
Having now described one method of making or manufacturing these im-
proved "top tips," I will proceed to state some variations in the same which
may be used with good effect (although I prefer the one above described).
For instance, my improved "top tips" may be formed and shaped as at g,
Fig. 5, from out of sheet metal in the following manner, instead of the process
described in reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. This may be done by
pinching or cutting out pieces of sheet metal of the form Fig. 12, and then
bending, rounding, and forming the same in the shape Fig. 18, when the
junctions of the same are to be soldered or welded, so as to make the joints
perfect, as at Fig. 14. After this the end may be compressed in the dies and

page_text: punch, as shewn and described in Fig. 6; or the same effect may be produced
by joining two pieces of the shape shewn at Fig. 15, and welding or soldering
them together, so as to make or form the unfinished "top tip," as at Fig. 16,
from out of sheet metal, which which is to be compressed at the end for the
purpose of forming the complete "top tip," as at Fig. 10.
Having now described this improved mode, method, or process of manufac-
turing "top tips," I wish it to be understood that I do not claim any peculiar
kind of tools or presses to be used in the manufacture of the same, as these
may be varied to suit different sizes or shapes; but what I claim as this
Invention, and secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent
is the making or manufacturing of "top tips" from out of rolled or sheet
metal in the manner and after the method or process herein-before described,
and particularly compressing the ends of such sheet metal "top tips
form them of . required shape for fitting into the notches in the "wheel "
without nesiry of any drilling, filing, cutting, or turning of the same, as
is necessary in old or ordinary mode of forming "top tips" out of solid
metal.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jeremiah Rubery, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight.
JOHN JEREMIAH (L.s.) RUBERY.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of May, in the
first year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said John Jere-
miah Rubery came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and
acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth
year of the reign of his late Majesty King George the Third.

page_text: In the Matter of a Patent granted to JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Umbrella Furniture
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF PART OF THE FURNITURE OF AN UMBRELLA," bearing
date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of November, One thousand
eight hundred and thirty-seven, to which Letters Patent a Speci-
fication was duly inrolled.
MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to be entered by John
Jeremiah Rubery with the Clerk of the Patents of England, pursuant to
an Act passed in the fifth and sixth years of the reign of His late Majesty
William the Fourth, entitled An Act to amend the Law touching Letters
Patent for Inventions.
In the said Specification, I, the said JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY, did describo
the Invention to relate to making that part of the furniture of umbrellas
called "top tips," and since the inrolment of the said Specification I have
been advised that the description of the Invention may be made more clear
and certain by the following alterations therein :-
In the sentence "This may be done by pinching or cutting out pieces of
sheet metal of the form Figure 12, "&c., the word " pinching" has by error been
inserted for punching, for which reason I wish to insert the word "punching,"
and strike out "pinching." A few lines further down in the Specification the
words "or welding," and a few lines further the words "welding or," which
mode of joining is very inconvenient, and can only be used with iron, for
which reason I wish to strike out such words" or welding," "welding or,"
from the Specification; and in order to make the description more perfect I
wish to add the following note previous to the words "Having now described
this improved mode," &c., note, "the metal is to be annealed, as is well
understood, between each process of shaping it into "top tips."
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jeremiah Rubery, have hercunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-one.
JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY. (L.S.)

page_text: To the Clerk of the Patents in England.
This is to certify, that the above-named John Jeremiah Rubery has applied
to me for leave to enter with you the above-written Disclaimer and Memo-
randum of Alteration of part of the Specification of a certain Invention for
which Letters Patent were duly granted to him under the Great Scal, dated
at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of November, One thousand eight bun-
dred and thirty-seven, and the Specification of which was enrolled on the
Fourteenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight; and
having considered the above-mentioned application, and no objection having
been made to the same, I have accordingly granted leave to the said John
Jeremiah Rubery to file his said Disclaimer and Alteration, pursuant to
the Statute passed in the sixth year of the reign of His late Majesty King
William the Fourth, entitled An Act to amend the Law touching Letters
Patent for Inventions.
Serjeants Inn, Temple, January 15, 1841.
THO. WILDE.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventh day of January, in
the fourth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said John
Jeremiah Rubery came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery,
and acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth
year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Sixth day of February, One thousand eight hundred and

page_text: En the Matter of a Patent granted to JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY, of
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Umbrella Furniture
Manufacturer, for his Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF PART OF THE FURNITURE OF AN UMBRELLA," bearing
date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of November, One thou-
sand eight hundred and thirty-seven, to which a Specification was
enrolled on the Fourteenth day of May, One thousand eight hun-
dred and thirty-eight.
DISCLAIMER proposed to be entered by the said John Jeremiah Rubery
with the Clerk of the Patents of England, pursuant to an Act passed in
the fifth and sixth year of the reign of His late Majesty King William
the Fourth, entitled "An Act to amend the Law touching Letters
Patent for Inventions."
WHEREAS in an action brought by me, the said JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY,
against John Barrs for an infringement of the said Letters Patent, the jury
found as their verdict that the manufacture of top tips, as described in the first
part of the Specification, and shewn by figures of dies in the Drawing,
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, was a new and useful Invention in its application
to umbrellas, and the jury further found as their verdict that the manufacture
of top tips, as described and secondly shewn by figures in the Drawing, and
numbered 12, 13, and 14, with the use of the die, No. 6, was not a new
Invention; for which reason I, the said John Jeremiah Rubery, do desire to
disclaim, and do hereby disclaim, all those parts of the said Specification
which relate to the said Figures 12, 13, and 14 of the said Specification, and
for the same reason I do disclaim the. use of the parts, Figure 6, when com-
bined with the said Figures 12, 18, and 14; and because I am desirous to
limit my claim of Invention to what the jury found to be a new and useful
Invention, I do hereby for that reason disclaim all such parts of my Specifica-
tion as relate to Figures 15 and 16 of the said Specification, and all such
parts of my Invention as are described thereby, and for the same reason I do
also disclaim the use of the parts, Figure 6, when combined with the said
Figures 15 and 16. And I do further disclaim the following words from the
claiming clauses towards the end of the said Specification, "and particularly
compressing the ends of such metal top tips," and my reason for disclaiming

page_text: such words is that the claim of Invention in the said Specification may be
confined to what the jury found to be a new and useful Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jeremiah Rubery, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of January, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-four.
JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY. (L.S.)
To the Clerk of the Patents of England.
This is to certify, that John Jeremiah Rubery, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Unbrella Furniture Manufacturer, has applied to me
for leave to enter with you the above-written Disclaimer of a certain Inven-
tion for which Letters Patent were duly granted to him under the Great
Seal, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-seven, and of the Specification which was inrolled on
the Fourteenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight,
and in consideration of the said application I directed him to advertise his
said Disclaimer in the London Gazette, "The Times," "The Morning
Chronicle," and "Aris's Birmingham Gazette," and such advertisements have
been duly made in the said Gazette on the Twenty-second day of December
last, in "The Times" and "Morning Chronicle" respectively the Twenty-third
day of the same month of December, and in "Aris's Birmingham Gazette"
the Twenty-fifth day of the same month of December, and no objection having
been made to the said application, I have accordingly granted leave to the said
John Jeremiah Rubery to file his said Disclaimer, pursuant to the Statute
passed in the fifth and sixth years of the reign of His late Majesty, intitled
"An Act to amend the Law touching Letters Patent for Inventions.
Dated this Thirtieth day of January, One thousand eight hundred and
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of January,
in the seventh year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, the said
John Jeremiah Rubery came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chan-
cery, and acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing
therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the instru-
ment aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in
the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Second day of February, One thousand eight hundred and

page_text: year of
Saturday, the 9th day of January, in the 4th
the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, 1841.
In the Matter of Letters Patent granted to JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY,
of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Umbrella Furniture
Manufacturer, for an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF PART OF THE FURNITURE OF AN UMBRELLA."
Ex parte JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY.
UPON the humble petition of the above-named JOHN JEREMIAH RUBERY,
this day preferred unto the Right Honorable the Master of the Rolls, it was
alleged that Her Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Royal Letters Patent under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster, the 14th
day of November, in the first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs
and successors, give and grant unto the petitioner Her especial license, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that the petitioner, his executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, and such others as he and they should at any time agree
with, and no other, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an
Invention of "Certain Improvements in the Manufacture of Part of the Furni-
ture of an Umbrella," being partly a communication from a foreigner residing
abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained, amongst other things, a
proviso obliging the said petitioner, by an instrument in writing under his hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same
to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as
in and by the same Letters Patent, reference being had thereto, will more
fully and at large appear. That pursuant to the said proviso, the petitioner
did, by an instrument in writing under his hand and seal, bearing dato
the 14th day of May 1888, fully describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and
he caused the said Specification to be duly inrolled in this Court on the
same 14th day May 1838, being within the six calendar months allowed by
the aforesaid Letters Patent, as by the said Specification now remaining of

page_text: record in this Court, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear: That Messrs. William Newton and Miles Berry, of Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents and Mechanical Draftsman,
were employed by the petitioner to obtain for him the aforesaid Letters Patent,
and that in the due course of business they did obtain the grant thereof,
bearing date the 14th day of May 1837: That in pursuance of the said
proviso, to inrol a Specification of the Invention in the Court of Chancery within
six calendar months from the date thereof, before the expiration of such term,
the petitioner instructed the said Messrs. Newton and Berry to prepare the
description of his Invention, and the mechanical agents used in the same, and
also to make the necessary Drawings to illustrate the Invention, all of which
was done under the superintendance of the said Miles Berry, and to the
satisfaction of the petitioner: That when the draft description was so finished
it was given to the clerk of the said Messrs. Newton and Berry to ingross,
and to add thereto the proper preamble or introductory recital of the said
Patent: That the Specification was accordingly engrossed, but in the hurry of
business on the said 14th day of May 1888, a clerical error was made by the
clerk of the said Messrs. Newton and Berry in the said engrossed Specification,
by reciting the date of the said Letters Patent as of the 14th day of October
1887 instead of the 14th day of November of the same year: That Messrs.
Newton and Berry being very much engaged in business the whole of that
day, and having two other descriptions of inventions to prepare for Specifications
due on the same day, neither of the:n were enabled personally to examine the
said Preamble of the said engrossment, or the said error might have been
discovered before inrollment: That the draft Specifications or descriptions
of invention are seldom, if ever, perfect, and therefore they are generally
destroyed as useless after the inrollment of the Specification: That in some
instances rough drafts have been given to periodicals to print for the
information of the public, in most instances with the consent of the Patentees,
and the said Messrs. Newton and Berry believe this to be the case
with respect to the rough draft of the petitioner's Patent: That the said
Messrs. Newton and Berry have directed search to be made amongst the
papers in their office, but that a complete draft of the Specification cannot be
found, and they have no doubt it has been thrown aside or otherwise disposed
of as of no further use: That John Walter Moffatt, clerk to the said
Messrs. Newton and Berry, on the said 14th day of November 1837, was
instructed by the said Miles Berry to engross the Preamble of the said
Specification, and that in compliance with such instructions he, the said

page_text: 66
"
John Walter Mowfatt, did engross the said Specification on parchment, down
to the words "These improvements" on the 14th line from the top of the said
ingrossment, [page 2, line 10,] and that be did so engross such part of the
said Specification for the sake of expedition, and in order to obviate the
necessity of drawing out a full draft of the preamble to the said Specification
for the stationer, he, the said John Walter Moffatt, being well acquainted
with the wording of such preamble from memory: That the said John Walter
Moffatt has examined the entry of the petitioner's Patent in the books of
the said Messrs. Newton and Berry, and from which he engrossed the said
preamble, and found such entry to be in the words and figures following
(that is to say):-" To John Jeremiah Rubery, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Umbrella Furniture Manufacturer, for certain improve-
"ments in the manufacture of part of the furniture of an umbrella, being
partly a communication, England, sealed 14th November 1837:" That the
said John Walter Moffatt made the mistake in respect to the date of the said
Letters Patent, by then calling them Letters Patent of "October" instead of
"November," and that in the hurry of the business of the day such error
was unfortunately overlooked: That it is sometimes the practice of the said
Messrs. Newton & Berry's office not to draw out a draft of the whole recital
of the Letters Patent, but only such description of the mechanical parts or
particulars and drawings of the Invention as will enable the party actually
ingrossing the same for signature and acknowledgement to complete the same,
the said party having a blank common form to refer to, if his memory should
fail him at once to ingross such recital in its proper form and at length:
That the petitioner hath only lately discovered the said mistake: That the
petitioner never had any Letters Patent granted to him other than the said
Letters Patent of the 14th day of November, in the first year of Her Majesty's
reign, except certain Letters Patent dated the 7th April in the 6th year
of King William the 4th, for certain improvements in the making or
manufacturing umbrella and parasol stretchers: That no copy of the aforesaid
Specification hath been taken by the public, and that no scire facias hath been
issued or applied for, for the repeal of the said Letters Patent, nor is any
action or suit at law or in equity now pending touching the validity of the said
Letters Patent: It was therefore prayed, and Her Majesty's Solicitor-General
having subscribed the said petition, thereby signifying his consent to the
prayer thereof, on behalf of the Crown, and upon reading the affidavit of the
petitioner, the affidavit of William Newton and Miles Berry, and the affidavit
of John Walter Moffatt, respectively filed this day: It is accordingly ordered,

page_text: that the proper officer do attend His Lordship with the record of the inrolliment
of the petitioner's aforesaid Specification, and that the same be altered and
amended by inserting the word "November "in lieu of the word "October"
in the recital or introductory part thereof: And it is ordered that a copy
of this order be indorsed on the roll on which the said Specification is
inrolled.