Improvements in Umbrellas.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th July, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Umbrellas.
HARRY HARDY 9 Grosvenor Road Swanage Dorset Plumber do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention is an umbrella entirely working on ball bearing action, which
1 believe is the simplest & most durable in service, also being the simplest for
repairing which can be done by the purchasers themselves with directions provided
with it. This invention is doing away with rivets & wire, which makes a con-
siderable amount less labour in manufacturing.
October 9th 1889
HARRY HARDY,
9, Grosvenor Road, Swanage.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Umbrellas.
I, HARRY HARDY, of 9, Grosvenor Road, Swanage, in the County of Dorset,
Plumber, 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 umbrellas, the object being to secure the ribs and stretchers
in such a manner that any one can be easily and quickly removed and replaced
without disturbing the remainder, thereby affording great facility for repairing the
umbrellas.
In carrying out my invention, I provide the top notches and runners of umbrellas
with sockets or bearings adapted to receive balls on the ends of the ribs and
stretchers, the said balls being kept in their bearings by screw-threaded tubes so
that by sufficiently unscrewing the tubes any one of the ribs or stretchers can be
removed without disturbing the others. I also provide the ribs with sockets or
bearings adapted to receive balls on the stretcher ends to be connected thereto, the
said balls being kept in position by strips or blocks which are prevented from
lateral displacement by the balls within the sockets, and are adapted to be secured
by means of the thread which unites the umbrella cover to the ribs.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be carried
into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of part of the frame and stick of an umbrella
provided with my improvements.
Figure 2 is a similar view of the top notch and one of the ribs and the stick with
the screw threaded tube raised to open the bearing.
Figures 3 to 8 are detached views of the various parts of the top notch.
Figures 9 to 12 are detached views of the two parts of the runner.
Figures 13 and 14 are elevations of parts of an umbrella rib and stretcher
connected together according to my improvements; and
Figures 15 to 19 are detached views of the two parts of the connection.
a is the top notch and b b are the sockets with which I provide it, the said sockets
being spherical in shape to receive the balls c on the ends of the ribs d. The top
notch is also made with slits a' which allow of the necks e of the ribs passing through
and working therein. The top notch is formed of an annular projection on a
cylindrical tube f having a conical end to receive the stick 9 of the umbrella; the
tube is made of small diameter to avoid the ribs projecting beyond the periphery of
the top notch when the umbrella is closed as illustrated by the dotted lines in figure 1.
The tube fextends above the sockets and is there screw-threaded as shewn at h.

page_text: Figure 3 is an elevation and figure 4 a plan of that part of the notch a that comprises
the sockets b, tube and screw-threaded extension h of the latter. i is a ring (shewn
in elevation at figure 5 and in underside plan at figure 6) which fits over the part h
and is slightly recessed on its underside to receive the tops of the balls c.
Between
this ring and the leather washer j, the covering of the umbrella is placed and the
whole is then secured by screwing the tube k (shewn in elevation and plan respectively
at figures 7 and 8) over the part h; the tube is then fastened by passing a pin
through.holes m, m in the tube k and through a corresponding hole in the part h; the
upper part of the tube k is adapted to receive the ferrule end n of the stick to which
it is secured by a pin o. p is the runner which I provide with sockets q and slits b₁
similar to the sockets and slits of the top notch to receive balls r and necks d¹ on the
runner ends of the stretchers s and with a screw-threaded portion cl; these parts of
the runner are shewn in plan and elevation respectively at figures 9 and 10;
a recessed tube t is provided adapted to screw over the part c¹ and confine the balls
the said tube being slotted at u to receive the wire spring of the umbrella. The
tube t is shewn in elevation and plan at figures 11 and 12 respectively.
" is one of the sockets or bearings with which I provide the ribs of umbrellas the
said sockets being formed in metal strips w (shewn detached in elevations at figures 15
and 16 and in plan at figure 17) adapted to lie within the channel of the rib d to
which latter it is fixed by rivets xx the rib being formed wider from this portion to
the tip end in order to admit the strip w and stretcher and tapering towards the
ball end.
is the ball on the rib-end of the stretchers and fitting and working in the
socket v; f is a slit to receive the neck g' of the stretcher. y is the securing strip or
block (of which figures 18 and 19 are elevations) made slightly concave at one end as
shewn at to adapt it to the ball e¹ the strip being slit at h' to allow play for the
neck g' of the stretcher.
The strip is made with a small depression to hold the thread whereby the
umbrella covering is secured to the rib d, the said thread serving at the same time to
secure the strip y, which is prevented from lateral displacement by the ball el fitting
in its concavity z. It will be seen that the back of the stretcher lies within the rib
which avoids the risk of the thread which secures the covering being cut.
By this construction when a rib or stretcher becomes broken, it can with great
facility be removed and replaced by a new one in the following manner, viz. :-To
remove a rib d it is only necessary to knock out the pin and then unscrew the tube k
just sufficiently to allow the ball c to be taken out of the socket b, and the ball of
another rib to be inserted therein, the ring i being tilted, as shewn in figure 2,
whereby it is caused to press upon and assist in retaining the remainder of the ribs in
the notch; the tube k is then immediately screwed up again and secured by the pin l.
The thread which secures the umbrella covering to the rib d must then be severed
when the securing strip y can be removed and the ball e¹ of the stretchers taken
out of its socket y and placed in the socket of the new rib, which is then closed by
its securing strip y and united by thread to the umbrella covering.
To remove a stretcher it would be necessary to detach one end of it from the rib
in the manner just described and to partly unscrew the tube t from the part c¹ of
the runner,
when the other end could be lifted out of its socket and the ball r of
a new stretcher be placed therein the tube would then have to be screwed up and
the other end of the stretcher connected to the rib in the manner hereinbefore
described.
Although I have only described my improvements in connection with umbrella
frames, it will be obvious that they are also applicable to parasol and umbrella-tent
frames.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The combination with umbrella, parasol or umbrella-tent top notches and

page_text: runners provided with sockets or bearings adapted to receive balls on the ends of
the ribs and stretchers, of screw-threaded tubes adapted to keep the said balls in
their bearings, so that by unscrewing the tubes any one of the ribs or stretchers.
can be removed without disturbing the others.
2. In an umbrella, parasol or umbrella-tent frame, the combination with ribs having
sockets or bearings adapted to receive balls on the ends of the stretchers, of securing
strips such as y which are prevented from moving laterally by the balls within the
sockets and are adapted to be secured by the thread which is used to unite the
umbrella covering to the ribs.
3. The improved umbrella frame hereinbefore described and illustrated in figure 1
of the accompanying drawing.
4. An umbrella, parasol or umbrella-tent provided with my improved frame
constructed as hereinbefore described with reference to the various figures of the
accompanying drawing.
Dated the 10th day of July 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.