IMPROVE MENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Edward Boyce,. of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Robert Harrington, of Bir-
mingham, aforesaid, Warehouseman, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
Sealed the 16th August 1867, and dated the 17th June 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Edward Boyce
and Robert Harrington at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 17th June 1867.
We, JAMES EDWARD BOYCE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Manufacturer, and ROBERT HARRINGTON, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Ware-
houseman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE
MENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," to be as follows:-
In umbrellas and parasols of the ordinary construction the umbrella or
parasol is fixed in its open and closed positions respectively by wire springs.
working in slots formed in the stick of the umbrella or parasol. In the closed.
position of the umbrella or parasol one of the said springs engages in a slot
in the runner, and thereby prevents its sliding in the direction proper to open
the umbrella or parasol, and in the open position of the umbrella or parasol
the other of the said springs bears against the edge of the runner and prevents
it moving in a direction proper to close the umbrella or parasol. The slots in
the umbrella or parasol stick in which the said springs. work, weaken the stick,
and our Invention has for its object the production of a simple and efficient

page_text: arrangement of parts for fixing the umbrella or parasol in its open and closed
positions respectively without the necessity for making the said slots.
We cut or make in the runner a slot of somewhat greater width than that
ordinarily made, the said slot being of about one half the length of the runner,
and situated near the end of the runner to which the stretchers are jointed.
We joint a lever to the runner in such a position that one of its arms is
situated over the slot described, while its other arm projects over the end of
the runner nearest the handle of the umbrella or parasol. Under the last-
named arm of the lever a spring is placed, which spring tends to raise the
said arm and to depress the other arm through the slot in the runner and
make it press upon the stick of the umbrella or parasol. In that arm of the
lever which passes through the slot in the runner is a small hole, and on the
stick of the umbrella or parasol two slightly projecting studs are fixed in
such positions that when the umbrella or parasol is open one of the said studs
engages in the said hole in the lever, and when the umbrella or parasol is
closed the other of the said studs engages in the said hole in the lever; the
umbrella or parasol is thus fixed in its closed or open position. The under
side of the arm of the lever is inclined on either side the hole so that the arm
can pass on to the stud and engage therewith; but when the stud has engaged in
the hole it can only be disengaged by pressing the thumb or finger upon the
projecting arm of the lever so as to raise the other arm from the stud. The
umbrella or parasol is thus opened and closed by the thumb in a way similar
to that required for opening and closing umbrellas and parasols of the ordinary
construction.
Instead of making a hole in the end of the arm for the studs to engage in,
the end of the arm may be hooked and thereby made to engage with the said
studs; that portion of the runner in a line with the slot requires to be raised
a little above the plane in which the slot is situated; the runner is thereby
enabled to slide over the studs without obstruction.
by the said James Edward Boyce and Robert Harrington in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 13th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
EDWARD BOYCE, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturer,
and ROBERT HARRINGTON, of Birmingham, aforesaid, Warehouseman, send
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
James Edward Boyce and Robert Harrington, Her special licence that we,
the said James Edward Boyce and Robert Harrington, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Edward Boyce
and Robert Harrington, our 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
we, the said James Edward Boyce and Robert Harrington, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or their hands and
seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Edward Boyce and 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 ascer
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say:
In umbrellas and parasols of the ordinary construction the umbrella or
parasol is fixed in its open and closed positions respectively by wire springs
working in slots formed in the stick of the umbrella or parasol. In the closed
position of the umbrella or parasol one of the said springs engages in a slot
in the runner and thereby prevents it sliding in the direction proper to open
the umbrella or parasol, and in the open position of the umbrella or parasol
the other of the said springs bears against the edge of the runner and prevents
it moving in a direction proper to close the umbrella or parasol. The slots in
the umbrella or parasol stick in which the said springs work weaken the
stick, and our Invention has for its object the production of a simple and
efficient arrangement of parts for fixing the umbrella or parasol in its open
and closed positions respectively without the necessity for making the said
slots.
We cut or make in the runner a slot of somewhat greater width than that
ordinarily made, the said slot being of about one half the length of the runner"

page_text: and situated near the end of the runner to which the stretchers are jointed.
We joint a lever to the runner in such a position that one of its arms is
situated over the slot described, while its other arm projects over the end of
the runner nearest the handle of the umbrella or parasol. Under the last-
named arm of the lever a spring is placed, which spring tends to raise the said
arm and depress the other arm through the slot in the runner and make it
press upon the stick of the umbrella or parasol. In that arm of the lever
which passes through the slot in the runner is a small hole, and on the stick
of the umbrella or parasol two slightly projecting studs are fixed in such
positions that when the umbrella or parasol is open one of the said studs
engages in the said hole in the lever, and when the umbrella or parasol is
closed the other of the said studs engages in the said hole in the lever; the
umbrella or parasol is thus fixed in its closed or open position. The under side
of the arm of the lever is inclined on either side the hole so that the arm can
pass on to the stud and engage therewith, but when the stud has engaged in the
hole it can only be disengaged by pressing the thumb or finger upon the pro-
jecting arm of the lever so as to raise the other arm from the stud; the
umbrella or parasol is thus opened and closed by the thumb in a way similar
to that required for opening and closing umbrellas and parasols of the ordinary
construction.
Instead of making a hole in the end of the arm for the studs to engage in,
the end of the arm may be hooked and thereby made to engage with the said
studs or with projections on the stick. In that portion of the runner in a line
with the slot is a channel whereby the runner is enabled to slide over the
studs or projections without obstruction.
Having explained the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe,
with reference to the accompanying Drawing, the manner in which the same
is to be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent side elevations, taken at right angles to one
another, of a portion of the frame and stick of an umbrella, to which our
Invention is applied; Figures 3, 34, 4, 5, and 6 represent the runner, the
spring fastening, and portion of the stick on a larger scale, and Figures 7
to 13, both inclusive, represent parts of the same, as herein-after explained.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in each Figure.
a is the stick of the umbrella, and 6 is the runner working on the said
stick, and to which runner the stretchers c are jointed in the ordinary manner;
the runner b is shown in section in Figure 2. . We cut or make in the said
runner 6 a slot d of somewhat greater width than that ordinarily made, the
said slot being situated near the notch end of the said runner, as best seen in

page_text: Figures 3, 5, and 6. On the said runner a box or frame e is soldered, and to
the said box or frame a lever f₁f, is jointed, the joint pin fs working in a
depression made in the said lever (see Figure 6). The greater part of the
lever ff, is situated in and protected by the said box. The upper arm f
of the lever is situated over the slot d in the runner b, and the lower arm f
projects over the bottom end of the said runner. Under the lower arm f of
the lever f, f, a spring 9 is placed, which spring tends to raise the said
arm.f and depress the opposite arm f' through the slot d in the runner and
make the latter arm press upon the stick a of the umbrella.
Figures 3, 34, and 4 represent in front elevation, cross section, and side
elevation respectively the runner 6 before the lever f.f, is jointed to it, and
Figure 5 represents in front elevation, and Figure 6 in longitudinal section,
the said runner with the lever jointed to it. In the arm f of the lever is a
small hole h, and on the stick a of the unbrella are two studs or projections
i, k, with one or other of which said studs the hole h in the lever engages
to fix the umbrella in its open or closed position; the upper stud k is slightly
hooked.
In Figures 1 and 2 the umbrella is represented in its closed position, the
hole h in the upper arm f* of the lever being engaged with the stud i and
thereby fixing the umbrella in that position. In order to open the umbrella
the projecting lower arm of the lever is depressed by the thumb or finger;
the other arm f' is thereby raised through the slot d and its hole h disengaged
from the stud i on the stick a; the umbrella can now be opened by sliding
the runner on the stick. On loosing the projecting arm f of the lever the
said arm f is raised by its spring g and the other arm f' depressed through
the slot d in the runner and made to press upon the stick a. On opening the
umbrella to its full extent the inclined or curved end of the arm få rises over
the stud k, which stud drops into or engages with the hole h in the said arm,
and thus fixes the umbrella in its open position. To close the umbrella the
projecting arm is depressed, and the arm f' raised from the stud k, when
the umbrella can be closed and fixed in its closed position by the engaging of
the arm of the lever with the stud i in the manner represented in Figures
1 and 2. In that part of the runner 6 in a line with the slot da channel b³
is formed (see Figures 3 and 34); the said chanuel 63 may be made either
by forming two parallel corrugations in the runner by dies and pressure, or by
otherwise compressing the metal of the runner so as to form the said channel,
or the said runner may be partially lined, the channel being formed by the
inclined portion, or the said channel may be made in any other convenient.
way; by means of this channel the runner 6 is enabled to slide over the

page_text: studs i, k, without obstruction. Instead of making a hole h in the end of
the arm for the stud i or k to engage in, the end of the said arm may be
hooked and thereby made to engage with the said studs or with projections on
the stick.
This part of our Invention is represented in Figures 6A, 6B, and 6° of
the Drawing, where the hooked end of the lever is marked f, and the
projection upon the top of which the hooked end f bears when the umbrella
is opened is marked ; this projection is shown separately in Figure 6; the
lever is shown separately in Figure 6°. The projections used with this
arrangement consist of small plates of metal having a hooked end, which
hooked end is driven into the stick of the umbrella and thereby forms a
curved or bevilled edge, up which the hook of the lever travels to engage with
the said projections. The bottom projection on the stick is similar to the
projection, excepting that its bevilled edge is turned in the contrary
direction; the bottom projection on the stick a is marked i2 in Figure 6ª.
Figure 7 represents the blank from which the box or frame e on the runner b
is made; Figure 8 represents the said blank pierced, and Figure 9 represents,
in side elevation and plan, a box or frame raised by dies and pressure from
the pierced blank, Figure 8; Figure 10 represents the blank from which the
lever f,f, of the first described arrangement is made; Figure 11 represents
the blank pierced, and Figure 12 represents the finished lever made by
bending or fashioning the pierced blank, Figure 11; Figure 13 represents
separate views of the spring 9 by which the lower arm f of the lever f, f, is
raised. Instead of a spring made from sheet metal a coiled spring of the kind
represented in Figure 13 may be used; we use a coiled spring in preference
to a spring made from sheet metal.
Although in the accompanying Drawing we have only represented our
Invention as applied to an umbrella, yet our said Invention is equally
applicable to parasols.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the precise details herein described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of our Invention; but we claim as our Invention the improvements in
fastenings for fixing umbrellas and parasols in their open and closed positions,
respectively herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing, that is to say, applying to the runner of the umbrella or parasol a
lever, one arm of which lever is made to engage with one or other of two
studs or projections on the stick of the umbrella or parasol so as to fix the

page_text: said umbrella or parasol in its open or closed position, the said lever being
used in conjunction with a longitudinal channel in the runner for enabling it
to slide over the studs or projections on the stick without obstruction,
substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Edward Boyce and Robert
Harrington, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twelfth day
of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-seven.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
JAMES EDWARD BOYCE. (L.8.)
ROBERT
HARRINGTON.
(L.B.)