IMPROVEMENTS IN WALKING STICK UMBRELLAS & STRETCHER SLIDE TO OPEN & SHUT THE SAME.
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Thomas Ford at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th December 1882.
JAMES THOMAS FORD Engineer of Wilton House, Marmion Rd, Southsea
Portsmouth in the County of Hampshire. IMPROVEMENTS IN WALKING STICK
UMBRELLAS & STRETCHER SLIDE TO OPEN & SHUT THE SAME.
My improvements in walking stick umbrellas are serviceable as tapered, parallel
or both joined, together in one to form a walking stick & can be made of steel or
iron tinned or any suitable hollow wood or metallic substance.
On the exterior part of the stick there are placed studs to fix the handle & to
open or shut the umbrella in lieu of springs, making a neat looking Walking Stick
Umbrella. In describing the Stick for the Umbrella, it is open at both ends, the
small end being taper ferruled shape with a nut inserted therein to allow one to
screw the stick nut to the frame or rib-holder on the male screw inside, & on the
ouside of the rib holder is a metal or wood point forming a portion of the walking
& umbrella stick. The middle portion of the rib-holder is made solid, the stick
not passing through as in ordinary cases, but is considerably reduced in size
having a male screw attached to screw the stick on.
The stick is conical one third in length & to each end one third parallel, being
smooth & clean inside with a ferrule shape point, & in it placed a collar to take
the weight of the umbrella.
It can readily be seen by winding the covering of silk or other material round
the umbrella ribs & closing the expansion slide that it is easily placed in the
hollow conic stick, letting the point protrude through the collar & nut, by so
doing I am enabled to keep my stick for walking & the umbrella both the proper
length with all the requirements of an ordinary Walking Stick Umbrella & Case.
In describing the expansion & contraction slides, there are two metal strips
placed across each other in the centre & are riveted simular to scissors, on each end
a half cross is riveted & likewise on the centre rivet is placed a saddle which
moves easily to carry the stretchers two in number, then you will find four of the
above with a bracket attached to the corners riveted, represents a square that
•

page_text: carries eight stretchers, but it can be made in any suitable number of sides if
required. It may be made in iron or any other metallic substance.
When the slide is placed upon the stick it fits the largest end, but when raised
to the tapered or smaller end the weight of the ribs rest on the slide, then by
giving the slide a quarter turn (at the same time placing it over the stud to fix it)
you will find the four half crosses & stretchers thrown to the centre of the scissors
cross, likewise the stretchers are bent one inch above the saddle cross joints, which
gives when open a pretty artistic appearance
The advantages gained by the stretchers being bent, enables the silk or other
material to be rolled up into a much smaller compass than usual & can therefore
be easily inserted in the case stick.
Should the stretcher or the wire of a stretcher break it will not effect the whole
number as in ordinary cases.