IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RETAINING, ADJUST- ING, AND SEWING UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47; Lincoln's Inn
Fields, in the County of Middlesex; Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR RETAINING, ADJUST-
ING, AND SEWING UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS."-A communication from
abroad by William Appleton Drown, the younger, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 4th August 1871, and dated the 9th March 1871..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 9th March 1871.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn. Fields, in- the County
5 of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY: OR APPARATUS FOR RETAINING,.
ADJUSTING, AND SEWING UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," a communication to me

page_text: from abroad by William Appleton Drown, the younger, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, United States of America, to be as follows:-
The sewing of the curved edges of an umbrella between the tips of the
ribs, or the stitching together of the edges of the cover and lining of a
parasol, when performed entirely by hand as usual, is an exceedingly a
slow and laborious operation, as the umbrella or. parasol must be fully
extended when sewed in order to prevent the edges from puckering, the
usual method being to rest the. umbrella upon the lap, and then to bend
over the same and work upon the outer edge.
Now this Invention, which has been designed to supersede the usual
slow and laborious method of stitching the edges of umbrellas and
parasols, consists of an adjustable and moveable holder for retaining
the umbrella or parasol in a position most convenient for the operator;
also in the combination of such adjustable holder with a sewing
machine; and finally of an improvement in the presser foot or fect of
the sewing machine, which will enable the stitching to be brought close
up to and over the ribs of the umbrella or parasol. The sewing machine
employed may, with the exception of the presser feet, which form one
of the features of the Invention, be similar to those in common use.
The holder for the support of the umbrella or parasol to be operated
upon by the machine is, according to one arrangement, connected
directly to the machine, and consists of a longitudinally slotted plate
secured to the arm of the sewing machine; a vertical bolt, pivot, or pin
rendered adjustable in this slotted plate; a disk having a tubular pro-
jection arranged to turn upon the said bolt; another disc attached to
and arranged to turn upon the first disc, and having curved slots for
the passage of set screws by means of which the second disc can be
secured after adjustment, and a long rod rendered adjustable in a tubular
projection of the second dise, and held therein by a set screw.
The holder proper consists of a segmental plate hung to and arranged
to turn upon the outer end of the long overhanging rod, and having a
curved slọt through which passes a bolt of the said rod, this bolt being
provided with a thumb nut which can be tightened against the segmental
holder in order to secure the latter after adjustment. The handle of
the umbrella or parasol rests in jaws in the segmental plate, and is
retained in a proper position therein by means of an adjustable block
furnished with a set screw, and which is fitted to the handle of the

page_text: umbrella or parasol, and arranged to rest upon the top of the upper jaw
and thus sustain the weight of the umbrella.
The universally jointed holder above described enables the umbrella
or parasol to be adjusted to such a position that its edge may be brought
directly beneath the sewing machine needle, and also to such a position
that the curve of the said edge shall coincide with a curve described
from the centre of the vertical bolt, pivot, or pin before referred to. In
stitching close up to and over the ribs the ordinary presser feet would
permit the ribs to be brought to a position beneath the needles, so that
the latter would strike and become broken by the said ribs. This
difficulty may be overcome, however, by using cither one or two presser
feet arranged and constructed as hercin-after described. If two presser
feet are used they are placed one on each side of the needle, and
arranged to be raised and lowered independently of each other, so that
one can be raised and allowed to pass over the rib, while the other
still holds and prevents the slipping of the work. The said presser feet
are also inclined on one edge, so that they may adapt themselves to the
inclined position of the rib, and thus permit the needle to work close
up to and over the latter without risk of striking the same.
When a
single presser foot is to be used it is formed with double-inclined edges
corresponding to the inclined edges of the two presser feet when two
are used.
It must also be capable of being raised and lowered, and of
being moved laterally so as to pass over the ribs of the umbrella.or
parasol. These several movements are obtained by pivotting the presser
arm to the head of the machine, and by slotting the said arm at the
pivoting point so as to permit it to be raised and lowered. A spring
acts on and tends to depress the foot, and a cam lever or any equivalent
device may be used for raising the same..
It is not absolutely necessary that. the holder before referred to, when
used in connection with a sewing machine, should be attached to the
top of the latter, as above described, as it can be secured to the bottom
of the same or to the ceiling, or to any other fixed object. adjacent
to the machine. Nor is it necessary that the holder should be con-
structed precisely as above described, as it can be modified, considerably
without departing from the Invention; for instance, an adjustable
hooked yoke may be substituted for the segmental, plate, and the
umbrella be held by the handle and tip instead of by the handle only;
or the vertical bolt and the discs may be dispensed, with, and a. ball-

page_text: and-socket joint substituted for. the same.
These adjustable holders,
will be found useful for holding umbrellas, and parasols in a convenient
position to be sewed by. hand as well as by machinery.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Putent,
filed by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 9th September 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN HENRY
JOHNSON, of 47; Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters, Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Henry Johnson, Her special
license that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, or. assigns, should at any time.
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY. OR APPARATUS FOR RETAINING,
ADJUSTING, AND SEWING UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS," a communication to me.
from abroad by William Appleton Drown, the younger, of Phila-.
delphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors.
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, 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 Scal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do, hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
The sewing of the curved edges of an umbrella between the tips of
the ribs, or the stitching together of the edges of the cover and lining of
a parasol, when performed entirely by hand as usual, is an exceedingly
slow and laborious operation, as the umbrella or parasol must be fully
extended when sewed, in order to prevent the edges from púckering, the
usual method being to rest the umbrella upon the lap, and then to bend
over the same and work upon the outer edge.
Now this Invention; which has been designed to supersede the usual
slow and laborious method of stitching the edges of umbrellas and
parasols, consists of an adjustable and moveable holder for retaining the
umbrella or parasol in a position most convenient for the operator, also
in the combination of such adjustable holder with a sewing machine,
and finally of an improvement in the presser foot or feet of the sewing
machine, which will enable the stitching to be brought close up to and
over the ribs of the umbrella or parasol.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose shall refer to the several figures on the annexed Sheet of
Drawings, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
in all the corresponding figures:
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a side view of a sewing machine with the
adjustable holder for umbrellas or parasols attached to the same;
Figures 2 and 3 detached views of parts of the adjustable holder.
Figure 4 a front view of the sewing machine showing the construction
of the same when two presser feet are used; Figure 5 an enlarged
sectional plan view of Figure 4:
Figures 6, 7; and S, front views of a sewing machine provided with
one presser foot; Figures 9, 10, and 11, séctional plan views of Figures 6,
7, and 8, shewing the operation of the single presser foot:
Figure 12 a view shewing a different plan of attaching the holder to a
sewing machine:

page_text: Figure 13, a view of a modified form of holder attached to the ceiling
of a room or to any fixed object separate from a sewing machine.
Figure 14, a detached view of part of Figure 13.
Figure 15 a view of another modification, and Figure 16 a view
illustrating the ordinary method of sewing the curved edges of umbrellas
and parasols by hand.
A represents any suitable frame for the support of a sewing machine;
B, the bed plate of the machine; and C, the fixed arm. The other
portions of the machine, with the exception of the presser feet D, D',
which form one of the features of the Invention, may be similar to those
in common use and are not illustrated in the Drawing.
The holder for the support of the umbrella or parasol to be operated
upon by the machine is according to one arrangement connected
directly to the machine, and consists of a longitudinally slotted plate F
secured to the arm G of a bolt H, rendered adjustable in this slotted
plate of a disc I, having a tubular projection a arranged to turn upon
the said bolt of a disc I' attached to and arranged to turn upon the
disc I, and having curved slots b, b, for the passage of set screws c by
means of which the said disc I¹ can be secured after adjustment, and of
a long rod J rendered adjustable in a tubular projection d of the disc I',
and held therein by a set screw e.
The holder proper consists of a segmental plate L hung to and
arranged to turn upon the outer end of the rod J, and having a curved
slot through which passes a bolt f¹ of the said rod, this bolt being
provided with a thumb nut f² which can be tightened against the scg-
mental holder, in order to secure the latter after adjustment. The
handle g of the umbrella or parasol rests in jaws h and h¹ of the seg-
mental plate L and is retained in a proper position therein (that is, in
such a position that the edge of the extended umbrella shall be in
contact with the bed plate of the sewing machine beneath the needle)
by means of an adjustable block m, furnished with a set screw and
which is fitted to the handle of the umbrella or parasol and arranged to
rest upon the top of the upper jaw and thus sustain the weight of the
umbrella. One or both of the jaws and h' may, if desired, be provided
with pins or catches to prevent the accidental displacement of the
handle. The universally jointed holder above described enables the
umbrella or parasol to be adjusted to such a position that its edge may

page_text: be brought directly beneath the sewing machine needle, and also to such
a position that the curve of the said edge shall coincide with a curve
described from the centre of the bolt H (see Figures 1 and 5). When
the parts are thus adjusted, the whole of each of the curved edges x of
the umbrella or parasol can be sewed by the machine, the operator
guiding the work and holder as the latter is turned upon the bolt II as a
centre by the feeding devices.
One of the principle difficulties in thus using a sewing machine
for stitching the edges of umbrellas and parasols, is that in working
close up to and over the ribs, the ordinary presser feet permit the ribs
to be brought to a position beneath the needles, so that the latter
frequently strike and are broken by the said ribs. This difficulty may
be overcome however by using either one or two presser feet of peculiar
construction. If two presser feet are used they are placed one on each
side of the needle and arranged to be raised and lowered independently
of each other, so that one can be raised and allowed to pass over the rib,
while the other still holds and prevents the slipping of the work. The
said presser feet are also inclined on one edge, so that they may adapt
themselves to the inclined position of the rib and thus permit the needle
to work close up to and over the latter without risk of striking the same.
This is shewn in Figures 4 and 5, where D and D' represent the presser
feet arranged to slide in the fixed arm C of the machine, each foot being
acted on by a spring j which has a tendency to depress it, and by a
lever by which it can be raised from the work.
On reference to Figure 5 it will be seen that the curved edge 2 (which
is in a position coinciding with a curve described from the centre of the
bolt H Figure 1) has been sewed by the needle z, which occupies a
position midway between the presser feet D, D¹. The sewing on this
edge has been brought close up to the rib u, the foot D¹ having been
raised to permit the passage of the latter, and the inclined edge v of the
foot D being in contact with the side of the rib, thus preventing any
further feeding of the work in the direction of the arrow and consequent
danger of striking the rib by the needle z. When the sewing has been
thus far accomplished, and it becomes necessary to cross the rib in
order to operate upon the edge of the umbrella, the foot D is also
raised in order to permit the work to be turned upon the needle z as a
centre (the holder turning on the bolt H) from the position shewn in

page_text: in full lines to that indicated by dotted lines in Figure 5, the inclined
edge of the foot D', which is depressed during the latter portion of
this movement, determining the extent of the latter as it serves as a
guide for the edge of the rib. The operation now goes on as before, and
when the rib has been passed both of the presser feet or one only can be
held down as desired. When a single presser foot D2 is to be used it is
formed with double inclined edges 2 and 3 (Figures 9, 10, and 11),
corresponding to the inclined edges and v¹ of the two presser feet
above described. It must also be capable of being raised and lowered,
and of being moved laterally, so as to pass over the ribs of the umbrella
or parasol. These several movements are obtained by pivoting the
presser arm to the head C of the machine, and by slotting the said arm
at the pivoting point, so as to permit it to be raised and lowered, a
spring acts on and tends to depress the foot, and a cam lever / or any
equivalent device may be used for raising the same.
The operation of the above is as follows:-Let it be supposed that an
umbrella has been adjusted beneath the presser foot, as shown in Figure's
8 and 11, that the rib u of the umbrella rests in an inclined position
against the inclined edge ³ of the foot, and that the needle has penetrated
the edge of the cover close up to the rib. The umbrella is held or guided
as before described, so as to present its curved edge to the needle, the
feed carrying the work in the direction of the arrow 3 in Figure 11 until
a rib is approached, as shown in Figure 10,. the sewing being carried
close up to the rib until the latter is brought against the inclined
edge of the foot, which prevents any further feeding of the work and
the consequent striking of the rib by the needle. The motion of the
machine is then stopped, and the foot is raised, as shown in Figures 7
and 10, the needle being also raised and the work moved slightly in the
direction of the arrow 4 in Figure 10, when the needle is again caused
to descend on the opposite side of the rib. The umbrella is then turned
upon the needle as a pivoting point in the direction of the arrow 5 in
Figure 11, and brought to the position shown in the latter Figure, when
the foot is caused to descend at the same time that it is moved laterally, so
that it may cross over the rib, after which the sewing proceeds as before:
It is not absolutely necessary that the holder when used in connection
with a sewing machine should be attached to the top of the latter, as
above described, as it can be secured to the bottom of the same, as

page_text: shown in Figure 12, or to the ceiling, or to any other fixed object
adjacent to the machine, as illustrated in Figure 13. Nor is it necessary.
that the holder should be constructed precisely as above described, as it
can be modified considerably without departing from the Invention. In
Figures 13 and 14, for instance, an adjustable hooked yoke L' is sub-
stituted for the segmental plate L, and the umbrella is held by the
handle and tip instead of by the handle only, as before described, and.
in Figure 15, the bolt H, discs I, I', etc. are dispensed with, and a ball-
and-socket joint s is substituted for the same.
It should also be understood that the Invention is not confined to the
holder when combined with a sewing machine, as it will be found useful
for holding umbrellas and parasols in a convenient position to be sewed
by hand.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider
to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to
me by the herein-before. in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. A holder for umbrellas and parasols, consisting of an adjustable
and moveable bar, or its equivalent, constructed for the retention of the
umbrella or parasol, substantially as set forth.
Second. The combination, substantially as, herein described, of the
said holder with a sewing machine.
Third. The combination and arrangement,, substantially as herein
described, of the bolt H, disk I, with its tubular projection, and slotted.
disk I', with its, tubular projection, for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. The. adjustable segmental plate L, or its equivalent, attached
to the bar J, and forming the holder proper for the retention of the
umbrella or parasol.
Fifth. The combination of the said holder, the handle of an umbrella
or parasol, and a detachable block m adjustable on the handle and
bearing on the holder, as specified..
Sixth. The presser feet D and D¹, constructed and operating in con-.
nection with cach other, the needle and the ribs of the umbrella or
parasol, substantially as herein set forth, and as illustrated in Figures
4 and 5 of the Drawing.

page_text: Seventh. The said presser feet D and D', having edges v, v', inclined
as specified.
Eighth. The presser foot D³, arranged to be moved laterally, and
having double inclined edges and v³, all substantially as specified and
as illustrated in Figures 6 to 11 in the Drawing.
Ninth. The said presser foot D³, having inclined edges v2, v3, and
pivoted to a fixed portion of the machine, slotted at the pivoting point,
acted on by a suitable spring, and operated by a cam or lever k¹, sub-
stantially in the manner described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this
my Specification, set my hand and seal, the Eighth day of
September One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.