IMPROVEMENTS IN SUNSHADES, TENTS, TENT PEGS, AND WEATHER PROTECTORS
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Ritchie at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th June
1870.
I, GEORGE RITCHIE, of Belmont Villa, Tyrwhitt Road, Upper
Lewisham Road, in the County of Kent, do hereby declare the naturo
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SUNSHADES, TENTS, TENT PEGS,
AND WEATHER PROTECTORS," to be as follows:-
In constructing that class of sunshades and weather protectors. to. be.
carried in the hand or for use on carriages where the ribs are jointed to.
the runner, and where it is required that the outer or tip. ends of the.
ribs should be curved or bent downwards when the sunshade or weather
protector is opened, I joint the inner ends of the ribs to the ends of
springs fixed around the runner in place of jointing them directly to the.
runner as heretofore usual. The inner ends of the stretchers or
suspenders I also similarly joint to springs fixed around the top notch
on the stick or pole; this allows both the stretchers and ribs to be
moved outwards radially. away from the stick or pole when the sun-
shade or weather protector has been opened. In order to act on the
springs to cause the ribs and stretchers thus to move outwards radially.
.

page_text: from the stick when the sunshade or weather protector has been opened
I employ two cones carried by a tube capable of being slid endwise along
the runner.
As the tube is slid upwards the cones acting on the inner
sides of the springs force the ends of the springs outwards away from the
stick or pole, and so simultaneously move outwards the ribs and stretchers
jointed to them. The ribs and stretchers are thus simultaneously
moved outwards as soon as by the opening of the sunshade or weather
protector they have been brought into a position incliding somewhat
downwards from the stick. By this means the covering is tightened up
and the ribs assume the desired downward curve at their tip ends as the
outer diameter of the covering limits the distance to which the tip ends
of the ribs can be moved away from the stick or pole, and consequently
the ribs are compelled to assume a curved form.
In sunshades and tents required to protect from heat and too strong a
light I line the fabric of which the outer covering of the tent or sun-
shade is made with a suitable material and unite with the outer covering
at the seams an inner lining. I cause openings to be made in the
outer covering to admit of air, and at the same time cover these
openings by preference with the material of which the inner lining is
composed.
In constructing tent pegs according to my Invention I form the
peg near its upper end with a plate a projecting from it as shown at
Figure 1 of the Drawings annexed. When the peg is driven into the
ground at the requisite angle this plate comes down flat on to the
surface of the ground, and above this plate is an eye to which the covering
of the tent may be attached by a rope or strap. Any strain upon the
rope or strap causes the plate a to press against the surface of the ground
and enables the peg to be held firmly in the ground. The peg is made
of malleable cast iron, and the part of the peg which is to be driven
into the ground is made of a
section, as shown at Figure 2, so that it
may readily be driven into the ground and yet have a firm hold in it.
In order to secure the lower end of the pole of a tent to the ground I
secure its lower end to a spike, such as shewn at Figure 3; the spike is
of malleable cast iron, and near its upper end has four or other number
of arms standing out from it, and these when the spike is driven into
the ground come against the surface of the ground and prevent the spike
from becoming loose. The spike is formed of four or other number of
wcbs standing out radially from the centre of the spike, as shown at

page_text: Figure 4, so that it may readily be driven into the ground and yet have a
firm hold upon it. The pole of the tent I form of wrought-iron tubing,
and its lower end forms a socket to drop over the upper portion of the
spike and is secured to it by a pin or otherwise. In some cases I form
the pole in two or more lengths which can readily be connected and
disconnected; this I prefer to do by forming the end of one length of
tube to fit into an internal bush at the end of another length of tube, a
slot is cut in the outer tube and in its internal bush for a pin on the
inner tube to enter into, so that the two may be locked together by a
bayonet joint; a collar may be placed around the end of the outer tube,
to strengthen it. The slot in the outer tube may extend for some distance
along it, and at distances along this slot cross slots may branch out from
it, into either of which the pin on the inner tube may be caused to enter
so that the length of the pole may be varied as desired.
When the canopy or upper covering and the side curtains of a tent
or weather protector are to be attached to the ends of radial arms or ribs
branching out from a central pole I attach the canopy and curtains to
one another, and where they are to be attached to the ends of the ribs
I attach them to leather or other fabric which fits over the ends of the
ribs and is bound or otherwise secured to them. Where no side curtains
are used the canopy alone may similarly be attached to the ends of the
ribs.
To attach the lower parts of the curtains to the pegs, which are
driven into the ground in addition to forming eyes around the lower
edge of the curtain for cords to be passed through to connect it with the
pegs, I attach straps or cords to the curtains at about eighteen inches
from the ground, and these cords or straps are also passed through
the eyes of the pegs and secured by buckles or otherwise, by which
means if the tent is set up on sloping ground the upper part of
the side curtains can always be drawn tightly to the pegs all around
the tent.