IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND TOOLS FOR MAKING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS AND LINGOES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Rubery, of Birmingham, and Thomas
Warwick, also of Birmingham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY AND TOOLS FOR MAKING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF UMBRELLAS AND
PARASOLS AND LINGOES."
Sealed the 20th August 1858, and dated the 15th June 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Rubery and
Thomas Warwick at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 15th June 1858.
We, JOHN RUBERY, of Birmingham, and THOMAS WARWICK, also of Bir-
mingham, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY AND TOOLS FOR MAKING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF UMBRELLAS
AND PARASOLS AND LINGOES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery & tools for
making portions of umbrellas and parasols and lingoes. For these purposes
the machinery is arranged or combined in the following manner :-The steel
wire is placed on a swift or reel, and the wire is drawn in at intervals, and
when a sufficient portion is drawn in to make a stretcher for an umbrella or
parasol the wire is cut off to the proper length, and by another pair of tools,
the other end of the piece or length cut off is split; the piece of wire so

page_text: treated is then by the action of the machine carried laterally to two sets of
tools, one to act on one end to flatten it, and the other to flatten the forked
or split end. The piece or length of wire is then again carried laterally by
the working of the machine to two sets of tools, one set to punch one end,
and the other set of tools to open and shape the forked or split end of the
stretcher. The stretcher thus formed is then by the working of the machine
moved laterally and delivered. The sets of tools above mentioned for cutting,
splitting, flattening, punching, and shaping the forked or split ends are such
as have been before employed for performing the like processes.
In making lingoes the combination above described is somewhat varied, as
the ends of these articles do not require splitting, but simply flattening and
piercing. In fixing the middle piece or joint of brass of the usual V shape
to the steel ribs of umbrellas and parasols, the tools are so formed and worked
as to fix the middle piece at one operation. The bed die or tool, whether
made of one or more pieces, has a slot through it, and a groove in the top in
which the rib is received, and supported across the slot is a shaping tool,
which corresponds in width with the brass piece, which is to be fixed to a
rib; on the edge of this tool is a recess corresponding with the form of the
edge of the middle piece; when finished, a split or double tool, the prongs
of which are elastic, descend through the slot in the bed tool, and on either
side of the brass or middle piece, by which the edges of the groove formed
in the edge of the brass or middle piece are gathered over the rib, and are
then pressed on and finished simultaneously with the shaping of the other
edge of the middle piece in the hollow tool across the slot on the bed tool,
the spring tool being caused in its descent to come somewhat nearer together
than the prongs are when they are free:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the 'Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Rubery and Thomas Warwick in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 15th December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL. COME, we, JOHN. 3
RUBERY, of Birmingham, and THOMAS WARWICK, also of Birmingham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of 3.
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto

page_text: us, the said John Rubery and Thomas Warwick, Her special licence that:
we, the said John Rubery and Thomas Warwick, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Rubery and Thomas-
Warwick, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
AND TOOLS FOR. MAKING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF UMBRELLAS AND PARASOLS AND
LINGOES," upon the condition (amongst others), that we, the said John Rubery
and Thomas Warwick, 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 John Rubery and Thomas Warwick,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery and tools for
making portions of umbrellas and parasols and lingoes. For these purposes
the machinery is arranged or combined in the following manner :-The steel
wire is placed on a swift or reel, and the wire is drawn in at intervals, and
when a sufficient portion is drawn in to make a stretcher for an umbrella or
parasol the wire is cut off to the proper length, and by another pair of tools
the other end of the piece or length cut off is split. The piece of wire so
treated is then by the action of the machine carried laterally to two sets of
tools, one to act on one end to flatten it, and the other to flatten the forked or
split end. The piece or length of wire is then again carried laterally by the
working of the machine to two sets of tools, one set to punch one end and the
other set of tools to open and shape the forked or split end of the stretcher.
The stretcher thus formed is then by the working of the machine moved
laterally and delivered. The sets of tools above mentioned for cutting,
splitting, flattening, punching, and shaping the forked or split ends are such
as have been before employed for performing the like processes.
In making lingoes the combination above described is somewhat varied, as
the ends of these articles do not require splitting, but simply flattening and
piercing. In fixing the middle piece or joint of brass of the usual V shape

page_text: to the steel ribs of umbrellas and parasols, the tools are so formed and worked
as to fix the middle piece at one operation. The bed die or tool, whether
made of one or more pieces, has a slot through it and a groove in the top, in
which the rib is received and supported; across the slot is a shaping tool,
which corresponds in width with the brass piece, which is to be fixed to a
rib; on the edge of this tool is a recess corresponding with the form of the
edge of the middle piece; when finished, a split or double tool, the prongs of
which are elastic, descends through the slot in the bed tool, and on either
side of the brass or middle piece, by which the edges of the groove formed in
the edge of the brass or middle piece are gathered over the rib, and are then
pressed on and finished simultaneously with the shaping of the other edge of
the middle piece in the hollow tool across the slot in the bed tool, the spring
tool being caused in its descent to come somewhat nearer together than the
prongs are when they are free.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, we will proceed to describe
more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1, Drawings A, shows a front view, Figure 2 a side view, and
Figure 3 a plan, of a machine suitably arranged for making the stretchers of
umbrellas or parasols according to our present improvements. The other s
Drawings show some of the parts separately on a larger scale, the nature of
which being written thereon it will not be necessary to repeat the same here.
a, a, is the framing of the machine, which supports the table b and beds c, c,
which carry the tools and slides for operating on the successive lengths of
wire as they are fed into the machine. The wire as it comes from the reels
or swift is guided between the fixed studs or straightening rollers d, d, to the
nippers mounted on the slide e, which is moved to and fro between the fixed
guides ex, ex, in the following manner :-The jaw e¹ of the nippers is fixed to
the slide e, the other jaw e2 is carried by and moves on a stud fixed to the
slide, and acts as a lever, one end of which is caused to press on and firmly
hold the wire between it and the fixed jaw e¹; whilst the slide is moving
towards the machine the other end of the jaw or lever e² enters a recess
formed in the plate fixed to the endless strap et (by which means the slide e
is connected with the strap e), to which a to-and-fro motion is given by the
lever e, one end of which is connected with the strap e', as shown, the other
end being connected by the rod e to the crank e' fixed on the main driving
shaft or axis f. The backward movement of the strap e by acting on the
lever jaw' e² causes it to release the wire, and carries the slide and nippers

page_text: back into a position to take hold of a fresh length of wire. eis a lever acted
on by a cam on the driving shaft or axis f to press on the wire when the
nippers go back, and thus ensure the release of the wire. Each length of
wire as it is fed into the machine is cut off by a cutter fixed to the slide g,
which is moved to and fro in guides formed in the bed or block of metal c
by the lever h, carried, by and moving on the axis h*, as shown. The short
cranked arm of the lever enters a slot in the slide g, the other end h¹ of the
lever h being acted on by a truck or roller carried by the lever arm /* fixed
on the driving shaft or axis f. At the same time that the length of wire is
cut off, the other end is split by a suitable splitting tool carried by the lever i,
which is carried by and moves on the axis or fulcrum i*. The lever i receives
motion by means of the lever arm i fixed on the axis f, and is also formed
like the lever h with a short cranked arm, which enters a slot or recess
formed on the slide j to give a to-and-fro motion thereto. The ends h¹, i¹, of
the levers h and i after being acted upon are immediately brought back to
their original position in order to ensure the separation or withdrawal of the
operating parts from the stretchers by means of projecting surfaces carried by
the spring plates h³, 3, fixed on the sides of the levers h and i, such pro-
jecting surfaces being acted upon in the descent of the lever arms h², i², the
projecting surfaces being pressed away from the sides of the trucks by coming
in contact with fixed inclines h, i, fixed on the bar k.
When a length of wire has been cut off and split it is in a position to be
taken in grooves or recesses formed in the raised edges of the table 1, where
it is retained for a time (whilst being moved laterally) by the spring ", which
presses down the bar 1*, which is free, and rests on the upper surfaces of the
series of stretchers as they pass through the machine. The table / lifts and
carries the wire previously cut off and split laterally towards the front of the
machine, and then deposits it in a position to be acted upon by two other sets
of tools, one set to flatten the cut off end and the other to flatten the forked
or split ends. The piece or length of wire thus operated on is again lifted by
other recesses in the table 7, and again carried laterally to other tools, which
open and shape the forked or split end of the stretcher; and, if desired, the
other end may at the same time be pierced by a punch which, however, is
not shewn in the Drawings. The stretcher thus formed is then taken up
again by the table and carried forward laterally, and delivered on to a suit-
able receiver. The table for lifting and carrying each length of wire
laterally towards the front of the machine is constructed and receives motion
in the following manner, and will be better understood by examining the
enlarged views of the Drawings:-The upper surface of the table is fixed

page_text: to the vertical plate 12, on the sides of which there are studs, which enter
inclined grooves formed in the sides of the slide m, by which the table / and
slide m are connected. m is a connecting rod which is attached at one end
to the slide m, the other end being attached by a pin joint to the lever arm
m² fixed on the axis m³, on which is fixed the lever arm mt, which is con-
nected by the rod m³ to the lever e, by which a to-and-fro motion is com-
municated to the slide m. The slide m and plate move to and fro between
fixed vertical plates n, on the inner surface of which there are fixed pro-
jections n', n, against which spring catches fixed on the sides of the plate 13
act alternately as the slide m moves to and fro, by which the studs which
connect the slide m with the plate and the table are caused to ascend and
descend the grooves formed on the sides of the slide m alternately, and thus
cause the table 1 to rise and fall. o is a lever which acts to throw the machine
out of action when a bend or defect in the feeding-in of the wire occurs.
When the tube o¹ fixed on the slide (and through which the wire passes) fails
to pass through the end of the lever o, and the lever is pressed back by
defects or the bending of the wire, the other end of the lever o acts on the
lever arm p fixed on the axis p¹, on which is fixed the lever arm på, a pro-
jection on which acts to lift the catch rod p³ out of its catch, by which the
clutch lever p* is released, and the clutch thrown out of gear with the driving
pulley p.
We would remark that, although we have described the order in which the
several operations take place in forming a stretcher for an unbrella or parasol,
the order may be varied without departing from our Invention, and although
the operations are described as taking place in succession, it will be observed
that a series of stretchers are acted upon simultaneously, so as to deliver one
complete stretcher for each revolution of the axis f.
From the foregoing description of the machine for making stretchers for
umbrellas and parasols, it will be evident how readily the same machine may
be arranged with suitable tools for cutting off lengths of wire and flattening
and piercing one end of the same for the purpose of using them as "lingoes"
for weighting the harness in weaving or otherwise.
We will now describe our improvements in fixing the middle piece or joint
of brass of the usual V shape to the steel ribs of umbrellas and parasols.
Figure 1, Drawing B, shows a plan, and Figure 2 a section, of a bed die
or tool; and Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6 show two side views, a plan, and an
under side view of the descending or pressing tool suitably formed for carrying
out this part of our Invention. The bed die or tool a is formed with a slot
or opening through it, across which there is a shaping tool a', which cor-

page_text: responds in width with the brass bit or piece, which is to be fixed to a rib;
on the edge of the part a¹ there is a recess formed corresponding with the
form of the edge of the middle piece when finished, and a is a groove on the
bed die to receive the rib. The upper or pressing and closing tool is split
or formed in two parts, which are caused to spring apart, these parts descend
into the openings formed through the bed die, and the inclined surfaces b, b¹,
of the tool bacting against the sides of the tool a, causes the two parts of the
tool to compress the sides of the brass bit or middle piece firmly on to the
flattened part of the rib, the curved inner surfaces 63 of the tool b acting to
press down and gather in the upper edges of the groove formed on the middle
piece, and thus shape and fix it on the rib at one operation.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we make no claim to
any of the parts separately, nor do we confine ourselves to the details; but
what we claim is,―
First, the mode herein described of combining mechanical parts into a
machine, whereby a piece of wire when cut off is carried laterally between
process and process till the ends of the piece of wire have been acted on by
suitable tools and delivered, as herein explained.
And, secondly, we claim the combined apparatus herein described for
fixing the middle piece or joint at one operation, as herein described.
In witness whereof, we, the said John Rubery and Thomas Warwick,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
HENRY NEWEY,
of Birmingham.
(L.S.)
THOMAS WARWICK. (L.S.)