Untitled record

Application filed October 29, 1896. Serial No. 610.414, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, William N. Stevenson, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Orange, Essex county, State of New 5 Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Umbrellas, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to improvements in umbrellas; and it consists in the novel mere chanical arrangement and constructioh of the parts thereof hereinafter fully described and claimed.

The object mainly of my invention is to provide, in conjunction with a self-closing u.m15 brella-frame, a means for holding said frame in the opened position, which means may be readily released by the user without shifting the hand from the handle of the umbrella.

The above, in addition to other features 20 hereinafter fully described, constitutes my invention.

My invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which—

Figure 1 is a view of the under side of an 25 umbrella-cover and illustrating the construction of the frame, the same being in the opened position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the center of the umbrella rod and handle. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of that por30 tion of the umbrella adjacent to the inner end of the handle, the umbrella being closed.

A is a cover of any suitable material.

B B are ribs connected in the usual manner to an upper notch L, carried by a tubular 35 rod D.

E is a runner arranged to slide on said rod.

F F'F³F³F⁴, &c.,arestretcher-armsformed, preferably, of spring metal and operating in pairs. The inner ends of the stretcher-arms 40 referred to are hinged to a notch carried by the runner E. The outer ends of said stretcherarms are pivotally connected to the ribs B at points intermediate in their length. These stretcher-arms F are connected at points in45 termediate in their length. Thus F' is connected to F³, F³ to F⁴, F³ to F⁶, and so on. By this construction it will be seen that while the umbrella is closed the stretcher-arms will lie substantially parallel, but when the frame is 50 open each set of arms F, F', and so on, will be sprung apart, as indicated in Fig. 1, so that while in the said opened position the stretcher arms will be under constant tension, their effort being to assume the normal parallel position. To hold the runner E in the elevated 55 position, in which position the umbrella is opened, I provide in the tubular rod D a loosely-hinged detent G. Pivotally connected to this detent G is a connecting-rod Η, which leads down through the center of the rod D, 60 and is suitably connected to a thimble I, loosely mounted upon the rod D at a point closely adjacent to the handle K.

J is a spring, preferably carried within the rod D, as shown, and adapted to normally ele- 65 vate the thimble I and thereby the connecting-rod II, thus causing the detent G to normally move outward into the path of the runner E to engage it, as shown in Fig. 2. To release the said runner, the thimble I is re- 70 traded, and then by action of the self-closing frame previously described the umbrella automatically closes. If desirable, a cupshaped flange i may be formed on the thimble I for the purpose of retaining the ends of the 75 ribs B B (see Fig. 3) when the umbrella is closed.

A particular advantage of the construction above described lies in the fact that the handle K is in no way mutilated by the presence So of the detent-controlling means. Furthermore, a handle may be renewed or changed as desired without m utilating the same in any · way..

It is apparent that in carrying out my in- 85 vention some changes in the particular construction shown and described may be made, and I therefore do not limit myself to the particular construction shown, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes as are fairly 90 within the spirit and scope of my invention.