U.S. patent application number 10/825285 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-20 for umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item.
Invention is credited to Wu, Tsun-Zong.
Application Number | 20050229960 10/825285 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35095016 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050229960 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu, Tsun-Zong |
October 20, 2005 |
Umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item
Abstract
An umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item includes
a handle coaxially connected to a central shaft to form an
umbrella, a handle strap secured at an inner end to the handle, and
a clip hooking means provided at a predetermined position on an
outer surface of an extension wall of the handle. By extending an
outer section of the handle strap through a closed item and turning
the handle strap to engage the outer section with the clip hooking
means, the umbrella handle is hung to the closed item, such as a
handle of a handbag, a hanging rod, etc.
Inventors: |
Wu, Tsun-Zong; (Taipei,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Tsun-Zong Wu
PO Box 82-144
Taipei
TW
|
Family ID: |
35095016 |
Appl. No.: |
10/825285 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
135/25.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45B 1/04 20130101; A45B
25/24 20130101; A45F 5/02 20130101; A45F 2200/0566 20130101; A45B
9/02 20130101; A45B 19/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
135/025.4 |
International
Class: |
A45B 019/08 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item,
comprising a handle coaxially connected to a central shaft to form
an umbrella, a handle strap being secured at an inner end to said
handle, and a clip hooking means provided at a predetermined
position on an outer surface of an extension wall of said handle;
whereby by extending an outer section of said handle strap through
a closed item and turning said handle strap to engage said outer
section of said handle strap with said clip hooking means, said
umbrella is hung to said closed item.
2. The umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item as
claimed in claim 1, wherein said clip hooking means comprises a
hook.
3. The umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item as
claimed in claim 2, wherein said hook is integrally formed on said
handle.
4. The umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item as
claimed in claim 2, wherein said hook is separately formed and then
secured to said handle by means of a fastening element.
5. The umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item as
claimed in claim 4, wherein said fastening element comprises a
screw.
6. The umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item as
claimed in claim 2, wherein said handle strap is a loop-shaped
strap, said outer section of said handle strap forms a turning
point on said loop-shaped strap, and said handle strap is engaged
with said clip hooking means at said turning point.
7. The umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item as
claimed in claim 2, wherein said handle strap is provided on said
outer section with an annular ring member adapted to engage with
said hook.
8. The umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item as
claimed in claim 1, wherein said clip hooking means comprises a
locating groove having an open top, a width of which is narrowed to
be equal to or slightly smaller than a diameter of said handle
strap, and said handle strap is provided at said outer section with
a ball head, which is adapted to insert in and thereby retained to
said locating groove.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an umbrella handle, and
more particularly to an umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a
closed item so as to enable a user to conveniently hang an umbrella
to any closed item.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A conventional umbrella handle 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is
designed to mount on a pocket or mini-sized folding umbrella, and
typically includes a handle strap 11 having a loop portion 12
outward protruded from the handle for convenient carrying or
hanging purpose.
[0003] The loop portion 12 of the handle strap 11 for the
conventional umbrella handle 1 for carrying purpose has two closed
ends that could not be untied for a user to wind the handle strap
11 on any closed item in the vicinity of the user, such as a tiop
handle of a handbag frequently carried along with a female user or
a chair frame. Therefore, when the use of the umbrella is not
desired, or when it is necessary to temporarily put aside the
umbrella, it is impossible for the user to conveniently hang the
umbrella to some nearby closed item using the handle strap 11,
forming a problem to the user.
[0004] The user at home may easily hang the umbrella on a wall
surface or a clothes tree in the house by winding the loop portion
12 of the handle strap 11 on a generally open-topped hooking member
on the wall or the clothes tree. However, such hooking members are
not necessarily provided at other public spaces. Therefore, there
are times a user fails to find something suitable for hanging the
umbrella conveniently at any time. In such case, the handle strap
11 for carrying purpose does not enable the user in some places to
safely put aside the umbrella and get a free hand for taking care
some other things, such as, for example, filling some forms, taking
a meal, taking care of a baby, etc. The problem is tougher in the
case of a wet umbrella that is not suitable for positioning in the
user's handbag.
[0005] With the advanced material processing technologies, the
gores of the umbrella are usually made of sun-proof and
water-repellent synthetic-fiber cloth, enabling the same one
umbrella to block not only rainwater but also sunray. The umbrella
is therefore frequently used in people's daily life, and often
opened or collapsed in the process of being carried for use. While
a multi-fold umbrella has been developed to have a volume as small
as possible for the user to carry it conveniently, it takes time to
smooth the gores of the folding umbrella when the same is
collapsed. In the event the user has no time to orderly smooth the
gores of the collapsed folding umbrella, the collapsed folding
umbrella shall have a loose and expanded body, even if it has been
temporarily bound with a tie closure thereof. Both the loosely
bound folding umbrella and the wet umbrella all are not suitable
for positioning in the user's handbag and frequently bring
inconvenience to the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A primary object of the present invention is to provide an
umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item. The umbrella
handle includes a handle coaxially connected to a central shaft to
form an umbrella, a handle strap secured at an inner end to the
handle, and a clip hooking means provided at a predetermined
position on an outer surface of an extension wall of the handle. By
extending an outer section of the handle strap through a closed
item and turning the handle strap to engage the outer section with
the clip hooking means, the umbrella handle is hung to the closed
item, such as a handle of a handbag, a chair frame, or a hanging
rod. With the umbrella hung to the closed item, a user may have one
free hand to handle other things, take a meal, buy things, etc.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional umbrella
handle;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an umbrella handle adapted
for hanging to a closed item according to a first embodiment of the
present invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 shows the umbrella handle of FIG. 2 with a handle
strap thereof in a bent state for hanging to a closed item;
[0011] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2;
[0012] FIG. 5 shows the umbrella handle of FIG. 2 is hung to a
closed top handle of a handbag;
[0013] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an umbrella handle
adapted for hanging to a closed item according to a second
embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 7 is an assembled perspective view of FIG. 6 with the
handle strap thereof in a bent state for hanging to a closed
item;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an umbrella handle adapted
for hanging to a closed item according to a third embodiment of the
present invention;
[0016] FIG. 9 shows the umbrella handle of FIG. 8 with the handle
strap thereof in a bent state for hanging to a closed item;
[0017] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 8;
[0018] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an umbrella handle adapted
for hanging to a closed item according to a fourth embodiment of
the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 12 shows the umbrella handle of FIG. 11 with the handle
strap thereof in a bent state for hanging to a closed item; and
[0020] FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the umbrella handle of FIG.
12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] Please refer to FIGS. 2 to 5, in which an umbrella handle
adapted for hanging to a closed item according to a first
embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shown, the
umbrella handle of the present invention mainly includes a handle
2, a handle strap 3 secured to the handle 2, a clip hooking means C
provided on an outer surface of an extension wall 22 of the handle
2, and a central shaft 4 coaxially connected to the handle 2 to
form an umbrella.
[0022] Since the present invention is mainly related to the handle
and the handle strap of an umbrella, only these two parts of the
umbrella will be described hereinafter while description of other
parts is omitted.
[0023] Although not explicitly expressed, the umbrella handle and
handle strap of the present invention are applicable to various
kinds of umbrellas, including, for example, folding umbrella, stick
umbrella, self-opening umbrella, manually controlled umbrella,
etc.
[0024] The handle 2 illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 5 is formed as a
cylindrical shape. However, the shapes of the handle 2 are not
limited in the present invention. For example, a rectangular shape
or other shapes may also be modified from the cylindrical handle
2.
[0025] The handle strap 3 is secured at an inner end 31 to the
handle 2. In the illustrated first embodiment, the inner end 31 of
the handle strap 3 is secured to a top inner side of the handle 2
by upward extending an outer section 32 of the handle strap 3
through a hole 21 provided on the handle 2 and fixedly clamping a
perimeter-increased stopper 33 to the inner end 31 of the handle
strap 3, so that the stopper 33 is abutted on the top inner side of
the handle 2.
[0026] While the handle straps 3 of the first embodiment and any
other embodiment of the present invention that will be described
later are shown to be directly secured to the handle 2, it is
understood the handle strap 3 of the present invention may also be
secured to the umbrella handle 2 via any intermediary item, such as
an annular ring structure.
[0027] The handle strap 3 may be a cord or belt made of many
different materials, including for example, leather, synthetic
resin, rubber, or natural or synthetic fibers, or any combination
thereof. Moreover, the handle strap 3 may have any cross section,
including, but not limited to, circular, flat, or any other
shape.
[0028] The handle strap 3 may be formed as an annular strap, as
shown in FIGS. 2 through 10, or a single strip, as shown in FIGS.
11 through 13.
[0029] The clip hooking means C may include a barb 5 provided at a
predetermined position on the outer surface of the extension wall
22 of the handle 2. The barb 5 and the handle 2 may be integrally
formed. To prevent the handle strap 3 from easily moving out of the
barb 5, a claw 51 is provided at a lower inner end of the barb 5 to
project toward the extension wall 22 of the handle 2, such that the
outer section 32 of the handle strap 3 may easily smoothly move
through the claw 51 into a clearance between the hook 5 and the
extension wall 22 of the handle 2, without naturally separating
therefrom. The hook 5 is slightly elastic at the lower end, that
is, the claw 51, to facilitate easy moving of the handle strap 3
into and out of the hook 5.
[0030] FIG. 5 schematically shows the manner of hanging the handle
strap 3 of the umbrella handle 2 of the present invention to a
closed item. In the illustrated drawing, the closed item is atop
handle 61 of a handbag 6 having two closed ends. As shown, an
umbrella 7 is hung to the top handle 61 by extending the outer
section 32 of the handle strap 3 through the top handle 61 and then
hooking to the barb 5. The umbrella 7 may be enclosed in a
waterproof case 71, when necessary.
[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, the handle strap 3 is in the
form of a loop, with a turning point 34 formed at the outer section
32 of the loop-shaped handle strap 3. To hang the umbrella 7 to the
handbag 6, simply extend the turning point 34 at the outer section
32 of the handle strap 3 through the top handle 61 of the handbag
6, and then locate the turning point 34 in the clearance between
the hook 5 and the handle 2. With the umbrella 7 hung to the top
handle 61 of the handbag 6, items in the handbag 7 would not be
wetted by a wet umbrella.
[0032] With the hand strap 2 hung to a closed item, a user needs
not to hold the umbrella 7 with one hand when the umbrella is not
in use. Even with a wet umbrella 7 hung to the top handle 61, the
waterproof case 71 may isolate water drops 72 on the umbrella 7
from the handbag 6, which may still be readily positioned on a
desk, a table, a chair, or other suitable place without
embarrassing the user. The user may then have a free hand for, for
example, taking care of a baby, filling a form, taking a meal,
buying things, operating an automatic teller machine, etc. The
umbrella with the handle adapted for hanging to a closed item is
therefore very convenient for use, particularly in public
space.
[0033] A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7. In the second embodiment, the hook 5 is separately
formed from, for example, a metal material and then fixed to the
outer surface of the extension wall 22 of the handle 2 by means of
a fastening element, such as a screw 52.
[0034] In the first embodiment, the hook 5 is integrally formed
with the handle 2 using synthetic resin, and laterally projected
from the handle. The hook 5 in the first embodiment is therefore
subject to breaking, and a broken hook 5 is uneasy to repair.
[0035] In the second embodiment, the hook 5 is separately produced
using a metal material that is not apt to break, and may be
repaired even when the hook 5 is damaged.
[0036] FIGS. 8 to 10 shows a third embodiment of the present
invention, in which the handle strap 3 has a ring 35 provided at
the outer section 32 thereof. After the handle strap 3 is extended
through a closed item, a user may engage the ring 35 with the hook
5, so as to hang the handle strap to the closed item.
[0037] FIGS. 11 to 13 shows a fourth embodiment of the present
invention, in which the clip hooking means C includes a locating
groove 8 having a top opening 81, a width of which is narrowed to
be equal to or slightly smaller than a diameter of the handle strap
3, and the outer section 32 of the handle strap 3 is provided with
a ball head 36, which may be inserted in the locating groove 8
after the outer section 32 of the handle strap 3 has been extended
through a closed item, so as to hang the umbrella to the closed
item.
[0038] The umbrella handle adapted for hanging to a closed item
according to the present invention is applicable to the folding
umbrellas, which have been currently produced in large amount, to
make the same more convenient for use.
* * * * *