Handle For Collapsible Umbrella

Abstract

An umbrella having a telescopic stick and a hollow open-ended handle at one end thereof, the handle is axially movable relative to the stick. Dome ribs are hinged to the crown at the other end of the stick and a support structure is articulated between the dome ribs and runners sliding on the stick. When the umbrella is collapsed, the main runner fits within the handle, the dome ribs extend on the outside of the handle and the folded ends of the support structure project into the open end of the handle above the runner.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to an umbrella and more particularly to a telescopic umbrella.

2. Description of Prior Art

Reference is made to copending US patent application Ser. No. 035,184, filed May 6, 1970, which describes a three stage umbrella of the telescopic type. This type of umbrella is very compact when it is closed and in a carrying position. However, the struts at the handle end of the support system easily tend to spread away from the umbrella stick. For this reason, the outer dome rib end sections, which run approximately parallel are forced to a greater or less degree into this spread position which, under certain circumstances makes it difficult to secure the ends of the dome ribs.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is proposed according to the present invention that the main runner which is adapted to enter into the recess formed in the handle done rib support struts being of such a length that it enters the annular space between the upwardly lengthened main runner sleeve and the internal wall of the handle.

Another characteristic of the invention is that, with the umbrella in a closed position, the dome ribs lying on the outside of the handle project beyond the ends of the dome rib support struts, the said handle widening out in a manner known per se beyond the ends of the dome ribs.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the handle is displaceable relative to a disc mounted on the umbrella stick. The handle being capable of being moved from a position in which it is closed off by the disc, to a position whereby the disc is preferably at the bottom of the recess in the handle.

Another feature of the invention is that a guide member is fixed to the bottom of the handle and projects displaceably into the umbrella stick, this entry zone at least being surrounded by a sleeve extending from the plate and fixed to the stick.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, it will be referred to in more detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the umbrella;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the umbrella;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the umbrella approximately life size and in the open position;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the end of the umbrella stick showing the handle;

FIg. 5 is a cross section through the handle showing the ends of the dome rib support struts relative to the main runner and the handle;

FIG. 6 is an axial cross section along the line VI--VI in FIG. 4 showing the handle extended from the umbrella stick;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation showing in detail the umbrella stick with the auxiliary and main runners;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 4 but from a different angle; and

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 3 showing the umbrella being opened.

The umbrella has a telescoping umbrella stick 1 consisting of tubular parts 2, 2' and 3, of which tubular part 3 is the inner tube. The stick 1 is secured in the extended position by catches 4.

Tubular part 3 has a handle 5 a tone end, the handle 5 is hollow and is widened out beyond the ends 6' of dome ribs 6.

Min runner 7 and auxiliary runner 8 slide on umbrella stick 1.

Tubular part 2 of stick 1 mounts a crown 9 to which the dome ribs 6 are hinged.

Each dome rib 6 consists of three sections approximately equal in length, namely inner section 6a nearest to the umbrella crown, center section 6b, and outer section 6c. Sections 6a to 6c telescope into each other. Whereas a U-profile is preferred for sections 6a and 6b, outer section 6c is made of steel wire of circular cross section.

A support system is associated with each dome rib 6, the support system consisting of the following individual components: auxiliary runner strut 10, main runner strut 11, auxiliary link 12, and dome rib support strut 13. Strut 10 extends from auxiliary runner 8 to which it is hinged. Strut 11 is hinged to main runner 7.

When the umbrella is closed, struts 10 and 11 and link 12 are nested into each other within strut 13. In order thAt the said components may nest compactly into each other, U-shaped profiles of appropriately stepped dimensions are used for struts 10, 11 and 13, whereas the auxiliary link may have a flat profile since it enters the innermost U-shaped profile of strut 11.

The U-shaped profile of strut 10 is open towards the umbrella stick. The strut is hinged at its mid-point to strut 11, the open U-side of which is tuned away from the umbrella stick. The relevant hinge pin is marked 14. Auxiliary link 12 runs from strut 11, to which it is attached at a distance from the hinge location formed by hinge pin 14. The attachment is accomplished preferably by projections 11' of material punched into the interior of the profile, each projection entering half-way into a corresponding bearing bore in the said auxiliary link. When strut 10 is extended to the parallel position, the other end of link 12 is hinged between the legs of strut 13, the relevant bearing location being marked 16, and being accomplished by a depression in the leg of the strut 13. The appropriately rolled end of link 12 engages with the remaining material in the web of the dome rib support strut. Strut 10 is hinged to strut 13 at a distance from hinge pin 16 corresponding to that between hinge point 14 and 11', here again a pin 17 being used. Partial participation of struts 10, 11 and 13, and full participation of link 12 provides a parallelogram of links stabilizing parallelogram support system.

When the umbrella is in the folded and shortened condition ends 13' of struts 13 are retained by handle 5.

In this position, main runner 7 is located in the hollow handle, with the exception of a portion of sleeve 7' moulded onto the said main runner. The latter is therefore located below ends 13' of struts 13. The ends 13' enter, at least as far as hinge locations 17 of struts 10, into annular space 60 formed between upwardly extended main runner sleeve 7' and internal wall 5" of the handle, preferably until strut 13, acting here as a double lever, is acted upon, at the section of the strut lying beyond hinge point 17, by internal wall 5"" of the handle.

As may be seen in FIG. 5, annular recess 60 corresponds in size to struts 13. The clamping action resulting from the shape-adapted entry may also be used t- secure the handle in the pushed-in position.

In order to make it easier to catch the end 13' of the dome rib support strut, the said end is tapered at side 13'. The converging alignment of strut 13 shown in FIG. 5 also brings about an alignment corresponding to the said taper.

As also shown in FIG. 5, when the umbrella is folded, dome rib ends 6' project beyond ends 13' of dome rib support struts 13 and are located in a hollow 5'.

The handle is locked in its extended position by a catch spring 61 (as shown in FIG. 6) in the form of a hair pin spring located in the interior of the stick. The two legs of the spring 62, 63 running side by side, have bulges 64, 65 pointing in opposite directions. The vertically staggered arrangement of these bulges caused them to enter, when moved, consecutively into catch apertures 66 in umbrella stick 1 which are arranged at the same vertical height. Catch apertures in addition to apertures 66, locking the handle in the pushed-in position, and of the same shape, may also be provided.

Located at the handle end of the umbrella stick is a sleeve 67 having an annular flange 68 lying flush with the bottom edge of the stick Accurately contoured inner wall 5' of a displaceable hollow handle 5 is guided on edge 69 of the flange 58. Also for guidance purposes, a guide member 70 runs from the bottom 5"', of the handle. The said pin projects into the cavity in the umbrella stick, forming the attachment location 71 for catch spring 61.

In order to prevent the hollow handle from being removed from the end of the stick, as might happen in overcoming the catches, the edge of the handle is flanged inwardly and thus projects over plate 68.

The staggered arrangement of catch bulges 64, 65 provides a superimposed catching action, thus facilitating manipulation.

Claims

I claim:

1. An umbrella comprising a hollow stick, a flange at the end of the stick, a handle having a bore fitting over the flange, the handle being adapted to slide thereover, a guide member mounted axially of the handle and coaxially with the stick, adapted to slide within the hollow stick, whereby the handle is movable from a closed position forming a space about the end of the stick and an extended position where the flange is substantially adjacent to the open end of the handle.

2. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein a hair-pin spring extends axially from the guide member within the umbrella stick and includes bulges adapted to engage corresponding apertures in the stick when the handle is in an extended position.

3. An umbrella having a stick, a crown at one end of the stick, dome ribs hinged to the crown, the stick being telescopic, a main runner slidable on the stick, and a second runner slidably mounted on the stick between the main runner and the crown, an auxiliary runner strut hinged to the second runner and at the other end to a dome rib support strut, at a point spaced from the end thereof, linkage means associated with the auxiliary runner strut and the dome rib support strut linking said struts to the main runner for operably opening and closing the umbrella, a handle at the end of the stick, the handle including a hollowed-out recess, adapted to receive the main runner when the umbrella is in a closed position and the end of the dome rib support strut spaced from the connection with the auxiliary strut, the dome rib support strut being of a length such that the end thereof fits in the recess above the runner seated in the recess of the handle.