GARDEN UMBRELLA

• US 3,744,503 A
• Filed: 10/14/1971
• Issued: 07/10/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Knirps International GmbH
• Original Assignee: Joachim Wolff, Josef Schaefer, Klaus Thur, Werner Breil
• Inventors: Wolff, Joachim, Schaefer, Josef, Thur, Klaus, Breil, Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Bell, J. Karl
• Application Number:
  US05/189,149
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 135/2R,2A,2M,46
• US Class Current: 135/20.3
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 17/00 Tiltable umbrellas
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 2023/0012 Ground supported umbrellas or sunshades on a single post, e.g. resting in or on a surface there below
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 25/14 Devices for opening and for closing umbrellas

Abstract

An umbrella used as a garden or beach umbrella which has a selfsupporting base and a stick. A crown is fixed to a sliding stick section which is adapted to slide within the supporting stick, dome ribs are pivoted to the crown, a runner is fixed to the supporting stick and struts are pivoted to the runners and the dome ribs. A flexible cable is connected at one end to the crown and at the other end to a lever which pivots about a fixed axis on the supporting stick through a dead center such that when the lever is in an unlocked or upward position, the weight of the dome ribs causes the crown and stick section fixed to the crown to be extended to its fullest length such that the dome ribs are in a closed position, and when the lever is pivoted past the dead center position, a flexible cable pulls the crown and stick section fixed to the crown downwardly against the weight of the dome ribs to bring the umbrella into an umbrella open position. The supporting stick is hinged for possibly pivoting the umbrella to a position at an angle from the vertical such as in known beach umbrellas, and a sleeve slidable on the supporting umbrella stick is adapted to fit over the hinge point of the umbrella stick to retain the umbrella in a vertical position or when it is removed from the hinge location, to provide a guide for the flexible cable when the umbrella is at an angle to the vertical. The dome ribs may be made up of sections with the outer section fixed into an inner section which is pivoted to the crown and to the strut, while the outer section is movable relative to the inner section and urged to its fullest extent by means of springs between the outer section and the inner section. The inner section of the dome rib and the support strut could be made of plastic material integral with the crown and the fixed runner respectively, but with a plurality of lateral slits provied at the hinge point so as to permit the inner dome rib section and the strut to pivot as necessary about the axis at the portion of these members which are provided with the slits. The operating lever could be provided for movement in guide slots which are parallel to the umbrella stick to a final position where the lever can be rotated past a dead center position.

Claims

1. An umbrella having a support stick section, a sliding stick section, relative to the support stick section, a crown fixed to the sliding stick section, a runner fixed to the support stick section, struts pivoted to the runner, dome ribs pivotally connected to the crown, and the struts being pivotally connected to the dome ribs;

leverage means are provided on the support stick section, and flexible connecting means are connected to the crown and to the leverage means;

the leverage means pivots about a fixed transverse axis on the umbrella stick and the locus of the connection of the flexible connecting means on the leverage means is an arc of a given radius, such that the length of the effective arc of travel of the leverage means is sufficient to move the umbrella from an umbrella closed position to an umbrella open position and is greater than the distance between the hinge points of the dome ribs to the crown and the hinge points of the struts to the dome ribs, but is less than the length of the support struts.

2. An umbrella As defined in claim 1, wherein the distance through which the sliding stick section moves from an open to a closed position plus the length of the stick beyond the fixed runner is substantially equal, to the length of the strut, plus the distance between the pivoting axis of the dome rib to the crown and the pivoting axis of the strut to the dome ribs.

3. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein the umbrella is a garden or beach umbrella having a base to which the support stick is fixedly connected.

4. An umbrella as defined in claim 3, wherein the weight ratio of a canopy and dome ribs beyond the hinge points of the struts to the dome ribs is greater than the weight of the crown, sliding stick section, and dome rib portions within the hinge points of the struts to the dome ribs.

5. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein the pivoting leverage means is pivoted to a fixed lateral axis spaced from the stick a distance greater than the axis of the flexible connecting means from the stick so as to provide a dead-center pivoting arrangement thereby locking the leverage means and flexible connecting means when the umbrella is drawn down to an open position.

6. An umbrella, especially suitable as a garden or beach umbrella, a crown fixed to a sliding stick member, and adapted for sliding movement relative to a support stick member, dome ribs being hinged to the crown, support struts extending from fixed hinge locations on the support stick to pivot points on the dome ribs, characterized in that the distance travelled by the crown in opening and closing of the umbrella is approximately equal to the distance between the support strut hinge points to the dome ribs and the dome rib hinge point to the crown when the umbrella is opened, and in that the upward displacement of the dome rib support strut hinge point occurring while the umbrella is being closed is equal to half the distance between the dome rib strut hinge point and the dome rib crown hinge point.

7. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, suitable for a garden or beach umbrella having a base, the support section being fixed to the base, the support stick section having means, such that the upper section of the support stick can be tilted at an angle to the vertical by joint means, a sliding sleeve on the stick adapted to retain the support stick in a vertical erect position, when the sliding sleeve is coincidental with the joint area, and a guide passage in the sleeve parallel to the axis of the stick for guiding the flexible connecting means, the sleeve being movable to a position adjacent the joint to allow the umbrella upper portion to be tilted, such that the sleeve and guide passage in the sleeve will cause the flexible connecting means to retain parallelism with the sections of the umbrella and thereby not lose tension so as to retain the umbrella in an open position.

8. An umbrella as defined in claim 7, wherein the umbrella can still be opened or closed by the leverage means and flexible connecting means connected to the crown when the umbrella is in its open position.

9. An umbrella as defined in claim 8, characterized in that the support stick section upwardly beyond the joint is greater than the amount of travel of the slidable stick section, such that when the umbrella is in a fully opened position, the sliding stick section does not reach the joint position.

10. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein the dome ribs are made up of two sections and the strut is hinged to the inner section, the outer section being movable relative to the inner section, and spring means normally urging the outer section to its fullest extent relative to the inner section.

11. An umbrella as defined in claim 10, wherein there is provided a cavity within the inner section adapted to receive the end of the outer section, spring means are provided in the cavity urging against the end of the outer dome rib section.

12. An umbrella which can be used as a garden or beach umbrella having a crown mounted to A slidable stick section, the slidable stick section movable relative to a support stick section mounted to a base, the slidable stick section being connected to an operating lever moving parallel with the axis of the umbrella stick and capable of being locked in its terminal position, corresponding to the open position of the umbrella, characterized in that the operating lever is adapted to pass the flexible connecting means past the dead-center position to lock the lever and connecting means when the umbrella is being opened.

13. An umbrella as defined in claim 12, wherein struts are linked to the support stick section, and inner dome rib sections are linked to the crown;

and the struts and stick, as well as the inner dome rib sections and crown are integral and the hinge of the members are provided with transverse slits in the material in the area of the hinge, characterized in that the sides of the inner dome rib member and strut member adjacent the transverse slit area abuts against supporting surfaces curved to correspond to the curvature in the vicinity of the hinge location.

14. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein the flexible connecting means is a steel cable.

15. A frame for an umbrella with a crown fixed to a stick section slidable in a support stick by means of a remote control pivoted lever connected by transfer means to the crown on which dome ribs are hinged, the dome ribs being hinged to struts which extend directly from fixed hinge points on the stick section, characterized in that said remote control pivoted lever can be swung down in the vertical direction through at least 90*.

16. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that the connecting point of the remote control pivoted lever and the transfer means leading to the crown passes to a locking position of the remote control pivoted lever through a dead-centre position T-T.

17. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that the umbrella support stick section mounts a sideways projecting guide member defining an axially extending guide slot, having a major dimension and a minor dimension, being adapted to slide in said slot, the width of said slot corresponding to the width of the minor dimension, means mounting the remote control pivoted lever and said slot being enlarged at one end to a diameter corresponding approximately with the major dimension of the slider.

18. An umbrella frame as in claim 17, characterized in that an intermediate lever is located on the slider means, which extends into the interior of the umbrella support stick section through an axial slot and the transfer means to the crown carrier.

19. An umbrella frame as in claim 18, characterized in that the intermediate lever includes a bent portion in the zone of its length which passes through the slot in the umbrella support stick section.

20. An umbrella frame as in claim 16, characterized in that the handle of the remote control pivoted lever forms with its side faces stops for the rotating motion of the remote control pivoted lever in and out of the locking position.

21. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that the dome ribs consist of inner and outer sections and the connection points between the two sections lie between the crown and the hinge points of the struts.

22. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that the remote control pivoted lever is formed as a single-armed pivoted lever pivotable about a fixed transverse axis in the support stick section and engages at its mid-section with the transfer means.

23. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that the remote control pivoted lever is shaped like a stirrup, that the transfer means engages with a cross bar of the stirrup and that with the umbrella canopy open, the cross bar comes to a stop against the umbrella support stick section after passing through the dead-centre line.

24. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that a lockable knee joint is provided in the support stick section below the hinge points of the struts.

25. An umbrella frame, as defined in claim 15, having a tiltable umbrella support stick section for obtaining an inclined attitude of the expanded canopy, whereby a sliding sleeve to fix a coaxial attitude is associated with the knee joint, and the canopy is closable and operable in the tilted condition of the support stick section.

26. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that the portion of the support stick section above the knee joint is longer than the vertical displacement of the sliding stick relative to the support stick section during opening and closing, and that the transfer means comprises, at least in the zone of the knee joint, a flexible and guided member.

27. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that the transfer means runs outside the umbrella support stick section.

28. An umbrella frame as in claim 26, characterized in that the transfer means consists of a Bowden wire.

29. An umbrella frame as in claim 28, characterized in that the Bowden cable sheath is anchored at one end to an abutment arranged on the umbrella support stick section between the remote control pivoted lever and the knee joint and at the other end to an annular ring mounting the strut hinges.

30. An umbrella frame, as defined in claim 25, characterized in that the sliding sleeve includes an angular deflection guide for the transfer means.

31. An umbrella frame, as in claim 30, characterized in that the sliding sleeve includes a guide channel for the transfer means extending parallel with and outside the umbrella support stick section.

32. An umbrella frame as in claim 30, characterized in that the hinge pin connects the portions of the support stick section at the knee joint and that the axis of the guide for the transfer means is in a plane passing through the axis of the stick and the hinge pin at the knee joint.

33. An umbrella frame as in claim 15, characterized in that the hinge point between the crown and the dome ribs, the support stick and the struts is formed by a number of adjacent transverse slits, the edges of the openings which abut together in a force fit in the expanded position of the canopy.

34. An umbrella frame as in claim 33, characterized in that the struts are arranged on an annular collar on the support stick section.

35. An umbrella frame as in claim 33, characterized in that in the open position of the umbrella, the sides of the openings of the cross slits come up against supporting surfaces which are curved in accordance with the curvature in the zone of the hinge points.

36. An umbrella frame as in claim 35, characterized in that the supporting surfaces are formed of a skirt projecting in the zone of the hinge points from the crown and the strut respectively.

37. An umbrella frame as in claim 36, characterized in that the skirt of the strut extending from the annular collar is formed by the free end of a rib on the underside of the strut.

38. An umbrella frame as in claim 35, characterized in that supporting surfaces opposite one another are associated with the hinge point between the strut and the annular collar, whereby the supporting surface lying inside is formed of a collar fixed to the support stick section.

39. An umbrella frame as in claim 38, characterized in that the collar is arranged on a spacer sleeve arranged on the umbrella sliding stick and preferably extending up to the underside of the crown.

40. An umbrella frame, as defined in claim 15, wherein the dome ribs are of multipart construction such that an inner section of rib adjacent the crown and coupled by a hinge to a strut is attached to an outer section of dome rib, characterized in that the outer section of the dome rib is supported in a recess in the inner section of rib, in which it has limited lengthwise sliding movement and is spring loaded outwardly, and its free end enters a pocket or the like in the canopy covering material which provides the Resistance to the spring pressure.

41. An umbrella frame, as in claim 40, characterized in that the outwards lengthwise sliding of the outer section of rib is limited by a stop.

42. An umbrella frame as in claim 41, characterized in that the stop is formed by a split thickened end of the dome rib, and is adapted to slide in an enlarged well within the recess.

43. An umbrella frame as claimed in claim 25, characterized in that the transfer means runs outside the umbrella support stick section.