Multiple-fold automatic umbrella with simplified control means

• US 5,505,222 A
• Filed: 08/07/1995
• Issued: 04/09/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd. (Taiwan)
• Original Assignee: Fu Tai Umbrella Works, Ltd. (Taiwan)
• Inventors: Chang, Jung-Jen, Lin, Chung-Kuang
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Lanna
• Application Number:
  US08/511,970
• Time in Patent Office: 246 Days
• Field of Search: 135/22-24, 135/25.1, 135/20.3, 135/25.3, 135/25.4, 135/25.41, 135/37
• US Class Current: 135/24
• CPC Class Codes: A45B 25/143 automatic

Abstract

A multiple-fold automatic umbrella includes: a control device having a push button slidably held in the grip for controlling the opening and closing of the umbrella, an opening controller of the control device formed as a sliding plate transversely slidably mounted in a middle portion of of push button for opening the umbrella from a closed state of the umbrella; and a closing controller of the control device having a lower latch contiguous to a middle portion of the push button to be depressed by the push button for closing an opened umbrella, whereby upon a direct depression of the push button without considering an upper button portion or a lower button portion of the push button, an umbrella can be opened or closed conveniently and ergonomically, thereby simplifying the structure and operation of the control device of the automatic umbrella.

Claims

1. An automatic umbrella comprising:

a central shaft means including;

an inner tube, a grip secured with the inner tube, a middle tube slidably held on an outer and upper side of the inner tube, an outer tube slidably held on an outer and upper side of the middle tube, an upper notch secured on a top portion of the outer tube, and a central sleeve set having an inner and outer sleeve section telescopically held within said inner, middle and outer tubes;

a rib assembly including a plurality of ribs pivotally connected with one another and pivotally secured between the upper notch and a lower runner slidably held on said central shaft means;

an opening spring for opening an umbrella retained in said central shaft means and slidably disposed about the central sleeve set;

a plurality of closing springs respectively secured on said rib assembly for operatively closing an umbrella from an opened state by an elastic energy stored when opening the umbrella; and

a control means including;

a push button resiliently held in the grip, an upper latch slidably held in a slotted plate perpendicularly protruding from a middle button portion of the push button from a first side of the central shaft means towards a second side of the shaft means and operatively depressed by the push button for opening the umbrella, a closing controller having a lower latch resiliently held in the grip and operatively depressible by the push button for inwardly pushing a locking head, which is secured with a drag rod coupled to a drag rope which is linked through the lower runner to an upper portion of the outer tube, for disengaging the locking head from a detent protrusion formed in a lower portion of the inner tube, thereby allowing each said closing spring to be restored to release a pre-stored elastic energy for closing the umbrella from an opened state, with the lower latch resiliently secured to an anti-false operation safety means which is lowered by the outer and middle tubes when closing the umbrella to prevent a false depression of the closing controller as depressed by the push button.

2. An automatic umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said upper latch includes:

a pair of bifurcated arm members slidably held in two sliding slots juxtapositionally formed in the slotted plate of the push button as bifurcated from an upper latch portion formed on the upper latch adjacent to the second side of the shaft means and with the pair of arm members protruding from the upper latch portion at the second side of the shaft means towards the first side of the shaft means to be contacted with a pair of end walls of the two sliding slots ready for a depression by the push button when opening the umbrella, and the upper latch portion secured with a stem protruding towards the second side of the shaft means to be resiliently urged towards the first side of the shaft means by a restoring spring retained in the grip adjacent to the second side of the shaft means to be engageable with a lower hole in the outer tube, and a lower hole formed in the middle tube for locking an umbrella under a closed state.

3. An automatic umbrella according to claim 2, wherein said push button has the slotted plate formed with a central plate hole in a central portion of the slotted plate for downwardly passing a bottom tube portion of each said outer tube and said middle tube when folding the central shaft means for closing the umbrella, a latch notch recessed in an end portion of the slotted plate adjacent to the second side for slidably holding the upper latch portion in the latch notch and a central thrusting block formed on a central portion inside the push button and protruding inwardly towards the second side of the shaft means, whereby upon an inward depression of the push button to allow the end walls of the slotted plate of the push button to retract the bifurcated arm members for disengaging the upper latch portion from the lower holes of the outer, and middle tubes, the umbrella will be opened because the tubes of the shaft means are resiliently tensioned by the opening spring.

4. An automatic umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said closing controller includes:

the lower latch resiliently secured to the anti-false operation safety means by a spring plate and resiliently raised upwardly as urged by a tension spring of the safety means to be positioned in between a central thrusting block of the push button and a locking head secured with the drag rod when opening the umbrella, with the central plate hole in the slotted plate allowing an upwardly moving of the lower latch as urged by the cylinder and tension spring after opening the umbrella to extend the outer and middle tubes upwardly, whereby upon depression of the push button to inwardly thrust the central thrusting block formed on the central portion inside the button, the locking head will be disengaged from the detent-protrusion in the inner tube for closing an umbrella from an opened state.

5. An automatic umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said detent protrusion is directly punched inwardly from a lower portion of the inner tube for engaging the locking head when closing the umbrella as sidewards biased towards the first side of the shaft means by a convex spring plate formed in the grip at the second side of shaft means.

6. An automatic umbrella according to claim 5, wherein said convex spring plate has an upper and a lower spring end fixed in the inner tube inserted into the inner hole of the grip, with a sloping spring portion inclined downwardly from the upper spring end to an axis of the shaft means for biasing the locking head to be locked on the detent protrusion formed in the inner tube adjacent to the first side of the shaft means when closing the umbrella.

7. An automatic umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said drag rod has a lower rod end secured to the locking head and an upper rod end pivotally secured in a coupling sleeve, with an inner rope end of the drag rope secured in the coupling sleeve, and with the drag rod slidably held in the inner sleeve section of the central sleeve set.

8. An automatic umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said anti-false operation safety means includes:

a cylinder slidably disposed around a lower portion of the inner tube and resiliently rested on a tension spring retained in a lower portion of the grip, the cylinder having a spring plate protruding upwardly to connect the lower latch which is downwardly moved when closing the umbrella for preventing a false operation of the closing controller when the central shaft means is folded to lower the outer and middle tubes to allow a bottom end of each middle tube and outer tube to downwardly press the lower latch, the cylinder and the tension spring downwardly for restoring the spring energy of the tension spring whereby the outer and middle tubes are locked by engaging an upper latch portion of the upper latch with the lower holes of the outer and middle tubes, a first slot notched in a first side of the cylinder for an inward movement of the lower latch connected to the cylinder by the spring plate adjacent to the first side of the shaft means when depressed by the push button for closing the umbrella, and a second slot formed at a second side of the cylinder for slidably moving of the safety means on the inner tube without being obstructed by the upper latch portion.

9. An automatic umbrella comprising:

a central shaft means including;

an inner tube, a grip secured with the inner tube, a middle tube slidably held on an outer and upper side of the inner tube, an outer tube slidably held on an outer and upper side of the middle tube, an upper notch secured on a top portion of the outer tube, and a central sleeve set having an inner and outer sleeve section telescopically held within said inner, middle and outer tubes;

a rib assembly including a plurality of ribs pivotally connected with one another and pivotally secured between the upper notch and a lower runner slidably held on said central shaft means;

an opening spring for opening an umbrella retained in said central shaft means and slidably disposed about the central sleeve set;

a plurality of closing springs respectively secured on said rib assembly for operatively closing an umbrella from an opened state by an elastic energy stored when opening the umbrella; and

a control means including;

a push button resiliently held in the grip, an upper latch slidably held in a slotted plate perpendicularly protruding from a middle button portion of the push button from a first side of the central shaft means towards a second side of the shaft means and operatively depressed by the push button for opening the umbrella, a closing controller having a lower latch resiliently held in the grip and operatively depressible by the push button for inwardly pushing a locking head, which is secured with a drag rod coupled to a drag rope which is linked through the lower runner to an upper portion of the outer tube, for disengaging the locking head from a detent protrusion formed in a lower portion of the inner tube, for closing the umbrella from an opened state, and said lower latch including;

a pin secured at a base portion of the slotted plate of the push button for pivotally mounting the lower latch at a middle inside portion of the button, a latch restoring spring retained on the push button for normally levelling the lower latch to be generally perpendicular to the push button to allow an arcuate latch end formed at an inner free end of the lower latch to depress the locking head to be disengaged from the detent protrusion when closing the umbrella, said lower latch downwardly biased by each bottom tube end of the outer tube and middle tube when closing and resetting the umbrella for storing energy of the opening spring, thereby allowing an inward depression of the push button to open the umbrella.