CA1045500A

CA1045500A - Umbrella

Info

Publication number: CA1045500A
Application number: CA191,507A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Heinz Weber
Original assignee: Telesco Brophey Ltd
Current assignee: Telesco Brophey Ltd
Priority date: 1973-02-16
Filing date: 1974-01-31
Publication date: 1979-01-02
Also published as: FR2315880B1; GB1452201A; FR2315880A1; US3902514A; NL162552C; FR2218063A1; NL7401970A; NL162552B; CH575221A5; ES423326A1; NL7800320A; JPS5910802B2; JPS49112753A; CH577807A5; FR2218063B1

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure A collapsible umbrella having a stick and dome ribs projecting outwardly from a crown at one end of the stick when the umbrella is open. Each dome rib is made of three sections with the outer section foldable on the main section and the main section telescopic within the inner section hinged to the crown, and a main runner is slidable on the stick and a stretcher member is hinged to the main runner and to one end of the main dome rib. A strut member is hinged also to an auxiliary runner on the stick which may be movable and to a point intermediate the stretcher member. A parallelogram, including a control link, is provided whereby the control link is hinged to the stretcher member and to an extension of the outer folding sec-tion to control the folding of the outer section onto the main dome rib section.

Description

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This invention relates to improvements in umbrella frames and umbrellas, and more particularly to umbrella frames and umbrellas o~ the type which can be collapsed to form a relatively small package when not in use.
One type of collapsible umbrella frame, and umbrella, employs a handle, and dome ribsl each made in three sections.
In collapsing the umbrella, the two sections of each rib adja-cent the umbrella stick are adapted to be telescopedO The third outer section is then adapted to be manually folded toward the umbrella crown against the telescoped sections. The handle is . .
then telescopedl completing collapsing of the umbrella. To open the umbrella, the handle is extended and the outer rib sectio~s are manually unfolded, opening is then completed by operating a runner on the stick which extends and opens out the other rib sections~
Difficulty i9 encountered in manually unfo~ding the outer rib sections. The umbrella covering material hinders this ;-;
unfolding operation, and may prevent complete opening until further manual unfolding, against force exerted by the cover, is completed. It is also a bother to manually fold up all the outer `~ rib sections in closin~ the umbrella.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide a collapsible umbrella frame, employing dome ribs which wi:il ;
automatically fold and unfold the outer rib sections as the umbrella frame is closed or opened.
The improved umbrella frame, as described immediately above, is of simple, relatively inexpensive construction. In ~ -addition, providing for the automatic folding and unfolding of the outer dome rib sections i9 done in a manner which does not ~ ~
'! 30 appreciably reduce the haad room beneath the opened uTnbrella, ;
and which does not increase the cross-section area of the collapsed umbrella.

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A problem in the operation of the improved umbrella frame construction may still be encountered if the umbrella cover, due to shrinkage after installation, or improper instal-lation, exerts excess tension on the frame. In opening the umbrella frame, the excess cover tension may outwardly bow the rib sections, particularly the outer section, before the outer section is fully unfolded by the automatic folding and unfolding means. Increased stress is thus exerted on the frame parts as the automatic folding and unfolding means completes unfolding against the excess tension.
It is therefore also a purpose of the present inven-tion to provide means in the automatic folding and unfolding means which will reduce or eLiminate any tendency for the umbrella cover to hinder unfolding of the outer rib section during umbrella opening.
A construction in accordance with the present inven-tion includes an umbrella frame which comprises a stick, a crown at the upper end of the stick, and a plurality of dome ribs distributed around the crown, each extending in a direction away from the crown. Each of the dome ribs has at least two sections with the outermost section pivotable about a pivot point at the outer end of the main section. A main runner slides on the stick. Each dome rib is supported by a support structure, and each support structure includes a stretcher mem-ber pivoted to said runner at one end and to the main dome rib sectlon at the other end thereof. A strut member is hinged to a hinge means on the stick at one end thereof and to the stretcher member at the other end thereof intermediate the hinge points of -`-the stretcher member. Control link means is pivoted at one end to a stretcher at a point spaced from the pivot point with the main dome rib section and at the other end at least to an exten-sion of the outer rib section inwardly of the pivot point of the

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outer section with the main section~ The structure opens and closes when the runner is moved on the stick since the control link means acts in tension and compression respectively to urge the outer section to pivot about the pivot point on the outer end of the main rib section to a position extended away from the main section and a position folded onto the main rib section respectively.
To minimize the adverse effects of any excess cover -tension, the control link can be made to have a length, between its pivot connections, which is less than the length of the .
middle rib section between its pivot connections. .
The invention will now be described in detail having reference to the accompanying drawings in which: .-.: .
Figure 1 is a partial front elevation view of the ;
umbrella in its open position;
Figure 2 is a detail view of the hinge connection between the middle and outer dome rib sections;
Figure 3 is a partial front elevation view of the :
umbrella in a partly closed position;
Figure 4 is a partial front elevation view of the umbrella in its closed and shortened position;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line :
V-V in Figure 3; :.
Figure 6 is a partial front elevation view of a :
modified version of the umbrella of Figure l; : :
Figure 7 is a detail view of the hinge connection . :
between the middle and outer dome rib sections of the modified umbrella, ; : :
Figure 8 is a partial front elevation view of the - :
modified umbrella in a partly closed position;
- Figure 9 iB a detail view of the hinge of Fi.gure 7 in `~:
a closed position; and .

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Figure 10 is a partial front elevation view of the modified umbrella in a partly open position. :~
The umbrella, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, comprises a ', '' ~' '.,~

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frame having a stick 1. The stick 1 consists of three tele-scoping sections 2, 3 and 4. Catches 5 and 6, on sections 2 and 3 respectively, are provided to lock the sections in their extended position as shown in Figure 3. Section 2, at the top, has the largest cross-sectional area while section 4, at the bottom, has the smallest cross-sectional area. Preferably, sections 3 and 4 are of hexagonal cross-section while section 2 is of circular cross-section except for a portion of its lower end which is drawn down to a hexagonal cross-section in order to receive section 3.
A crown 7 is provided at the upper end of the ~nbrella stick. The crown 7 in the present instance is rectàngular in shape, although it could also be circular or oval. ~ pot-shaped handle 27 is provided at the bottom of the umbrella stick.
The umbrella frame includes dome rib~ 8 hinged to opposing wings 7', 7" of the crown. The dome ribs are hinged by means of a tie-wire 7" ' mounted in an annular groove-7" ' in the -crown as is well known. Each dome rib 8 is made up of three sections, an inner section 8a adjacent the crown 7, a middle section 8b, and a folding outer section 8c. Sections 8a and 8b;
are telescopic with section 8a made from a member having a U- ~
shaped cross-section and wl~h the opening facing stick 1, and ;~;
section 8b made from a member, such as steel wire, having a circular cross-section. ~Section 8b slides into section 8a when the sections are telescoped. An umbrella cover sewin~ cllip 10 is slidably mounted on section 8a and one end of section 8b is pivotably attached to clip 10 by pivot pin 9. The outer section -8c is connected at its inner end to a bushing 24 on a bracket 11. ~
Middle section 8b is pivotably conn~cted to bracket 11, inter- ~ ~;
medlate its ends, by pin 11' so that outer section 8c can pivot .. : ~ .
relative to the other sections, in the plane of rib 8. This permits the outer section 8c to fold toward the crown ~ as the "..
.. ' .'^' ,-~~4S5~0 umbrella is closed as will be described. -The umbrella frame includes a main runner 12 slidable on stick 1. The main runner 12 has a push-button 30 which oper-ates a locking pawl engaging a catch 31 in stick part 2 when the umbrella is open. A stretcher member 13 is provided for each dome rib 8, and it extends between runner 12 and sewing clip 10.
Each stretcher member 13 is pivotably connected to runner 12 by tie wires as is well known, and to sewing clip 10 by pivot pin 9.
An auxiliary runner 18 is slidably mounted on stick section 2 between crown 7 and main runner 12. A strut 19 extends between each stretcher member 13 and auxiliary runner 18. The strut 19 is pivotably connected to runner 18 by tie wires as is well known, and to stretcher member 13 by a pivot pin 20, which pin 20 is preferably located approximately midway along the :length of member 13. The struts 19 preferably have a U-shaped cross-section, and one of the struts can be provided with means 28 for aiding in opening the umbrella. These means 28 can comprise a pawl device 29 biased outwardly by a spring, not shown, mounted -~
in the strut.
Means are provided for automatically folding or unfold-ing the outer dome rib section 8c during closing or opening respectively of the umbrella. These means preferably comprise a control link 14 extending between bracket 11 and stretcher member 13 and being beneath, but substantially parallel to, dome rib section 8b.
The link 14 is pivotably connected to stretcher member 13~by a pivot pin 15. The connec-tion of link 14 to stretcher member 13 is made~in a manner to facilitate closing of the umbrella. Thus the web 13' of the stretcher member 13, which is U-shaped in cross-section, is cut back from its end adjacent clip 10 to provide an opening 25. This opening extends for a dletance "X" past pivot pin 15 as shown in Figure 5. The legs - - 5 ~
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-13" form supports for pivot pins 9 and 15. These legs 13" are bent slightly at a point 26 adjacent where web 13' ends in a direction toward web 13' as shown in Figure 4.
At its other end 14', the link 14 is pivotably connected to an extension arm 16 forming part of bracket 11. The arm 16 has a U-shaped cross-section and the web 23 is cut back slightly Erom legs 22 at the free end of arm 16. The U-shaped arm 16 provides a stable hinge point between dome rib sections 8b and 8c when the ribs are extended, with the legs 22 providing good lateral support for the sections. An elongated slot 21 is pro- ~
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vided in each leg 22 near the free end of arm 16, each slot 21, .~
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extending approximately transversely to rib 8. Pivot pin 17, `-mounted in slots 21, connects link 14 to arm 16 and thus to outer .
dome rib section 8c. The elongated slots 21 and pin 17 provide a lost-motion, pivot connection between link 14 and bracket 11.
The link 14 has a bend 14" near end 14' so that the link bends : .:
: : .
toward section 8b. The bend 14" permits a more compactly folded umbrella as will be described. - - :
The link 14 and dome rib section 8b form the long s.ides of a parallelogram linkage I.. The short sides of parallelogram linkage I comprise that portion of stretcher member 13 between ;~.
pivot pins 1~ and 9 and that portion of arm 16 of bracket 11 between pivot pins 11' and 17. The parallelogram linkage I
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controls the movement of section 8c. .~;
If the umbrella frame is to be closed from the position -~: .
shown in Figure 1, the main runner 12 is unlatched and moved -~
down stick 1 toward handle 27. As the runner 12 moves down, ;:.
stretcher member 13 is pivotably moved toward the stick as shown .
in Figure 3, and auxiliary runner 18 is moved down via strut 19. ..
At the same timelcontrol link 14 is moved in the direction shown ~ ..

by arrow "d" in Figure 3 thus pivoting bracket 11, and attached ;~ ..... ... -dome rib section 8c, about pivot 11' so as to automatically.fold .,,, .~, .. .

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section 8c against section 8b. When the folding has been sub- -stantially completed, with members 13, and sections 8a, 8b and 8c lying nearly parallel to stick axis z-z, the umbrella frame is shortened b~ applying a suitable compr~ssive force between crown 7 and handle 27. This produces the position shown in ., Figure 4. In this position, the main runner 12 has entered an ~ ,, -annular groove (not shown) in handle 27 and a~lxiliary runner 18 ' lies adjacent crown 7.- -The bend 14" in the control link 14 provides room for a compact arrangement at the bottom between the ends of link 14, '., sections 8b and 8c and bracket 11. The bend 26, in stretcher member 13, at`the top also provides room for a compact arrange- ' -~, ment between the ends of link 14, member 13, sections 8a and 8b, ., ; ' and clip 10.. In addition, the cross-sectional area o auxiliary ',''. ,, runner 18 may be reduced to provide more room F under top plate :~
7. Also in flat umbrellas, employ.ing a rectangular crown 7, the hinge locations on the top plate and auxiliary runner of each rib can be displaced a distance "Y" as shown in Figure 4 to provide . , ~' ' further room. These arrangements all result in eliminating or minimizing any increase in cross-sectional area of the folded umbrella frame.
To open the umbrella frame, the stick 1 is first : '' extended to have the umbrella assume a position approximating ' .
that shown in Figure 3. The outer dome rib sectlons 8c, due to the lost-motion connection provided by slots 21 in bracket 11, moves away ~rom the other dome rib sections. The main runner 12 is then moved to~ard top plate 7. As this happens, control link ~ ::
14 unfolds section 8c by moving in a direction opposite to arrow "d" and pivoting section 8c away from crown 7 about pin 11'.
Opening is` aided by having opening,aid means 28 on auxiliary runner 18 temporarily arrest upward movement of runner 18 thus facilitating outward movement of the dome ribs. The opening - 7 ~ ..

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movement continues until the rib sections are extended and sub~
stantially aligned. In this position, unfolding of section 8c ~:
is stopped by havlng end 14' of control link 14 bear against the bottom of section 8b as shown in Figure 21. ~ .
The umbrella frame is provided with a cover 32 which .
is attached to the crown 7, and to the ribs at sewing clips 10, :~
pivot location K (Figure 3) and the free ends of sections 8c. .;~ .
The cover assumes a mushroom shape when the umbrella is collapsed . ~:
due to its attachment to clips 10. The cover 32 also assists ~
somewha-t in moving sections 8c outwardly of the other sections ~ ~.
as the umbrella is opened.- :~
In this embodiment, the control link 14 will curve -~
slightly in a direction oppsite to the curvature of dome rib ~:
section 8c. The link 14 and section 8c act together to provide resistance against any tendency to turn the umbrella inside out. . ~
The link 14 provides added strength and controls movement of rib ..~ ;.
section 8c without substantially reducing head room in the : . :
umbrella. -. ;
In some cases the umbrella covering material may :~
interfere with the opening of the umbrella, thus unduly stressing the umbrella frame. Thus, if the umbrella cover is installed .
under too much initial tension, or if the cover shrinks during ~:.
use and becomes unduly t~nsioned, the cover can make it ~uite difficult to complete unfoIding of the outer dome rib section.
A suitable àrrangement can be provided for minimizing or pre~
venting this interference. Such an arrangement is shown in the .: .
embodiment illustrated in Figures 6 to 10. In this embodiment, : ;
parts identical to those described in the embodiment illustrated .~~.
in Figures 1 to 5 bear the same reference character but increased by one hundred (lOa). .
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, control link :
: 114 is made to have a length "L", between its pivot connections , : ' 55~
115 and 117, which is shorter than the distance "A" of dome-rib ;
section 108b between pivot pins 111' and 109~ Thus after opening of the umbrella when main runner 112 has moved up and stretcher member 113 has acted to tension link 114 and compress dome rib 108b, link 114 forms a "chord" and section 108b is bent or bowed outwardly into an "arc". This structural arrangement provides the outward bowing or curvature of the dome ribs 108 rather than having the bowing provided by the umbrella cover 132 as before.
As shown in Figure 10, on opening the umbrella, the outer dome rib section 108c is unfolded and aligned with sections 108a and 108b while cover 132 is still loose. Continued opening then causes section 108b to bow, forming the curvature in the dome ribs and tightening the cover 132. This arrangement prevents the cover 132 from interfering with the unfolding of the outer dome-rib section 108c.
To provide more positive control in folding and unfold-ing of the outer dome rib section 108c, the slots 121 in bracket 111, providing with pin 117, a lost-motion pivot connection for control link 114 to section 108c, can be set at an acute angle to the rib axis, as shown in Figure 7. The slots 121 extend down toward the stick 101, away from pivot pin 111', when the umbrella is in an open position. Preferably, the slots 121 have a length "Al" approximately e~ual to the-di~ference between-lengths "A" and "L" to provide a freely controllable parallelogram linkage I in intermediate umbrella opening or closing positions. The angular set o~ the slots 121 make lt easier for the outer dome-rib sec-tions 108c to move to an initial opening position from the closed posi-tion shown in Figure 9. The-outer sections 108c pivot readily about pivot pin 111', falling away ~rom the other sec-tions as pivot pin 117 slides down in slots 121 to the end of arm 116.

To provide a better cover attaching arrangement, a _ g _ ~Q~5)0 sewing eye 122' can be provided in the top of each bracket 111 between pivot pin 111' and bushing 124. Locating a sewing eye :~
122' at this point permits the cover 132 to arrange itself in the best possible manner during folding.
In both embodiments, the bend 14", 114" in control link 14, 114, provides means by which the length of the link can be ~:~
slightly adjusted to compensate for hinge tolerances~

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An umbrella frame comprising a stick, a crown at the upper end of the stick, a plurality of dome ribs, each extending in a direction away from the crown, each dome rib having three sections with an outermost section pivotable about a pivot point at the outer end of a main section, a main runner slidable on the stick, each dome rib being supported by a support structure, each said support structure including a stretcher member pivoted to said runner at one end and the other end of the stretcher member is pivoted to the main dome rib section, a strut member hinged to hinge means provided on the stick at one end thereof and to the stretcher member at the other end thereof intermediate the hinge points of the stretcher member, control link means pivoted at one end to the stretcher at a point spaced from the pivot point with the main dome rib section and at the other end to an extension of the outermost section inwardly of the pivot point of the outermost section with the main section, whereby upon moving said runner to open and close the frame, the control link acts in tension and compression respectively to urge the outer section to pivot about said pivot point on the outer end of the main rib section to a position extended away from the main section and a position folded onto the main rib section respectively.

2. An umbrella as defined in claim 1, wherein each dome rib includes two telescoping sections with the one end of the innermost section hinged to the crown, and the hinge means provided on the stick is a sliding runner to which the strut members are hinged.

3. An umbrella frame as defined in claim 1, wherein the pivotal connection between the control link means and the outer-most section is a lost motion pivotal connection.

4. An umbrella frame as defined in claim 3, wherein the lost motion pivotal connection includes at least one slot in one of the control link means in the outermost section.

5. An umbrella frame as defined in claim 4, wherein the slot is substantially transverse to the rib when the frame is in an open position.

6. An umbrella frame as defined in claim 4, wherein the slot is at an acute angle to the dome rib when the frame is in an open position.

7. An umbrella frame as defined in claims 3, 4 or 5, wherein the outermost section includes a bracket through which it is pivotably connected to the control link and main rib sec-tion, the bracket having a portion with U-shaped cross-section in which portion a portion of the control link is received.

8. An umbrella frame as defined in claim 1, wherein A > L when A represents the distance between the pivot of the stretcher member and the main rib section and a pivot point between the main rib section and the outer dome rib section, while L represents the length of the control link means; such that as the umbrella is being opened, the shorter length of the control link means under tension will cause the outermost rib section to pivot to an unfolded position and the main rib sec-tion to bow convexly upwardly away from the control link means as a result of the tension in the control link means.

9. An umbrella frame as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pivotable connection between the control link and outer rib section is a lost motion connection, the connection having at least one slot in one of the control link and outer rib section.

10. An umbrella frame as claimed in claim 8, wherein the slot extends at an acute angle to the rib when the frame is in an open position, the slot having a length substantially equal to the difference of the distance between the pivot connections of the main rib section and the distance between the pivot connections of the control link.

11. A shortenable umbrella frame comprising a shortenable stick, a crown at the upper end of the stick, a plurality of ribs which extend from the crown and each of which is shortenable when the frame is closed by the telescoping of an inner and a second rib part and an outer part of the rib folding upwards about a pivotal connection between the outer end of the second rib part and the inner end of the outer rib part into a position in which the outer rib part is alongside the second rib part with the outer end of the outer rib part adjacent to the crown, a plurality of pivotal main struts interconnecting corresponding second rib parts and a main slider on the stick, auxiliary struts interconnecting the main struts to a hinge means on the stick;
a control strut extends generally along each second rib part and is pivotally connected at one end to the corresponding main strut and at the other end to an extension of the outer rib part inwardly of the pivotal connection between the second and outer rib parts, whereby upon opening and closing of the frame the control strut acts in tension and compression respectively to urge the outer rib part to fold downwards and upwards respective-ly, the pivotal connection between each control strut and the corresponding outer rib part incorporating a lost motion enabling the outer rib parts to pivot freely away from the second rib parts at the beginning of the opening movement of the frame.

12. A frame according to claim 11, in which the lost motion is achieved by a slot receiving a pivot pin.

13. A frame according to claim 12, in which the extension of each outer rib part is formed by a hinge shoe of U-section and the other end of the corresponding control strut is pivoted between the arms of the U, the pivot pin being carried by the control strut and the slot being formed by apertures in the arms of the U.

14. A frame according to claim 12, in which the slot pro-viding the lost motion is aligned at an acute angle to the length of the outer rib part and has a length which corresponds substantially to the distance by which the effective length of the control strut is less than the distance between the pivotal connection between the second rib part and the corresponding main strut and that between the second rib part and the corres-ponding outer rib part.

15. A shortenable umbrella frame comprising a shortenable stick, a crown at the upper end of the stick, a plurality of ribs which extend from the crown and each of which includes an inner, main and outer section and shortenable when the frame is closed by the telescoping of the inner and main sections and the outer section of each rib folding upwards about a pivotal connection between the outer end of the main section and the inner end of the outer section into a position in which the outer section is alongside the main section with the outer end of the outer section adjacent to the crown, a plurality of pivotal main struts interconnecting corresponding main sections and a main runner sliding on the stick, and a plurality of auxiliary struts interconnecting the main struts to an auxiliary runner sliding on the stick, a control strut extending generally along each main section is pivotally connected at one end to the corresponding main strut and at the other end to an extension of the outer section inwardly o-f the pivotal connection between the main and outer sections, whereby upon opening and closing of the frame, the control strut acts in tension and compression respect-ively to urge the outer section to fold downwards and upwards respectively, the control strut and corresponding main section being so constructed and arranged that, when the frame is fully open and irrespective of any canopy material attached to the frame, the main section between its connections to the correspond-ing main strut and outer rib part is resiliently bowed away from the control strut as a result of the tension in the control strut.