GB2380670A

GB2380670A - Umbrella with attached retractable sheath

Info

Publication number: GB2380670A
Application number: GB0202429A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicholas Adrian Moyes; Greg Louis Guye
Original assignee: GNT CONCEPTS Ltd
Current assignee: GNT CONCEPTS Ltd
Priority date: 2001-07-20
Filing date: 2002-02-01
Publication date: 2003-04-16
Also published as: GB0202429D0; GB0117747D0

Abstract

A closed umbrella is protected by a moulded rigid plastics case having upper and lower parts 3,5 which seal at 16,24 when closed. From this position, press button 9 releases a spring 12 which urges upper part 3 along the telescopic shaft 21 to the position shown, where it is above the ribs of the canopy, before the shaft is extended. The lower part acts as the handle. An alternative embodiment (Figs 10-13) describes a manually slidable upper part having elongate fingers (73) which cooperate with a guide member (75) on the top of the shaft. The upper part may be rotatable and include inner ridges (95) which assist in coiling the umbrella canopy fabric as the sheath is closed.

Description

An Umbrella with Cover and a Cover for an Umbrella The present invention relates to the field of umbrellas. Specifically, the present invention relates to umbrellas with covers and a cover for an umbrella.

Conventional umbrellas may be supplied both with and without covers. The covers serve to keep the umbrella neat for storage and may also provide some degree of waterproofing. Most of these covers are completely removable, thus they have the disadvantage that they can be easily lost.

Previously, there have been attempts to provide umbrellas with covers which remain attached to the umbrella during use and which can provide full waterproofing.

Some of these attempts have used a rigid or semi-rigid cover which remains at the lower end of the umbrella shaft opposite to the canopy and which can be used as a handle for the umbrella once it is opened.

Such an umbrella is suggested in GB 2 320 893. The problem with these types of umbrellas is that, as the handle is the cover, the handle is large and unwieldy and hence awkward to hold.

An umbrella which partially addresses this problem has been presented in GB 2 329 123 where a telescopic cover is provided. However, such a cover can be cumbersome to use as it has to be retracted when the umbrella is opened and extended in order to cover the canopy when it is in its closed position.

The applicants have previously addressed this problem in their earlier patent, GB 2 346 555. Here, a rigid umbrella cover is provided. The umbrella cover has a cap which is opened to extract the canopy. Once the canopy is fully opened and the shaft extended, the cover is slid up the shaft of the umbrella and fixed under the canopy in order to both keep the cover dry and to allow a small convenient handle at the base of the umbrella.

The present inventors have now found an alternative way of addressing the above problems to provide an umbrella which may be configured so that the user does not have to perform further activities than he would opening a conventional umbrella.

Therefore, in a first aspect, the present invention provides an umbrella assembly comprising an umbrella and cover, the umbrella having a shaft and a canopy attached to an upper end of the shaft which collapses from an open position to a closed position, said cover comprising an upper member shaped to receive at least part of the collapsed canopy and mounting means for moveably mounting the upper member to an upper end of the umbrella such that the member is moveable between a first position where it at least partially encloses the collapsed canopy and a second position where it is clear of the canopy.

If the cover or a part of the cover is attached to the top of the shaft, then a separate handle can be provided, the length of which is not dependent on the total length of the cover and hence the size of the umbrella.

Alternatively, and more preferably, the cover can be provided in two parts, an upper part and a lower part, the upper part being connected to the upper end of the shaft and the lower part being connected to the lower end of the shaft. In this arrangement, the lower member can be made as large or small as required since the cover can be configured to cover the whole canopy by adjusting the size of the upper member.

A problem with such an arrangement is that the upper member needs to at least partially enclose some of the canopy when the umbrella is closed. Therefore, the canopy cannot be deployed, or at least smoothly deployed until the upper member is moved clear of the canopy. Thus, the upper member is moveably mounted to the umbrella so that it can be moved between a first position where it receives the canopy such that it at least partially covers the canopy and a second position where it is clear of the canopy.

In a typical umbrella construction, the upper member needs to be moved upwards away from the lower end of the shaft as it moves from the first position to the second position.

Preferably, the mounting means comprises a sliding member which is connected to the upper member and slidably mounted to the shaft. Thus, the upper member can slide with respect to the shaft. The slidable member may be directly connected to the upper member, may be integral with the upper member or may be connected via a further connector to the upper member.

Umbrella shafts are generally hollow. The slidable member may be configured to slide within this hollow shaft. For example, the slidable member may be a rod which is inserted into the top of the hollow shaft, the rod sliding out of the end of the shaft as the upper member moves from the first to the second position.

Alternatively, the slidable member may be provided in the form of a sleeve which at least partially surrounds said shaft. For example, the sleeve may be shaped in order to avoid the ribs and other parts of the umbrella. The sleeve can be located at the top of the shaft and extend at least a part of the way down the shaft. When the upper member is slid from the first position to the second position, the sleeve slides up and extends out of the said shaft. For automatic umbrellas, the outer sleeve arrangement is particularly desirable as the outer sleeve will not interfere with the internal workings of the umbrella.

The slidable member may also be configured to slide on the outside of the canopy. For example, the slidable member may be configured to slide parallel to the shaft in a region between where the ribs of the umbrella connect to the top of the umbrella shaft. When the canopy is in the collapsed position, there is room for a slidable member to slide in this region within the folds of the canopy. The slidable member is pulled clear of the canopy prior to deployment of the canopy, thus slidable member does not adversely affect deployment of the canopy.

The above arrangement may be achieved by providing a guide member which is located on the top of the umbrella shaft and to which the slidable members are slidably mounted.

The upper member may be manually moved from the first to the second position in preparation for deployment of the canopy. Thus, preferably, the umbrella is configured such that the mounting means are strong enough so that manually pulling on the upper member allows the member to be pulled from the first position to the second position and to retain the member at the second position.

The invention is primarily intended for use with folding umbrellas which have an extendable shaft and which has a canopy supported by foldable ribs, the ribs being extended when the canopy is open and folded when the canopy is collapsed. With these types of umbrellas, the assembly is preferably configured so that pulling on the upper member first moves the upper member from the first position to the second position and then further pulling extends the shaft. The umbrella may also be configured such that further pulling also causes the canopy to open.

Alternatively, movement means may be provided which move the member from the first to the second position. Such movement means may be provided by biasing means which bias the upper member towards the second position. The biasing means are preferably configured to bias the upper member in a direction substantially parallel to the shaft and away from the upper end of the shaft and hence away from the top of the canopy.

Preferably, the biasing means comprises a spring connected to said upper member and said umbrella, wherein said spring is in a compressed state when the upper member is in the first position such that expansion of the spring causes movement of the upper member to the second position.

In order to allow precise movement of the upper member with respect to the shaft, the spring is preferably used in combination with a sliding member which can act as a guide for the spring. The spring may be provided with the above mentioned rod,

the spring may be provided around the outside of said rod such that expansion of the spring causes said rod to emerge from the shaft. Alternatively, the spring may be provided inside the aforementioned sleeve such that expansion of the spring causes the sleeve to slide along and off the end of said shaft, pushing the upper member to said second position.

In order to prevent the biasing means moving the upper member to the second position, when the umbrella is in the closed position, the umbrella assembly is provided with engaging means for maintaining the upper member in place when it is in the closed position The engaging means may be provided by a friction fit seal at the edge of the upper member which is configured to engage with a complementary seal on the lower member, handle or other part of the umbrella. More preferably, the engaging means is provided by a clip which holds the upper member in the closed position. The clip may be released by an actuation mechanism.

The present invention may also be used with automatic umbrellas of the type which use an automatic deployment mechanism for extending the shaft and opening the canopy. In this type of umbrella, the automatic deployment mechanism can also be configured to actuate the moving means and/or the engaging means.

Preferably, the cover forms a watertight cover for the umbrella. Therefore, even in the worse rain, the umbrella can be stored in a watertight cover until it is possible to open the umbrella to dry the umbrella. To achieve this, when the cover comprises upper and lower members, the members are preferably provided with a seal therebetween.

As an alternative configuration, the present invention may have an upper member which is completely removable from the umbrella.

Thus, in a second aspect, the present invention provides an umbrella assembly comprising an umbrella and cover, the umbrella being of the foldable type having an extendible shaft and a canopy attached to the upper end of the shaft, the canopy being

supported by foldable ribs such that the canopy collapses from an open position, where the ribs are fully extended, to a closed position, where the ribs are folded, said cover comprising an upper member and a lower member which join together to enclose the collapsed canopy, said lower member being attached to the lower end of said shaft such that it forms a handle for the umbrella, said upper member being shaped to at least partially enclose the collapsed canopy.

The upper member may be stored in a bag so that it remains dry. Preferably, the upper member is attachable to the lower member once the canopy is opened.

Alternatively, the upper member may be permanently connected to the lower member by a flexible strip, tape, string or the like such that the upper member can be moved clear of the canopy for opening, while still connected to the lower member.

Closing of the umbrella in either of the first and second aspects can occur by collapsing the canopy in the standard manner and then, in the case of a flexible umbrella, collapsing the shaft into the lower member. As the lower member is usually required to accommodate the canopy, it is preferable if the lower member tapers towards its lower end in order to easily receive the canopy.

Also, some of the canopy material may become trapped between the lower and upper members. To at least partially alleviate this problem, the upper member is preferably rotatably mounted to the umbrella shaft such that the upper member may be rotated as the upper and lower members are brought into contact. This may be used with an umbrella which is rotationally symmetric about its shaft.

More preferably, the upper member is provided with at least one ridge on its inside surface which is configured such that during rotation of the upper member, the canopy is coiled away from the edge of the upper member by the ridge. More preferably, at least one ridge is substantially ellipsoidal. In a particularly preferred configuration, three ridges are used.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides an umbrella assembly comprising an umbrella and cover, the umbrella being of the foldable type having an

extendible shaft and a canopy attached to the upper end of the shaft, the canopy being supported by foldable ribs such that the canopy collapses from an open position, where the ribs are fully extended, to a closed position, where the ribs are folded, said cover comprising an upper member and a lower member which join together to enclose the collapsed canopy, the upper member being rotatably mounted to the upper end of said umbrella.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a cover for an umbrella, the umbrella being of the foldable type having an extendible shaft and a canopy attached to the upper end of the shaft, the canopy being supported by foldable ribs such that the canopy collapses from an open position, where the ribs are fully extended, to a closed position, where the ribs are folded, said cover comprising an upper member and a lower member which join together to enclose the collapsed canopy, said upper member having a ridge on its inside, such that rotation of the upper member when in place on the collapsed canopy coils canopy material away from the edge of said upper member.

When the umbrella cover described in relation to both the first and second aspects of the invention, has both an upper and a lower member, it is preferable if the upper member extends less than halfway along the length of the closed umbrella. This is because the upper member needs to be lifted clear of the canopy in order for the canopy to open. A particularly large upper member is more cumbersome than a smaller upper member.

More preferably, the inventors have found that a particularly advantageous configuration is achieved when the upper member extends substantially a third of the way along the length of the closed umbrella, the lower member extending substantially the other two thirds of the length. This arrangement provides a reasonably sized handle which is not too large while still maintaining a reasonably small upper member.

In this arrangement, the upper member is about half the length of the lower member. It is preferably more than a third of the length of the lower member such that the upper member extends for more than one quarter of the total length of the cover.

When the slidable member slides on the outside of the canopy, the length of the upper member is limited by the position of the folds of the canopy along the length of the shaft because the folds may block the slidable member. In such an umbrella, which collapses by a so-called four-fold mechanism, the length of the upper member may be a quarter of the length of the lower member and possibly less.

Preferably, the cover is rigid or at least semi-rigid. If the cover is semi-rigid, then it may be easier to push the canopy back into the lower member after use of the umbrella.

The cover can be formed from moulding techniques and can be made from plastic material. The cover may be made from Teflon.

The upper member is generally cup-shaped so that it fits over the top of the canopy when closed. The upper member has a base which will generally be located at the top of the shaft and a side wall which extends towards the lower end of the shaft.

The side wall will generally circumscribe the base of the upper member.

The lower member is preferably configured to be easily held by a hand. The lower member can also be used to display the brand name of the umbrella.

The present invention is primarily intended for use with folding umbrellas. The so-called"briefcase"or"flat"folding umbrellas which have a substantially elliptical cross-section are particularly useful since their flatter cross-section easily lends itself to a conveniently shaped handle or lower member.

In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a cover for an umbrella, the umbrella having a shaft and a canopy attached to an upper end of the shaft which collapses from an open position to a closed position, the cover comprising an upper member comprising an upper member shaped to receive at least part of the canopy in its closed position when the cover is in position on the umbrella, the cover also comprising mounting means for moveably mounting the upper member to an upper end of the umbrella such that when mounted on the umbrella, the member is moveable between a

first position where it at least partially encloses the canopy in its closed position and a second position where it is clear of the canopy.

In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides a cover for an umbrella, the umbrella being of the foldable type having an extendible shaft and a canopy attached to the upper end of the shaft, the canopy being supported by foldable ribs such that the canopy collapses from an open position, where the ribs are fully extended, to a closed position, where the ribs are folded, said cover comprising an upper member and a lower member which join together to enclose an collapsed canopy, said lower member being attachable to the lower end of said shaft such that it can form a handle for the umbrella, said upper member being shaped to at least partially enclose the collapsed canopy, when in position on the umbrella.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the following non-limiting embodiments in which: Figure 1 is a schematic of an umbrella cover with an umbrella in the closed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention ; Figure 2 is a schematic of the umbrella and cover of figure 1 with the upper member in a second position; Figure 3 is a schematic of the umbrella and cover of figures 1 and 2 in the open position; Figure 4 is a detailed schematic of a plan view of an umbrella and cover in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a detailed schematic of a side view of the umbrella and cover of figure 4;

Figure 6 is a detailed schematic of a plan view of the umbrella and cover of figures 4 and 5 with the upper member in the second position; Figure 7 is a schematic of an automatic umbrella and cover in a closed position in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 is a schematic of the umbrella and cover of figure 7 with the upper member in the extended second position; Figure 9 is a detail of the automatic opening mechanism of the umbrella and cover of figures 7 and 8; Figure 10 is a detailed schematic of a plan view of an umbrella with its cover in a closed position in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 is a schematic of the umbrella with cover of Figure 10 with the cover in the open position; Figure 12 is a plan view of an upper member of a cover for an umbrella in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 13 shows a below view of the upper member of Figure 12.

Figure 1 illustrates a cover 1 for an umbrella in the closed position. The cover comprises an upper substantially cup-shaped member 3 and a lower substantially cup- shaped member 5. The upper member and lower members are arranged with their open ends facing such that they can enclose an umbrella (not shown) when joined together.

In this specific example the umbrella is a so-called'flat'or'briefcase'type folding umbrella, to accommodate this type of umbrella, the upper and lower members are substantially elliptical in cross section. To accommodate the more conventional shaped folding umbrella, the cross sections of the upper and lower members can be adjusted accordingly.

The upper 3 and lower 5 members meet at seal 7. Seal 7 is located at the widest part of the cover 1. Seal 7 extends across the cover 1 and forms a shallow acute angle with a plane perpendicular to the length of the cover and the shaft of the umbrella (not shown).

An activation button 9 is provided attached to the lower member 5 and extends across the seal 7 between the upper 3 and lower 5 members. The activation button will be described in more detail with reference to figures 4 and 5.

As the lower member 5 will form the handle of the umbrella when the umbrella is in its open position, the lower member 5 is shaped 11 to allow for comfortable holding by the user.

In Figure 1, the upper member 3 is shown in the closed or first position where the upper member 3 engages with the lower member 5 to form a sealed cover. Figure 2 illustrates the umbrella cover of Figure 1 with the upper member 3 in its second or released position. To avoid unnecessary repetition, like reference numerals are used to denote like features.

In Figure 2, activation button 9 has been activated which disengages the upper member 3 from the lower member 5. Upper member 3 is attached to the top of umbrella 13. In this specific example, upper member 3 is sprung loaded such that upon disengaging from the lower member 5, upper member 3 is moved by the force of spring 12 clear of the top of the umbrella 13.

Once the upper member 3 is clear from umbrella 13, the umbrella can be pulled out of lower member 5 and opened as indicated in Figure 3.

The movement and position of the canopy 14 is controlled by ribs 23. These ribs 23 are attached to the canopy 14 and some of the ribs 23 are also attached to slider 25 such that movement of the slider along shaft 21 causes the ribs to extend or unfold in order to stretch the canopy (as shown in figure 3).

At the top of the shaft 21 is a stop 27 which is configured to rest against slider 25 when the umbrella is fully opened. The umbrella also has an end piece 29 which is located next to stop 27. The end-piece 29 is used to provide a connection point for some of ribs 23, the canopy 14 deploying as slider 25 is slid along the shaft 21 towards end-piece 29.

During the opening process, the upper member 3 remains above the top of the umbrella 13 so that the umbrella canopy 17 can be fully extended without connecting with the upper member 3.

The seal between the upper 3 and lower 5 members can be seen in more detail in figures 2 and 3. Seal 7 is formed from collar 16 which is provided at the open end of lower member 5.

Collar 16 is integral with lower member 5 and has a smaller external cross sectional area than rim 22 of lower member 3 such that a shoulder 20 is formed at the junction between collar 16 and rim 22. The collar 16 is designed to fit snugly inside upper member 3 such that on connecting the upper member 3 to the lower member 5, rim 18 of upper member 3 abuts against shoulder 20 of the lower member 5.

A sealing ring 24, which may be formed of rubber, is fitted over collar 16 to ensure that the seal formed between the upper 3 and lower 5 members is watertight.

As shown in Figure 3, the upper member 3 sits above the canopy 14 once the umbrella is opened, thus, it is desirable for the upper member to be kept reasonably small. Also, since the lower member 5 now forms the umbrella handle, it cannot be too large, otherwise the handle is awkward to hold.

In this example, the upper member 3 is approximately one half of the length of the lower member 5 in the elongate direction of cover 1. The inventors have found that these approximate dimensions provide both a desirable size for the handle 5 and the upper member 3.

To close the umbrella, slider 25 is slid away from the end member 29 and the canopy closes. The shaft and canopy are then retracted back into the lower member 5.

The seal between the upper and lower members is formed at the widest part of the cover so that the canopy is inserted into the cover at its widest point. The lower member tapers towards its lower end to aid insertion of the canopy into the lower member 5.

Once the canopy is tucked into the lower member 5, the upper member 3 is pushed downwards and engages with the lower member 5 in order to seal the umbrella in the watertight cover.

Figure 4 illustrates details of a mechanism which can bias the upper member 3 away from the lower member 5 in the manner described in relation to figures 1 to 3.

Again, to avoid unnecessary repetition, like reference numerals will be used to denote like features.

As in figures 1 to 3, Figure 4 illustrates a so-called'flat'or"briefcase"folding umbrella. The cross-section of the umbrella and case is not circular but generally elliptical.

Figure 4 shows a front view of such an umbrella in a case, Figure 5 illustrates a side view of such an umbrella. In both of Figures 4 and 5, the case is transparent to illustrate the umbrella within the case. The umbrella has a shaft 21 which comprises two telescopic sections 2 la and 21b (please note that typically, folding umbrellas comprise three or more telescopic sections, only two are shown here for clarity).

The end shaft section 21b, stop 27 and end piece 29 have a common cylindrical bore through which rod 31 is slidably inserted. Rod 31 is rigidly connected to upper member 3. Spring 33 is provided around the outside of rod 31. The spring is rigidly connected to the top of rod 31 and also the other end of the spring is connected to the end piece 29. In this closed position, spring 33 is compressed between the underside of

the upper member 3 and the top of end-piece 29. In this position, the rod 31 is inserted at its deepest position within the common central bore of shaft 21, end piece 29 and stop 27.

The spring 33 is held in this compressed position because upper member 3 is locked to lower member 5 via actuation mechanism 9.

Actuation mechanism 9 comprises a rocker switch 35 which is pivotally connected about hinge 37 to lower member 5. The upper part of rocker switch 35 is provided with engaging lug 39 on its underside. Engaging lug 39 is configured to engage with depression 41 provided on upper member 3.

Lug 39 is biased into this depression via leaf spring 43 which provides a force on the lower part of rocker switch 35, pushing the upper part of rocker switch 35 into the upper member 3.

On depressing the lower end of rocker switch 35 against the action of leaf spring 43, lug 39 is disengaged from depression 41 on the upper member 3, thus releasing upper member 3 from lower member 5. Compressed spring 33 then expands to push upper member 3 away from end piece 29 and hence clear of the top 45 of the umbrella.

As spring 33 expands, rod 31 is pulled out of shaft 21 such that rod 31 acts as a guide for the expanding spring 33.

Figure 6 illustrates this case where the actuation mechanism has been used to disengage the upper member 3 from the lower member 5 and the upper member 5 is in the released or second position.

The user can then pull umbrella 47 out of lower member 5. The user may either pull the top of the umbrella itself or may pull upper member 3 as this is connected to the top of the umbrella.

Once the canopy is pulled clear of the lower member 5, the canopy can be opened in the standard way by moving slider 25 up shaft 21 until it engages with stop member 27.

The above described method is a method where the upper member is released via an actuation mechanism. However, it is also possible to do away with spring 33 to provide a manual umbrella. Such an umbrella would have a virtually identical construction to that shown in Figures 4 to 6, but spring 33 would be omitted.

As described with reference to figures 4 to 6, rod 31 is connected to the underside of upper member 3 and is slidably moveable within shaft 21 such that upper member 3 can be moved from a position close to the top of the shaft to a position above the shaft where it is clear of the canopy.

To open this umbrella, upper member 3 can be disengaged from lower member 5 by either using an actuation mechanism of the type described with reference to Figure 5 or can be simply pulled to overcome a friction seal between upper member 3 and lower member 5.

Upper member 3 is then pulled further away from lower member 5. Initially, upper member 3 is pulled and rod 31 is pulled out of the central bore formed by shaft 21, stop 27 and end piece 29. Once the upper member 3 is in its fully extended position or release position, further pulling from the member causes the canopy and ribs of the umbrella to be removed from lower member 5. Again, once the slider 25 is clear of the lower member 5, the umbrella can be opened in the standard fashion.

As a further simplification, the upper member 3 may be completely removable, the rod 31 and spring 33 both being omitted. To open the umbrella from the closed position shown in Figure 1, the upper member 3 is disengaged from lower member 5 either by pulling or by use of actuation button 9. The exposed top of canopy 14 is then grasped and pulled clear of lower member 5, thus extending shaft 21. The canopy is then deployed in the conventional manner.

The upper member 3 may be clipped (not shown) to lower member 5 when the canopy is open. Alternatively, the upper member 3 may be connected to the lower member 5 by a flexible tape (not shown) which allows the upper member to be moved clear of the canopy but prevents the upper member from being completely disengaged from the umbrella and hence mislaid.

Figures 1 to 6 described the operation of a manual folding umbrella where the canopy is deployed by the user moving slider 25 along shaft 21. However, the invention may also be used with so-called automatic umbrellas where a sprung-loaded mechanism allows shaft 21 to automatically extend and the canopy deploy.

Figure 7 illustrates a preferred mechanism which can be used for an automatic umbrella. To avoid unnecessary repetition, like reference numerals are used to denote like features. Figure 7 illustrates the umbrella with the upper member in its closed position, Figure 8 illustrates the umbrella with the upper member in its opened position.

As for the manual umbrella, the shaft is telescopic, just two telescopic sections are shown in Figure 7, an inner section 21b and an outer section 21a. The upper member 3 is connected to spring 51. Spring 51 is connected to the top of shaft 21 such that the spring 51 is compressed when the upper member 3 is in the first position an extended when the upper member is in the second position.

Spring 51 is located in sleeve 53 such that the spring is located in just the upper part of sleeve 53 when compressed and extends to occupy a substantial length of the sleeve when extended. Sleeve 53 fits over outer shaft member 21a. Sleeve 53 is only a partial sleeve and is shaped to avoid contacting and fouling or being fouled by the ribs or other members which are attached to the outside of the shaft.

In the closed position, the spring is compressed as shown in Figure 7. Here, the sleeve 53 extends along most of the shaft until it engages with second actuation member 55.

Second actuation member 55 is provided to activate extension of the shaft and automatic deployment of the umbrella canopy as is known in the art. Further, second actuation member 55 is configured to actuate movement of the upper member 3 from the first, closed, position to the second release position.

To achieve this, actuation member 55 is provided with an elongate plate 56 which is provided with a projection 57. Projection 57 is configured to engage recess 59 in the base of sleeve 53. Pressing actuation member towards the cover causes the plate 56 member to move, dislodging projection 57 from recess 59 thus disengaging the sleeve 53 from the second actuation member.

Once the sleeve 53 is disengaged, the compressed spring 51 expands pulling the external sleeve 53 upwards beyond the end of shaft 21 and pushing the upper member 3 away from the end piece 29, thus lifting the upper member 3 clear of the top of the canopy. The automatic deployment mechanism then deploys the canopy in the usual manner. The automatic deployment mechanism can also be actuated by second actuation member 55. Therefore, opening the umbrella is a one-touch operation.

The detail of the release mechanism is shown in Figure 9. The sleeve 53 is external to the shaft to prevent the sleeve from fouling the canopy deployment mechanism.

Figure 10 shows a further variation on the umbrella and cover. The umbrella of Figure 10 is a manually deployed umbrella. However, it will be appreciated that this system could also be employed in an automatically deployed umbrella. To avoid unnecessary repetition, like reference numerals will be used to denote like features.

A different mechanism is used in the umbrella of Figure 10 to move the upper member 3 clear of the canopy. The mechanism is external to both the umbrella shaft 21 and umbrella canopy. The mechanism comprises upper member fixing mount 71 which is rigidly connected to an upper member 3. Three elongate members 73a and b (only two members are shown for clarity) depend from upper member fixing mount 71.

A guide member 75 is provided on the top of said umbrella. Said guide member comprising a disc and a threaded projection depending from said disc. The threaded portion being configured to screw into the central common cylindrical bore through end piece 29 and end shaft section 21b thus locking guide member 75 in place of said guide member 75 having three apertures formed to receive elongate members 73a, 73b such that said elongate members 73a and 73b may slide freely through the apertures (not shown) of guide member 75.

Elongate member 73a and 73b and the apertures (not shown) of guide member 75 are spaced so that elongate member 73a and 73b slide over the outside of the canopy and within its folds in the legion between where the ribs (not shown) connect to umbrella shaft 21. Thus, the above mechanism can be easily installed on a standard umbrella without substantial modifications to the umbrella and without adversely affecting operation of the umbrella.

Figure 11 illustrates the umbrella of Figure 10 in an open position. To avoid unnecessary repetition, like reference numerals are used to denote like features.

Elongate members 73a, 73b are provided with detents 77a, 77b close to their free ends and stops 79a and 79b at their free ends.

Pulling upper member 3 away from the lower member 5 causes upper fixing member 71 to move upwards and hence elongate members 73a to 73b slide within the apertures (not shown) of umbrella fixing member 75. Elongate member 73a and 73b are slightly flexible such that sufficient inward force allows detents 77a and 77b to slide through aperture such that the fixing member 75 locks between apertures 77a and 77b and end stop 79a and 79b of the elongate members 73a and 73b.

Thus, the upper member 3 is locked in position above the top of the copy of the umbrella. Even though the mechanism is outside the canopy, elongate members 73a and 73b are moved well out of the way before the umbrella canopy is deployed and thus avoid fouling the umbrella deployment mechanism.

The upper member 3 splits at its lower edge into two layers, outer layer 83 and lining layer 81. The lower member 5 is received in the gap between lining layer 81 and outer layer 83 to form a watertight seal. As explained previously with reference to Figure 3, an O-ring is provided to seal the lower member to the upper member.

Figure 12 shows a further variation on the upper member which may be used with the umbrella and cover of Figures 10 and 11. When closing the umbrella cover of Figures 10 and 11, there is a problem in that parts of the canopy may become trapped at the join between the upper 3 and lower 5 members. This problem may be partially alleviated by rotating the upper member 3 as it is pushed towards the lower member to enclose the canopy.

To allow rotation, the upper member fixing mount comprises a rotatable joint formed from fixed member 91 to which elongate members 73a and 73b are attached and rotatable member 93 which is rigidly connected to upper member 3 such that upper member 3 may be rotated with respect to fixed member 91.

Three ellipsoidal ridges 95a, 95b, 95c are provided coiled around the inside of upper member 3. Rotation of upper member 3 causes ellipsoidal ridges 95a, 95b and 95c to coil the fabric away from lower edge 97 of the upper member 3 and hence away from the joint between the upper and lower members.

Figure 13 illustrates a view of upper member 3 from the bottom i. e. looking along axis 99 of Figure 12. Ellipsoidal members 95a, 95b and 95c can be clearly seen on the inside of upper member 3. Elongate members 73a, 73b and 73c are seen located in the apertures of umbrella fixing member 75.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An umbrella assembly comprising an umbrella and cover, the umbrella having a shaft and a canopy attached to an upper end of the shaft which collapses from an open position to a closed position, said cover comprising an upper member shaped to receive at least part of the canopy in its closed position and mounting means for moveably mounting the upper member to an upper end of the umbrella such that the member is moveable between a first position where it at least partially encloses the collapsed canopy and a second position where it is clear of the canopy.

2. An umbrella assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cover further comprises a lower member, the upper and lower members being configured to completely enclose the collapsed canopy when the upper member is in the first position, the lower member being attached to one end of the shaft such that it forms a handle for the umbrella.

3. An umbrella assembly according to either of claims 1 or 2, wherein said mounting means comprises a slidable member which is connected to said upper member and slidably mounted with respect to said shaft.

4. An umbrella assembly according to claim 3, wherein said shaft is hollow and said slidable member and is slidable within said shaft.

5. An umbrella assembly according to claim 3, wherein said slidable member is a sleeve which at least partially surrounds said shaft and is slidable along the outside of said shaft.

6. An umbrella assembly according to claim 3, wherein said slidable member, slides on the outside of the canopy.

7. An umbrella assembly according to claim 6, wherein said slidable member is configured to slide parallel to said shaft in a region between where the ribs of the umbrella connect to the top of the umbrella shaft.

8. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the umbrella is of the foldable type having an extendible shaft.

9. An umbrella according to claim 8, wherein the umbrella is configured such that pulling the upper member away from the umbrella first moves the upper member from the first position to the second position and then causes the shaft to extend.

10. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, further comprising moving means to move the upper member from its first to its second position.

11. An umbrella assembly according to claim 10, wherein said moving means comprises biasing means configured to bias said upper member towards said second position.

12. An umbrella assembly according to claim 11, wherein said biasing means comprises a spring connected to said upper member and said shaft, wherein said spring is in a compressed state when the upper member is in the first position, such that expansion of the spring causes movement of the upper member to the second position.

13. An umbrella assembly according to claim 12, when dependent on either of claims 4 or 5, wherein said spring is located within said slidable member and configured such that movement of the spring causes movement of the slidable member.

14. An umbrella assembly according to claim 12, when dependent on either of claims 4 or 5, wherein said spring is located external to said slidable member and configured such that movement of the spring causes movement of the slidable member.

15. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, further comprising an automatic deployment mechanism for opening the canopy.

16. An umbrella assembly according to claim 15 when dependent on any of claims 8 to 12, wherein the automatic deployment mechanism also activates the moving means to move the upper member clear of the canopy.

17. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein engaging means are provided to hold the upper member in the first position.

18. An umbrella assembly according to claim 22, further comprising an actuating mechanism to disengage the upper member from its first position.

19. An umbrella assembly comprising an umbrella and cover, the umbrella being of the foldable type having an extendible shaft and a canopy attached to the upper end of the shaft, the canopy being supported by foldable ribs such that the canopy collapses from an open position, where the ribs are fully extended, to a closed position, where the ribs are folded, said cover comprising an upper member and a lower member which join together to enclose the collapsed canopy, said lower member being attached to the lower end of said shaft such that it forms a handle for the umbrella, said upper member being shaped to at least partially enclose the collapsed canopy.

20. An umbrella assembly according to claim 19, wherein the cover further comprises attaching means for attaching the upper member to the lower member once the canopy has been opened.

21. An umbrella assembly according to claim 19, the cover further comprising connecting means for maintaining a connection between the upper member and lower member during deployment of the canopy.

22. An umbrella assembly according to any of claims 2,19, 20,21 or any of claims 3 to 18 when dependent on claim 2, wherein the upper and lower members are provided with sealing means to form a watertight seal therebetween.

23. An umbrella assembly according to claim 2,19, 20,21, 22 or any of claims 3 to 18 where dependent on claim 2, wherein the lower member is tapers towards the lower end of the shaft.

24. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper member extends less than half of the way along the length of the closed umbrella.

25. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper member extends substantially a third of the way along the length of the closed umbrella.

26. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper member is at least a third of the length of the lower member.

27. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover is substantially rigid.

28. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover is a moulded cover.

29. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover comprises plastics material.

30. An umbrella assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein said upper member is rotatable with respect to said shaft.

31. An umbrella assembly according to claim 30, wherein at least one ridge is provided on the inside of said upper member, said ridge being shaped such that upon rotation of the upper member, the canopy material is coiled away from the edge of said canopy.

32. An umbrella assembly according to claim 30, wherein said at least one ridge is coiled around the inside of said upper member.

33. An umbrella assembly according to claim 32, wherein said ridge is substantially ellipsoidal.

34. An umbrella assembly according to any of claims 31 to 33, wherein three ridges are provided.

35. An umbrella assembly comprising an umbrella and cover, the umbrella being of the foldable type having an extendible shaft and a canopy attached to the upper end of the shaft, the canopy being supported by foldable ribs such that the canopy collapses from an open position, where the ribs are fully extended, to a closed position, where the ribs are folded, said cover comprising an upper member and a lower member which join together to enclose the collapsed canopy, the upper member being rotatably mounted to the upper end of said umbrella.

36. A cover for an umbrella, the umbrella having a shaft and a canopy attached to an upper end of the shaft which collapses from an open position to a closed position, the cover comprising an upper member shaped to receive at least part of the collapsed canopy when the cover is in position on the umbrella, the cover also comprising mounting means for moveably mounting the upper member to an upper end of the umbrella such that when mounted on the umbrella, the member is moveable between a first position where it at least partially encloses the collapsed canopy and a second position where it is clear of the canopy.

37. A cover for an umbrella, the umbrella being of the foldable type having an extendible shaft and a canopy attached to the upper end of the shaft, the canopy being supported by foldable ribs such that the canopy collapses from an open position, where the ribs are fully extended, to a closed position, where the ribs are folded, said cover comprising an upper member and a lower member which join together to enclose an collapsed canopy, said lower member being attachable to the lower end of said shaft such that it can form a handle for the umbrella, said upper member being shaped to at least partially enclose the collapsed canopy, when in position on the umbrella.

38. A cover for an umbrella, the umbrella being of the foldable type having an extendible shaft and a canopy attached to the upper end of the shaft, the canopy being

supported by foldable ribs such that the canopy collapses from an open position, where the ribs are fully extended, to a closed position, where the ribs are folded, said cover comprising an upper member and a lower member which join together to enclose the collapsed canopy, said upper member having a ridge on its inside, such that rotation of the upper member when in place on the collapsed canopy coils canopy material away from the edge of said upper member.

39. An umbrella assembly as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

40. A cover for an umbrella as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.