US1070894A - Umbrella. - Google Patents

Description

J. R. HOPKINS.

UMBRBLLA. APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 29, 1911'.

Patented Allg. 19, 1913.

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JAMES R. HOPKINS, OF VINE GROVE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM C. VJOODS, OF VINE GROVE, KENTUCKY.

UMBRELLA.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES It. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vine Grove, in the county of Hardin and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Umbrellas, of which the following is a specification.

An object of the invention is to provide an umbrella that can be quickly and easily opened automatically by the operator.

For the purpose mentioned, use isI made of a tubular staif having a spring disposed therein, one end of the spring being rigidly secured in the staff, the other end of the spring being attached to a slidable sleeve constituting` a handle, a series of ribs hingedly mounted at the upper end of the staff and hingedly connected by suitable rods and brace rods to a ring secured to the staff so that the ribs can be folded around the statt when it is desired to close the umbrella, a runner movably mounted on the staff and having connection with the ribs and a connection between the said handle and the said runner whereby when the handle is operated toward the lower end of the staf the ribs will be moved to closed position and when the handle is released from locking engagement with the lower end of the staff the action of the spring will operate the said ribs, thus opening the umbrella.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which* Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of my umbrella showing the same in open position, parts being broken away to disclose the underlying structure, and the cover being removed therefrom. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a portion of my umbrella showing the same in closed posit-ion, parts being broken away. F ig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the manner of securing the upper ends of `the springs to the inner side of the staff.

Referring more particularly to the views, I provide a tubular staff 10 having a longitudinally extending slot 11 therein and rigidly secured to the upper end of the staff is a collar 12 having hingedly mounted thereon a series of ribs 13. Rigidly secured to the staff 10 is a ring 14 having hingedly mounted thereon rods 15, the said rods 15 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 29, 1911.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Serial No. 617,629.

inner side o-f the staff 10 and threadedlvV engaging the said nut is a bolt- 19, the said lower end of the said bolt being connected to a spring 20. Slidably mounted on the staff 10 is a runner 21 and hingedly mounted on the said runner are actuating rods 22 having their outer ends hingedly connected with the rods 15 at points 23, the spring 20 being secured at its lower end to the runner 21 by members 24 extending through the slot 11.

Mounted in the staff 10 and having the upper end thereo-f connected to the runner 21 is a connecting rod 25, the lower end of the said connecting rod being connected with a sleeve 26 slidably mounted on the stall 10 and provided with a handle 27, the said sleeve being provided with a slot 26a. Mounted in the staff 10 at the lower end thereof is a locking spring 28 adapted to extend through a slot 29 in the staff 10 to releasably lock the sleeve in position at the lower end of the staff l0 and adjacent the usual handle 30 thereof.

In the operation of my device, assuming that the umbrella is in closed position, when it is desired to open the same, the locking spring 28 is pressed inwardly, thus disengaging the sleeve 26 with the locking spring and the contractile spring 20, being in tension when the umbrella is closed and having a suitable contracting force, tends to assume its normal position, thus actuating the sleeve 26 to slide upwardly on the staff 10, thus also actuating the runner 21 to slide upwardly on the staff. As the runner slides upwardly, the actuating rods 22 will be moved to force t-he ribs 13 outwardly and into open position, owingto the auxiliary rods 1G and the rods 15 having hinged connection with the actuating rods 22. IVhen it is desired to close the umbrella, the handle 27 is grasped and moved toward the handle 30 of the umbrella sta, thus moving the ribs 13 to closed position, and the umbrella will be retained in closed or locked position by the locking spring 28 engaging the sleeve 2G in the slot 26a thereof.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that by simply pressing the spring 28, the umbrella will be automatically opened and the same can he quickly closed l y rengaging the sleeve 2G with the spring 28.

Although for the purpose of describing my invention i have shown a particular construction, it will be understood that the scope oit my invention is defined in the appended claim.

Having thus fully described the invention, what l claim as new, is:-

ln an umbrella structure, the combination of a tubular stall having a longitudinal slot therein, a collar secured thereon, ribs pivotally secured to said collar, a ring rigidly secured to said stall and spaced below said collar, sectional stretcher rods pivotally connected with said ring and ribs, a. runner slidable on said staff, actuating rods having pivotal connection with said runner and stretcher rods, a block iixedly secured within said stall at the upper end thereof, a second block slidahle within said stad and rigidly connected with said ruimer through said slot, a longitudinally disposed rod arranged within said stall and hai/*ing its upper end extending through said second mentioned block and provided with an eye, a retractile spring disposed between said blocks and having one of its ends connected with said fixed block and its opposite end secured in said eye ,of the rod and operating to draw said runner upwardly on said staff to move said ribs to open position, said runner being adapted to abut against said iXed ring to limit its movement in one direction, a sleeve slidahle on said stati" helow said runner and rigidly secured to the lower end of said longitudinally disposed rod through said slot, means for lowering said sleeve to extend said spring and more said ribs to closed position, said sleeve being provided with a slot, and means on the lower end of said stall:1 for coperation with said slot of the sleeve to retain said spring extended and the umbrella in closed position.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES R. HOPKINS.

l,Witnesses C. ifi. Linien, F. E. PATTERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latentsl Washington, D. C.

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