US1103799A - Hinge for umbrella-ribs. - Google Patents

Description

M- G. MOMILLAN.

HINGE FOB. UMBRELLA RIBS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 14, 1913.

Patented July 14, 191% Gwen/wags,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MOSES C. MGIVIILLAN, 0F WILMINGTON, OHIO.

HINGE ron UMBRELLA-RIBS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. November 14, 1913. Serial No. 801,055.

To ibfiovie it may concern Be it known that I, Mosns C. MCMILLAN,.

aren ribs and is in the nature of an impr'ovei'nent upon the patent granted to John V. Baird March 15th, 1910, No; 951,898.

This patent in common with others discloses.

the idea of a rib ointed between its ends so that the outer portion thereof can be folded upon the inner portion, folding the cover between them, thus reduciiig the length of the umbrella and enabling the same to be. packed in a small space, such, for example, The main problem to be solved in producing a foldable rib of this kind isthat of providing a hinge which will hold the ribs rigidlyin their extended posi tions and'which will permit them to be quickly and easily moved into their extended positions or folded. As a general rule it is necessaryeither to impart some lengthwise, or lateral movement to one part of the ribin orderto disengage the fastening device or to manipulate the fastening device itself; Such constructions are unsatisfactory for First, it makes the folding; process a rather slow and tedious one and destroys anypopularity the umbrella might In the second place, the. fastening devices usually present projections as a hand two reasons.

otherwise have.

or -parts which will pinch or catch in the cover and are liable to tearor injure the same. I Q

The object of the present invention is to provide a hinge for an umbrella rib which can be moved into either its folded or its extended position by the mere application of pressure to the outer portion of the rib in the direction in which itis desired to move the same and which will be firmly held in its extended position.

Further, it is an object of the invention to provide such a hinge which will have no projecting parts or catches which are likely to snag orinjure the fabric of the umbrella cover; and further, to-provide such a hinge 'hich can be very easily and economically manufactured; v v U In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view showing one-of the ribs of an umbrella with my invention applied thereto Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe hinge; Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional view, taken on the line 00 x of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4c is a perspective View of ahinge showing the two portions thereof partially folded. 1 In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention and have shown the same as applied to an umbrella comprisa rod, to the upper portion of which'the are pivoted in the usiial manner. I have shown but one complete rib and this is provided with my improved hinge, This ribis divided between its ends, preferably near the center thereof into two parts. That portion of the rib which is pivotally connected to the rod may be called the inner portion and is indicated by the reference numeral 1. The other portion of the rib, 2,

Patented July 14,1914.

which is pivoted to the outer end of the"= portion 1 of the may be termed'the outer port on. Both portions of the, rib are provided at their adjacent ends with hinge members 3 and 4, respectively, which members.

are rigidly secured to the respective pdrtions of the rib. The hinge member 8 is substantially U-shaped in cross section and is pivotally connected ata point remote from its -outerend to the inner end of the hinge member 4:; 7 At the point of connection with the other hinge member the side wallsof the U-shaped hinge member are substantially parallel but the forward portion oft-he upper edge of one of the side walls of the U-shaped'member 3 is bent inward, as shown at 5, to form a' lip. This'lipvaries in width from a point. near the point of connection with the hinge membera to the outer end thereof so that the edge of the lip is oblique to the length of the rib. The hinge member 4 is adapted to fit into the U-shaped port-ion when the two portions ofthe rib are in their extended position and, as shown in Fig. 3, the side walls of the hinge member 4 converge downwardly so as to give the rib atapered shape in cross section." Consequently, when the hinge member is moved about its pivot to bring it into alinement with the member 3 the inclined side wall will engage the oblique edge of the hp 5 and" made will cause the lip to spring back into its normal position and will thus cause it to engage the top of the hinge member 4. The upper portion of the hinge member being broad and curved about a relatively long radius the contacting surface of the two hinge members will be such that considerable pressure must be applied to the. outer member in order to force the lip 5 out of engagement therewith and allow the two hinge members to be folded one upon the other. Consequently, the lip serves to very firmly secure the two hinge members in their extended positions.

To assist in holding the hinge member 4 against that side of the U-shaped hinge member which has the lip 5,1

,I haveprovided the opposite wall of the U-shaped-member with an inwardly and downwardly extending portion 6 which constitutes aresilient wall or sprin bearing against the side of the hinge mem or land the hinge is in either its extended or itsfolded position there are no projecting parts or catches which might interfere with the vhandling of the device or injure the cover.

Further, it willbe apparent that when the device is" inits extended position the rib will be very rigid and not adapted to 'bemoved about its hinge byany ordinary pres-j sure applied to the umbrella; that the'hinge} can -be .folded or moved intoits extended, position and locked there by a direct pressure inthe direction of the movement desired. Moreover, the hinge is capable of being made of two pieces of metal, as shown inv the drawings, which may be folded into,

the desired shapes, thereby enabling the hinge to be manufactured very econo-mi: cally', at the same time giving an added strength thereto. 1 V

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention it will be understood that this has been chosen for the purpose of illustration only and that I do not desire to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

, Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: 1. A hinge of the character described com-' prising two members, one of said members having .atsubstantially U-shaped portion of resilient material and the other of said memof said second hinge member. y p

described comand retain the same lip.

bers being pivotally connected at'its end between the walls of said U-shaped portion'of the first-mentioned hinge member at a point remote from the end of said U-shaped portion, the'edge of one of the side walls of said U-shaped portion of said first-mentioned hinge member being benttoward the other wall of said-hinge member to form a hp, said lip having its edge extending obliquely to the length of said hinge mem her and arranged to be engaged by the lastmentioned hinge member to cause said lip to move laterally to permit said last-mentioned hinge member to enter the space between the side walls of the U-shaped hinge member and to lie beneath said lip when the latter has returnedto its normal position.

2. A hinge of the character described comprising two members, one of said members having a U-shaped portion and the second member being pivotallyv connected between the walls of said U-shaped member atxa point remote from the end thereof, one of the walls of said U -shaped portion having-v one edge bent' inward to cause it to extend obliquely to the length of said hinge member,'-said second hinge member having its side walls converging downwardly and having its'upperedge of a width greater than;

its lower edge, whereby as said second hinge member is moved into alineinent with said U-shaped hinge member its side wall will engage said obliquely extending lip and,

move the same laterally to permit said sec- 0nd hinge member to pass between the walls of said U-shaped hinge member and to permit said lip to engage the wide upper edge 8. A hinge of the character prising two =members, one having a U- shaped portion and the; other being pivotally connected between the walls of said .U-shaped portion at a point remote from the end thereof, one of the wallsof said U- shaped portion having its upper edge bent inward to cause it to extend obliquely to the length of the hinge member, wherebyas the last-mentioned hinge member is moved into alinement with the first-mentioned hinge member it will engage said obliquely extending lip and move the same laterally to permit said hinge member to pass beneath saidlip, that side of said U-shaped hinge member opposite the side having the lip being provided with a portion. to bear against "said last-mentioned hinge member in' engagement with said 4. A hinge of the character described comprising two members, one having a U- shaped portion and the other being pivotally connected to said U-shaped portion and adapted to be moved into a position between the side walls thereof, one of the side walls of said U-shaped portion having alip arranged to extend above the last-mentioned hinge member and serving to move the same hinge member When said last-mentioned toward that side Wall which has the lip. 10 hinge member lies between the side Walls of In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature said U-shaped hinge member and the other in presence of two Witnesses.

side Wall of said U-shaped hinge member MOSES C. MCMILLAN. "having a resilient portion extending in- Witnesses:

wardly and downwardly therefrom in a po- J. C. LINTON,

sition to be engaged by said last-mentioned J. W. SPARKS. V

Copies of this patent may be obtained for flve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, I

Washington, D. 0."

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