US1145195A - Umbrella. - Google Patents

Description

F. J. HEISLER. UMBRELLA. APPLICATION man sun 25, um.

Patented July 1915.

jazz azS M6 856 749 FRANCIS J. HEISLER, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

UMBRELLA.

Application filed July 25, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANcIs J. Hnrsnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Umbrellas, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in umbrellas or parasols.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide an umbrella of such construction that any one of the central parts may be renewed or removed by the owner without necessitating the employment of a specialist in umbrella work.

According to my invention, the umbrella ribs are adapted to be sprung into or out of hinged relation with the staff so that at any time one of the ribs becomes bent, broken or otherwise impaired, a new rib can be readily substituted.

My invention also includes an improved form of runner whereby the stretchers may be sprung into and out of hinged or pivotal connection therewith for purposes of renewal in case of breakage or other impairment.

In the drawing :-F igure 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of an umbrella embodying my preferred construction. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one-of the head terminals of the ribs or stretchers.. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 47-4: of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the manner in which the cover is secured to the ribs.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

As illustrated, 1 designates an umbrella staff having a tip end 2 and a retaining shoulder 3. At least a portion of the staff is tubular, more particularly at the handle end 4:, as will be seen more particularly by reference to Fig. 4. The staff 1 is provided with a spring retainer 5 for retaining the rib ferrule or sleeve 6 against the shoulder 3, and the staff is also provided with spring runner retainers 7 and 8, for retaining the umbrella in open and closed positions.

Referring more particularly to the run ner 9, the same comprises a sleeve having its upper margin projecting annularly therefrom, as indicated at 10, the outer margin 11, being shaped to form one half of an Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1915.

Serial No. 852,982.

annular spring socket, the material of which the runner is formed, being sufficiently resilient to provide for spring action. The other half of the annular socket is formed by a socket disk 12, which is secured to socket portion 10 by means such as rivets 13. The socket disk 12, outwardly from the rivets 13, is annularly concaved, as indicated at 14;, so as to form with the lower portion 11, a complete annular socket. Outwardly from the fastening means 13, the peripheral margins are free to be separated upon attachment or rather insertion therebetween of the heads of the stretchers. In order to permit of hinging movement of the stems of the stretchers, the socket disk 12 is radially slit as indicated at 15, for a purpose which will presently appear.

The stretchers are indicated at 16 and the same are provided with rounded enlarged heads 17, which are adapted to be sprung between the peripheral lips 18 into the annular socket of the runner, as shown. The peripheral lips 18 extend toward each other to embrace the heads 17 but their extreme edges diverge slightly to permit'of locating the heads prior to thrust on the same to thrust them into the socket. As shown more particularly in Fig. 2, the heads 17 are T- shaped and arein the form of elongated ovals and are transversely circular so as to provide for a ball and socket engagement in the runner 9. Furthermore, the heads 17 are arced about the staff as a center so as to effectively seat in the socket and conform to the annular contour thereof.

In order to maintain the stretchers in prescribed spaced relation, I preferably elongate the heads 17 so that they will be disposed in end to end abutting relation in the socket, as indicated at 19, thereby avoiding rattling whichmight result if. the heads had any free play. As a further precaution against displacement of the stretchers with respect to each other, I proportion the same so that they will. be engaged by the wall edges of the slits 15, in any position which the stretchers may assume. It will now be seen that any one of the stretchers may be sprung out of or into the runner socket without effecting the remaining stretchers because the slit walls will hold the remaining stretchers in position.

The umbrella ribs are indicated at 20, and they may be pivotally connected with the stretchers 16 by a conventional form of fitting, indicated as a whole at 21. Longitudinally spaced along each rib at suitabledistances are a plurality of collapsible studs 22, which are shown as projecting from the up.- per faces of the ribs. A cover is indicated at 23 and'the same is provided with openings to permit of projection therethrough of the studs 22, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the cover may be readily and accurately positioned on the ribs. In order to secure the cover in position, I provide sockets 2 1 which are adapted to be sprung over the studs 22, after the manner of a glove fastener. It will thus be seen that the cover is carried wholly by the ribs as it merely extends to the rib sleeve 6 but not beyond the same.

In order to concealthe sleeve 6, when the umbrella is viewed from the exterior, of the cover, the usual form of tip protector may be fastened to the staff tip 2 so as to spread out over the sleeve 6 in overlapping relation with the inner margin of the cover 23. However, inasmuch as this form of protector is not novel, it has not been shown. The sleeve 6 constitutes means for connecting the ribs, hingedly, with the staff 1, and will now be described in detail. Said sleeve 6 comprises upper and lower sleeve sections 125 and 26, respectively, which are exposed in end to end abutting relation. The abutting portions of the sections extend outwardly at the juncture thereof, and are riveted or secured together by means indicated at 27, in a manner similar to the structure shown in Fig. 2. The outer margins 28 and 29 are shaped .to form an annular socket, similar to that shown in Fig. 2, and the extreme marginal edges 30 and 31 approach each other so as to embrace'the heads 32 with which the ribs 20 are provided. The socket portions 28 and 29 are sufliciently resilient so as to permit the heads 32to be sprung into and out of the same in a manner similar to the construction shown in Fig. 2., and I slit the portions 29, as indicated at 33, to perform a function similar to that of the slits 15.

The rib sleeve is shown held in a fixed position against the shoulder 3 by the spring retainer 5, but it will be understood that if it is desired to remove the sleeve from the staff 1, the retainer 5 may be depressed so as to permit the sleeve 6 to he slid downwardly off of the staif 1. Likewi'se,the runner 9 may be slid downwardly off from the staff 1 so as to completely detach the staff from the frame. The runner 9 is shown in Fig. 1 in an intermediate position between the retainer 7, which holds the umbrella open,-

and the retainer 8 which holds the umbrella closed.

It will now be seen that I have provided an umbrella structure wherein the several parts are readily removable, thereby permittinga manufacturer to put the article on the market and supplyretail stores with the ,tions, and ribs having 'T-shaped oval several parts which can be sold to the purchaser to make repairs without necessitating the purchase of an entirely new umbrella. It will be appreciated that the average unskilled person could not secure a cover to an umbrella frame, but with the device ofmy invention, this difficulty is not only obviated, but the purchaser or user in the case of a parasol, can not only readily put on a new cover but can change the cover of the parasol so that it will correspond with the color of a gown to be worn.

In case it is desired to place the umbrella in a suit case, or it is desired to reduce the length of the same, I provide a handle 34:, which is adapted to telescope the tubular end 4. A spring 35 is shown secured in the handle 34;, at 36, and the spring 35 carries a locking stud or button 37 which is adapted to extend through openings in the handle 34: and the staff l to lock the handle in an extended position, or be retracted to permit3T of the handle'being telescoped into thesta It is believed that the advantages and utility of my invention will be clear from the foregoing description, and while I have herein shown and described one specific form of my invention, I do not wish to be 2 limited thereto except for such limitations as the claims may import.

It will be understood that wherever the terms rib and stretcher are used in the by being thrust into and out of their sockets, that these terms are used withthe idea that a rib is the patentable equivalent of a stretcher, and vice versa.

I claim 1. An umbrella including a staff, annular socket means on the stafl comprising coacting resilient separable peripheral socket portions, and ribs having heads adapted to be sprung into or out of said means between said portions, substantially as described.

2. An umbrella including a stafi', annular socket means on the staff comprising coacting resilient separable peripheral socket and ribs having heads adapted to portions, be sprung into and out of said means between said portions, said heads being elongated for end to end engagement when in position in said means to retain said ribs in prescribed radial'relation with respect to each other, substantially as described.

3. An umbrella including a stall, annular socket means onthe staff comprisingcoacting resilient separable peripheral socket porheads arced about the axis of the sitafi' as a center and adapted to be sprun into and out of said means between said portions, said heads belng proportioned in length for end I to end engagement whe in position in said means to retain sald ribs in prescribed radial relation with respect to each other, substantially as described.

4:. An umbrella including a staff, a rib sleeve on said stafi comprising sleeve sections in end to end abutting relation With the abutting portions projecting radially and being secured together, the free pcripheral margins of said abutting portions being resilient and shaped to form an annular socket provided With radial slits, and ribs having heads adapted to be sprung into and out of said socket from between said margins and adapted to be engaged by the edges of said slitted portions to hold said ribs in prescribed radial relation With respect to each other, substantially as described.

5. An umbrella including a staff and stretchers and a runner slidable on said stafi' and provided With an annular spring socket, said stretchers having heads adapted to be sprung into and out of said socket, substantially as described.

6. An umbrella including a stafi' and stretchers, and a runner slidable on said stafl and provided with an annular spring socket having radial slits, said stretchers having heads adapted to be sprung into and out of said socket and the edges of the slitted portions of said socket engaging said stretchers to hold the same in prescribed spaced relation with respect to each other, substantially as described.

7. A11 umbrella including a staff and stretchers, and a runner slidable on said staff and provided With an annular spring socket, said stretchers having T-shaped oval heads adapted to be sprung into and out of said socket and proportioned for end to end engagement to hold said stretchers in prescribed spaced relation With respect to each other, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereby affix my signature in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

FRANCIS J HEISLER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM C. HOFFMAN, CHARLES SGHWENKER.

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

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