US20020078986A1

US20020078986A1 - Umbrella cover for wind-stable umbrella

Info

Publication number: US20020078986A1
Application number: US09/747,985
Authority: US
Inventors: Zong Tsun
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-12-27
Filing date: 2000-12-27
Publication date: 2002-06-27

Abstract

An umbrella cover for a wind-stable umbrella is provided. The umbrella cover includes a main cover provided at a central area with at least one opening and a compensating cover adapted to loosely close the at least one opening on the main cover for a wind passage to exist between the main and the compensating covers. The at least one opening is provided at an outer edge with flaps. Free ends of these flaps upward and radially outward extend, allowing the flaps to function like a one-way valve. When a wind blows into the umbrella and moves upward to pass the at least one opening of the main cover, the flaps can be flattened by the wind for the wind to pass the wind passage and move out of the umbrella, protecting the umbrella against an overstrong wind pressure. When a wet wind sideward blows against the umbrella, free ends of the flaps are blown open to block the wind passage, stopping wind and rain from invading the umbrella via the at least one opening. And, when the umbrella is collapsed, free ends of the flaps fall open to catch rainwater flowing downward along the main cover, protecting components of the umbrella from rusting due to rainwater.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an umbrella cover, and more particularly to an umbrella cover that effectively protects the umbrella against an overstrong pressure when a strong wind blows into the umbrella, and stops rainwater from entering an umbrella no matter the umbrella is in a stretched or collapsed state.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, an umbrella typically includes a shaft 1, an upper hub 2, a lower hub 3 upward and downward movable along the shaft 1, a skeleton 4 including a plurality of ribs and stretchers pivotally connected to the upper and the lower hubs 2 and 3, and an umbrella cover 5 connected to and covering a top of the skeleton 4.

For a wind-stable umbrella, that is, an umbrella that is structurally not easily deformed or broken due to a strong wind, the

umbrella cover

5 usually includes a main cover 51 and a compensating cover 52. The main umbrella cover 51 is tacked to the skeleton 4 to cover the whole top of the skeleton 4. However, there are openings 53 provided on the main cover 51 near a top central area thereof, as shown in FIG. 1. The compensating cover 52 is tacked to the skeleton 4 to overlap the top central area of the main cover 51 and thereby loosely covers the openings 53 with a wind passage 54 left between the main and the compensating

covers

51 and 52.

When the umbrella is declined by a strong wind and the wind blows from an underside or inner side of the umbrella toward a top of the umbrella, the wind could pass the

openings

53 on the main cover 51 and moves out of the umbrella via the wind passage 54 between the main and the compensating

covers

51, 52. With the openings 53 and the wind passage 54, the skeleton 4 is protected from upward turning, deforming or breaking due to an overstrong wind pressure against the umbrella cover 5.

On the other hand,

rainwater

6 tends to invade the umbrella via the wind passage 54 and the openings 53 when a strong wet wind sideward blows against the umbrella, as shown in FIG. 2.

Moreover, when the umbrella is collapsed, as shown in FIG. 3,

rainwater

6 attached to the main cover 51 naturally drips downward along the main cover 51 to pass the wind passage 54 and enter the umbrella via the openings 53. Rainwater 6 entered the umbrella tends to wet and rust the skeleton 4, the upper hub 2 and the shaft 1, and thereby shortens the usable life of the umbrella.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved structure for the umbrella cover of the wind-stable umbrella to eliminate drawbacks existing in the conventional wind-stable umbrella.

The umbrella cover for a wind-stable umbrella according to the present invention mainly includes a main cover provided at a central area with at least one opening and a compensating cover adapted to loosely close the at least one opening on the main cover for a wind passage to exist between the main and the compensating cover. The at least one opening is provided at an outer edge with flaps. Free ends of these flaps upward and radially outward extend, allowing the flaps to function like a one-way valve. When a wind blows into the umbrella and moves upward to pass the at least one opening of the main cover, the flaps can be flattened by the wind for the wind to pass the wind passage and move out of the umbrella, protecting the umbrella against an overstrong wind pressure. When a wet wind sideward blows against the umbrella, free ends of the flaps are blown open to block the wind passage, stopping wind and rain from invading the umbrella via the at least one opening. And, when the umbrella is collapsed, free ends of the flaps fall open to catch rainwater flowing downward along the main cover, protecting components of the umbrella from rusting due to rainwater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein [0009]
FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of a conventional wind-stable umbrella in a fully stretched state; [0010]
FIG. 2 is a sectioned side view of the wind-stable umbrella of FIG. 1, showing the umbrella is invaded by rainwater when it is in use; [0011]
FIG. 3 is a partially sectioned view of the wind-stable umbrella of FIG. 1 in a collapsed state, showing rainwater attached to the umbrella cover enters the umbrella via openings and wind passage thereof; [0012]
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an umbrella cover for wind-stable umbrella according to the present invention; [0013]
FIG. 5 is a perspective top view of a wind-stable umbrella using the umbrella cover of the present invention shown in FIG. 4; [0014]
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the umbrella of FIG. 5, showing the wind blown into the umbrella flattens flaps provided on the umbrella cover to move out of the umbrella; [0015]
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the umbrella of FIG. 5, showing flaps provided on the umbrella cover stop a sideward wet wind from invading the umbrella; [0016]
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the circled area A in FIG. 7; [0017]
FIG. 9 is a partially sectioned side view of the umbrella of FIG. 5 in a collapsed state, showing the flaps stop rainwater attached to the umbrella cover from entering the umbrella; [0018]
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of a stretched folding umbrella using the umbrella cover of the present invention; and [0019]
FIG. 11 is the folding umbrella of FIG. 10 in a collapsed state.[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please refer to FIGS. [0021] 4 to 9. The present invention relates to an umbrella cover 5 for a wind-stable umbrella that mainly includes a shaft 1, an upper hub 2 fixedly mounted to an upper end of the shaft 1, a lower hub 3 upward and downward movably mounted around the shaft 1, a skeleton 4 including a plurality of ribs and stretchers pivotally connected to the upper and the lower hubs 2 and 3, and the umbrella cover 5 tacked to a top of the skeleton 4.
The [0022] umbrella cover 5 is formed by a main cover 51 and a compensating cover 52. The main cover 51 is provided in a central area with at least one opening 53, such that the main cover 51 covers a peripheral area above the skeleton 4 when the main cover 51 is tacked to the top of the skeleton 4. The compensating cover 52 is tacked to the skeleton 4 to loosely close the at least one central opening 53 of the main cover 51, such that a wind passage 54 exists between the main and the compensating covers 51 and 52.
The [0023] main cover 51 of the present invention is characterized in a plurality of flaps 55 connected at one end to an outer edge of the at least one central opening 53, such that a free end of each of the flaps 55 upward and radially outward extends over the main cover 51. The flaps 55 are normally in a loosely outward stretched state and can be flattened against the main cover 51 by wind flowing in a direction in which the free ends of the flaps 55 extend. Therefore, the flaps 55 function like a one-way valve allowing the wind to blow through the wind passage 54 in only one direction from an inner side to outer side of the umbrella.
As can be clearly seen from FIG. 6, when a gust of wind blows upward against an inner side of the [0024] umbrella cover 5, the wind would pass the at least one opening 53 and flattens the flaps 55. The flattened flaps 55 expand the wind passage 54 between the main and the compensating covers 51 and 52, allowing the wind to quickly move out of the umbrella via the wind passage 54 and protecting the skeleton 4 from an overstrong wind pressure that would otherwise cause outward turned, deformed or broken skeleton 4.
There is another condition to which the umbrella might be subjected. That is, a wet wind sideward blows against the umbrella. As can be seen from FIGS. 7 and 8, when the [0025] umbrella cover 5 of the present invention is subjected to a sideward wet wind, free ends of the flaps 55 are blown open to close the wind passage 54 between the main and the compensating covers 51 and 52 to effectively stop the rainwater 6 from invading the umbrella via the wind passage 54 and the at least one opening 53.
When the umbrella is collapsed as shown in FIG. 9, free ends of the [0026] flaps 55 naturally fall open to provide a trough 56 that blocks the wind passage 54 and catches rainwater 6 remaining on and slowly flowing downward along the main cover 51. That is, the rainwater 6 remaining on the main cover 51 of the collapsed umbrella is prevented from entering the umbrella via the at least one opening 53 while the rainwater 6 remaining on the compensating cover 52 dripping along the cover 52 to the ground without invading the umbrella. Therefore, the flaps 55 effectively stop the rainwater 6 from entering the umbrella to rust the skeleton 4 and other components and enable the umbrella to have prolonged usable life.
FIGS. [0027] 4 to 9 illustrate that the umbrella cover 5 of the present invention is used with general umbrellas having a straight shaft. However, the umbrella cover 5 of the present invention may also be used with a folding umbrella, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, to achieve the same good effect of protecting an umbrella against strong wind and rain.
The present invention has been described with a preferred embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims. [0028]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An umbrella cover for wind-stable umbrella, said umbrella including a shaft, an upper hub fixedly mounted to an upper end of said shaft, a lower hub upward and downward movably mounted around said shaft, a skeleton including a plurality of ribs and stretchers pivotally connected to said upper and said lower hubs, and an umbrella cover tacked to a top of said skeleton, said umbrella cover for wind-stable umbrella comprising a main cover and a compensating cover, said main cover being provided at a central area with at least one opening, such that said main cover covers a peripheral area above said skeleton when said main cover is tacked to a top of said skeleton; said compensating cover being tacked to said skeleton to loosely close said at least one central opening of said main cover, such that a wind passage exists between said main and said compensating covers; said umbrella cover being characterized in that said main cover includes a plurality of flaps connected at an end to an outer edge of said at least one central opening, such that a free end of each of said flaps upward and radially outward extends over said main cover, said flaps being normally in a loosely outward stretched state and being flattened against said main cover by wind flowing in a direction in which said free ends of said flaps extend, said flaps functioning like a one-way valve allowing wind to blow through said flaps and accordingly said wind passage in only one direction from an inner side to outer side of said umbrella but stopping wind and rain from invading said umbrella via said wind passage from outer side to inner side of said flaps.