US20170156460A1

US20170156460A1 - Wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella

Info

Publication number: US20170156460A1
Application number: US15/328,800
Authority: US
Inventors: Hao-ming Liu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-10-30
Filing date: 2015-10-30
Publication date: 2017-06-08
Also published as: WO2017070937A1

Abstract

A wind-resistant foldable umbrella includes a main shaft; a runner mounted around the main shaft and sliding between an opening position and a folding position; a first canopy and a second canopy with a central portion thereof fixed to the runner and the top end of the main shaft, respectively; a plurality of the umbrella ribs and a plurality of the pulling elements peripherally disposed around the main shaft and between the first canopy and the second canopy. Two ends of the pulling elements are connected to the corresponding umbrella rib and the runner, respectively. When the runner is at the opening position, the umbrella ribs expand toward the bottom end of the main shaft, so the first and the second canopy expand. Moreover, the umbrella ribs are pulled toward the main shaft by the resilient force from each pulling element.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to umbrellas, and more particularly, to a wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown by Taiwan patent M508941, a conventional inversely foldable umbrella comprises a main shaft, a runner, a first canopy, a second canopy and a skeleton. When the runner is at an opening position, each of the first folding rods and each of the second folding rods move correspondingly, such that the skeleton expands toward the bottom end of the main shaft, whereby the first and the second canopy expand. When the runner is at a folding position, the skeleton folds up toward the top end of the main shaft, such that the first and the second canopy are folded upward. Therefore, the second canopy which is wet is folded in the first canopy so as to prevent the raindrops attached to the second canopy from dropping elsewhere.
However, the skeleton of the inversely foldable umbrella above is disposed between the first canopy and the second canopy. When the runner is at the opening position, the skeleton expanding toward the bottom end of the main shaft causes the angle included by the overall canopy and the main shaft to be oversize. As a result, the overall canopy is arranged almost in parallel to the ground. When the wind resistance is relatively great, the overall canopy is easy to be unexpectedly bent over, thus damaging the skeleton.
Therefore, the conventional inversely foldable umbrellas need to be improved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For improving the aforementioned issues, a wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella is disclosed, wherein a plurality of pulling elements are connected to a plurality of umbrella ribs, such that the resilient force from the pulling elements pulls the plural umbrella ribs toward the main shaft and prevents the canopy being unexpectedly bent over by strong wind.
For achieving the objectives above, a wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella is provided, comprising:
a main shaft with a top end and a bottom end;
a runner mounted around the main shaft and sliding between an opening position and a folding position;
a first canopy with a central portion thereof fixed to the runner;
a second canopy with a central portion thereof fixed to the top end of the main shaft;
a plurality of umbrella ribs, peripherally disposed around the main shaft between the first canopy and the second canopy, each of the umbrella ribs provided with a first and a second folding rod, each first folding rod having one end thereof pivotally disposed at the runner and the other end thereof connected to an edge of both the first canopy and the second canopy, each second folding rod pivotally having one end thereof disposed at the top end of the main shaft and the other end thereof pivotally disposed at a middle portion of each first folding rod; when the runner is at the opening position, the first folding rods expand toward the bottom end of the main shaft, so as to expand the first canopy and the second canopy; when the runner is at the folding position, the first folding rods fold up toward the top end, so as fold the first canopy and the second canopy; and
a plurality of pulling elements, peripherally disposed around the main shaft between the first canopy and the second canopy, each pulling element having one end thereof connected with one of the corresponding first folding rods and the other end thereof connected with the runner; when the runner is at the opening position, the pulling elements are arranged beneath the first folding rods, such that each first folding rod is pulled toward the main shaft by the resilient force from each corresponding pulling element.
Therefore, by the resilient force from the pulling elements, each of the first folding rods of the umbrella ribs is allowed to be pulled toward the main shaft, so as to decrease the angle included by the first and the second canopy and the main shaft.
In a word, the present invention is allowed to not only decrease the angle included by the overall canopy and the main shaft when the overall canopy is open, but also prevent the overall canopy from being unexpectedly bent by strong wind, so as to achieve the wind-resistant function and prevent the umbrella ribs from being damaged due to unexpectedly bending.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the runner at the opening position.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of FIG. 1 taken from a different view point.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella with the second canopy detached from the main shaft.

FIG. 4 is a partially perspective view of the wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of the FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the runner at the opening position.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating the runner at the folding position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned and further advantages and features of the present invention will be understood by reference to the description of the preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings where the components are illustrated based on a proportion for explanation but not subject to the actual component proportion.
Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, a wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella 100 is provided, comprising: a main shaft 10, a runner 20, a first canopy 30, a second canopy 40, a plurality of umbrella ribs 50, and a plurality of pulling elements 80.
The main shaft 10 has a top end 11, a bottom end 12, and a handle 13 disposed at the bottom end 12.
The runner 20 is mounted around the main shaft 10 and slides between an opening position adjacent to the top end 11 of the main shaft 10 and a folding position adjacent to the bottom end 12 of the main shaft 10. The runner 20 is provided with an umbrella hub 21 and a gripping area 22. The umbrella hub 21 is disposed on the runner 20 facing the top end 11 of the main shaft 10, and the gripping area 22 is disposed on the runner 20 and in opposite to the umbrella hub facing the bottom end 12 of the main shaft 10, respectively.
The first canopy 30 has a central portion thereof fixed to the runner 20 and disposed between the umbrella hub 21 and the gripping area 22. A strap 31 is disposed on the first canopy 30 toward the bottom end 12 of the main shaft 10, as shown in FIG. 2.
The second canopy 40 has a central portion thereof fixed to the top end 11 of the main shaft 10.
A plurality of umbrella ribs 50 are peripherally disposed around the main shaft 10 between the first canopy 30 and the second canopy 40. Each of the umbrella ribs 50 has a first folding rod 60 and a second folding rod 70. Each first folding rod 60 is provided with a first end 61, a second end 62, a combining portion 63 disposed between the first end 61 and the second end 62, and a joint portion 64 disposed between the combining portion 63 and the second end 62, as shown in FIG. 4.
Preferably, the distance from the joint portion 64 of each first folding rod 60 to the corresponding combining portion 63 is smaller than the distance from each joint portion 64 to the corresponding second end 62. In addition, the distance from each combining portion 63 to the corresponding first end 61 is slightly shorter than the distance from each combining portion 63 to the corresponding second ends 62.
The first end 61 of each first folding rod 60 is pivotally disposed at the umbrella hub 21 of the runner 20, and the second end 62 of each first folding rod 60 is connected to the edge of the first canopy 30 and the second canopy 40 in a preferable manner or sewing, as shown in FIG. 6. Two ends of each second folding rod 70 are pivotally disposed at the top end 11 of the main shaft 10 and the combining portion 63 of the corresponding first folding portions 60, respectively, as shown in FIG. 4.
Additionally, each of the first folding rods 60 is provided with at least one first connecting portion 65 and at least one second connecting portion 66 for connecting the first canopy 30 and the second canopy 40 in a preferable manner of sewing, respectively. The at least one first connecting portion 65 and the at least one second connecting portion 66 are disposed between the first end 61 and the second end 62 of the first folding rod 60.
The plurality of the pulling elements 80 are peripherally disposed around the main shaft 10 between the first canopy 30 and the second canopy 40. Each of the pulling elements 80 is provided with a first linking end 81 and a second linking end 82 in opposite to the first linking end 81, wherein each of the first linking ends 81 is disposed adjacent to the umbrella hub 21 and is connected between the gripping area 22 and the umbrella hub 21 of the runner 20, as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, with such configuration, the central portion of the first canopy 30 is fixed between the first linking ends 81 and the gripping area 22, as shown in FIG. 6.
Additionally, the connection between each second linking end 82 and the joint portion 64 of the corresponding first folding rod 60, the connection between the runner 20 and each first linking end 81, and the connection between each second linking end 82 and the corresponding first folding rod 60, preferably, are achieved in a manner of hooking.
Moreover, each of the pulling elements 80 has one spring 83 with a free length thereof longer than half the full length of the pulling element 80. One end of the spring 83 is located on the first linking end 81, and the other end of the spring 83 is located between the first linking end 81 and the corresponding second linking end 82.
With the foregoing configuration, operation of the present invention will be illustrated below.
When the wind-resistant inversely fordable umbrella 100 is to be opened, the runner 20 slides from the folding position to the opening position to trigger the first folding rods 60 and the second folding rods 70, so as to drive the umbrella ribs 50 to expand toward the bottom end 12 of the main shaft 10, whereby the first canopy 30 and the second canopy 40 expand, as shown by FIG. 1 and FIG. 6. Meanwhile, the surface of the second canopy 40 faces toward the top end 11 of the main shaft 10, and the surface of the first canopy 30 faces toward the bottom end 12 of the main shaft 10, such that raindrops fall on the surface of the second canopy 40.
As shown in FIG. 6, when the runner is at the opening position, the pulling elements 80 are placed beneath the first folding rods 60, such that each of the first folding rods 60 is pulled toward the main shaft 10 and in a curved-shape by the resilient force from the corresponding pulling elements 80. Therefore, the angle included by the main shaft 10 and the first canopy 30 and the angle included by the main shaft 10 and the second canopy 40 are decreased. As a result, such the configuration mentioned above not only decreases the angle included by the main shaft 10 and the canopies, but also prevents the canopies from being unexpectedly bent by strong wind, so as to achieve the wind-resistant function and prevent the umbrella ribs 50 from being damaged due to unexpectedly bending.
When the umbrella is to be folded, the runner 20 slides from the opening position to the folding position to trigger each of the first folding rods 60 and each of the second folding rods 70, so as to fold the umbrella ribs 50 toward the top end 11 of the main shaft 10. Meanwhile, the first canopy 30 and the second canopy 40 are folded up from the bottom end 12 of the main shaft 10 toward the top end 11 of the main shaft 10, as show in FIG. 7. As a result, the wet second canopy 40 is folded in the first canopy 30, so as to prevent the raindrops from dropping out. Subsequently, the overall inversely foldable umbrella 100 is allowed to be rotated for wrapping and fixing the first canopy 30 by use of the strap 31.
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella, comprising:

a main shaft with a top end and a bottom end;

a runner mounted around the main shaft and sliding between an opening position and a folding position;

a first canopy with a central portion thereof fixed to the runner;

a second canopy with a central portion thereof fixed to the top end of the main shaft;

a plurality of the umbrella ribs, peripherally disposed around the main shaft between the first canopy and the second canopy, each of the umbrella ribs provided with a first and a second folding rod, each first folding rod having one end thereof pivotally disposed at the runner and the other end thereof connected to an edge of both the first canopy and the second canopy, each second folding rod pivotally having one end thereof disposed at the top end of the main shaft and the other end thereof pivotally disposed at a middle portion of each first folding rod; when the runner is at the opening position, the first folding rods expand toward the bottom end of the main shaft, so as to expand the first canopy and the second canopy; and

a plurality of pulling elements, peripherally disposed around the main shaft between the first canopy and the second canopy, each pulling element having one end thereof connected with one of the corresponding first folding rods and the other end thereof connected with the runner; when the runner is at the opening position, the pulling elements are arranged beneath the first folding rods, such that each first folding rod is pulled toward the main shaft by the resilient force from each corresponding pulling element.

2. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 1, wherein the runner is provided with an umbrella hub and a gripping area; the umbrella hub is disposed on the runner facing the top end of the main shaft, and the gripping area is disposed on the runner and in opposite to the umbrella hub facing the bottom end of the main shaft, respectively; one end of each of the first folding rods is pivotally disposed at the umbrella hub; each of the pulling elements is provided with a first linking end and a second linking end disposed in opposite to the first linking end; each of the first linking ends is connected to the runner between the umbrella hub and the gripping area; each of the second linking ends is connected to one of the corresponding first folding rods.

3. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 2, wherein each of the first linking ends is disposed adjacent to the umbrella hub.

4. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 3, wherein the central portion of the first canopy is fixed between the first linking ends and the gripping area.

5. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 1, wherein each of the first folding rods has a first end pivotally disposed at the runner, a second end connected to an edge of the first canopy and the second canopy, a combining portion disposed between the first end and the second end, and a joint portion disposed between the combining portion and the second end, each of the second folding rods pivotally disposed at the corresponding combining portion, each pulling element connected to the corresponding joint portion.

6. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 5, wherein a distance from each of the joint portions to each of the combining portions is smaller than a distance from each of the joint portions to the corresponding second end.

7. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 6, wherein a distance from each of the combining portions to each of the first ends is slightly smaller than the distance from each of the combining portions to the corresponding second end.

8. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 5, wherein each of the first folding rods is provided with at least one first connecting portion and at least one second connecting portion for connecting the first canopy and the second canopy, respectively; the at least one first connecting portion and the at least one second connecting portion are disposed between the first ends and the second ends.

9. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 1, wherein each of the pulling elements has a spring with a free length longer than half a full length of the pulling element.

10. The wind-resistant inversely foldable umbrella of claim 9, wherein each of the pulling elements is provided with a first linking end and a second linking end disposed in opposite to the first linking end, each of the first linking ends connected to the runner, each of the second linking ends connected to the corresponding first folding rod, one end of the spring located on the first linking end, and the other end of the spring located between the first linking end and the second linking end.

11. The wind-resistant inversely foldable of claim 1, wherein each of the first folding rods is pulled in a curved-shape by the resilient force from the corresponding pulling elements when the runner is at the opening position.