US3455312A - Foldable umbrella frame - Google Patents

Description

July 15. 1969 G. V065; 3,455,312

FOLDABLE UMBRELLA FRAME Filed June 1'7, 1968 2 Sheets-'Sheet 1 July 15, 1969 s. VOGEL 3,455,312

FOLDABLE UMBRELLA FRAME Y Filed June 17, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent Int. Cl. A45b 19/04, 19/06, 19/08 US. Cl. 135-23 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pocket umbrella with an umbrella stick having two sections telescopically arranged with regard to each other and with roof bars each having an inner roof bar section and an outer roof bar section telescopically engaging each other while a main runner on said umbrella stick has one end of said main stays pivotally connected to said main runner whereas the other end of said main stays is connected to the respective adjacent outer roof bar section. The umbrella furthermore comprises an auxiliary runner having connected thereto one end of auxiliary stays the other ends of which are respectively pivotally connected to the main stays. Finally, there are provided spring means having one portion connected to the auxiliary runner while another portion acts upon the auxiliary stays so as to continuously urge the same in the umbrella unfolding position for imparting to the outer roof bars an initial outward movement with regard to the inner roof bars.

urged in opening direction of the roof bars. With a pocket umbrella frame, the umbrella stick is composed of two sections telescopically arranged with regard to each other so that one stick section is movable into and out of the other to thereby extend said umbrella stick to its length of use or to collapse the umbrella stick from its length of use. As is well known and standard with collapsible umbrella frames, the roof bars consist of inner and outer bar sections which telescopically slide on each other during the telescopic movement of the stick sections.

When the stick of a pocket umbrella, after the stick spring has been disengaged, is pulled apart to its length of use and when 'it is desired by displacing the main runner along the umbrella stick away from the stick handle, 'to open the umbrella, it sometimes happens that when the umbrella is opened against the wind, the outer roof bar sections do not slide out from the inner roof bar sections but are pushed into .the same during the opening movement of the main runner until the auxiliary runner hits the umbrella crown, so that the umbrella does not open. In such an instance, it is necessary to move the main runner again toward the umbrella handle so as to prepare the umbrella for another opening attempt. In this connection, care has to be taken that the pulled apart roof bars will, during the upward movement of the ice the intervention of the main stays, the roof bars will not again be pushed together but will be spread apart so that the umbrella will be opened.

Thus, umbrellas of the above-mentioned type have the drawback that when opening the umbrella from its extended position by transmitting the movement of the main runner on the stick to the roof bars, the roof bars are sometimes again pushed together because the roof bars cannot be tilted sufficiently far from the stick in the direction of the opening movement.

For purposes of aiding this opening movement, it is known between the main stays and the auxiliary stays to provide small tension springs. It is also known at the pivot connection of the stays with the roof bars to provide small springs. The mounting of the springs at these areas, however, is complicated and furthermore, there exists the danger that the umbrella cover or material will be damaged.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an umbrella frame which will bring about that immediately after releasing the stick spring, an unfolding effect is exerted upon the auxiliary stays and thereby through said auxiliary stays upon the roof bars so that when unfolding the umbrella, an undesired telescoping movement of the roof bars into each other will be avoided.

It is another object of this invention to provide an umbrella frame as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which will greatly simplify the mounting of the springs and will, for all practical purposes, prevent any damage of the umbrella cover by such springs.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a view of an umbrella frame according to the present invention which, however, for purposes of simplicity, shows only two oppositely located roof bars;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 1 but shows a modified spring;

FIGURE 3 represents a section taken along the line IIIIII of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the line IVIV of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 shows a modified arrangement according to the invention, in which one spring simultaneously acts upon two adjacent auxiliary stays;

FIGURE 6 illustrates an arrangement similar to but differing from that of FIGURE 5 in that a single spring arm has two branches respectively looped around two adjacent auxiliary stays;

FIGURES 7 and 8 respectively illustrate in an isometric elevation and top view a further modification of the auxiliary runner with the spring means pettaining thereto.

An umbrella frame according to the present invention has the roof bars connected to the main runner by means of stays which in turn are connected to an auxiliary runner by means of auxiliary stays. These auxiliary stays are spring-biased in closed condition of the umbrella so as to urge the roof bars to move in opening direction. The socalled pocket type umbrella frame according to the invention is characterized primarily in that preferably, two op positely located auxiliary stays are, by means of spreading springs arranged on the auxiliary runner, biased so as to be urged to move in opening direction of the umbrella.

According to a practical embodiment of this invention, the spreading springs may have two legs, and their ends may be held by a sleeve slipped onto the auxiliary runner while the Zenith point of said two-legged spring is passed around the auxiliary stay pertaining thereto. If desired, however, the spreading spring may be designed as a onelegged spring, in which instance one end is wound around the auxiliary stay. In this way, the spring force can easily be transmitted to the auxiliary stays. It will be appreciated that when the auxiliary stays are spread apart, also the roof bars are spread apart whereby the umbrella is forced open.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the roof bars 2 linked to the umbrella crown 1 are in a manner known per se linked to the main stays 3 which in turn are linked to the main runner 4. Slidably arranged on the umbrella stick 5 is an auxiliary runner 6 which through the intervention of auxiliary stays 7 is linked to the main stays 3.

In order with an umbrella frame of the just-mentioned type to assure that immediately after releasing the main runner, an unfolding effect will be exerted upon the umbrella frame, the auxiliary runner 6 is provided with spreading or unfolding springs 8. These springs 8 may be of a two-legged type so that the zenith portion 8a (FIG. 3) of springs 8 will rest and press against the bottom side of auxiliary stays 7 so a to urge the same to pivot in the umbrella opening direction. The free ends 8b of these springs rest against the auxiliary runner 6 and are held by a sleeve 9 slipped thereover. As will be seen from FIG. 1, two oppositely located auxiliary stays 7 may be equipped with these springs 8, and usually the provision of two of these springs will sufiice for obtaining the necessary spreading or unfolding effect.

The embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 4 corresponds in general to that of FIGS. 1 and 3. However, according to FIGS. 2 and 4, one-legged springs 10 are employed which are held on the auxiliary runner 6 by means of a wire 11 serving for fastening the auxiliary stays. One end 10a of spring 10 is wound around the respective adjacent auxiliary stay 7, whereas the other end 10b rests against auxiliary runner 6 and, if desired, may be covered by a sleeve not shown in the drawing.

It is to be understood that also a two-legged spring 8 may, similar to the one-legged spring 10, be held on the auxiliary runner by means of binding wire 11, in which instance the free ends of the two-legged spring would extend downwardly and engage the auxiliary runner 6.

As will be evident from the above, the one-legged spring 10 and the two-legged spring 8 act upon an auxiliary stay. It is, however, also possible to design those spring areas which contact the stays somewhat wider so that one spring can act simultaneously upon two or more auxiliary stays. Such a design is shown by way of example in FIG. 5 according to which spring 80 is somewhat U-shaped with the legs tapering toward each other while the portions 8d of spring 80 extend below but in engagement with the auxilary stays 7.

The modification shown in FIG. 6 in which a single spring likewise acts upon two auxiliary stays, differs from the design of FIG. 5 in that the single spring arm 10 has branches 10a, 10: each of which has its free end looped around the respective adjacent auxiliary stay 7.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively showing in isometric elevation and top view a further modified auxiliary runner, the runner 6a shown therein is provided with two spreader springs 12 and a sleeve 13 having inside pockets 13a and being slipped over the auxiliary runner 6a. By means of this sleeve 13, which is force-fitted over the upper end of the runner 6a, the free ends of the one-leg springs 12 are held against the auxiliary runner. The spreader springs 12, which preferably are metal springs, are shown in relaxed condition and are substantially T-shaped with the ends or arms 12 of the transverse beam of the T slightly angled inwardly so that the cover of the umbrella frame cannot become damaged. The auxiliary stays 7 loosely rest upon the arms 12a of the spreader 4 spring 12 when the umbrella frame is closed or nearly closed. In the particular showing of FIGS. 7 and 8, only two auxiliary stays 7 rest on each spreader spring 12. However, it will be appreciated that it is possible, without difficulty to extend the arms 12a laterally to such an extent that also three, four or more auxiliary stays 7 can be engaged by the arms 12a to bepre-spread thereby during the start of the opening phase of the umbrella.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular arrangements shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An umbrella frame which includes: an umbrella stick, a crown arranged at one end of said stick, a plurality of roof bars having inner and outer roof bar sections telescopically engaging each other with the inner roof bar sections pivotally connected to said crown, a main runner slidably mounted on said stick, a plurality of main stays respectively having the outer end portionsthereof pivotally connected to said outer roof bar sections and respectively having their inner end portions pivotally connected to said main runner, an auxiliary runner slidably arranged on said stick between said'crown and said main runner, a plurality of auxiliary stays respectively having one end portion thereof pivotally connected to said main stays and respectively having the other end portions pivotally connected to said auxiliary runner, and a plurality of spring means respectively having one portion supported by said auxiliary runner so as to be movable therewith and respectively having another portion operatively connected to the respective adjacent auxiliary stay at an area radially outwardly spaced from said umbrella stick, said spring means continuously urging the respective adjacent auxiliary stays to move in the umbrella unfolding direction.

2. An umbrella frame according to claim 1, in which each of said spring means is a two-legged spring having a portion interconnecting said legs at one end portion thereof and extending around a portion of the respective adjacent auxiliary stay and having the free leg ends in engagement with said auxiliary runner, and means for holding said free leg ends on said auxiliary runner.

3. An umbrella frame according to claim 2, in which said means for holding the free leg ends on said auxiliary runner is formed by a sleeve supported by said auxiliary runner.

4. An umbrella frame according to claim 1, in which each of said spring means is a one-legged spring having.

one end portion extending around a portion of the respective adjacent auxiliary stay and having another end portion connected to aid auxiliary runner.

5. An umbrella frame according to claim 1, in which one portion of each of said spring means engages at least two auxiliary stays.

6. An umbrella frame according to claim 1, in which said spring means are U-shaped and have the cross-bar of said U-shaped contour in engagement with a plurality of adjacent auxiliary stays and continuously urging the latter to pivot in a direction toward the umbrella crown and having the free leg ends of said U-shaped contour linked to said auxiliary runner.

7. An annular frame. according to claim 1, in which each of said spring means is-T-shaped, the free end of the stem of said T-shaped spring means being linked to said auxiliary runner and the free ends of the cross-bar of said T-shaped spring means being at least partially looped around respective adjacent auxiliary stays.

8. An umbrella frame according to claim 1, which includes sleeve means firmly mounted on said auxiliary runner and provided with pockets arranged on the inside of and circumferentially distributed over said sleeve means, and in which said spring means are formed by leaf springs respectively having one end portion firmly located in one of said pockets and having another end portion in engagement with the respective adjacent auxiliary stay.

9. An umbrella frame according to claim 8, in which said leaf springs are T-shaped, the cross-arm of the T- shape contour engaging adjacent auxiliary stays and having its outer ends bent in the direction toward said auxiliary runner.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PETER M. CAUN, Primary Examiner

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