Patent ID: 6948506
Filing Date: 2005-09-27
Classification: A45B

Abstract:
1. An umbrella comprising: an elongate stem extending along an axis, and having an upper stem end portion, and a runner sliding portion extending downwardly from said upper stem end portion along the axis; a notch member aligned with said upper stem end portion along the axis, and having upper and lower notch end portions opposite to each other along the axis; a first coupling member having an upper secured end which is secured to said lower notch end portion, and a lower coupling end which is disposed opposite to said upper secured end along the axis; a second coupling member having a lower secured end which is secured to said upper stem end portion, and an upper coupling end which is opposite to said lower secured end along the axis and which is disposed to be swivelable and frictionally rotatable relative to said lower coupling end about the axis, at least one of said upper secured end and said lower secured end being integrally formed with a respective one of said lower notch end portion and said upper stem end portion; a retaining member disposed between said upper and lower secured ends along the axis so as to prevent displacement of said lower coupling end relative to said upper coupling end along the axis during frictional rotation of said upper coupling end relative to said lower coupling end; a canopy mounted on said upper notch end portion of said notch member; a rib assembly including a plurality of ribs, each of which has a proximate rib end that is pivoted to said lower notch end portion of said notch member, and a distal rib end that extends from said proximate rib end radial to the axis and that is disposed at an underside of said canopy to support said canopy in a spread-out position and in a collapsed position; a tubular runner slidably sleeved on said runner sliding portion of said stem, and movable between upper and lower positions which correspond respectively to the spread-out and collapsed positions of said canopy; and a stretcher assembly disposed to interconnect said rib assembly and said runner so as to stretch or retract said rib assembly, thereby placing said canopy in the spread-out position or the collapsed position when said runner is moved to the upper position or the lower position, respectively, and thereby permitting said runner to be rotated with said lower coupling end of said first coupling member.