Patent ID: 8061375
Filing Date: 2011-11-22
Classification: A45B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An umbrella having an open, in use, position and a closed, stowed, position, the umbrella comprising: a pole; a hub having a periphery extending around the pole, the hub periphery having formed therein a plurality of radially outwardly oriented hub channels that are spaced at a first angle from one another around the hub periphery, wherein the first angle between each pair of adjacent hub channels is the same around the hub periphery; a canopy having a periphery that includes at least some points located at different distances from the pole in the open position; a plurality of ribs, each being mounted in a respective hub channel and extending from the respective hub channel to the periphery of the canopy, said ribs comprising a first group extending from the hub along longitudinal axes that are collinear with a radial orientation of the respective hub channels and a second group extending away from the hub along longitudinal axes that deviate from the radial orientation of the respective hub channels to points on the periphery of the canopy, and a plurality of connectors comprising a first portion coupled with at least some of the ribs, a second portion coupled with the hub, and a flexible portion disposed between the first and second portions configured to allow the ribs to deviate from the radial orientation of the respective hub channels; wherein the flexible portion comprises two channels on opposite sides of the connector, each channel disposed transversely to one side of the connector.