Automatic umbrella control mechanism

An automatic umbrella control mechanism, which includes a socket defining a receiving chamber, a receptacle supported on a compression spring in the receiving chamber inside the socket, a hook turned about a pivot in the socket and supported on a torsional spring at the pivot, a button controlled to turn the hook for enabling the folding collapsible umbrella frame to be opened by a return spring, and a retainer bit to be retained to secured in position by a pressure spring to hold the umbrella in the open position. When the button is depressed again, the retainer bit is released from the constraint, enabling the umbrella to be collapsed by means of the operation of the return spring.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 The present invention relates to an automatic umbrella, and more
 specifically to an automatic umbrella control mechanism for controlling
 opening/closing of the umbrella by a common button.
 A conventional umbrella must be opened manually with both hands. Recently,
 a variety of semi-automatic umbrellas have been disclosed, and have
 appeared on the market. These semi-automatic umbrellas commonly use spring
 means controlled by a button to release the folding collapsible umbrella
 frame from the constraint. However, these semi-automatic umbrellas must be
 closed manually with both hands when not in use.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 It is the main object of the present invention to provide an automatic
 umbrella control mechanism, which enables the user to open and close the
 umbrella automatically by means of operating a common button. According to
 the present invention, the automatic umbrella control mechanism comprises
 a socket, the socket comprising a receiving chamber, a longitudinal
 sliding groove inside the receiving chamber, a transverse pivot disposed
 inside the receiving chamber at a top side, a hook turned about the
 transverse pivot, a torsional spring mounted on the transverse pivot and
 connected to the hook to force the hook in one direction, a compression
 spring mounted in the receiving chamber inside the socket, a receptacle
 supported on the compression spring inside the socket, the receptacle
 comprising a tubular bottom flange coupled to the compression spring, a
 rib coupled to the longitudinal sliding groove inside the socket to guide
 vertical movement of the receptacle in the socket, a pressure strip
 disposed at one side opposite to the rib, and a rectangular top notch
 corresponding to the pressure strip, and a button controlled to open/close
 the folding collapsible umbrella frame of the umbrella. When the button is
 depressed, the hook is tilted and released from the umbrella shaft for
 enabling the folding collapsible umbrella frame assembly to be opened by
 spring means. When the button is depressed again, a retainer bit is
 released, enabling the opened umbrella frame assembly to be collapsed by
 means of the operation of spring means in the umbrella shaft of the
 folding collapsible umbrella frame assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
 Referring to FIG. 1, an automatic umbrella control mechanism in accordance
 with the present invention is generally comprised of a hollow handle 10, a
 socket 20, a receptacle 30, a tube 40, an umbrella shaft 50, and a button
 60.
 The handle 10 comprises a round hole 11 through the peripheral wall near
 the top, and a pinhole 12 through the peripheral wall near the bottom. The
 socket 20 is mounted inside the handle 10, comprising a receiving chamber
 21, a longitudinal sliding groove 22 inside the receiving chamber 21, a
 transverse pivot S disposed inside the receiving chamber 21 at the top, a
 hook 23 turned about the transverse pivot S, a torsional spring 24 mounted
 on the transverse pivot S and connected to the hook 23 to force the hook
 23 in one direction, a first transverse pin hole 25 at the bottom end
 thereof, a side block 26 near the bottom end, and a second transverse pin
 hole 25 through the side block 26. The receptacle 30 is supported on a
 spring 32 inside the socket 20, comprising a tubular bottom flange 31
 coupled to the compression spring 32, a rib 33 and a pressure strip 34
 disposed at two opposite sides, and a rectangular top notch 35
 corresponding to the pressure strip 34. The tube 40 is inserted through
 the receptacle 30 and the compression spring 32 inside the socket 20,
 comprising a side hole 41 near the top end thereof, two vertically spaced
 elongated holes 42 and 43 of different lengths disposed through the
 peripheral wall at one side opposite to the transverse side hole 41, a
 pressure spring 44 fastened to the elongated holes 42 and 43, and a
 transverse pin hole 45 near the bottom end thereof. The umbrella shaft 50
 is inserted into the receptacle 20 and sleeved onto the tube 40 and
 fastened to the first pin hole 25 at the socket 20, comprised of an inner
 metal tube 53, and outer metal tube 52 sleeved onto the inner metal tube
 53, a return spring 51 mounted inside the outer metal tube 52 and stopped
 above the inner metal tube 53, a pulley 521 mounted inside the outer metal
 tube 52, a pull cord 522 wound round the pulley 521, the pull cord 522
 having a top end fixedly connected to the top end of the umbrella shaft 50
 and a bottom end suspended in the umbrella shaft 50, and a retainer bit
 523 suspended from the bottom end of the pull cord 522. The inner metal
 tube 53 comprises a transverse pin hole 533 near the bottom end thereof, a
 hook hole 531 spaced above the transverse pin hole 533 at one side, and an
 opening 532 spaced between the hook hole 531 and the transverse pin hole
 533. The button 60 is mounted in the round hole 11 at the handle 10,
 comprising a groove 61 at an inner side corresponding to the hook 23 in
 the socket 20.
 The assembly process of the present invention is outlined hereinafter with
 reference to FIG. 2. The receptacle 30 is supported on the spring 32
 inside the socket 20 with the rib 33 coupled to the longitudinal sliding
 groove 22 inside the socket 20, then the sleeve 40 is inserted into the
 umbrella shaft 50, and then inserted with the umbrella shaft 50 through
 the receptacle 30 into the socket 20, and then a pivot S is fastened to
 the pin hole 45 at the tube 40, the pin hole 533 at the inner metal tube
 53 and the pin hole 25 at the socket 20 to secure the tube 40, the
 umbrella shaft 50 and the socket 20 together, and then the socket 20 is
 inserted into the handle 10, and then a pivot S is fastened to the pin
 hole 12 at the handle 10 and the second pin hole 261 at the socket 20 to
 secure the socket 20 and the handle 10 together, and then the button 60 is
 mounted in the round hole 11 at the handle 10 with its groove 61 forced
 into engagement with the hook 23.
 Referring to Figures from 3 through 5, when opening the umbrella, the
 button 60 is depressed to tilt the hook 23, causing the hook 23 to be
 disengaged from the hook hole 531 at the inner metal tube 53, and
 therefore the outer metal tube 52 is immediately pushed upwards by the
 return spring 52 to open the folding collapsible stretcher and rib
 assembly and the cover on the folding collapsible stretcher and rib
 assembly (not shown). When the outer metal tube 52 is pushed to the upper
 limit position, the retainer bit 523 is forced into the side hole 41 at
 the tube 40 and retained in place by the pressure spring 44, enabling the
 umbrella to be maintained in the open position, and at the same time the
 receptacle 30 is pushed upwards to its former position by the spring 32,
 keeping the pressure strip 34 in between the hook 24 in the socket 20 and
 the retainer bit 523 in the side hole 41 at the tube 40. When collapsing
 the umbrella, the button 60 is depressed again to force the hook 23 at the
 pressure strip 34 against the pressure spring 44, causing the pressure
 spring 523 to release the retainer bit 523, and therefore the umbrella
 shaft 50 is retracted by the return spring 51. When collapsed, the
 umbrella shaft 50 is forced downwards with hand, enabling the hook 23 to
 hook in the hook hole 513 at the inner metal tube 53 again.