Patent Publication Number: US-6338353-B1

Title: Self-opening and foldable umbrella

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     To use a stick umbrella, a user has to push the runner of the umbrella to a predetermined position to open it. As the opening action takes a short period of time more or less, the user may get wetted in a heavy rain before he can open the umbrella. Therefore, various self-opening foldable umbrellas with multiple segments have been introduced to the market later on. In using the foldable umbrella of this kind, a user can open or close the umbrella more rapidly just by pressing a button on its shank. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of this invention is to provide a self-opening four-segment foldable umbrella, in which a shank comprises an outer pipe, a second middle pipe, a first middle pipe, an inner pipe, and a control mechanism for self-opening an umbrella. 
     In order to realize abovesaid object, the four-segment foldable umbrella of this invention comprises a shank, a rib assembly, an opening spring, a closing spring, a control mechanism, and a plurality of gores. The shank further comprises a top fulcrum, an outer pipe, a second middle pipe, a first middle pipe, an inner pipe, a handgrip, a long plastic pipe, and an outer pipe plug. The rib assembly consists of a plurality of top stretchers, lower ribs, inner connection ribs, middle ribs, inner resilient ribs, small slide sockets, outer resilient ribs, outer connection ribs, tail ribs, and a runner. An upper end or a lower end of the opening spring sustains a lower end of an outer pipe plug or props a long controller at its upper end respectively. One end of the closing spring disposed on the rib assembly is pivotally jointed with a nearer end of the top stretcher, and the other end is pivotally jointed to a return point of the inner resilient rib at a nearer end of the lower rib. 
     For more detailed information regarding this invention together with further advantages or features thereof, at least an example of preferred embodiment will be elucidated below with reference to the annexed drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The related drawings in connection with the detailed description of this invention to be made later are described briefly as follows in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a cutaway sectional view showing an opened umbrella of this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cutaway sectional view of a handgrip of this invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cutaway sectional view showing a closed umbrella of this invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of a shank of this invention; 
     FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the shank of this invention in three dimensions; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken alone line  6 — 6  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  7 — 7  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  8 — 8  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  9 — 9  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  10 — 10  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  11 — 11  in FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the shank in the closed umbrella. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     As shown in FIG. 1, a four-segment foldable umbrella of this invention mainly comprises a shank, a rib assembly, an opening spring, a closing spring, a control mechanism, and a plurality of gores. 
     The shank is composed of a top fulcrum  1 , an outer pipe  2 , a second middle pipe  3 , a first middle pipe  4 , an inner pipe  5 , a handgrip  6 , a long plastic pipe  31 , and an outer pipe plug  32 . 
     Referring to FIG.  4  through FIG. 12, the cross section of the inner pipe  5  is circular, and the upper end of the inner pipe  5  is an equiangular quadrangle with a groove disposed in each corner to form an octagonal expanded portion  5 ′. The first middle pipe  4  with an octagonal cross-sectional portion  4 ′ is inlaid in the expanded portion  5 ′ and is tapered to a circular cross section at its lower end for sleeve-jointing with the inner pipe  5  while its upper end is reduced from the octagon with four grooves to become a quadrangular expanded arc portion  4 ″. The cross section of the second middle pipe  3  is made in quadrangular arc shape sheathing the expanded portion  4 ″ of the first middle pipe  4 , wherein a quadrangular lower end of the second middle pipe  3  is provided with grooves to form an octagonal cross section  3 ′ sheathing the first middle pipe  4 , and a circular cross-sectional expended portion  3 ″ is formed at its upper end. Moreover, a quadrangular arc-shaped cross section  2 ′ is formed at a lower end of the outer pipe  2  sheathing the second middle pipe  3  while a circular cross section is formed at its upper end sheathing the expanded portion  3 ″ of the second middle pipe  3 , and besides, the long plastic pipe  31  linked with the plug  32  is arranged at the upper end of the outer pipe  2 . 
     A rib assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 consists of a plurality of top stretchers  7 , lower ribs  8 , inner connection ribs  10 , middle ribs  11 , inner resilient ribs  12 , small slide sockets  13 , outer resilient ribs  14 , outer connection ribs  15 , tail ribs  16 , and a runner  9 . 
     One end of the top stretcher  7  is pivotally jointed with the top fulcrum  1  of the shank, the other is pivotally jointed to a midpoint of the lower rib  8 . One end of the lower rib  8  is pivotally jointed with the runner  9  on the shank, the other is pivotally jointed to one end of the middle rib  11 . The other end of the middle rib  11  is in turn pivotally jointed with one end of the inner connection rib  10 , and the other end of the inner connection rib  10  is pivotally jointed to the top stretcher  7  adjacent to the midpoint of the lower rib  8 . The inner resilient rib  12  is laterally disposed at one side of the middle rib  11  and connected with one end of the outer connection rib  15  and a nearer end of the lower rib  8 . The small slide socket  13  is formed by bending a projecting wall of the middle rib  11  to ensure that the inner resilient rib  12  will not be bent outwards. Further, one end of the outer resilient rib  14  is pivotally jointed with a nearer end of the middle rib  11 , and the other end of the outer connection rib  15  and the outer resilient rib  14  are pivotally jointed to a nearer end of the tail rib  16 . 
     An upper end or a lower end of the opening spring  17  sustains a lower end of the outer pipe plug  32  or props a long controller  27  at its upper end. The long controller  27 , the inner pipe  5 , and a main body  20  sheathing the long plastic pipe  31  are fixed by nailing the main body  20  to the opening spring  17 . One end of the closing spring  18  disposed on the rib assembly is pivotally jointed with a nearer end of the top stretcher  7 , and the other end is pivotally jointed to a return point of the inner resilient rib  12  at a nearer end of the lower rib  8 . The control mechanism comprises a button  19 , the main body  20 , a bow piece  21 , a twist reed  22 , a twist-reed nail  23 , two pieces of button spring  24 , a control body  25 , a spring of control body  26 , the long controller  27 , a snap spring piece  29 , a pulling wire  30 , the long plastic pipe  31 , the outer pipe plug  32 , and six small pulleys. The long controller  27  and the snap spring piece  29  are arranged in the inner pipe  5  while the twist reed  22 , the bow piece  21 , the twist-reed nail  23 , and the button springs  24  are disposed on the main body  20 . The button  19  is placed in the handgrip  6 , and the long plastic pipe  31  is linked with the outer pipe plug  32 , and one end of the pulling wire  30  is coupled with a snap head  28 . After passing through the long plastic pipe  31 , the outer pipe plug  32 , and a guide wheel  33 , the other end of the pulling wire  30  is led downwards to wind on a lower guide wheel  38 , then led upwards to wind on three upper guide wheels  35  located above the outer pipe plug  32  at the top end of the outer pipe  2 , and finally, led downwards farther and to be fixed at the runner  9 . The guide wheel  33  and its axis pin  34  are pivotally disposed on the outer pipe plug  32  while the lower guide wheel  38  and its wheel socket  39  are fixed with a fixing element and disposed on the runner  9 . Furthermore, the upper guide wheel  35  and its wheel socket  36  are fixed with a fixing element and disposed on the outer pipe plug  32 . In addition, the axis of the upper guide wheel  35  is parallel to that of the guide wheel  33  while the axis of the lower guide wheel  38  is perpendicular to that of the guide wheel  33  and the upper guide wheel  35 . 
     When opening the umbrella, a user is supposed to press the button  19  to lift up the bow piece  21 , then the elastic force of the opening spring  17  enables the first middle pipe  4 , the second middle pipe  3 , the outer pipe  2 , the top fulcrum  1  and the runner  9  of the shank to lift upwards relative to the inner pipe  5  to open the umbrella and meanwhile deform the closing spring  18 . On the contrary, when closing the umbrella, the control body  25  is forced by its control spring  26  to move on top of the snap head  28  to push down the button  19 , the bow piece  21 , and the control body  25  for releasing the elastic force applied on the snap spring piece  29  and allowing the runner  9  to move downwards. At this moment, by taking advantage of the top stretcher  7 , the lower rib  8 , the runner  9 , the inner connection rib  10 , etc, the opening button is pressed to close the first middle pipe  4 , the second middle pipe  3 , the outer pipe  2 , the top stretcher  7 , the runner  9 , and the umbrella accordingly. 
     Although, this invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it is apparent that numerous variations and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof, as set forth in the following claims.