Patent Abstract:
A collapsing mechanism for umbrellas includes a transmission member and a movable member which is engaged with the transmission member to stop the mechanism from being stopped during the action and the umbrella does not opened suddenly to hurt people. During the collapsing action, the action can be stopped as desired and the umbrella is maintained at that status and does not open. By the mechanism, the user does not need to complete the collapsing action at one time.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    (1) Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a collapsing mechanism for umbrellas, and more particularly, to a stepless collapsing mechanism for umbrellas. 
         [0003]    (2) Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    A conventional umbrella includes a runner movably mounted to the shaft of the umbrella and multiple stretchers are pivotably connected between the runner and the gore. The user has to move the runner from the lower end of the shaft to the top of the shaft to expand the umbrella. In order to expand the stretchers quickly, an automatic device is developed and which includes a spring in the shaft so that when the umbrella is folded, the spring is in an extended status, and a control button located at the handle positions the spring. When the control button is pushed, the spring is disengaged from the hook that holds the spring in its extended status, and the spring force brings the runner upward along the shaft so that the stretchers are expanded. 
         [0005]    However, when folding the umbrella, the user has to pull the runner downward along the shaft to allow the hook to hold the spring and this action requires a certain level of force to overcome the spring force. This is not convenient for some users who do not have too much muscle power. Besides, it happens often that the user&#39;s hand is wet and the runner slip away from the user&#39;s hand during pulling it downward, and the umbrella will suddenly opened and this may hurt the user or the people standing beside the user. 
         [0006]    The present invention intends to provide a umbrella collapsing mechanism to improve the shortcomings of the conventional automatic umbrella. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention relates to a collapsing mechanism for umbrellas, and the mechanism comprises a base, a movable member, a transmission member, an operation member, a sleeve and a handle. By pressing the movable member by the shaft, the movable member is engaged with the transmission member such that the transmission member can only be pivoted in one direction. Accordingly, the collapsing action of the umbrella can be stopped temporarily while the umbrella does not open suddenly. 
         [0008]    The collapsing mechanism for umbrellas, and the mechanism comprises a base having a neck which extends from a first end of the base and defines a hole, and a second end of the base is an open end. A movable member is an F-shaped member when viewed from a side thereof. The movable member includes a through hole, a first arm, two second arms and a bar. The first arm and the two second arms extend from an upright portion of the movable member and the through hole is defined in a lower end of the upright portion of movable member. The bar is located in the upright portion and located at a top of the through hole. A transmission member has a spool which includes a ratchet on an outside thereof and a cable is wrapped to the spool. An operation member has a window, a pivotal plate and a pin. The operation member has an inside wall at a rear side thereof so as to cover a rear lower portion of a rear side of the window. A fixed member extends from the inside wall and is accessible from a front of the window. A hollow and cylindrical handle has an aperture in a wall thereof and a block is connected to an inner periphery of the handle. A hollow and cylindrical sleeve is mounted to the base and located in the handle. The operation member, the movable member, the transmission member and the base are received in the sleeve in sequence. 
         [0009]    The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view to show the collapsing mechanism of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is another exploded view to show the collapsing mechanism of the present invention; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the collapsing mechanism of the present invention, wherein the umbrella is not yet opened; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the collapsing mechanism of the present invention, wherein the umbrella starts to be opened; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the collapsing mechanism of the present invention, wherein the umbrella starts to be collapsed; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the collapsing mechanism of the present invention, wherein the umbrella is collapsing; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6A  shows that the pawl of the movable member is engaged with the ratchet of the transmission member; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of the collapsing mechanism of the present invention, wherein the umbrella is collapsed, and 
           [0018]      FIG. 7A  shows that the pawl of the movable member is disengaged from the ratchet of the transmission member. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0019]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the collapsing mechanism  100  for umbrellas of the present invention comprises a base  110 , a movable member  120 , a transmission member  130 , an operation member  140 , a sleeve  150  and a handle  160 . The base  110  has a neck  110 A which extends from a first end of the base  110  and defines a hole and a second end of the base  110  is an open end. The shaft  180  of the umbrella extends through the neck  110 A. The base  110  comprises a chamber  110 B, an operation area  110 C and a transmission area  110 D. 
         [0020]    The chamber  110 B is used to accommodate some parts of the movable member  120  to move therein and the chamber  110  is located between the neck  110 A and an M-shaped unit. The operation area  110 C is located beneath the chamber  110 B and separated from the chamber  110  by the M-shaped unit. The wall of the chamber  110 B is a half circular wall. 
         [0021]    There are multiple stops  112  are located in the operation area  110 C and connected to a lower portion of the M-shaped unit. The operation area  110 C comprises a passage  114  which extends through the operation area  110 C and communicates with the chamber  110 B and the transmission area  110 D. The space located above each of the stops  112  has a first spring  116  located therein and the stop  112  contacts a lower end of the first spring  116 . The cable  130 C extends through the passage  114  and the neck  110 A and extends out from the base  110 . 
         [0022]    The transmission area  110 D is the open end of the base  110  and has a reception portion  118  from which a rod  122  extends so that the transmission member  130  is connected to the rod  122 . The transmission member  130  has a spool  130 A which includes a ratchet  130 B on an outside thereof. A cable  130 C is wrapped to the spool  130 A and the other end of the cable  130 C extends through the passage  114  and the neck  110 A and extends out from the base  110  to be connected with the top cap  200  ( FIG. 3 ) of the umbrella. 
         [0023]    The movable member  120  is an F-shaped member when viewed from a side thereof. The movable member  120  includes a through hole  120 A, a first arm  120 B, two second arms  120 C and a bar  120 D. The first arm  120 B and the two second arms  120 C extend from an upright portion of the movable member  120  to form the two transverse bars of the F-shaped member and the through hole  120 A is defined in a lower end of the upright portion of movable member  120 . The bar  120 D is located in the upright portion and located at a top of the through hole  120 A. A pawl  124  is located at a lower portion of the through hole  120 A and the first arm  120 B is located in the chamber  110 B. The two second arms  120 C are located to contact two respective top ends of the first springs  116 . The ratchet  130 B of the transmission member  130  is located in the through hole  120 A, and the pawl  124  is engaged with the ratchet  130 B. 
         [0024]    The operation member  140  has a window  140 A, a pivotal plate  142  and a pin  144 . The operation member  140  has an inside wall  140 B at a rear side thereof so as to cover a rear lower portion of a rear side of the window  140 A. A fixed member  148  extends from the inside wall  140 B and is accessible from a front of the window  140 A. A second spring  146  has a first end fixed to the fixed member  148  on the inside wall  140 B. The pivotal plate  142  comprises a first plate  142 A and a second plate  142 B which is connected to the first plate  142 A at an angle. A pin  144  is connected between a conjunction portion of the first and second plates  142 A,  142 B. Two ends of the pin  144  are pivotably connected to two insides of the window  140 A, so that the pivotal plate  142  can be pivoted about the pin  144 . A second end of the second spring  146  contacts the rear side of the second plate  142 B of the pivotal plate  142 . The first plate  142 A of the pivotal plate  142  constantly extends through the top portion of the window  140 A and is engaged with the bar  120 D when the pivotal plate  142  is not operated. 
         [0025]    The handle  160  is a hollow and cylindrical handle and has an aperture  160 A in a wall thereof and a block  160 C is connected to an inner periphery of the handle  160 . The block  160 C of the handle  160  is in contact with the second plate  142 B when no force is applied to the pivotal plate  142  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The handle  160  has an axial groove  160 B defined in the inner periphery thereof. 
         [0026]    The sleeve  150  is a hollow and cylindrical sleeve which is mounted to the base  110  and located in the handle  160 . The operation member  140 , the movable member  120 , the transmission member  130  and the base  110  are received in the sleeve  150  in sequence. The sleeve  150  has a notch defined in a top portion thereof and the notch is cooperated with the aperture  160 A of the handle  160  to form an opening  150 A. The sleeve  150  further has a rail  150   b  on an outside thereof, the rail  150 B is slidably engaged with the groove  160   b  so that the handle  160  is movable relative to the sleeve  150 . 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the umbrella includes the shaft  180  which is fixed to the base  110  and composed of multiple sections retractably connected to each other. An operation spring  181  is located in the shaft  180  and the top cap  200  is connected to the top end of the shaft  180 . A runner  170  is movably mounted to the shaft  180  is multiple stretchers  120  are pivotably connected between the top cap  200  and the runner  170 . An inner piece  220  is located in the shaft  180  is connected to the top cap  200 . A push member  190  is connected to the shaft  180  and is used to control the use of the umbrella. The lower end of the shaft  180  has an engaging hole  182  and the push member  190  is installed to the aperture  160 A in the handle  160 . The push member  190  includes a switch  192  and a U-shaped portion  191 . The switch  192  is pivotably connected to a mediate portion of the push member  190  and the U-shaped portion  191  is engaged with the engaging hole  182  of the shaft  180 . The U-shaped portion  191  is installed to the recess  119 B in the chamber  110 B by a third spring  119 A so as to allow the U-shaped portion  191  to move in the recess  119 B. 
         [0028]    When the umbrella is to be opened, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the push member  190  is pushed and the U-shaped portion  191  is pushed toward the recess  119 B of the chamber  110 B. The U-shaped portion  191  is disengaged from the engaging hole  182  of the shaft  180  and the operation spring  181  pulls the sections of the shaft  180  to an operation status. The first plate  142 A of the pivotal plate  142  is engaged with the bar  120 D of the movable member  120  and the pawl  124  in the through hole  120 A of the movable member  120  is not engaged with the ratchet  130  of the transmission member  130 . Therefore, the spool  130 A is able to freely rotate in both directions and the cable  130 C is pulled along with the shaft  180  and the top cap  200 . 
         [0029]    When the push member  190  is pushed and the umbrella is completely opened, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the inner piece  220  in the shaft  180  is exposed so that when the push member  190  is pushed again, the switch  192  pushes the inner piece  220  which moves upward and the stretchers are then pivoted and folded. 
         [0030]    Further referring to  FIGS. 6 and 6A , when retracting the shaft  180 , the user pulls the umbrella toward the handle  160  and the handle  160  moves in the opposite direction of the direction that the shaft  180  and gore are collapsed. The block  160 C presses the second plate  142 B to pivot the pivotal plate  142  so that the first plate  142 A disengages the movable member  120  from the bar  120 D. The movable member  120  is released and the pawl  124  in the through hole  120 A of the movable member  120  is engaged with the ratchet  1308  to restrict the transmission member  130  to move only in one direction. 
         [0031]    Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 7A , when the shaft  180  is retracted, the shaft  180  presses the first arm  120 B of the movable member  120  and the movable member  120  is moved back with the shaft  180  to release the pawl  124  in the through hole  120 A of the movable member  120  from the ratchet  130 B as shown in  FIG. 7A , and the spool  130 A is freely rotatable. The cable  130 A pulls the to p  cap  200  by the rotation of the spool  130 A such that the user does not need to exert too much force to retract the shaft  180 . After the shaft  180  is retracted completely, the U-shaped portion  191  of the push member  190  is again engaged with the engaging hole  182  of the shaft  180 , and the first plate  142 A is engaged with the bar  120 D. The umbrella is completely collapsed and the mechanism is in its initial status as shown in  FIG. 3 . Besides, even if the collapsing action is suddenly stopped during collapsing the umbrella, the force that applied to the first arm  120 B of the movable member  120  is disappeared, the two first springs  116  on two sides of the movable member  120  provide a force  120  to let the pawl  124  be engaged with the ratchet  130 B again as shown in  FIG. 6A . Therefore, the umbrella can be held at the status because of the engagement of the pawl  124  and the ratchet  130 B. This prevents the umbrella opens suddenly. 
         [0032]    While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0