Abstract:
An umbrella provided with motor means suitable for automatically carrying out the closing and opening operations. The umbrella is provided with sticks suitable for rotating so as to move, in a closed configuration, into a shaft of the umbrella, along with the relevant covering sheet.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to an umbrella, and in particular an umbrella with automatic opening-closing, by a special movement system. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Making umbrellas or beach umbrellas provided with automatic opening/closing mechanisms, for example provided with spring systems that facilitate in particular the operation for opening the umbrella, is known in the art. 
         [0003]    Such umbrellas of the prior art, however, exhibit several disadvantages, as they are not easy to use and often require the manual closing of the covering. Moreover, there are systems for opening-closing umbrellas by handles or something else, but also these are not very practical to use. In fact, the closing operation often is not much easy since the umbrella, during the closing movement, closes about the central shaft, with the risk of interfering with or hitting the user. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The problem of the present invention is to provide an umbrella which should solve the disadvantages mentioned with reference to the prior art. 
         [0005]    Such disadvantages are solved by an umbrella in accordance with claim  1 . 
         [0006]    Further embodiments of the umbrella according to the invention are described in the following claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0007]    Further features and the advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly from the following description of preferred non-limiting embodiments thereof, wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  shows a front view of an umbrella, in an open configuration, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  shows a front view of the umbrella of  FIG. 1 , in a closed configuration; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective, partial section view of a detail of the umbrella of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  shows a further section view of a detail of the umbrella of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  shows a further section view of a detail of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  shows an enlarged view of detail VI of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  shows an enlarged view of detail VII of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
       [0015]    Elements or parts of elements in common between the embodiments described below are referred to with the same reference numerals. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]    With reference to the above figures, reference numeral  4  globally denotes an umbrella; the term umbrella must be understood in non-limiting terms and therefore, the umbrella may have various sizes, even though it is especially indicated to be used as garden umbrella, beach umbrella and the like. 
         [0017]    Umbrella  4  comprises a shaft or case  200 , directed along a prevailing direction X, a plurality of sticks  400  suitable for supporting a covering sheet  502  and a base  900  securable to the ground. 
         [0018]    Said sticks  400 , preferably at a moving end  404 , are suitable for supporting said sheet  502 . 
         [0019]    The sticks may consist of a single piece or of multiple pieces with telescopic or folding extensibility. According to a preferred embodiment, the sticks comprise a sleeve or staff outer tubing  402  and a stem or inner telescopic staff  403  sliding into sleeve  402 . 
         [0020]    According to an embodiment, umbrella  4  advantageously comprises a stick movement unit  300  suitable for allowing an opening and closing movement of the sticks, said movement preferably being a rotary-translatory movement. Advantageously, said movement unit is operatively connected to motor means  102  for allowing the umbrella opening/closing. 
         [0021]    The umbrella comprises a support staff  699 , preferably contained into the sleeve or shaft  200 , suitable for allowing a movement, along the prevailing extension X, for opening and closing the umbrella. 
         [0022]    According to an embodiment, said movement unit  300  comprises a threaded staff or control screw  700  that also acts as support staff  699 . 
         [0023]    The umbrella is provided with a covering cap  100  provided, at outlet zones of the sticks, with hinged tongues  101  for ensuring the umbrella protection from water. 
         [0024]    Advantageously, the umbrella is provided with motor means, such as an electrical motor for example driven by DC, AC or even by energy produced by solar cells suitably placed on any portion of the umbrella. According to an embodiment, said electrical motor is arranged into the shaft or, according to a preferred embodiment, on top of the umbrella. 
         [0025]    According to further embodiments, the motor means are of the oil-pressure or pneumatic type so as to move the umbrella itself in opening and closing without manual effort. 
         [0026]    According to an embodiment, sheet  502  is below the sticks but another construction solution provides for the arrangement of sheet  502  both onto the sticks and in a version with side connection of the sheet to sticks  400 . 
         [0027]    According to an embodiment, said threaded staff  700  is associated by engaging to a nut screw  301  that can axially slide on the staff itself. 
         [0028]    Nut screw  301  is integral in translation with a support plate  306  to which the sticks are hinged through hinges  408  and  409 . 
         [0029]    The support plate  306  preferably slides on sliding guides  800 , arranged along said prevailing direction X. The sliding guides  800  are preferably contained in said sleeve or shaft  200 . 
         [0030]    Nut screw  301  is supported by bearings  303 ,  304  and supports an electromagnetic brake  305 . The electro-magnetic brake  305 , when actuated, makes the nut screw  301  integral with plate  306 . 
         [0031]    According to an embodiment, the sticks comprise an inner screw  405  on which a sliding block  406 , contained inside sleeve  402 , engages. Block  406  is integral in translation with stem  403  so as to allow a translation movement of stem  403  and in particular of end  404  that is constrained to sheet  502 . 
         [0032]    The inner screw  405  is supported by bearings  407  and is integral in rotation with a clutch  401  that ends with a friction wheel  410 . 
         [0033]    The umbrella comprises a plate  311  integral in rotation with the motor means  102 . Plate  311  is integrally associated to a sliding plate  310  suitable for interfacing by contact with said friction wheels  410  so as to transmit the rotational motion of the motor means to the stems. 
         [0034]    The umbrella comprises a driving joint  315  that connects the drive shaft of the motor means to the movement unit  300 , for example to the threaded staff  700 . Thrust means  313 , for example helical springs, and bearings, such as axial  314  and radial  312  bearings, are advantageously inserted between joint  315  and plate  311 . 
         [0035]    The elastic means  313  advantageously influence the sliding surface  310  in abutment against the friction wheels  410  so as to ensure a friction force sufficient for transmitting the rotational motion from motor  102  to stems  403  of sticks  400 . 
         [0036]    According to an embodiment, the motor means are integral with a locking plate  316 . 
         [0037]    Preferably, umbrella  4  comprises a stick guiding stop  415  that allows maintaining the sticks in equidistant position, also performing the task of giving a counter-thrust to the stick, such as to allow the best adhesion of the screw connecting wheel  410  to the sliding surface  310 . 
         [0038]    Advantageously, the umbrella comprises a sheet tensioning plate  500 , preferably sliding axially on said support staff  699  or threaded staff  700 ; a threaded bush or nut screw  503  is inserted between the plate and the threaded staff  700  so as to engage with the threading of the staff itself. 
         [0039]    The plate is preferably connected to return or tensioning springs  501  that are connected to sheet  500  by eyelets, so as to pre-tension the sheet, constraining the sheet to the vertical movement of plate  500 . 
         [0040]    The movement of plate  311  through the threaded staff  700  allows the actuation of the telescopic sticks of the umbrella through wheels  410 , in turn connected to the inner screw  405  through clutch  401 . 
         [0041]    The telescopic movement of the sticks that support the umbrella sheet is obtained through the connection of the staff inner screw  405  with the block sliding on screw  406  arranged into the staff outer tubing  402 . 
         [0042]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the movement along the prevailing direction X of said movement unit  300  can be ensured, in place of the control screw or threaded staff  700 , by cables, with or without reel for the winding thereof, intended for the vertical pulling of plate  306  on the support guides  800 . 
         [0043]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention, said movement unit  300 , in replacement of the control screw or threaded staff  700 , comprises a rack staff, associated to a gear controlled by said motor means, for example positioned as desired, for transforming the rotational motion into translatory motion from the bottom upwards, and vice versa, of plate  306  on the support guides  800 . 
         [0044]    According to a further embodiment of the present invention, said movement unit  300  comprises an actuator, consisting of a motor with telescopic stem, in replacement of the control screw  700 , intended for the vertical translation movement of plate  306  on the support guides  800 . 
         [0045]    The above embodiments therefore allow simplifying the stick movement and translation unit  300 . 
         [0046]    Moreover, according to a further embodiment, in said stick movement unit wheels  410 , which control the inner screws of the sticks, can be replaced with other solutions with gears, cables, with or without reels for the winding thereof, or with electrical motors for each stick. 
         [0047]    The operation of an umbrella according to the present invention will now be described. 
         [0048]    One of the innovative aspects of the present finding consists in that the umbrella is of the foldaway type, that is, the sticks and the sheet, which traditionally make up any umbrella, are made so as to protrude from and retract into, the shaft, from the top. 
         [0049]    The closing of this umbrella takes place the opposite of the conventional umbrellas-beach umbrellas. The umbrella portion consisting of the covering, once inserted from the top into the shaft, is not visible anymore. The shaft therefore becomes the case of the umbrella/beach umbrella, which thus obtains a permanent protection even when not used for a long time. 
         [0050]    The open umbrella, subject of the invention described, can take up a horizontal position, relative to the shaft, but it is also capable of taking up positions similar to the conventional umbrellas, that is, inclined downwards or also upwards, according to the construction type. 
         [0051]    Following the actuation of the motor means, for example by a button, the umbrella opens as follows. The threaded staff starts the rotation, causing the rise of the stick translation unit which, at the end of the stroke, makes the wheels adhere to the movement unit for the extension of the sticks. The opening may be actuated as desired, that is, by a remote control or by a button on panel. 
         [0052]    The threaded staff  700  operates the stick movement and translation units. A first step provides to the rise of the translation box which, once the end of stroke position has been reached, for example through a special electrical contact, disconnects the electro-magnetic brake  305  making the nut screw  301  idle and thus releasing the same from the threaded staff  700 . 
         [0053]    In such position, sticks  400  reach a substantially horizontal position so that the friction wheels  410  come into contact with the sliding or friction surface  310  of plate  311 . 
         [0054]    The other steps keeps plate  311 , which belongs to the stick movement unit, in rotation and actuates screw connecting wheels  410 , which control the extension and the return of the sticks ( FIG. 5 ). 
         [0055]    Screw  700  is connected to nut screw  301 , intended for adhering to staff  700  through the electromagnetic brake  305 , which disconnects when the entire stick translation box has risen and has reached the end of stroke relay. The screw is further connected to the sticks, which have been idle so far and which, in the adhesion to the sliding surface  310  that is integral to plate  311 , start moving controlled by the inner screw  405 . In turn, the screw is controlled by the rotation of wheel  410 . 
         [0056]    According to the direction of rotation, therefore, the inner telescopic staff  403  extends or retracts moving sheet  502  therewith, which constantly remains tensioned by the effect of the tensioning springs  501 . The sheet tensioning plate  500 , on guides, continuously slides along the threaded staff or control screw  700 , keeping the distance thereof from the stick ends almost constant. 
         [0057]    In the rotational operation thereof, the control screw  700  pulls the sheet tensioning plate  500 , with vertical translation movement, thanks to the fact that plate  500  itself cannot rotate on itself as it is guided by the guide bars  800  arranged into shaft  200 . Said plate  500  runs through the entire shaft  200  keeping sheet  502 , intended for extending for forming the umbrella covering, tensioned through springs  501 . 
         [0058]    In a further embodiment, plate  500  is eliminated, sheet  502  is free and the tensioning thereof is ensured by counterweights arranged at the end of the sheet itself. 
         [0059]    The stick guiding stop  415  allows maintaining the sticks in equidistant position, also performing the task of giving a counter-thrust to the stick, such as to allow the best adhesion of the screw connecting wheel  410  to the sliding surface  310 . 
         [0060]    Moreover, the adhesion of the screw connecting wheel  410  is ensured by the thrust spring  313 . 
         [0061]    When the umbrella reaches the closing position, the telescopic sticks arrange in vertical position and the movement unit in low position, the whole contained within shaft  200 ; in other words, the sticks gather upwards and insert into shaft  200 . 
         [0062]    As can be understood from the description, the umbrella according to the present invention allows overcoming the disadvantages of the umbrellas of the prior art. 
         [0063]    The mechanism used for the umbrella can found application for any other type of protection such as rain umbrella, sun protection on boats or else, it may be made with different configurations, provided it can then be automatically reinserted into the shaft, etc. 
         [0064]    The invention may for example be used into hotel gardens, in bathing establishments or, in the agricultural field, to protect the plantations by suitably replacing the covering sheet with anti-hail net, etc. 
         [0065]    The finding is to be regarded as innovative, as compared to the previous solutions, since the opening and closing operations do not require any efforts by the operator. It is understood that, given the possibility of being actuated by a remote control, it is possible to open and close a desired number of such umbrellas, in a sequence or at the same time, or one at a time, by an opening-closing control panel/device. 
         [0066]    A man skilled in the art may make several changes and adjustments to the umbrellas described above in order to meet specific and incidental needs, all falling within the scope of protection defined in the following claims.