Patent ID: 7802580

Claim:
An umbrella comprising: a staff assembly including a first staff member having a proximal region and a distal region longitudinally opposite said proximal region, and a second staff member having a proximal region and a distal region longitudinally opposite said proximal region, said second staff member being mounted for relative axial movement with said first staff member; a plurality of upper rib members each pivotally connected at its inner end to said proximal region of said first staff member; a plurality of lower rib members each corresponding to one of said upper rib members, each said lower rib member being pivotally connected at its inner end to said proximal region of said second staff member and at its outer end to the outer end of the corresponding one of said upper rib members at the outer end of each of said upper rib members; and a canopy disposed (a) between said plurality of upper rib members and said plurality of lower rib members or (b) on a side of said plurality of lower rib members that is farthest from said plurality of upper rib members, wherein, by virtue of said pivotal connections, said upper and lower rib members may move between a deployed position in which said upper and lower rib members and said canopy extend generally radially outwardly from said staff assembly to open the umbrella, and a retracted position in which said upper and lower rib members and said canopy are collapsed inwardly toward said staff assembly to close the umbrella, and wherein said upper and lower rib members and said canopy are moved between the deployed and retracted positions to open and close the umbrella by relatively axially moving said first and second staff members.