Patent ID: 7328715

Claim:
A safety locking and release device for a beach or patio umbrella having a top canopy, a mast for supporting the canopy, an operating collar that runs on the mast with canopy support elements linked to the collar for opening or closing the canopy as the collar is raised or lowered, and the mast has one or more holes for receiving a locking pin to block the collar from moving below an open position on the mast, the device comprising: a locking pin having a proximal end and a distal end, and the pin is formed for insertion through the holes in the mast; and a biasing mechanism mounted on the locking pin, wherein the mechanism is constructed and arranged so that when in an operating configuration, the pin is exposed for insertion through the holes in the mast to a position while a distal end of the mechanism faces the mast, and a proximal end of the mechanism applies a bias force to the proximal end of the pin in a direction that tends to eject the pin from the mast; wherein the collar rests on the inserted locking pin with a force sufficient to overcome the action of the bias force applied to the pin tending to eject the pin from the mast, and the pin is ejected when the collar is urged upward by the canopy support elements in response to a wind force acting on the umbrella, so that the collar is released from the open position and is free to run down the mast as the canopy closes and the wind force acting on the umbrella is reduced.