Patent ID: 7255118

Claim:
An umbrella frame comprising: a shaft having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being connected to the lower portion in such a way that the upper portion can tilt with respect to the lower portion; a runner mounted on the lower shaft portion so as to slide up and down to open and close the umbrella; and mechanical linking means, including a lower component associated with the runner, an upper component associated with the upper shaft portion, linking the runner to the upper portion of the shaft when the runner is in its upper location, and a rotating element rotatably mounted on the lower shaft portion and carrying the lower component which can be engaged by the runner as it is slid up the shaft so that when the runner is then rotated about the lower portion of the shaft the rotating element is rotated with it, tilting the upper portion, wherein the rotating element engages with the runner when the runner is slid up the shaft to unfurl a cover attached to the umbrella frame, so that subsequent rotation of the runner rotates the rotating element and thus tilts the umbrella cover.