Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to connecting of an umbrella hub with a strut or rib allowing pivoting of the strut or rib relative to the hub.  
           [0002]    The invention concerns improvements facilitating rapid easy and positive connecting, instead of complicated, time consuming connecting, of umbrella struts to umbrella hubs.  
           [0003]    The traditional way of connecting such struts to hubs required providing a hole at one end of the strut for reception of a connector pin. The pin was inserted through that hole and into a groove in the hub, to hold the strut and hub in connected condition. A hub cap was then required to be applied to fit in position on the hub blocking the pin against popping out of position. It was found that assembly of these components was undesirably complicated and time consuming, for connecting multiple struts to a hub, since multiple pins had to be precisely located before the cap was applied. There is therefore need for improvements reducing complexity of assembly.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is a major object of the invention to provide improved connecting structures meeting the above need, and eliminating need for a positioning cap. Basically, the improved structure comprises:  
           [0005]    a) a holder,  
           [0006]    b) a keeper to receive and pivotally connect to the holder,  
           [0007]    c) one of the holder and keeper located on the hub,  
           [0008]    d) the other of the holder and keeper located on the strut.  
           [0009]    As will be seen, the keeper may be provided in the form of a hook, having a side recess to receive the holder. The holder may advantageously be a section of a ring on the hub, and extending about the hub axis, so that multiple keepers or multiple struts may be quickly and positively hooked onto exposed segregated sections, respectively, of the ring.  
           [0010]    Another object is to provide a retainer located for retaining the holder connected to the keeper. That retainer may be movably carried by the keeper to move into position in response to application of the keeper to the holder, for retaining the holder connected to the keeper.  
           [0011]    A further object is to locate the keeper or multiple keepers, holder or multiple sections of the holder, and retainer or retainers, beneath an umbrella canopy, when opened, for protection.  
           [0012]    Yet another object is to provide a keeper having a housing defining a cavity, the retainer being movable in the cavity into holder blocking position.  
           [0013]    These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which: 
       
    
    
     DRAWING DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a side elevation, showing an umbrella hub, and pivotal connection to a rib or strut;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1, but showing an intermediate stage in the connection of the rib or strut to the hub;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the underside of the hub; and showing multiple holder segments;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a hook-shaped keeper connectible to the rib or strut;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a side elevation showing a retainer;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a view like FIG. 4, and showing the retainer assembled to the keeper;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a section taken in elevation through a modified keeper or retainer;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is an elevation showing another modified keeper and retainer assembly;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 9 is a plan view of the FIG. 8 assembly. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]    Referring first to FIG. 1, an umbrella hub  1  is shown releasably connected to a rib or strut  2 . A keeper  3  includes a hook shaped end portion  3   a  receiving a holder  121  which is carried by the hub. Holder  121  may advantageously be a segment of a ring  121   a  carried by the hub, multiple segments also indicated at  121  in FIG. 2, and separated by hub radially extending portions  1   a . Thus, holders or segments  121  are located to position multiple ribs or struts  2  at pre-determined holder locations spaced about the hub vertical axis  1   b.    
         [0024]    Hook-shaped end portion  3   a  has a head  31  of hook shape, a keeper recess being formed at  31   a . The keeper body  32  is configured for telescopic connection to the strut or rib  2 , shown as fitting over body  32 . A locating hole  322  in body  32  receives a pin or bent piece  21  that is received in holes  2   b  in rib  2 , to connect  2  to  32 .  
         [0025]    Recess  31   a  is formed to hook downwardly over, and upwardly to receive the holder  121 , into the position shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows an intermediate stage in this assembly, with holder  121  moving relatively upwardly at the recess entrance, as the keeper hook  31  moves downwardly.  
         [0026]    A holder retainer  4  is carried by the keeper to block disconnection of the holder and keeper in the FIG. 1 positions of these parts. Retainer  4  is slidable endwise in a groove  3   a  formed by the keeper, between a position blocking entrance of the holder into recess  31   a , and a position allowing such entrance at the recess mouth. The angled cam surface  41  on the end of the retainer is adapted to be pushed by the holder to slide the retainer away from the recess and allow holder entrance into the recess.  
         [0027]    A curved spring element  42  at the opposite end of the retainer is yieldably compressed during such retainer movement. When the holder is fully received into the recess, as shown in FIG. 1, the spring element urges the retainer back into holder captivating position as shown in FIG. 1. The spring element  42  may consist of elastic plastic material, and may have sickle shaped curvature. It bears or pushes against interior wall  3   d  of the keeper, as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0028]    During assembly, retainer  4  is fitted into keeper groove  3   a  and the end of the rib or strut  2  is telescopically fitted over the keeper and retainer, as shown, holding them in assembled condition, with the retainer held between  31  and wall  3   d . The sides of the retainer are confined between three walls of the strut, and the keeper, the strut assembled endwise over the retainer. The keeper and retainer may then be fitted downwardly onto and over the holder  121 , causing retainer  4  sliding and captivating movement, as referred to. The captivated holder will not then slide out of the recess  31   a , so that the rib or strut is pivotally and positively retained to the hub in a simple, easy to assemble manner.  
         [0029]    In FIG. 7, the same structural elements bear the same numbers. One difference is the use of a compression spring  6  bearing endwise against the slidable retainer  5  at  6   a . Wall  3   e  of the keeper holds the spring in compressed condition, and the nose  5   a  of the retainer bears against hook wall  3   f , prior to entrance of the holder  121  into the recess  31 . The retainer slides endwise between walls  3   e  and  3   f  of the keeper.  
         [0030]    In FIGS. 8 and 9, a bendable flat spring  7  is carried by the hook shaped keeper at the entrance  16  to recess  17 . the flat spring bends upwardly when the holder is pressed upwardly against it, to allow the holder to enter the recess  17 .  
         [0031]    The keeper and retainer at the ends of multiple ribs or struts are easily and quickly assembled to the holder ring  121   a , in response to simple downward displacement of the keepers as referred to, thereby to achieve a quick and positive assembly of the umbrella ribs or struts to the hub. The umbrella canopy, when opened, can then protectively extend over all such connections.  
         [0032]    In FIGS. 1 and 2, the hub is slidable vertically on umbrella pole  63 .

Technology Category: a