1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to beach umbrellas and more particularly to such a beach umbrella having advantages of having a minimum space after folding and being capable of carry out a segment-less length adjustment of shank.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a beach umbrella is simply an enlargement of an umbrella available in the market. The beach umbrella comprises a folding radial frame, a canopy stretched over the frame, and a threadedly connected shank having a pointed end adapted to insert into sand for fastening.
However, the prior beach umbrella suffered from several disadvantages. For example, segments of the shank are detachable. Thus, persons tend to forget to bring one or more shank segments after folding same and leaving beach. Further, segment-less adjustment of length of the shank is not provided. Thus, some people may not satisfy with the length adjustment feature. Furthermore the shank has a large diameter and a thick wall. Thus, a retraction mechanism as implemented in prior umbrella shank with a small diameter and a thin wall is not applicable for the beach umbrella. In addition, no hinge is provided in the rib. Thus, storage reduction of the beach umbrella is limited after folding.
Taiwanese Utility Model Patent No. 110,544 (publication No. 270295) discloses a beach umbrella frame comprising a cylindrical shank having a bottom extension, a plurality of ribs each including three segments, a plurality of spreaders each including two segments, a first hinge pivotably interconnecting first and second rib segments, and a second hinge pivotably interconnecting second and third segments. The storage reduction of the folded beach umbrella is somewhat improved and it is easy to carry after folding.
Taiwanese Utility Model Patent No. 98,904 (publication No. 241469) discloses a fastening mechanism for beach umbrella. It is characterized in that the shank segments are threadedly secured together, and each rib including a first segment, a second segment, and a hinge pivotably interconnecting first and second segments. In a fully stretched position of the umbrella, the ribs are fastened by the hinges.
However, both patents still have the problems of people tending to forget to bring one or more shank segments after folding same and leaving beach, the length adjustment feature of the shank being unsatisfactory, and limited storage reduction after folding. As mentioned above, both of their rib and hinge between each two interconnecting segments are made of metal. The hinge between two segments of rib is secured by rivet. The rivet fastening is a time consuming and a low yield process, the quality of the joint is not reliable, for example caused by rust, will cause jam of an umbrella. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a beach umbrella wherein rib segments are substantially parallel in response to folding the umbrella so as to greatly decrease a storage space.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a beach umbrella having durable components made of FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) and which can be mass produced easily.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a beach umbrella comprising a telescopic shank including an upper support tube, a lower sliding tube adapted to slide in the support tube, and a rotatable locking device fixedly provided on a top of the sliding tube wherein the sliding tube is adapted to manually raise or lower to a plurality of vertical positions relative to the support tube, and the sliding tube is adapted to be locked in any selected one of the vertical positions. By utilizing this, the prior problem of people tending to forget to bring one or more shank segments after folding the same and leaving beach can be solved. Further, a segment-less shank length adjustment is carried out.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The frame 1 comprises a hub 11 provided on a top of the shank mechanism 3, a ring 12 slidably provided on the shank mechanism 3 below the hub 11, a plurality of ribs 13 each made of FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) and including a first segment 14, a second segment 15, and a hinge 4 pivotably interconnecting the first segment 14 and the second segment 15, and a plurality of spreaders 16 each having one end pivotably connected to an intermediate portion of the first segment 14 and the other end pivotably connected to the ring 12. Fully sliding the ring 12 upward along the shank mechanism 3 to extend the ribs 13 and the canopy 2 until being locked will open the umbrella (see
The hinge 4 comprises a first unit 41 and a second unit 40. Both are made of plastic. The Y-shaped first unit 41 has one end fixedly received the first segment 14 and comprises a tunnel 42 opposing one end, a narrow locking opening 421 in communication with the tunnel 42, a bar 44 across an opening of a bifurcation of the first unit 41, and a channel 43 defined by the bifurcation and the bar 44. The bar 44 is not aligned with a center line of the channel 43 and tunnel 42 of the first unit 41. The tunnel 42 has a larger opening 42A and a smaller opening 42B each in communication with one of two opposite peripheral portions of the tunnel 42, as shown in
Referring to
A sleeve 35 is put on a lower portion of the support tube 32. The sleeve 35 includes an inward extending rim 351 having an inner diameter smaller than that of the support tube 32 with a bottom of the support tube 32 rested on a top annular surface of the rim 351 such that the support tube 32 and the sliding tube 33 are prevented from separating while sliding the sliding tube 33.
As shown in
Referring to
After a desired height of the shank mechanism 3 (i.e., the center pole 31) is obtained, a user may turn the sliding tube 33 relative to the support tube 32 about half circle until the protrusion 615 is stopped by the stop 624. Also, a portion of the C-shaped member 62 is pushed by the shaft 614 to urge against the inner surface of the support tube 32 (see
For retracting the center pole 31, the steps discussed above are traversed in the opposite direction including rotating the support tube 32 to loosen the barbell-shaped member 61 and the C-shaped member 62, retracting the sliding tube 33 into the support tube 32 until being stopped, and folding the frame 1 (i.e., ribs 13) by manipulating the hinges 4. As a result, a folded umbrella with minimum space is obtained.
Referring to
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20070006905 A1 | Jan 2007 | US |