U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,509 issued to the same inventors of this application dissiclosed an illuminating umbrella grip having a LED illuminating unit mounted in a holder formed on the umbrella grip.
However, such a prior art has the following drawbacks:
The present inventor has found the drawbacks of the prior art and invented the miniaturized illuminating umbrella grip.
The object of the present invention is to provide an illuminating umbrella grip including: a lamp preferably selected from LED and mounted in the umbrella grip; and a control box having batteries stored in the box and separately secured to the umbrella grip by a string or strap having the electric wires, as connected between the batteries and the lamp, formed within the string, whereby upon an on or off operation of the batteries in the control box, the lamp on the grip will be turned on for illumination or be turned off.
As shown in FIGS. 1˜7, the present invention comprises: an umbrella grip 1 secured to a central shaft 1a of an umbrella (not shown); a lamp 2 preferably selected from a light-emitting diode (LED) formed in the grip 1; a control box 3 having at least a battery 4 stored in the box 3 and secured to the grip 1 by a string (or a strap) 5. The battery (or batteries) 4 forms (or form) as a power supply or power source of the lamp 2.
A loop member 51 may be further provided to be secured to the control box 3 for carrying or hanging the grip 1.
The grip 1 is formed with a lamp socket 11 in the grip for mounting the lamp 2 in the lamp socket 11, and also formed with a string hole 12 through the grip for passing, the string 5 through the string hole 12.
The string 5 has its outer end secured to the control box 3 by an outer adapter 5a, and having an inner end of the string 5 fastened in the grip by an inner adapter 5b.
The grip 1 further includes a push button 13 slidably secured in the grip 13 for engaging a runner (not shown) of an automatic umbrella when folding the umbrella or for disengaging the runner when opening the umbrella. However, the grip 1 may be utilized for a non-automatic umbrella, not limited in the present invention.
The control box 3 includes a bottom cover 31, an upper cover 32 detachably combined with the bottom cover 31 for confining a battery chamber 30 in between the bottom cover 31 and the upper cover 32 for storing a battery or a plurality of batteries 4 in the battery chamber 30, and a switch 33 slidably held in a switch socket 34 formed in the two covers 31, 32 of the box 3 for switching on or off the power supply from the battery 4 to the lamp 2.
The power supply (or source) 4 may include two batteries overlapped to be connected in series as shown in FIGS. 1˜4, having a positive electrode 41 contacted with a positive contactor 43 which is electrically or constantly connected to a positive pole of the lamp 2 through a positive electric wire 44, an a negative electrode 42 of the power supply 4 operatively contacted with a negative contactor 45 resiliently formed in the box 3, when depressed by a switch 33 slidably held in the control box 3, with the negative contactor 45 electrically connected to a negative pole of the lamp 2 through a negative electric wire 46.
The negative contactor 45 is normally separated or disconnected from the negative electrode 42 of the power supply (batteries) 4 as shown in
Upon a depression D of the switch 33 to contact the negative contactor 45 with the negative electrode 42 of the power supply 4 as shown in
Upon a forward pushing P of the switch 33 as shown in
The electric wires 44, 46 are jacketed within the string or strap 5. Or, the wires 44, 46 may be wrapped in a string 5 which is formed as a flexible hose connected between the control box 3 and the grip 1. Or, the wires 44, 46, when electrically insulated, may be directly formed as a string of the present invention.
The present invention is superior to the prior art with the following advantages:
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Upon a reverse sliding movement (P1) to disconnect the negative electrode 42 of the battery from the contactor 45 to open the electric circuit, the lamp 2 will be switched off.
Still, another preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The battery (or batteries) of the power supply 4 includes a tension spring 40 retained on the bottom cover 31 for urging the battery upwardly to allow the positive electrode 41 to be normally separated from the positive contactor 43 electrically connected to the positive pole of the lamp 2, a negative electrode 42 of the battery 4 constantly contacted with the negative contactor 45. electrically connected to the negative pole of the lamp 2, and the switch 33 formed on the upper cover 32 to be normally contacted with the battery; whereby upon depression D of the switch 33 to depress the battery 4 downwardly to allow the positive electrode 41 of the battery to be contacted with the positive contactor 43 for closing the electric circuit of the lamp 2 for switching on the lamp 2 for illumination.
Upon releasing of the switch 33, the tension spring 40 will resiliently urge the battery upwardly to disconnect the positive electrode 41 of the battery from the positive contactor 43, thereby opening the electric circuit of the lamp and switching off the lamp 2.
The switch 33 as shown in
The present invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.