Standing umbrella

Abstract

A standing umbrella includes a mast, an operating member, a carrier beam, a collapsible umbrella, a tension member, and two connecting struts. The operating member is mounted on and is movable along the mast between upper and lower positions. The carrier beam is pivoted to the operating member. The collapsible umbrella is pivoted to the carrier beam, and is foldable. The tension member is secured to the mast, and extends along the mast and the carrier beam to connect with the collapsible umbrella. The connecting struts are spaced apart from each other, and are pivoted to an upper end of the mast and a middle portion of the carrier beam.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a standing umbrella, more particularly to a foldable standing umbrella.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,069 discloses a standing umbrella that has a mast on which the inner end of an outwardly and inwardly movable carrier beam is guided, with the outer end of the carrier beam carrying an umbrella stick of a collapsible umbrella and with the carrier beam held by a connecting strut linkedly arranged between the upper end of the mast and the carrier beam. A drive mechanism shifts the inner end of the carrier beam along the length of the mast. The mast has two guide tracks spaced from one another and so profiled that guide elements running therealong and carried by the inner end of the mast are held by the shape of the tracks against movement transverse to the direction in which the inner end of the carrier beam is shifted. The drive mechanism for shifting the inner end of the carrier beam and a drive mechanism for opening and closing the umbrella are so combined with one another that they operate simultaneously in common.

Though the aforesaid standing umbrella is foldable through operations of the drive mechanisms thereof, the drive mechanisms are relatively complicated in construction and are laborious to assemble. It is desirable to have a simpler drive mechanism for folding and extending a standing umbrella.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a standing umbrella that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks associated with the prior art.

Accordingly, there is provided a standing umbrella that comprises a mast, an operating member, a carrier beam, a collapsible umbrella, a tension member, and a pair of opposite connecting struts. The mast has an upper end.

The operating member is mounted movably on the mast below the upper end of the mast and is movable along the mast between upper and lower positions.

The carrier beam has an inner end that is pivoted to the operating member, an outer end that is opposite to the inner end, and a middle portion extending between the inner and outer ends. The carrier beam is moved by the operating member from a first extended position to a first folded position when the operating member is moved from the upper position to the lower position.

The collapsible umbrella includes a stick that is pivoted to the outer end of the carrier beam so as to permit hanging of the collapsible umbrella on the outer end of the carrier beam. The collapsible umbrella is moved by the operating member through the carrier beam from a second extended position to a second folded position when the operating member is moved from the upper position to the lower position.

The tension member is secured to the mast, and extends along the mast and the carrier beam to connect with the collapsible umbrella so as to permit folding and extension of the collapsible umbrella.

The connecting struts are spaced apart from each other, are pivoted to the upper end of the mast, and are pivoted to the middle portion of the carrier beam so as to be moved by the operating member through the carrier beam from a third extended position to a third folded position when the operating member is moved from the upper position to the lower position. The connecting struts retain the carrier beam at the first extended position when the connecting struts are disposed at the third extended position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view to illustrate an extended state of the preferred embodiment of a standing umbrella according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary partly sectional view of the preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic partly sectional view to illustrate a folded state of the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the preferred embodiment of a standing umbrella according to the present invention is shown to include a mast 3, an operating member 4, a carrier beam 51, a collapsible umbrella 8, a tension member 7, and a pair of opposite connecting struts 6.

The mast 3 is mounted on an umbrella base (not shown) or a ground surface, is formed with a plurality of holes 30, and has an upper end 31.

The operating member 4 is mounted movably on the mast 3 below the upper end 31 of the mast 3, and is movable along the mast 3 between upper and lower positions (see FIGS. 1 and 4). The operating member 4 includes a sleeve 41 that is sleeved movably on the mast 3, and a positioning pin 42 that is insertable through the sleeve 41 into a selected one of the holes 30 in the mast 3 so as to position the sleeve 41 at a desired position between the upper and lower positions.

The carrier beam 51 has an inner end 511 that is pivoted to the operating member 4, an outer end 512 that is opposite to the inner end 511, and a middle portion 513 extending between the inner and outer ends 511, 512. The carrier beam 51 is moved by the operating member 4 from a first extended position (see FIG. 1) to a first folded position (see FIG. 4) when the operating member 4 is moved from the upper position to the lower position.

The standing umbrella further comprises a linkage 52 pivotably connected to the outer end 512 of the carrier beam 51.

The collapsible umbrella 8 includes a stick 811 that is hollow, that has upper and lower ends, and that is pivoted to the outer end 512 of the carrier beam 51 through pivot connection to the linkage 52 so as to permit hanging of the collapsible umbrella 8 on the outer end 512 of the carrier beam 51. The collapsible umbrella 8 further includes a lower hub 814 that is mounted movably on the lower end of the stick 811, an inner rod 812 that is mounted movably in the stick 811, that is secured to the lower hub 814, and that is telescopically movable relative to the stick 811, an upper hub 813 secured to the upper end of the stick 811, a plurality of roof rods 815 connected to the upper hub 813, a plurality of support struts 816 having inner ends connected pivotally to the lower hub 814 and outer ends connected pivotally to the roof rods 815, respectively, and a roof layer 82 mounted on the roof rods 815. The collapsible umbrella 8 is moved by the operating member 4 through the carrier beam 51 from a second extended position (see FIG. 1) to a second folded position (see FIG. 4) when the operating member 4 is moved from the upper position to the lower position.

The tension member 7 is secured to the mast 3, and extends along the mast 3 and the carrier beam 51 to connect with the collapsible umbrella 8. The tension member 7 extends into the stick 811 to connect with the inner rod 812 so as to permit hanging of the inner rod 812 on the outer end 512 of the carrier beam 51 and so as to permit movement of the stick 811 relative to the inner rod 812 when the operating member 4 is operated.

The connecting struts 6 are spaced apart from each other, are pivoted to the upper end of the mast 3, and are pivoted to the middle portion 513 of the carrier beam 51 so as to be moved by the operating member 4 through the carrier beam 51 from a third extended position (see FIG. 1) to a third folded position (see FIG. 4) when the operating member 4 is moved from the upper position to the lower position. The connecting struts 6 retain the carrier beam 51 at the first extended position when the connecting struts 6 are disposed at the third extended position.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, when the standing umbrella is to be moved from the extended position as shown in FIG. 1 to the folded position as shown in FIG. 4, the positioning pin 42 of the operating member 4 is removed from the respective hole 30, and the sleeve 41 is then slid downward along the mast 3 from the upper position toward the lower position so as to draw the carrier beam 51 to move downward from the first extended position toward the first folded position. As a consequence, the outer end 512 of the carrier beam 51 is pivoted toward the mast 3, which in turn results in pivoting movement of the connecting struts 6 toward the mast 3. When the carrier beam 51 and the connecting struts 6 are moved to abut against an outer surface of the mast 3, the positioning pin 42 of the operating member 4 is reinserted into a corresponding hole 30 at the lower end of the mast 3 so as to retain the sleeve 41 and hence the operating member 4 at the lower position.

During folding of the standing umbrella, the operating member 4 is moved downwardly from the upper position to the lower position, which results in simultaneous pivoting and downward movements of the connecting struts 6 and the carrier beam 51 toward the mast 3 and upward movement of the stick 811 away from the inner rod 812. At this time, the roof rods 815 are moved upwardly together with the stick 811 relative to the inner rod 812 so as to pull the outer ends of the support struts 816 to move upwardly and pivotally relative to the inner rod 812, thereby folding the collapsible umbrella 8. During extension of the standing umbrella, the operating member 4 is moved upwardly from the lower position to the upper position, which results in upward and pivoting movements of the carrier beam 51 and the connecting struts 6 and downward movement of the stick 811. At this time, the roof rods 815 are moved downwardly relative to the inner rod 812 together with the stick 811 so as to push the outer ends of the support struts 816 to move downwardly and pivotally relative to the inner rod 812, thereby extending the collapsible umbrella 8.

In sum, the structure and operation of the standing umbrella of this invention is simpler as compared to the aforesaid conventional standing umbrella.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.

Claims

1. A standing umbrella comprising: a mast having an upper end; an operating member mounted movably on said mast below said upper end of said mast and movable along said mast between upper and lower positions; a carrier beam having an inner end that is pivoted to said operating member, an outer end that is opposite to said inner end, and a middle portion extending between said inner and outer ends, said carrier beam being moved by said operating member from a first extended position to a first folded position when said operating member is moved from said upper position to said lower position; a collapsible umbrella including a stick that is pivoted to said outer end of said carrier beam so as to permit hanging of said collapsible umbrella on said outer end of said carrier beam, said collapsible umbrella being moved by said operating member through said carrier beam from a second extended position to a second folded position when said operating member is moved from said upper position to said lower position; a tension member secured to said mast and extending along said mast and said carrier beam to connect with said collapsible umbrella so s to permit folding and extension of said collapsible umbrella; and a pair of opposite connecting struts that are spaced apart from each other, that are pivoted to said upper end of said mast, and that are pivoted to said middle portion of said carrier beam so as to be moved by said operating member through said carrier beam from a third extended position to a third folded position when said operating member is moved from said upper position to said lower position, said connecting struts retaining said carrier beam at said first extended position when said connecting struts are disposed at said third extended position.

2. The standing umbrella as claimed in claim 1, wherein said operating member includes a sleeve that is sleeved on said mast, said inner end of said carrier beam being pivoted to said sleeve, said mast being formed with a plurality of holes, said standing umbrella further comprising a positioning pin that is insertable through said sleeve into a selected one of said holes in said mast so as to position said sleeve at a desired position between said upper and lower positions.

3. The standing umbrella as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a linkage pivotably connected to said outer end of said carrier beam, said stick of said collapsible umbrella being pivotably connected to said linkage.

4. The standing umbrella as claimed in claim 1, wherein said carrier beam is hollow, said tension member extending into and through said carrier beam.

5. The standing umbrella as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stick is hollow and has upper and lower ends, said collapsible umbrella further including a lower hub that is mounted movably on said lower end of said stick, an inner rod that is mounted movably in said stick, that is secured to said lower hub, and that is telescopically movable relative to said stick, an upper hub secured to said upper end of said stick, a plurality of roof rods connected to said upper hub, and a plurality of support struts connected pivotally to said lower hub and said root rods, respectively, said tension member extending into said stick to connect with said inner rod so as to permit hanging of said inner rod on said carrier beam and so as to permit movement of said stick relative to said inner rod when said operating member is operated.