US20180192751A1

US20180192751A1 - Cantilever umbrella

Info

Publication number: US20180192751A1
Application number: US15/399,882
Authority: US
Inventors: Andrew David Frankel; Shi-Ping Zheng; Tian-Xia Zheng
Original assignee: Zenithen USA LLC
Current assignee: Zenithen USA LLC
Priority date: 2017-01-06
Filing date: 2017-01-06
Publication date: 2018-07-12

Abstract

A cantilever umbrella, including umbrella cloth, an umbrella rod, a top notch with a guide sleeve, a runner, umbrella ribs and stretchers is disclosed. The umbrella rod contains an inner section and a cantilever section; the umbrella rob passes through the guide sleeve and the top notch in sequence with the end of the inner section hinged to the runner. The cantilever section can be extracted from the guide sleeve to open the umbrella ribs and stretch the umbrella cloth into place. The cantilever section can be moved laterally and fixed into position at the end of the guide sleeve to stabilize the open state of the umbrella ribs.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention is to a sunshade/beach umbrella. Specifically, it is to a type of cantilever umbrella, the rod of which can be extracted from the top of the umbrella body to open and close the umbrella.

Technical Background

There are a wide range of existing types of sunshade/beach umbrellas. The umbrella styles can be divided into two main groups: portable sunshade/beach umbrellas and cantilever umbrellas. The former is usually carried to provide individual protection from the sun and rain; the latter is generally attached to a fixture to provide a large area of shade for a specific place, such as a spot on the beach. A Cantilever umbrella, as the name indicates, is an umbrella the body of which hangs down to preserve the integrity of the space shaded by the umbrella, without the interference of an umbrella handle or umbrella support pole. As an example, Chinese patent application No. 032559518 shows an electric cantilever sunshade/beach umbrella which is a modification made based on previous designs of for an umbrella pole, slide base, cantilever arm, pulling arm, umbrella frame and driving device. This umbrella frame also includes a top notch fixed to the upper length of the center guide pole, a runner at the lower length of the center guide pole and several ribs as well as stretchers. By opening the umbrella, the umbrella cloth will be tightened to form the structure of an opened umbrella. The driving device comprises a motor and a cord and winding shaft system that is connected with the motor through a gear set. One end of a length of cord is fixed to the winding shaft. The driving device that is installed at the top notch is characterized by this cord, the other end of which sequentially passes through the umbrella frame, cantilever arm and pulley and is then fixed to the rod; the motor is connected to a power supply through electric wires. This patent discloses the general structure of a conventional cantilever umbrella; the only difference lies in the specific design of the driving device and the way of achieving the cantilever.
The key technology of the cantilever umbrella lies in the support structure of the umbrella. In the cantilever umbrella's traditional structure, rope traction moves the runner upward to open the umbrella. There are many associated units with rigid specifications, resulting in a complex structure. The use of rope to control the opening and closing of an umbrella has its convenience in that it can be manually or electrically operated.
With a portable sunshade umbrella, one can easily open or close it, and the umbrella shape can also be fixed into place through the support of an umbrella rod and a switch set into the rod. The operation is quite simple, and it does not involve complicated units. The object of the invention is to apply the structure of a portable sunshade umbrella as a improvement to the current rope-controlled structure of a cantilever umbrella.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One purpose of this invention is to design a cantilever umbrella whose rod consists of two sections that are hinged together and moveable. The rod can be extracted from the top of the umbrella body to open the umbrella; the secondary purpose of this invention is to provide a cantilever umbrella with sufficient support.
The technical aspects of this invention is realized in part as follows: A cantilever umbrella comprises an umbrella cloth (“fabric”), an umbrella rod, a top notch with a guide sleeve, a movable runner and several ribs and a corresponding number of stretchers. One end of each umbrella rib is fixed to the top notch and the other end is fixed to the edge of the umbrella cloth to stretch the fabric into place. One end of each stretcher is fixed to the movable runner and the other end is hinged to the middle of an umbrella rib to drive the opening or closing of the ribs. The cantilever umbrella's characteristics are that the umbrella rod is a two-section structure with an inner section and a cantilever section with their ends being hinged together, and they are moveable. The umbrella rod passes through the guide sleeve and the top notch; the end of the inner rod is hinged to the runner. The cantilever section is extracted from the guide sleeve and then the ribs are gradually opened. The hinged joint of the cantilever section and the inner section are pulled out of the guide sleeve, and the cantilever section can be moved on its hinge to be fixed at an angle at the end of the guide sleeve to form the positioning structure whose ribs are appropriately opened.
The hinged joint of the inner section and the cantilever section of the umbrella rod is defined by the fact that the end of the inner section is fitted with a groove-shaped plastic part and the end of the cantilever section has a tenon-shaped plastic part with the tenon-shaped plastic part inserted into the groove-shaped plastic part and hinged by rivets such that they form a moveable hinge. The cantilever section can be coaxial with the inner section, passing through the guide sleeve and the top notch in sequence to perform the action of opening and closing the ribs. The cantilever section can also move on its hinge more than 90 degrees both to the left and to the right of the inner section.
The guide sleeve is integrally connected with the top notch, and the upper end of the guide sleeve is fitted with a shallow groove. A deep groove corresponding to the direction in which the cantilever section can move so that the cantilever section can be simultaneously inserted into the shallow groove and the deep groove when it is moved on its hinge laterally. By hanging the cantilever section to either the right or the left of the inner section a choice of two different angles can be provided.
One side of the tenon-shaped plastic portion of the cantilever section facing the position of the shallow groove at the upper end of the guide sleeve is provided with a groove. By fitting this groove into the shallow groove, one can adjust the cantilever section to be horizontal to the ground.
The end of the cantilever section of the umbrella rod is provided with a core rod. The visible end of the core rod is installed with a plastic sleeve and the inner surface of the cantilever section is installed with a damping ring. The damping ring provides rotational positioning for the cantilever section.
The end of the cantilever section of the umbrella rod is also provided with a holder and a pole. The holder is a triangular plastic part (“portion”) with a shear hole and a lateral bracket. One end of the pole is inserted into the shear hole and the other end is fitted with a fastener or a floor support plate. The cantilever section is hinged to one end of the lateral bracket of the holder by means of the plastic sleeve at the end of the core rod. A rivet and the hinged joint joining the cantilever section and lateral bracket are moveable. The lateral bracket supports the point of contact for the cantilever section and the plastic parts.
The overall length of the umbrella rod is greater than the length of the ribs, and the guide sleeve projects at least 10 cm (3.94 inches) past the top of the umbrella body.
The invention is a clever design in which the two-section umbrella rod move upwardly to realize the opening, positioning and support of the cantilever umbrella. One design achieves two purposes, namely, it both simplifies the structure greatly and the rigidity of the whole unit is increased to a high level. The opening and closing operation is also convenient and smooth. The umbrella can be either hand-held or inserted into a fixture. It can also be locked onto an object with a fastener provided at the lower end of the pole or when secured with a floor support plate can be directly placed in any position to provide convenient sunshade.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic of the cantilever umbrella with umbrella cloth in its opened state.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic of the cantilever umbrella in its closed state.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section schematic of the cantilever umbrella.

FIG. 4 is a portion of the cantilever umbrella of FIG. 3 enlarged for magnification purposes.

FIG. 5 4 is another portion of the cantilever umbrella of FIG. 3 enlarged for magnification purposes.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic of an exploded view of the cantilever umbrella.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. Namely, in the drawings the following reference numbers refer to the following part:
1—umbrella cloth
2—umbrella rod
21—inner section
22—cantilever section
221—core rod
222—plastic sleeve
223—damping ring
23—groove-shaped plastic part
24—tenon-shaped plastic part
241—groove
3—top notch
31—guide sleeve
311—shallow groove
312—deep groove
41—runner
51—rib
6—stretcher
7—pole
71—fastener
8—holder
81—shear hold
82—lateral bracket
9—rivet

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 6, the cantilever umbrella with sufficient support comprises an umbrella cloth (“fabric”) 1, the umbrella rod 2, the top notch 3, the runner 41, ribs 51, stretchers 6, and the upright pole 7. The top notch 3 is connected to the guide sleeve 31, which is set toward the top of the umbrella. A number of umbrella ribs 51 are radially distributed evenly around the top notch 3. One end of each rib is hinged to the top notch 3, and the other end of each rib is fixed to the edge of the umbrella cloth 1 to spread the umbrella cloth 1 open. The stretchers 6 are preferably of the same number as the ribs 51 and radially distributed evenly around the movable runner 41 with one end hinged to the movable runner 41 and the other end hinged to the middle of a rib. The moveable runner 41 drives the ribs 51 in opening or closing the umbrella.
The umbrella rod 2 is a two-section structure with the inner rod section 21 and the cantilever section 22, the contacting ends of which are hinged together. The hinged inner rod section 21 and the cantilever section 22 are moveable. The umbrella rod 2 passes through one end of the guide sleeve 31 to pass through the top notch 3. The end of the inner section 21 is hinged to the moveable runner 41. When the umbrella is opened, the cantilever section 22 is extracted through the guide sleeve 31; the movable runner 41 is brought closer to the top notch 3; the stretchers 6 gradually push the ribs 51 into their opened position; the hinged joint of the cantilever section 22 and the inner section 21 pass through to the other side of the guide sleeve 31; and the cantilever section 22 is moved on its hinge laterally and fixed in place at the end of the guide sleeve 31 to form a positioning structure in which the ribs 51 are opened appropriately; that is, the umbrella is opened and positioning is achieved. At this time, the cantilever section 22 is horizontal to the ground, making it convenient to hold it with one's hand or fix the cantilever umbrella into a fixture.
Furthermore, the end portion of the cantilever section 22 of the umbrella rod 2 is fitted with a core rod 221, the exposed end portion of which is fixed with the plastic sleeve 222, and the damping ring 223 is installed on the surface of the cantilever 22. The damping ring 223 provides rotational positioning for the cantilevered section 22. Namely, when the umbrella rod 2 is fitted onto a fixture by means of the plastic sleeve 222, the cantilever section 22 can also be rotated and then fixed in a stable position with the damping ring so that the umbrella can be adjusted for different shade angles, such as an angle to the high left and low right, or to the high right and low left, thus adjusting the direction of shade and providing a more user-friendly design.
To achieve better support for the umbrella, the end of the cantilever section 22 of the umbrella rod 2 is also provided with a pole 7 and a holder 8. The holder 8 is a triangular-shaped plastic part with the shear hole 81 and the lateral bracket 82. One end of the pole 7 is inserted into the shear hole 81 and the other end is provided with the fastener 71 or a floor support plate. The cantilever section 22 is hinged to one end of the lateral bracket 82 on the holder 8 with the plastic sleeve 222 at the end of the core rod 221 and a rivet. The hinged cantilever section 22 and the lateral bracket 82 are moveable. The lateral bracket 82 lifts the point of contact between the cantilever section 22 and the plastic sleeve 222 to form the overhang support for the umbrella rod 2. With the above-mentioned fastener 71, one can directly lock the cantilever umbrella onto a beach chair or an automobile or the like. One can also provide the cantilever umbrella with a floor support plate for direct support or to directly insert the lower end of the pole 7 into a reserved upward jack or counterbalance weight, etc. to obtain support and provide for convenience of use. After the umbrella is closed, the umbrella rod 2 along with the main body of the umbrella can be folded around the hinged joint, so that the umbrella rod 2 and the pole 7 can be brought together. Its small size makes it easy to carry and collect, as shown in FIG. 2.
Furthermore, the inner section 21 of the umbrella rod 2 is hinged to the cantilever section 22 and they are moveable relative to each other. Specifically, this means that one end of the inner rod section 21 is provided with a groove-shaped plastic part 23 and one end of the cantilever section 22 is provided with a tenon-shaped plastic part 24. The tenon-shaped plastic part 24 is inserted into the groove-shaped plastic part and they are hinged with the rivet 9. They are relatively moveable. The cantilever section 22 can be coaxial with the inner section 21, successively passing through the guide sleeve 31 and the top notch 3 to complete the opening and/or closing operation of the umbrella ribs 51. The cantilever section 22 can also be moved more than 90 degrees to the left and right sides of the inner section 21, and be fixed into place laterally at the end of the guide sleeve 31 thereby stabilizing its position when the umbrella is opened. There is no need to design a top spring for the umbrella rod 2.
The guide sleeve 31 is integrally connected with the top notch 3. The upper section of the guide sleeve 31 that faces the direction in which the cantilever section 22 can move is provided with the shallow groove 311 and the deep groove 312. When the cantilever section 22 is moved laterally, the tenon-shaped plastic part 24 can be simultaneously inserted into the shallow groove 311 and the deep groove 312. Moving the cantilever section 22 laterally to the left or right produces two different support angles for the umbrella and allows one to adjust the pitch angle of the umbrella. Further, one side of the tenon-shaped plastic part 24 of the cantilever section 22 is provided with the groove 241 facing the shallow groove 311. By positioning the groove 241 at the shallow groove 311, one can adjust the cantilever section 22 such that it is horizontal to the ground. By inserting the tenon-shaped plastic part 24 of the cantilever section 22 into the shallow groove 311 and the deep groove 312, one can adjust the angle of the umbrella body. This also stabilizes the position of the umbrella body to prevent the umbrella from rotating or moving in a way that might result in damage to the umbrella ribs 51 and the stretchers 6. This protects the weak ribs 51 and the stretchers 6.
The overall length of the umbrella rod 2 is preferably greater than the length of the ribs 51. This not only provides an area for it to be held by the hand or to be hung, but also prevents the umbrella rod 2 from slipping into the guide sleeve 31 when the umbrella is closed, affecting the re-opening operation. The guide sleeve 31 projects at least 10 cm (3.94 inches) toward the top of the umbrella to provide a space for hand holding operation and for convenience of carrying after the umbrella is closed.
FIG. 2 is a schematic of the cantilever umbrella in its closed state. A cantilever umbrella of this design without a pole will have the same size as a portable umbrella. It makes it the convenient to hold an umbrella for others.

Claims

1. A method of operating a cantilever umbrella, including

providing an umbrella cloth, an umbrella rod, a top notch with a guide sleeve, a runner and several umbrella ribs and the same number of stretchers;

providing said umbrella rod includes a two-section structure with an inner section hingedly connected to a cantilever section;

providing the inner section of the umbrella rod passes through the guide sleeve to the top notch, and the end of the inner rod is connected to the runner;

providing one end of each rib is hinged to the top notch and the other end of each rib is fixed to an edge of the umbrella cloth to stretch the umbrella cloth open;

providing one end of each stretcher is hinged to the runner and the other end of each stretcher is hinged to a middle portion of a rib to drive the rib open or closed; wherein in a first closed position with the inner section rotated to a position coaxial with the cantilever section,

the guide sleeve is slid over the inner section and cantilever section to remove tension from the ribs and stretchers to close the ribs and umbrella cloth adjacent the umbrella rod;

wherein in a second open position, the cantilever section of the umbrella rod is extracted from the guide sleeve and then the ribs are gradually opened as the guide sleeve slides along the inner section to move the ribs and umbrella cloth away from the umbrella rod, wherein the hinged joint of the cantilever section and the inner section passes out of the guide sleeve, and the cantilever section is moved on its hinge laterally and fixed in place at the end of the guide sleeve to form a positioning structure in which the ribs are opened appropriately;

wherein the hinged joint between the inner section and the cantilever section of the umbrella rod is fitted with a groove-shaped plastic part and the end of the cantilever section has a tenon-shaped plastic part with the tenon-shaped plastic part inserted into the groove-shaped plastic part and hinged by rivets such that they form a moveable hinge, and

the cantilever section can be coaxial with the inner section, passing through the guide sleeve and the top notch in sequence to complete the action of opening and closing the ribs; and

the cantilever section can swing more than 90 degrees to both the left and the right of the inner section.

2. (canceled)

3. The method of operating a cantilever umbrella of claim 1, wherein the guide sleeve is integrally connected with the top notch, and the upper end of the guide sleeve is fitted with a shallow groove and a deep groove corresponding to the direction in which the cantilever section can be moved on its hinge laterally so that it can be simultaneously inserted into the shallow groove and the deep groove when it is moved on its hinge laterally.

4. The method of operating a cantilever umbrella of claim 3, wherein one side of the tenon-shaped plastic part of the cantilever section facing the position of the shallow groove is provided with a groove.

5. The method of operating a cantilever umbrella of claim 1, wherein the end part of the cantilever section of the umbrella rod is provided with a core rod and the visible end of the core rod is installed with a plastic sleeve and the inner surface of the cantilever section is installed with a damping ring to provide rotation positioning for the cantilever section.

6. The method of operating a cantilever umbrella of claim 5, wherein the end of the cantilever section of the umbrella rod is also provided with a holder and a pole;

the holder is a triangular plastic part with a shear hole and a lateral bracket;

one end of the pole is inserted in the shear hole and the other end is provided with a fastener or a floor support plate;

the cantilever section is hinged to one end of the lateral bracket of the holder by means of the plastic sleeve at the end of the core rod and the rivet and the hinged joint joining the cantilever section and lateral bracket is moveable; and

the lateral bracket supports the point of contact for the cantilever section and the plastic parts.

7. The method of operating a cantilever umbrella claim 1, the overall length of the umbrella rod is greater than the length of the ribs, and the guide sleeve projects at least 10 cm past the top of the umbrella body.