US 7,802,580 B2Granted

Umbrella

AssigneeMr. Christmas Incorporated

InventorsTerry Hermanson, George Raustiala

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An umbrella includes a staff assembly, a plurality of upper ribs, a plurality of corresponding lower ribs and a canopy. The staff assembly includes an inner staff member and an outer staff member slidably mounted thereon. The upper ribs are pivotally connected to the inner staff member. The lower ribs are pivotally connected to the outer staff member and to the upper ribs. The canopy is mounted on the upper or lower ribs. Sliding the inner and outer staff members with respect to each other in a longitudinal direction thereof shifts the ribs and the canopy between a deployed position in which the ribs and canopy extend generally radially outwardly from the staff assembly so as to open the umbrella, and a retracted position in which the ribs and the canopy are collapsed inwardly toward, the staff assembly so as to close the umbrella.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An umbrella comprising:

a staff assembly including a first staff member having a proximal region and a distal region longitudinally opposite said proximal region, and a second staff member having a proximal region and a distal region longitudinally opposite said proximal region, said second staff member being mounted for relative axial movement with said first staff member;
a plurality of upper rib members each pivotally connected at its inner end to said proximal region of said first staff member;
a plurality of lower rib members each corresponding to one of said upper rib members, each said lower rib member being pivotally connected at its inner end to said proximal region of said second staff member and at its outer end to the outer end of the corresponding one of said upper rib members at the outer end of each of said upper rib members;
and
a canopy disposed (a) between said plurality of upper rib members and said plurality of lower rib members or (b) on a side of said plurality of lower rib members that is farthest from said plurality of upper rib members,
wherein, by virtue of said pivotal connections, said upper and lower rib members may move between a deployed position in which said upper and lower rib members and said canopy extend generally radially outwardly from said staff assembly to open the umbrella, and a retracted position in which said upper and lower rib members and said canopy are collapsed inwardly toward said staff assembly to close the umbrella, and
wherein said upper and lower rib members and said canopy are moved between the deployed and retracted positions to open and close the umbrella by relatively axially moving said first and second staff members.

4 more elements

An umbrella comprising:

a staff assembly including an inner staff member, and an outer staff member slidably mounted with said inner staff member;
a plurality of upper ribs pivotally connected, at respective inner ends thereof, to said inner staff member;
a plurality of lower ribs each corresponding to one of said upper ribs, each said lower rib being pivotally connected at its inner end to said outer staff member and at its outer end to an outer end of the corresponding one of said upper ribs at the outer end of each of said upper ribs;
and
a canopy mounted with at least one of said upper ribs and lower ribs, the canopy being disposed (a) between said plurality of upper ribs and said plurality of lower ribs or (b) on a side of said plurality of lower ribs that is farthest from said plurality of upper ribs,
wherein said inner staff member, said outer staff member, said upper ribs, said lower ribs, and said canopy are operatively connected such that sliding said inner and outer staff members with respect to each other in a longitudinal direction of said inner and outer staff members shifts said upper and lower ribs and said canopy between a deployed position in which said upper and lower ribs and said canopy extend generally radially outwardly from said staff assembly to open the umbrella, and a retracted position in which said upper and lower ribs and said canopy are collapsed inwardly toward said staff assembly to close the umbrella.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.